FlashForward s01e08 Episode Script
Playing Cards with Coyote
(whoosh) - Tell me.
- It's a girl.
You disappear to Los Angeles.
You don't return my calls, I'm worried about you.
We all are.
I know when a man is willing to sacrifice anything for his cause, and you're not that kind of man, Agent Benford.
I need a favor--a big favor.
It's for Tracy.
Hi, Dad.
What I saw, what you saw, doesn't have to play out that way.
Uh, what are you talking about? I found a way to change the game.
(Pearl Jam's "Unthought Known" playing) AL: Dear Celia, I don't know your last name, and I don't know where you live, but I know you have two young boys-- Twins, I believe.
And I know you didn't have a flash-forward.
All the thoughts you never see You are always thinking Brain is wide The brain is deep Oh, are you sinking? Feel the path of every day Which road you taking? Breathing hard, making hay Yeah, this is living Feel the air, up above A pool of blue sky Feel the air Up with love Black with starlight Dream the dreams of other men You'll be no one's rival Dream the dreams of others then, You will be no one's rival Nothing left, nothing there Nothing left, nothing there ââ¢Âª A distant time, a distant space, ââ¢Âª ââ¢Âª That's where we're livin', ââ¢Âª A distant time A distant place So what ya giving? MAN: They all saw FBI agent Al Gough alive and well on April 29th.
What this guy apparently was trying to show us is we can't take what we saw for granted.
Okay, bottom line is, this is a new world.
This is a new day, and I just think we need to take a moment and let that sink in.
What we need to have answered right now is the question, is there going to be another world blackout? People are terrified.
Let's get back to the big question.
What question? Do we have free will? That's the big question? Possibly the central question of human existence for millennia.
(clears throat) If this is supposed to be your resignation (typing on keyboard) you can forget it.
You're not even gonna let me explain myself? You were attacked.
You were shot.
You returned to duty to find out a coworker jumped off a building.
Am I in the right ballpark here? My life's not making a whole lot of sense right now, and I think I need a little time off to figure it out.
Totally understandable.
But, uh, I need you here.
I know we've been shorthanded since the blackout.
But ever since Gough Since Al-- - This isn't about Al.
- Yes, it is.
When I found out about what he did and why he did it, it just really made me think about my own future.
I don't know what I'm supposed to do.
Do I lean into what I saw? Do I fight it? What if my getting shot was I don't even know.
Some Some sort of a sign that this baby's not meant to be? You're gonna let a bullet decide whether or not you bring a baby into this world? If Al's death proved anything, it's that our choices still matter, now more than ever.
Well, I believe without reservation or recrimination that your card is the ace of spades.
(laughs) SIMON: Well, that certainly answers that question.
I've been wondering how a Nobel finalist and recipient of the MacArthur prize spends his idle moments.
This isn't the time or the place, Simon.
You dropped off the radar, Lloyd.
Without so much as a phone call.
I've had to check myself into the hospital to have my bruised ego X-rayed.
Hello, Dylan.
Remember me? (goofy voice) Why, this is not my pancake! We're not having this discussion in front of my son.
(normal voice) Yeah, well, I'm done having you dictate when and where we talk.
Myhill forwarded me the e-mail you sent him.
Or should I call it a suicide note? It's the only logical move.
If you're hell-bent on self-destruction, then, yes, I suppose it is.
But I still have doubts as to the cause of the blackout.
Our experiment killed 20 million people, Simon.
20 million.
The world has been upended.
People need answers.
We have to go public and tell the world that we caused the blackout.
(surf rolling in distance) All right.
I guess we have to leave this room sometime.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
I have a reservation with the hotel that says different.
Oh.
Plus you haven't opened your gift yet.
Mm, what's this? Oh Just a little something to celebrate.
And what are we celebrating? Second chances, I guess (lowers voice) And the fact that we can change the things we saw.
I never thought we couldn't, Mark.
(cell phone ringing) That's the office.
I told 'em not to call unless it was an emergency.
- I promise.
- Mm-hmm.
(sighs) - Yeah.
DEMETRI: Hey, it's me.
This better be good, Dem.
Yeah, I'm sorry, man.
Um, something came up.
- Did you bring your laptop? - Yeah.
I'm sending you some video we got from Barstow P.
D.
this morning.
Remember when you had Marcie plug all the clues off the Mosaic board into NCIC? You've got something? Yeah.
Barstow P.
D.
caught a homicide.
Eyewitness managed to record it on her cell phone.
When it hit the system, NCIC kicked back a red flag.
Why? Stay tuned, man.
(gunshot) (whoosh) I'm headed back right now.
"Playing Cards With Coyote" What do we have? Anything that might help us I.
D.
our tattooed friend? Not really.
The victim, Neil Parofsky, is an aeronautics engineer who works out of a plant in El Segundo.
Watch and wallet were missing, so everybody's thinking robbery.
Is that confirmed by whoever shot the cell phone video? Uh, Ingrid Alvarez.
Yeah, she saw Parofsky hand something over before he got shot, so she thought it was a mugging, too.
Great.
First day back? I should have gotten you flowers.
- They're for your wife - Oh.
For stitching me back together.
And these are for you-- Hard copy stills taken from that cell phone.
Video forensics enhanced the images as best they could.
(whoosh) DEMETRI: So now we just gotta figure out why someone would want to hit an engineer from El Segundo.
Have Vreede get into Parofsky's life-- Friends, family, bank accounts, whatever.
All right.
What are we gonna do? What was the name of that eyewitness? Uh.
Ingrid Alvarez.
We'll be talking to her.
If the guy in her video is one of the men I saw in my vision, this is our best lead so far-- Our only lead.
I'm putting him away now.
Find out who sent him and make sure he never shows up here on April 29th.
Al sacrificed himself to prove we could change the future So let's change it.
(whoosh) Hey, honey.
Everything okay? - Hey.
- (tissue paper rustling) You're, uh, you're back early.
Yeah.
Uh, Mark had a w--a work thing.
So what's going on here? Oh, the usual.
You haven't been gone that long.
(crying) (screaming) (screams, wailing) It's all right.
It's all right.
It's all right.
It's all right.
It's all right.
It's all right.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
- Tracy-- - I'm sorry.
