Perception s01e09 Episode Script
Shadow
What are you afraid of? Dying in a plane crash? Or catching an incurable disease? Getting eaten by a shark.
What you should really be afraid of.
.
Is failing this class.
What, we scare you? Fear can override rational thought.
Before the Neocortex can even process a threat, the Amygdala kicks in, and now you're in fight-or-flight mode.
But this same Neurological programming can also spook us.
Cause us to act irrationally when, in reality, there's nothing to worry about.
So.
.
Can we override our most primal instincts? Condition ourselves not to react out of fear? All your meals are on the fridge.
Everything is color-coded.
All you got to do is reheat them in the microwave.
I don't eat irradiated food.
You know that.
Okay, you know, Doc, maybe I could just do an iChat with my folks.
It's their 30th anniversary, Lewicki.
You're going home.
I can manage on my own for one weekend.
I'll be fine.
What is an iChat? I do solemnly swear to support and defend the constitution of The United States against all enemies foreign and domestic.
"And I will prove a crushing disappointment to my constituents".
And I take this obligation freely.
"I will make shady backroom deals with my fellow Senators" "and accept as much special-interest money as I can stuff in my pockets".
You voted for Ryland.
Lesser of two evils.
Lewicki, your cab is here! Maybe he'll surprise you.
Ryland was the last guy's protege.
He'll turn out to be yet another Wall Street lackey just like everybody else in congress.
Daniel, don't be so cynical.
Easy for you to say.
.
You didn't vote.
Of course I voted.
I wasn't talking to you.
Okay.
Uh.
.
Tell her I say, "hi".
Hey, Doc? You got a letter.
There's no stamp, so it must have been hand-delivered from some guy.
.
Wesley Sumter? Who's Wesley Sumter? He's a former student.
Would you get out of here already? All right.
Okay, uh, I will see you on Sunday.
Don't do anything crazy, Doc.
No promises.
I can cancel.
It's a joke.
I'm joking.
Go! Daniel, what's wrong? Oh, damn it! Wesley, are you trying to give me a coronary?! I'm sorry.
I.
.
I didn't mean to scare you.
Well, what's with the melodrama, huh? The.
.
The note, the meeting at 2:00 in the morning? What the hell is going on?! I'll explain everything, okay, but not here.
People could be listening.
Come on.
Come on.
Okay, this is good.
This is good, this is good.
Listen, this new Senator, Ryland.
.
You remember what happened to his predecessor? Well, yeah, his private jet flew into the side of a mountain.
His plane was sabotaged.
Sabotaged? By whom? Larry Crawford, CEO of the Verteron Corporation.
The electronics company? Yeah.
Paulson.
.
Paulson chaired.
.
He chaired a.
.
A committee that.
.
That.
.
That.
.
That was.
.
Was gonna pass a.
.
A clean-energy bill that would have cost Verteron billions.
Okay.
Okay, so they stood to gain from Paulson's death, but what makes you think they had anything to do with the plane crash? They made the.
.
The anti-collision system that should have prevented the accident.
Not only that, but.
.
But.
.
But.
.
One of their engineers, Brian Willingham, died right after he found out about the sabotage.
They said it was suicide, but.
.
But I think it was murder.
Wesley, what are you coming to me with this for? You should go to the police.
I tried.
I tried, but.
.
But no one.
.
No one would take me seriously.
Except for one guy, this.
.
This reporter, uh, uh, from The Star-Herald, but then.
.
But then he, uh.
.
He drove his car off of a road, and he broke his neck.
Now, that's three men dead, and I'm gonna be the fourth if this company isn't stopped.
Wesley, I understand you're scared, and if what you're saying is true, it's terrible.
But.
.
Isn't it possible you're making connections that.
.
That aren't really there? I read about your work in the Sarin bomber case, and I thought that.
.
That if anyone were to help me blow the lid off this thing, it would be you, but I guess I was wrong.
W.
.
Wait, Wesley.
Look, look.
There's an FBI Agent that I know.
I.
.
I'll ask her to look into it, okay? Thank you.
Thank you, Professor.
Wait, oh.
Everything.
.
Everything that.
.
That you need to know is.
.
Is in here.
Here it is.
Here it is.
I knew you would help.
I.
.
Wesley.
Heading out? It's not even 3:00 A.
M.
yet.
Yeah, thought I'd knock off a little early.
Stick around.
I'll buy you breakfast.
There will be bacon.
You do know my weakness.
Moretti.
Daniel, slow down.
Uh, okay, just stay calm.
I'll be right over.
Call CPD.
There's been a murder at the CLMU campus.
.
Courtyard by the Chapel.
Roger.
We have a slight problem.
I don't understand.
Where's Wesley? I don't know.
You tell me.
I was the first person on the scene, and there was no body when I got here.
Daniel? Daniel? Listen, CPD's been interviewing faculty and students for hours.
No one saw any shooting or anyone fleeing the scene.
This area of the campus is deserted at night.
You know that.
Crime techs didn't turn up any blood residue, either.
Well, obviously somebody's cleaned up the crime scene.
These.
.
These are just newspaper clippings, okay? There's no evidence here.
I got to be honest with you.
.
The boss is pissed.
Forensics has been out here all night.
I got to send these people home.
Well, I'm sorry if Wesley's murder has inconvenienced the crime lab.
Daniel, listen.
Reardon knows about your.
.
Condition.
She doesn't consider you a.
.
Reliable witness.
We ran the name you gave us.
There's no record of a Wesley Sumter anywhere in Chicago or having ever attended CLMU.
I told you, he only audited my class.
I.
.
I don't know if he ever registered.
And he wouldn't be the first person to keep his name.
.
Out of a government database.
Listen, you know I've got your back, and I'm gonna keep digging, even if Reardon doesn't like it, but I.
.
I got to ask you.
.
Is it possible that you saw something that didn't really happen? Look at this.
It says the NTSB's report on the plane crash has been delayed a third time.
Maybe Wesley was right.
Maybe the Senator's plane really was sabotaged.
Daniel, the story he told is exactly the kind of paranoid scenario that a schizophrenic would come up with.
You think Wesley was mentally ill? I don't know.
But you are.
Maybe Kate's right.
You're the only one who saw this guy.
Well, if Wesley wasn't real, where did all these come from? You have a closet full of old newspapers.
Lewicki just.
.
Just saves those for the crosswords.
- And what about the letter? - You do have a typewriter.
You're saying I sent it to myself.
Have you been taking your meds? Lewicki picked up a prescription for me weeks ago.
You know that.
I didn't ask you if you had a prescription filled.
I asked if you were taking your meds.
