Designated Survivor (2016) s02e02 Episode Script
Sting of the Tail
1 Previously on "Designated Survivor" Why do you think I need a political director? - Currently the polls say - I don't care about the polls.
You should, sir.
Lyor is here because we need a direction, someone to help with our messaging, and there is no one better.
Hannah: Our target is Patrick Lloyd.
We believe that he is responsible for the bombing on our Capitol.
C-can you update the status of the Lloyd investigation? All our best people are on it.
- How long have you been on Lloyd's trail? - Months.
But I'm surprised to find British Intelligence on this.
Damian: Lloyd knows we're getting closer.
He's covering his tracks.
He's got a bunch of passports here He's got about a dozen tickets All for this morning, all for different airports.
[Car engine starts.]
[Indistinct conversations.]
Woman: Okay, I'll be right there.
[Device beeps.]
[Car alarm chirps.]
[Engine starts.]
Chuck: We just found this.
It's from a BWI surveillance video 10:43 last night, international arrivals.
You can't make out a face.
No, but you can make out an ear.
[Keyboard clacking.]
Biometrically, ears are as identifiable as fingerprints.
[Keyboard clacking, computer beeping.]
Bingo.
That's our guy.
- Impressive.
- Well, I have a degree in criminology.
That's good, Chuck.
Thanks.
Six months on the move, he's got to be running out of options.
Why would he go back to the scene of the crime? There's something he wants here.
But he's exposed, and all alone.
You've arrested his confederates.
- What about family? - Divorced.
He doesn't speak to his ex.
He does have an estranged son in Reston, but he hasn't spoken to him in 10 years.
Well, blood's still blood, and it sounds like he's got nowhere else to go.
All right, I'll We'll check it out.
- [Cellphone rings.]
- Aaron Shore.
Tell the President I'm on my way.
Mr.
President, you promised the public transparency.
Yes, but what's he going to say, Emily? "My fellow Americans, Patrick Lloyd is back.
- Run for you lives"? - No, he's gonna say, "pursuant to my promise of transparency" Aaron, how badly will we compromise the investigation if we go public? Completely, sir.
Lloyd returned to D.
C.
for a reason, but he'll disappear if he knows we're hunting him.
Then there are other practical concerns of tipping him.
Which are? He's an unpredictable adversary with unlimited resources.
Meaning he could have a dirty bomb, a tactical nuke.
And once we locate him, we'll have to remove him from a population center before we bring him down.
So the pursuit has to stay covert.
What kind of manpower are we talking about to accomplish this? About 200 agents would constitute a minimum effective deployment.
He's got a 10-hour lead, but we have NSA satellites sweeping through every Browning-Reed facility, any place he's ever frequented.
As long as he stays above ground, we will acquire him.
Em, you're right I made a promise regarding transparency, but I made a bigger promise to the American people, and that's to keep them safe.
So for now, we keep a lid on this.
Congress has to know.
Yes.
I agree.
If this goes wrong and you kept them in the dark, you'll get slaughtered, sir.
You need cover.
[Chuckles.]
We'll inform HSC.
Not because I need cover, but because this is not a government of one.
Thank you.
[Indistinct conversations.]
Lyor: So, you've read Seth's jokes? Emily: Not yet.
- You are gonna read them, though, right? - Yes.
Why are you so worried about this? Because tonight's the Correspondent's Dinner, and the centerpiece is the President's monologue and Seth is not funny.
Seth's funny.
Seth: So? These aren't funny.
You're not the arbiter of funny.
I am the arbiter of funny.
I was in "Hasty Pudding.
" A theatrical troupe Guys in drag.
Yeah.
See? That's funny.
[Scoffs.]
That's not funny.
I'm funny.
[Door closes.]
[Door opens.]
Senator Feller, Senator Cowling.
I just wanted to step in and thank you very much for coming by.
Our pleasure, Mr.
President.
Our committee counsel Kendra Daynes.
She helps us navigate Homeland Security's regulatory scheme.
Ms.
Daynes, I think you might need a few more lawyers.
Yes, sir.
I'll let Emily and Aaron walk you through it.
Again, welcome.
Aaron: Our most up-to-date Lloyd intel.
Yes.
Emily sent us the preview.
Now, I understand you don't want to share this with the public? No, Senator, we do not.
We believe that would hinder our investigation.
- I respect that position.
- I don't.
I'm from Missouri The "Show Me" state.
If there's a lunatic out there, my constituents should be apprised.
Senator, Patrick Lloyd is a long way from Missouri.
Well, today.
What about tomorrow.
- Emily: The President believes that - I'm sorry.
The President has already classified this intel? - Yes.
- I thought the Committee was brought in for advice and consent.
If he's already decided This meeting's a formality.
We prefer to think of it as a courtesy, Senator.
I think of it as executive overreach.
See, there's a difference between being consulted with and dictated to.
This is the latter.
Feller: Thanks for the briefing.
[Door opens, closes.]
Travis: Like I told you guys last time, I haven't seen my dad in a decade.
And he hasn't tried to contact you.
Why would he? He knows what I think about him, even before he went crazy.
And you can't think of anyone else he would reach out to.
No.
Look, I-I don't know him, okay? I don't want anything from him.
I wouldn't even take his money.
What money? We didn't ask you about money.
No, I'm saying I wouldn't take it like, if he offered it, you know? Travis, we have a dossier on you.
Now, we know you're not helping him.
The only way you get into trouble is if you hide stuff from us.
Then you're an accomplice.
[Exhales sharply.]
The son of bitch came by this morning - for 30 seconds.
- [Cellphone beeps.]
Yeah, we got a sighting in Rockville.
[Indistinct conversations.]
We got two cars in front, two following.
Three at every exit between his present location and Annapolis.
They're all unmarked.
Aaron: And we're tracking him with satcom, so he should be completely unaware.
How did you guys get on his trail so quickly? Chuck: We ran the license you pulled from that security cam at his kid's development.
Lloyd's in an HOV lane.
No EZ-Pass, so he hits a check point, MDTA snaps a picture.
Damian: That's not smart.
Get rid of the two lead cars.
If we do that, he'll accelerate.
We'll follow at pace.
The game's gonna be over.
Montgomery County's still too close - to a population center.
- John Trust me.
Units 9, 10, disengage.
[Computer beeping.]
He's not picking up the pace.
Because it's not him.
We don't know that.
I tracked this guy for six months all over Europe with every single resource at my disposal, and I never even got close.
He is so clever.
Why would he steal a car from a parking lot with surveillance video and then hop into an EZ-Pass lane where he can be tracked? Damian: And drive exactly the speed limit so he'd be easy to follow.
Not him.
So, the President's gonna be sending his student loan initiative to the committee later in the week.
I'll have more info for you as things develop, okay, Brian? Um, hey, one quick item I know there's rampant speculation that Larry David has been ghostwriting the President's jokes, uh, for tonight.
Um, let me just dispel that rumor.
Uh Larry David is, uh, actually handcuffed in a trunk under my bed.
[Laughs.]
Uh, anything else? Yeah.
Shelley.
A source says Senator Feller just had a secret Saturday meeting here to reverse a base closure in his state.
Care to comment.
Well, I mean, that didn't happen.
So, that's a denial? Categorical.
So, Senator Feller wasn't in the White House today? Lots of people weren't in the White House today, Shelley.
- Come on, Seth.
- Seth? Yes.
Tiffany.
Is the First Lady going to be wearing Zac Posen tonight? Yes.
Right.
Uh well, let me start with the President.
The President's gonna be wearing Burberry [Keyboard clacking.]
Wow! Mom, you look beautiful.
Really? You know what I think? I think I look like a high-class call girl.
What? Mom! Come on, you've been living in Paris the last year.
This is haute couture.
Yeah, but I was never interested in that stuff.
