Perception s02e14 Episode Script

Back when we lived in caves, our survival often depended on our ability to figure out fast who was a friend and who was foe.
The amygdala served to make the snap judgments that kept us alive.
It's what's known as the fight-or-flight response.
Lewicki, is there a, um? - Yeah, he's real, doc.
- Good.
Take over for me.
So, how can I help you, officer? - What the hell?! - Stay away from her! - Who? - Caroline Newsome! I haven't I haven't seen Caroline in months.
Oh, don't play dumb with me.
White tulips, ehli chocolates, air supply songs She knows it was you, asshole.
I don't know what the hell you're talking about.
You smashed her windshield.
You scratched "I want you back" into the hood of her car! At least have the balls to admit it! Look, unless you want to find yourself slapped with a police-brutality suit, you better take your hands off me right now.
Consider this a courtesy call.
And if I have to come back here for any more of this stalker crap, you're gonna find yourself walking out of your classroom wearing handcuffs.
I'm telling you, the guy he puts the "dope" in dopamine.
Doc, they're all yours.
Doc? Is this someone's idea of a joke? Doc, what are you talking about? Who who wrote this? Who wrote this?! That was a private conversation! How the hell did you?! What, are you listening tell me who wrote this, or I'll haul all of you down to the Dean's office! - I that is - There's nothing on the board.
There's nothing on the board, okay? You're having an episode.
I think you better take me home.
Okay.
Um, you guys, that that's gonna be all for today, okay? Maybe you have been stalking Caroline.
Oh, come on, Natalie.
Now who's delusional? You wouldn't be the first schizophrenic to obsess about their ex-girlfriend.
Think about it, Daniel you're un-medicated, and you never really dealt with the break-up.
So so, what, I took a cab to her house, smashed her windshield, carved a note in her paint job, and I don't remember any of it?! That's ridiculous.
Maybe you were in a fugue state white tulips, air supply you know Caroline likes these things.
And who else would scratch "I want you back" into her car? Maybe it was some other ex-boyfriend.
I mean, obviously, she goes for the crazy ones.
Face it, Daniel.
You have been taking your illness too casually.
Maybe it's finally caught up to you.
No.
No, I need to talk to Caroline a-a-and clear this up.
Lewicki! This is a terrible idea.
I need a ride to Hubbard memorial.
Uh, I don't know, doc.
Maybe we should think things through.
If you won't listen to me, you should listen to Max.
Yeah? Well, to hell with both of you.
I'll take a cab.
It's Max.
Uh, I've got a problem.
- Caroline, please.
- Oh, no, no, no, no.
Leave me alone.
Just give me five minutes.
Caroline, it wasn't me.
This the guy? Hey! I didn't I didn't do anything! - Sir.
Sir, you're gonna have to leave.
- J-just Just - Just take your hands off me! - Get him out of here.
Hey.
Special Agent Moretti, FBI.
I will handle this.
Daniel, why don't you go wait in my car - I ha - while I talk to Dr.
Newsome.
Listen, parking garage, second level.
- It's gonna be fine.
- I - CJ, go with him, please.
- Oh, no, no, no.
I-I You all right? Yes.
Agent Moretti, this is Ron Norton.
- He's the hospital administrator.
- Hi, there.
Look, is there somewhere we could go talk in private? Oh, my God! Is it blood? I think it's some kind of a syrup.
Whoever did this got past a locked door.
Okay, let's find someplace else to talk, all right? Okay.
So, uh, you want to tell me what's been going on? Someone's been sending me anonymous gifts and notes for a couple of months.
At first, it seemed harmless.
I was pretty sure they were from Daniel.
Why Daniel? Because the person who's leaving these things seems to know me very well my favorite flowers and music.
But the main reason is that all the notes said basically the same thing "I want you back.
" You think Daniel wants you back as a therapist.
No.
- Oh, you, uh You and he - We dated briefly.
