FBI: International (2021) s01e19 Episode Script

So you're doing nothing to celebrate? Nothing? I don't know if celebrate is exactly the right word.
You know what I mean.
It's your sister's day.
You should go out with your friends.
Remember the good times.
Mm-hmm.
You're telling me you can't take one day a year, one moment out of your busy life to do something special for your family? I called you.
It wouldn't hurt for you to be here, you know.
My only daughter.
Just jump on a plane so I can watch you drink wine at 10:00 a.
m.
? Look, I should go.
You know, you were never home enough.
And I don't think that June liked that.
Yeah, well, she's not around anymore to complain about it.
Don't beat yourself up, okay? It's not healthy.
Love you.
Hey.
Hey.
I was heading out, but if you want me to stick around No, I'm good.
I've got those CI reports I gotta dig into.
- Good night.
- Good night.
Thank God that you are so clever because your Dutch is terrible.
You saw the results from yesterday? I did, ah.
Very encouraging.
In fact, I think if you're able to continue to increase the effectiveness, I think that we're going to be able to start What was that? Jesus.
The samples.
Seal up everything In there! In there, we wait until after the next shot, and then we all run at once, okay? Okay, go, go! Come on.
Go, go, go, go, go! Why would someone do this? Hey, a shooter is at large in Brussels.
An attack on the Van den Driessche Research Park left two scientists seriously injured and one American killed.
Dr.
Christopher Staton, a molecular biologist who made a name for himself as a PhD student at Stanford as a pioneer in mRNA vaccine technology.
He'd been making advancements for years, even before the current pandemic brought his work to the forefront.
Dr.
Staton moved to Belgium eight months ago to collaborate with an international research group to try to prepare for whatever mutation of the virus might come next.
The entire team was present during the attack.
That's Luc Michaud in the middle.
- Do you know him? - I know of him.
Dr.
Michaud has been the highest profile health policy advisor to the EU throughout the pandemic.
He's basically Europe's version of Anthony Fauci.
Then he may have been the target.
It's possible.
Dr.
Michaud's done a lot of good, but he's a controversial figure.
He's never shied away from criticizing politicians and even other scientists who disagree with his recommendations.
So this could be a personal attack a disgruntled lab worker settling a score.
Or it could be a targeted political act, with Michaud as the intended victim.
Then I say we hit it.
All right, Brussels is the de facto capital of the EU, so Europol is gonna be all over this one.
We're gonna need Jaeger.
She's already on the ground and she's expecting us.
Hey, I'd like you all to meet First Inspector Beckers, Belgian Federal Police.
These are Agents Forrester, Kellett, Raines, and Vo with the FBI.
Thank you for agreeing to work with us.
Well, I welcome any assistance if it helps get this awful bastard.
I don't care for guns nor the cowards that use them.
The world is filling with trigger-happy idiots.
No offense to you, you Americans.
- None taken.
- This way.
The lab is located on the second floor of building two.
We're still pulling ballistics, but the shots appear to have been fired from the rooftop of building three next door.
I can't help but feel partially responsible.
Why is that? Several months ago, Dr.
Staton and Dr.
Michaud, they had reported to my department that they had received death threats online.
Hateful messages, but nothing particularly specific, so we were unable to take action.
We'd like to take a look at those reports.
Of course.
Are we sure it's okay to be in here? The scientists, they did a sweep and made sure everything is safe.
Maybe don't touch your eyes or mouth.
How many shots were fired? At least a dozen, but we're not sure we've found them all.
And nobody got a look at the shooter? I'm afraid they were all too panicked.
You'd think if somebody wanted to shoot Dr.
Staton, there would've been an easier way to do it.
You think they were trying to send a message? Maybe.
Looks like Dr.
Michaud is back to work quickly.
He and his research assistants class are helping us identify any biological hazards, so Gotcha.
We'd love to ask him a few questions, when he has the chance.
Of course.
I've already told the police everything I can think of, which is frustratingly little.
We know it's been a terrible day, but the more perspectives we get, the better chance we have of figuring out who did this.
I understand.
Honestly, I was just trying to protect my team.
We have worked long hours over a long time now.
