Almost Human (2013) s01e13 Episode Script
Straw Man
May I have your attention? The shelter will be closing its doors in ten minutes.
I repeat: The shelter will be Closing its doors in ten minutes.
If you are not assigned a pod, You will need to exit the building premises.
Have a good night.
Welcome.
Please place index finger On the blue pad.
Your personalized meal supplement Has been dispensed.
Welcome.
Please place index finger on the blue pad.
Hey, gorgeous.
If they're running low on pods, What do you say we share one, huh? Yeah.
No, thanks.
Are you sure you don't want to change your mind? Please take your pill.
Don't you know it's rude not to answer A question when you're asked? Huh? Where you think you're gonna sleep tonight, huh? I asked you a question.
Hey! She gave you an answer! Are you deaf? Why don't you leave her alone? Thanks.
That's the last thing I needed.
He's right about the pods, though.
They just ran out.
Great.
Hey, listen There's a shelter over on abbot.
It's smaller; not as nice.
But sometimes, they have beds open.
I'm gonna head there after I get my pill, So If you want to go together Are you sure they have beds? Never been turned away before.
And on good days, They serve real food, too.
You know, the kind you eat? That'd be good for a change.
Why not? Yeah! What's your name? Abby.
Abby.
Welcome.
Please place Looks like you're up, abby.
Index finger on the blue pad.
Welcome.
Please place index Your personalized meal supplement Has been dispensed.
So where are you from, anyway? I was born in tampa, But then my mom dragged me to new pittsburgh.
Something tells me You're not here because you like new pittsburgh.
Actually, it was her boyfriend I didn't like.
Hated, to be more accurate.
How long you been out here? Six weeks.
Does it get easier? Once you get used to scrappin' it.
Sorry.
I didn't mean to stare.
That's okay.
When you're sick, you do what you have to do to get well.
You never told me your name.
It's glen.
The shelter's this way.
Ouch! Oh, sorry.
My ring must've caught you.
It's fine.
How much further is it? Just a little bit up ahead.
By the way, how tall are you? Whoa Five-six, I bet.
Whoa, I don't think Sit down.
It's okay.
It's okay.
- Please The year is 2048.
Evolving technologies can no longer be regulated.
Dangerous advancements forever alter the criminal landscape.
Police are not prepared.
Law enforcement combats this corruption With a new line of defense.
But not all are created equal.
The idea behind the drns was to be as human as possible.
They were based on a program called synthetic soul.
That's one of the crazy ones.
I'll lead you in? Let's go.
Now all cops-- Human and manmade together-- Take on the battle to watch over us all.
Captain maldonado As part of the department's yearly review Of our android officers, We've spoken to your detectives about their mxs, But I'd like to ask you about your drn Drn-0167.
Dorian has been exceptional.
I see that the drn was scheduled For reassignment to the space station, But you were adamant about recommissioning it For police service.
Why is that? It seemed appropriate.
And how has drn-0167 been in the field? He's a good shot.
He's good in interrogation.
Uh Knows how to handle himself.
You seem nervous.
Me? No.
Not at all.
Should I be? We're reviewing the drn, Not you, dr.
Lom.
Yes, of course.
I have no personal stake in this.
No feelings one way or the other.
Sorry, what What are you writing there? You chose drn-0167 specifically-- Is there a reason? I thought that dorian and detective kennex Needed each other.
And that's as much as I can say.
As you are aware, The drn line was given the luger test To determine its abilities To cope with the emotional realities Of police work.
Many of them failed.
Do you believe that drn-0167 needs a luger test? Another luger test? No.
No.
No, no, no, no.
Dorian is saner than most humans.
I'd trust him with my child.
I don't have a child.
I'm currently single, but, uh, Always on the lookout for the proverbial one.
Sorry-- I'm not saying you're the one Maybe you are, I Does that answer your question? There's nothing else you can think of? He flipped a van once.
Pretty cool.
Didn't know he could do that.
- But if I did Have a child, I would want dorian to raise it Instead of me.
You mean Drn-0167.
Call me dorian.
Okay.
Dorian.
Can you tell us about your experience Being back on the force? When I found out my line was to be decommissioned, I didn't know if I'd ever be reactivated, And if I was, If I'd ever be a cop again.
The fact that I get to suit up every day, Do this job and help people Is the best thing that's ever happened to me.
Thank you.
We'll let you know if we require any further information Before filing our report.
Oh.
Good.
You're done.
That took a long time.
Did it? Like, longer than usual? Way longer.
Come on, we got a case.
So, tell me, What did they ask about me in the interview? Tell me what you told them.
Wish I could, but, you know, peer reviews are confidential.
Department policy.
Seriously? You're not gonna tell me anything? I told them the truth.
Okay.
Yeah.
That's good.
All right, thank you, my friend.
I told them you have no concept Of personal space Or boundary; that you scanned my balls, That you abducted a drn from a hospital And caused millions of dollars worth of damage.
I befriended that drn Befriended? You abducted him.
I And that you like to expose yourself While riding shotgun in the cruiser.
You asked to see it.
I didn't ask.
You showed it to me.
I apologize for scanning your balls.
You did ask to see I'm just kidding.
I'm messing with you.
I didn't tell 'em any of that.
Should've.
What do we got? The body was found less than an hour ago.
Drone picked it up on a routine sweep of the wall.
Victim been I.
D.
'd? Not yet.
No blood, no signs of a struggle.
She was killed in another location, And the body was dumped here.
That's strange.
What's straw doing so far outside an ag zone? She's been sewn up.
I've seen this before.
This is a copycat.
How would you know that? Ten years ago, A serial killer named michael costa Was arrested.
It was his mo to stuff them with straw, Just like this.
