"I miss you already." "Well, people are counting on me." "I can't let them down." "Hold this for me till I get back." "You'll be a good man." "Hey!" "You keep killing them all, we'll never get any intel." "The more I sweat in here, the less I bleed out there, right?" "You keep going at this rate, you'll never make it out there." "Towel it off." "The veep's in ops." "We had a situation last night at Homeland Security." "Hey!" "What?" " Good morning, John." " Madame Vice President." "16 hours ago, there was a terrorist attack on D.C." "An envelope laced with neurotoxin was delivered to Homeland Security." "There's nothing on the wire." "DHS is keeping the lid tight." "How was that letter not intercepted before the internal handout?" "Postal screening equipment is calibrated for anthrax, ricin..." "nothing like this one." "This is unique." "The target..." "General Anthony Scott, the new director of Homeland Security." "His admin opened the envelope." "The general said the kid seemed fine for about 12 hours, and then he just dropped dead of a heart attack." "No one else was infected?" "The toxin doesn't spread." "It bonds with the DNA of whomever is directly exposed, infecting at the point of contact." "Well, that sounds like the perfect assassination weapon." "Secret Service is looking at hostile countries and terrorist groups." "How can we help?" "I've seen these marks before, John." "25 years ago, an Agent X was sent in to Russia to destroy a biological weapon, code name Husk." "Well, that's strange." "The operation was classified "successful."" "Clearly it wasn't, or this kid would still be alive." "Let me tap in to data from NSA and CIA and see if I can't find somebody with secondary knowledge of the Husk mission." "No need to do that, John." "The primary is still in our files." "This former Agent X, is he still alive?" "Oh, yes, ma'am." "Find him and talk to him." "See what he knows." "And, John, find who's behind this attack." "Yes, ma'am." "The Founding Fathers built this great nation on truth, honor, and courage, and they governed the people who elected them with the respect." "Now I will build a new era of transparency in Washington." "That's all I got so far." "Well, that's a pretty good speech, sir..." "And a pretty good game." "I called you over here for your opinion, Natalie, not for your approbation." "Got it." "Well, those are strong words, sir." "Natalie, you have to face these conspirators head-on." "Otherwise, David Williams died in vain." "Well, exploited, corrupt, selfish..." "I think the people are gonna like that, but I think you might have some problems with the beltway." "Okay." "What do you suggest?" "Build bridges, not walls so that whomever you negotiate with, they feel empowered, not isolated." "Sounds like you have a pretty good handle on this, Natalie." "You want me to write something up, sir?" "I thought you'd never ask." "Aw." "I'll get right on it, sir." "Thank you." "Wait, uh, how's our mutual friend doing, now that, uh, I'm not running the show?" "I have no idea who you're talking about." "People have lost faith in government, David." "That has to change." "You spent two terms as Vice President." "How can you be so naive?" "Naive?" "You're too cynical." "I spent over 50 years in Washington." " I know how this town works." " David..." "First president that tried to take on the establishment..." "When I first came to D.C., I had the honor of hearing a great man make a similar promise." "Two weeks later, he went to Dallas, and he never came back." " The world has to change." " I'm worried." "I'm worried about you, and I'm worried about the country." "Please, Tommy." "Take it easy." "Her bite's worse than her bark." "I'm John Case." "Well, that used to be my name a long time ago." "Now, how did I know that was more than just a coincidence?" "Well, my monthly check." "I figured that might be the quickest way to get on your good side." "Yeah." "Stand down now, Bella." "I think our visitor here just may be one of us." "_" "_" "Let's see, now." "Malcolm, Malcolm, Malcolm." "No, I don't believe I know a Malcolm." "Probably came in right after me." " Some nice guns." " Oh, yeah." "Just a familiar way to pass some time." "You're on your own out here?" "It's just me and Bella." "She's the only one I can talk to, unless I want to get locked up for revealing state secrets." "But go ahead." "Take a tug." "Well, you know what they say..." "Anyone worth shooting once is worth shooting twice, huh?" "I miss those days." "Good times." "You know, I came out here about the Kirov mission." "Your "after action" said the mission was a success, but the mission failed." "I never failed a mission in my life." "If