I know it was a terrible mistake, but now you understand why I think it's Daniel, especially given his lack of stability.
All right, well, Daniel's far from the only unstable person you've been in contact with.
I mean, any number of your patients could have developed a crush on you, gone online, found out what you like.
I'm a very private person.
I'm not on Facebook or any of that.
And the only people that would know those things about me are the men that I've been involved with.
And aside from Daniel and the guy I'm seeing now, I haven't dated anyone in years.
All right, so you seem pretty convinced that it is, in fact, Daniel.
Why wouldn't you just talk to him about it? I'm a shrink.
I know stalkers.
The best approach is to ignore them.
Right.
Don't engage, and they move on.
Right.
But then yesterday, Sean, my new boyfriend he found my windshield smashed and a message scratched on the hood of my car.
Oh, so you called the cops.
Sean plays hockey with a CPD detective, and he asked him to speak to Daniel off the record.
I didn't want to get Daniel into trouble.
I just wanted him to stop.
But obviously, it didn't work.
Okay, well, whoever's doing this, it does seem like it's escalating.
I mean, why go from leaving gifts to smashing windows? Sean and I moved in with each other a few weeks ago.
I think the stalker is lashing out.
All right, well, listen, this doesn't qualify as an FBI case, but I do think that I can help you.
I mean, if there are any fingerprints on the box of candy, or DNA if he licked the envelope All right, and we both know - whose fingerprints those are gonna be.
- Okay.
I recognize that this is a very difficult time for you, but I think you should know I don't think Daniel's capable of doing any of these things.
Daniel has a very serious disease! He's very good at keeping secrets, even lying to hide his symptoms.
Maybe you don't know him as well as you think.
So, what? She still thinks I did it? She has her reasons.
She told you about us, didn't she? Listen, Daniel, your personal life is none of my business.
Just Tell me you haven't been stalking her.
- I haven't.
- Great.
So, what's with the look? There's There's like a 1% chance that I've been doing these things, and I don't remember.
I'm gonna run with the 99%.
Good.
Doc, why aren't you dressed? You're gonna be late for class.
I'm not teaching class today.
Are you having symptoms again? No, I'm fine.
I just Yesterday was humiliating.
Look, all you did was erase a blank chalkboard.
Big deal.
Okay? Everybody knows you have your Eccentricities.
Fine.
I'll reschedule class.
But, doc, don't worry.
Your students love you.
Chancellor, to what do I owe this unexpected pleasure? You heard about the incident in Pierce's class yesterday? I did.
- Do you know Gordon Williams? - Of course.
He's one of our biggest donors.
And his daughter Mallory - is in Pierce's class.
- Not anymore.
Williams is pulling her out.
That's an overreaction, don't you think? Pierce had a psychotic episode in front of 30 students.
Look, I don't think I have to tell you that there have been some tragic incidents involving the mentally ill at universities in recent years.
We need to show Williams that we take his concern seriously.
Okay.
I'll have a talk with him.
No.
Williams wants to talk to Pierce.
Chancellor, I-I just don't think that's the best way to resolve this.
Paul, let's be frank.
We've got a bigger problem here.
People don't want their kids taught by a schizophrenic.
I don't know where we're going here, but we cannot fire Daniel because he has a mental illness.
It is against the Americans with disabilities act! He wouldn't be fired for being mentally ill.
Pierce has racked up a long list of violations.
He doesn't attend faculty meetings.
He refuses to submit syllabi to the department chair.
He's got tenure! If you want to save your friend, you need to fix this before Williams withdraws his endowment.
Otherwise, Pierce is done at this school.
- Agent Moretti? - Uh-huh.
Inspector Liza Brahms, Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
You submitted a DNA sample to CODIS yesterday? Yeah.
Mind if I ask what case you're working on? I'm trying to find a stalker.
Well, whoever your stalker is, he's a murderer, too.
Her name was Ahneesah Jones.