- Tr-Tracy! Trace.
Trace.
- (crying and whimpering) It's pathetic waking up every damn morning like this.
(sniffles) Maybe if you'd just talk about it I told you.
I don't want to talk about it.
Well, I'm not giving you a choice anymore.
I've been grieving for you for two years, Trace.
Hell, I even had--had your grave exhumed two months ago because I was convinced that you were--you were alive.
(crying) If you want to keep hiding out here-- If you want me to pretend to the world, your mom included, that you're still dead, you have to tell me what happened.
After what I saw in my flash-forward, I'd believe anything at this point.
Listen to me, Trace.
Four months from now, I'm gonna be sitting by your side in Afghanistan.
You saw it, and I saw it.
Isn't that why you came home? Obviously at some point, I'm gonna get involved, wh-whatever it is.
So let's just cut to the chase and get started.
OLIVIA: How about the Simcoe boy? He was supposed to be discharged while I was gone.
Not yet.
He was complaining of calf pain, so we removed the cast, did a doppler, - and the kid's got a D.
V.
T.
- You're kidding me.
Man, I'm going to be a grandmother before this boy goes home.
I don't get it.
Why are you so anxious to get rid of him? Is it his dad-- Mr.
Simcoe? What makes you say that? Just that you guys have a weird relationship.
I mean, every time he comes around, you get crazy tense, - and-- - Dr.
Benford? Uh, actually, Dr.
Varley just told me about Dylan's status.
But uh, what exactly are the ramifications-- Would it be safe to leave the boy's bedside for a while? I see here that you have him on heparin.
Now the risk of complications at that dose is relatively minimal.
Is that correct? I'm sorry.
And you are? A good question.
I'm a friend of the family.
Frankly, I was hoping to pry Lloyd away from the hospital for a while-- Steak dinner, some fraternal martinis.
Do you think you could see fit to sanction that? I mean, the boy is essentially ready to be discharged, if I've read his chart correctly.
May I? (woman speaks indistinctly over P.
A.
) Uh, yeah.
Barring any complications, I see no reason why Dylan couldn't go home in the next couple of days.
Well, it's settled then.
Lloyd, you've been absolved of any guilt, parental or otherwise.
Lovely.
Thank you very much for your help.
Mm-hmm.
Of course.
Dr.
Varley.
Nice legs.
Are you sleeping with that woman? That is none of your concern, Simon.
Everything you do is my concern now, since you pressed "send" on that idiotic e-mail of yours-- Which brings me to the purpose of my visit.
I'm going public with or without Myhill's cooperation or yours.
Good luck getting anyone - to believe you without it.
- Good luck stopping me.
Well, it appears we're at an impasse.
There are two ways to settle this.
The first is, oh, so tawdry and public.
I make a general annoyance out of myself, kick over as many anthills as possible-- Enough, Simon.
Or we settle this in a more civilized manner.
Define "civilized.
" Do you remember how we settled whose name would go first on the application for the Sloan fellowship? Texas hold'em, no holds barred.
You win, we go public, hang ourselves out to dry.
I win, you keep your mouth shut and your guilt in check, and we buy ourselves some more time.
(scoffs) You want to wager the fate of millions of people on the outcome of a poker game? The gods did it all the time-- Dice, chess, whatever took their fancy.
They loved tinkering with the lives of those mere mortals.
We're not gods, Simon.
20 million deaths on our shoulders.
Isn't that what you said? If that doesn't qualify us for Godhood, tell me what does.
Let the games begin.
DEMETRI: Hey, what's Barstow P.
D.
doing here? MARK: Let's hope 3-star guy didn't get to our witness.
(sirens wailing) Do you think she drives a gold sedan? Maybe not anymore.
(indistinct police radio chatter) Special Agent Benford, FBI.
Detective Rick Malchiodi, Barstow P.
D.
We think your victim might be an eyewitness in a homicide.
That's a hell of a coincidence.
How's that? Her roommate said she witnessed a homicide, too.
Her roommate? Yeah.
Uh, Alvarez Ingrid Alvarez.
Came home from work, found her roommate there double-tapped to the side of her head.
So looks like they got the wrong roommate, huh? I believe it's to you.
How much do you want to give me this round? $2,500.
I hope you don't drag this game out as long as the last one.
When you lose, you'll be able to console yourself that I've prevented you from confessing to a mass murder.
Manchester figure of speech.
$2,500.
I'll call.
INGRID: I don't understand.
You're saying they killed Blanca, but they were trying to kill me? That's what it looks like to us, yes.
And it's because of what happened in the alley? Now, Ingrid, what exactly did happen in the alley? We have the video, but it would really help us to get your account.
I was working late, me and one of my clerks.
Can't say I see you as a blonde, Ms.
Alvarez.
And I can't see you as a rock star, but that's what you say your vision was.
INGRID: I was locking up for the night.
You want me to walk you to your car? - I mean, it's kind of late.
- I'll be fine.
I went to my car, but there were men in the alley-- Three of them.
They were fighting, arguing, but I couldn't hear what about.
(man grunts) But when it got physical, I hid.
(speaking indistinctly) I called 9-1-1, but they put me on hold.
I still can't believe I stayed calm enough to think to use my phone.
(bang) My hand was shaking so much.
(crying) Now you told the police the victim gave the other men something right before they shot him? INGRID: They were arguing about a case or something.
But I didn't see what it was.
What about the faces of the other men? Do you think you could describe them? I didn't get a very good look, but I think one of them maybe had gray hair.
The other one was bald, and he was big, muscular.
It was very dark.
We're gonna sit you down with a sketch artist, all right? Whatever you can give us.
And if you can remember anything else, it could be a big help, okay? As they were walking away, they were talking about something.
Uh, it sounded like "Q.
E.
D.
" Thank you.
You guys ever read about that inevitability index thing that's been in all the papers? $5,000.
(chips clink) It's a scam-- Some entrepreneurial huckster's attempt to sell us on the idea that the odds of the future happening can be "calculated.
" It's all rubbish.
Fate is fate.
We're not responsible, Lloyd.
- What about free will? - No such thing.
Oh, since when did you become such a hard determinist? Simple quantum suicide theory.
I will win this hand and every subsequent hand we play ad infinitum.