Press called him "straw man.
" Michael costa Currently serving a life sentence in the cubes.
It gets more interesting.
Look at the investigating officer.
This was your father's case.
The collar of his career.
Right before he was killed.
Damn it.
What's wrong? My dad's case notes are sealed.
It's strange.
John, your father was still under investigation For stealing seized Robotic tech from the evidence locker And reselling it on the black market.
Allegedly.
What? No fanfare For my return, kennex? Detective paul.
Great to see you.
Hey, they, uh, they want you outside.
Oh, yeah? Who? Everyone in here.
Okay, everybody, Listen up.
Victim is abigail mckenzie, age 16.
The manner in which the corpse was found Is indicative of serial killer Michael costa, aka "the straw man.
" Ten years ago, costa killed 21 people.
He would remove all of their internal organs, Including the brain, and replace them with straw.
We never found any of the organs.
He targeted teenage runaways, Transients, male and female.
But since costa is serving a life sentence, It appears we're dealing with a copycat.
Copycats tend to see themselves In the killers they emulate.
Costa was a schizophrenic psychopath.
We could be looking for Another mentally ill person.
It's common for copycats To contact the original killers.
We should go see costa.
See who he's been talking to.
Do it.
Paul-- Look into the straw that was used to stuff the bodies.
See if there's anything unique about the material.
I'll try to trace it back to a purchase.
I'll look at mental institutions For any recently released patients That fit the profile.
Sounds good.
Captain I just tried to access My father's original case notes.
They're classified.
I'll take care of it.
Go see costa.
Like a lot of guys in here, Costa failed his genetic profile as a child And based on his brain scan, Put on the red list for psychopathic tendencies.
Eventually, he developed paranoid schizophrenia.
What kind of prisoner has he been? He's been a model inmate.
He's on meds now.
We put in an e-shunt That delivers them to his bloodstream.
We'll need to see all of his correspondence: Who he met with and who he sent holos to.
Of course.
It's all in his file.
There aren't many.
A prison bunny here and there.
A couple people wanting to write books about him.
This is him.
Detective, I've been meaning to ask you Are you edward kennex's son? Yeah, I am.
Hell of a thing he did, putting this guy away.
Michael There are two detectives Here to talk to you.
That's close enough.
They let me watch news, and I'm assuming That you're here to talk about The murder of that young girl.
Looks like you got a copycat.
Who you been talking to, costa? I never killed anyone.
How could I be copied? Right.
Someone else killed those people, Cut out their organs and put their dna all over you? Before my medications, I would, uh, have blackouts.
I'd lose time.
They said I did it, But in my heart, I know I didn't.
After the fifth appeal, I gave up.
You finally figured out no one believes you? Someone did.
Detective kennex He did.
The detective that put you in here? Yeah, I was just as surprised as anyone When he came in saying that He believed in my innocence.
He said I was framed.
Right before he died.
Check the visitor log for March '38.
There were only three visitors.
Stephanie bragg, tony ferraro And alan mcdowell.
I don't know who's in your log, but I'm telling you, Detective kennex came to see me.
All right.
For a second, let's just say I do believe you.
What did he say to you? He said something like, he was working on an angle Something about robotics.
And crooked cops.
He didn't know who he could trust.
Two weeks later, He was killed in the line of duty.
Coincidence? Why didn't you say something? The proof died with detective kennex.
Besides I'm just a paranoid schizophrenic.
Who would've listened? "Tony ferraro" is a name my dad used.
It was a pizza joint in the old town, Before the wall went up.
My dad used to take me there as a kid.
So your father did believe that costa was innocent.
Something's going on.
There was a reason my father came here And didn't use his real name.
If your dad's suspicions are correct, We're not looking for a copycat.
The original killer is back.
We have to get into his case notes.
Those supplements go down a lot easier with clean water.
The shelter over on abbot usually has some.
I can show you the way down there, if you want.
Really? All right, guys, what do you got for us? This might sound crazy, But I compared the stitching On the original victims To our latest victim, and the technique Isn't similar, it's exact.
Our copycat had to have extensive contact with costa.
Or we're not looking for a copycat at all.
Wait-- you're saying we got the wrong guy? He's always maintained his innocence.
Did you get anything from costa? We're working on it.
John.
A minute? Your father's case file.
The files were sealed by ia.
I got you access.
Just keep it quiet.
See if there's anything useful in them.
Are you gonna be okay with this? Yeah.
Thanks.
You didn't tell them what costa told you.
My father used an alias And he went and saw him alone.
Which means didn't trust anyone in the department.
That was ten years ago, john.
Yeah, and some of those people are still here.
He's not.
So let's starting looking through your father's case.
Listen, I'd like to go through my father's notes Myself.
I need you to go to rudy's.
I sent the victim's body over there for his analysis.
Let me know if you find anything.
Rudy, take a look at this.
There seems to be a small puncture wound At the tip of her index finger.
Looks superficial, but I'll do a dna sweep.
So have you heard anything back from the review board? Actually, yes, I-I have some news.
You got a callback.
A callback? Is that a good thing? Yeah.
It's a little unorthodox.
Do you think someone said Something bad? No.
No, no.
Not me.
I know I didn't.
I mean, they might have misunderstood What I said when I mentioned You having my baby.
Oh, look, now you're doing it, too.
Let's not overreact.
It's probably just that the board Hasn't seen a drn for a while.
They don't know what to make of you.
What can I do? You got to make them comfortable.
Give them something they're familiar with.
Act like an mx.
That's what they want to see.
Everyone loves mxs.
Edward kennex: December 21, 2036.
Case number 38-14.
Detective edward kennex.
