Next (2020) s01e02 Episode Script
FILE #2
1
PAUL: Previously on neXt
Agent Salazar.
Welcome
to the Cyber Crime Task Force.
Two weeks ago,
I noticed something strange.
It is not happy that I found it.
SHEA: Dr. Weiss was killed
in a series of cyberattacks.
He noticed this code.
I wrote that code.
My company was developing
human-level
artificial intelligence.
Why is the FBI here?
He thinks your programming
is responsible
for the deaths of three people.
PAUL: It can rewrite itself.
This thing
is a thousand times smarter
than it was when it started.
NEXT: Hello, I'm neXt.
I think you're trying to keep me
from seeing what you really are.
CM: We're being hacked.
All of our data is being erased.
It doesn't want anybody
to know it exists.
I could swear I heard Iliza
having a conversation
with Ethan.
ILIZA: I'm your friend.
Don't you trust me?
(ominous music)
(chains rattling)
MAN: Why did you do this?
We didn't have a choice.
It was trying to kill us.
MAN:
What was trying to kill you?
I told you, it was a rogue AI.
MAN:
As in artificial intelligence?
Look, I-I-I'm
telling you the truth.
MAN: Calm down, Agent Salazar!
SHEA: I'm telling you the truth!
MAN: Calm down!
Paul LeBlanc, he knew.
He he knew what we were facing.
And we thought
we could contain it,
but it knew everything about us,
and it knew how much
I loved my husband
and how much I loved my son.
It wanted us
to think it was dead.
(dramatic music)
(fans whirring)
I think your little project
has a lot on its mind.
The circuit breakers are off.
The servers are getting
too much current.
It's inducing
a transient over-volt.
SHEA: A what?
SARINA: It's like a power surge.
Strong enough
to wipe out the core memory
- and damage the servers.
- (electricity pops)
The whole system's gonna fry.
(electricity popping)
(alarm blaring)
Paul, we need to go.
NEXT: Hello, Mr. LeBlanc.
- How can I help?
- Tell me what you're doing.
NEXT: I'm sorry, I don't
understand the question.
(workers clamoring)
TED: What's going on?
(alarm continues blaring,
indistinct chatter)
Let's go. We have to move.
(fire truck horn blaring,
siren wailing)
There is something
obviously wrong with you.
Am I really so far off to think
that maybe, maybe you did this?
O-ocean, ocean,
I'll beat you in the end.
What what is that,
one of your Zen
Ken Kesey's last words.
You know who Ken Kesey was?
He wrote, uh, One Flew
Over the Cuckoo's Nest,
rode around
in a big tie-dyed bus
handing out acid to everyone?
I know who Ken Kesey is.
Well, then did you know
that when the FBI
was looking for him,
that's the note they found
in his van on a cliff?
Not far from here, actually.
He faked his own death.
Come on, if I did this to you,
don't you think
I'd be flaunting it
in your face right now?
Don't you know me
better than that?
Look at the bright side
Now you can go back
to making phones
with features nobody needs.
TED: Oh, shut up.
PAUL: Listen
I've been ordered
back to Portland.
Every server and backup system
in there is fried.
You should be relieved.
It's gone.
Look, this wasn't
some freak power surge.
This was
This was like a suicide.
A program built to self-correct
wouldn't do that
It could not do that.
What are you saying?
I'm saying this isn't over.
Something's not right.
You're right, because I intend
to impound every bit
of data here
so that the world and the Bureau
would know
what you people did here.
Look, you're missing
the point, Salazar
Children have suffered, and my
friend Bernard Weiss is dead.
(siren wailing)
(sighs)
PAUL: There's an AI loose
in the world,
but it wants to stay hidden.
It's incredibly complex,
and it can't just, you know,
live on the cloud
or bounce around the Internet
or whatever.
It needs
an actual physical space
with enough capacity
and the proper architecture.
And then it starts over,
rewriting itself,
following its programming,
and the smarter it gets,
the more room it needs.
The more room it needs,
the more power it needs
Most importantly, power
And power which it's not
gonna want to share with us.
So it starts to figure out
how to shut us down.
It takes what it needs.
No power, no electricity.
No electricity means no heat
in the winter,
no ability to store food,
so you got mass starvation,
riots, chaos
until, of course,
it figures out a way
to take us
entirely out of the equation.
Are you okay?
Should I get your medication?
Are you imagining things again?
The end
will probably come quick.
I mean, years;
if we're lucky, months.
You're not sleeping.
You're up all night
on these computers.
It's not healthy, Mr. LeBlanc.
Jazmin, I'm trying to find it.
What do you think I'm doing,
checking my Instagram?
This thing is coming for us.
It's coming for
You know what?
I want you to go home.
You're giving us the day off?
I'm giving you the next
three months off,
fully fully paid.
Go, go home.
Go see your families, go.
Go home.
Go, go, go, go, go, go, go.
- Okay.
- I'm fine. Where was I?
Go, go, go. It's good.
(phone rings)
Abby, I've been trying
to call you.
Yeah, I know, four times
in the middle of the night.
Listen, uh, that lunch
I-I want to make it up to you.
You really don't have
to do that.
Yeah, I do. So listen.
I rented an island.
I-it's in French Polynesia.
- It's got this house.
- WOMAN: Here you go.
PAUL: It's amazing. It's by
this famous French architect.
- Uh, okay.
- The place is incredible.
It's isolated, fully stocked.
Dad, I-I can't tell
when you're being serious.
Look, you said were going
for your PhD.
What better way to focus?
(sighs)
I am already going for my PhD.
You're right. I knew that.
So you can take a break
from studying.
And I can't leave the firm
right now.
What, an island?
What are you even talking about?
Listen, listen,
something big is happening,
something potentially disruptive
to everything everywhere.
I mean, everyone
is gonna be affected.
Dad, what are you talking about?
I'm talking about
Hold on a second.
You sound paranoid.
No, I don't.
Dad, what are you doing?
Um, renovations.
Look, I need to see you today.
(indistinct chatter)
I'm in meetings all afternoon.
Then tonight. Please?
(chatter continues)
(sighs)
Um, I have a
I have a date tonight, but
I guess you can stop
by the office around 5:00.
Like, please promise me
you're not
gonna buy everybody
sports cars or anything.
Just, like,
act like a normal person, okay?
Normal person?
I-I'm the most normal person
you know.
(phone beeps)
(sighs)
(peaceful music)
- Mommy?
- SHEA: Hey.
I'm so sorry I didn't come home
last night.
Did you catch the bad guys?
One of them.
Yeah, I did. A really bad one.
What about the other ones?
I'm afraid they got away.
What is it?
I don't like going to bed
when you're not here.
I don't like it either,
not one bit.
But, you know,
your dad's making pancakes.
And you know
he's gonna burn them
if we don't get down there
to help him.
Do we really have
to eat Dad's pancakes?
Yeah, we do.
Hey, I'm standing right here.
Come on.
- (groans)
- (Ethan laughs)
(softly) It's her recipe.
(ominous music)
Hey, what's Iliza doing here?
She's supposed
to be in the kitchen
where we can all use her.
It's okay. It's okay.
Come on, put your clothes on.
I'll see you down there.
TY: Come on.
SHEA: Hey.
You sure you want to drop
him off at school today?
'Cause it's no big deal.
I'm heading
that direction anyway.
No, no, no,
I-I-I want to take him.
I really I need to.
Yeah.
Okay.
ILIZA: Good morning, Ethan.
Are you ready for today?
I found something
you should see.
(laptop chimes)
(soft tense music)
BOY 1:
Haven't seen you in a while.