Q.
E.
D.
Don't you get tired of hearing yourself pontificate? Don't you get tired of being a self-righteous prig? We're scientists, Lloyd, not attention-seeking reality show contestants looking for their 15 minutes of fame on a talk show.
- You always do this.
- What's that? Use intellectual argument to defend your behavior.
What? Okay, so you sleep with Cabrini's wife, and you call it electromagnetism.
You fire your assistant and blame it on Darwin.
Shut up, Lloyd.
And now you've upended the entire world, and you hide behind determinist rhetoric.
You're not the only one who's lost someone, Lloyd.
Oh, who, Simon? Who have you ever cared about? I'll call.
You see, I knew you were bluffing this entire time.
You know why? Because there's no such thing as luck or fate or "there but for the grace of God.
" This game is pointless.
I've already won.
(whoosh) The future's already happened.
Fighting it is futile.
Hey, Nicole.
Nicole? Hey.
You okay? Sorry.
My mind wandered.
(whoosh) I'm guessing Mark told you what I saw.
He did, yeah, but only 'cause he's worried about you.
We both are.
You don't have to be.
I'm gonna be fine.
The future can change.
It's all over the news.
Hey, crazy-huge floral delivery for the quintuplets.
Can you give me a hand? Go, go, go.
Don't worry, Olivia.
You know, we can change what we saw, just like we could before the blackout.
Everything's back to being up to us again.
TRACY: Dad.
My humvee got attacked.
Yeah.
Your friend Mike told me that.
But that was two years ago, Tracy.
Why didn't you go back to your base? I couldn't.
The attack-- We were fired on by supposed friendlies.
Marines? Jericho P.
M.
C.
-- Private military contractors.
Yeah, I've heard about them, but that doesn't explain why.
Jericho works for the military, which means that I can't trust the military-- Whoa, hold on a second.
W-why would you say you can't trust the military? About two weeks before my humvee was attacked, I was working long-range recon on this village in the foothills near Kunar.
I was alone.
Orders were to stay covert so the locals wouldn't see me.
But there must have been someone else out there.
Jericho.
And I watched them I watched as they wiped out a village.
They killed women, and they butchered children.
They slaughtered them.
Why? Why would they want to do that? I don't know, but I told my superior officer, and about a week later, Mike and I pulled duty at a forward roadblock near the Kalikata Mountains.
Out of nowhere, a Haji truck breached our roadblock.
We took off after them.
Damn! Embrace the suck, Stark.
(laughs) (tires screech) MAN: Who the hell are these guys? Those aren't Hajis! Burro, burro! We're gonna get whacked! - Get out! - Go! (screams) Tracy! - (screams) - (explosion) (machine gun firing) TRACY: I don't know how I survived.
I thought I was the only one.
(whimpers) (crying) (screams) What's been going on? You sounded a little freaked when you called.
- Did you slip or something? - No, no, no, no.
Just, uh Look, I didn't believe it myself.
I took this picture at my house.
(whispering) Oh my God.
It's Tracy.
- (normal voice) How? - How? (stammers) Well, Tracy would kill me if she knew I was talking to you, but she was--she was in a humvee with three other soldiers.
It got blown to hell, a bloody mess-- Body parts everywhere, including her leg.
- The D.
N.
A - Right.
It got basically thrown into the mix.
Then where has she-- Wh-what has she been doing for the past two years? This is what I need to talk to you about.
Basically, she's been on the run.
She saw something she shouldn't have and got in trouble with Jericho.
- They're this-- - Yeah, military contractors.
Yeah.
They were ones who attacked her.
I-I know this sounds like something out of a Baldacci novel or something, but Tracy was dead, and now she's alive.
So I, uh, I really need your help, Mark, 'cause Tracy is scared to death of these Jericho guys, and I'm afraid they're gonna try to find her.
You all right? Yeah.
I saw something today, and it got me thinking that if this person's future could come true-- And it did, even though it seemed impossible-- Then maybe these visions are more set in stone than we thought.
Or maybe we have to work that much harder.
You're right.
You're right.
(sighs) Hey, did you open my gift? Oh.
They're lovely.
You didn't put 'em on? I figured you'd just take 'em right off again.
Right.
(chuckles) We can change things, Mark.
We just have to decide how badly we want to.
How far we're willing to go to make it happen.
But I say there's nothing, nothing that we shouldn't be willing to do for one another.
WEDECK: So what are you suggesting? Set a trap for our suspects, draw 'em out.
I know a lot's changed lately, but we still don't use civilians as bait.
Ingrid knows the risks.
Then work the case.
Work-- work the--the Parofsky angle.
We've been doing that.
Parofsky was chief engineer at Micro-Circadian Electronics.
He was recently let go on suspicion of corporate espionage.
What if Parofsky is selling his work to the highest bidder? Ingrid did say that they took a package from him right before they shot him.
So whatever was in there was valuable enough to kill for.
Look, Stan, it's a real lead.
Ingrid's gonna be protected on this, I promise.
What makes you so sure they'd try to hit her tonight? They already tried to kill Ingrid once.
If we get the word out that we're gonna release her from custody, they might try again.
Why do you say that? We went to Utah.
D.
Gibbons knew we were coming.
You unearthed the Somalia photos.
Five minutes later, we're getting shot at.
Whoever we're investigating knows what we're doing before we do it.
You think we've got a mole.
We have a mole.
Two men with assault rifles are gonna get into this building five months from now, and someone's gonna let 'em in.
We catch these guys tonight, We can finally put a face on our enemy.
(crickets chirping) (blows) Careful, it's hot.
Guess there's no chance of getting any bourbon in there.
Probably not a good one, no.
When did you start drinkin' whiskey, anyway? I told Mark Benford.
You what? - He can help.
- Are you insane? You don't know these people, Dad.
I gotta get out of here.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
- Hold on a second.
- I came to this house specificly because I thought that I'd be safe, but I see now that that was a big mistake.
Mark's a Fed, Trace.
I mean, he's--he's practically family.
The second that Jericho knows that I'm still alive, they'll find me, and they'll kill me.
That's not true.
Don't you remember your flash-forward? The fact that you even had one proves that you're gonna be alive.
(whoosh) I was with you.