I was there learning how to draw.
Vivianna has a trunk-load of stuff if you don't like this one.
Tom: Wow.
Can I buy you a drink? - See? - I'm joking.
I heard you both talking as I was walking in.
Eva, you look beautiful.
Well, you are a charmer, Tom Kirkman.
But this is my third event.
You must know by now how I feel about letting someone else clothe me.
I'm just not comfortable with it.
It's not me.
No.
I'm not doing it.
I'm gonna go home, and I'm gonna get my own dress.
Okay.
That's all right.
Mike will take you.
Give me a minute to get out of this.
- Of course, ma'am.
- [Door closes.]
Don't let her make you take Connecticut this time.
Sir, do you want to tell her how we should go? [Scoffs.]
Good point.
So, the designer thing didn't work out.
You were right.
- [Phone rings.]
- Well, I'm paid to be right.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah? No, I want to see Senator Feller now.
Tom: Senator.
- Mr.
President.
- Please sit.
Thank you for coming back.
I wanted to talk to you privately to see if we could straighten out - a misunderstanding.
- I'll do my best.
Did you leak information to the press about today's meeting? Sir? Because it was a national security briefing.
That's why the intel's classified.
I'm aware of that, sir.
But you thought it was all right to use the press to spread a fake story about the reason for the meeting, because you knew I couldn't deny it.
I Mr.
President So, how's this work? I don't play ball, you start leaking classified information? No, I would never do that.
So this is some sort of shakedown.
This base closure will cost my state 6,000 jobs.
I've been trying to get the White House's attention Now you've got it.
Patrick Lloyd is the single greatest threat to our national security.
You don't get to use him for political gain.
No, sir, I would never jeopardize national security.
You can rely on my integrity.
I'm counting on it.
The base closure will not be revisited.
Goodbye, Senator.
You were right.
They pulled the S.
U.
V.
over, yanked out some clueless college kid Lloyd gave $1,000 to - so he'd drive to Harrisburg.
- [Cellphone vibrates.]
He's buying time.
To do what? Yeah? Okay.
[Cellphone beeps.]
Secret Service says a silent alarm was tripped at a private residence in Rockville 264 Thistlebridge.
Who lives there? The First Lady's mother.
[Glass shatters.]
[Breathes heavily.]
[Indistinct conversations, sirens wail.]
[Helicopter blades whir in distance.]
- Yeah.
- All right.
Hannah: Mrs.
Booker, I'm Special Agent-in-Charge Hannah Wells.
This is Mr.
Rennett from Scotland Yard.
How are you doing? Are you okay? I think I am, yes.
Tell us what happened, madam.
Well, I came back, um, to pick a dress, and, um And I sent Mike away.
- Mike Ritter? - Yes.
Because I-I was gonna be a while, and I was napping, and I heard this noise.
It sounded like somebody was trying to break in.
But then I heard boom! It was like the door was being kicked down.
And that's when I hit the panic button and hid.
It sounded like the place was being torn apart.
I thought I was gonna die.
Well, you're okay now, Mrs.
Booker.
Yeah.
What do they want? We don't know yet.
- Mrs.
Booker.
- Mike! Oh.
Hey, I'm gonna take you back to the White House now.
Oh, okay.
Oh, I-I need my dress.
I'll have someone grab it for you.
We're pulling Lloyd's latents off of everything.
I want every inch of this house combed, and I want a detailed report of everything that Lloyd touched, got it? My family? He's coming after my family? We're still trying to ascertain his purpose, sir.
Well, I can tell you that.
He's sending a message that he can get close to my loved ones.
He's trying to make this personal.
We'll keep you posted.
[Door opens, closes.]
[Sighs.]
So, she's resting, but she won't take a sedative.
Well, if she's fighting the doctor, that's a good sign.
Tom, what is going on.
I don't know yet, but we're gonna find him.
- Well, it looks like he's gonna find us first.
- No! No, no.
I promise you.
We are safe.
- I'm gonna go check on the kids, okay? - Yeah.
Chuck: DMV says there are 658 blue sedans registered in Montgomery County.
So this list covers - an eight-year production period? - Yep.
I narrowed it as much as I could, given the parameters.
Which could be worthless if the neighbor didn't give us accurate details.
Or if the car he gave us details on wasn't coming from Mrs.
Booker's house.
Lloyd had to know breaking into the home of the First Lady's mother meant that he was gonna draw attention.
Chuck, where are we on a title search? [Keyboard clacking.]
All six properties Lloyd owned in Montgomery County were seized months ago.
What about Browning-Reed properties? Only two also under government administration.
Well, check joint ventures, wholly owned subs, predecessor companies.
I already checked.
Wait.
Here's something.
Okay, Browning-Reed purchased a tract of land about a decade ago, used it as a dumping ground, became a Superfund site.
The company didn't make its penalty payments, so title defaulted to the City of Rockville who never took possession.
What's it used for now? [Keyboard clacking.]
No tax records.
So far as I can tell, it's abandoned.
It's 1545 Bramble off Norbeck, near Olney.
That's two miles from here.
[Birds chirping in distance.]
Blue sedan.
[Gunfire.]
You okay? Yeah.
Yeah.
It's a n It's just a nick! Hannah, I'm good! [Panting.]
[Grunts.]
[Grunts.]
[Panting.]
His compound's got a dedicated T1 line.
We've cut it, meaning he's got no Internet access.
He tries to communicate with the outside world, he's routed straight to us on a secure connection.
Show me what he posted.
Lloyd: This is a message for the President.
I possess 1,000 kilograms of sarin gas.
I also possess the means to disperse that gas throughout the entire Washington metropolitan area, which I am prepared to do if my demand is not met.
At 20:00, the President will deliver a monologue to a nationally televised audience Comments which underscore the mockery that this government has made of our great nation.
Instead, he will use this occasion to grant me unconditional amnesty.
If this demand is not met, thousands will die.
This will be my only communication.
[Computer beeps.]
He can't seriously think you're going to pardon him.
General, he's not looking for a pardon.
- He's looking for a showdown.
- Foerstel: Mr.
President, Lloyd has the history and the resources to suggest - that we should take the treat seriously.
- Tom: I am.
Should we be considering an evacuation? Not practical.
We have two hours.
We have no idea of the range of any of the missiles that he might have in there, so we couldn't define a geographical area.
Tell me what you know about the bunker.
He had it ready and waiting before he fled to Europe.
If everything didn't work out, he could use it as the site of his last stand.
Imaging puts the walls at at least 18 feet thick Solid concrete means that we can't scan the interior.
It's also sturdy enough to withstand conventional explosives.
We could wire the bunker with high-grade munitions.
That would take hours.
The perimeter is lined with cameras.
- He'd see us coming.
- And act accordingly.
But Director Foerstel's correct about the type of ordnance that we would need.
We not only have to breach the bunker Sarin has to be incinerated at a temperature high enough to neutralize biological compounds.
Well, there are a finite number of ways to deliver that sort of payload on a target quickly.
An aerial drop being the best option.
- A bomb? - Bunker buster I guarantee that it'll neutralize the threat.
An F-16? General, the idea's to avoid panic, not precipitate it.
[Exhales.]
Wait.
What about a drone? It's covert, it could get close enough to its target so the public won't see.
Could work if we use the right type of nitrogen-based explosives.
Sir, military action against a civilian target is unprecedented in this country, and it may not be lawful.
Or necessary if this maniac is bluffing.
If Lloyd is dead, he takes the secret of whatever he's been working on for the past six months to the grave.
So you're saying we should be doing everything we can to take him alive.
We need to know what's inside that bunker.
We've got less than two hours.
We'll get you a rapid threat assessment on the likelihood he has sarin gas, sir.
[Exhales.]
How is it possible that the most powerful country in the world finally has its monster concerned, and he's holding all the cards? 15 minutes A couple photo ops, and then I need to get back.