I had, I'd be dead right now." "Quitters don't get called up to be an "X," you know?" "You never destroyed the virus." "Well, destroying the virus wasn't my mission." "What was your mission?" "Bring it back home, give it to Uncle Sam so he could engineer a version for himself." "That was redacted from the file, of course." "I'm sure it was." "Biological warfare has been illegal since the treaty of '72." "Anyone screwing around with those bugs is in big trouble." "You know if there's any Husk left vaulted in the States?" "Yeah." "Ever since the accident," "CDC stuck away a couple of doses up there at Fort Detrick." "But that was what, 20-some-odd years ago?" "I don't know what accident you're talking about." "General Scott ran a little Husk operation out of building 470 up there at Detrick." "General Anthony Scott?" "He runs Homeland now, and he was the target of the recent attack." "And ever since the explosion took out his team," "General Scott's been living on borrowed time." "Was that payback from the Russians?" "I thought so at first, but, then, when I got into it," "I realized it was a full-blown cover-up, CIA style, you know, old-school dirty tricks, that sort of thing." "Yeah, yeah, yeah." "How deep did it go?" "Well, I don't know." "I started to get into it, and my veep pulled me off the job." "Well, he was a real dick." "I hope yours isn't a real dick." "Uh no, she's not." "Oh, she?" "Oh, well, how about that, huh?" "You know, I, uh..." "I gave up reading the papers and watching the news on the big-screen TV a long time ago." "I just got so tired... tired of all the lies and all the government B.S." "Yeah, I don't blame you." "Thanks for the intel." "You know, it's rare I get a chance to speak my mind." "I bet old Bella knows all the secrets." "Bella?" "Oh, yeah." "She knows where all the bones and all the bodies are buried, believe me." "Lux in tenebris there, John Case." "Yeah." "Anytime." "Malcolm, I'm almost at the airport." "Where do you want me?" "Back down to Washington and then up to Frederick, Maryland." "I found a suspect Harold Hellman." "What's his connection to the virus?" "He's been in charge of the virus vault at Detrick for three years." "I ran an online check of their inventory system." "The virus isn't in their vault." "So, you believe that this attack on your office was state-sponsored?" "Yes, Madame Vice President." "The NSA intercepted some chatter implicating the Russians, possibly operating with Iran's Republican Guard." "Well, that's a dangerous alliance." "Yes, ma'am." "Why do you think they would be colluding?" "Could be a warning to keep us from meddling in the Ukraine." "Well, that's a pretty provocative shot across the bow." "Yes, ma'am." "I'm only speculating." "So, the virus... have we seen this used anywhere before?" "Do we have any idea where it was engineered?" "No, ma'am." "This is first contact." "You know, when I was on the Hill," "I heard rumors that the army was conducting experiments with biological agents." "Biological warfare is against international law." "Any unit charged with viral weaponization would need to operate under a... presidential finding." "So you've never heard any of these rumors?" "Access to any information regarding any such an operation would be significantly restricted." "Even to me." "Yes, ma'am." "A nation is only as strong as her secrets." "And now, if we're done, I have some terrorists to hunt." "Of course." "Thank you for this very personal briefing, General." "You getting a signal?" "Residence of Harold Hellman." "Trained as a biochemist." "Employed by the army as a civilian to be in charge of the virus vault at Fort Detrick." "More like a "Star Trek" fan than a bioterrorist." "They're not mutually exclusive." "Switching to audio scan." "Does he live alone?" "No relations or roomies." "Cash in the bank?" "Just his paychecks." "He rarely leaves home, except to go to work, until three months ago, and then there are dinner charges and movies for two." "Harold made a new friend." "Who are these two?" "Adam and Zeke Miller." "Armed robbery, grand theft, on parole, and affiliated with a Virginia-based militia group." "Our little Harold's rolling with the bad boys." "♪ I know you want it ♪" "♪ yeah, and you need it ♪" "♪ Watching you die every day ♪" "♪ I know you want it ♪" "♪ yeah, and you need it ♪" "♪ I can see you fading away ♪" "♪ I can see your face fall to disgrace ♪" "♪ now you're dead and gone ♪" "♪ I can see you fading away ♪" "♪ I can see your face fall to disgrace ♪" "♪ now you're dead and gone ♪" "I got here as fast as I could." " John's been infected." " What?" " Are you sure?" " The virus has bonded with his DNA." "Can you look