I-I gave you my pocket knife.
You were on a cot, fell asleep.
We were in some kind of bunker or cave surrounded by guards, and there was graffiti all over the walls.
I think somebody was calling my name.
Then I stepped outside.
There was a man out there.
He was very concerned about you.
He said something strange The account has been verified.
Then I gave him an envelope I don't know what was in it.
"The accounts have been verified.
" Does that mean something to you? No.
But this guy, what did-- What did he look like? Tall, dark.
Scar.
Khamir.
(whoosh) Khamir Dejan.
He was a field medic with the I.
M.
C.
He--he took care of me.
He He got me back together.
That's why I left.
I was so afraid that Jericho would kill Khamir to get to me.
That's not gonna happen.
Five months from now, he's alive.
I saw him.
All three of us were there, Trace.
How can you be so sure that everything we saw will still come true? Enough of mine has come true already that I'm a believer.
You came back to me, Trace.
Didn't you? I don't know what could drag us both back to Afghanistan, but I have to trust what I saw.
(birds squawking) MAN: The area is secure.
We're good.
(beep) Roger that.
MARK: All units, stay on tact-2.
These guys are pros-- Former military, based on that video we saw.
(birds chirping and squawking) Ingrid, you have a lot of amazing birds.
My babies--the only real family I've ever had.
Each one of them is special to me.
It's hard to believe I ever thought of giving them up.
What do you mean? My flash-forward.
(whoosh) In my vision, I wasn't working at the store anymore.
I had blonde hair, and I was living in New York.
So the next day, I put it up for sale.
Well, since we're standing here, I'm guessing you didn't have a lot of buyers.
It was all for the best.
I don't know what I was thinking-- Planning on changing my life for a future that might not even come true.
(yawns) We keeping you awake, cupcake? (chuckles) I'm sorry, man.
I was up late with Zoey last night.
Oh? I told her what happens to me-- What's gonna happen to me-- Supposed to happen to me.
She wants me to quit, get out of the line of fire, I guess.
Are you thinking about it? I wasn't.
I mean, who knows? I quit, I get hit by a bus, right? That's my luck.
Whatever, right? What am I supposed to do, become a barista until my date with death? That's one way to go.
When this is over, whether it's tonight or later, I'd like for you to have one of my cockatiels.
- Oh, no, no.
- A thank you gift.
Don't make me insist.
Ingrid, if you truly loved your birds, you're not gonna want to give one to me, but thank you.
Very sweet.
(loud bang) - What was that? - Stay here.
Sabre-2, this is Sabre-1.
(beep) Sabre-2, go.
Think I may have some movement here.
(beep) You want us to move in on your position? Could be nothing.
Let me check it out first.
(lights clank) Sabre-2, we have a breach.
Sabre-2--all units, surround the perimeter! Nobody gets out! Mark, I got Ingrid covered in the back.
(whoosh) (whoosh) (whoosh) - Freeze! Mark! - (gunshot) (indistinct police chatter over radio) (camera shutter clicking) You saw him turning on me.
He was makin' a move.
It was dark.
I didn't get a good look.
But I do know we can't interrogate a dead man.
(camera shutter clicking) (indistinct police radio chatter) What does this all mean? I'm sorry, but one of the men you saw is still out there, and he's not gonna stop until he finds you.
We need to put you in witness protection.
That's okay.
I think that's my future.
I should have trusted my gut all along.
Judging from your dwindling amount of chips, the pain is almost over.
What are you thinking over there, mate? Maybe you got a pair of 8s, working a full boat.
How much do you have left? Just under 15.
$5,000.
(chips clink) (ice rattling) Thank you.
Why don't we make this hand winner take all? If you win, we go public.
But of course I'll win, and you'll keep your mouth shut.
Fine.
As a physicist, Lloyd, you really are a genius.
But you were never very good at concealing your tells.
(whispers) Ouch.
MAN: Four of a kind for Mr.
Camp.
Straight flush.
Pot and game to Mr.
Simcoe.
Congratulations.
(chips clatter) Keep the chips.
Call it a tip.
I got what I came for.
How did you beat me? Did I tell you Dylan really loves magic? Sleight of hand's his favorite.
There are some things even I won't leave to chance.
That being said, I'll let you have the first pass at drafting the announcement, all right? MARK: Thanks for backing my play there.
I just want to make sure I know which play it was.
(door closes) Is this about taking tattoo man off the streets or putting him under it? What the hell are you talking about? Look, I know you said if we get this guy, we might be able to change our futures.
But? Look, I just want to make sure the plan here wasn't to kill him so he can't kill me or come after you in your office.
Whatever gave you that idea? Because I had it.
The second you suggested tattoo man might be the guy who's supposed to kill me, I thought, I'm gonna kill him first.
But now you think I actually did that I went that far.
I would've.
(door closes) WEDECK: What are you doing here so late? Trusting my gut.
Hmm.
(chuckles) Your e-mail said you had something for me.
- Yeah, I do.
- (typing, computer beeps) N.
S.
A.
finally sent back a new rendering of that suspect zero photo.
Hmm.
Looks like the old one.
- It is.
This is the new one.
- (beeping) What's that on his hand? (types, beep) - (beep) - It looks like a ring.
Mm-hmm.
Can the image be enhanced any further? N.
S.
A.
is working on it right now, but it took them this long to get this far.
Tell them to put their foot on the gas.
If we can tie this jewelry to the guy wearing it, we'll have our first workable lead.
Good job.
(typing) Hey.
(locks door) Wow.
You look like you had a perfectly ordinary day.
(keys jangle) Worse than ordinary? Mark? I killed a man tonight.
What happened? I had a shot at changing my future Changing our future And I took it.
Oh, Mark.
Come here.
Come here.
Maybe April 29th's just gonna be another day at the office now.
What does that mean? I, uh I told you in my flash-forward I was in danger, right? A man was trying to kill me.
(whispers) But tonight (normal voice) I got to him first.
(whispering) I changed the future, Livy.
We have a second chance.
We have a second chance.
(thunder rumbling) Hey.
(lightning crashes, thunder rumbles) You have them? There were supposed to be seven.
After the first atom bomb test, you know what a colleague of Oppenheimer's said? "What a foul and awesome display.