Uh, respectfully, sir, you need to stay for the duration.
Apparently you didn't get the memo, but Patrick Lloyd The most-wanted man on the planet Is threatening to kill a few thousand people in the next couple hours.
Yes, well, this is why you have to maintain a veneer of normalcy.
You know, George Washington He hosted a ball during the Battle of Saratoga.
The redcoats didn't have nerve gas.
I have to agree with Lyor, Mr.
President.
You have to keep up appearances, or people will know there's a crisis.
Aaron: And we've set up a fully functional war room so you can monitor the situation in real time, sir.
Lyor: Meanwhile, you You crack wise.
- He will be cracking wise, right, Seth? - Seth: Absolutely.
The President's gonna kill.
Man: Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States.
[Applause.]
Man: Good evening, sir.
[Applause continues.]
[Indistinct conversations.]
Man: Great to see you, Mr.
President.
Woman: How nice to see you, sir.
[Indistinct conversations, dog barks.]
Berry: We've reconnoitered the property.
Lloyd knows a thing or two about surveillance.
We can't get past the tree line without tipping him off.
So, it's a siege.
Affirmative, SAC Wells, until the White House tells us differently.
[Sighs.]
[Radio chatter.]
Damian, you've been tracking Lloyd as long as I have, right? Unsuccessfully, I might add.
Correct.
That's because every time you think you have him cornered You don't.
Because he always leaves himself an escape hatch.
A Browning-Reed subsidiary in Greenville manufactured fertilizer.
Now, the company closed a year ago, but it stockpiled reagents, including white phosphorus.
So he had the building blocks to build sarin gas.
And the technology to deliver it.
Browning-Reed also produced surface-to-air missiles for the Army.
- Do we know what their range is? - 100 miles.
He'll fly them at a low trajectory, so even if we shoot them down, the sarin will be dispersed anyway.
General, I want you start drawing up plans for a drone strike.
I can't authorize it until we can confirm what's inside the bunker.
No speculation.
Let's get on this, gentlemen.
- Yes, sir.
- Yes, sir.
Damian.
[Door creaks.]
Damian: And there's his escape hatch.
Cowling: Emily.
Oh, hi, Senator.
- Enjoying the festivities? - Very much.
Listen, I wanted to thank you for your intelligence update.
Of course.
- Any further developments? - No.
We are getting a threat assessment as we speak.
And if Lloyd has sarin? All proportional military responses are on the table.
I'm assuming that includes - the use of a tactical drone? - It does.
But we'll keep the Committee in the loop.
Thank you.
[Indistinct conversations.]
[Exhales sharply.]
Hey, Seth, I've got a joke for you.
Oh, thanks, Mike.
I'm good.
- Sure, no.
Hit me.
- All right.
I was nervous about tonight, 'cause I was afraid I was gonna bomb.
[Laughs.]
All right.
I like that.
I'll I'll put it in.
- Thank you.
- Seth, I'm kidding.
[Sniffs.]
Right.
Of course.
I knew that.
Barrett.
Barrett: Mr.
President.
It is an honor.
Well, what did you think of it, sir? - Think of what? - My book "The Transnational Media and the Global Marketplace.
" I sent you the galleys a few months ago? I was honored that you chose to share that with me.
It's only the first thousand pages.
- [Chuckles.]
- But I'd love your feedback.
And don't worry, I can take it.
- Well - Emily: Mr.
President, may I borrow you for a moment? Barrett, I'm sorry.
Just give me one second.
We have a major problem, and the clock is ticking, sir.
Congress rushed to court to preclude your use of a drone.
You're kidding me.
Get me Senator Feller.
It wasn't Senator Feller, sir.
Senator Cowling? Aaron.
Officer: All rise.
Sit down.
We are here for petitioner's emergency motion to enjoin the Administration's use of a drone.
Judge, we move for an immediate dismissal.
Congress has no standing to challenge the executive branch's exercise of its police powers.
But we can challenge its intended violation of a federal statute.
Posse Comitatus? Which effectively forbids military action against an American citizen.
Mr.
Ledley? Uh, just a moment, Your Honor.
I know you haven't reviewed Petitioner's filing yet.
If you need a few minutes Judge, we don't have a few minutes.
We have a pressing national security issue.
We need to get the preliminary injunction lifted now.
Posse Comitatus is inapplicable to the current situation, Your Honor.
Mr.
Lloyd is an enemy combatant.
He's an American citizen on American soil with no stated allegiance to any foreign power.
The President disagrees with that restrictive definition.
The President doesn't get to make that designation.
If he did, he could suspend habeas corpus by a definitional flip of the switch.
That's dictatorship, not democracy.
Brickner: I agree.
There's no precedent for a broad expansion of executive power on these facts, Mr.
Ledley.
The statute can be overridden if the public faces imminent harm.
We need a showing of that, Your Honor Not a bald assertion.
Mr.
Shore, an offer of proof? Judge, we have reasonable basis to believe Mr.
Lloyd is in possession of sarin gas.
Now, he's threatened to use it against a civilian population.
And what is that reasonable basis? He's already blown up the Capitol.
So at present you have no evidence, only speculation.
Based on a threat from someone with a demonstrated proclivity for But no conclusive proof, correct? Brickner: Mr.
Shore? - Conclusive? - No.
I'm going to need to take this under advisement.
Then we're back with closing arguments.
Judge, we have 50 minutes until Lloyd releases sarin gas.
Then don't go far.
Senator Cowling.
Aaron.
The President reached out to you in good faith.
He shared confidential information vital to national security.
Which you and I both know he was duty-bound to do.
We have a very different definition of "Duty," ma'am.
- Patrick Lloyd is a clear and present danger.
- Absolutely.
But the danger he poses pales compared to the danger of subverting our checks and balances.
You really think President Kirkman wants to do that? No.
President Kirkman is a good and decent man.
But his successor might not be.
If I give your guy free rein, what about the next guy? [Exhales sharply.]
Senator, the President wants to make sure there is a next guy.
- 35 minutes to go, sir.
- Thank you.
[Indistinct conversations.]
John, your profilers diagnosed Lloyd as a sociopath with a narcissistic personality disorder, right? - He's textbook, sir.
- So a trauma from his childhood would most likely have contributed to that pathology.
It says here when he was 7 years old, his father was convicted on multiple counts of fraud and tax evasion.
He was sent to prison, and he died there.
And Lloyd didn't do much better with his own son.
They haven't had contact for a decade.
It was a bitter custody dispute.
He wasn't given visitation.
Family.
Family.
It's the only vaguely coherent chapter in Pax Americana's manifesto.
He wrote that the cornerstone of American society is the relationship between a parent and their child, and that that bond is inviolate.
It should be protected at all costs.
He's blaming us.
He thinks we took his father away.
He thinks we took his son.
How the hell could I have missed that? Sir? Pax Americana's a pretext.
He doesn't care about the political ideology.
This is about revenge.
Excuse me, can we have the room please? Thank you.
General, can you patch me through to his bunker? Beckwith: Uh, respectfully, sir, I would strongly advise against that.
So would I.
He's unstable.
He might view contact at this stage - as a provocation.
- And act accordingly.
Well, respectfully, Patrick Lloyd has killed over a thousand people, and he's threatening thousands more, and all we've done is follow the book.
I suggest we consider rewriting it.
General, patch me through.
Yes, sir.
[Device beeping.]
Patrick Lloyd, this is Tom Kirkman.
Lloyd: My demands were clear.
Tom: Clearly impossible.
There's no way out of this, and you know it.
Then why are we talking? I heard you saw your son today.
I wanted to know how that meeting went.
What do you care? I'm a father, too.
[Scoffs.]
To be honest, I was moved by the fact that you chose to see your son after all these years Knowing that this was coming to an end.