She was 19 years old.
She was working at a casino in Windsor as a cocktail waitress.
They found her behind the casino, beaten to death.
That was three years ago.
More Americans drinking and gambling in Windsor than there are Canadians living there.
Wouldn't surprise me if the killer lived in the states.
Did this guy stalk Ahneesah before he killed her? Anonymous gifts, notes, phone calls.
Ahneesah reported it, but the Windsor cops couldn't do much.
She didn't know who it was, and the guy hadn't broken any laws.
Any suspects? No name, no description.
All we have is his skin under her fingernails, then the trail went cold.
Until yesterday, when you sent his DNA to CODIS.
It was a long shot.
I got lucky that this guy was in the system.
I'm still not clear why this is an FBI matter.
It's not, really.
I, uh, submitted the DNA as part of an unrelated arson case.
You're working off the books? Why, what's so funny? I'm off the books, too.
Superintendent said that I was spending too much time on the case, ordered me to drop it.
But when I saw your DNA match pop up, I put in some vacation time, and I drove right down.
Well, it's international.
I mean, I can make it an FBI case now.
Why don't you just call up your boss, tell him I want your help? Oh, he's gonna be pissed when he finds out why I'm here.
What Doesn't everyone spend their vacation time chasing bad guys? You need to meet with Gordon Williams.
And tell him what, that I-I'm not a dangerous sociopath, just your friendly neighborhood "Looney Tunes"? Just put the man at ease.
The chancellor will be happy.
The whole thing will blow over.
No, I-I-I'm not gonna kiss up to some billionaire investment banker and apologize for who I am.
I'm not asking you to apologize.
Meet with the man.
- He's a big donor.
- Oh, there we go.
Money, money, but what what happened to your principles, Paul? Where Where Where Where's the Paul Haley who led the student protest against apartheid? I-I-I guess you You hocked your idealism for a pile of filthy lucre.
You know what? Your diagnosis doesn't give you an excuse to be an asshole.
Paul, don't Go ahead.
Set up the meeting.
Hey, Dean Haley.
Mr.
Lewicki.
Uh, he's not upset with me, is he? Is that the mail? Yeah, it's just junk, but, uh You got this from Miranda.
She enjoying Paris? You know, doc, you should go see her.
Yeah.
Right.
So you're telling me that the man that's stalking me is a murderer? I'm afraid so.
I have arranged for a CPD unit to do hourly drive-bys of your house.
Listen.
We're gonna get through this.
We are.
We're not gonna let this bastard ruin our lives.
So this DNA you found you sure it doesn't belong to this Pierce guy? Well, we haven't tested his DNA yet.
So you you can't rule him out.
Honey, I must have been wrong.
Daniel's not a killer.
Dr.
Newsome, do you know anyone from Windsor, Ontario, maybe Detroit area? Someone with gambling issues? I don't think so.
Listen, we can't rule out the possibility that it was one of your patients.
We'll need to see your files.
I can't release their medical records.
That's against the law.
Okay, well, there is an exception in the instance of imminent danger.
I'm sorry, but that's against my principles, too.
Okay, no problem.
We'll just look at them after this guy kills you.
Hey, come on.
We wouldn't need to see their medical histories.
We'd just need their names and socials.
I guess I can give you that.
And what about Pierce? Listen, honey, I know what you think about him, but he's he's a schizophrenic.
He's unpredictable.
There's one way to know for sure.
You want my DNA? Yesterday, you were convinced I had nothing to do with this.
- Today, I'm Hannibal Lecter.
- Daniel, come on.
- It's completely painless.
- No.
No.
I am not gonna let the government disclose my genetic code to every three-letter agency in Washington.
Who knows what they'll do with it? Well, it's the fastest way for me to clear you as a suspect.
Hey, I'm only a suspect because people are ignorant and prejudiced.
"Who's the killer? Blame the schizo.
" Okay, fine.
- It's been nice working with you.