If we open the medicine cabinet and counted the pills, how many would be left? You've been under a lot of stress since you started working with Kate again, but I don't think your coping mechanisms are enough to keep you on an even keel any more.
If you won't take the medication for yourself, then do it for her.
What's that supposed to mean? Kate's out there trying to find evidence for a murder that might have only happened in your mind.
Think about her career, her reputation.
What if you're wrong? Never underestimate the power of shoe leather.
Might want to make us some popcorn.
Where did you get this? A student caught the whole thing on his cellphone.
It really happened.
I'm sorry I doubted you.
I understand why you did.
Look, I've asked the CART unit to enhance the tape, try to I.
D.
the sniper.
So Wesley really was onto something big.
.
And whoever killed the Senator was trying to silence him.
Just so we're clear, I'm not investigating some James Bond murder plot, okay? I'm just looking for a guy with a crossbow.
Do we have an address yet for Wesley or next of kin? No, and there's no physical evidence at the crime scene.
Well, if we can't find his body, then maybe.
.
Maybe looking into what he was investigating will lead us to the killer.
You said Wesley was talking to a reporter? Yes.
Yes! From the, uh.
.
Star-Herald.
Uh.
.
Uh.
.
Here.
David Alcott.
But he's dead.
Maybe his boss at the paper has some information on Wesley.
Oh, you must mean "crazy" Wesley.
Oh, he calls the assignment desk at all hours and leaves these bizarre messages on our voice mail.
Once, he called from a warehouse in New Mexico, claimed he had found the sound stage where NASA had faked the lunar landing.
The guy is absolutely nuts.
Some myths, it seems, never die.
But putting a man on the moon was my greatest accomplishment.
trying to undermine my presidency.
Do you have any contact info for Wesley.
.
A phone number, maybe? I'll look, but I doubt it.
You know, the guy is a total whack job.
Why are you asking about him, anyway? Well, he was murdered last night.
Murdered? Yes.
Yes.
Uh, but before he died, he told me he tipped off one of your reporters, who also died recently.
You mean David Alcott? Do you know what Alcott was working on? No, David kept his cards pretty close to his vest.
He was always afraid of being scooped.
What about his computer? He never used one.
He was pretty old-school.
But we cleaned out his desk and threw everything in a box.
I could get my assistant to find the box for you.
Wesley's name is mentioned, but there's nothing in the reporter's notes that aren't also in the newspaper clippings.
Pleiades.
Seven sisters.
.
Greek mythology.
What, you think the only class I took in college was yours? You think it means something? Got to admit, thought it was a wild-goose chase.
I mean, what the hell does a campus shooting have to do with the death of a United States Senator? But I think I actually found a connection.
Well, will miracles never cease? I ran Alcott's cellphone records.
There were seven calls between him and a cell registered to Helen Paulson.
Wait, wife of the late Senator? - Why would she be calling a reporter? - Helen Paulson.
If the Senator was murdered, he may have been threatened.
And maybe his wife can give us a name.
"Insiders say the governor has decided to appoint Helen Paulson to fill her husband's Senate seat".
But the government didn't appoint her.
- Maybe the insiders were wrong.
- No.
"In a hastily called press conference, Mrs Paulson" "announced she was declining the governor's offer," "and instead urged him to call a special election to let the" "people of Illinois decide who their next Senator will be".
She endorsed Scott Ryland.
Why would anybody turn down a Senate seat? I've got an idea.
How about instead of standing here speculating, we just ask her? Okay, got it, got it.
Agent Moretti, FBI.
Is that Helen Paulson? - Yeah.
She's in pretty bad shape.
- What happened? Don't know.
She was unresponsive when we got here.
The maid found her like this and just called 911.
Excuse me.
This is no coincidence, Professor.
It's Dallas all over again.
Clearly, someone tried to assassinate the Senator's wife.
Mrs.
Paulson is displaying signs of neural degeneration, and congestive heart failure.
Any idea what's causing it? Wish I could say.
Her primary physician said she was the picture of health a month ago.
I'm just pumping her full of antibiotics until the labs come back.
Can we talk to her? Yeah, for a few minutes.
Mrs.
Paulson.
Hi.
Um.
.
This is Dr.
Pierce.
I'm Agent Moretti, with the FBI.
FBI? Yes.
Listen, you spoke recently with a newspaper reporter, David Alcott.
Can you tell me what the two of you talked about? He said.
.
That someone caused Ted's plane to crash.
He said he had evidence.
Did.
.
Did he tell you who he thought did it? Lawrence Crawford.
CEO of Verteron.
Wesley was right.
Did the reporter say what kind of evidence he had? No, but.
.
I.
.
I told him he must be mistaken.
Larry would never hurt Ted.
He's one of our closest friends.
Mrs.
Paulson.
.
Why did you turn down your husband's Senate seat? Senate? Yes.
Is Ted here? Clear the room! Thank you for seeing us on a Saturday, Mr.
Crawford.
No problem.
I hope this won't take long, though.
My son's soccer game starts in about an hour.
Oh, we'll get you there on time.
I see you have an interest in astronomy.
It's a hobby.
And what are those stars? Those are the Pleiades.
- The seven sisters.
- Hmm.
You didn't come here to talk astronomy.
No.
It's about Helen Paulson.
We spoke with her a few hours ago, just before she.
.
Died.
Helen died? What happened? We don't know, but an autopsy has been ordered.
So much tragedy for one family.
She told us that somebody at this company was involved in her husband's plane crash.
Yeah, she told me the same thing.
A reporter was making wild allegations.
I told Helen I was sure it wasn't true but I'd look into it, which I did.
And, of course, there was nothing to it.
But Verteron did manufacture the terrain-avoidance system that was installed in the Senator's plane.
Yes, that's true.
So if the system was working, he shouldn't have flown into the side of a mountain on a clear night.
The T.
A.
S.
Was working perfectly.
You sound pretty sure of that.
We examined debris from the plane.
You examined? Is it standard procedure for.
.
For a company to determine its own culpability in a fatal plane crash? The NTSB asked for our cooperation.
We gave it to them.
You don't believe me, have a look at this.
The NTSB report.
How do you have this? This hasn't been released yet.
They're releasing it Monday.
They e-mailed me an advanced copy.
And they say the government is too cozy with big business.
As you can see, a hydraulics failure caused the crash.
Our system had nothing to do with it.
This so-called report is meaningless.
Your investigators have had months to falsify this data! I got a game to get to.
Any more questions, you talk to my lawyer.
Daniel, what are you doing? Crawford had a painting of these stars prominently displayed in his conference room.
