Salvation (2017) s01e13 Episode Script

1 - Previously on "Salvation" - Where are we with the 160? Jillian's curating all the data.
TANZ: My personal selections.
I want them put through all the genetic testing and analysis.
Tess.
She's being attacked.
This is RE/SYST.
They've been in our system since we launched the gravity tractor.
Once shut down, this is the only move we have.
Are you with him? Darius? You never mentioned you were in love.
GRACE: No.
Harris and I, we're over.
That's not who I'm talking about.
Darius, what happened in Moscow Needs to stay in Moscow.
I know.
We're facing an extinction-level event.
Think through the consequences of publishing this story, Amanda.
There would be global panic.
I'm afraid the cat's out of the bag with our reporter friend.
CLAIRE: Take the necessary action.
- (alarm blaring) - (silenced gunshot) TANZ: Initially, we thought Samson was made of porous rock, but it has an iron core.
So, the government's plan to smash the asteroid into pieces with a gravity tractor won't do a damn thing.
Except destroy the gravity tractor.
Get the medic.
Turn those cameras off now! I, Monroe Bennett, do solemnly swear HARRIS: This is a coup, orchestrated at the highest levels, which I am trying to stop.
(weakly): Welcome, Mr.
Secretary.
The only way to regain control of the gravity tractor is to regain control of the country.
By any means necessary.
Are you in? Well, let's take these bastards down.
(beeps) TANZ: My friends.
If you're listening to this, I'm afraid it's because the human race has gotten itself into, well, a bit of a pickle.
(phone vibrating) (gasps) (alarm sounding) General Higgins.
What the hell happened? Digging through the wreckage will take time, but - But what? - Bring it up on screen two.
There were three Russian subs within torpedo range of the Pike when it blew up.
GRACE: At 06:00 hours Eastern Standard Time, an explosion of unknown origin struck the USS Pike 600 kilometers off the coast of Florida.
The extent of the casualties is currently unknown.
- Yes, Russ.
- Grace, any news about survivors? - None as of yet.
- Ms.
Barrows.
Ms.
Barrows Ms.
Barrows, when is the president going to make a statement? The president is being briefed as we speak.
Updates will be given when we have more information.
- Thank you.
- (reporters clamoring) Do we know who's responsible? Ms.
Barrows Millie, get me Amanda Neel at Capitol Eyes.
LIAM: I've never seen a level of encryption like this.
I mean, the RE/SYST ghost key spread through Tess like a cancer.
I have no idea how to assess the damage.
If only we could ask Tess.
The fastest computer in the world, and we can't boot her up.
'Cause they'd have full access to her capabilities.
Well, Darius.
Looks like they used Tess to launch a brute force attack on another system before we shut her down.
I don't recognize it.
I do.
Oh (typing) It's the U.
S.
military.
RE/SYST used Tess to attack a U.
S.
military target.
Right now, we're the only ones who know about this.
I need you to track down RE/SYST.
But their last headquarters was blown up, it was raided.
They have to be out there somewhere.
Find them.
(line ringing) (computer chimes) (intercom beeps) Millie, did you get Ms.
Neel? MILLIE: Grace, there was a fire at Capitol Eyes last night.
What? The place burnt down.
(phone ringing) Darius.
You need to get me in to see Bennett and Harris now.
Sir, the Pike's a total loss.
No survivors.
The Pike had control of the gravity tractor.
Not anymore.
Someone's locked us out.
"Someone"? I think it's quite clear who did this, Mr.
Secretary.
Mr.
President.
I've spoken with my Russian counterpart Defense Minister Toporov.
- They've denied responsibility - CLAIRE: Of course they have.
Because there's no upside to owning it.
We have clear justification for retaliation, valid provocation in the eyes of the world - and our allies.
- Any military action will trigger an even greater response from Russia.
Have you forgotten how this all began? In Chelyabinsk, when the Russians and the Chinese colluded to take out our defense systems.
They will not stop until we're eliminated.
They are the existential threat.
And our only hope is to stop them.
TANZ: First rule of war: know thine enemy.
And in this case, that enemy isn't Russia, it's RE/SYST.
Who the hell let him in here? Mr.