- What do you mean? Well, I have to revoke your security clearance.
Why? Because, Daniel, you cannot consult for the FBI if you, yourself, are a murder suspect.
Don't worry.
I'm sure we'll catch the real killer Someday.
All All right, all right, all right.
Swab me already.
Your boyfriend get pissed when you work late? Oh, I don't have a boyfriend.
Just an ex-husband.
I thought we might be able to work things out, but Yeah, being a cop hasn't done my love life any favors, either.
Why do we do it? Well, I don't know about you, but it's the only job I ever wanted.
Hmm.
You never thought about, uh, prime minister? You know, where I grew up in Toronto, nobody ever called the cops.
Some guy beats his wife, her brother's gonna take care of him.
You know, someone gets their purse snatched, a couple local boys are gonna find the punk and give him a beat-down.
But the rule was you never, ever called the pigs.
And that made you want to become a cop because? One day, um, my parents' restaurant got held up, and one of the cops that showed up was this young woman, and she asked me if I could help catch the bad guys.
That was it.
That's when I knew.
Oh, here we go.
Daniel's DNA results.
So I'm not the killer.
What a relief.
Look, now that you're back on Uncle Sam's payroll, we could use your help.
I can be there in 15 minutes.
Great.
See you soon.
Kate, check this out Steven Haas.
He's one of Caroline's regulars, right? Except none of his info checks out.
His address, social It's all made up.
This guy doesn't exist.
Well, it looks like he booked all of his appointments via e-mail.
I'll have Fleckner run a trace.
I feel silly being escorted everywhere like a little girl.
Happy to do it, Dr.
Newsome, especially when you see patients at night.
It gets spooky in here.
Thanks, CJ.
I'll see you tomorrow.
Have a good night.
What is it?! What is it?! We got nothing.
Security camera on this level's been out for a week.
Well, that's awfully convenient.
Well, the question is did our guy get lucky, or did he know that the camera was out? Well, if he works here, maybe he disabled it.
Could you get me a list of all hospital employees? I need to get out of this garage.
I'll take you.
Daniel, I'm sorry I ever suspected you.
Tell you the truth, I had a few moments of doubt myself.
I should have come to you, but Sean wanted to send that detective.
- I wish I hadn't let him talk me into it.
- It's okay.
Don't worry about it.
So, what does Sean do? He's a broker for a securities firm.
Sounds dreadful.
I mean, I'm sure he's a great guy.
Why wouldn't you be with a great guy? But finance? - He's pretty wonderful.
- Hmm.
I'm sorry.
You don't want to hear this.
It's fine.
I'm I'm I'm glad you met someone.
I'm with someone, too, actually.
- Really? - Uh-huh.
Um, she's out of the country at the moment.
Miranda.
She's a cellist.
She's very talented and funny.
And best of all, she's not my shrink or a hallucination.
That works well.
I'm really happy for you, Daniel.
Steven Haas? He's had an appointment with me every weekday at 10:00 AM.
for two months.
Five days a week? That's pretty intensive.
What's his diagnosis? Dr.
Newsome, this man's been lying to you about who he is.
He could very well be our guy.
I know why he wants to keep his identity a secret.
He's trying to resolve some sexual issues.
Can you be more specific? He's into BDSM.
What? Bondage Discipline Sadomasochism.
He has some pretty violent fantasies.
Okay, why didn't you tell us about him before? I have a lot of patients that suffer from disturbing pathologies, and my job is to protect them.
Threat or no threat, Steven doesn't fit the profile.
He has a lot of girlfriends.
- So? - Stalkers who are intimacy seekers are usually introverts.
Their delusional attachments stem from isolation and loneliness.
He lied about his name, so maybe he's lying about these girlfriends.
I don't think so.
Well, a guy who's into leather and whips sounds like someone who could beat a girl to death.
Actually, people who are into BDSM are no more likely to be violent than anyone else.