We're more like a family, you know? Have there been any rifts in that family in the last few months? Anybody you had to let go? A relationship that went sour, conflict over salaries or promotions, that sort of thing? You're looking for what, huh? A disgruntled employee who came back to do this? Anytime there's violence in a workplace, - it's an angle we consider.
- No.
I hire the best.
I may have my enemies out in the world, but any scientist who has worked here, they understand the true value of what we're doing.
Why don't you tell us about those enemies? Anytime I make an appearance on the television recommending stricter prevention methods, I am swarmed by harassment on the Internet.
If I am honest, I have probably done more than my fair share of publicly mocking those people that believe that they know more about fighting a pandemic than the scientists.
And these online exchanges escalated to threats of violence? Yes.
- From their side.
- But you don't know who owned the accounts making these threats? I do not.
Sadly, for me and a lot of COVID scientists, the threats are now so common that they've become background noise.
I'd like access to your social media and private messages so I can track down - the threatening accounts.
- Please.
And when you are done, delete it all.
I hate myself for having stooped to their level.
If anything I said or did led to this happening Maybe in my outspoken ways, I asked for this.
But Christopher, all he ever wanted to do was tell the world the truth.
Some ignorant people, apparently would rather shoot the messenger.
My best guess is that cowardly bastard was up here like this.
He has a great view of the lab, and he could've easily come and gone via the back stairwell.
But does the angle of the shots match? It seems too steep for where some of the bullets landed.
I agree.
Maybe a ricochet? And the floors below this were all occupied at the time? That's right.
He would've been seen if he were firing from anywhere else in the building.
Then maybe this isn't the right building.
May I? There.
Now that's a good spot for a sniper's nest.
Here it is.
Oh, he could've sat here all day waiting for the right moment.
And the angle? Level with the lab window.
I can see right in.
Bastard.
There's no way in hell I could make that shot.
I served with a couple soldiers who could, but they were trained snipers using military-grade weapons and scopes.
I mean, this isn't the work of some weekend warrior.
Our suspect is likely military.
I think we should tell the evidence team that they're searching in the wrong place.
Using the shell casing you found and bullet fragments at the scene, the ballistics team has been able to determine the shooter was likely using a DSR-1 sniper rifle and military grade ammo.
Those are currently being used by the Belgian armed forces.
We've been going down a list of the nearest bases to see if all their guns can be accounted for.
- Any hits? - Just one.
Mertens-Lybaert Air Base, near the border with the Netherlands.
We're waiting on confirmation, but they train with that same weapon and believe one could be missing.
It's worse than that.
Not only are they missing a rifle, they're missing a sniper as well.
Corporal Patrick Jans failed to report to his post.
His whereabouts have been unknown for approximately 48 hours.
He's a former sniper and ranger.
Jans was stationed here as a shooting instructor.
That sounds like our guy.
Reading his file, he served honorably for years with a dozen successful missions ranging from Kosovo to Iraq.
He was, at a time, a most valuable asset in any combat.
And now? After a number of disciplinary actions, Corporal Jans was recently demoted and was given an administrative post.
He was made the company armorer.
Does that mean what I think it does? I regret to say, and for reasons I cannot explain, he was put in charge of the weapons vault.
I don't want anyone touching anything.
What exactly is missing? One sniper rifle, two 9 millimeter handguns, and ten boxes of ammunition.
Yeah, and one launcher of rocket-propelled grenades.
And you didn't tell anyone Corporal Jans walked away with all of this? I was only made aware of this an hour ago myself.
Forrester, look.
He left us a note.
What does it say? Jans is complaining about the EU's COVID-19 containment measures.
It's some kind of anti-science, anti-government manifesto.
It's all about freedom with a sprinkling of white nationalism thrown in for good measure.
There's a list of names on the back.
Dr.
Michaud is at the top.
But it's not just scientists.
His wife and daughter are listed by name.
We need to mobilize and secure every one of these potential targets.
Your armorer says he's got enough bullets for all of them.
Let's go.
Now.
My family arrived safely? They're already inside.
Papa! It's okay.
It's okay.
I know.
It's okay.
You believe that all of us are in danger? We're still evaluating, but yes.
We have a credible threat on your family and your husband's closest colleagues.
So we just stay here till you find the guy? Hopefully, it'll only be a night or two.