Shawn parks, caucasian male, 16, Found in an abandoned lot Seventh victim in 18 days.
Same m.
O.
As the others-- Body cavity and cranium Stuffed with straw and sewn.
November 14, 2037.
Arrest made.
Michael costa.
paranoid schizophrenic Found wandering in a park Near where the victim was found.
Dna and blood from multiple victims Found on his hands and clothing.
He was carrying a surgeon's knife.
An expert witness testified The stitching found on the body Was done with surgical precision.
Based on evidence I'm currently reviewing, I'm starting to feel that costa was abducted The night before the final murder, Had the victim's dna planted on his person And was transported to the last crime scene.
I believe I might have put away the wrong guy.
Maybe michael costa was not the straw man.
But if he's a patsy Then, for who? Who is really killing these people? Further details will be in my next transmission.
Why did you circle the feet? It's me.
Dorian, what's up? We need to show you something.
Sometimes, the absence of something is everything.
Yeah, I read that in how to be a detective.
Everybody has something under their fingernails.
A particle, molecule of dirt This one has nothing.
That's because the killer cleaned the bodies.
It's part of his m.
O.
True.
But these kids Were living on the streets, right? No matter how well somebody cleaned, There'd always be Some atomic trace of dirt.
Tell him your theory.
This might sound crazy, But I don't think this body is the real victim.
I think it's a replica.
A replica? Look, according to her parents, She was only on the streets for three weeks.
That's not enough time to abduct And clone someone.
Yeah.
That's sort of where my hypothesis ends.
In the original case files, My father circled the feet of all the victims, Like they had something in common.
She's flat-footed.
What are you looking for? My old organic printer.
Now what are you looking for? Cupcake batter.
When you print organics, A natural settling occurs as the raw material sets.
So if you're printing from bottom to top, On a flat surface, the materials naturally conform To that surface.
It works for cupcakes, But if you're bio-printing a human body who's standing up-- There'd be no way to maintain the arches in the feet.
Leaving you flat-foooted.
I mean, th-the new bio-printers have corrected that flaw, But it's quite common in the old ones.
It was my birthday last week.
Thanks for remembering.
How old? Perpetual 39, I like to say.
No, I mean how old were the bio-printers Before they corrected the flaw? About five years ago.
So he was using an old printer.
He must be.
Why go through the trouble of Trying to copy your victims? Why not just abduct them? To hide them.
If someone goes missing, The department has drones that never stop searching.
If someone turns up dead Nobody's going to be looking for them anymore.
So, whoever's doing this Wants to keep his victims alive.
Yeah.
Why? Let me go! He's using a modified organic printer.
He can print the skin with bio-ink-- Skeleton, musculature The old bio-printer couldn't print the organs to scale.
A medical examiner would have noticed right away.
That's why he uses straw.
This wasn't the ritualized need of a serial killer, This was a way to hide that the bodies Were bio-printed copies.
That means his victims could still be alive.
Your father was the lead investigator at costa's trial.
If he knew he was putting an innocent man behind bars-- He knew he made a mistake, and he was gonna own up to it.
Why not tell someone? My father was investigating new evidence Before he was going to come forward.
He never had a chance to.
Look, this is bigger than a serial killer.
Costa was set up.
The arrest was designed to cover up the real case.
Which is what exactly? I don't know yet, but costa told me That my father could prove he was innocent, And that the cover-up involved stolen robotics.
And he mistrusted everybody, including the police department, And then he was killed.
And I don't think it was a coincidence.
I'm sorry to interrupt, captain.
They found another body near the wall.
What do you got? The victim has been identified as vaishali jain, age 17.
Last known address, Parents reported her missing to the local pd last month.
It appears she ran away.
You're telling me this is a bio-printed copy of the victim? That's right.
The real vaishali Could still be alive somewhere.
Why does he want 'em alive? What's he doing with them? I don't know, but this is the second victim in two days.
Look at this-- the bio-printer copies the skin perfectly.
Both young women Had pin pricks on their forefingers.
The city just introduced Meal supplement dispensers in all major shelters last year.
They prick your finger To determine what vitamins and nutrients you need.
The shelter.
Every serial killer has a hunting ground-- that's his.
We need to get plainclothes assets In all those shelters immediately.
The department doesn't have the resources For the scope of that operation.
We need to work smarter.
How? We flush him out.
Okay, we have 46 shelters in the city.
I've ordered all available uniforms and mxs to patrol and make their presence known.
If you notice anything out of the ordinary, call it in.
The hope is, the real straw man will see the officers And get spooked before abducting anyone else.
That's where you guys come in.
You're gonna stake out the remaining two shelters.
We drive the straw man to one of these, We're gonna see him make his move.
Yeah, this is This is the last time I'm the homeless guy.
You know how long it takes to wash this stink off? You sure that's not your cologne, paul? Oh, very funny.
Will you just please get back to work, please? Oh, you want to watch where you're going, old timer? Hey, easy Easy, kid.
Nice sunglasses.
You do realize it's nighttime.
These things got night vision, man, so don't try anything.
Who'd you steal 'em from? Oh, your mom gave 'em to me to say thanks.
Trying to get a bed tonight or what? Yeah.
I mean, I was.
They're all out.
Hmm.
Catch you later, man.
Take it easy.
Listen, you got a bitcoin stick? Bitcoin stick.
There's not much on it, man.
What's it to you? Why don't you get yourself A place to stay tonight? Wait, how-how are you so flush, man? Listen, don't worry about that, all right? You're gonna need a place to sleep tonight 'cause I'm staying At your mom's.
Hey, for real Thanks, man.
hello is it me you're looking for? 'cause I wonder where you are and I wonder where you've been Please, stop with the singing, please.
oh Everyone loves lionel richie, right? Oh, I wish I could do your performance evaluation again.