You got to be kidding me.
- They hit each other for fun.
- That's because the areas of the brain that register sexual pleasure can also respond to pain and fear.
Well, we all agree that we should at least talk to the creep, right? He's coming here tomorrow, 10:00 AM.
Let's pick him up.
I didn't put a snake in her car, okay? You guys are whacked.
Not as whacked as you are.
What makes you think that a respectable woman like Dr.
Newsome would want anything to do - with a perv who likes to tie up women? - What did she tell you, huh?! 'Cause I'm gonna sue the crap out of her if I What's to tell? One look at you, and we know what you're thinking.
I went to her for help.
Maybe at first, but then something changed.
You started to get sweet on her, didn't you? You started to fantasize about her Twisted stuff But she didn't want anything to do with you.
Just like Ahneesah Jones.
Who? The cocktail waitress that you beat to death three years ago A young girl with her whole life ahead of her.
I don't know what you're talking about.
Tell us your real name.
It's none of your business.
If you don't want to cooperate, we will just drag you to court.
Maybe you'll get your picture in the paper.
Sit tight.
Yeah? What is Tyler Woolf doing here? Who? How can you people not know who Tyler Woolf is? He wrote the book on file sharing, sold his first company for $100 million.
That man is an Internet God.
Well, that would explain why he wants to keep his hobbies private.
- What do you mean? - Mr.
Woolf is the guy whose e-mail address I gave you to investigate.
- No way.
- Yeah.
I tracked his e-mail to some seriously freaky chat rooms.
Check this out.
He's been posting under the screen name "Lord Steven" Super-twisted.
Stalking, Abduction, Cannibalism.
I can't believe it's even legal to write some of this crap.
If Dr.
Newsome ever used his file-sharing service, he may have had access to her hard drive her music, all her e-mail.
That's how he learned everything about her.
Okay, this is enough to convince a judge that he's dangerous.
I'm gonna get Donnie to draft a DNA warrant.
Order sailed right through.
Thank you.
Kate DEA offered me a job.
Office of the chief counsel.
Hey.
Congratulations.
It's in San Diego.
Are you gonna take it? It's a pretty great opportunity.
I'd be an idiot to pass it up, don't you think? How soon would you leave? Friday.
Friday? Okay.
Unless You think there's a reason for me to stay.
I think you should do what's best for you.
Mr.
Williams, this is Dr.
Daniel Pierce.
Pleasure to meet you, sir.
My daughter enjoys your lectures very much.
Thank you.
Mallory's a good student.
Uh, please.
She was upset with me for pulling her out of your class.
But I felt I had to, at least until we had a chance to talk.
I don't mean to put you in an uncomfortable position, but I did some research.
I've learned that people with your mental illness sometimes go off their medications.
And I assume that had something to do with what happened in class.
No, I don't think that has anything to do with Dr.
Pierce, excuse me for being blunt, but are you taking medication for schizophrenia? Allow me to be blunt.
That's none of your damn business.
- Uh, what Dr.
Pierce meant to say - You made it my business when you lost touch with reality in front of my daughter.
I need some assurance that you're stable enough to be in the classroom.
What kind of assurance? I've contacted a well-respected psychiatrist.
I'd like you to be evaluated.
Oh, you want a doctor's note? What are you, my 4th-grade teacher? L-let's give Mr I need to know that you won't lose control again! - I don't think that's unreasonable.
- It's completely unreasonable! Daniel.
No, Paul, Paul, kissing this guy's ass is one thing, but I'm not gonna let this entitled, condescending prick tell me how to manage my illness! What a relief.
They finally got this guy in custody.
Thanks for being so great through all this.
Maybe now you can finally get a good night's sleep.
Yeah.
I need a nice hot shower.
To Charlie the only man in my life.
I thought you were single.
Oh, he's very handsome.
He's sweet.
Problem is, he tries to hump every female he meets.
To Charlie.