It can't be a coincidence that the reporter wrote down the name "Pleiades".
There has to be a pattern or a symbol that means something.
What the hell am I looking for? Maybe the stars are significant in some other way.
What is their history? Where do their names come from? Greek mythology.
The Pleiades were the daughters of Atlas the Titan and some floozy sea nymph.
What else? "Ancient astronomers once believed that the brightest star in the Pleiades, Alcyone, was the center of the Universe, around which all the heavens revolved".
"Center of the Universe".
Daniel? Ah.
.
Al-cy-on.
.
Uh, Freemasons.
Illuminati.
"The order of Alcyone.
.
One of the most ancient and powerful secret societies".
Uh, "some believe the order's senior council has manipulated world events" "through the appointment of its members to positions of power and influence.
"Their ultimate goal is to create a single world government with the order itself at the center of the Universe".
You don't believe a secret society is murdering congressmen.
Maybe! Maybe some.
.
Some modern-day cabal of businessmen like Crawford has adopted the philosophy of this group and they're trying to install their own people in government to serve their companies' interests.
Now you're seeing the big picture, Professor.
A Cuban.
.
Really? I enjoy the irony.
Now, this.
.
Uh, this conspiracy was never about getting Paulson out.
It was about getting his successor in.
Scott Ryland.
Some very powerful men must have wanted Ryland in that Senate seat.
But killing Paulson doesn't make his protege Senator.
This is Chicago, Professor.
Remember what happened here when I ran for The White House? Daniel? It's 1960 all over again.
- What? - Remember JFK's election? That was a little before my time.
There was this Mafia boss, Sam Giancana.
The rumor was, he stuffed the ballot and stole Chicago for the democrats.
But it's a lot easier to steal an election these days.
All you got to do is push a button.
"Verteron acquires Dover Election Solutions".
So? So, it turns out Crawford's company doesn't just make avionics.
Eight months ago, they bought into a new business.
.
Electronic voting machines.
Those bastards murdered Paulson and rigged the election.
They stole that Senate seat for Scott Ryland.
Daniel was right.
The election results don't match up with the exit polling.
The counties in blue were predicted to go for Ryland.
The counties in red were expected to go to his opponent.
Looks like a landslide.
Except that is not what actually happened.
These are the counties that Ryland actually won.
You see? A slim enough margin, it looks like a squeaker.
Wouldn't be the first time the exit polls were wrong.
And even if the results were tampered with, how do we prove that? Wesley believed that a Verteron engineer, Brian Willingham.
.
Got wind of Crawford's plan and turned up dead.
.
Uh, "suicide".
Maybe if this Willingham figured it out, somebody else at Verteron did, too.
We need the names and addresses of all their employees, especially the ones in the election division.
I was working late the night before the vote.
I noticed that someone had uploaded some kind of software update to the DRE servers.
D.
R.
E.
? Direct recording electronic voting.
I decompiled the code, and.
.
I discovered a virus hidden inside.
It was designed to alter the voting tabulation on every machine that received the upgrade.
So you told Brian Willingham what you'd found.
Brian was the only one that I trusted at the company.
He started asking questions.
But the CEO wouldn't even give him the time of day.
So.
.
He hacked into Crawford's e-mail.
Did he tell you what he found? He was pretty certain that Crawford was behind the whole thing.
And there was something else.
He said that he read in the emails that there was going to be some kind of big meeting at Verteron.
.
Some kind of senior council.
A lot of important people were going to be there.
.
Including Senator Ryland.
Did he tell you when this meeting was gonna take place? I don't know.
.
Sometime after Ryland was sworn in.
Would you be willing to testify to what you've told us? Yes.
It'll be her word against his.
If we're gonna get Crawford, we need hard evidence.
I made a copy of the virus.
Get this down to CART and get it analyzed.
Mrs.
Paulson died from congestive heart failure brought on by acute radiation poisoning.
- Radiation? - Do you know what kind? Polonium-210.
I found massive traces in her hair and bone marrow.
Should we be wearing lead suits? Polonium's only dangerous if ingested.
She consumed about 10 micrograms probably a week ago.
Could this have been an accident? Polonium just doesn't exist in these quantities in nature.
She was assassinated.
Moretti.
Okay.
That was the CART unit.
The flash drive that Janice gave us, there's nothing on it.
After everything she told us, why would she give us a blank flash drive? It doesn't make any.
.
Where is she now? Protective custody.
.
Emissary Hotel.
How long has she been in there? She said she wasn't feeling well.
She wanted to take a nap.
- When was that? - An hour ago, maybe.
Open the door.
Janice! We're too late.
So? - So, I've been reassigned.
- Why?! Medical Examiner says that Janice also died from exposure to Polonium.
That's because Crawford or somebody at Verteron realized she was a loose end and poisoned her.
Washington isn't buying that.
They're considering this a public health crisis.
The priority right now is finding the source of the Polonium so that no one else gets sick.
These women didn't die because a radioisotope seeped into their tap water.
It's like Wesley said.
.
Anybody that gets close to the truth gets killed.
Daniel, there's nothing I can do.
We can't back off now, Kate.
Think about what Janice said about the.
.
The big meeting.
That could be the key to breaking this whole conspiracy.
We have no idea when that meeting is supposed to happen.
For all we know, it already did.
She's entirely mistaken, Professor.
Of course you know when it's happening.
- When? - What? The answer you're looking for.
.
Is in the stars.
The meeting is tomorrow morning, just before sunrise.
You're getting all this from an astronomy book? The Pleiades.
Remember, we saw them in Crawford's office, and Alcott wrote it in his notebook.
What does this have to do with what time the meeting is supposed to take place? The Heliacal Rising.
- The what? - Listen.
Listen.
"The Pleiades are a group of stars that rise every day, just like the sun," "but one day a year, they rise before dawn and are visible above the eastern horizon".
"This first appearance is known as the Heliacal Rising".
Which, this year, takes place.
.
Tomorrow morning.
We've got to get to Verteron before dawn.
It's the only way we're gonna figure out who all the conspirators are.
Daniel, I feel like that's a lot of faith to put in a scribble in a notebook.
Daniel Pierce, you are under arrest for the murder of Wesley Sumter.
This video's a fake.
No, it was just enhanced by the CART unit.
I am being set up! Okay.
Who's setting you up? I haven't the faintest idea, but if you want to search my house for a crossbow, be my guest.
Did you have anything to do with the other deaths? Are you.
.
David Alcott.
.
Brian Willingham.
.
- Helen Paulson.
- Sure, sure.
Yes, I have a secret stash of Polonium-210 in my medicine cabinet.
