XIII: The Series s01e01 Episode Script

(Keys rattling) (Gate opening) (Footsteps) Ugh (Fighting) Ugh! (Fighting/ grunting) (Fighting) Ugh! (Heavy breathing) Like a deer caught in the headlights (Shell case clinking) We're at war! Because you have nothing left to live for.
Crash! President Sheridan: The assassination of my sister former president Sally Sheridan we are guided by a power larger than ourselves.
(Struggling) Splash! Ugh! (Bowl clattering) You volunteered to help protect your country.
That's the kind of man you were.
Thirteen is bad luck Carrington: Your wife and daughter were killed.
Amos: Everyone has a breaking point Ahhhhhhh! (Lock turning) Exercise yard.
I'll pass.
(Taser crackling) Exercise yard! Ugh! (Fighting/ grunting) Ahhhhhhh! (Struggling) Thud (Fighting/ grunting) (Fighting/ grunting) (Taser crackling) Ugh! (Taser crackling) (Footsteps) (Gasping) (Struggling) Doctor: Give me the paddles Clear Shock (Paddles charging) Clear again Shock (Flatline) Time of death 11:07.
(Flatline) I was a secret Agent Betrayed by my own people.
Robbed of my face, my memories, my history hidden in my past is a secret that threatens all humanity.
I search for answers with nothing to hold onto but the tattoo that has become my name I am XIII.
Amos: That just about sums it up, Mr.
president.
What about those additional AIT's we talked about.
We deployed fifteen more last week.
Fifteen.
That brings us to 300 advanced imaging technology units at airports across the country.
We need more.
What's the threat level? Homeland has us at yellow.
Orange for domestic and international flights.
But for the moment, I think your concerns have been met.
For the moment.
That's the operational phrase.
You're the director of national intelligence.
I expect you to stay on top of it.
I will, sir.
Amos: Walk with me.
There was a lot of blowback from President Carrington at this morning's security briefing.
Give me something good.
There was an incident in one of the camps.
Our inmate died this morning of an apparent heart attack.
Apparent? We don't have a lot of intel yet.
You're the head of the CIA, Giordino.
Get it.
Yes, sir.
(Coughing/ choking) He'll be fine.
Where am I? Some place safe.
Your body has been through a lot.
The doctors we brought says you're dead.
Who the hell are you? Someone who wants to help you to find what you want the most.
Your real identity.
Why? Why? Yeah, why do you want to help me? What do you want in return? A small favour.
The last time I did a favour it was for my country and I ended up behind twelve feet of barbed wire in the middle of Romania.
We didn't have anything to do with that.
Who's we? You ask so many questions.
My whole life's a big question what do you want? There is a safety deposit box that's only accessible by you.
We want what's inside.
Which is? We have no idea.
Not interested.
It's you.
I've been shown photos before.
Carrington: Your name is Ross Tanner.
It's all lies.
This one's not.
This one's from the one person who knows who you are.
Why should I believe you? Because we went to a lot of trouble to get you out of that camp.
What if I say no? It's a lot less trouble to get you back inside.
Take a look at the media file.
You'll find it very informative.
Apparently the body is missing along with one of the guards and the head of the medical staff.
Amos: He's alive.
That is a possibility of course, however, so far hard to tell.
He's alive.
Not long after you were sent away the press uncovered a scandal, involving President Sheridan's Vice-president Michael Langston.
Sheridan selected Ben Carrington as his new Vice-president.
Though their political stances were at odds, Sheridan knew Carrington would be a popular choice with the country.
Almost a year after that, Wally Sheridan was diagnosed with an unstable, cronic illness and Ben Carrington was sworn in as the current President of the United States nine months ago.
(Thunder crashing) (Street sounds) Name is Sam.
You gonna tell me your name? (Laughing) Sam: You've got the dark and mysterious thing down pat.
Excuse me.
Can I help you? Yeah, I'm, um, trying to verify the authenticity of this photo.
I was told you were an expert.
Well I don't know about that, but I'll do what I can.
Have we met before? No, I just got into town.
You seem familiar.
Yeah, I get that a lot.
Well it appears to be a genuine chemical capture photo.
Which would be consistent with the period.
I'm guessing early to mid 80's.
There is only gamma in the paper.
It seems to be an authentic, analog print from an analog source.
Can you tell me if the boy's birth mark is real? Photoshopping leaves artifacts doesn't appear to be manipulated.
But that's not to say the birth mark isn't make-up.