at that?" "See that?" "John, I can airlift you to Hopkins." "Look, ma'am, I'm sure Malcolm has told you that there's no antidote for this, so I'm good." "I've got about 12 hours." "This is what I signed up for." "They're planning another attack, and with the amount of virus they have in their possession," "I'm saying it's gonna be pretty large-scale." " Do you know the target?" " No." "Malcolm, contact the FBI." "I'll send a tip through coded channels." "DHS will activate the firewatch protocol, and that will increase the chances of a passive interception." "You know what?" "I think I have a solid lead." "Aah!" "I don't want to go to jail." "Tell me about the next target." "It's too early for sales targets." "We haven't even created the product yet." "We're still experimenting." "Harold, it's almost next to impossible for another human being to be in as much trouble as you are in right now." "Then I should have a lawyer, right?" "I don't work within the same rules of traditional law enforcement." "Okay." "That's a very weird and scary thing to say." "Can you really kill a person just for stealing?" "You're not a thief." "You're a terrorist." "You killed somebody, and you're gonna kill more." "Whoa." "Uh, what the hell?" "No, no, no, no, no." "I..." "I did not hurt anybody." "Molly and I are starting a company to save lives." "You sent an envelope dipped in the virus to the boss of Homeland Security." "What?" "!" "What are you talking about?" "You stole one of the most deadly biological weapons ever created." "To design a new cancer vaccine." "If we can write changes to the human DNA, then we can repair these damaged cells at their foundation." "Tell me something... can you change these cells at their foundation?" "Molly's not a terrorist." "Well, she sprayed me with a biological weapon, and I'll be dead by midnight." "Yeah." "I'm..." "I'm totally sorry about that, but it must have been an accident." "It wasn't an accident, trust me." "I don't trust you." "I trust Molly, and I know Molly would never hurt anyone." "Her friends might." "Ow." "Hey, that was smart to leave the Millers for the cops." "Those bros were always so mean to me." "You're doing the right thing by taking me to her." "That way, no one gets hurt, including her." "Do you have someone in your life?" "Did you just seriously ask me that?" "Yeah, that was a stupid question, wasn't it?" "I mean, a guy like you." "'Cause you're like a superhero, aren't you?" " Yeah." " Only now you're gonna die alone." " That really sucks, doesn't it?" " Just get in the car." "Okay." "Pain on the right side?" "Yeah." "Uh, that's Husk." "The virus is... is writing code to your hypothalamus for your circadian system, setting the time bomb of your inevitable heart attack." "Right." "When all you can hear is the ring, that will be your brain cells frying from lack of oxygen." "Time's up." "But, hey, if you can stay relaxed, you might buy yourself another hour or two." "Just put the tape back over your mouth." "Right." "You understand the plan?" "Mm-hmm." "Look, I know you think Molly is awesome, but you need to consider the possibility" " that she is very dangerous." " Hmm?" "And that, possibly, she's used her sexuality to manipulate you." "Mnh-mnh, mnh-mnh." "Do I need to remind you that I am dying and I have a gun?" "Mm..." "Ow!" "Dude!" "I won't tip them off if they make contact, okay?" "And Molly didn't manipulate me." "She's being used by the militia." "They're the bad guys." "If she repeatedly calls you pet names that end in the letter "Y,"" "if she puts her hands on you while talking to you, if she tries to lead you outside of that bar with promises of sex  you better not go." "That might be very challenging for me." "Do your best." "Hello." "Never seen you in here without her." "Uh, well, Molly asked me to meet her here." "Is she around?" "Baby, you're safe." "Who was he?" "A bounty hunter after the Miller brothers." "He... he thought you were dating one of the Millers." "He couldn't imagine we were together." "That's ridiculous." "Why don't we go to the shop, where we can talk in private?" "Okay?" "Yeah?" "You think I'd look good on a bike?" "Oh, so good, so sexy." " Yeah?" "Real strong, right?" " Mm-hmm." "Oh, yeah." "Totally." "Yeah." "Harold." "Molly..." "He said you killed someone in Washington." "Is that true?" "I couldn't have done it without you, Harold." "You're breaking my heart." "You'll live, as long as you do what I want." "I need you to load the virus into the rocket." "No, no!" "I don't want to hurt anybody." "Aah!" "Load the rocket!" "Put it down." "Shoot me, and he dies, too." "I'm so sad, I wish you would kill me." "Shut up, Harold!" "Pack it up!" "Let's