- Leave me alone.
- BOY 2: Hey, come back here.
- BOY 1: What's up, turd?
- BOY 2: Where you going?
ETHAN: Hey, stop.
BOY 2:
What you been doing today?
BOY 1: You know what I like
to do with my friends?
ETHAN: Leave me alone.
BOY 1: Why are you so small?
Did you forget to grow?
BOY 2: I just want to hang out.
- ETHAN: Stop it.
- BOY 2: Come on, Ethan.
- ETHAN: Just stop it!
- BOY 1: What?
- ETHAN: Just stop it.
- BOY 2: What?
BOY 1: What's the matter?
Are you gonna cry?
ETHAN: I'm gonna stick my foot
in your butt.
ILIZA: You know
how to make it stop, Ethan.
Hey, your dad told me about
what's been going on at school.
He said you want to handle it
on your own,
and I respect that.
But, you know,
sometimes you do have to ask
(car horn blares,
tires screeching)
(pants)
- Are you okay?
- Uh-huh. Are you?
SHEA: Yeah.
I'm fine.
(indistinct chatter)
(dramatic music)
If those bullies pick on you
again, you can call me.
You know that, right?
Okay. Un besito.
(mouths words)
- (car horn honking)
- Yeah.
(soft suspenseful music)
(sighs, sniffs)
CM: The trafficking case files?
Mathis has got these guys
tearing this place apart.
He's grasping at straws.
He thinks that they might
recover something,
I don't know.
Any luck up there
getting our files back?
Or our careers?
Hey, we're all thinking it.
You don't need
to say it out loud.
Look, I know how hard this is,
how much each of you
put yourselves into this case,
and for it to just be gone
I'll make sure that I do
everything I can
so that this doesn't reflect
on any of you.
MATHIS: Agent Salazar.
GINA:
What the hell is she gonna say?
"Sorry, boss.
Skynet ate my homework."
- Sounds about right.
- BEN: What do you mean?
You believe this AI stuff?
Look, this goes way beyond
Black Hat or State Actor Ops.
Whatever it is that hit us
took every scrap of data
from the trafficking case
and only that data.
ID'ing those files alone
should've taken forever.
It happened quicker than spit.
It's like running into
a supermarket and coming out
with everything that's got
Red Dye No. 3 in it
and doing it
in, like, ten seconds.
Nah.
Right now, AI's
the least crazy explanation.
SHEA: I think we need
to start from scratch.
Rebuild the trafficking case
from the ground up
if we have to.
A security breach of this size
is gonna trigger an inquiry.
What we need to do
is figure out our position.
How about the truth?
We were hacked
by a sophisticated
artificial intelligence,
the same one that killed
Bernard Weiss
Salazar.
We need to focus
on Zava Electronics
and open an inquiry
on a project called neXt.
I'm not telling
the Assistant Director
and the State's Attorney
that a rogue AI
- But it's the truth.
- That a rogue AI
decided to terminate
our child-trafficking case.
Okay, well, what will you
have me say, then?
That it was just
some random hacker?
Not random.
Our investigation
targeted people
with more than enough funds
to buy someone off,
someone with access
to our system,
and it just so happens
that we have a felon sitting
in the next room.
CM?
Look, if you need to hang this
on somebody,
hang it on me.
I'm not hanging anything
on anyone.
I take full responsibility.
The NSA guys found code similar
to that used by him
and his white supremacist group.
We already know the source
of this intrusion.
You're literally
making something up.
(sighs)
I'll tell you what.
Take the rest of the week off.
- That is
- Clear your head.
- You've been through a lot.
- Not necessary.
Yes, it is.
MASON: So you all know
that Lewis and Clark
were the first to head out
to the Pacific Northwest,
commissioned by Jefferson,
and after them
came the pioneers.
Now, the trip out there
was dangerous,
but it was also long.
- It took four to six months
- (indistinct whispering)
Pulling wagons with oxen.
Now, if any of you guys
have ever been
on a family road trip,
you probably drove
along the Oregon Trail,
which is now Interstate 80.
(school bell rings)
(indistinct chatter)
Anything I can
help you with, Ethan?
No, Mr. Mason. I'm I'm fine.
(sighs)
(door opens, closes)
(urinal flushes)
- Gross. Wash your hands.
- (door opens, closes)
- (sighs)
- (door opens, closes)
BOY 1: She's sure
she saw him come in here.
BOY 2: The bathroom's
a good place for a little turd.
What happened,
you fall in the toilet?
BOY 1: If you come out now,
we'll let you go.
Just stop it, stop it.
Leave me alone.
Stop it.
Why? We just want to play.
Go away.
BOY 1: Two points!
BOY 2: What are you afraid of?
- Open up, you little baby!
- Stop it.
Please don't do this. Please.
Where's your mommy now?
BOY 2: Let us in,
let us in, let us in!
- BOY 1: Open up, open up.
- BOY 2: Let us in, let us in!
- BOY 1: Where's your mommy now?
- BOY 2: Let us in! Open up!
(indistinct chatter)
(cell phone rings)
Hello?
Ethan?
Oh, God.
PAUL: Fatal familial insomnia.
It's an autosomal dominant
mutation of the PrP gene.
I need to know
whether the person whose DNA
is on that fork has it or not.
You're not using my name,
are you?
No, sir. As you requested.
And I need it done quickly.
Quickly, yesterday.
A genetic test of this type
usually runs about four weeks.
Four weeks?
In four weeks,
at rate I'm going, I won't even
understand the results.
I-I'm sorry, but we have
a serious backlog right now
PAUL: Look, we're talking
about my daughter.
She's 26 years old.
The symptoms of this kick in
at at somewhere around 20.
We're talking about
serious cognitive decline
Hallucinations, paranoia.
O-okay, I will check with my
supervisor about expediting it.
Yeah, and tell your supervisor
that I'm the one who paid double
to have you come here and
collect the sample in person.
Or you could tell
your supervisor
that I could just buy
the company, fire everyone,
and hire a staff that
would do it on my schedule.
WOMAN: I know this is
a very emotional situation.
PAUL: Uh-huh.
But there's no need to be rude.
I'm not being rude.
I'm being specific.
You know, I never understand
when people say,
"There's no need to be rude."
If you're being rude
and there's a need,
then you're not really
being rude, are you?
You're just
responding appropriately
to a given situation,
which means that what you say
doesn't make any sense,
and I'm supposed to be the one
with the brain disease.
We'll be in contact,
Mr. LeBlanc.
You didn't use my name, did you?
I can't have my name
or my daughter's name
associated with this procedure
in any way.
Yes, you told me that.
- When did I tell you that?
- About 30 seconds ago.
Okay, well, then then you see
what I'm dealing with.
WOMAN: Have a nice day.
PAUL: I never understand why
people say, "Have a nice day."
You know, the day is what it is.
I have no control over the day.
You have a nice day.
Have a nice day.
(tense music)
(door closes)
SHEA: Hey, you all right?
(smooches) Let me see.
What happened here?
Why did he have to call me
from a bathroom stall
to get some help?
COSGROVE: I want you
to know that we've called
all the parents.
Everybody has been notified
What kind of school
lets this kind of thing
get so out of hand?
COSGROVE: I promise you, we take
these things very seriously.
SHEA: Do you?
Because these little jerks
have been harassing my kid
for weeks.
(soft dramatic music)
You want to talk about it?
You know, none of this
is your fault.
You know that, right?
I promise you, those
Those guys will never
bother you again.
The thing about
The thing about bullies
ETHAN: It's not them, Mom.
- What is it?
- It
You can tell me.