" He then added, "Now we are all sons of bitches.
"
- It's a girl.
You disappear to Los Angeles.
You don't return my calls, I'm worried about you.
We all are.
I know when a man is willing to sacrifice anything for his cause, and you're not that kind of man, Agent Benford.
I need a favor--a big favor.
It's for Tracy.
Hi, Dad.
What I saw, what you saw, doesn't have to play out that way.
Uh, what are you talking about? I found a way to change the game.
(Pearl Jam's "Unthought Known" playing) AL: Dear Celia, I don't know your last name, and I don't know where you live, but I know you have two young boys-- Twins, I believe.
And I know you didn't have a flash-forward.
All the thoughts you never see You are always thinking Brain is wide The brain is deep Oh, are you sinking? Feel the path of every day Which road you taking? Breathing hard, making hay Yeah, this is living Feel the air, up above A pool of blue sky Feel the air Up with love Black with starlight Dream the dreams of other men You'll be no one's rival Dream the dreams of others then, You will be no one's rival Nothing left, nothing there Nothing left, nothing there ââ¢Âª A distant time, a distant space, ââ¢Âª ââ¢Âª That's where we're livin', ââ¢Âª A distant time A distant place So what ya giving? MAN: They all saw FBI agent Al Gough alive and well on April 29th.
What this guy apparently was trying to show us is we can't take what we saw for granted.
Okay, bottom line is, this is a new world.
This is a new day, and I just think we need to take a moment and let that sink in.
What we need to have answered right now is the question, is there going to be another world blackout? People are terrified.
Let's get back to the big question.
What question? Do we have free will? That's the big question? Possibly the central question of human existence for millennia.
(clears throat) If this is supposed to be your resignation (typing on keyboard) you can forget it.
You're not even gonna let me explain myself? You were attacked.
You were shot.
You returned to duty to find out a coworker jumped off a building.
Am I in the right ballpark here? My life's not making a whole lot of sense right now, and I think I need a little time off to figure it out.
Totally understandable.
But, uh, I need you here.
I know we've been shorthanded since the blackout.
But ever since Gough Since Al-- - This isn't about Al.
- Yes, it is.
When I found out about what he did and why he did it, it just really made me think about my own future.
I don't know what I'm supposed to do.
Do I lean into what I saw? Do I fight it? What if my getting shot was I don't even know.
Some Some sort of a sign that this baby's not meant to be? You're gonna let a bullet decide whether or not you bring a baby into this world? If Al's death proved anything, it's that our choices still matter, now more than ever.
Well, I believe without reservation or recrimination that your card is the ace of spades.
(laughs) SIMON: Well, that certainly answers that question.
I've been wondering how a Nobel finalist and recipient of the MacArthur prize spends his idle moments.
This isn't the time or the place, Simon.
You dropped off the radar, Lloyd.
Without so much as a phone call.
I've had to check myself into the hospital to have my bruised ego X-rayed.
Hello, Dylan.
Remember me? (goofy voice) Why, this is not my pancake! We're not having this discussion in front of my son.
(normal voice) Yeah, well, I'm done having you dictate when and where we talk.
Myhill forwarded me the e-mail you sent him.
Or should I call it a suicide note? It's the only logical move.
If you're hell-bent on self-destruction, then, yes, I suppose it is.
But I still have doubts as to the cause of the blackout.
Our experiment killed 20 million people, Simon.
20 million.
The world has been upended.
People need answers.
We have to go public and tell the world that we caused the blackout.
(surf rolling in distance) All right.
I guess we have to leave this room sometime.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
I have a reservation with the hotel that says different.
Oh.
Plus you haven't opened your gift yet.
Mm, what's this? Oh Just a little something to celebrate.
And what are we celebrating? Second chances, I guess (lowers voice) And the fact that we can change the things we saw.
I never thought we couldn't, Mark.
(cell phone ringing) That's the office.
I told 'em not to call unless it was an emergency.
- I promise.
- Mm-hmm.
(sighs) - Yeah.
DEMETRI: Hey, it's me.
This better be good, Dem.
Yeah, I'm sorry, man.
Um, something came up.
- Did you bring your laptop? - Yeah.
I'm sending you some video we got from Barstow P.
D.
this morning.
Remember when you had Marcie plug all the clues off the Mosaic board into NCIC? You've got something? Yeah.
Barstow P.
D.
caught a homicide.
Eyewitness managed to record it on her cell phone.
When it hit the system, NCIC kicked back a red flag.
Why? Stay tuned, man.
(gunshot) (whoosh) I'm headed back right now.
"Playing Cards With Coyote" What do we have? Anything that might help us I.
D.
our tattooed friend? Not really.
The victim, Neil Parofsky, is an aeronautics engineer who works out of a plant in El Segundo.
Watch and wallet were missing, so everybody's thinking robbery.
Is that confirmed by whoever shot the cell phone video? Uh, Ingrid Alvarez.
Yeah, she saw Parofsky hand something over before he got shot, so she thought it was a mugging, too.
Great.
First day back? I should have gotten you flowers.
- They're for your wife - Oh.
For stitching me back together.
And these are for you-- Hard copy stills taken from that cell phone.
Video forensics enhanced the images as best they could.
(whoosh) DEMETRI: So now we just gotta figure out why someone would want to hit an engineer from El Segundo.
Have Vreede get into Parofsky's life-- Friends, family, bank accounts, whatever.
All right.
What are we gonna do? What was the name of that eyewitness? Uh.
Ingrid Alvarez.
We'll be talking to her.
If the guy in her video is one of the men I saw in my vision, this is our best lead so far-- Our only lead.
I'm putting him away now.
Find out who sent him and make sure he never shows up here on April 29th.
Al sacrificed himself to prove we could change the future So let's change it.
(whoosh) Hey, honey.
Everything okay? - Hey.
- (tissue paper rustling) You're, uh, you're back early.
Yeah.
Uh, Mark had a w--a work thing.
So what's going on here? Oh, the usual.
You haven't been gone that long.
(crying) (screaming) (screams, wailing) It's all right.
It's all right.
It's all right.
It's all right.
It's all right.
It's all right.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
- Tracy-- - I'm sorry.
- Tr-Tracy! Trace.
Trace.