go!" "Come on!" "Go, go!" "Your friends are planning a biological attack." "I'm patient zero." "I got nothing to lose." "Tell me what I want to know." "You can go to hell." "You want to go together?" "They were lied to, tricked by General Scott into making a weapon." " Who's they?" " Molly's parents... doctors." "Thought they were making an antibiotic." "Truth was, the CIA was using them to make an assassination drug." "Her folks found out what was up and secretly made an antidote." "They were gonna give it to the world." "They were gonna keep everybody safe." "But the army killed them before they could." "He claims the government made it look like an accident." "That matches what the other John Case told me." "Kid avenging her parents." "Why wouldn't she try something else first?" "She did." "She brought her story and all her evidence she collected to justice." " When was this, John?" " Summer of 2005." "Well, there was a hearing." "All the evidence was confiscated, and the woman who brought the case..." "Brenda Pelton..." "Well, they hit her with a bogus treason charge." "Obviously to discredit her." "And then she had to go underground to avoid arrest." "The antidote that her parents made, has anyone ever seen it?" "No, ma'am." "Maybe it's with all the other evidence they collected." "That's unclear from anything I have access to." "And all requests for information concerning this case are to go through Central Intelligence." "I'm sure they've been using it for wet work." "In which case they would need an antidote to protect their contractors." "I'll contact the acting director of the CIA." "John, did Harold identify the target?" "He has no idea." "I'm sending an extraction team to pick you up now, John." "We're not losing you." "Appreciate the thought, madam, but I've got a job to do." "I'm good." "I know." "I'm telling you, man, you messed up last night, leaving the club." "They were just beautiful, just flocking everywhere." "You just decided who's this?" "Hi." "I'm not from here." "My tank is running low." "Can you tell me where a gas station is?" "Gas station... yeah." "If you just go around the corner right there, can't miss it." "Oh." "Thanks." "So, what, you need anything else, or... ?" "I'll take your truck." "Whoa!" "Aah!" "Molly, why are you doing this?" "Shut up!" "Ah!" "My god, what have I done?" " Mr. President." " Murray." "It's the Vice President." "Thank you for the speech, Natalie." "I'll try to do your words justice." "Mr. President, I can't reveal the source of my intel, but I have information regarding an illegal cover-up and murder of American citizens, perpetrated by General Scott." "General Scott." "I'm relieving you of duty." " Sir?" " You're going under investigation for violating the international treaty banning the research into biological weapons and for trying to hide your involvement." " You can't do that, sir." " I'm your commander in chief." "And you'll be gone in four years." "I'll still be here, serving my country, protecting her by any and all means necessary." "We'll see about that." " You have time to set up?" " Hell yeah." "I want to hit them right at the end of his speech." "I found a laptop, Malcolm." "It looks like they've loaded this virus into some kind of projectile." "It's set for airburst 1,500 feet, with enough virus to cover an entire football field." "Where, John?" "We need to know where?" "This has got a number." "Uh, run this number 2025550156." "Prescott Fireworks." "I mean, how many events could be scheduled for tonight?" "It's the National Mall, John." "The President's giving a speech." "General." "The threat warning." "Routing was cloaked, but the codes check out." " Steward protocol." " I can't disrupt this event." "Firewatch is in effect." "All threats must be shared with Secret Service." "I'll take care of this personally." "Sir." "Have my car brought around." "Sir." "That rocket explodes over the mall, everyone downtown's infected." "I need that launch site, Malcolm." "Fireworks on the mall is a tall order." "Four companies have the job." "Prescott will be at Potomac Park." " I'll get there." " John, there may be an antidote." "The Vice President is tracking it." "If she gets lucky, I'll find you." ""Lucky."" "Since when do we count on luck?" "Sometimes, it's all we have." "Please, come in." "The Vice President's expecting you." "Madame Vice President, I'm Diana Hood." "After Gray Lawson's untimely death," " I have been appointed acting director of the CIA." " Congratulations." "I'll try not to judge you by the actions of your predecessor." " Is that the antidote?" " Yes, Madame Vice President." "But before I hand it over, Agency council has asked me to