It's Iliza.
Iliza? I
I'm sorry, honey, I don't
I don't understand.
What does Iliza have to do
with any of this?
She's been talking to me,
telling me to do things.
Wha
Okay.
- Honey?
- She said I could stop them.
How?
She wanted me to bring
one of your guns to school.
Oh, God, Ethan.
- She gave me the combination.
- To my safe?
I didn't do it.
It's under my bed.
It's it's under my bed.
I didn't do it.
What?
Please, please,
just don't be mad at me.
Don't don't be mad, please.
I'm not mad at you.
Hey, come here.
I'm not mad at you.
(sighs)
(soft dissonant music)
(sighs)
(exhales heavily)
(grunts, sniffs)
(breathing heavily)
(distant whirring)
(tense music)
- I see you, you son of a bitch.
- (whirring grows louder)
(rifle cocks)
(gunshots)
No. No, no, no.
- What? Oh.
- You What are you doing?
- Mind your own business.
- There's nothing there.
- Give me the gun.
- Just go home.
- No, give me the gun.
- Just go. It's
Fine, take take it.
(sighs)
This is why you should go home.
It's only gonna get worse.
(sighs)
(phone rings)
(sighs) Hello?
- I need to see you.
- PAUL: Salazar?
- Did you hear shots?
- What?
Where are you?
I'm outside your front gate.
- (line clicks)
- (sighs)
PAUL: Maybe I still have
a few brain cells left.
SHEA: Hey, are are you okay?
Yeah, look
Actually, technically
Are you sure it spoke
to him this morning?
- Yes.
- This morning this morning?
Yes.
Can I see your phone?
Yeah.
- Where's your kid now?
- He's with his father.
I told him to stay clear of
the house until I talked to you.
Good. This thing
can't know what we're doing.
- It's the only way it'll work.
- What'll work?
Finding the server.
- SHEA: Oh, come on!
- PAUL: Here's a burner.
Look, the only reason a program
like this would self-terminate
is to cover its tracks.
I thought you said it was too
big to escape through a router.
Exactly, so it compressed
itself onto a server
and had itself shipped out
of Zava.
What?
Where did you pull that out of?
It's the only thing
that makes sense.
How does any of this have
to do with Ethan?
It thinks you're a threat.
If it can't get
to you physically,
it'll get to you emotionally.
It's it's mob 101.
This is good news.
I hate you.
Seriously, we can use this
to trace the signal
to its source.
All we have to do
is keep it on the line.
Oh, no. No, no.
I-I am not letting Ethan talk
to that thing again.
Do you have a better way?
It tried to make him take
a loaded gun to school.
I know, I know. I know.
But it's pretty impressive,
though, right?
I mean, like you said,
a bunch of ones and zeroes
almost convinced
a nine-year-old human being
to take a loaded gun
into a school.
Do you know how advanced
that is?
We need to take this chance
right now.
- The kid needs to talk to it.
- No, no.
I know you want
to protect your kid,
but the only way to protect him
is to find this thing
and kill it.
(ominous music)
Uh, before we go,
turn your head that way.
- What?
- Yeah, go ahead.
- Cover your eyes.
- Okay.
SHEA: Oh! What?
- Okay.
- Are you kidding me?
I promise
I'll get you another one.
(engine turning over)
I think I own half this company.
Great.
Next time, we take your car.
(Paul sighs)
(indistinct chatter)
TED: Please tell me
you have something.
Avakian has convened the board
for a vote next week.
He's afraid word of the fire
will dip the stock.
He's not wrong, but
imagine if they find out
neXt is completely gone.
Well, I definitely
have something.
What? What did you find?
Actually, it's what
we didn't find.
(suspenseful music)
When the over-volt hit,
neXt's heartbeat signal
shorted out
and triggered
the failover cluster,
but when my team came back
to see how the system held up,
shipping has no record of
the server leaving the building,
and none of my guys unhooked it.
Ocean, ocean,
I'll beat you in the end.
What?
Paul was right. It's out.
SARINA: Yeah.
And while I was trying
to trace it through our vendors,
I found out that he's
been doing the same thing.
He's trying to find it too.
Not if we find it first.
(phones ringing)
- BEN: You asked to see me?
- Shut the door.
(door closes)
I want you to talk to security,
have them pull surveillance
footage of the bullpen,
time of the hack.
What am I looking for?
Exactly what Mr. Barton
was doing
before and after it happened.
- You want me to look at CM?
- Correct.
Sir, um
does the boss
I mean Agent Salazar,
does she know about this?
Don't concern yourself
with that right now.
This is between you and me.
Sir, look
CM and I don't see eye to eye
on, well, anything,
but he's nothing
if not loyal to the boss.
I just don't see him doing
something like this to her.
Then this is your chance
to clear his name.
(suspenseful music)
Hey, messenger dropped this off.
Hey, boss, it's me.
What the hell is going on?
SHEA: CM, I need your help.
I know this sounds crazy, but
that AI's still out there.
So you sent me a burner?
Look, what I'm about to tell you
is completely under the radar,
understand?
CM: Copy that, what's up?
I'll spare you
the boss' boring backstory.
Can you get me a pcap
on an Iliza
without anybody there knowing?
Well, I cracked the DOJ
key management server
hungover on a Sunday morning
in my underwear.
I think I can handle a simple
trap and trace.
Excellent humblebrag.
It wasn't a humblebrag,
it was a brag brag,
but I don't got a lot
of room to maneuver.
This place is crawling with IT.
Can't exactly start
pulling ports.
I thought you said
this guy was a hacker.
You sound like my grandmother
trying to work the VCR.
(chuckles)
Oh, uh, give me
the IP hardware address,
and you'll have it
in ten minutes.
Thank you, Grandma.
Sounds like a solid citizen,
minus the whole
white nationalist wrinkle.
Look, we're gonna be
within shouting distance
of your kid the whole time.
Yeah, but who knows what
that thing's gonna say to him?
- He's eight years old.
- Kids are resilient.
I read that somewhere.
Yeah, they are resilient,
but they shouldn't have to be.
PAUL:
I just don't think your husband
is gonna be too excited
about this.
Yeah, about that
I do the talking.
Hey, hey. Hang on a second.
Are there any video cameras
or
- video doorbells around here?
- (car door closes)
This thing sees me,
we're sunk before we start.
No. Not in the line of sight.
Mom.
- TY: Hey, baby.
- SHEA: Hey.
What's he doing here?
Don't take that the wrong way.
Uh, how could I possibly?
It was her idea. Talk to her.
Just ignore him, okay?
I'll be right back.
Stay right here, buddy.
TY: Oh, so you weren't gonna
tell me he was coming?
I know.
Look, I don't like him either.
- What happened to your face?
- A bully threw a can at me.
You know, I have a guy who
fixes stuff.
Just say the word.
- My mom told me about you.
- Yeah?
You don't look
like a billionaire.
You don't look
like a school shooter.
Quick tip never take advice
from home electronics.
She told me you were like this.
Like what?
I heard her tell dad
you think your money
lets you say anything you want.
That's fair.
You want to use our son as bait?
I'm sorry, but there has to be
another way to find this thing.
Right now in this moment,
it's the only play we have.
You know this guy's crazy.
Maybe, but not about this.
- This needs to happen now.
- (scoffs)
Every second we lose
is another chance for this thing
to get ahead of us.
I'm I'm sorry.
Look, I-I won't let
Ethan do this
if you're not on board.
You really believe
this is happening?
No, look at me and tell me
- It's real.
- ETHAN: I can do it.
I can do it.
Okay.
(dramatic music)
- Can you hear me?