And I wanted to let you know that we were not gonna prosecute your boy.
He's my family.
The family the government stole from me.
The government didn't do that.
But you think it did.
Your quarrel is with us, not with the thousands of people that you're threatening.
No, the people empower this government, and now they have to answer for that.
Then put America on trial.
You want a platform? You've got one.
A courtroom.
No.
You're not fit to judge me.
But in a few moments, you will have a judgment to make.
And you know what judgment that will be, and you will lose.
No.
No.
I'll win.
I've already won.
[Device beeps.]
[Sighs.]
- And another dead end.
- Damn it.
All these corridors branch off the main one like spokes.
The Vietcong did the same thing with their tunnels to disorient the enemy.
Well, they were on to something.
You done any profiling work? A year Quantico.
You're building this maze, You can choose any shape or mark connecting the second tunnel leading to the bunker.
Your subconscious will influence the design, so it could be a straight line, could be a V.
Or an L As in "Lloyd.
" Bingo.
[Panting.]
No keypad.
Why is there no keypad? He must have another security protocol.
And I'm standing right in the middle of it Infrared sensor.
Which means the second I move Go.
What? I ran track for two years at Oxford.
Go.
[Computerized beeping.]
[Explosion.]
What the hell was that? What just happened.
- [Cellphone beeps.]
- Talk to me.
An agent tried to breach the bunker through an underground tunnel and set off a tripwire.
Which agent? [Sighs.]
Come on, Hannah.
Pick up the phone.
[Cellphone rings.]
Hannah: Aaron.
Hannah.
Hannah, thank God.
They're telling me there was an explosion? Yeah, Lloyd booby-trapped the tunnel, and if he went to the trouble, it suggests planning, so in terms of threat assessment It increases the likelihood he wasn't bluffing about the sarin.
- Yeah.
- All right.
I'll inform the President about the new calculus.
Now all you have to do is convince a court to let us defend ourselves.
[Cellphone beeps.]
- Counselor.
- Mr.
Shore.
[Exhales sharply.]
You know, you really handed us our lunch in there.
No.
The statute did that.
[Scoffs.]
One of us is wrong, and you know that.
That would be you.
Legally, maybe.
But the cost of being mistaken here is too high.
[Exhales.]
Sometimes there's a greater good.
Not for lawyers.
For lawyers, the client's always the greater good.
And if thousands die you can tell their families that.
Just like we did when he took out the Capitol.
Officer: We're back.
Se you back inside, Ms.
Daynes.
So, what's the hold up? Hold up? There's no hold up.
It's 7:50, guys.
The President doesn't go on for another 10 minutes.
So, why is he in hiding? No, I know what the problem is.
The President's read Seth's material, and he had a heart attack.
Very nice.
Thank you, guys.
I'll see you in there.
[Indistinct conversations.]
Hey, the show's about to start.
People are getting restless.
You're gonna have to improvise.
The President is now incommunicado.
What? Wait, wait, wait! So [Hushed.]
Come here.
If 8:00 rolls around, and he's still M.
I.
A.
, what exactly would you like me to do? Talk.
[Normal voice.]
About what? I don't know.
Use your words.
You know, bore them into submission, fake an anxiety attack.
Well, I'm not gonna have to fake that.
The question before the court is whether the President can authorize the use of military force against civilians, and the answer requires simple statutory construction.
The Posse Comitatus Act is clear.
The military cannot enforce civilian laws.
The military may not use force against our populace, because Congress feared a military state An abuse of military power.
Judge, I need a five-minute recess.
We just got back.
David: I understand, but it's urgent.
Your client's the one who said the clock was ticking, counselor.
Judge, please.
Aaron Aaron, slow down.
The legal obstacle is that the military's in charge.
Tell the President if he has a civilian agency like the FBI call the shots, - the problem goes away.
- Thank you.
General, Mr.
Director, we need to find the President now.
Man: The FBI's calling it all now.
Let's go, fellas.
We're out of here.
[Indistinct conversations.]
What's our status? Green light, sir.
Have we got confirmation on the sarin gas yet? No.
Given everything we know, I'd say it's 50-50.
Beckwith: It's a coin toss, Mr.
President.
Emily: We know he was planning something, we just can't say what.
10 seconds, Mr.
President.
You need to make the call.
Five, four, three - Engage.
- It's a go.
[Explosion.]
Man: Direct hit, sir.
Target has been neutralized.
[Sirens wail.]
[Indistinct conversations.]
Right.
- Did he have the gas? - No, sir.
We've got his remains, but there was no evidence of nerve gas.
It was a bluff.
Then I need to tell the American people that we were working off of good but ultimately erroneous information, and I authorized a drone strike on American soil.
Y-You can't tell them that, sir.
Why not? Respectfully, Mr.
President, this night is about triumph, not recrimination.
America believes in leaders that deliver victory Unambiguous victory.
Mr.
President, Patrick Lloyd was responsible for the deaths of over 1,000 people.
After all the suffering, the country deserves its moment.
You're right.
So let's give it to them.
But not here.
Good evening, my fellow Americans.
At 8:00 p.
m.
Eastern Standard Time, acting pursuant to my authorization, the FBI conducted a drone strike on a fortified bunker in Rockville, Maryland.
That bunker was occupied by Patrick Lloyd.
Mr.
Lloyd refused repeated requests to surrender.
Instead, he indicated that he was in possession of nerve gas, which he stated was his intention to use on civilians.
I can now confirm that Patrick Lloyd has been neutralized, along with the ongoing threat that he posed to our great nation.
We have weathered his challenge, but there will be others, and I will be here to meet them with you.
God bless you, and God bless America.
Man: And we're out.
Thank you.
[Sighs.]
Hey.
Sorry about your jokes.
[Inhales sharply.]
It's okay.
They weren't that funny anyway.
Mike: Mr.
President.
Ms.
Daynes.
Please come in.
Mr.
President.
I heard you fought like a lion today.
Yes, sir.
Thank you for your service.
You're a gracious loser, sir.
Excuse me? - I represented the Senate.
- Please.
Your Administration was contemplating a statutory violation.
We went to court to stop that, and we did.
You cured the violation.
We've had to outsource our legal work for the last year.
We couldn't quite find the right fit.
But I think the White House Counsel's office has been vacant for far too long, so if you're interested in being overworked and underpaid I'm sorry, sir.
You're sorry because you're not interested, or you're already overworked and underpaid? No, of course.
Overpaid and underworked I mean, underpaid and overworked.
That would be not disqualifying, sir, not remotely, and by not disqualifying I hope the word you're looking for is "Yes.
" Yes, Mr.
President.
I would be honored to work for you, sir.
Good.
I'm grateful.
You better get some rest.
You're gonna need it.
- Yes, Mr.
President.
- Thank you.
[Exhales sharply.]
[Sighs.]
[Chuckles.]
Penny: You still have to kiss me good night.
Hey, Little pea.
Penny: Hi.
Did you have a good day? Yeah.
Did you? I had a day where I had to be President.
- Isn't that every day? - [Chuckles.]
You want to hear a joke? Yeah.
So, as I look out across the room, I see Senator Lee on the left, but by the end of the evening, I promise you he'll be on the right.
That's not funny.
[Chuckles.]
I know.
I have a joke.
Knock, knock.
Who's there? Interrupting bird.
- Interrupting bird - Squawk! That's pretty good.
You want a job? I have a job.
I'm the President's daughter.
Yes, you are.
Come on.
It's time for bed.
I hope you have the best sleep ever.
I love you.
I love you.
Night, night.
Night.
[Indistinct conversations.]
Damian: Hannah, you're gonna want to see this.
They found Lloyd's computer.
Half melted, but Trevor here worked his magic.
What'd you find? The hard drive's mostly fried, but Lloyd figured out a way to hack through the firewall we put up.