Kate.
.
Kate, you believe me.
I didn't.
.
I didn't kill Wesley Sumter or anybody else, for that matter.
Daniel, I know that you are not capable of hurting anyone.
If you were in the right frame of mind.
But it is possible.
.
That you didn't know what you were doing when you pulled that trigger.
Oh, Kate.
.
There's a fox in the hen house, Professor.
This G-man was one of the conspirators.
Probert? Yeah? He had custody of the drive that was mysteriously erased.
He was first on the scene after the sniper killed your friend.
You.
.
You moved Wesley's body.
Daniel, this isn't helping.
Who are you working for.
.
Crawford, Senator Ryland? Look, Pierce, I know that you think I've always had it out for you.
The truth is, I care about you.
But you are a very sick man.
Now, we're gonna do everything that we can to make sure you get the very best lawyer so that you can get the help that you need.
- When we get back, the S.
A.
I.
C.
wants to.
.
- Ugh! What are you doing? Throwing away any chance of future promotion.
Daniel, you might be crazy, but you are no killer.
- That tape was doctored.
- I thought you didn't believe me.
Probert was standing right there.
I had to pretend to agree with him.
Hit the parking garage, would you? Great.
Now what do we do with him? Let me worry about that, okay? Now, you need to leave.
That door will let you out into the alley.
I'm going with you.
You can't.
I'm going to Verteron.
You're not going into that building by yourself! Listen, I'm just gonna go into the conference room and try to plant a wire.
I'll only be in there a few minutes.
Don't you need a court order for that? I just tased my partner and dumped him in a trunk! I'm not exactly doing things by the book today! Listen, just lay low for a few hours.
I will meet you in Millennium Park at sunrise.
But, Kate, wait, wait! Daniel, I.
.
She told me to meet her at sunrise.
She should be here by now.
Relax, Professor.
She's a professional.
She's got a lot more on the ball than any of Hoover's boys.
She'll be here.
No, no, no, something's happened.
She's in trouble.
I'm going after her.
I don't suppose you know the code.
Actually.
.
.
.
I'm pretty sure I do.
Pleiades.
Of course.
Thanks to your unwavering support, I now stand before you as a United States Senator.
This victory belongs to everyone here at this historic conference.
And it brings us one step closer to achieving our ultimate objective.
.
Dominion over the affairs of.
.
Oh.
This is an unexpected surprise.
Mr.
President, it's a pleasure to finally meet you.
Pleasure's mine, Senator.
What the hell is going on here? Sir, you'll have to come with me.
Get your hands off me.
Let go of me! Let go of me! I know what's going on here! You're not fooling anyone! You're a murderer, Crawford! You're a killer! You're all killers! The world is gonna know! It's me.
Listen, it's me! - You're a murderer, Crawford! I know that! - Doc, it's Max.
- It's Max.
- I know what's going on in this room! The world will know! - You silenced them! - Doc, listen, please! - Alcyone! Alcyone! - Listen to me, Doc! It's Max! Look at me! Look at me.
It's Max.
.
Max Lewicki, Doc.
Max? How did you.
.
I'm here, Doc.
Okay? You're all right.
You're gonna be just fine.
I've got you.
I've got you, Doc, okay? I've got you.
How did I get here? What do you mean, Doc? You're home.
No, no, no.
I was downtown.
.
Just.
.
Just a few minutes ago! Doc, I.
.
I think you're confused.
No, no, I'm not, I'm not.
What the hell happened? Who knows? Answer me! I don't know.
Doc, I just got home.
Daniel? Kate! Oh, Kate! Thank God you're all right.
I was so worried about you.
Why? Why did you not meet me at Millennium Park? Millennium Park? I went in the building to find you.
I know you said not to, but then.
.
But then.
.
They must have drugged me.
They must have drugged me because the next thing I knew, I.
.
I was here.
I.
.
I was home.
Daniel, the last time I saw you was when I drove you home from the university after we looked for Wesley's body.
That was two days ago.
You remember that? Yes, I remember that! And then you.
.
Then you came back that afternoon, and you gave.
.
You had that.
.
The.
.
The.
.
This.
Here, here.
Play it.
Play it.
- Doc, it's.
.
- Just play it! It's a recording of the sniper on that disk.
A student.
.
A student caught it on his cellphone.
And then Probert.
.
Probert, with his computer trickery.
.
Put my head on the sniper's body.
.
Tell him! Sure, Daniel, let's take a look.
What the hell is this? It's an FMRI scan.
You wanted me to burn it to a DVD so you could show it in class.
- Come on, Doc.
- I.
.
Come on, Doc, let's get you washed up.
- Kate.
.
- Just go with Max.
I'll be right here.
- I didn't.
.
- It's okay.
I'm not an invalid, Lewicki.
I'm capable of washing myself.
- Doc, I'd rath.
.
- Give me a little time alone, please.
- I'd rather stay if that's all right.
- Just I'm not gonna hurt myself, okay? If that's what you're worried about.
Please, just get the hell out.
Some of these are articles Daniel said his friend Wesley gave him.
Doc's been busy.
Doesn't look like he's left the house since you dropped him off.
Daniel, you need help.
This is a major escalation.
It's one thing to have visions of John Kennedy, but you've spent the entire weekend in a delusional state.
I must have known.
.
On some level that it wasn't real.
That's.
.
That's why I made myself snap out of it.
Bullshit.
You'd still be wandering the house, talking to the walls, if Max hadn't come home when he did.
What if he'd left for a week? What would have happened to you then? I should have started taking these weeks ago when I had the prescription filled, but.
.
I convinced myself I didn't need them.
It's too late to start this on your own.
You need to go to the hospital.
I do that, they're gonna put me on something a lot stronger than these.
Maybe that's what you need.
What I need.
.
Is to be with you.
Trying to keep me around is what got you into this mess.
For the sake of your sanity.
.
And everything else that you care about.
.
You need to let me go.
It'll be all right.
That Wesley guy.
.
Doc got a letter from him right before I left, and.
.
Now he's dead? Frankly, Max, I'm not even sure that "Wesley" was a real person.
I spent the weekend tracking down every Wesley Sumter in North America.
None of them ever attended CLMU or lived within 200 miles of Chicago.
Excuse me.
Can someone please give me a ride? Can I help you? My name is Dr.
Daniel Pierce.
I'm a paranoid schizophrenic, and I need to be admitted.
You're not gonna believe the video that popped up on the Internet an hour ago.
Roger, I'm not really in the mood for talking cats right now.
No, no, no.
Trust me, you want to see this.
My name is Wesley Sumter.