I wish I could do it over, too.
I should have acted like an mx.
They love those things.
John, the stuff they said your father did-- Could it be true? When I was a kid, My dad patrolled downtown, A real tough beat, Gang controlled.
Lot of cops were on the take.
One day, his unit takes down this dealer, A real heavy hitter.
They find seven million dollars in cash under the floorboards.
Now, the task force leader tells everybody to take a cut.
My dad refused.
So, the guy takes a scatter gun, Puts it to his head and says If he doesn't take a cut and get his hands dirty Like everyone else, then, he's gonna blow his brains out.
Call it in as a ten-double-zero, officer down.
Still, my dad refused.
Lucky for him, The guy didn't have the balls to shoot one of his own.
Then, a month later, their whole unit got busted In an ia investigation, and the only one left standing Was my dad.
That's who he was.
He's the reason I became a cop.
There's no way he was dirty.
Hey.
Hi.
If you're looking for a hot meal, the shelter over on Abbott usually Are you okay? Yeah.
Never mind.
Hey, honey, want to keep me warm tonight? Handsome man like you-- I'll give you a discount.
Thank you.
I need an I.
D.
On a van.
Possible suspect going down addison At fourth, drone in pursuit.
Show us responding.
The drone's picking up two heat signatures.
Looks like the driver, and there's a body In the back of the van.
He's alive, But looks like he's immobile.
He turned south on patterson.
John, the van stopped outside pier 12.
Drone imaging is downloading now.
He just left the victim and went inside.
I think he made us.
And we got close enough to make him, too.
I'll start running facial rec.
John, I got a hit.
Suspect I.
D.
's as glen dunbar.
Has a record of trading illegal tech on the black market.
I got a heat signature.
His vitals are stable.
Alert the emts.
No sirens.
Let's go.
Go.
I've got a body.
It's got some kind of tech on it.
John, I've got two heat signatures.
She's alive.
Alert the emts.
Let's get them out of here now.
Come on, move! Move! Shot fired.
South side.
Check it out.
He's down.
Don't move! Suspect is down.
We're at the south exit.
I think I just found his workroom.
No vitals.
It's a duplicate.
There's an explosive device Inside its abdominal cavity.
It's rigged to detonate.
Clear the area And dismantle it.
John, do you copy? Copy that.
John.
You okay? Yeah.
You look it.
It's human tissue fused with some sort of biotech.
He's been made into a cyborg.
This printer was in police evidence.
Still got the embedded locker tag on it.
Every victim he ever printed-- they're right here.
All of these parts have evidence numbers, too.
He was using them on himself.
What is it? My father was accused of stealing robotics parts From the evidence locker and selling them on the black market.
He said he was investigating new evidence.
I think he connected the flat feet to this stolen printer.
Who was in charge of the evidence locker at the time? Officer silas grant.
Where's grant now? Grant was shot and killed in the line of duty.
Three weeks after your father.
Coincidence? Glen dunbar had A degenerative disease that affected his nervous system.
He thought he could use advanced cybernetics To combat his condition.
So This was all about trying to rebuild his body? These people were used as test patients for his cyborg parts.
His experiments worked for a while, but, after ten years, The biotech began to break down.
He needed new test subjects If he was gonna find a more permanent solution To his illness.
So he started killing again.
Excuse me.
You got it.
I'll get started on that report.
Okay.
I think my father discovered that the printer Was stolen from police evidence and he was killed for it.
It could very well be true.
It makes sense That grant was selling the parts to the black market And was trying to pin The missing tech on your father, to destroy his credibility.
That way, if anything from your dad's investigation Came to light, it would already be cast in doubt.
Did grant have anything to do with my father's murder? We'll never know for sure.
Because they believe dunbar killed him, too.
You got the man who killed your father, john.
And costa? He's being released right now.
He's been cleared of all 21 murder charges, And we're getting him the proper treatment For his mental illness.
John, do you need to take some personal time? No.
I'm good.
John.
You finished your dad's work And cleared his name.
He'd be proud.
Thanks.
You must be dorian.
Affirmative.
Drn-0167 reporting.
Please, have a seat.
Do you know why I called you here today? Statistically, the odds are This is related to my job performance.
Why are you talking like an mx-43? Don't you love those things? Uh, they're fine models.
Anyhow I just called you here today to let you know Your term has been renewed.
You've received glowing reviews across the board.
I did? Especially from your partner Who gave you credit for still wanting To be on the force.
Seems you've made Some very positive impressions here.
You will continue your assignment With detective kennex.
Hey.
What are you doing here? I followed your locator chip.
I need to have that thing dug out.
What do you got there? I'm expressing my gratitude.
For what? The review board gave me my final recommendation, Based on your glowing review.
My term has been extended.
"glowing" is a bit of an exaggeration.
Open it.
Wow.
I wonder what it is.
It's a leg.
Never mind.
This baby's got 20% more power in the push-off Than the one you have now, better integrated sensors In the knee and ankle and an enhanced neural interface.
This model will not even be on the market For the next few months But I got rudy to pull some strings.
I don't Thank you.
Hope you like it.
Listen I know I'm not human, And I could never be what pelham was to you.
Hey, dorian I get it.
I really do.
But I'm glad maldonado put us together.
Am I really the reason that you want to stay on the force? I Uh, no, I never said that.
To the interviewer you did.
Um, no, no, I didn't.
He must have heard me wrong.
That is the nicest thing Anyone has ever said about me, john.
Dude, don't.
Please.
Don't do that.
I was made to feel, john.
Oh, man Unbelievable.
One-nine, we got a robbery in progress On west 55th street.