Mother Honey, did you say something? Sean? Sean? Sean? So, were you ever married? Engaged once.
- Cop? - Worse.
Lawyer.
Hmm.
So what happened? We went through a rough patch and decided to take a break.
I thought it would all work itself out.
But the next the thing I know, he knocked up his secretary.
Dr.
Newsome.
Well, we know it wasn't Tyler Woolf.
He's still in custody.
Have you figured out how they got past the alarm? Well, the system's working.
The killer must have known the code.
That's impossible.
Only Sean and I knew it.
Dr.
Newsome, can I borrow your phone? It's a RAT Remote access tool.
- So someone's hacked Caroline's phone.
- Yep.
This is primo spyware.
Whoever did this had access to everything Calls, e-mails, texts, GPS.
It also works as a live mike whenever the phone was on.
Can you figure out who's been doing this? The software left breadcrumbs that I tracked to a burner phone.
He's not stupid.
Well, now that we've pulled the plug on him, he's gonna go to ground, find someone new to go after.
No, he can't walk away, even if he wants to.
In his mind, he's involved in an intimate relationship with Caroline.
He can't leave any more than a drug addict can quit cold turkey He needs his fix.
Yeah, well, she's under 24-hour guard.
- He's not getting to her.
- Yeah.
Unless we let him.
We're gonna have to use Caroline as bait.
Paul, t-this isn't really a good time.
Daniel, I want you to know that I did everything I could.
What are you talking about? Williams went to the chancellor.
You've been suspended.
He can't do that.
Apparently he can, pending a disciplinary hearing.
There's a sliver of good news.
The chancellor has agreed to forget the whole thing if you accept a research-only position.
You'd be able to keep your office, uh, your benefits.
No No classes.
Paul, I'm I'm a teacher.
It's one of the few things in my life I know I'm good at.
If If I don't have I'm calling my lawyer.
Daniel, there are times to fight, but this isn't one of them.
T-the semester is almost over.
Just wait until things calm down, then petition to get your classes back.
But if you push the chancellor again, you'll be out for good.
Never figured that a stock broker could be such a great hockey player, huh? Or such a loyal friend.
To Sean.
To Sean.
Make sure you run the cop's DNA, too.
He wouldn't be the first guy to become obsessed with his buddy's girlfriend.
Hmm.
That, and he's an asshole.
You're doing fine, Dr.
Newsome.
I wish I felt that way.
It's a good turnout.
Most of your colleagues seem to have showed up.
Even the security guard.
He had access to your office, and he was there when you found the snake.
CJ's always been so sweet.
Dr.
Newsome, I, uh I'm real sorry about your boyfriend.
If there's anything that you need, call me, anytime.
Thanks, CJ.
That means a lot.
Yeah.
We'll have the lab put a rush on that one.
- What is it? You okay? - Yeah.
It's just Too many people.
Too many people.
Daniel? He's an introvert.
This is the last place he'd want to be.
Everyone from your work T-they knew about this wake, right? Everyone seemed to show up.
Who didn't show? Ron, the hospital administrator? It's from the lab.
Ron Norton, hospital administrator.
I'll take that in US dollars.
Let's go find this scumbag.
Mr.
Norton.
Police.
We need to talk.
Police! You got him? He's in the south stairwell headed up.
On my way.
What the hell happened? I had him cornered on the roof.
He jumped.
Well, did he say anything? Only that he loved Ahneesah.
We're ready for your statement.
He murdered Ahneesah three years ago.
Why would he be thinking about her now? I think there's another stalker.
I was just about to hit the road.
What's the emergency? The lab called.
There was a mix-up with the DNA samples.
Turns out Norton's not a match, after all.
- That's impossible.
- I wish.
My boss is gonna go ballistic.
Look, we should probably talk in private, get our ducks in a row.
So, what I can't figure out is why Norton would have killed himself if he was innocent.
I'm telling you the lab was right the first time.