The most important thing is that our family is all together.
Help me to understand this, Lieutenant, because I'm looking at this file and all I see are red flags a history of physical altercations with other soldiers, reprimands for racial slurs.
He uses images of liberal politicians for target practice.
Now how do you see all this and not take any action whatsoever? I took action.
I referred Corporal Jans to military intelligence, and they flagged him as a Level 3 potential threat for terrorism.
Well, I think you can go ahead and raise that to Level 4.
Given what we know now, obviously I would've handled the situation differently.
- Really? - Yes, really.
Well, because it seems like you only demoted Jans when you had no other choice.
Okay, okay.
We all know what we're up against now.
We're all on the same team.
What matters is that we find this guy, right? Yes.
Yes, I agree.
Look, I served, okay? I know how a blind eye sometimes gets turned to extremist politics in the armed forces.
I get it, it's an increasing problem everywhere.
Now if Patrick Jans' worldview didn't trouble his fellow soldiers, maybe that's because some of them agreed with him.
And if so, maybe he told them what he was planning to do next.
Snipers often work in pairs.
Someone helps him identify targets, watches their back.
Did he have anyone like that? Yes, he did.
Follow me.
Thank you for taking the time to talk to us, Corporal.
My orders are to answer your questions fully and truthfully, sir.
And I intend to.
According to your Lieutenant, - Jans was training you.
- Yes, ma'am.
I've learned a lot from him.
We arrived at the base together and we've been friends ever since.
You had each other's back.
Always.
He confided in you? - Sometimes.
- Did he tell you he was planning on robbing the weapons locker? No, ma'am.
But you've heard him threaten violence.
He was my shooting instructor.
- It comes up.
- Did he ever mention Luc Michaud or Christopher Staton? Definitely Michaud.
He hated that guy.
I don't recognize the other one.
What did he say about Dr.
Michaud? The gist was that he would like him to shut his fat mouth, ma'am Corporal.
You have to understand, Patrick chose this career because he knows that freedom is something worth fighting for.
Listening to the government, the so-called experts, continually cower and surrender to a disease is infuriating.
If Corporal Jans really did what you say he did, he's a disgrace to this uniform.
- If he did this? - That's right.
I don't think you're chasing the right guy.
Patrick is a soldier, not a killer.
So tell me where he is right now.
Help me bring him in.
Maybe we can clear his name.
I don't know, but if he's really on the run, he wouldn't trust me with this information.
He knows it would be my duty to tell people like you.
Then who would he trust? Patrick would never just disappear.
It would break his mother's heart.
Nee, I haven't seen my son in over a week.
No missed calls, voice messages, texts? Nee, nothing.
If you don't mind, we'd like to take a look at your phone.
I'm not an idiot.
Patrick comes by on weekends.
Nearly every Sunday.
He's a good son.
How often do you visit your mother? Not nearly that much.
My son is a war hero.
Saved more lives than any doctor.
Did they tell you that? He wouldn't do this.
Patrick never shot a man his entire life that didn't have a gun in his hand.
They need you to forget that part.
What do you mean? Who's "they"? These new politicians.
All they care about is control.
They're using my son to draw publicity and sympathy for whatever mandate they want to enact next.
You think the government killed their own medical expert to get sympathy? I don't know what they're capable of.
And neither do you.
But you're a smart one, aren't you? I don't know, why don't you explain how we found a letter from your son in the military vault he was in charge of securing? Agent Raines, could you let Celesse and I talk on our own for a minute? If you wouldn't mind.
Fine.
I'll be downstairs.
Thank you.
I thought it might be more comfortable with just us.
May I? Honestly, between you and me, the most important thing right now is for you and me to figure out a way to keep your son alive.
But being innocent it isn't always enough.
We need to bring Patrick home right now so he can set the record straight.
How? I need you to trust me.
If you can't, we all know how this will end.
With smug bastards like Luc Michaud celebrating Patrick's death on TV.
He wouldn't want me to talk to you.
I Look, I know what it's like to lose someone and then spend the rest of your life wondering if you could have done more to save them.
You don't want to carry that with you, believe me.
He's a good man.
He just needs to be heard.
You promise you'll bring him in alive? I promise.