Any available units, please respond.
Show us responding.
Thank you.
Appreciate that.
I repeat: The shelter will be Closing its doors in ten minutes.
If you are not assigned a pod, You will need to exit the building premises.
Have a good night.
Welcome.
Please place index finger On the blue pad.
Your personalized meal supplement Has been dispensed.
Welcome.
Please place index finger on the blue pad.
Hey, gorgeous.
If they're running low on pods, What do you say we share one, huh? Yeah.
No, thanks.
Are you sure you don't want to change your mind? Please take your pill.
Don't you know it's rude not to answer A question when you're asked? Huh? Where you think you're gonna sleep tonight, huh? I asked you a question.
Hey! She gave you an answer! Are you deaf? Why don't you leave her alone? Thanks.
That's the last thing I needed.
He's right about the pods, though.
They just ran out.
Great.
Hey, listen There's a shelter over on abbot.
It's smaller; not as nice.
But sometimes, they have beds open.
I'm gonna head there after I get my pill, So If you want to go together Are you sure they have beds? Never been turned away before.
And on good days, They serve real food, too.
You know, the kind you eat? That'd be good for a change.
Why not? Yeah! What's your name? Abby.
Abby.
Welcome.
Please place Looks like you're up, abby.
Index finger on the blue pad.
Welcome.
Please place index Your personalized meal supplement Has been dispensed.
So where are you from, anyway? I was born in tampa, But then my mom dragged me to new pittsburgh.
Something tells me You're not here because you like new pittsburgh.
Actually, it was her boyfriend I didn't like.
Hated, to be more accurate.
How long you been out here? Six weeks.
Does it get easier? Once you get used to scrappin' it.
Sorry.
I didn't mean to stare.
That's okay.
When you're sick, you do what you have to do to get well.
You never told me your name.
It's glen.
The shelter's this way.
Ouch! Oh, sorry.
My ring must've caught you.
It's fine.
How much further is it? Just a little bit up ahead.
By the way, how tall are you? Whoa Five-six, I bet.
Whoa, I don't think Sit down.
It's okay.
It's okay.
- Please The year is 2048.
Evolving technologies can no longer be regulated.
Dangerous advancements forever alter the criminal landscape.
Police are not prepared.
Law enforcement combats this corruption With a new line of defense.
But not all are created equal.
The idea behind the drns was to be as human as possible.
They were based on a program called synthetic soul.
That's one of the crazy ones.
I'll lead you in? Let's go.
Now all cops-- Human and manmade together-- Take on the battle to watch over us all.
Captain maldonado As part of the department's yearly review Of our android officers, We've spoken to your detectives about their mxs, But I'd like to ask you about your drn Drn-0167.
Dorian has been exceptional.
I see that the drn was scheduled For reassignment to the space station, But you were adamant about recommissioning it For police service.
Why is that? It seemed appropriate.
And how has drn-0167 been in the field? He's a good shot.
He's good in interrogation.
Uh Knows how to handle himself.
You seem nervous.
Me? No.
Not at all.
Should I be? We're reviewing the drn, Not you, dr.
Lom.
Yes, of course.
I have no personal stake in this.
No feelings one way or the other.
Sorry, what What are you writing there? You chose drn-0167 specifically-- Is there a reason? I thought that dorian and detective kennex Needed each other.
And that's as much as I can say.
As you are aware, The drn line was given the luger test To determine its abilities To cope with the emotional realities Of police work.
Many of them failed.
Do you believe that drn-0167 needs a luger test? Another luger test? No.
No.
No, no, no, no.
Dorian is saner than most humans.
I'd trust him with my child.
I don't have a child.
I'm currently single, but, uh, Always on the lookout for the proverbial one.
Sorry-- I'm not saying you're the one Maybe you are, I Does that answer your question? There's nothing else you can think of? He flipped a van once.
Pretty cool.
Didn't know he could do that.
- But if I did Have a child, I would want dorian to raise it Instead of me.
You mean Drn-0167.
Call me dorian.
Okay.
Dorian.
Can you tell us about your experience Being back on the force? When I found out my line was to be decommissioned, I didn't know if I'd ever be reactivated, And if I was, If I'd ever be a cop again.
The fact that I get to suit up every day, Do this job and help people Is the best thing that's ever happened to me.
Thank you.
We'll let you know if we require any further information Before filing our report.
Oh.
Good.
You're done.
That took a long time.
Did it? Like, longer than usual? Way longer.
Come on, we got a case.
So, tell me, What did they ask about me in the interview? Tell me what you told them.
Wish I could, but, you know, peer reviews are confidential.
Department policy.
Seriously? You're not gonna tell me anything? I told them the truth.
Okay.
Yeah.
That's good.
All right, thank you, my friend.
I told them you have no concept Of personal space Or boundary; that you scanned my balls, That you abducted a drn from a hospital And caused millions of dollars worth of damage.
I befriended that drn Befriended? You abducted him.
I And that you like to expose yourself While riding shotgun in the cruiser.
You asked to see it.
I didn't ask.
You showed it to me.
I apologize for scanning your balls.
You did ask to see I'm just kidding.
I'm messing with you.
I didn't tell 'em any of that.
Should've.
What do we got? The body was found less than an hour ago.
Drone picked it up on a routine sweep of the wall.
Victim been I.
D.
'd? Not yet.
No blood, no signs of a struggle.
She was killed in another location, And the body was dumped here.
That's strange.
What's straw doing so far outside an ag zone? She's been sewn up.
I've seen this before.
This is a copycat.
How would you know that? Ten years ago, A serial killer named michael costa Was arrested.
It was his mo to stuff them with straw, Just like this.
Press called him "straw man.