Tanz, your clearance was revoked.
Well, I have clearance, and I brought Darius down here for a reason.
Mr.
President, Mr.
Secretary, you need to hear this.
If you'll have your technicians review these computer logs, they'll see that RE/SYS used my supercomputer to hack into the Pike.
Russia had nothing to do with it.
Well, according to my generals, this was the work of a torpedo launched by a Russian submarine.
All due respect, sir, your, uh, generals are wrong.
Can this supercomputer of yours get me my gravity tractor back? I've had to shut her down to avoid further catastrophe.
So, in other words, once again, your recklessness has compromised all of us.
No, Ms.
Rayburn, your recklessness has compromised all of us.
Darius had a solution to save us all.
He built an EmDrive.
He got the gravity tractor up there.
And now you want to use it to smash the asteroid into pieces and destroy the Eastern Hemisphere.
That strategy is not only immoral, it's nonsense.
The iron core of the asteroid will destroy our gravity tractor and, along with it, any chance of our survival.
This administration's refusal to embrace the scientific facts is literally the difference between life and death.
Ms.
Barrows, are you finished? No.
Mr.
President.
Let us prove to you that RE/SYS is behind this attack before you launch a missile that you can't take back.
(exhales) You have 24 hours.
That may not be enough time, sir.
That's all the time you have, Ms.
Barrows.
I know.
You think I've lost it.
Actually, I think you've found it.
HARRIS: 24 hours.
Not a lot of time.
TANZ: To prove RE/SYST is the culprit? No.
To reinstall President Mackenzie.
(sirens wailing) (indistinct chatter) LIAM: Hey, excuse me? I'm looking for a friend of mine; she's a reporter here.
Amanda Neel did she get out okay? We don't have any names or IDs yet.
You've got to stay behind the tape, please, son.
(indistinct radio transmission) (ringing) Come on, Amanda, pick up.
Come on, pick up.
(phone ringing) (phone ringing) MACKENZIE (weakly): Mr.
Secretary.
Well Ms.
Barrows.
Mr.
Tanz.
My list of allies grows.
GRACE: Madam President, it's so good to see you.
How do we install an illegally deposed president that everyone thinks is dead? We show she's alive and able.
Mr.
Secretary, this is all happening too quickly.
She needs more time to recover.
I'm sorry, but we can't afford to slow down.
We need to present the cabinet and the joint chiefs with an official letter of competence and fitness.
From you.
MACKENZIE: Mr.
Secretary.
Even with a letter to the cabinet and my reappearance Bennett will never agree to step aside.
Or give up those launch codes.
True, but Bennett can't protest if he's not there.
What are you suggesting? That we kidnap the president of the United States.
Now.
(elevator bell chimes) I'm gonna have to change my cell phone if I have any hope of finishing a golf game.
GRACE: Hey, Dad.
Thanks for coming.
So, kidnapping the president.
Whose crazy idea was that? (Jillian sighs) Do you think Amanda's really dead? I don't know.
They haven't released the names of the deceased yet.
Have you told him yet? I've got bigger problems right now.
Darius has to be told he didn't pass the genetic test.
He's expedited the 160, and I've contacted everyone.
I think he's planning on using the Ark hangar as a bunker in case the, um What, in case the Russians bomb the hell out of us? It's not gonna come to that.
You don't know that.
I'm not gonna let it come to that and neither is Darius.
He's not a superhero, Liam, and neither are you.
Jillian.
You know, I understand that you are too busy to have emotions right now, but I am not and I am scared.
So am I.
But we cannot be paralyzed by fear.
We have to be energized by it.
(sighs) (computer beeps) LIAM: This is it.
Yes, this is definitely it.
All right, it's gonna be okay.
I promise.
Okay.
Section 1 of the 25th Amendment deals with presidential succession in the event of incapacitation or death.
Mackenzie was declared dead.
Clearly that's not the case.
An incapacitated president can reclaim power once they're again fit for the job.
So, if Mackenzie can convince the joint chiefs and the cabinet that she's of sound mind They'll have grounds to reinstate her, which brings us back to our original question: how do we get Bennett out of the White House undetected? There's a series of emergency tunnels that run under the White House, built after 9/11.