- (crying and whimpering) It's pathetic waking up every damn morning like this.
(sniffles) Maybe if you'd just talk about it I told you.
I don't want to talk about it.
Well, I'm not giving you a choice anymore.
I've been grieving for you for two years, Trace.
Hell, I even had--had your grave exhumed two months ago because I was convinced that you were--you were alive.
(crying) If you want to keep hiding out here-- If you want me to pretend to the world, your mom included, that you're still dead, you have to tell me what happened.
After what I saw in my flash-forward, I'd believe anything at this point.
Listen to me, Trace.
Four months from now, I'm gonna be sitting by your side in Afghanistan.
You saw it, and I saw it.
Isn't that why you came home? Obviously at some point, I'm gonna get involved, wh-whatever it is.
So let's just cut to the chase and get started.
OLIVIA: How about the Simcoe boy? He was supposed to be discharged while I was gone.
Not yet.
He was complaining of calf pain, so we removed the cast, did a doppler, - and the kid's got a D.
V.
T.
- You're kidding me.
Man, I'm going to be a grandmother before this boy goes home.
I don't get it.
Why are you so anxious to get rid of him? Is it his dad-- Mr.
Simcoe? What makes you say that? Just that you guys have a weird relationship.
I mean, every time he comes around, you get crazy tense, - and-- - Dr.
Benford? Uh, actually, Dr.
Varley just told me about Dylan's status.
But uh, what exactly are the ramifications-- Would it be safe to leave the boy's bedside for a while? I see here that you have him on heparin.
Now the risk of complications at that dose is relatively minimal.
Is that correct? I'm sorry.
And you are? A good question.
I'm a friend of the family.
Frankly, I was hoping to pry Lloyd away from the hospital for a while-- Steak dinner, some fraternal martinis.
Do you think you could see fit to sanction that? I mean, the boy is essentially ready to be discharged, if I've read his chart correctly.
May I? (woman speaks indistinctly over P.
A.
) Uh, yeah.
Barring any complications, I see no reason why Dylan couldn't go home in the next couple of days.
Well, it's settled then.
Lloyd, you've been absolved of any guilt, parental or otherwise.
Lovely.
Thank you very much for your help.
Mm-hmm.
Of course.
Dr.
Varley.
Nice legs.
Are you sleeping with that woman? That is none of your concern, Simon.
Everything you do is my concern now, since you pressed "send" on that idiotic e-mail of yours-- Which brings me to the purpose of my visit.
I'm going public with or without Myhill's cooperation or yours.
Good luck getting anyone - to believe you without it.
- Good luck stopping me.
Well, it appears we're at an impasse.
There are two ways to settle this.
The first is, oh, so tawdry and public.
I make a general annoyance out of myself, kick over as many anthills as possible-- Enough, Simon.
Or we settle this in a more civilized manner.
Define "civilized.
" Do you remember how we settled whose name would go first on the application for the Sloan fellowship? Texas hold'em, no holds barred.
You win, we go public, hang ourselves out to dry.
I win, you keep your mouth shut and your guilt in check, and we buy ourselves some more time.
(scoffs) You want to wager the fate of millions of people on the outcome of a poker game? The gods did it all the time-- Dice, chess, whatever took their fancy.
They loved tinkering with the lives of those mere mortals.
We're not gods, Simon.
20 million deaths on our shoulders.
Isn't that what you said? If that doesn't qualify us for Godhood, tell me what does.
Let the games begin.
DEMETRI: Hey, what's Barstow P.
D.
doing here? MARK: Let's hope 3-star guy didn't get to our witness.
(sirens wailing) Do you think she drives a gold sedan? Maybe not anymore.
(indistinct police radio chatter) Special Agent Benford, FBI.
Detective Rick Malchiodi, Barstow P.
D.
We think your victim might be an eyewitness in a homicide.
That's a hell of a coincidence.
How's that? Her roommate said she witnessed a homicide, too.
Her roommate? Yeah.
Uh, Alvarez Ingrid Alvarez.
Came home from work, found her roommate there double-tapped to the side of her head.
So looks like they got the wrong roommate, huh? I believe it's to you.
How much do you want to give me this round? $2,500.
I hope you don't drag this game out as long as the last one.
When you lose, you'll be able to console yourself that I've prevented you from confessing to a mass murder.
Manchester figure of speech.
$2,500.
I'll call.
INGRID: I don't understand.
You're saying they killed Blanca, but they were trying to kill me? That's what it looks like to us, yes.
And it's because of what happened in the alley? Now, Ingrid, what exactly did happen in the alley? We have the video, but it would really help us to get your account.
I was working late, me and one of my clerks.
Can't say I see you as a blonde, Ms.
Alvarez.
And I can't see you as a rock star, but that's what you say your vision was.
INGRID: I was locking up for the night.
You want me to walk you to your car? - I mean, it's kind of late.
- I'll be fine.
I went to my car, but there were men in the alley-- Three of them.
They were fighting, arguing, but I couldn't hear what about.
(man grunts) But when it got physical, I hid.
(speaking indistinctly) I called 9-1-1, but they put me on hold.
I still can't believe I stayed calm enough to think to use my phone.
(bang) My hand was shaking so much.
(crying) Now you told the police the victim gave the other men something right before they shot him? INGRID: They were arguing about a case or something.
But I didn't see what it was.
What about the faces of the other men? Do you think you could describe them? I didn't get a very good look, but I think one of them maybe had gray hair.
The other one was bald, and he was big, muscular.
It was very dark.
We're gonna sit you down with a sketch artist, all right? Whatever you can give us.
And if you can remember anything else, it could be a big help, okay? As they were walking away, they were talking about something.
Uh, it sounded like "Q.
E.
D.
" Thank you.
You guys ever read about that inevitability index thing that's been in all the papers? $5,000.
(chips clink) It's a scam-- Some entrepreneurial huckster's attempt to sell us on the idea that the odds of the future happening can be "calculated.
" It's all rubbish.
Fate is fate.
We're not responsible, Lloyd.
- What about free will? - No such thing.
Oh, since when did you become such a hard determinist? Simple quantum suicide theory.
I will win this hand and every subsequent hand we play ad infinitum.
Q.
E.
D.