" Michael costa Currently serving a life sentence in the cubes.
It gets more interesting.
Look at the investigating officer.
This was your father's case.
The collar of his career.
Right before he was killed.
Damn it.
What's wrong? My dad's case notes are sealed.
It's strange.
John, your father was still under investigation For stealing seized Robotic tech from the evidence locker And reselling it on the black market.
Allegedly.
What? No fanfare For my return, kennex? Detective paul.
Great to see you.
Hey, they, uh, they want you outside.
Oh, yeah? Who? Everyone in here.
Okay, everybody, Listen up.
Victim is abigail mckenzie, age 16.
The manner in which the corpse was found Is indicative of serial killer Michael costa, aka "the straw man.
" Ten years ago, costa killed 21 people.
He would remove all of their internal organs, Including the brain, and replace them with straw.
We never found any of the organs.
He targeted teenage runaways, Transients, male and female.
But since costa is serving a life sentence, It appears we're dealing with a copycat.
Copycats tend to see themselves In the killers they emulate.
Costa was a schizophrenic psychopath.
We could be looking for Another mentally ill person.
It's common for copycats To contact the original killers.
We should go see costa.
See who he's been talking to.
Do it.
Paul-- Look into the straw that was used to stuff the bodies.
See if there's anything unique about the material.
I'll try to trace it back to a purchase.
I'll look at mental institutions For any recently released patients That fit the profile.
Sounds good.
Captain I just tried to access My father's original case notes.
They're classified.
I'll take care of it.
Go see costa.
Like a lot of guys in here, Costa failed his genetic profile as a child And based on his brain scan, Put on the red list for psychopathic tendencies.
Eventually, he developed paranoid schizophrenia.
What kind of prisoner has he been? He's been a model inmate.
He's on meds now.
We put in an e-shunt That delivers them to his bloodstream.
We'll need to see all of his correspondence: Who he met with and who he sent holos to.
Of course.
It's all in his file.
There aren't many.
A prison bunny here and there.
A couple people wanting to write books about him.
This is him.
Detective, I've been meaning to ask you Are you edward kennex's son? Yeah, I am.
Hell of a thing he did, putting this guy away.
Michael There are two detectives Here to talk to you.
That's close enough.
They let me watch news, and I'm assuming That you're here to talk about The murder of that young girl.
Looks like you got a copycat.
Who you been talking to, costa? I never killed anyone.
How could I be copied? Right.
Someone else killed those people, Cut out their organs and put their dna all over you? Before my medications, I would, uh, have blackouts.
I'd lose time.
They said I did it, But in my heart, I know I didn't.
After the fifth appeal, I gave up.
You finally figured out no one believes you? Someone did.
Detective kennex He did.
The detective that put you in here? Yeah, I was just as surprised as anyone When he came in saying that He believed in my innocence.
He said I was framed.
Right before he died.
Check the visitor log for March '38.
There were only three visitors.
Stephanie bragg, tony ferraro And alan mcdowell.
I don't know who's in your log, but I'm telling you, Detective kennex came to see me.
All right.
For a second, let's just say I do believe you.
What did he say to you? He said something like, he was working on an angle Something about robotics.
And crooked cops.
He didn't know who he could trust.
Two weeks later, He was killed in the line of duty.
Coincidence? Why didn't you say something? The proof died with detective kennex.
Besides I'm just a paranoid schizophrenic.
Who would've listened? "Tony ferraro" is a name my dad used.
It was a pizza joint in the old town, Before the wall went up.
My dad used to take me there as a kid.
So your father did believe that costa was innocent.
Something's going on.
There was a reason my father came here And didn't use his real name.
If your dad's suspicions are correct, We're not looking for a copycat.
The original killer is back.
We have to get into his case notes.
Those supplements go down a lot easier with clean water.
The shelter over on abbot usually has some.
I can show you the way down there, if you want.
Really? All right, guys, what do you got for us? This might sound crazy, But I compared the stitching On the original victims To our latest victim, and the technique Isn't similar, it's exact.
Our copycat had to have extensive contact with costa.
Or we're not looking for a copycat at all.
Wait-- you're saying we got the wrong guy? He's always maintained his innocence.
Did you get anything from costa? We're working on it.
John.
A minute? Your father's case file.
The files were sealed by ia.
I got you access.
Just keep it quiet.
See if there's anything useful in them.
Are you gonna be okay with this? Yeah.
Thanks.
You didn't tell them what costa told you.
My father used an alias And he went and saw him alone.
Which means didn't trust anyone in the department.
That was ten years ago, john.
Yeah, and some of those people are still here.
He's not.
So let's starting looking through your father's case.
Listen, I'd like to go through my father's notes Myself.
I need you to go to rudy's.
I sent the victim's body over there for his analysis.
Let me know if you find anything.
Rudy, take a look at this.
There seems to be a small puncture wound At the tip of her index finger.
Looks superficial, but I'll do a dna sweep.
So have you heard anything back from the review board? Actually, yes, I-I have some news.
You got a callback.
A callback? Is that a good thing? Yeah.
It's a little unorthodox.
Do you think someone said Something bad? No.
No, no.
Not me.
I know I didn't.
I mean, they might have misunderstood What I said when I mentioned You having my baby.
Oh, look, now you're doing it, too.
Let's not overreact.
It's probably just that the board Hasn't seen a drn for a while.
They don't know what to make of you.
What can I do? You got to make them comfortable.
Give them something they're familiar with.
Act like an mx.
That's what they want to see.
Everyone loves mxs.
Edward kennex: December 21, 2036.
Case number 38-14.
Detective edward kennex.
Shawn parks, caucasian male, 16, Found in an abandoned lot Seventh victim in 18 days.
Same m.