- Hey, you get it? - Jans came by here two days ago and loaded up his car with camping gear.
Said he was headed to a place near the Meuse River where he could drop off the grid.
The Meuse is our largest river.
Over 500 miles long, and with countless campsites Jans could use to disappear.
He's military -trained.
He may not even be using known campsites.
The key is the car.
He has to know we're looking for it.
I think he ditches it as soon as he can.
So we concentrate on the area between the base and his mother's house.
Hey, take a look at this.
Jans tagged himself in Instagram photos camping in Hoge Kempen National Park in both 2019 and 2020.
Maybe he went back to familiar ground.
I like it.
I'll contact the park rangers.
- Nice work.
- Thanks.
But here's what doesn't add up.
In addition to the sniper rifle, he took a grenade launcher.
With the launchers, he was strapped enough to take out the entire lab.
He could cross Staton, Michaud, and half his list off in a single shot.
Why try to pick them off one by one? Maybe he likes working from the shadows.
The rifle lets him fire from longer range, conceal his position, so by the time anyone knows what's happening, he's long gone.
Okay, then why bother taking the RPG? Maybe he's planning something bigger for his next attack.
Apologies for the interruption, Katrin.
This is Willem Smit, our Deputy Executive Director at Europol.
- And these are - Oh, I know Agent Kellett and Agent Raines and the rest of your team very well.
Katrin's reports of your exploits have always been very colorful.
It's a pleasure to finally meet you.
It would have been nice to be looped in sooner.
If I didn't know you better, I'd think that you were avoiding my calls.
I had every intention to bring you in, but things have been moving quickly here.
Or the Americans' habit of ignoring protocol has been rubbing off on you.
With all due respect, sir, we've been focused on getting ahead of our suspect.
And you know how Europol can be.
There's no time to waste jumping through bureaucratic hoops.
I'm not a box to be checked.
A word in private, Willem? Sure.
If you lost faith in my decisions, take it out on me, not the Americans.
Hmm.
And what constitutes that delineation, Katrin? Where are the boundaries? Where are yours? Barging in unannounced, undermining my authority.
For months, I've instructed you to rein in the Americans, and yet you ignore me and do the exact opposite.
The irony that you are searching for a wayward soldier is not lost on me.
He's not the only one who's gone rogue.
That's very clever.
Did you think of it on the ride here? The only reason why you haven't been fired is because your team gets results.
The instant that changes, you're gone.
I'll make sure of it.
Sorry to interrupt.
Forrester and Vo just got a hit on Jans' car.
Stay back.
Don't touch anything until the team gets here.
I don't get it.
Why would he leave this heavy weaponry just sitting out in the open? I mean, he knows it's gonna attract attention.
Down! We're pinned down and taking fire! We need a tactical team to our location! Suspect is to the southwest.
Use caution.
Copy.
Officers are five minutes away.
All right.
We stay here, we wait him out.
Make it so he has to move, and then we take him out.
He's trying to hit the RPGs! - Vo! - I'm okay! Where is he? I don't know.
We know he's hiding somewhere in Hoge Kempen National Park.
We are searching as we speak, but it's an enormous area and will require considerable time and manpower.
I want access to my phone.
I want to make a statement.
Make it clear that the scientific community will not be intimidated by a delusional killer.
I don't think that's wise.
I may have been too confrontational in the past, but I refuse to stop telling the truth.
I understand, but until the suspect is in custody, we can't do anything that could risk exposing your family's location.
At the very least, can you allow my colleagues who were not mentioned by name in the threat to return to their important work? The viruses that they are fighting every day aren't going to wait around for things to calm down.
I have to run it by my supervisor, but I take your point.
Thank you.
There's a war going on between the forces of knowledge and the forces of ignorance in the world.
Right now, ignorance is winning.
Didn't expect to see you here, Corporal.
Your good buddy tried to take my head off today.
Then I'm surprised to see you, too.
Are we sure this is a good idea? Well, helicopters and search drones can only do so much against a man who's trained to blend in.
Beckers needs the manpower.
So we're just gonna trust the same guys who looked past all the warning signs that Jans was dangerous to bring him in now? They're soldiers.
They'll do their job.
That's what they thought about Patrick Jans.
There cannot be too many of them that are sympathetic.