Don't you get tired of hearing yourself pontificate? Don't you get tired of being a self-righteous prig? We're scientists, Lloyd, not attention-seeking reality show contestants looking for their 15 minutes of fame on a talk show.
- You always do this.
- What's that? Use intellectual argument to defend your behavior.
What? Okay, so you sleep with Cabrini's wife, and you call it electromagnetism.
You fire your assistant and blame it on Darwin.
Shut up, Lloyd.
And now you've upended the entire world, and you hide behind determinist rhetoric.
You're not the only one who's lost someone, Lloyd.
Oh, who, Simon? Who have you ever cared about? I'll call.
You see, I knew you were bluffing this entire time.
You know why? Because there's no such thing as luck or fate or "there but for the grace of God.
" This game is pointless.
I've already won.
(whoosh) The future's already happened.
Fighting it is futile.
Hey, Nicole.
Nicole? Hey.
You okay? Sorry.
My mind wandered.
(whoosh) I'm guessing Mark told you what I saw.
He did, yeah, but only 'cause he's worried about you.
We both are.
You don't have to be.
I'm gonna be fine.
The future can change.
It's all over the news.
Hey, crazy-huge floral delivery for the quintuplets.
Can you give me a hand? Go, go, go.
Don't worry, Olivia.
You know, we can change what we saw, just like we could before the blackout.
Everything's back to being up to us again.
TRACY: Dad.
My humvee got attacked.
Yeah.
Your friend Mike told me that.
But that was two years ago, Tracy.
Why didn't you go back to your base? I couldn't.
The attack-- We were fired on by supposed friendlies.
Marines? Jericho P.
M.
C.
-- Private military contractors.
Yeah, I've heard about them, but that doesn't explain why.
Jericho works for the military, which means that I can't trust the military-- Whoa, hold on a second.
W-why would you say you can't trust the military? About two weeks before my humvee was attacked, I was working long-range recon on this village in the foothills near Kunar.
I was alone.
Orders were to stay covert so the locals wouldn't see me.
But there must have been someone else out there.
Jericho.
And I watched them I watched as they wiped out a village.
They killed women, and they butchered children.
They slaughtered them.
Why? Why would they want to do that? I don't know, but I told my superior officer, and about a week later, Mike and I pulled duty at a forward roadblock near the Kalikata Mountains.
Out of nowhere, a Haji truck breached our roadblock.
We took off after them.
Damn! Embrace the suck, Stark.
(laughs) (tires screech) MAN: Who the hell are these guys? Those aren't Hajis! Burro, burro! We're gonna get whacked! - Get out! - Go! (screams) Tracy! - (screams) - (explosion) (machine gun firing) TRACY: I don't know how I survived.
I thought I was the only one.
(whimpers) (crying) (screams) What's been going on? You sounded a little freaked when you called.
- Did you slip or something? - No, no, no, no.
Just, uh Look, I didn't believe it myself.
I took this picture at my house.
(whispering) Oh my God.
It's Tracy.
- (normal voice) How? - How? (stammers) Well, Tracy would kill me if she knew I was talking to you, but she was--she was in a humvee with three other soldiers.
It got blown to hell, a bloody mess-- Body parts everywhere, including her leg.
- The D.
N.
A - Right.
It got basically thrown into the mix.
Then where has she-- Wh-what has she been doing for the past two years? This is what I need to talk to you about.
Basically, she's been on the run.
She saw something she shouldn't have and got in trouble with Jericho.
- They're this-- - Yeah, military contractors.
Yeah.
They were ones who attacked her.
I-I know this sounds like something out of a Baldacci novel or something, but Tracy was dead, and now she's alive.
So I, uh, I really need your help, Mark, 'cause Tracy is scared to death of these Jericho guys, and I'm afraid they're gonna try to find her.
You all right? Yeah.
I saw something today, and it got me thinking that if this person's future could come true-- And it did, even though it seemed impossible-- Then maybe these visions are more set in stone than we thought.
Or maybe we have to work that much harder.
You're right.
You're right.
(sighs) Hey, did you open my gift? Oh.
They're lovely.
You didn't put 'em on? I figured you'd just take 'em right off again.
Right.
(chuckles) We can change things, Mark.
We just have to decide how badly we want to.
How far we're willing to go to make it happen.
But I say there's nothing, nothing that we shouldn't be willing to do for one another.
WEDECK: So what are you suggesting? Set a trap for our suspects, draw 'em out.
I know a lot's changed lately, but we still don't use civilians as bait.
Ingrid knows the risks.
Then work the case.
Work-- work the--the Parofsky angle.
We've been doing that.
Parofsky was chief engineer at Micro-Circadian Electronics.
He was recently let go on suspicion of corporate espionage.
What if Parofsky is selling his work to the highest bidder? Ingrid did say that they took a package from him right before they shot him.
So whatever was in there was valuable enough to kill for.
Look, Stan, it's a real lead.
Ingrid's gonna be protected on this, I promise.
What makes you so sure they'd try to hit her tonight? They already tried to kill Ingrid once.
If we get the word out that we're gonna release her from custody, they might try again.
Why do you say that? We went to Utah.
D.
Gibbons knew we were coming.
You unearthed the Somalia photos.
Five minutes later, we're getting shot at.
Whoever we're investigating knows what we're doing before we do it.
You think we've got a mole.
We have a mole.
Two men with assault rifles are gonna get into this building five months from now, and someone's gonna let 'em in.
We catch these guys tonight, We can finally put a face on our enemy.
(crickets chirping) (blows) Careful, it's hot.
Guess there's no chance of getting any bourbon in there.
Probably not a good one, no.
When did you start drinkin' whiskey, anyway? I told Mark Benford.
You what? - He can help.
- Are you insane? You don't know these people, Dad.
I gotta get out of here.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
- Hold on a second.
- I came to this house specificly because I thought that I'd be safe, but I see now that that was a big mistake.
Mark's a Fed, Trace.
I mean, he's--he's practically family.
The second that Jericho knows that I'm still alive, they'll find me, and they'll kill me.
That's not true.
Don't you remember your flash-forward? The fact that you even had one proves that you're gonna be alive.
(whoosh) I was with you.
I-I gave you my pocket knife.
You were on a cot, fell asleep.