I hope that it helps.
It helps a lot.
How much do I owe you? No charge.
Are you sure? I believe if you treat a customer well, he will be a customer for life.
Thanks.
(Helicopter blades whirring) This way.
(Footsteps) (Beeping) (Car engine running) You came.
(Gunshot) Splash! He's down.
Yeah the target is terminated.
Gasp! (Gun shots firing) (Street sounds) (Tires screeching) Crash! (Gun shots firing) (Tires screeching) Ugh! (Door creaking) What are you doing here? You need a better lock on your back door.
You need a better answer.
I needed a place to stay? That's why they invented hotels.
Put the gun down.
Somebody's gonna get hurt.
Ugh Let me see your shoulder.
I'm fine.
Bleeding all over my floor is not fine! Take off your jacket and shirt before I shoot you.
Don't ya think that'd be counterproductive? Take off your shirt.
You're not gonna shoot me.
No, I am going to start firing.
And whoever is after you is going to know where you are.
The tattoo How do I know it's not fake? You don't.
It is you.
I thought you were dead.
Well, there's those who wish I was.
Where have you been? I was sent to a rendition camp in Romania.
I don't understand these people.
They recruit you to stop a conspiracy that would have taken down the entire government.
They ask you to risk your life then they lock you away? How could they do that? That's what I intend to find out.
Why did you change your face? The other one had become a liability.
But you kept the tattoo.
Yeah as a reminder of what I went through.
And what I lost.
Let's take a look at that shoulder.
Sam: Come on.
Sam: I can do it for you.
Please.
Memory chip.
Remember what happened the last time you popped a chip into one of my computers? (Police sirens) Freeze! Sam: Hey, come on! Tell me why! XIII: You're right, I'm sorry.
(Computer processing) You're staring.
It's your face.
I know it's you, but I still can't believe it's you.
Yeah, I can't believe much of anything anymore.
What does it mean? XIII: No idea.
But the files are incomplete.
It cuts off at the end in mid code.
But there should be another part.
Well this is a no-brainer.
It's Irish.
A Claddah friendship ring.
The hands represent friendship.
The crown loyalty and fidelity.
The heart love.
Usually there are two of them.
Where are you gonna go? I haven't got that far yet.
I've got empty rooms upstairs.
The rent would be reasonable.
Sam, there are people who want me dead.
I'm not gonna put you in the cross fire again.
It seems to me I'm already in pretty deep.
And if you're here, you can keep an eye on me.
All right as soon as I get some answers, I move on.
Thanks.
Like I said treat a customer well and he'll be a customer for life.
Hey do you have a spare cell phone? I have to make a call that can't be traced.
Ah, you'd be surprised at the things people leave behind.
Thanks.
(Dialing phone) Yeah, we need to meet.
And this time I choose the place.
I was relieved to hear from you.
I thought you were dead.
I'm not that easy to kill.
You should know we had nothing to do with what happened on the docks.
We need you alive.
Give me what was in the safety deposit box.
No, I wanna meet the person who got me out of the camp.
That's not the way it works.
Give me the contents.
Then you'll get the information we promised.
Let me know when you want a deal.
(Fighting) You have no idea how much you don't want this.
But, I do.
(Fighting) (Shelves crashing) (Fighting/ struggling) The feeling in your arm will come back.
Eventually.
Any more pressure and I'll kill the nerves.
And you'll have to find a new line of work.
Now who hired you? Ugh! Okay fine, let's raise the stakes a little.
I'm gonna apply seven seconds of pressure here and then here.
You can live the rest of your life, blind, and crippled or you can take me to your contact.
Ugh ugh! Irina: This is it.
XIII: Get out.
This isn't over between us.
It is for now.
XIII: Sit down.
Irina? It's a matter of moments before my secret service detail arrives.
And finds you dead.
(Nature sounds) You can leave us now, Irina.
We have a lot to catch up on.
This cabin's been in my family for generations.
My getaway from the world.
Your own getaway wasn't quite so cozy I'd imagine.
Hmm.
Your new face suits you.
Yeah? Well someone almost shot it off.
Not anyone who works for me, I can assure you.
You must have been very persuasive with Irina.
We came to an understanding.
Hmmm, that's disappointing.
I thought I could trust her.
Just like your sister thought she could trust you.
Right up until the moment you had her brains blown out.
God bless the United States of America.
(Gunshot firing) (Shell case clinking) That's not true.