There shouldn't be anyone who's sympathetic.
His views are violent and selfish.
And now he's dragged the rest of the world into the misery with him.
I hear you.
But all we can do now is get the murdering son of a bitch.
You think we should close these cases up? Hey, you got a sec? Of course.
I've been analyzing the letter, and something's not adding up.
Some of the scientists targeted are pretty obscure.
It's unclear how Jans would even know about them.
What does it mean? On its own, not much.
But then I noticed inconsistencies with other examples of Jans' writing we found at his mother's house.
The guy can barely string two sentences together.
So someone else wrote the letter.
Turns out entire paragraphs are lifted nearly verbatim from a private message exchange between Dr.
Michaud and an anonymous account named "Cubic.
" That could be his accomplice.
I think this Cubic is the one calling the shots.
Patrick Jans is angry at the world and dangerous, but someone else turned all that rage toward Dr.
Michaud and his colleagues.
Did you trace the IP address? I thought it might've led back to one of Jans' military buddies, but instead it was linked to this domain.
KU Coppens dot Belgium? Oh, that's the University of Coppens.
It's where Michaud teaches.
Marc Claes, his assistant, is a graduate student there.
If Cubic is Claes, that would explain how Jans found his obscure scientific targets, how he wrote the letter, and why he didn't destroy the entire lab with a rocket.
We got him secured at the safe house, right? His name wasn't on the hit list, I I let him go.
Open the door! Inspector.
Hey! Where you going in such a hurry? I was just on my way to the lab.
Let me guess, you always bring everything you own with you to the lab? Burner phone.
This is how you communicate with Jans, isn't it? Where is he? I don't know what you're talking about.
I get it.
You think you're young and untouchable.
You think you cleaned out your phone, and you're smart enough to have someone else pull the trigger.
But I know you wrote that letter and made the death threats online.
Meaning we've already got enough to put you away.
What does premeditated homicide get you around here, Inspector? Life imprisonment.
Unless you can help us.
So I'm gonna give you one last chance.
Did you send the Michauds' location to Patrick Jans? I'd like to speak to a legal advocate.
What, what is it? Did you find him? I'm afraid not.
We are going to move you all to a new location.
You'll need to collect your things.
Why? What is this about? Oh, God, he knows we're here, doesn't he? We won't make the move until we've done everything we can to make sure that it's safe.
That's all I can say for now.
You haven't moved the family yet? No.
I was hoping to get word from the search party, but I don't know how much longer I can wait.
How certain are we that Jans is contained in the national park? That's hard to say, Vo and the team are still out there, but our perimeter was slow to unfold.
The good news is, is that we now have control of Claes' burner phone.
If Jans tries to reach out, we can ping the call and locate him.
And if he doesn't make contact? Well, when Eric Rudolph went on the run in the mountains in the '90s, it took five years before they found him, so we could be there for a while.
Maybe that's the point.
Ever since the ambush at his car, our entire focus has been searching those woods.
What if that's just a distraction? Draw all the attention over there, so he can operate freely elsewhere? I mean, if he had another car stashed nearby and slipped away before we could start the search, he could be here already.
All right, let's search the area.
Keep the family in place until you hear from us.
Absolutely.
Patrick.
This his gear? Yes.
Still think we're chasing after the wrong guy? Spending your whole life looking through a rifle scope can change a man.
He lost his way.
So much for tracking him with this.
At this distance, he'd have to be somewhere with height.
Agreed.
- What about those rooftops? - Hmm.
It's Jaeger.
Hey, we're still clearing.
What's she saying? Okay, I'll be right there.
Smit relieved Jaeger of her command.
They're moving the family now.
Agent Forrester.
You dismissed Katrin Jaeger in the middle of an active investigation? She compromised this location.
I put it upon myself to arrange a new one with the Federal Police.
The longer Michaud's family stays here, - the more danger we put them in.
- It's not safe? Everything is going to be okay.
Look at them, they are terrified.
None of the options are good, but we found the shooter's campsite.
He's most likely still in that area.
The best time to move is now.
You're making a mistake.
Hunkering down isn't any safer.
Your American scientist was shot from half a mile away.
It didn't matter that he was indoors.
This is the only place Jans knows to look for them.