If we can create some pretext to usher Bennett into these tunnels, we can get him out of the White House without anyone knowing.
- We can do this.
- HARRIS: We can.
But can Mackenzie? (phone chimes) While you're out handling the apocalypse of today, I'll handle the apocalypse of tomorrow.
I'm gonna get the gravity tractor back from RE/SYST.
- Good luck.
- To all of us.
HUGH: We have about six hours to pull this off.
The whole place was torched.
Arson, apparently.
I'm amazed the damn thing still works.
These things were built to survive a nuclear holocaust.
I imagine the cockroaches will be playing a lot of Candy Crush after doomsday.
So, there's this special, encrypted connection.
This must be the direct line to RE/SYST.
Perfect.
We're sending a message.
A text? No, video.
Ready for my close-up.
Hello, RE/SYST, I know what you did last summer, and I'm not happy.
It's time we meet face-to-face.
I can be your friend or your worst enemy.
You have ten seconds to decide.
Nine now.
- It's ballsy.
- (phone chimes) Those are coordinates.
Looks like we have a date.
Where have you been? I wasn't aware the secretary of defense had to clear his schedule with you.
The president is going to address the nation from the Oval, explain why these latest actions by Russia Have left us no choice but to destroy our enemies before they destroy us.
So, that, uh, 24 hours we promised Darius and Grace? The president thinks it's a waste of time.
You object? Of course not, but he needs to prerecord this.
- He can't deliver this speech live.
- Why is that? So, by the time we launch, he'll already be in the safety of the contingency shelter.
And his exact location will be unknown.
The president's safety is the priority.
I recommend we clear the West Wing of all but essential personnel.
We can't afford interference of any kind on the eve of military action.
I'll take care of it.
Good.
We'll get through this together.
Yeah.
(tires screech) (gulls squawking) (ship horn blows) Well, they do have a flare for the dramatic.
(distorted voice): Hello, Liam.
Darius.
LIAM: Augmented reality.
I didn't know that kind of tech was on the market.
It's not yet.
This is my design.
It never went into production.
Too many headaches, literal and figurative, right, Darius? (chuckles) You seem to know a lot about me.
Now, this isn't what I had in mind when I asked for a face-to-face, talking to an avatar.
You didn't think I was in D.
C.
, did you? Or am I? Are you? Aren't you? You took something from me.
I want it back.
Everyone has a number.
What's yours? Tess.
I want Tess.
Or her source code, to be more specific.
RE/SYST is responsible for the USS Pike, aren't you? You don't answer, you get nothing.
Yes, we blew up the Pike.
Why? They killed us, we killed them.
That leads to nothing good.
It's a vicious cycle.
Now, I'm trying to de-escalate things, and I need that probe back for reasons you probably already know.
You give me Tess's source code and I'll relinquish control of the gravity tractor.
That's the deal I'm willing to cut.
You have one hour.
- The reporter from Capitol Eyes? - Mm-hmm.
- How did she get ahold of my speech? - I don't know, but she decoded it and wrote this article.
- Has this been released yet? - Not yet.
(whispering): Oh, God.
I'm afraid she lost her life trying to get the truth out there.
Uh maybe it's time to deliver this.
Grace, the world is on a precipice.
This speech (laughs) this speech could send us over the edge.
Or it could pull us back from the brink, unite us all.
People have died because of this secret and-and millions more may follow.
Madam President, I urge you, no more secrets.
(phone chimes and vibrates) Madam President, it's time.
"This Russian aggression will not stand.
"We will endure.
"We're built to survive.
We are the United States of America.
God bless.
" Mr.
President, HomeSec has identified a credible threat against the White House.
We need to get you to safety.
- Now.
- Okay, clear the room.
Sir, we'll move you to the Presidential Emergency Operation Center - underneath the West Wing.
- Hold on.
He comes or I go nowhere.
HARRIS: Of course.
Come with us, Major.
Watch your step, sir.
BENNETT: How far to the Op Center? HARRIS: Not too much further.
HUGH: Mr.
President.
Though I suspect not for long.
What the hell is going on here? You took the government by force, now we're taking it back.
HARRIS: Cuff him.