He was uploading something to the cloud when the bomb hit.
Do you know what it was?
You should, sir.
Lyor is here because we need a direction, someone to help with our messaging, and there is no one better.
Hannah: Our target is Patrick Lloyd.
We believe that he is responsible for the bombing on our Capitol.
C-can you update the status of the Lloyd investigation? All our best people are on it.
- How long have you been on Lloyd's trail? - Months.
But I'm surprised to find British Intelligence on this.
Damian: Lloyd knows we're getting closer.
He's covering his tracks.
He's got a bunch of passports here He's got about a dozen tickets All for this morning, all for different airports.
[Car engine starts.]
[Indistinct conversations.]
Woman: Okay, I'll be right there.
[Device beeps.]
[Car alarm chirps.]
[Engine starts.]
Chuck: We just found this.
It's from a BWI surveillance video 10:43 last night, international arrivals.
You can't make out a face.
No, but you can make out an ear.
[Keyboard clacking.]
Biometrically, ears are as identifiable as fingerprints.
[Keyboard clacking, computer beeping.]
Bingo.
That's our guy.
- Impressive.
- Well, I have a degree in criminology.
That's good, Chuck.
Thanks.
Six months on the move, he's got to be running out of options.
Why would he go back to the scene of the crime? There's something he wants here.
But he's exposed, and all alone.
You've arrested his confederates.
- What about family? - Divorced.
He doesn't speak to his ex.
He does have an estranged son in Reston, but he hasn't spoken to him in 10 years.
Well, blood's still blood, and it sounds like he's got nowhere else to go.
All right, I'll We'll check it out.
- [Cellphone rings.]
- Aaron Shore.
Tell the President I'm on my way.
Mr.
President, you promised the public transparency.
Yes, but what's he going to say, Emily? "My fellow Americans, Patrick Lloyd is back.
- Run for you lives"? - No, he's gonna say, "pursuant to my promise of transparency" Aaron, how badly will we compromise the investigation if we go public? Completely, sir.
Lloyd returned to D.
C.
for a reason, but he'll disappear if he knows we're hunting him.
Then there are other practical concerns of tipping him.
Which are? He's an unpredictable adversary with unlimited resources.
Meaning he could have a dirty bomb, a tactical nuke.
And once we locate him, we'll have to remove him from a population center before we bring him down.
So the pursuit has to stay covert.
What kind of manpower are we talking about to accomplish this? About 200 agents would constitute a minimum effective deployment.
He's got a 10-hour lead, but we have NSA satellites sweeping through every Browning-Reed facility, any place he's ever frequented.
As long as he stays above ground, we will acquire him.
Em, you're right I made a promise regarding transparency, but I made a bigger promise to the American people, and that's to keep them safe.
So for now, we keep a lid on this.
Congress has to know.
Yes.
I agree.
If this goes wrong and you kept them in the dark, you'll get slaughtered, sir.
You need cover.
[Chuckles.]
We'll inform HSC.
Not because I need cover, but because this is not a government of one.
Thank you.
[Indistinct conversations.]
Lyor: So, you've read Seth's jokes? Emily: Not yet.
- You are gonna read them, though, right? - Yes.
Why are you so worried about this? Because tonight's the Correspondent's Dinner, and the centerpiece is the President's monologue and Seth is not funny.
Seth's funny.
Seth: So? These aren't funny.
You're not the arbiter of funny.
I am the arbiter of funny.
I was in "Hasty Pudding.
" A theatrical troupe Guys in drag.
Yeah.
See? That's funny.
[Scoffs.]
That's not funny.
I'm funny.
[Door closes.]
[Door opens.]
Senator Feller, Senator Cowling.
I just wanted to step in and thank you very much for coming by.
Our pleasure, Mr.
President.
Our committee counsel Kendra Daynes.
She helps us navigate Homeland Security's regulatory scheme.
Ms.
Daynes, I think you might need a few more lawyers.
Yes, sir.
I'll let Emily and Aaron walk you through it.
Again, welcome.
Aaron: Our most up-to-date Lloyd intel.
Yes.
Emily sent us the preview.
Now, I understand you don't want to share this with the public? No, Senator, we do not.
We believe that would hinder our investigation.
- I respect that position.
- I don't.
I'm from Missouri The "Show Me" state.
If there's a lunatic out there, my constituents should be apprised.
Senator, Patrick Lloyd is a long way from Missouri.
Well, today.
What about tomorrow.
- Emily: The President believes that - I'm sorry.
The President has already classified this intel? - Yes.
- I thought the Committee was brought in for advice and consent.
If he's already decided This meeting's a formality.
We prefer to think of it as a courtesy, Senator.
I think of it as executive overreach.
See, there's a difference between being consulted with and dictated to.
This is the latter.
Feller: Thanks for the briefing.
[Door opens, closes.]
Travis: Like I told you guys last time, I haven't seen my dad in a decade.
And he hasn't tried to contact you.
Why would he? He knows what I think about him, even before he went crazy.
And you can't think of anyone else he would reach out to.
No.
Look, I-I don't know him, okay? I don't want anything from him.
I wouldn't even take his money.
What money? We didn't ask you about money.
No, I'm saying I wouldn't take it like, if he offered it, you know? Travis, we have a dossier on you.
Now, we know you're not helping him.
The only way you get into trouble is if you hide stuff from us.
Then you're an accomplice.
[Exhales sharply.]
The son of bitch came by this morning - for 30 seconds.
- [Cellphone beeps.]
Yeah, we got a sighting in Rockville.
[Indistinct conversations.]
We got two cars in front, two following.
Three at every exit between his present location and Annapolis.
They're all unmarked.
Aaron: And we're tracking him with satcom, so he should be completely unaware.
How did you guys get on his trail so quickly? Chuck: We ran the license you pulled from that security cam at his kid's development.
Lloyd's in an HOV lane.
No EZ-Pass, so he hits a check point, MDTA snaps a picture.
Damian: That's not smart.
Get rid of the two lead cars.
If we do that, he'll accelerate.
We'll follow at pace.
The game's gonna be over.
Montgomery County's still too close - to a population center.
- John Trust me.
Units 9, 10, disengage.
[Computer beeping.]
He's not picking up the pace.
Because it's not him.
We don't know that.
I tracked this guy for six months all over Europe with every single resource at my disposal, and I never even got close.
He is so clever.
Why would he steal a car from a parking lot with surveillance video and then hop into an EZ-Pass lane where he can be tracked? Damian: And drive exactly the speed limit so he'd be easy to follow.
Not him.
So, the President's gonna be sending his student loan initiative to the committee later in the week.
I'll have more info for you as things develop, okay, Brian? Um, hey, one quick item I know there's rampant speculation that Larry David has been ghostwriting the President's jokes, uh, for tonight.
Um, let me just dispel that rumor.
Uh Larry David is, uh, actually handcuffed in a trunk under my bed.
[Laughs.]
Uh, anything else? Yeah.
Shelley.
A source says Senator Feller just had a secret Saturday meeting here to reverse a base closure in his state.
Care to comment.
Well, I mean, that didn't happen.
So, that's a denial? Categorical.
So, Senator Feller wasn't in the White House today? Lots of people weren't in the White House today, Shelley.
- Come on, Seth.
- Seth? Yes.
Tiffany.
Is the First Lady going to be wearing Zac Posen tonight? Yes.
Right.
Uh well, let me start with the President.
The President's gonna be wearing Burberry [Keyboard clacking.]
Wow! Mom, you look beautiful.
Really? You know what I think? I think I look like a high-class call girl.
What? Mom! Come on, you've been living in Paris the last year.
This is haute couture.
Yeah, but I was never interested in that stuff.
I was there learning how to draw.
Vivianna has a trunk-load of stuff if you don't like this one.
Tom: Wow.