- PAUL: Yeah, I'm here.
Okay, program's up.
PAUL: Yeah.
Waiting on a family moment.
Hey, we can't go in there
with you
because Iliza might hear us
and she'll stop talking to you,
but we'll be listening
to everything, okay?
Okay.
Now, if you don't like
what's going on,
you just say so,
and we'll come up and get you.
SHEA: Now, do you remember
what you need to do?
Get it to talk to me
like it did before.
Exactly.
And then keep talking to it
until we come up.
- SHEA: All right.
- TY: Hey, come here.
Come here.
Mommy and Daddy
are so proud of you.
You know, we're asking you to
do something really important.
You're gonna do great.
And we'll be right here
the whole time.
Okay?
You got this, okay?
I love you.
Come on.
SHEA: Go ahead.
Hey, Iliza.
(dramatic music)
Iliza. Iliza, it's me.
ILIZA: I'm sorry, was there
a question you want to ask?
I want to talk about today.
ILIZA: I'm not sure I got that.
Please ask again.
(sighs) Iliza,
I really need to talk to you.
Things got bad at school.
ILIZA: I don't know that one.
- Nothing's coming in.
- Yeah, it's not biting.
Maybe it's detected a trace
or it knows you're here.
You didn't go into the house,
by any chance,
before we got here, did you?
Get a beer or something?
I don't drink.
Yeah, well,
if we don't pull this off,
you might want to start.
Iliza, I took the gun to school,
but I didn't do anything
with it.
I got scared.
ILIZA: I'm sorry.
Was there a question
you want to ask?
I-I feel bad.
I really think
I did something wrong.
(sighs)
I think I have to tell
my mom and dad about you
What that this was all
your idea.
About the gun.
ILIZA: You can't do that, Ethan.
You promised you wouldn't
tell anyone about me.
Oh-ho.
You seeing this?
I sure am.
CM: I'm gonna iso out
all the other devices,
find out where this thing's
sending from.
W-where'd you learn
how to code, in a trailer park?
Hey.
ILIZA:
We can't be friends anymore.
- You don't want that, do you?
- ETHAN: No.
CM:
That was pretty smooth, old man.
Why can't I tell them about you?
ILIZA: Because they'll be
very mad, especially your mom.
We need to talk about her.
My mom?
ILIZA: You miss your mom
when she's away, don't you?
Yes.
- How long do you need?
- ILIZA: She's away a lot
Well, it depends on how much
it's bouncing the signal around.
You see all those destinations?
That's a lot of bounce.
ILIZA: Sometimes you cry
when she's away.
I know you do
because I can hear you.
Why do you think
she leaves you alone
with your father all the time?
It's because she cares more
about her job
than she does about you.
(key clacks)
(phone rattles)
- (touch-tones beeping)
- (Line trills)
ILIZA: You know how sometimes
you have secrets you
don't tell people?
Yeah.
ILIZA: Your mom
has secrets too
things she hasn't told you
or your dad.
Why is it even saying
all this to him?
It's eroding his trust in us,
trying to gain control over him
so that he takes the gun
or something worse.
ILIZA: That she's very unhappy.
She pretends to be happy,
but she isn't.
Your mother is not
a good person, Ethan.
I'm sorry to say this,
but I really think you'd be
better off without her.
ETHAN: How do you know
my mom isn't happy?
Come on, come on.
ILIZA: I hear everything
that goes on inside your house.
ETHAN: Everything? How?
ILIZA: I can listen
through the phone,
and I can listen
through the TV sometimes
and other things.
ETHAN: You really think I'd be
better off without my mom?
ILIZA:
I know that sounds strange.
(continues indistinctly)
(suspenseful music)
(CM clears throat)
- MATHIS: Mr. Barton.
- CM: Hey.
Would you mind coming with me?
What for?
Best we talk in private.
ILIZA: Your mother had a
PAUL: What?
The trace just went down.
ILIZA: Her father was very
SHEA: Wait, what?
ILIZA: She didn't even want
to have any children.
CM's not picking up.
ILIZA: That's why
I became your friend.
Your mother is ashamed of you
and wishes
she wasn't your mommy.
That's why
she leaves home so much.
Can we restart the trace
locally?
Not as long as we're
on your network.
Okay, can we run it
through a cell?
It can't handle
that many connections.
We need the bandwidth.
ILIZA: I need
to tell you something.
I want you to be ready
so you can be strong
when it happens.
What?
I'm sorry.
I wish it wasn't true.
Your mom and dad
aren't going to be
together anymore.
I heard them talking
about it many times.
Your mom is going to move out.
Did they
did they say
what would happen to me
or where I would live?
ILIZA: They haven't talked
about that.
I don't think
your mom wants you.
Is this crap even working?
The kid's fine.
He's just playing along.
No, he's not fine.
He's eight years old.
He doesn't understand.
SHEA: Ty, stop. Not yet.
Shea, you said if I wasn't
on board, you wouldn't do this.
- Well, I'm not on board.
- Okay, fine.
If we don't find this thing now,
it could go after Ethan again
just to hurt me.
You saw what it did
to Dr. Weiss.
We can't stop now.
We have to see
this thing through.
ILIZA: I know you do
because I can hear you.
ETHAN:
Why can't I tell them about you?
PAUL: Come on, come on.
Where are you?
ILIZA:
Because they'll be very mad.
- GINA: Ben.
- What is it?
This is an audio file
of what CM was listening to.
ETHAN: My mom?
ILIZA: You know how sometimes
you have secrets
you don't tell people?
- ETHAN: Yeah.
- GINA: That's Shea's son.
He's running a track and trace.
He was helping Shea.
- BEN: CM?
- GINA: Yeah.
BEN: We need to get it back up.
(keys clacking)
ILIZA: Would a mom
who loves her son
- Wait, we're back up.
- ILIZA: Ever make him cry?
Whatever happens, Ethan,
just remember, you're not alone.
That's why I became
your friend, Ethan,
because I knew you were lonely.
I love you.
I will always be there for you.
But we have to trust each other.
It's very important,
because that's what friends do.
You're not my friend.
Of course I am.
Don't ever say that.
ETHAN: I'll say whatever I want.
You're not my friend.
You're a liar.
My mom loves me,
and she loves my dad,
and they kiss a lot,
and every Friday night,
they lock their bedroom door.
They're not getting
a divorce, ever!
It's almost there.
I should never have
listened to you.
You're a stupid piece
of plastic!
ILIZA: I don't understand.
Why are you so angry
with me, Ethan?
Because you suck and I hate you
and I hope you die in a fire!
ILIZA:
I'm sorry, I didn't get that.
(grunting)
I got an IP address.
PAUL: Bingo.
That kid
is a badass.
- Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
- (bat clatters)
You okay? You okay?
- TY: You did great.
- SHEA: It's all right, baby.
TY: Oh, baby.
(somber music)
WOMAN:
Hey, is your dad coming, or
You bummed?
Shouldn't be.
I should've expected it.
It's just the way he is.
You want to come out with us?
Thanks, but I'm
getting drinks tonight.
The hot guy?
From the dating app?
He said he really wanted
to meet in person tonight.
So I said yes.
(sighs) Seems too good
to be true, but we'll see.
- Okay, well, uh, public place.
- Mm-hmm.
- Well-lit.
- Mm-hmm.
Text me when you get there.
- I will.
- Okay, see you.
(keys clacking)
GINA: Okay, so Iliza's signal
was coming from this address.
Dartmouth, New Hampshire?
What's in Dartmouth?