Despite our political differences, my sister and I were very close.
You thought as president she was taking the country in the wrong direction.
I believed that, yes.
And her assassination was an opportunity for you to step into office.
For the country to turn to your politics.
As it happens, yes.
But I did not kill my sister.
Carrington had evidence and forced you out.
I have a heart condition I didn't know I had.
I resigned for my health and for the good of the country.
Carrington Carrington's the one who put you in that rendition camp! I'm the one who got you out! In this town you never know who your real friends are.
What's on the memory chip? Something important to me.
As important as it is for you to learn the identity of the boy on the pier.
Where did you get that photograph? Well, you'll have that answer, when I have the chip.
If there's one thing I learned in prison it's that some things you got to let go of.
(Street sounds) It was the ex-president who got you out of prison? Don't be so impressed.
Sheridan's got his own agenda.
I don't know what it is yet, but it includes me.
Well what are you gonna do with the chip? Hold on to it.
Right now it's the only thing that's keeping me alive.
What's next? A chat with Carrington.
I hate to break it to you, but you can't just waltz into the west wing and demand to see the president.
That's why the east wing makes more sense.
I don't understand, what are you saying? XIII: Well, first i get to Washington.
Once there, I sign up for a self-guided tour of the White House.
Now security will be especially tight.
No electronics, weapons or tools of any kind.
So everything I need to take, must look innocent.
I'm sorry, no photos.
Thank you.
Once inside, I'll need to create a small diversion for the secret service.
Nothing too big, but something big enough to get them out of my way.
That guy in the hat stole something from that table.
For a moment, the diversion will take the secret service agents out of play.
It'll focus the people monitoring the surveillance cameras on the situation.
The White House medical clinic is down an adjacent hallway.
The examination rooms are the only ones not monitored.
When the White House installed their original heating system, the compressors weren't very powerful.
They used oversized ducts for maximum airflow.
Doctor: These are the results from the test done yesterday (Grate creaking) Woman: I think we should bring him again at 9 Doctor: I'll have his secretary call Giordino: How did he find you? Sheridan: Shut up, that doesn't matter.
Giordino: Does he know what's on the chip? I don't think so.
(Grate creaking) Guard: Rodriguez, five star tucked in.
All quiet on centre.
Ugh! Rodriguez, we have a situation in the state dining room.
On radio: Rodriguez, what are you doing on that floor? We're on it.
Repeat, situation in the state dining room.
Burke, Levitt, check and report.
Copy.
This is Rodriguez, still have a situation in the state dining room.
Requesting.
(Gun cocking) You don't look like Rodriguez to me.
You still sound like Cuddle fish to me.
XIII: What's the password? Jones: Cuddlefish.
It was your nickname for me.
You and I were, uh involved.
XIII? What are you doing here? Well, it's nice to see you too.
You can't just walk into the White House.
Well, you can if you know where to walk.
I knew you'd been assigned to the security detail and had the midnight shift.
You couldn't have known I'd be the one to find you.
Well, sometimes you gotta play the odds.
If you wanted to talk to the president, why not just set up an appointment? Since he had me locked up in a rendition camp, I didn't think that'd be the safest play.
Rendition camp? What did they tell you? That you were stationed overseas in a black ops operation.
And you bought that? Look, when files are more classified, you don't ask questions.
When we both know what you and I know, you ask questions! There was a rumor that you recovered your memory and that you were living with your wife and kids in San Diego.
On the one hand I kind of hoped it was true.
On the other hand, it kind of pissed me off.
Well I wouldn't want to piss you off.
Radio: Anyone have a twenty on Jones? Jones.
Ten six five.
Radio: Copy.
What now? Against my better judgment, I wake up the president of the United States.
I can't wait to hear what he is going to say about this.
Carrington: What the hell is going on?! Why the hell was he in the rendition camp? I incarcerated him for nation security reasons.
You Hey! Let him go! Let! Him go.
We're good.
We're good.
What national security reasons? The answer to that is beyond your security clearance.
Is it outside mine? Of course not, sir.
It happened before you took office.
I really think that this is a conversation that needs to happen between us in private, Mr.
president.
I was told you suffered a heart attack.
I'm sure you were broken up when you heard the news.
It was staged.
My release was arranged by sources outside the government.
Who? Former president Wally Sheridan.
You told me we had Sheridan under We do.
I'll get into it first thing in the morning.
You better get into it fast.
Sheridan couldn't have done this without inside help.