Can I buy you a drink? - See? - I'm joking.
I heard you both talking as I was walking in.
Eva, you look beautiful.
Well, you are a charmer, Tom Kirkman.
But this is my third event.
You must know by now how I feel about letting someone else clothe me.
I'm just not comfortable with it.
It's not me.
No.
I'm not doing it.
I'm gonna go home, and I'm gonna get my own dress.
Okay.
That's all right.
Mike will take you.
Give me a minute to get out of this.
- Of course, ma'am.
- [Door closes.]
Don't let her make you take Connecticut this time.
Sir, do you want to tell her how we should go? [Scoffs.]
Good point.
So, the designer thing didn't work out.
You were right.
- [Phone rings.]
- Well, I'm paid to be right.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah? No, I want to see Senator Feller now.
Tom: Senator.
- Mr.
President.
- Please sit.
Thank you for coming back.
I wanted to talk to you privately to see if we could straighten out - a misunderstanding.
- I'll do my best.
Did you leak information to the press about today's meeting? Sir? Because it was a national security briefing.
That's why the intel's classified.
I'm aware of that, sir.
But you thought it was all right to use the press to spread a fake story about the reason for the meeting, because you knew I couldn't deny it.
I Mr.
President So, how's this work? I don't play ball, you start leaking classified information? No, I would never do that.
So this is some sort of shakedown.
This base closure will cost my state 6,000 jobs.
I've been trying to get the White House's attention Now you've got it.
Patrick Lloyd is the single greatest threat to our national security.
You don't get to use him for political gain.
No, sir, I would never jeopardize national security.
You can rely on my integrity.
I'm counting on it.
The base closure will not be revisited.
Goodbye, Senator.
You were right.
They pulled the S.
U.
V.
over, yanked out some clueless college kid Lloyd gave $1,000 to - so he'd drive to Harrisburg.
- [Cellphone vibrates.]
He's buying time.
To do what? Yeah? Okay.
[Cellphone beeps.]
Secret Service says a silent alarm was tripped at a private residence in Rockville 264 Thistlebridge.
Who lives there? The First Lady's mother.
[Glass shatters.]
[Breathes heavily.]
[Indistinct conversations, sirens wail.]
[Helicopter blades whir in distance.]
- Yeah.
- All right.
Hannah: Mrs.
Booker, I'm Special Agent-in-Charge Hannah Wells.
This is Mr.
Rennett from Scotland Yard.
How are you doing? Are you okay? I think I am, yes.
Tell us what happened, madam.
Well, I came back, um, to pick a dress, and, um And I sent Mike away.
- Mike Ritter? - Yes.
Because I-I was gonna be a while, and I was napping, and I heard this noise.
It sounded like somebody was trying to break in.
But then I heard boom! It was like the door was being kicked down.
And that's when I hit the panic button and hid.
It sounded like the place was being torn apart.
I thought I was gonna die.
Well, you're okay now, Mrs.
Booker.
Yeah.
What do they want? We don't know yet.
- Mrs.
Booker.
- Mike! Oh.
Hey, I'm gonna take you back to the White House now.
Oh, okay.
Oh, I-I need my dress.
I'll have someone grab it for you.
We're pulling Lloyd's latents off of everything.
I want every inch of this house combed, and I want a detailed report of everything that Lloyd touched, got it? My family? He's coming after my family? We're still trying to ascertain his purpose, sir.
Well, I can tell you that.
He's sending a message that he can get close to my loved ones.
He's trying to make this personal.
We'll keep you posted.
[Door opens, closes.]
[Sighs.]
So, she's resting, but she won't take a sedative.
Well, if she's fighting the doctor, that's a good sign.
Tom, what is going on.
I don't know yet, but we're gonna find him.
- Well, it looks like he's gonna find us first.
- No! No, no.
I promise you.
We are safe.
- I'm gonna go check on the kids, okay? - Yeah.
Chuck: DMV says there are 658 blue sedans registered in Montgomery County.
So this list covers - an eight-year production period? - Yep.
I narrowed it as much as I could, given the parameters.
Which could be worthless if the neighbor didn't give us accurate details.
Or if the car he gave us details on wasn't coming from Mrs.
Booker's house.
Lloyd had to know breaking into the home of the First Lady's mother meant that he was gonna draw attention.
Chuck, where are we on a title search? [Keyboard clacking.]
All six properties Lloyd owned in Montgomery County were seized months ago.
What about Browning-Reed properties? Only two also under government administration.
Well, check joint ventures, wholly owned subs, predecessor companies.
I already checked.
Wait.
Here's something.
Okay, Browning-Reed purchased a tract of land about a decade ago, used it as a dumping ground, became a Superfund site.
The company didn't make its penalty payments, so title defaulted to the City of Rockville who never took possession.
What's it used for now? [Keyboard clacking.]
No tax records.
So far as I can tell, it's abandoned.
It's 1545 Bramble off Norbeck, near Olney.
That's two miles from here.
[Birds chirping in distance.]
Blue sedan.
[Gunfire.]
You okay? Yeah.
Yeah.
It's a n It's just a nick! Hannah, I'm good! [Panting.]
[Grunts.]
[Grunts.]
[Panting.]
His compound's got a dedicated T1 line.
We've cut it, meaning he's got no Internet access.
He tries to communicate with the outside world, he's routed straight to us on a secure connection.
Show me what he posted.
Lloyd: This is a message for the President.
I possess 1,000 kilograms of sarin gas.
I also possess the means to disperse that gas throughout the entire Washington metropolitan area, which I am prepared to do if my demand is not met.
At 20:00, the President will deliver a monologue to a nationally televised audience Comments which underscore the mockery that this government has made of our great nation.
Instead, he will use this occasion to grant me unconditional amnesty.
If this demand is not met, thousands will die.
This will be my only communication.
[Computer beeps.]
He can't seriously think you're going to pardon him.
General, he's not looking for a pardon.
- He's looking for a showdown.
- Foerstel: Mr.
President, Lloyd has the history and the resources to suggest - that we should take the treat seriously.
- Tom: I am.
Should we be considering an evacuation? Not practical.
We have two hours.
We have no idea of the range of any of the missiles that he might have in there, so we couldn't define a geographical area.
Tell me what you know about the bunker.
He had it ready and waiting before he fled to Europe.
If everything didn't work out, he could use it as the site of his last stand.
Imaging puts the walls at at least 18 feet thick Solid concrete means that we can't scan the interior.
It's also sturdy enough to withstand conventional explosives.
We could wire the bunker with high-grade munitions.
That would take hours.
The perimeter is lined with cameras.
- He'd see us coming.
- And act accordingly.
But Director Foerstel's correct about the type of ordnance that we would need.
We not only have to breach the bunker Sarin has to be incinerated at a temperature high enough to neutralize biological compounds.
Well, there are a finite number of ways to deliver that sort of payload on a target quickly.
An aerial drop being the best option.
- A bomb? - Bunker buster I guarantee that it'll neutralize the threat.
An F-16? General, the idea's to avoid panic, not precipitate it.
[Exhales.]
Wait.
What about a drone? It's covert, it could get close enough to its target so the public won't see.
Could work if we use the right type of nitrogen-based explosives.
Sir, military action against a civilian target is unprecedented in this country, and it may not be lawful.
Or necessary if this maniac is bluffing.
If Lloyd is dead, he takes the secret of whatever he's been working on for the past six months to the grave.
So you're saying we should be doing everything we can to take him alive.
We need to know what's inside that bunker.
We've got less than two hours.
We'll get you a rapid threat assessment on the likelihood he has sarin gas, sir.
[Exhales.]
How is it possible that the most powerful country in the world finally has its monster concerned, and he's holding all the cards? 15 minutes A couple photo ops, and then I need to get back.
Uh, respectfully, sir, you need to stay for the duration.