O.
As the others-- Body cavity and cranium Stuffed with straw and sewn.
November 14, 2037.
Arrest made.
Michael costa.
paranoid schizophrenic Found wandering in a park Near where the victim was found.
Dna and blood from multiple victims Found on his hands and clothing.
He was carrying a surgeon's knife.
An expert witness testified The stitching found on the body Was done with surgical precision.
Based on evidence I'm currently reviewing, I'm starting to feel that costa was abducted The night before the final murder, Had the victim's dna planted on his person And was transported to the last crime scene.
I believe I might have put away the wrong guy.
Maybe michael costa was not the straw man.
But if he's a patsy Then, for who? Who is really killing these people? Further details will be in my next transmission.
Why did you circle the feet? It's me.
Dorian, what's up? We need to show you something.
Sometimes, the absence of something is everything.
Yeah, I read that in how to be a detective.
Everybody has something under their fingernails.
A particle, molecule of dirt This one has nothing.
That's because the killer cleaned the bodies.
It's part of his m.
O.
True.
But these kids Were living on the streets, right? No matter how well somebody cleaned, There'd always be Some atomic trace of dirt.
Tell him your theory.
This might sound crazy, But I don't think this body is the real victim.
I think it's a replica.
A replica? Look, according to her parents, She was only on the streets for three weeks.
That's not enough time to abduct And clone someone.
Yeah.
That's sort of where my hypothesis ends.
In the original case files, My father circled the feet of all the victims, Like they had something in common.
She's flat-footed.
What are you looking for? My old organic printer.
Now what are you looking for? Cupcake batter.
When you print organics, A natural settling occurs as the raw material sets.
So if you're printing from bottom to top, On a flat surface, the materials naturally conform To that surface.
It works for cupcakes, But if you're bio-printing a human body who's standing up-- There'd be no way to maintain the arches in the feet.
Leaving you flat-foooted.
I mean, th-the new bio-printers have corrected that flaw, But it's quite common in the old ones.
It was my birthday last week.
Thanks for remembering.
How old? Perpetual 39, I like to say.
No, I mean how old were the bio-printers Before they corrected the flaw? About five years ago.
So he was using an old printer.
He must be.
Why go through the trouble of Trying to copy your victims? Why not just abduct them? To hide them.
If someone goes missing, The department has drones that never stop searching.
If someone turns up dead Nobody's going to be looking for them anymore.
So, whoever's doing this Wants to keep his victims alive.
Yeah.
Why? Let me go! He's using a modified organic printer.
He can print the skin with bio-ink-- Skeleton, musculature The old bio-printer couldn't print the organs to scale.
A medical examiner would have noticed right away.
That's why he uses straw.
This wasn't the ritualized need of a serial killer, This was a way to hide that the bodies Were bio-printed copies.
That means his victims could still be alive.
Your father was the lead investigator at costa's trial.
If he knew he was putting an innocent man behind bars-- He knew he made a mistake, and he was gonna own up to it.
Why not tell someone? My father was investigating new evidence Before he was going to come forward.
He never had a chance to.
Look, this is bigger than a serial killer.
Costa was set up.
The arrest was designed to cover up the real case.
Which is what exactly? I don't know yet, but costa told me That my father could prove he was innocent, And that the cover-up involved stolen robotics.
And he mistrusted everybody, including the police department, And then he was killed.
And I don't think it was a coincidence.
I'm sorry to interrupt, captain.
They found another body near the wall.
What do you got? The victim has been identified as vaishali jain, age 17.
Last known address, Parents reported her missing to the local pd last month.
It appears she ran away.
You're telling me this is a bio-printed copy of the victim? That's right.
The real vaishali Could still be alive somewhere.
Why does he want 'em alive? What's he doing with them? I don't know, but this is the second victim in two days.
Look at this-- the bio-printer copies the skin perfectly.
Both young women Had pin pricks on their forefingers.
The city just introduced Meal supplement dispensers in all major shelters last year.
They prick your finger To determine what vitamins and nutrients you need.
The shelter.
Every serial killer has a hunting ground-- that's his.
We need to get plainclothes assets In all those shelters immediately.
The department doesn't have the resources For the scope of that operation.
We need to work smarter.
How? We flush him out.
Okay, we have 46 shelters in the city.
I've ordered all available uniforms and mxs to patrol and make their presence known.
If you notice anything out of the ordinary, call it in.
The hope is, the real straw man will see the officers And get spooked before abducting anyone else.
That's where you guys come in.
You're gonna stake out the remaining two shelters.
We drive the straw man to one of these, We're gonna see him make his move.
Yeah, this is This is the last time I'm the homeless guy.
You know how long it takes to wash this stink off? You sure that's not your cologne, paul? Oh, very funny.
Will you just please get back to work, please? Oh, you want to watch where you're going, old timer? Hey, easy Easy, kid.
Nice sunglasses.
You do realize it's nighttime.
These things got night vision, man, so don't try anything.
Who'd you steal 'em from? Oh, your mom gave 'em to me to say thanks.
Trying to get a bed tonight or what? Yeah.
I mean, I was.
They're all out.
Hmm.
Catch you later, man.
Take it easy.
Listen, you got a bitcoin stick? Bitcoin stick.
There's not much on it, man.
What's it to you? Why don't you get yourself A place to stay tonight? Wait, how-how are you so flush, man? Listen, don't worry about that, all right? You're gonna need a place to sleep tonight 'cause I'm staying At your mom's.
Hey, for real Thanks, man.
hello is it me you're looking for? 'cause I wonder where you are and I wonder where you've been Please, stop with the singing, please.
oh Everyone loves lionel richie, right? Oh, I wish I could do your performance evaluation again.