I've arranged for this video to be released only in the event of my demise.
If you are watching this, then I have already been killed.
What you should really be afraid of.
.
Is failing this class.
What, we scare you? Fear can override rational thought.
Before the Neocortex can even process a threat, the Amygdala kicks in, and now you're in fight-or-flight mode.
But this same Neurological programming can also spook us.
Cause us to act irrationally when, in reality, there's nothing to worry about.
So.
.
Can we override our most primal instincts? Condition ourselves not to react out of fear? All your meals are on the fridge.
Everything is color-coded.
All you got to do is reheat them in the microwave.
I don't eat irradiated food.
You know that.
Okay, you know, Doc, maybe I could just do an iChat with my folks.
It's their 30th anniversary, Lewicki.
You're going home.
I can manage on my own for one weekend.
I'll be fine.
What is an iChat? I do solemnly swear to support and defend the constitution of The United States against all enemies foreign and domestic.
"And I will prove a crushing disappointment to my constituents".
And I take this obligation freely.
"I will make shady backroom deals with my fellow Senators" "and accept as much special-interest money as I can stuff in my pockets".
You voted for Ryland.
Lesser of two evils.
Lewicki, your cab is here! Maybe he'll surprise you.
Ryland was the last guy's protege.
He'll turn out to be yet another Wall Street lackey just like everybody else in congress.
Daniel, don't be so cynical.
Easy for you to say.
.
You didn't vote.
Of course I voted.
I wasn't talking to you.
Okay.
Uh.
.
Tell her I say, "hi".
Hey, Doc? You got a letter.
There's no stamp, so it must have been hand-delivered from some guy.
.
Wesley Sumter? Who's Wesley Sumter? He's a former student.
Would you get out of here already? All right.
Okay, uh, I will see you on Sunday.
Don't do anything crazy, Doc.
No promises.
I can cancel.
It's a joke.
I'm joking.
Go! Daniel, what's wrong? Oh, damn it! Wesley, are you trying to give me a coronary?! I'm sorry.
I.
.
I didn't mean to scare you.
Well, what's with the melodrama, huh? The.
.
The note, the meeting at 2:00 in the morning? What the hell is going on?! I'll explain everything, okay, but not here.
People could be listening.
Come on.
Come on.
Okay, this is good.
This is good, this is good.
Listen, this new Senator, Ryland.
.
You remember what happened to his predecessor? Well, yeah, his private jet flew into the side of a mountain.
His plane was sabotaged.
Sabotaged? By whom? Larry Crawford, CEO of the Verteron Corporation.
The electronics company? Yeah.
Paulson.
.
Paulson chaired.
.
He chaired a.
.
A committee that.
.
That.
.
That.
.
That was.
.
Was gonna pass a.
.
A clean-energy bill that would have cost Verteron billions.
Okay.
Okay, so they stood to gain from Paulson's death, but what makes you think they had anything to do with the plane crash? They made the.
.
The anti-collision system that should have prevented the accident.
Not only that, but.
.
But.
.
But.
.
One of their engineers, Brian Willingham, died right after he found out about the sabotage.
They said it was suicide, but.
.
But I think it was murder.
Wesley, what are you coming to me with this for? You should go to the police.
I tried.
I tried, but.
.
But no one.
.
No one would take me seriously.
Except for one guy, this.
.
This reporter, uh, uh, from The Star-Herald, but then.
.
But then he, uh.
.
He drove his car off of a road, and he broke his neck.
Now, that's three men dead, and I'm gonna be the fourth if this company isn't stopped.
Wesley, I understand you're scared, and if what you're saying is true, it's terrible.
But.
.
Isn't it possible you're making connections that.
.
That aren't really there? I read about your work in the Sarin bomber case, and I thought that.
.
That if anyone were to help me blow the lid off this thing, it would be you, but I guess I was wrong.
W.
.
Wait, Wesley.
Look, look.
There's an FBI Agent that I know.
I.
.
I'll ask her to look into it, okay? Thank you.
Thank you, Professor.
Wait, oh.
Everything.
.
Everything that.
.
That you need to know is.
.
Is in here.
Here it is.
Here it is.
I knew you would help.
I.
.
Wesley.
Heading out? It's not even 3:00 A.
M.
yet.
Yeah, thought I'd knock off a little early.
Stick around.
I'll buy you breakfast.
There will be bacon.
You do know my weakness.
Moretti.
Daniel, slow down.
Uh, okay, just stay calm.
I'll be right over.
Call CPD.
There's been a murder at the CLMU campus.
.
Courtyard by the Chapel.
Roger.
We have a slight problem.
I don't understand.
Where's Wesley? I don't know.
You tell me.
I was the first person on the scene, and there was no body when I got here.
Daniel? Daniel? Listen, CPD's been interviewing faculty and students for hours.
No one saw any shooting or anyone fleeing the scene.
This area of the campus is deserted at night.
You know that.
Crime techs didn't turn up any blood residue, either.
Well, obviously somebody's cleaned up the crime scene.
These.
.
These are just newspaper clippings, okay? There's no evidence here.
I got to be honest with you.
.
The boss is pissed.
Forensics has been out here all night.
I got to send these people home.
Well, I'm sorry if Wesley's murder has inconvenienced the crime lab.
Daniel, listen.
Reardon knows about your.
.
Condition.
She doesn't consider you a.
.
Reliable witness.
We ran the name you gave us.
There's no record of a Wesley Sumter anywhere in Chicago or having ever attended CLMU.
I told you, he only audited my class.
I.
.
I don't know if he ever registered.
And he wouldn't be the first person to keep his name.
.
Out of a government database.
Listen, you know I've got your back, and I'm gonna keep digging, even if Reardon doesn't like it, but I.
.
I got to ask you.
.
Is it possible that you saw something that didn't really happen? Look at this.
It says the NTSB's report on the plane crash has been delayed a third time.
Maybe Wesley was right.
Maybe the Senator's plane really was sabotaged.
Daniel, the story he told is exactly the kind of paranoid scenario that a schizophrenic would come up with.
You think Wesley was mentally ill? I don't know.
But you are.
Maybe Kate's right.
You're the only one who saw this guy.
Well, if Wesley wasn't real, where did all these come from? You have a closet full of old newspapers.
Lewicki just.
.
Just saves those for the crosswords.
- And what about the letter? - You do have a typewriter.
You're saying I sent it to myself.
Have you been taking your meds? Lewicki picked up a prescription for me weeks ago.
You know that.
I didn't ask you if you had a prescription filled.
I asked if you were taking your meds.