Apparently you didn't get the memo, but Patrick Lloyd The most-wanted man on the planet Is threatening to kill a few thousand people in the next couple hours.
Yes, well, this is why you have to maintain a veneer of normalcy.
You know, George Washington He hosted a ball during the Battle of Saratoga.
The redcoats didn't have nerve gas.
I have to agree with Lyor, Mr.
President.
You have to keep up appearances, or people will know there's a crisis.
Aaron: And we've set up a fully functional war room so you can monitor the situation in real time, sir.
Lyor: Meanwhile, you You crack wise.
- He will be cracking wise, right, Seth? - Seth: Absolutely.
The President's gonna kill.
Man: Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States.
[Applause.]
Man: Good evening, sir.
[Applause continues.]
[Indistinct conversations.]
Man: Great to see you, Mr.
President.
Woman: How nice to see you, sir.
[Indistinct conversations, dog barks.]
Berry: We've reconnoitered the property.
Lloyd knows a thing or two about surveillance.
We can't get past the tree line without tipping him off.
So, it's a siege.
Affirmative, SAC Wells, until the White House tells us differently.
[Sighs.]
[Radio chatter.]
Damian, you've been tracking Lloyd as long as I have, right? Unsuccessfully, I might add.
Correct.
That's because every time you think you have him cornered You don't.
Because he always leaves himself an escape hatch.
A Browning-Reed subsidiary in Greenville manufactured fertilizer.
Now, the company closed a year ago, but it stockpiled reagents, including white phosphorus.
So he had the building blocks to build sarin gas.
And the technology to deliver it.
Browning-Reed also produced surface-to-air missiles for the Army.
- Do we know what their range is? - 100 miles.
He'll fly them at a low trajectory, so even if we shoot them down, the sarin will be dispersed anyway.
General, I want you start drawing up plans for a drone strike.
I can't authorize it until we can confirm what's inside the bunker.
No speculation.
Let's get on this, gentlemen.
- Yes, sir.
- Yes, sir.
Damian.
[Door creaks.]
Damian: And there's his escape hatch.
Cowling: Emily.
Oh, hi, Senator.
- Enjoying the festivities? - Very much.
Listen, I wanted to thank you for your intelligence update.
Of course.
- Any further developments? - No.
We are getting a threat assessment as we speak.
And if Lloyd has sarin? All proportional military responses are on the table.
I'm assuming that includes - the use of a tactical drone? - It does.
But we'll keep the Committee in the loop.
Thank you.
[Indistinct conversations.]
[Exhales sharply.]
Hey, Seth, I've got a joke for you.
Oh, thanks, Mike.
I'm good.
- Sure, no.
Hit me.
- All right.
I was nervous about tonight, 'cause I was afraid I was gonna bomb.
[Laughs.]
All right.
I like that.
I'll I'll put it in.
- Thank you.
- Seth, I'm kidding.
[Sniffs.]
Right.
Of course.
I knew that.
Barrett.
Barrett: Mr.
President.
It is an honor.
Well, what did you think of it, sir? - Think of what? - My book "The Transnational Media and the Global Marketplace.
" I sent you the galleys a few months ago? I was honored that you chose to share that with me.
It's only the first thousand pages.
- [Chuckles.]
- But I'd love your feedback.
And don't worry, I can take it.
- Well - Emily: Mr.
President, may I borrow you for a moment? Barrett, I'm sorry.
Just give me one second.
We have a major problem, and the clock is ticking, sir.
Congress rushed to court to preclude your use of a drone.
You're kidding me.
Get me Senator Feller.
It wasn't Senator Feller, sir.
Senator Cowling? Aaron.
Officer: All rise.
Sit down.
We are here for petitioner's emergency motion to enjoin the Administration's use of a drone.
Judge, we move for an immediate dismissal.
Congress has no standing to challenge the executive branch's exercise of its police powers.
But we can challenge its intended violation of a federal statute.
Posse Comitatus? Which effectively forbids military action against an American citizen.
Mr.
Ledley? Uh, just a moment, Your Honor.
I know you haven't reviewed Petitioner's filing yet.
If you need a few minutes Judge, we don't have a few minutes.
We have a pressing national security issue.
We need to get the preliminary injunction lifted now.
Posse Comitatus is inapplicable to the current situation, Your Honor.
Mr.
Lloyd is an enemy combatant.
He's an American citizen on American soil with no stated allegiance to any foreign power.
The President disagrees with that restrictive definition.
The President doesn't get to make that designation.
If he did, he could suspend habeas corpus by a definitional flip of the switch.
That's dictatorship, not democracy.
Brickner: I agree.
There's no precedent for a broad expansion of executive power on these facts, Mr.
Ledley.
The statute can be overridden if the public faces imminent harm.
We need a showing of that, Your Honor Not a bald assertion.
Mr.
Shore, an offer of proof? Judge, we have reasonable basis to believe Mr.
Lloyd is in possession of sarin gas.
Now, he's threatened to use it against a civilian population.
And what is that reasonable basis? He's already blown up the Capitol.
So at present you have no evidence, only speculation.
Based on a threat from someone with a demonstrated proclivity for But no conclusive proof, correct? Brickner: Mr.
Shore? - Conclusive? - No.
I'm going to need to take this under advisement.
Then we're back with closing arguments.
Judge, we have 50 minutes until Lloyd releases sarin gas.
Then don't go far.
Senator Cowling.
Aaron.
The President reached out to you in good faith.
He shared confidential information vital to national security.
Which you and I both know he was duty-bound to do.
We have a very different definition of "Duty," ma'am.
- Patrick Lloyd is a clear and present danger.
- Absolutely.
But the danger he poses pales compared to the danger of subverting our checks and balances.
You really think President Kirkman wants to do that? No.
President Kirkman is a good and decent man.
But his successor might not be.
If I give your guy free rein, what about the next guy? [Exhales sharply.]
Senator, the President wants to make sure there is a next guy.
- 35 minutes to go, sir.
- Thank you.
[Indistinct conversations.]
John, your profilers diagnosed Lloyd as a sociopath with a narcissistic personality disorder, right? - He's textbook, sir.
- So a trauma from his childhood would most likely have contributed to that pathology.
It says here when he was 7 years old, his father was convicted on multiple counts of fraud and tax evasion.
He was sent to prison, and he died there.
And Lloyd didn't do much better with his own son.
They haven't had contact for a decade.
It was a bitter custody dispute.
He wasn't given visitation.
Family.
Family.
It's the only vaguely coherent chapter in Pax Americana's manifesto.
He wrote that the cornerstone of American society is the relationship between a parent and their child, and that that bond is inviolate.
It should be protected at all costs.
He's blaming us.
He thinks we took his father away.
He thinks we took his son.
How the hell could I have missed that? Sir? Pax Americana's a pretext.
He doesn't care about the political ideology.
This is about revenge.
Excuse me, can we have the room please? Thank you.
General, can you patch me through to his bunker? Beckwith: Uh, respectfully, sir, I would strongly advise against that.
So would I.
He's unstable.
He might view contact at this stage - as a provocation.
- And act accordingly.
Well, respectfully, Patrick Lloyd has killed over a thousand people, and he's threatening thousands more, and all we've done is follow the book.
I suggest we consider rewriting it.
General, patch me through.
Yes, sir.
[Device beeping.]
Patrick Lloyd, this is Tom Kirkman.
Lloyd: My demands were clear.
Tom: Clearly impossible.
There's no way out of this, and you know it.
Then why are we talking? I heard you saw your son today.
I wanted to know how that meeting went.
What do you care? I'm a father, too.
[Scoffs.]
To be honest, I was moved by the fact that you chose to see your son after all these years Knowing that this was coming to an end.
And I wanted to let you know that we were not gonna prosecute your boy.
He's my family.