They're safer anywhere but here.
I want to cover the family as you transfer them.
Okay, go, go, go.
Get to the car.
Let's go.
Let's go, let's go, let's go.
Get in.
Go.
- Let's go.
- Get in the car.
Get in, get in.
You hit? I need medical! Jamie, you got eyes on the shooter? I heard the shot above me.
I'm on him.
Drop the gun.
Now.
No sudden moves.
No calling for your friends.
- Don't even think about it.
- Okay.
Okay.
You're American? I'm not a threat.
Let's just talk.
In a few seconds, the police will come through that hatch and kill me.
If you keep hurting people, if you kill me, yes.
But this doesn't have to go like this Shut up! There is no way out.
All I can do now is take as many enemies with me as I can.
I'm not your enemy, Patrick.
I can help you.
If you put that gun down, I can save your life.
My life doesn't matter.
What matters is my mission.
Your mission is done, okay? You took out Michaud, your message is out in the world.
You're finally being heard.
You don't need that gun anymore.
Stay back! We're okay, we're okay! If I die here, I die a hero.
A hundred others will come and finish what I started.
Is that what you want? To die here? I didn't fight my whole life to waste away in some closet, cleaning guns no one else had the guts to use! I talked to your mother, Patrick.
She doesn't want another war.
She wants her son.
You have people who care about you.
Celesse doesn't want to lose you.
I promised her I'd bring you home.
No matter how bleak things seem right now, it won't always be like this.
Things can get better.
You believe that? I do.
Please.
No one else has to get hurt.
No, no.
No, no, no! No, no! The doctors are very good.
They tell me I'm going to make a full recovery.
I plan to hold them to it.
He'll be back in the lab before you know it.
That's a relief for us all.
I have the miracle of modern medicine to thank.
I got to wake up from this nightmare with my family at my side.
Breaks my heart Christopher couldn't say the same.
I suspect the scientific community is going to feel that loss for a very long time.
Yes.
And Marc Claes as well.
Brilliant young man.
I was shocked to find out that he was involved.
So were we.
Can't believe a student of mine would share the same politics as Patrick Jans.
It wasn't about politics.
Once we learned his online alias, we found dozens of posts advocating for an alternate vaccine technology called polymeric micro-needle arrays.
Yes.
Marc got very excited by that idea several years ago.
It was the basis of his doctoral thesis.
But Christopher and I took the team in another direction.
Well, apparently he couldn't let it go.
When he wasn't in the lab, he spent his time online raging that the scientific "old guard" needed to step aside.
When he found about Patrick Jans, he saw an opportunity to get that revolution started.
All he had to do was reaffirm Jans' conspiracies and let the soldier's anger and sense of victimhood do the rest.
It's worse than a war on science.
It's deliberate disinformation being used as a weapon.
I can assure you, we will not be giving up.
My team and I, we will just have to work twice as hard.
But not just yet.
Come, come, my love.
Now, I'm going to tell all of these people - Excuse me.
- How proud I am of you.
Papa, no.
It's okay.
Of course I'm glad no one else was killed, but that was purely by luck.
You allowed Jans' accomplice to leave the safe house, which put everyone at risk.
Katrin, I understand the desire to wipe the slate clean, but it was your judgment that put us here in the first place.
You approved the order.
At your recommendation.
What's going on here? None of your concern.
A failure in your judgment that put both our jobs in jeopardy.
Oh, you cannot put that on her.
Scott, it's not necessary, really.
No, no.
Anyone would've made the same call.
At that point, she thought she was protecting Claes and that was the mission we all did.
Trust me, Agent Forrester.
If I had the power to reprimand you for this disaster as well, I would.
We neutralized the target without any additional lives lost.
If you want to write us up for ignoring protocol, fine.
But you're the one who decided to move the scientist.
That is what got him shot.
Save your breath.
I've already spoken to the Executive Director.
It's done.
I've recommended Ms.
Jaeger's immediate and permanent removal.
You were never here to supervise me.
You came looking for a reason to fire me.
- Katrin, I'm - And when you couldn't find one, you exaggerated the facts in a way that's no different than what these truth-averse fools are doing.
It may take a week or two to work through the bureaucratic system, but make no mistake.
You're fired.