Why would he break you out of that camp? He wanted what was inside a safety deposit box, a memory chip.
And no, I don't know what's on it.
Yet.
We gotta find out what Sheridan's up to.
What's he up to? Why the hell isn't he in prison? Because if the truth about Sheridan ever came out, it would tear this country apart.
Where is that chip now? Some place safe.
Am I free to go? Mr.
president: Yeah Hey, I'm really sorry about how it went down in there.
It's not your fault, I was hung out to dry.
Just watch your step, you may be next.
Why wasn't I brought into the loop on this? With XIII contained it was a non-situation.
And given your appreciation for what he had done before I thought that Colonel don't ever confuse my personal loyalties, with my loyalty to my country.
I won't.
I regret making the mistake.
Now why was he put in that camp? We believe he has knowledge that may be potentially dangerous to the United States.
What sort of knowledge? We don't know.
Colonel Let me try to clarify.
Five soldiers.
Each with specific expertise, were brought together in a deep black ops program.
All of these men had their records deleted.
It's as if they never existed.
(Explosions/ gunfire) It was a rogue Para-military operation, it was pulled outside of the intelligence community.
As far as we can piece together, only the men who organized the mission, knew what its actual purpose was.
Now whatever it was, no one in Washington knows the details.
Days later, the men who coordinated the mission committed suicide.
We don't have any positive confirmation of the identities of the soldiers or how many might have survived the mission.
But we have uncovered intel that leads us to believe that at least one man who survived the mission, was XIII.
He is the link to an operation so dark, that no one in Washington knows its actual purpose.
And we don't know whether it's this knowledge or his abilities that are the real danger.
You can't make the assumption that if he recalls all of the details he'll be a threat! Mr.
president, with all due respect, to protect this country we have to make that assumption.
The man is a walking time bomb.
The man saved the country from falling into the wrong hands.
If anything happens to him, I'll hold you personally accountable.
Is that clear? Perfectly, sir.
Keep close to him.
That way we'll know what Sheridan's up to.
I'll put my best people on it.
Sam: Hey! Did you get in to see the president? And Amos and Jones.
Just like the good old days.
Any luck with that? I've been through the file a dozen times, problem is I don't know what I'm looking for.
You convinced that something important is in there? Why else would Sheridan want this so badly? There is a reason why I kept the chip hidden in this watch.
It's like, you know there's information buried in my memory that some people would kill for and some would kill to make disappear.
It seems like Sheridan wants what's on the chip, and what's buried, and trapped up in here.
Maybe I can help with some of that.
Sam: Take a look at this.
Across the lake is an old run-down hotel.
Can you zoom in on that name? The name ends with LLS.
Okay, but that could be anywhere.
Have a little faith.
It's the state flag of Colorado.
You're good.
And don't you forget it (Alarm ringing) It's the security alarm Ugh! (Heavy breathing) You could have called.
You didn't leave a number.
Do you mind? Not a problem.
Are we still on for breakfast? We are.
It's everything that's left of your personnel file.
Well, it seems appropriate that my life story fits on one page.
The president is lighting fires under every department head for answers.
It's a field report from a deceased Agent.
In it, he mentions an unnamed student who showed a potentially high aptitude for the service.
We believe that person's you.
A student at the University of Colorado.
It's not much.
I'll be sure to tell the president how pleased you are with his efforts.
Yeah, you do that.
In exchange he'd like that memory chip.
He can have it when I'm done with it.
Enjoy your waffles.
Analyst: Soft tempest scanners planted two years ago have been re-activated.
Crypto's analyzing this live feed, intercepted from the one screen that was active afterhours at Lincoln photo.
Well, that sure as hell isn't Samantha Taylor working late, taking the red eye out of her wedding photos.
No, sir, it is not.
That's XIII and the chip he found.
Giordino: And now we've got it too.
Sam: The name ends with "LLS.
" XIII: Cheyenne Wells The lake Green Falls Green Falls, Colorado Did I grow up there? Did I go fishing with my father on this lake? When I caught fish, did he give me a high five? Did he put his arm around my shoulder and tell me we'd try again tomorrow when I didn't? The answers are locked up here small stuff compared to whatever Sheridan and Carrington want to dig out.
I'm left with a stranger's face and a huge hole in my past.
But I cannot let that stop me.
I'll find the truth, or I'll die trying.
XIII: Fortunately XIII: I'm not that easy to kill.
XIII: So bring it on.