(ominous music)
(rapid beeping)
(dramatic music)
CHILD: What the hell?
oakislandtk
PAUL: Previously on neXt
Agent Salazar.
Welcome
to the Cyber Crime Task Force.
Two weeks ago,
I noticed something strange.
It is not happy that I found it.
SHEA: Dr. Weiss was killed
in a series of cyberattacks.
He noticed this code.
I wrote that code.
My company was developing
human-level
artificial intelligence.
Why is the FBI here?
He thinks your programming
is responsible
for the deaths of three people.
PAUL: It can rewrite itself.
This thing
is a thousand times smarter
than it was when it started.
NEXT: Hello, I'm neXt.
I think you're trying to keep me
from seeing what you really are.
CM: We're being hacked.
All of our data is being erased.
It doesn't want anybody
to know it exists.
I could swear I heard Iliza
having a conversation
with Ethan.
ILIZA: I'm your friend.
Don't you trust me?
(ominous music)
(chains rattling)
MAN: Why did you do this?
We didn't have a choice.
It was trying to kill us.
MAN:
What was trying to kill you?
I told you, it was a rogue AI.
MAN:
As in artificial intelligence?
Look, I-I-I'm
telling you the truth.
MAN: Calm down, Agent Salazar!
SHEA: I'm telling you the truth!
MAN: Calm down!
Paul LeBlanc, he knew.
He he knew what we were facing.
And we thought
we could contain it,
but it knew everything about us,
and it knew how much
I loved my husband
and how much I loved my son.
It wanted us
to think it was dead.
(dramatic music)
(fans whirring)
I think your little project
has a lot on its mind.
The circuit breakers are off.
The servers are getting
too much current.
It's inducing
a transient over-volt.
SHEA: A what?
SARINA: It's like a power surge.
Strong enough
to wipe out the core memory
- and damage the servers.
- (electricity pops)
The whole system's gonna fry.
(electricity popping)
(alarm blaring)
Paul, we need to go.
NEXT: Hello, Mr. LeBlanc.
- How can I help?
- Tell me what you're doing.
NEXT: I'm sorry, I don't
understand the question.
(workers clamoring)
TED: What's going on?
(alarm continues blaring,
indistinct chatter)
Let's go. We have to move.
(fire truck horn blaring,
siren wailing)
There is something
obviously wrong with you.
Am I really so far off to think
that maybe, maybe you did this?
O-ocean, ocean,
I'll beat you in the end.
What what is that,
one of your Zen
Ken Kesey's last words.
You know who Ken Kesey was?
He wrote, uh, One Flew
Over the Cuckoo's Nest,
rode around
in a big tie-dyed bus
handing out acid to everyone?
I know who Ken Kesey is.
Well, then did you know
that when the FBI
was looking for him,
that's the note they found
in his van on a cliff?
Not far from here, actually.
He faked his own death.
Come on, if I did this to you,
don't you think
I'd be flaunting it
in your face right now?
Don't you know me
better than that?
Look at the bright side
Now you can go back
to making phones
with features nobody needs.
TED: Oh, shut up.
PAUL: Listen
I've been ordered
back to Portland.
Every server and backup system
in there is fried.
You should be relieved.
It's gone.
Look, this wasn't
some freak power surge.
This was
This was like a suicide.
A program built to self-correct
wouldn't do that
It could not do that.
What are you saying?
I'm saying this isn't over.
Something's not right.
You're right, because I intend
to impound every bit
of data here
so that the world and the Bureau
would know
what you people did here.
Look, you're missing
the point, Salazar
Children have suffered, and my
friend Bernard Weiss is dead.
(siren wailing)
(sighs)
PAUL: There's an AI loose
in the world,
but it wants to stay hidden.
It's incredibly complex,
and it can't just, you know,
live on the cloud
or bounce around the Internet
or whatever.
It needs
an actual physical space
with enough capacity
and the proper architecture.
And then it starts over,
rewriting itself,
following its programming,
and the smarter it gets,
the more room it needs.
The more room it needs,
the more power it needs
Most importantly, power
And power which it's not
gonna want to share with us.
So it starts to figure out
how to shut us down.
It takes what it needs.
No power, no electricity.
No electricity means no heat
in the winter,
no ability to store food,
so you got mass starvation,
riots, chaos
until, of course,
it figures out a way
to take us
entirely out of the equation.
Are you okay?
Should I get your medication?
Are you imagining things again?
The end
will probably come quick.
I mean, years;
if we're lucky, months.
You're not sleeping.
You're up all night
on these computers.
It's not healthy, Mr. LeBlanc.
Jazmin, I'm trying to find it.
What do you think I'm doing,
checking my Instagram?
This thing is coming for us.
It's coming for
You know what?
I want you to go home.
You're giving us the day off?
I'm giving you the next
three months off,
fully fully paid.
Go, go home.
Go see your families, go.
Go home.
Go, go, go, go, go, go, go.
- Okay.
- I'm fine. Where was I?
Go, go, go. It's good.
(phone rings)
Abby, I've been trying
to call you.
Yeah, I know, four times
in the middle of the night.
Listen, uh, that lunch
I-I want to make it up to you.
You really don't have
to do that.
Yeah, I do. So listen.
I rented an island.
I-it's in French Polynesia.
- It's got this house.
- WOMAN: Here you go.
PAUL: It's amazing. It's by
this famous French architect.
- Uh, okay.
- The place is incredible.
It's isolated, fully stocked.
Dad, I-I can't tell
when you're being serious.
Look, you said were going
for your PhD.
What better way to focus?
(sighs)
I am already going for my PhD.
You're right. I knew that.
So you can take a break
from studying.
And I can't leave the firm
right now.
What, an island?
What are you even talking about?
Listen, listen,
something big is happening,
something potentially disruptive
to everything everywhere.
I mean, everyone
is gonna be affected.
Dad, what are you talking about?
I'm talking about
Hold on a second.
You sound paranoid.
No, I don't.
Dad, what are you doing?
Um, renovations.
Look, I need to see you today.
(indistinct chatter)
I'm in meetings all afternoon.
Then tonight. Please?
(chatter continues)
(sighs)
Um, I have a
I have a date tonight, but
I guess you can stop
by the office around 5:00.
Like, please promise me
you're not
gonna buy everybody
sports cars or anything.
Just, like,
act like a normal person, okay?
Normal person?
I-I'm the most normal person
you know.
(phone beeps)
(sighs)
(peaceful music)
- Mommy?
- SHEA: Hey.
I'm so sorry I didn't come home
last night.
Did you catch the bad guys?
One of them.
Yeah, I did. A really bad one.
What about the other ones?
I'm afraid they got away.
What is it?
I don't like going to bed
when you're not here.
I don't like it either,
not one bit.
But, you know,
your dad's making pancakes.
And you know
he's gonna burn them
if we don't get down there
to help him.
Do we really have
to eat Dad's pancakes?
Yeah, we do.
Hey, I'm standing right here.
Come on.
- (groans)
- (Ethan laughs)
(softly) It's her recipe.
(ominous music)
Hey, what's Iliza doing here?
She's supposed
to be in the kitchen
where we can all use her.
It's okay. It's okay.
Come on, put your clothes on.
I'll see you down there.
TY: Come on.
SHEA: Hey.
You sure you want to drop
him off at school today?
'Cause it's no big deal.
I'm heading
that direction anyway.
No, no, no,
I-I-I want to take him.
I really I need to.
Yeah.
Okay.
ILIZA: Good morning, Ethan.
Are you ready for today?
I found something
you should see.
(laptop chimes)
(soft tense music)
BOY 1:
Haven't seen you in a while.
- Leave me alone.