- Norton did it.
- How do you know? He admitted killing Ahneesah.
You mean your niece.
I did some digging.
Ahneesah was your sister's oldest daughter.
Why didn't you tell me? I didn't want you to think I was on some kind of vendetta.
But you were, weren't you? You wanted to get him back.
No, it wasn't like that.
Then help us understand.
He left Ahneesah in an alley with the trash.
She was wearing the bracelet I gave her for her birthday.
You didn't tell any of the other officers on the scene that you were related to the victim? Of course not.
I would have been taken off the case.
No one would have worked harder than me to catch this bastard.
And if it wasn't for me, he would have gotten away with it! Maybe killed your friend, too.
So did he jump, or did you push him? There was no mix-up with the DNA, was there? You told me that you knew what it was like to grow up with people who took the law into their own hands.
Is that what you do now? Yeah, uh, I'm gonna head back to Toronto.
Listen.
Do you remember that little girl? The one who just wanted to help people catch the bad guys? What would she think about all this, huh? Would she want you to lie? Just tell me what happened on the roof.
Norton had nowhere to go.
Hands on your head! Oh! Please! Please! Ahneesah Jones.
You remember her? Oh, God.
I loved her.
No, I loved her.
You killed her! I didn't Yeah, and then you threw her away like garbage! No! She didn't give me a choice! Please! I tried to hold on.
But I couldn't.
Anything else? I may never be able to prove what really happened on that roof, but the truth is that you lied to me and to your superiors.
They're gonna take your badge.
I got the bad guy.
So it was a pretty good vacation.
The amygdala is an almond-shaped mass of gray matter deep within the temporal lobe.
Doc.
Where the hell is everybody? Come with me.
What are What are you all doing here? You're the best teacher at this school.
And what the administration's doing to you is not cool.
We're not going back to class until you do.
That's right.
Yeah.
Whoo! Whoo! Look, I-I-I appreciate what you're doing, but don't screw yourselves, okay? You You'll blow the whole semester, and for what? There There are plenty of other good teachers here, like Professor Schneider, who's giving a fascinating lecture on the limbic system at the moment.
And And judging from your midterms, none of you could afford to miss that.
Let me put this another way.
Get out.
Go on.
You are totally sick, dude.
It's a compliment, doc.
Huh.
Donnie.
Don't go.
Can I have a word with Dr.
Pierce? I wanted to come by and tell you how much I appreciate you being a team player and putting the university first.
I always look at the bright side, chancellor.
Look, it's not easy running a big school like CLMU.
It's a lot of moving parts, a lot of people to keep happy, but I think we've weathered the storm.
I wanted you to know we're proud to have you on the faculty.
Just not in front of students.
Think of it this way you'll have more time to devote to your writing.
Well, that's true.
In fact, uh, it's funny you said that.
I was just writing something now.
A new book? No, a letter, actually, to you.
It says, "I have been part of Chicago-Lake Michigan University "for more than half of my life.
"I've been true to my school, chancellor.
"But if my school doesn't want me anymore, then I will find one that does.
" You can take your research position, and shove it up your pompous ass.
I quit.
Fight or flight may be a primitive neurological response, but that doesn't mean these are bad options.
Sometimes fighting for what we want is the right thing to do.
Though often, what we're really fighting is our own fear Fear of getting hurt and making the same mistakes all over again.
But sometimes the wisest thing is to get the hell out of dodge.
Go off on our own.
That can be a little scary, not just for us, but for the people we leave behind because odds are they're just not gonna understand.
Every now and then, we need to break with the past and take a leap into uncharted territory.
But even if we choose to fly away, well, that doesn't mean we're never coming back, does it? Dr.
Pierce? Yes? You'd be a lot easier to find if you carried a cellphone.
If I carried a cellphone, the government could track me.
Who are you? Special Agent Drexler, I'm the FBI legat at the US embassy.
Your government needs your help.