clarify that this transaction is not to be construed as admission of wrongdoing or illegal activity." "The CIA is off the hook." "That was our deal." "Show me." "Husk has provided Agency operators with the robust option of discreet problem solving in the field." "State-sponsored murder?" "Malcolm!" " Thank you." " It has protected American lives." "Well, now it's taking them." "Save him." "Ready to rock." "I'm sorry, Harold, but someone's got to take the blame." "This time, it's not gonna be me." "Malcolm, the mall's still full of people." " John, I have the antidote." " Contact Homeland?" "I did, and they confirmed." "I will contact Secret Service directly." "If they see cops clearing the mall, they're gonna launch." " I'm almost there." " We're running out of time, John." "You need this antidote." "You came for me." "Yeah, totally." "How many rockets are loaded with the virus?" "Uh, just one, but Molly took it." "You're too late." "Yeah." "Why aren't they firing?" "They're waiting for the end of the speech." "Can you just... can you just shoot them?" "Molly's finger is on the trigger." "I need to get down there to disconnect the launch tubes." "Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States of America." "Thank you." "Thank you, thank you." "Hello, Washington!" "Hello, America!" "Are you ready for some fireworks?" "!" "Thank you!" "Thank you!" "The Founding Fathers built this great nation on truth, honor, and courage, and they governed the people who elected them with respect." "Oh." "No, no, no, no, no." "It's... it's the ringing..." "the ringing in your ears, right?" "You've been infected for hours." "You could flatline at any second." "Don't worry about me." "If she launches that rocket, thousands of people are gonna die." "Listen, Harold, you've done enough, man." "Get out of here." "The foundation of this great nation is still strong." "Go." "But over time, it's developed some cracks, some breaks in the mortar, some breaches in your trust." "During the campaign," "I promised to bring transparency to Washington." "I promised to tell the truth about selfish politicians, about the career bureaucrats, those who keep secrets." "... no matter what their rank or their record." "On my watch, illegal activity will not be tolerated." "But there is a greater truth about brave young men and women, like those who share the stage with me tonight, who are as steadfast in the this country as were the sons of liberty, the daughters of the revolution." "You need to know how hard the people in every corner of this town are working for you... heroes that you will never know." "The choices they made  and, yes, even the secrets they keep... are to protect you  because they love this country as much as you and I do." "Are you ready for those fireworks?" "So, tonight is not about laying blame." "It's about building bridges." "Let there be no walls between Americans!" "We need to be united to work together  to build a better future for our children," "for our nation, and for the world." "Thank you  and God bless America!" "Thank you!" "You left the wake-up call for 4:00 A.M." "Welcome back, John." "Hey, Malcolm." "You've rallied the nation, sir." "Polling indicates a terrific response to your speech." " Well, thanks to your rewrite." " Oh!" "Changing how the beltway operates will take more allies than enemies." "You catch more flies with honey." "I understand General Scott's been taken into custody." "Look, his cover-up of the Husk debacle is exactly the kind of thing" " I don't want this country involved in." " Course." "You're confident that the CIA was not involved?" "Not that I can say, sir." "Pardon that you asked for." "I left the name blank." "Thank you, Mr. President." "Oh, and, uh, if you see our mutual friend, please give him my gratitude." "I still don't know who you're talking about, sir." "So I'm not gonna go to jail?" "Not if you keep your mouth shut, you don't break any new laws." "You think you can handle that, Harold?" "Maybe." "Yes." "Is that the right answer?" "That's the right answer." "Mouth shut, no neurotoxins." "Try to stay away from the bad girls." "Do you know why Molly did this?" "Molly's parents were whistle-blowers, and they were killed." "She wanted revenge at any price." "I'm never dating again." "They're not all that crazy." "Hey, what about you, dude?" "Now that you've had this near-death experience, you should find a nice honey and just... just settle down." "And, then, that way, next time, you don't have to die alone." " The next time?" " Yeah." "That's a vote of confidence from you, Harold." "Thank you." "Good luck, man." "Take care of yourself." "I'm sure I'll manage." " Go." " Yeah."