I wish I could do it over, too.
I should have acted like an mx.
They love those things.
John, the stuff they said your father did-- Could it be true? When I was a kid, My dad patrolled downtown, A real tough beat, Gang controlled.
Lot of cops were on the take.
One day, his unit takes down this dealer, A real heavy hitter.
They find seven million dollars in cash under the floorboards.
Now, the task force leader tells everybody to take a cut.
My dad refused.
So, the guy takes a scatter gun, Puts it to his head and says If he doesn't take a cut and get his hands dirty Like everyone else, then, he's gonna blow his brains out.
Call it in as a ten-double-zero, officer down.
Still, my dad refused.
Lucky for him, The guy didn't have the balls to shoot one of his own.
Then, a month later, their whole unit got busted In an ia investigation, and the only one left standing Was my dad.
That's who he was.
He's the reason I became a cop.
There's no way he was dirty.
Hey.
Hi.
If you're looking for a hot meal, the shelter over on Abbott usually Are you okay? Yeah.
Never mind.
Hey, honey, want to keep me warm tonight? Handsome man like you-- I'll give you a discount.
Thank you.
I need an I.
D.
On a van.
Possible suspect going down addison At fourth, drone in pursuit.
Show us responding.
The drone's picking up two heat signatures.
Looks like the driver, and there's a body In the back of the van.
He's alive, But looks like he's immobile.
He turned south on patterson.
John, the van stopped outside pier 12.
Drone imaging is downloading now.
He just left the victim and went inside.
I think he made us.
And we got close enough to make him, too.
I'll start running facial rec.
John, I got a hit.
Suspect I.
D.
's as glen dunbar.
Has a record of trading illegal tech on the black market.
I got a heat signature.
His vitals are stable.
Alert the emts.
No sirens.
Let's go.
Go.
I've got a body.
It's got some kind of tech on it.
John, I've got two heat signatures.
She's alive.
Alert the emts.
Let's get them out of here now.
Come on, move! Move! Shot fired.
South side.
Check it out.
He's down.
Don't move! Suspect is down.
We're at the south exit.
I think I just found his workroom.
No vitals.
It's a duplicate.
There's an explosive device Inside its abdominal cavity.
It's rigged to detonate.
Clear the area And dismantle it.
John, do you copy? Copy that.
John.
You okay? Yeah.
You look it.
It's human tissue fused with some sort of biotech.
He's been made into a cyborg.
This printer was in police evidence.
Still got the embedded locker tag on it.
Every victim he ever printed-- they're right here.
All of these parts have evidence numbers, too.
He was using them on himself.
What is it? My father was accused of stealing robotics parts From the evidence locker and selling them on the black market.
He said he was investigating new evidence.
I think he connected the flat feet to this stolen printer.
Who was in charge of the evidence locker at the time? Officer silas grant.
Where's grant now? Grant was shot and killed in the line of duty.
Three weeks after your father.
Coincidence? Glen dunbar had A degenerative disease that affected his nervous system.
He thought he could use advanced cybernetics To combat his condition.
So This was all about trying to rebuild his body? These people were used as test patients for his cyborg parts.
His experiments worked for a while, but, after ten years, The biotech began to break down.
He needed new test subjects If he was gonna find a more permanent solution To his illness.
So he started killing again.
Excuse me.
You got it.
I'll get started on that report.
Okay.
I think my father discovered that the printer Was stolen from police evidence and he was killed for it.
It could very well be true.
It makes sense That grant was selling the parts to the black market And was trying to pin The missing tech on your father, to destroy his credibility.
That way, if anything from your dad's investigation Came to light, it would already be cast in doubt.
Did grant have anything to do with my father's murder? We'll never know for sure.
Because they believe dunbar killed him, too.
You got the man who killed your father, john.
And costa? He's being released right now.
He's been cleared of all 21 murder charges, And we're getting him the proper treatment For his mental illness.
John, do you need to take some personal time? No.
I'm good.
John.
You finished your dad's work And cleared his name.
He'd be proud.
Thanks.
You must be dorian.
Affirmative.
Drn-0167 reporting.
Please, have a seat.
Do you know why I called you here today? Statistically, the odds are This is related to my job performance.
Why are you talking like an mx-43? Don't you love those things? Uh, they're fine models.
Anyhow I just called you here today to let you know Your term has been renewed.
You've received glowing reviews across the board.
I did? Especially from your partner Who gave you credit for still wanting To be on the force.
Seems you've made Some very positive impressions here.
You will continue your assignment With detective kennex.
Hey.
What are you doing here? I followed your locator chip.
I need to have that thing dug out.
What do you got there? I'm expressing my gratitude.
For what? The review board gave me my final recommendation, Based on your glowing review.
My term has been extended.
"glowing" is a bit of an exaggeration.
Open it.
Wow.
I wonder what it is.
It's a leg.
Never mind.
This baby's got 20% more power in the push-off Than the one you have now, better integrated sensors In the knee and ankle and an enhanced neural interface.
This model will not even be on the market For the next few months But I got rudy to pull some strings.
I don't Thank you.
Hope you like it.
Listen I know I'm not human, And I could never be what pelham was to you.
Hey, dorian I get it.
I really do.
But I'm glad maldonado put us together.
Am I really the reason that you want to stay on the force? I Uh, no, I never said that.
To the interviewer you did.
Um, no, no, I didn't.
He must have heard me wrong.
That is the nicest thing Anyone has ever said about me, john.
Dude, don't.
Please.
Don't do that.
I was made to feel, john.
Oh, man Unbelievable.
One-nine, we got a robbery in progress On west 55th street.
Any available units, please respond.
Show us responding.
Thank you.
Appreciate that.