We were in some kind of bunker or cave surrounded by guards, and there was graffiti all over the walls.
I think somebody was calling my name.
Then I stepped outside.
There was a man out there.
He was very concerned about you.
He said something strange The account has been verified.
Then I gave him an envelope I don't know what was in it.
"The accounts have been verified.
" Does that mean something to you? No.
But this guy, what did-- What did he look like? Tall, dark.
Scar.
Khamir.
(whoosh) Khamir Dejan.
He was a field medic with the I.
M.
C.
He--he took care of me.
He He got me back together.
That's why I left.
I was so afraid that Jericho would kill Khamir to get to me.
That's not gonna happen.
Five months from now, he's alive.
I saw him.
All three of us were there, Trace.
How can you be so sure that everything we saw will still come true? Enough of mine has come true already that I'm a believer.
You came back to me, Trace.
Didn't you? I don't know what could drag us both back to Afghanistan, but I have to trust what I saw.
(birds squawking) MAN: The area is secure.
We're good.
(beep) Roger that.
MARK: All units, stay on tact-2.
These guys are pros-- Former military, based on that video we saw.
(birds chirping and squawking) Ingrid, you have a lot of amazing birds.
My babies--the only real family I've ever had.
Each one of them is special to me.
It's hard to believe I ever thought of giving them up.
What do you mean? My flash-forward.
(whoosh) In my vision, I wasn't working at the store anymore.
I had blonde hair, and I was living in New York.
So the next day, I put it up for sale.
Well, since we're standing here, I'm guessing you didn't have a lot of buyers.
It was all for the best.
I don't know what I was thinking-- Planning on changing my life for a future that might not even come true.
(yawns) We keeping you awake, cupcake? (chuckles) I'm sorry, man.
I was up late with Zoey last night.
Oh? I told her what happens to me-- What's gonna happen to me-- Supposed to happen to me.
She wants me to quit, get out of the line of fire, I guess.
Are you thinking about it? I wasn't.
I mean, who knows? I quit, I get hit by a bus, right? That's my luck.
Whatever, right? What am I supposed to do, become a barista until my date with death? That's one way to go.
When this is over, whether it's tonight or later, I'd like for you to have one of my cockatiels.
- Oh, no, no.
- A thank you gift.
Don't make me insist.
Ingrid, if you truly loved your birds, you're not gonna want to give one to me, but thank you.
Very sweet.
(loud bang) - What was that? - Stay here.
Sabre-2, this is Sabre-1.
(beep) Sabre-2, go.
Think I may have some movement here.
(beep) You want us to move in on your position? Could be nothing.
Let me check it out first.
(lights clank) Sabre-2, we have a breach.
Sabre-2--all units, surround the perimeter! Nobody gets out! Mark, I got Ingrid covered in the back.
(whoosh) (whoosh) (whoosh) - Freeze! Mark! - (gunshot) (indistinct police chatter over radio) (camera shutter clicking) You saw him turning on me.
He was makin' a move.
It was dark.
I didn't get a good look.
But I do know we can't interrogate a dead man.
(camera shutter clicking) (indistinct police radio chatter) What does this all mean? I'm sorry, but one of the men you saw is still out there, and he's not gonna stop until he finds you.
We need to put you in witness protection.
That's okay.
I think that's my future.
I should have trusted my gut all along.
Judging from your dwindling amount of chips, the pain is almost over.
What are you thinking over there, mate? Maybe you got a pair of 8s, working a full boat.
How much do you have left? Just under 15.
$5,000.
(chips clink) (ice rattling) Thank you.
Why don't we make this hand winner take all? If you win, we go public.
But of course I'll win, and you'll keep your mouth shut.
Fine.
As a physicist, Lloyd, you really are a genius.
But you were never very good at concealing your tells.
(whispers) Ouch.
MAN: Four of a kind for Mr.
Camp.
Straight flush.
Pot and game to Mr.
Simcoe.
Congratulations.
(chips clatter) Keep the chips.
Call it a tip.
I got what I came for.
How did you beat me? Did I tell you Dylan really loves magic? Sleight of hand's his favorite.
There are some things even I won't leave to chance.
That being said, I'll let you have the first pass at drafting the announcement, all right? MARK: Thanks for backing my play there.
I just want to make sure I know which play it was.
(door closes) Is this about taking tattoo man off the streets or putting him under it? What the hell are you talking about? Look, I know you said if we get this guy, we might be able to change our futures.
But? Look, I just want to make sure the plan here wasn't to kill him so he can't kill me or come after you in your office.
Whatever gave you that idea? Because I had it.
The second you suggested tattoo man might be the guy who's supposed to kill me, I thought, I'm gonna kill him first.
But now you think I actually did that I went that far.
I would've.
(door closes) WEDECK: What are you doing here so late? Trusting my gut.
Hmm.
(chuckles) Your e-mail said you had something for me.
- Yeah, I do.
- (typing, computer beeps) N.
S.
A.
finally sent back a new rendering of that suspect zero photo.
Hmm.
Looks like the old one.
- It is.
This is the new one.
- (beeping) What's that on his hand? (types, beep) - (beep) - It looks like a ring.
Mm-hmm.
Can the image be enhanced any further? N.
S.
A.
is working on it right now, but it took them this long to get this far.
Tell them to put their foot on the gas.
If we can tie this jewelry to the guy wearing it, we'll have our first workable lead.
Good job.
(typing) Hey.
(locks door) Wow.
You look like you had a perfectly ordinary day.
(keys jangle) Worse than ordinary? Mark? I killed a man tonight.
What happened? I had a shot at changing my future Changing our future And I took it.
Oh, Mark.
Come here.
Come here.
Maybe April 29th's just gonna be another day at the office now.
What does that mean? I, uh I told you in my flash-forward I was in danger, right? A man was trying to kill me.
(whispers) But tonight (normal voice) I got to him first.
(whispering) I changed the future, Livy.
We have a second chance.
We have a second chance.
(thunder rumbling) Hey.
(lightning crashes, thunder rumbles) You have them? There were supposed to be seven.
After the first atom bomb test, you know what a colleague of Oppenheimer's said? "What a foul and awesome display.
" He then added, "Now we are all sons of bitches.
"