(grunts) You'll live to regret this, Harris.
I'm the president of the United States.
Illegitimate president.
Pauline Mackenzie isn't dead.
What? HUGH: But the good news is, they'll reduce the charges against you from first degree to attempted murder.
Oh, and treason, of course.
You won't be needing these nuclear codes anymore.
HARRIS: You, Major.
Come with me.
Major, don't move.
I take my orders from the president of the United States, sir.
He's not your president.
He engineered a coup, and you're aiding and abetting that, Major, if you don't hand over the bag and come with me, the secretary of defense, now.
I know this can be confusing, son, but maybe this will help.
LIAM: Darius, you sure about this? Giving RE/SYST a computer as powerful as Tess is like giving the Incredible Hulk steroids.
That's a great analogy.
One crisis at a time.
Tess is a computer.
I can always build another one.
We lose control of the gravity tractor, we lose everything.
All right.
She's coming online now.
Tess, are you there? TESS: Yes, Darius.
What can I do for you? You've done more than enough.
I just wanted to say thank you.
My pleasure, Darius.
They're in.
LIAM: "Pleasure doing business with you.
" Darius.
Darius, look.
SECRETARY: I have no idea what happened.
They were in here behind closed doors.
- I just followed orders, ma'am.
- Whose orders? The Defense Secretary Harris Edwards.
He gave me a file to take upstairs to the residents.
Get me Secret Service now.
(elevator bell dings) - Wait, hold your fire.
- Stop right there.
This area's in security lockdown.
Good afternoon, everyone.
- President Mackenzie? - Alive and well.
HARRIS: And she's ready to reclaim the presidency.
Now, stand down, soldier.
Afraid I can't do that, sir.
I have orders.
I am the secretary of defense, serving the rightful president of the United States, and I'm giving you new ones.
Stand down.
Stop right there, sir.
Lieutenant, you have a choice to make.
You follow those orders of yours, you shoot us, and live with the fact that you handed the country over to a coup.
Or you honor your oath to protect America from all enemies, foreign and domestic, and you help us take back our country.
Your call.
The gravity tractor.
We have control.
It worked.
Don't celebrate just yet.
(typing) The asteroid's iron core.
We didn't account for its density.
Plug that new variable in and And th-the gravity tractor's mass may not be great enough to move Samson off its course.
Oh But the GT's already up there.
There's nothing we can do about that now.
There's always a way.
We just need to find it.
Run every calculation, every permutation with that iron-core variable.
(door bangs open) Pauline? It's me.
And it's Madam President, Admiral.
Ladies and gentlemen, Monroe Bennett tried to poison me in a not-so-bloodless coup.
Please.
In accordance with the 25th Amendment, Pauline Mackenzie has been given medical clearance by her physician, and is submitting her request to be reinstated as President of the United States.
As secretary of defense, I fully recognize the legitimacy of the Mackenzie presidency.
And I would advise all of us to do the same.
Ladies and gentlemen, it's do-or-die time.
I need to know where your allegiances lie.
(tires screeching) We've cleared and secured this level for you, ma'am.
All video surveillance has been turned off.
To the White House.
I need to address the nation from the Oval Office.
Mr.
Secretary, I want you to arrest Monroe Bennett and Claire Rayburn for treason.
You're the only one I trust to bring them in.
It will be my pleasure.
Grace, this may be the most important speech I or any president has ever given.
I want you to write it.
I'd be honored.
(van doors open) (van engines start) (tires screech) (sighs) You still breathing? Yeah.
You? Mr.
Secretary, you're a real patriot.
You as well, Ms.
Barrows.
(pistol cocks) You used me.
Claire, put the gun down.
It's over.
I know what you did.
I did what was necessary to save this country from threats most people couldn't even imagine.
You poisoned a sitting president to start a war.
Mackenzie was too weak, too unwilling to make the hard calls.
And now, it seems, so are you.
I never meant to hurt you, Claire.
Please.
Don't flatter yourself.
It's always been country first for me, Harris.
And you're a traitor.
- Which is why you have to die.
- Wait (grunts) (shell clatters) (breathing rapidly) (exhales) FYI, I have skills other than body disposal.