If we open the medicine cabinet and counted the pills, how many would be left? You've been under a lot of stress since you started working with Kate again, but I don't think your coping mechanisms are enough to keep you on an even keel any more.
If you won't take the medication for yourself, then do it for her.
What's that supposed to mean? Kate's out there trying to find evidence for a murder that might have only happened in your mind.
Think about her career, her reputation.
What if you're wrong? Never underestimate the power of shoe leather.
Might want to make us some popcorn.
Where did you get this? A student caught the whole thing on his cellphone.
It really happened.
I'm sorry I doubted you.
I understand why you did.
Look, I've asked the CART unit to enhance the tape, try to I.
D.
the sniper.
So Wesley really was onto something big.
.
And whoever killed the Senator was trying to silence him.
Just so we're clear, I'm not investigating some James Bond murder plot, okay? I'm just looking for a guy with a crossbow.
Do we have an address yet for Wesley or next of kin? No, and there's no physical evidence at the crime scene.
Well, if we can't find his body, then maybe.
.
Maybe looking into what he was investigating will lead us to the killer.
You said Wesley was talking to a reporter? Yes.
Yes! From the, uh.
.
Star-Herald.
Uh.
.
Uh.
.
Here.
David Alcott.
But he's dead.
Maybe his boss at the paper has some information on Wesley.
Oh, you must mean "crazy" Wesley.
Oh, he calls the assignment desk at all hours and leaves these bizarre messages on our voice mail.
Once, he called from a warehouse in New Mexico, claimed he had found the sound stage where NASA had faked the lunar landing.
The guy is absolutely nuts.
Some myths, it seems, never die.
But putting a man on the moon was my greatest accomplishment.
trying to undermine my presidency.
Do you have any contact info for Wesley.
.
A phone number, maybe? I'll look, but I doubt it.
You know, the guy is a total whack job.
Why are you asking about him, anyway? Well, he was murdered last night.
Murdered? Yes.
Yes.
Uh, but before he died, he told me he tipped off one of your reporters, who also died recently.
You mean David Alcott? Do you know what Alcott was working on? No, David kept his cards pretty close to his vest.
He was always afraid of being scooped.
What about his computer? He never used one.
He was pretty old-school.
But we cleaned out his desk and threw everything in a box.
I could get my assistant to find the box for you.
Wesley's name is mentioned, but there's nothing in the reporter's notes that aren't also in the newspaper clippings.
Pleiades.
Seven sisters.
.
Greek mythology.
What, you think the only class I took in college was yours? You think it means something? Got to admit, thought it was a wild-goose chase.
I mean, what the hell does a campus shooting have to do with the death of a United States Senator? But I think I actually found a connection.
Well, will miracles never cease? I ran Alcott's cellphone records.
There were seven calls between him and a cell registered to Helen Paulson.
Wait, wife of the late Senator? - Why would she be calling a reporter? - Helen Paulson.
If the Senator was murdered, he may have been threatened.
And maybe his wife can give us a name.
"Insiders say the governor has decided to appoint Helen Paulson to fill her husband's Senate seat".
But the government didn't appoint her.
- Maybe the insiders were wrong.
- No.
"In a hastily called press conference, Mrs Paulson" "announced she was declining the governor's offer," "and instead urged him to call a special election to let the" "people of Illinois decide who their next Senator will be".
She endorsed Scott Ryland.
Why would anybody turn down a Senate seat? I've got an idea.
How about instead of standing here speculating, we just ask her? Okay, got it, got it.
Agent Moretti, FBI.
Is that Helen Paulson? - Yeah.
She's in pretty bad shape.
- What happened? Don't know.
She was unresponsive when we got here.
The maid found her like this and just called 911.
Excuse me.
This is no coincidence, Professor.
It's Dallas all over again.
Clearly, someone tried to assassinate the Senator's wife.
Mrs.
Paulson is displaying signs of neural degeneration, and congestive heart failure.
Any idea what's causing it? Wish I could say.
Her primary physician said she was the picture of health a month ago.
I'm just pumping her full of antibiotics until the labs come back.
Can we talk to her? Yeah, for a few minutes.
Mrs.
Paulson.
Hi.
Um.
.
This is Dr.
Pierce.
I'm Agent Moretti, with the FBI.
FBI? Yes.
Listen, you spoke recently with a newspaper reporter, David Alcott.
Can you tell me what the two of you talked about? He said.
.
That someone caused Ted's plane to crash.
He said he had evidence.
Did.
.
Did he tell you who he thought did it? Lawrence Crawford.
CEO of Verteron.
Wesley was right.
Did the reporter say what kind of evidence he had? No, but.
.
I.
.
I told him he must be mistaken.
Larry would never hurt Ted.
He's one of our closest friends.
Mrs.
Paulson.
.
Why did you turn down your husband's Senate seat? Senate? Yes.
Is Ted here? Clear the room! Thank you for seeing us on a Saturday, Mr.
Crawford.
No problem.
I hope this won't take long, though.
My son's soccer game starts in about an hour.
Oh, we'll get you there on time.
I see you have an interest in astronomy.
It's a hobby.
And what are those stars? Those are the Pleiades.
- The seven sisters.
- Hmm.
You didn't come here to talk astronomy.
No.
It's about Helen Paulson.
We spoke with her a few hours ago, just before she.
.
Died.
Helen died? What happened? We don't know, but an autopsy has been ordered.
So much tragedy for one family.
She told us that somebody at this company was involved in her husband's plane crash.
Yeah, she told me the same thing.
A reporter was making wild allegations.
I told Helen I was sure it wasn't true but I'd look into it, which I did.
And, of course, there was nothing to it.
But Verteron did manufacture the terrain-avoidance system that was installed in the Senator's plane.
Yes, that's true.
So if the system was working, he shouldn't have flown into the side of a mountain on a clear night.
The T.
A.
S.
Was working perfectly.
You sound pretty sure of that.
We examined debris from the plane.
You examined? Is it standard procedure for.
.
For a company to determine its own culpability in a fatal plane crash? The NTSB asked for our cooperation.
We gave it to them.
You don't believe me, have a look at this.
The NTSB report.
How do you have this? This hasn't been released yet.
They're releasing it Monday.
They e-mailed me an advanced copy.
And they say the government is too cozy with big business.
As you can see, a hydraulics failure caused the crash.
Our system had nothing to do with it.
This so-called report is meaningless.
Your investigators have had months to falsify this data! I got a game to get to.
Any more questions, you talk to my lawyer.
Daniel, what are you doing? Crawford had a painting of these stars prominently displayed in his conference room.
It can't be a coincidence that the reporter wrote down the name "Pleiades".