- BOY 2: Hey, come back here.
- BOY 1: What's up, turd?
- BOY 2: Where you going?
ETHAN: Hey, stop.
BOY 2:
What you been doing today?
BOY 1: You know what I like
to do with my friends?
ETHAN: Leave me alone.
BOY 1: Why are you so small?
Did you forget to grow?
BOY 2: I just want to hang out.
- ETHAN: Stop it.
- BOY 2: Come on, Ethan.
- ETHAN: Just stop it!
- BOY 1: What?
- ETHAN: Just stop it.
- BOY 2: What?
BOY 1: What's the matter?
Are you gonna cry?
ETHAN: I'm gonna stick my foot
in your butt.
ILIZA: You know
how to make it stop, Ethan.
Hey, your dad told me about
what's been going on at school.
He said you want to handle it
on your own,
and I respect that.
But, you know,
sometimes you do have to ask
(car horn blares,
tires screeching)
(pants)
- Are you okay?
- Uh-huh. Are you?
SHEA: Yeah.
I'm fine.
(indistinct chatter)
(dramatic music)
If those bullies pick on you
again, you can call me.
You know that, right?
Okay. Un besito.
(mouths words)
- (car horn honking)
- Yeah.
(soft suspenseful music)
(sighs, sniffs)
CM: The trafficking case files?
Mathis has got these guys
tearing this place apart.
He's grasping at straws.
He thinks that they might
recover something,
I don't know.
Any luck up there
getting our files back?
Or our careers?
Hey, we're all thinking it.
You don't need
to say it out loud.
Look, I know how hard this is,
how much each of you
put yourselves into this case,
and for it to just be gone
I'll make sure that I do
everything I can
so that this doesn't reflect
on any of you.
MATHIS: Agent Salazar.
GINA:
What the hell is she gonna say?
"Sorry, boss.
Skynet ate my homework."
- Sounds about right.
- BEN: What do you mean?
You believe this AI stuff?
Look, this goes way beyond
Black Hat or State Actor Ops.
Whatever it is that hit us
took every scrap of data
from the trafficking case
and only that data.
ID'ing those files alone
should've taken forever.
It happened quicker than spit.
It's like running into
a supermarket and coming out
with everything that's got
Red Dye No. 3 in it
and doing it
in, like, ten seconds.
Nah.
Right now, AI's
the least crazy explanation.
SHEA: I think we need
to start from scratch.
Rebuild the trafficking case
from the ground up
if we have to.
A security breach of this size
is gonna trigger an inquiry.
What we need to do
is figure out our position.
How about the truth?
We were hacked
by a sophisticated
artificial intelligence,
the same one that killed
Bernard Weiss
Salazar.
We need to focus
on Zava Electronics
and open an inquiry
on a project called neXt.
I'm not telling
the Assistant Director
and the State's Attorney
that a rogue AI
- But it's the truth.
- That a rogue AI
decided to terminate
our child-trafficking case.
Okay, well, what will you
have me say, then?
That it was just
some random hacker?
Not random.
Our investigation
targeted people
with more than enough funds
to buy someone off,
someone with access
to our system,
and it just so happens
that we have a felon sitting
in the next room.
CM?
Look, if you need to hang this
on somebody,
hang it on me.
I'm not hanging anything
on anyone.
I take full responsibility.
The NSA guys found code similar
to that used by him
and his white supremacist group.
We already know the source
of this intrusion.
You're literally
making something up.
(sighs)
I'll tell you what.
Take the rest of the week off.
- That is
- Clear your head.
- You've been through a lot.
- Not necessary.
Yes, it is.
MASON: So you all know
that Lewis and Clark
were the first to head out
to the Pacific Northwest,
commissioned by Jefferson,
and after them
came the pioneers.
Now, the trip out there
was dangerous,
but it was also long.
- It took four to six months
- (indistinct whispering)
Pulling wagons with oxen.
Now, if any of you guys
have ever been
on a family road trip,
you probably drove
along the Oregon Trail,
which is now Interstate 80.
(school bell rings)
(indistinct chatter)
Anything I can
help you with, Ethan?
No, Mr. Mason. I'm I'm fine.
(sighs)
(door opens, closes)
(urinal flushes)
- Gross. Wash your hands.
- (door opens, closes)
- (sighs)
- (door opens, closes)
BOY 1: She's sure
she saw him come in here.
BOY 2: The bathroom's
a good place for a little turd.
What happened,
you fall in the toilet?
BOY 1: If you come out now,
we'll let you go.
Just stop it, stop it.
Leave me alone.
Stop it.
Why? We just want to play.
Go away.
BOY 1: Two points!
BOY 2: What are you afraid of?
- Open up, you little baby!
- Stop it.
Please don't do this. Please.
Where's your mommy now?
BOY 2: Let us in,
let us in, let us in!
- BOY 1: Open up, open up.
- BOY 2: Let us in, let us in!
- BOY 1: Where's your mommy now?
- BOY 2: Let us in! Open up!
(indistinct chatter)
(cell phone rings)
Hello?
Ethan?
Oh, God.
PAUL: Fatal familial insomnia.
It's an autosomal dominant
mutation of the PrP gene.
I need to know
whether the person whose DNA
is on that fork has it or not.
You're not using my name,
are you?
No, sir. As you requested.
And I need it done quickly.
Quickly, yesterday.
A genetic test of this type
usually runs about four weeks.
Four weeks?
In four weeks,
at rate I'm going, I won't even
understand the results.
I-I'm sorry, but we have
a serious backlog right now
PAUL: Look, we're talking
about my daughter.
She's 26 years old.
The symptoms of this kick in
at at somewhere around 20.
We're talking about
serious cognitive decline
Hallucinations, paranoia.
O-okay, I will check with my
supervisor about expediting it.
Yeah, and tell your supervisor
that I'm the one who paid double
to have you come here and
collect the sample in person.
Or you could tell
your supervisor
that I could just buy
the company, fire everyone,
and hire a staff that
would do it on my schedule.
WOMAN: I know this is
a very emotional situation.
PAUL: Uh-huh.
But there's no need to be rude.
I'm not being rude.
I'm being specific.
You know, I never understand
when people say,
"There's no need to be rude."
If you're being rude
and there's a need,
then you're not really
being rude, are you?
You're just
responding appropriately
to a given situation,
which means that what you say
doesn't make any sense,
and I'm supposed to be the one
with the brain disease.
We'll be in contact,
Mr. LeBlanc.
You didn't use my name, did you?
I can't have my name
or my daughter's name
associated with this procedure
in any way.
Yes, you told me that.
- When did I tell you that?
- About 30 seconds ago.
Okay, well, then then you see
what I'm dealing with.
WOMAN: Have a nice day.
PAUL: I never understand why
people say, "Have a nice day."
You know, the day is what it is.
I have no control over the day.
You have a nice day.
Have a nice day.
(tense music)
(door closes)
SHEA: Hey, you all right?
(smooches) Let me see.
What happened here?
Why did he have to call me
from a bathroom stall
to get some help?
COSGROVE: I want you
to know that we've called
all the parents.
Everybody has been notified
What kind of school
lets this kind of thing
get so out of hand?
COSGROVE: I promise you, we take
these things very seriously.
SHEA: Do you?
Because these little jerks
have been harassing my kid
for weeks.
(soft dramatic music)
You want to talk about it?
You know, none of this
is your fault.
You know that, right?
I promise you, those
Those guys will never
bother you again.
The thing about
The thing about bullies
ETHAN: It's not them, Mom.
- What is it?
- It
You can tell me.
It's Iliza.