You do know you saved Harris's life, don't you? You did.
(phone ringing) This is Harris.
I'm on my way.
The Russian aircraft carrier Reka Volga just exploded and sank off the coast of Finland.
Russia believes we torpedoed her, and her military just moved to Condition One.
That means war.
Mackenzie's got to make her reappearance now.
I need to get home, see your mom.
- Dad, wait.
- Zoe's gonna be fine.
I put her in contact with a friend of mine at the embassy.
I love you.
HARRIS: Madam President, there's troop movements along the Polish border.
Russian subs have been detected coming up to firing depth.
Mr.
Secretary, are we sure that RE/SYST is the culprit? Most definitely, Madam President.
Mr.
Tanz.
They used a hack to overheat the ship's own reactor core, just like they did to the Pike.
Darius has computer logs from the Pike hard and fast data we can show the Russians.
No, if it comes from us, they won't believe a word of it.
Not that we can blame them at this point.
What do they want, Mr.
Tanz? RE/SYST seems hell-bent on Russia and the United States annihilating each other.
We need to go public quickly.
I need to address the nation.
The world.
Madam President, if I may, a word in private with you, Mr.
Secretary, and Ms.
Barrows.
Michael, clear the room, please.
HARRIS: An ark? For 160 people? Yes, a hundred meters underground.
The hangar is fully equipped to sustain life for several years in the event of a nuclear attack, and the Ark is prepared to go into space should the need arise.
And you're suggesting we go there and circumvent all White House protocol? We don't yet have a fool-proof solution to our asteroid problem, and if a nuclear attack forces us underground for more than a hundred days, well an escape route may be necessary.
Darius, there's protocol in place.
Of course.
I-I just want you to know that there is a space for all of you.
I leave it in your hands.
We're ready in five, four, three, two My fellow Americans, in the words of Mark Twain, "Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.
" What I'm about to tell you may come as a shock.
I was poisoned in an attempted coup led by Vice President Bennett.
And it's only through the heroic actions taken by a handful of patriots (chuckles wryly): that I am still here.
But rest assured, this despicable coup has been put down, and I am now in full control.
Our most pressing problem right now is the deteriorating state of relations between Russia and the United States.
What I want to say to our Russian friends, in no uncertain terms: our true enemy is not each other, but the hacker group known as RE/SYST.
RE/SYST was behind the attack on the USS Pike and now the Russian carrier Volga.
We don't need to fight each other.
We must unite to fight RE/SYST.
(elevator bell dings) - Now, the illegal actions - (gunshots) of Vice President Bennett have greatly compounded an already dangerous situation.
But I want to urge people all over this world to take a pause, give us a chance to talk, so that cooler heads may prevail.
Because my fellow Americans, the worst to befall us has yet to come.
And that is why I must tell you the truth.
In approximately 128 days, an - (electronic squeaking, static) - What's happening? What the hell is happening? Are we still live? COMPUTER VOICE: This message is being disseminated by the United States government.
At 3:40 p.
m.
Eastern Standard Time, NORAD detected four long-range nuclear missiles believed to be headed for the Washington, D.
C.
area.
All residents within a 400-mile radius of this area should evacuate.
TANZ: People, people, people, don't panic.
Calm down, calm down.
We need to usher as many of our people down to the office as we can.
Now.
Th-There's a safe place for you here at Tanz.
- This way, down the back.
Let's go - Move.
(overlapping chatter) Mr.
Secretary, I just got off the phone with NORAD.
There is confirmation of four intercontinental ballistic missiles, incoming, from three different sources.
Ladies and gentlemen we are under attack.
Madam President, we've launched the GMD intercept missiles as a defensive action to shoot down as many inbound as we can.
But that's no guarantee of total success.
Look, we can stay defensive - or we can launch our own.
- That's mutually assured destruction.
Madam President, we need to make a decision.
Now.
(zipper opens) (beeping) This is General Vierling at NORAD.
Gold codes are verified.
What are your orders, ma'am? Is there any chance that this might be a mistake? Or a move by RE/SYST to make this look like a Russian attack? No, ma'am, confidence is high.
AGENT: Madam President, we have 27 minutes.