There has to be a pattern or a symbol that means something.
What the hell am I looking for? Maybe the stars are significant in some other way.
What is their history? Where do their names come from? Greek mythology.
The Pleiades were the daughters of Atlas the Titan and some floozy sea nymph.
What else? "Ancient astronomers once believed that the brightest star in the Pleiades, Alcyone, was the center of the Universe, around which all the heavens revolved".
"Center of the Universe".
Daniel? Ah.
.
Al-cy-on.
.
Uh, Freemasons.
Illuminati.
"The order of Alcyone.
.
One of the most ancient and powerful secret societies".
Uh, "some believe the order's senior council has manipulated world events" "through the appointment of its members to positions of power and influence.
"Their ultimate goal is to create a single world government with the order itself at the center of the Universe".
You don't believe a secret society is murdering congressmen.
Maybe! Maybe some.
.
Some modern-day cabal of businessmen like Crawford has adopted the philosophy of this group and they're trying to install their own people in government to serve their companies' interests.
Now you're seeing the big picture, Professor.
A Cuban.
.
Really? I enjoy the irony.
Now, this.
.
Uh, this conspiracy was never about getting Paulson out.
It was about getting his successor in.
Scott Ryland.
Some very powerful men must have wanted Ryland in that Senate seat.
But killing Paulson doesn't make his protege Senator.
This is Chicago, Professor.
Remember what happened here when I ran for The White House? Daniel? It's 1960 all over again.
- What? - Remember JFK's election? That was a little before my time.
There was this Mafia boss, Sam Giancana.
The rumor was, he stuffed the ballot and stole Chicago for the democrats.
But it's a lot easier to steal an election these days.
All you got to do is push a button.
"Verteron acquires Dover Election Solutions".
So? So, it turns out Crawford's company doesn't just make avionics.
Eight months ago, they bought into a new business.
.
Electronic voting machines.
Those bastards murdered Paulson and rigged the election.
They stole that Senate seat for Scott Ryland.
Daniel was right.
The election results don't match up with the exit polling.
The counties in blue were predicted to go for Ryland.
The counties in red were expected to go to his opponent.
Looks like a landslide.
Except that is not what actually happened.
These are the counties that Ryland actually won.
You see? A slim enough margin, it looks like a squeaker.
Wouldn't be the first time the exit polls were wrong.
And even if the results were tampered with, how do we prove that? Wesley believed that a Verteron engineer, Brian Willingham.
.
Got wind of Crawford's plan and turned up dead.
.
Uh, "suicide".
Maybe if this Willingham figured it out, somebody else at Verteron did, too.
We need the names and addresses of all their employees, especially the ones in the election division.
I was working late the night before the vote.
I noticed that someone had uploaded some kind of software update to the DRE servers.
D.
R.
E.
? Direct recording electronic voting.
I decompiled the code, and.
.
I discovered a virus hidden inside.
It was designed to alter the voting tabulation on every machine that received the upgrade.
So you told Brian Willingham what you'd found.
Brian was the only one that I trusted at the company.
He started asking questions.
But the CEO wouldn't even give him the time of day.
So.
.
He hacked into Crawford's e-mail.
Did he tell you what he found? He was pretty certain that Crawford was behind the whole thing.
And there was something else.
He said that he read in the emails that there was going to be some kind of big meeting at Verteron.
.
Some kind of senior council.
A lot of important people were going to be there.
.
Including Senator Ryland.
Did he tell you when this meeting was gonna take place? I don't know.
.
Sometime after Ryland was sworn in.
Would you be willing to testify to what you've told us? Yes.
It'll be her word against his.
If we're gonna get Crawford, we need hard evidence.
I made a copy of the virus.
Get this down to CART and get it analyzed.
Mrs.
Paulson died from congestive heart failure brought on by acute radiation poisoning.
- Radiation? - Do you know what kind? Polonium-210.
I found massive traces in her hair and bone marrow.
Should we be wearing lead suits? Polonium's only dangerous if ingested.
She consumed about 10 micrograms probably a week ago.
Could this have been an accident? Polonium just doesn't exist in these quantities in nature.
She was assassinated.
Moretti.
Okay.
That was the CART unit.
The flash drive that Janice gave us, there's nothing on it.
After everything she told us, why would she give us a blank flash drive? It doesn't make any.
.
Where is she now? Protective custody.
.
Emissary Hotel.
How long has she been in there? She said she wasn't feeling well.
She wanted to take a nap.
- When was that? - An hour ago, maybe.
Open the door.
Janice! We're too late.
So? - So, I've been reassigned.
- Why?! Medical Examiner says that Janice also died from exposure to Polonium.
That's because Crawford or somebody at Verteron realized she was a loose end and poisoned her.
Washington isn't buying that.
They're considering this a public health crisis.
The priority right now is finding the source of the Polonium so that no one else gets sick.
These women didn't die because a radioisotope seeped into their tap water.
It's like Wesley said.
.
Anybody that gets close to the truth gets killed.
Daniel, there's nothing I can do.
We can't back off now, Kate.
Think about what Janice said about the.
.
The big meeting.
That could be the key to breaking this whole conspiracy.
We have no idea when that meeting is supposed to happen.
For all we know, it already did.
She's entirely mistaken, Professor.
Of course you know when it's happening.
- When? - What? The answer you're looking for.
.
Is in the stars.
The meeting is tomorrow morning, just before sunrise.
You're getting all this from an astronomy book? The Pleiades.
Remember, we saw them in Crawford's office, and Alcott wrote it in his notebook.
What does this have to do with what time the meeting is supposed to take place? The Heliacal Rising.
- The what? - Listen.
Listen.
"The Pleiades are a group of stars that rise every day, just like the sun," "but one day a year, they rise before dawn and are visible above the eastern horizon".
"This first appearance is known as the Heliacal Rising".
Which, this year, takes place.
.
Tomorrow morning.
We've got to get to Verteron before dawn.
It's the only way we're gonna figure out who all the conspirators are.
Daniel, I feel like that's a lot of faith to put in a scribble in a notebook.
Daniel Pierce, you are under arrest for the murder of Wesley Sumter.
This video's a fake.
No, it was just enhanced by the CART unit.
I am being set up! Okay.
Who's setting you up? I haven't the faintest idea, but if you want to search my house for a crossbow, be my guest.
Did you have anything to do with the other deaths? Are you.
.
David Alcott.
.
Brian Willingham.
.
- Helen Paulson.
- Sure, sure.
Yes, I have a secret stash of Polonium-210 in my medicine cabinet.
Kate.
.
Kate, you believe me.
I didn't.
.