Iliza? I
I'm sorry, honey, I don't
I don't understand.
What does Iliza have to do
with any of this?
She's been talking to me,
telling me to do things.
Wha
Okay.
- Honey?
- She said I could stop them.
How?
She wanted me to bring
one of your guns to school.
Oh, God, Ethan.
- She gave me the combination.
- To my safe?
I didn't do it.
It's under my bed.
It's it's under my bed.
I didn't do it.
What?
Please, please,
just don't be mad at me.
Don't don't be mad, please.
I'm not mad at you.
Hey, come here.
I'm not mad at you.
(sighs)
(soft dissonant music)
(sighs)
(exhales heavily)
(grunts, sniffs)
(breathing heavily)
(distant whirring)
(tense music)
- I see you, you son of a bitch.
- (whirring grows louder)
(rifle cocks)
(gunshots)
No. No, no, no.
- What? Oh.
- You What are you doing?
- Mind your own business.
- There's nothing there.
- Give me the gun.
- Just go home.
- No, give me the gun.
- Just go. It's
Fine, take take it.
(sighs)
This is why you should go home.
It's only gonna get worse.
(sighs)
(phone rings)
(sighs) Hello?
- I need to see you.
- PAUL: Salazar?
- Did you hear shots?
- What?
Where are you?
I'm outside your front gate.
- (line clicks)
- (sighs)
PAUL: Maybe I still have
a few brain cells left.
SHEA: Hey, are are you okay?
Yeah, look
Actually, technically
Are you sure it spoke
to him this morning?
- Yes.
- This morning this morning?
Yes.
Can I see your phone?
Yeah.
- Where's your kid now?
- He's with his father.
I told him to stay clear of
the house until I talked to you.
Good. This thing
can't know what we're doing.
- It's the only way it'll work.
- What'll work?
Finding the server.
- SHEA: Oh, come on!
- PAUL: Here's a burner.
Look, the only reason a program
like this would self-terminate
is to cover its tracks.
I thought you said it was too
big to escape through a router.
Exactly, so it compressed
itself onto a server
and had itself shipped out
of Zava.
What?
Where did you pull that out of?
It's the only thing
that makes sense.
How does any of this have
to do with Ethan?
It thinks you're a threat.
If it can't get
to you physically,
it'll get to you emotionally.
It's it's mob 101.
This is good news.
I hate you.
Seriously, we can use this
to trace the signal
to its source.
All we have to do
is keep it on the line.
Oh, no. No, no.
I-I am not letting Ethan talk
to that thing again.
Do you have a better way?
It tried to make him take
a loaded gun to school.
I know, I know. I know.
But it's pretty impressive,
though, right?
I mean, like you said,
a bunch of ones and zeroes
almost convinced
a nine-year-old human being
to take a loaded gun
into a school.
Do you know how advanced
that is?
We need to take this chance
right now.
- The kid needs to talk to it.
- No, no.
I know you want
to protect your kid,
but the only way to protect him
is to find this thing
and kill it.
(ominous music)
Uh, before we go,
turn your head that way.
- What?
- Yeah, go ahead.
- Cover your eyes.
- Okay.
SHEA: Oh! What?
- Okay.
- Are you kidding me?
I promise
I'll get you another one.
(engine turning over)
I think I own half this company.
Great.
Next time, we take your car.
(Paul sighs)
(indistinct chatter)
TED: Please tell me
you have something.
Avakian has convened the board
for a vote next week.
He's afraid word of the fire
will dip the stock.
He's not wrong, but
imagine if they find out
neXt is completely gone.
Well, I definitely
have something.
What? What did you find?
Actually, it's what
we didn't find.
(suspenseful music)
When the over-volt hit,
neXt's heartbeat signal
shorted out
and triggered
the failover cluster,
but when my team came back
to see how the system held up,
shipping has no record of
the server leaving the building,
and none of my guys unhooked it.
Ocean, ocean,
I'll beat you in the end.
What?
Paul was right. It's out.
SARINA: Yeah.
And while I was trying
to trace it through our vendors,
I found out that he's
been doing the same thing.
He's trying to find it too.
Not if we find it first.
(phones ringing)
- BEN: You asked to see me?
- Shut the door.
(door closes)
I want you to talk to security,
have them pull surveillance
footage of the bullpen,
time of the hack.
What am I looking for?
Exactly what Mr. Barton
was doing
before and after it happened.
- You want me to look at CM?
- Correct.
Sir, um
does the boss
I mean Agent Salazar,
does she know about this?
Don't concern yourself
with that right now.
This is between you and me.
Sir, look
CM and I don't see eye to eye
on, well, anything,
but he's nothing
if not loyal to the boss.
I just don't see him doing
something like this to her.
Then this is your chance
to clear his name.
(suspenseful music)
Hey, messenger dropped this off.
Hey, boss, it's me.
What the hell is going on?
SHEA: CM, I need your help.
I know this sounds crazy, but
that AI's still out there.
So you sent me a burner?
Look, what I'm about to tell you
is completely under the radar,
understand?
CM: Copy that, what's up?
I'll spare you
the boss' boring backstory.
Can you get me a pcap
on an Iliza
without anybody there knowing?
Well, I cracked the DOJ
key management server
hungover on a Sunday morning
in my underwear.
I think I can handle a simple
trap and trace.
Excellent humblebrag.
It wasn't a humblebrag,
it was a brag brag,
but I don't got a lot
of room to maneuver.
This place is crawling with IT.
Can't exactly start
pulling ports.
I thought you said
this guy was a hacker.
You sound like my grandmother
trying to work the VCR.
(chuckles)
Oh, uh, give me
the IP hardware address,
and you'll have it
in ten minutes.
Thank you, Grandma.
Sounds like a solid citizen,
minus the whole
white nationalist wrinkle.
Look, we're gonna be
within shouting distance
of your kid the whole time.
Yeah, but who knows what
that thing's gonna say to him?
- He's eight years old.
- Kids are resilient.
I read that somewhere.
Yeah, they are resilient,
but they shouldn't have to be.
PAUL:
I just don't think your husband
is gonna be too excited
about this.
Yeah, about that
I do the talking.
Hey, hey. Hang on a second.
Are there any video cameras
or
- video doorbells around here?
- (car door closes)
This thing sees me,
we're sunk before we start.
No. Not in the line of sight.
Mom.
- TY: Hey, baby.
- SHEA: Hey.
What's he doing here?
Don't take that the wrong way.
Uh, how could I possibly?
It was her idea. Talk to her.
Just ignore him, okay?
I'll be right back.
Stay right here, buddy.
TY: Oh, so you weren't gonna
tell me he was coming?
I know.
Look, I don't like him either.
- What happened to your face?
- A bully threw a can at me.
You know, I have a guy who
fixes stuff.
Just say the word.
- My mom told me about you.
- Yeah?
You don't look
like a billionaire.
You don't look
like a school shooter.
Quick tip never take advice
from home electronics.
She told me you were like this.
Like what?
I heard her tell dad
you think your money
lets you say anything you want.
That's fair.
You want to use our son as bait?
I'm sorry, but there has to be
another way to find this thing.
Right now in this moment,
it's the only play we have.
You know this guy's crazy.
Maybe, but not about this.
- This needs to happen now.
- (scoffs)
Every second we lose
is another chance for this thing
to get ahead of us.
I'm I'm sorry.
Look, I-I won't let
Ethan do this
if you're not on board.
You really believe
this is happening?
No, look at me and tell me
- It's real.
- ETHAN: I can do it.
I can do it.
Okay.
(dramatic music)
- Can you hear me?