We need to get you all to the command bunker, now.
All right, everyone.
To the bunker.
Not you, Harris.
Or you, Ms.
Barrows.
Excuse me? Marine One is standing by on the South Lawn, to take the both of you to Tanz.
- To that ark.
- HARRIS: Madam President, - you're not thinking this through.
- Oh, I am, Mr.
Secretary.
I will safeguard this nation.
But you must safeguard humanity.
And that is an order.
We understand.
Yes, ma'am.
Good luck.
(door opens) Madam President, what are your orders? JILLIAN: three, four.
Thank you.
Hi.
You guys, keep going.
Six, eight, nine, ten.
Wait, hold, hold, hold, hold.
Elevator's full.
LIAM: Single file.
Let's go, come on.
Keep moving, guys.
- How many down so far? - Keep going, keep going.
Darius, I need to talk to you.
There's no time.
Darius, there's no time left to have this conversation.
I got to talk to you right now.
Darius.
- Darius, the genetic testing.
- Yeah, I didn't pass it.
Wait, you-you you know.
Why did you Leadership is difficult.
It's about having to make hard decisions.
When to hold information, when to pass it on.
The burden, it won't be easy.
You never planned on going on the Ark.
You'll be surrounded by the finest scientists, doctors, engineers.
In the meantime, I'll be working on the iron core problem.
God willing, whatever hits the East Coast won't destroy us all.
(sniffles) Though not always a pleasure (chuckles) it's been a true honor, sir.
Likewise.
(helicopter approaching) Holy crap.
- (chuckles softly) - Darius, you don't disappoint.
TANZ: I have a former astronaut who can pilot this if it comes to that.
I'm sure he'll benefit from your expertise.
We have less than ten minutes to seal these doors.
With Tess off-line, I'll have to do it manually from inside Tanz.
Wait, you're not staying? No.
You'll have everything you need.
For years to come.
I need some air.
(sighs) Grace? Grace? Why? I have a hereditary disease.
Huntington's.
I've been working with researchers to find a way to shut the gene off, but science hasn't caught up with me as of yet.
Who gives a damn? You're healthy now.
We need you in there, Darius, you can't just abandon us like that.
- You don't need me in there.
- Well, then, I-I want you in there.
(softly): I want you.
(crying): I want to be with you.
I don't care where.
Grace.
Those people need you in there.
He needs you.
What I said to you that night at the embassy, that you were extraordinary (laughs) In an ordinary way.
(both laugh) I was wrong.
You're extraordinary, full stop.
A born leader.
It's time to lead.
(sighs) We took it all for granted.
(sighs) We did.
Go.
(quietly): Go.
TANZ: My friends if you're listening to this, I'm afraid it's because the human race has gotten itself into well, a bit of a pickle.
But if you look around you, you will soon learn that you are among the best and the brightest.
You are surrounded by the best of what makes us human: art, literature, music, history.
Because this hangar is air gapped, you will have no contact with the outside world for 30 days.
In the event that the planet has become uninhabitable, the Ark that stands behind you can carry 160 people into orbit with enough supplies to last three years.
Darkness has descended upon us like a cloud.
But as a wise man once said "Even in darkness, there is light.
" (people whispering indistinctly) I can't change what happens, but (chuckles) I can change the ambience.
(people muttering indistinctly) ("Fly Me to the Moon" by Frank Sinatra playing) Fly me to the moon Let me play among the stars Let me see What does he expect us to do? Jupiter and Mars Dance.
In other words Hold my hand He wants us to dance.
In other words Baby, kiss me Fill my heart with song And let me sing forevermore You are all I long for All I worship and adore In other words You're right.
Fear can't paralyze us.
It has to motivate us keep us together.
Like magnets.
Jillian.
Jillian, I need to tell Darius something right now before it's too late.
Wait, you can't leave.
You'll be locked out.
I'm sorry.
- No.
- I'm sorry.
I got to go.
I love you so much.
I love you so much.
(under breath): I got to go.
I got to go.
Let me sing forevermore Liam.
You are all I long for All I worship and adore In other words Please be true In other words In other words I love You LIAM: Hey! Darius! Liam? The iron core I know what to do.
There's still hope.