I didn't kill Wesley Sumter or anybody else, for that matter.
Daniel, I know that you are not capable of hurting anyone.
If you were in the right frame of mind.
But it is possible.
.
That you didn't know what you were doing when you pulled that trigger.
Oh, Kate.
.
There's a fox in the hen house, Professor.
This G-man was one of the conspirators.
Probert? Yeah? He had custody of the drive that was mysteriously erased.
He was first on the scene after the sniper killed your friend.
You.
.
You moved Wesley's body.
Daniel, this isn't helping.
Who are you working for.
.
Crawford, Senator Ryland? Look, Pierce, I know that you think I've always had it out for you.
The truth is, I care about you.
But you are a very sick man.
Now, we're gonna do everything that we can to make sure you get the very best lawyer so that you can get the help that you need.
- When we get back, the S.
A.
I.
C.
wants to.
.
- Ugh! What are you doing? Throwing away any chance of future promotion.
Daniel, you might be crazy, but you are no killer.
- That tape was doctored.
- I thought you didn't believe me.
Probert was standing right there.
I had to pretend to agree with him.
Hit the parking garage, would you? Great.
Now what do we do with him? Let me worry about that, okay? Now, you need to leave.
That door will let you out into the alley.
I'm going with you.
You can't.
I'm going to Verteron.
You're not going into that building by yourself! Listen, I'm just gonna go into the conference room and try to plant a wire.
I'll only be in there a few minutes.
Don't you need a court order for that? I just tased my partner and dumped him in a trunk! I'm not exactly doing things by the book today! Listen, just lay low for a few hours.
I will meet you in Millennium Park at sunrise.
But, Kate, wait, wait! Daniel, I.
.
She told me to meet her at sunrise.
She should be here by now.
Relax, Professor.
She's a professional.
She's got a lot more on the ball than any of Hoover's boys.
She'll be here.
No, no, no, something's happened.
She's in trouble.
I'm going after her.
I don't suppose you know the code.
Actually.
.
.
.
I'm pretty sure I do.
Pleiades.
Of course.
Thanks to your unwavering support, I now stand before you as a United States Senator.
This victory belongs to everyone here at this historic conference.
And it brings us one step closer to achieving our ultimate objective.
.
Dominion over the affairs of.
.
Oh.
This is an unexpected surprise.
Mr.
President, it's a pleasure to finally meet you.
Pleasure's mine, Senator.
What the hell is going on here? Sir, you'll have to come with me.
Get your hands off me.
Let go of me! Let go of me! I know what's going on here! You're not fooling anyone! You're a murderer, Crawford! You're a killer! You're all killers! The world is gonna know! It's me.
Listen, it's me! - You're a murderer, Crawford! I know that! - Doc, it's Max.
- It's Max.
- I know what's going on in this room! The world will know! - You silenced them! - Doc, listen, please! - Alcyone! Alcyone! - Listen to me, Doc! It's Max! Look at me! Look at me.
It's Max.
.
Max Lewicki, Doc.
Max? How did you.
.
I'm here, Doc.
Okay? You're all right.
You're gonna be just fine.
I've got you.
I've got you, Doc, okay? I've got you.
How did I get here? What do you mean, Doc? You're home.
No, no, no.
I was downtown.
.
Just.
.
Just a few minutes ago! Doc, I.
.
I think you're confused.
No, no, I'm not, I'm not.
What the hell happened? Who knows? Answer me! I don't know.
Doc, I just got home.
Daniel? Kate! Oh, Kate! Thank God you're all right.
I was so worried about you.
Why? Why did you not meet me at Millennium Park? Millennium Park? I went in the building to find you.
I know you said not to, but then.
.
But then.
.
They must have drugged me.
They must have drugged me because the next thing I knew, I.
.
I was here.
I.
.
I was home.
Daniel, the last time I saw you was when I drove you home from the university after we looked for Wesley's body.
That was two days ago.
You remember that? Yes, I remember that! And then you.
.
Then you came back that afternoon, and you gave.
.
You had that.
.
The.
.
The.
.
This.
Here, here.
Play it.
Play it.
- Doc, it's.
.
- Just play it! It's a recording of the sniper on that disk.
A student.
.
A student caught it on his cellphone.
And then Probert.
.
Probert, with his computer trickery.
.
Put my head on the sniper's body.
.
Tell him! Sure, Daniel, let's take a look.
What the hell is this? It's an FMRI scan.
You wanted me to burn it to a DVD so you could show it in class.
- Come on, Doc.
- I.
.
Come on, Doc, let's get you washed up.
- Kate.
.
- Just go with Max.
I'll be right here.
- I didn't.
.
- It's okay.
I'm not an invalid, Lewicki.
I'm capable of washing myself.
- Doc, I'd rath.
.
- Give me a little time alone, please.
- I'd rather stay if that's all right.
- Just I'm not gonna hurt myself, okay? If that's what you're worried about.
Please, just get the hell out.
Some of these are articles Daniel said his friend Wesley gave him.
Doc's been busy.
Doesn't look like he's left the house since you dropped him off.
Daniel, you need help.
This is a major escalation.
It's one thing to have visions of John Kennedy, but you've spent the entire weekend in a delusional state.
I must have known.
.
On some level that it wasn't real.
That's.
.
That's why I made myself snap out of it.
Bullshit.
You'd still be wandering the house, talking to the walls, if Max hadn't come home when he did.
What if he'd left for a week? What would have happened to you then? I should have started taking these weeks ago when I had the prescription filled, but.
.
I convinced myself I didn't need them.
It's too late to start this on your own.
You need to go to the hospital.
I do that, they're gonna put me on something a lot stronger than these.
Maybe that's what you need.
What I need.
.
Is to be with you.
Trying to keep me around is what got you into this mess.
For the sake of your sanity.
.
And everything else that you care about.
.
You need to let me go.
It'll be all right.
That Wesley guy.
.
Doc got a letter from him right before I left, and.
.
Now he's dead? Frankly, Max, I'm not even sure that "Wesley" was a real person.
I spent the weekend tracking down every Wesley Sumter in North America.
None of them ever attended CLMU or lived within 200 miles of Chicago.
Excuse me.
Can someone please give me a ride? Can I help you? My name is Dr.
Daniel Pierce.
I'm a paranoid schizophrenic, and I need to be admitted.
You're not gonna believe the video that popped up on the Internet an hour ago.
Roger, I'm not really in the mood for talking cats right now.
No, no, no.
Trust me, you want to see this.
My name is Wesley Sumter.
I've arranged for this video to be released only in the event of my demise.
If you are watching this, then I have already been killed.