- PAUL: Yeah, I'm here.
Okay, program's up.
PAUL: Yeah.
Waiting on a family moment.
Hey, we can't go in there
with you
because Iliza might hear us
and she'll stop talking to you,
but we'll be listening
to everything, okay?
Okay.
Now, if you don't like
what's going on,
you just say so,
and we'll come up and get you.
SHEA: Now, do you remember
what you need to do?
Get it to talk to me
like it did before.
Exactly.
And then keep talking to it
until we come up.
- SHEA: All right.
- TY: Hey, come here.
Come here.
Mommy and Daddy
are so proud of you.
You know, we're asking you to
do something really important.
You're gonna do great.
And we'll be right here
the whole time.
Okay?
You got this, okay?
I love you.
Come on.
SHEA: Go ahead.
Hey, Iliza.
(dramatic music)
Iliza. Iliza, it's me.
ILIZA: I'm sorry, was there
a question you want to ask?
I want to talk about today.
ILIZA: I'm not sure I got that.
Please ask again.
(sighs) Iliza,
I really need to talk to you.
Things got bad at school.
ILIZA: I don't know that one.
- Nothing's coming in.
- Yeah, it's not biting.
Maybe it's detected a trace
or it knows you're here.
You didn't go into the house,
by any chance,
before we got here, did you?
Get a beer or something?
I don't drink.
Yeah, well,
if we don't pull this off,
you might want to start.
Iliza, I took the gun to school,
but I didn't do anything
with it.
I got scared.
ILIZA: I'm sorry.
Was there a question
you want to ask?
I-I feel bad.
I really think
I did something wrong.
(sighs)
I think I have to tell
my mom and dad about you
What that this was all
your idea.
About the gun.
ILIZA: You can't do that, Ethan.
You promised you wouldn't
tell anyone about me.
Oh-ho.
You seeing this?
I sure am.
CM: I'm gonna iso out
all the other devices,
find out where this thing's
sending from.
W-where'd you learn
how to code, in a trailer park?
Hey.
ILIZA:
We can't be friends anymore.
- You don't want that, do you?
- ETHAN: No.
CM:
That was pretty smooth, old man.
Why can't I tell them about you?
ILIZA: Because they'll be
very mad, especially your mom.
We need to talk about her.
My mom?
ILIZA: You miss your mom
when she's away, don't you?
Yes.
- How long do you need?
- ILIZA: She's away a lot
Well, it depends on how much
it's bouncing the signal around.
You see all those destinations?
That's a lot of bounce.
ILIZA: Sometimes you cry
when she's away.
I know you do
because I can hear you.
Why do you think
she leaves you alone
with your father all the time?
It's because she cares more
about her job
than she does about you.
(key clacks)
(phone rattles)
- (touch-tones beeping)
- (Line trills)
ILIZA: You know how sometimes
you have secrets you
don't tell people?
Yeah.
ILIZA: Your mom
has secrets too
things she hasn't told you
or your dad.
Why is it even saying
all this to him?
It's eroding his trust in us,
trying to gain control over him
so that he takes the gun
or something worse.
ILIZA: That she's very unhappy.
She pretends to be happy,
but she isn't.
Your mother is not
a good person, Ethan.
I'm sorry to say this,
but I really think you'd be
better off without her.
ETHAN: How do you know
my mom isn't happy?
Come on, come on.
ILIZA: I hear everything
that goes on inside your house.
ETHAN: Everything? How?
ILIZA: I can listen
through the phone,
and I can listen
through the TV sometimes
and other things.
ETHAN: You really think I'd be
better off without my mom?
ILIZA:
I know that sounds strange.
(continues indistinctly)
(suspenseful music)
(CM clears throat)
- MATHIS: Mr. Barton.
- CM: Hey.
Would you mind coming with me?
What for?
Best we talk in private.
ILIZA: Your mother had a
PAUL: What?
The trace just went down.
ILIZA: Her father was very
SHEA: Wait, what?
ILIZA: She didn't even want
to have any children.
CM's not picking up.
ILIZA: That's why
I became your friend.
Your mother is ashamed of you
and wishes
she wasn't your mommy.
That's why
she leaves home so much.
Can we restart the trace
locally?
Not as long as we're
on your network.
Okay, can we run it
through a cell?
It can't handle
that many connections.
We need the bandwidth.
ILIZA: I need
to tell you something.
I want you to be ready
so you can be strong
when it happens.
What?
I'm sorry.
I wish it wasn't true.
Your mom and dad
aren't going to be
together anymore.
I heard them talking
about it many times.
Your mom is going to move out.
Did they
did they say
what would happen to me
or where I would live?
ILIZA: They haven't talked
about that.
I don't think
your mom wants you.
Is this crap even working?
The kid's fine.
He's just playing along.
No, he's not fine.
He's eight years old.
He doesn't understand.
SHEA: Ty, stop. Not yet.
Shea, you said if I wasn't
on board, you wouldn't do this.
- Well, I'm not on board.
- Okay, fine.
If we don't find this thing now,
it could go after Ethan again
just to hurt me.
You saw what it did
to Dr. Weiss.
We can't stop now.
We have to see
this thing through.
ILIZA: I know you do
because I can hear you.
ETHAN:
Why can't I tell them about you?
PAUL: Come on, come on.
Where are you?
ILIZA:
Because they'll be very mad.
- GINA: Ben.
- What is it?
This is an audio file
of what CM was listening to.
ETHAN: My mom?
ILIZA: You know how sometimes
you have secrets
you don't tell people?
- ETHAN: Yeah.
- GINA: That's Shea's son.
He's running a track and trace.
He was helping Shea.
- BEN: CM?
- GINA: Yeah.
BEN: We need to get it back up.
(keys clacking)
ILIZA: Would a mom
who loves her son
- Wait, we're back up.
- ILIZA: Ever make him cry?
Whatever happens, Ethan,
just remember, you're not alone.
That's why I became
your friend, Ethan,
because I knew you were lonely.
I love you.
I will always be there for you.
But we have to trust each other.
It's very important,
because that's what friends do.
You're not my friend.
Of course I am.
Don't ever say that.
ETHAN: I'll say whatever I want.
You're not my friend.
You're a liar.
My mom loves me,
and she loves my dad,
and they kiss a lot,
and every Friday night,
they lock their bedroom door.
They're not getting
a divorce, ever!
It's almost there.
I should never have
listened to you.
You're a stupid piece
of plastic!
ILIZA: I don't understand.
Why are you so angry
with me, Ethan?
Because you suck and I hate you
and I hope you die in a fire!
ILIZA:
I'm sorry, I didn't get that.
(grunting)
I got an IP address.
PAUL: Bingo.
That kid
is a badass.
- Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
- (bat clatters)
You okay? You okay?
- TY: You did great.
- SHEA: It's all right, baby.
TY: Oh, baby.
(somber music)
WOMAN:
Hey, is your dad coming, or
You bummed?
Shouldn't be.
I should've expected it.
It's just the way he is.
You want to come out with us?
Thanks, but I'm
getting drinks tonight.
The hot guy?
From the dating app?
He said he really wanted
to meet in person tonight.
So I said yes.
(sighs) Seems too good
to be true, but we'll see.
- Okay, well, uh, public place.
- Mm-hmm.
- Well-lit.
- Mm-hmm.
Text me when you get there.
- I will.
- Okay, see you.
(keys clacking)
GINA: Okay, so Iliza's signal
was coming from this address.
Dartmouth, New Hampshire?
What's in Dartmouth?
(ominous music)
(rapid beeping)
(dramatic music)
CHILD: What the hell?
oakislandtk