The family the government stole from me.
The government didn't do that.
But you think it did.
Your quarrel is with us, not with the thousands of people that you're threatening.
No, the people empower this government, and now they have to answer for that.
Then put America on trial.
You want a platform? You've got one.
A courtroom.
No.
You're not fit to judge me.
But in a few moments, you will have a judgment to make.
And you know what judgment that will be, and you will lose.
No.
No.
I'll win.
I've already won.
[Device beeps.]
[Sighs.]
- And another dead end.
- Damn it.
All these corridors branch off the main one like spokes.
The Vietcong did the same thing with their tunnels to disorient the enemy.
Well, they were on to something.
You done any profiling work? A year Quantico.
You're building this maze, You can choose any shape or mark connecting the second tunnel leading to the bunker.
Your subconscious will influence the design, so it could be a straight line, could be a V.
Or an L As in "Lloyd.
" Bingo.
[Panting.]
No keypad.
Why is there no keypad? He must have another security protocol.
And I'm standing right in the middle of it Infrared sensor.
Which means the second I move Go.
What? I ran track for two years at Oxford.
Go.
[Computerized beeping.]
[Explosion.]
What the hell was that? What just happened.
- [Cellphone beeps.]
- Talk to me.
An agent tried to breach the bunker through an underground tunnel and set off a tripwire.
Which agent? [Sighs.]
Come on, Hannah.
Pick up the phone.
[Cellphone rings.]
Hannah: Aaron.
Hannah.
Hannah, thank God.
They're telling me there was an explosion? Yeah, Lloyd booby-trapped the tunnel, and if he went to the trouble, it suggests planning, so in terms of threat assessment It increases the likelihood he wasn't bluffing about the sarin.
- Yeah.
- All right.
I'll inform the President about the new calculus.
Now all you have to do is convince a court to let us defend ourselves.
[Cellphone beeps.]
- Counselor.
- Mr.
Shore.
[Exhales sharply.]
You know, you really handed us our lunch in there.
No.
The statute did that.
[Scoffs.]
One of us is wrong, and you know that.
That would be you.
Legally, maybe.
But the cost of being mistaken here is too high.
[Exhales.]
Sometimes there's a greater good.
Not for lawyers.
For lawyers, the client's always the greater good.
And if thousands die you can tell their families that.
Just like we did when he took out the Capitol.
Officer: We're back.
Se you back inside, Ms.
Daynes.
So, what's the hold up? Hold up? There's no hold up.
It's 7:50, guys.
The President doesn't go on for another 10 minutes.
So, why is he in hiding? No, I know what the problem is.
The President's read Seth's material, and he had a heart attack.
Very nice.
Thank you, guys.
I'll see you in there.
[Indistinct conversations.]
Hey, the show's about to start.
People are getting restless.
You're gonna have to improvise.
The President is now incommunicado.
What? Wait, wait, wait! So [Hushed.]
Come here.
If 8:00 rolls around, and he's still M.
I.
A.
, what exactly would you like me to do? Talk.
[Normal voice.]
About what? I don't know.
Use your words.
You know, bore them into submission, fake an anxiety attack.
Well, I'm not gonna have to fake that.
The question before the court is whether the President can authorize the use of military force against civilians, and the answer requires simple statutory construction.
The Posse Comitatus Act is clear.
The military cannot enforce civilian laws.
The military may not use force against our populace, because Congress feared a military state An abuse of military power.
Judge, I need a five-minute recess.
We just got back.
David: I understand, but it's urgent.
Your client's the one who said the clock was ticking, counselor.
Judge, please.
Aaron Aaron, slow down.
The legal obstacle is that the military's in charge.
Tell the President if he has a civilian agency like the FBI call the shots, - the problem goes away.
- Thank you.
General, Mr.
Director, we need to find the President now.
Man: The FBI's calling it all now.
Let's go, fellas.
We're out of here.
[Indistinct conversations.]
What's our status? Green light, sir.
Have we got confirmation on the sarin gas yet? No.
Given everything we know, I'd say it's 50-50.
Beckwith: It's a coin toss, Mr.
President.
Emily: We know he was planning something, we just can't say what.
10 seconds, Mr.
President.
You need to make the call.
Five, four, three - Engage.
- It's a go.
[Explosion.]
Man: Direct hit, sir.
Target has been neutralized.
[Sirens wail.]
[Indistinct conversations.]
Right.
- Did he have the gas? - No, sir.
We've got his remains, but there was no evidence of nerve gas.
It was a bluff.
Then I need to tell the American people that we were working off of good but ultimately erroneous information, and I authorized a drone strike on American soil.
Y-You can't tell them that, sir.
Why not? Respectfully, Mr.
President, this night is about triumph, not recrimination.
America believes in leaders that deliver victory Unambiguous victory.
Mr.
President, Patrick Lloyd was responsible for the deaths of over 1,000 people.
After all the suffering, the country deserves its moment.
You're right.
So let's give it to them.
But not here.
Good evening, my fellow Americans.
At 8:00 p.
m.
Eastern Standard Time, acting pursuant to my authorization, the FBI conducted a drone strike on a fortified bunker in Rockville, Maryland.
That bunker was occupied by Patrick Lloyd.
Mr.
Lloyd refused repeated requests to surrender.
Instead, he indicated that he was in possession of nerve gas, which he stated was his intention to use on civilians.
I can now confirm that Patrick Lloyd has been neutralized, along with the ongoing threat that he posed to our great nation.
We have weathered his challenge, but there will be others, and I will be here to meet them with you.
God bless you, and God bless America.
Man: And we're out.
Thank you.
[Sighs.]
Hey.
Sorry about your jokes.
[Inhales sharply.]
It's okay.
They weren't that funny anyway.
Mike: Mr.
President.
Ms.
Daynes.
Please come in.
Mr.
President.
I heard you fought like a lion today.
Yes, sir.
Thank you for your service.
You're a gracious loser, sir.
Excuse me? - I represented the Senate.
- Please.
Your Administration was contemplating a statutory violation.
We went to court to stop that, and we did.
You cured the violation.
We've had to outsource our legal work for the last year.
We couldn't quite find the right fit.
But I think the White House Counsel's office has been vacant for far too long, so if you're interested in being overworked and underpaid I'm sorry, sir.
You're sorry because you're not interested, or you're already overworked and underpaid? No, of course.
Overpaid and underworked I mean, underpaid and overworked.
That would be not disqualifying, sir, not remotely, and by not disqualifying I hope the word you're looking for is "Yes.
" Yes, Mr.
President.
I would be honored to work for you, sir.
Good.
I'm grateful.
You better get some rest.
You're gonna need it.
- Yes, Mr.
President.
- Thank you.
[Exhales sharply.]
[Sighs.]
[Chuckles.]
Penny: You still have to kiss me good night.
Hey, Little pea.
Penny: Hi.
Did you have a good day? Yeah.
Did you? I had a day where I had to be President.
- Isn't that every day? - [Chuckles.]
You want to hear a joke? Yeah.
So, as I look out across the room, I see Senator Lee on the left, but by the end of the evening, I promise you he'll be on the right.
That's not funny.
[Chuckles.]
I know.
I have a joke.
Knock, knock.
Who's there? Interrupting bird.
- Interrupting bird - Squawk! That's pretty good.
You want a job? I have a job.
I'm the President's daughter.
Yes, you are.
Come on.
It's time for bed.
I hope you have the best sleep ever.
I love you.
I love you.
Night, night.
Night.
[Indistinct conversations.]
Damian: Hannah, you're gonna want to see this.
They found Lloyd's computer.
Half melted, but Trevor here worked his magic.
What'd you find? The hard drive's mostly fried, but Lloyd figured out a way to hack through the firewall we put up.
He was uploading something to the cloud when the bomb hit.
Do you know what it was?