Billions (2016) s06e08 Episode Script
The Big Ugly
1
Previously on Billions
The Olympic Games in 2028
are awarded to
New York City.
My guess is, somewhere inside this is a direct bribe of sorts.
A quid pro quo.
The Olympics.
You want to be on the performance coaching team.
To run it.
Use my talents to turn those athletes into medal machines.
Done.
I can't stay.
You can come with, but I have to go back to the St.
Regis to pack.
- Pack? - Before the Games, I need to spend time in the mountains.
Yeah, but I thought we were going to try here.
Us.
The Olympics mean something very different to me than they do to you.
This is everything I ever worked for, and I need you to do the work and climb for the kiss.
Yes.
You're right.
And I will.
Prince didn't pull this off all by his lonesome.
So we separate Prince from his power base.
Let him fall like the smoke from the fireworks drifting down on this fine city.
Prince, let's go.
Wake up.
Get your shit on.
Time to go.
How cold is it out there? We're not doing that.
Let's go, come on.
I guess that's why I hired Gabby Reece.
The worst thing that can happen is a person gets comfortable, and then they think the world is a comfortable place.
You have to be comfortable being uncomfortable.
You catch my drift? I mean, otherwise, you would think, like, this pace is running.
But this is a jog.
Well, it's more like a walk.
It's a long run.
It's not a sprint.
Life is a sprint.
You just hope it's a long one.
When I do this for real, when I run the original marathon route, it'll remind people of doing hard things, and the original meaning of the Games.
The original run into Athens was to bring a message about a war that was finally won.
And the messenger, he died because his cardio was crap.
And you know what? You haven't won a damn war yet.
Come on! Pick it up! - All right.
- Okay, thanks.
There he is.
Good to see you, Mike.
We saved a seat for you.
Good to see you.
Very impressive pace.
Bravo.
I'm just trying to stay loose, turn my mind off.
It's the closest thing I know to meditation.
But this particular run has a higher purpose, doesn't it? I want to celebrate what humans are capable of.
And, yes, when I do this run in the summer months before the Games begin, I hope thousands join me all around the world.
Millions, even, just to help welcome the Games to New York City.
But that is the purpose of the traditional run, right? People all around the world get to carry the torch to the destination.
But with you, it seems very personal.
You seem, some say, deeply invested, maybe more than what people are comfortable with.
So here's a question: what, if anything, are you trying to say about yourself? And I ask that because these Games are for all global citizens, not just for Michael Thomas Aquinas Prince.
Well, Gayle, I could throw the famous Roosevelt quote at you about getting in the ring.
But instead, I'll give you some Dusty Rhodes.
Okay.
"Let me tell you something, Daddy.
"I am the bull of the woods, and it ain't my dream.
It's the American dream.
" Now be careful you don't accidentally get in the way of a bionic elbow.
Duly noted.
And ouch.
Is that the purpose of the traditional run? - That people all around - Wow, look at that.
A couple of bona fide heroes, huh? Split times are no joke.
Especially into mile eight.
Really? And for Prince to stay with her that's no mean feat.
And the guy's got a day job with pretty decent remuneration.
They ought to bottle his sweat and sell it for a million dollars an ounce.
I'm surprised shocked, really to see you succumb to the testosterone-infused stylings of this guy.
You don't buy into him carrying the torch for all of New York City, then? Oh, yes, of course.
The great man carries the torch for us all.
Be a real shame if the bull of the woods got his big run canceled and ended up hanging on a hook.
The question is, how? What's the only thing worse than not getting what you want? Getting what you want, but having it ripped from your hands.
It's like I hired my own twin.
Anyone know what "sic 'em" actually means? It's a command originating from the order for attack dogs to seek, to pursue with lethal focus.
Now, if you own a great dog, a loyal dog, a dog that would kill for you on that command, as every person here would for each other, you're very careful not to speak that command loosely.
You save those words for when the target is clear and the moment is exactly right.
The rest of the time, you rein them in, keep them fed but not full, exercised and ready to go.
Now, why am I giving you this little canine chalk-talk? Because the Olympic Games are going to present an opportunity for maximal profits, and so I want everyone here to free up some capital.
Sell off that which you've been holding on for the same reason a college senior holds on to her high school yearbook, for sentiment and comfort.
And remember what it was like when the future was brighter than a shiny red F-150.
When you say free up some capital? I mean sell the house, go west and find the gold before the next guy does.
Games open a window for sure, but I don't want to dump out of great shit on some flyer.
To respectfully echo that concern, maybe some of us could sit this one out.
I don't mind the bench.
Well, when you own dogs, you feed them all, but you save the freshest meat for those that don't hesitate.
Find the best ways into new plays, and I'll back your move with the main fund.
Targets will be transportation, recommendation apps, keycard entry systems, personnel, and hospitality start-ups.
Give Airbnb a good scare.
We're allocating based on performance.
- Whose book has done the best.
- I'll be getting into Hold that thought.
Philip get first pick.
He's outperformed everyone lately.
Thanks.
I'll take air travel, aim to secure official airline sponsorship for the Games.
I already started working on Hypersonic, a new high-tech passenger airline that travels 3X the sound barrier.
I've done the research, and I'm in the process of building a relationship with the CEO.
Good.
You can put Philip in touch.
I'm happy to let Taylor go first if they want.
Take Hypersonic, I can see you're emotionally invested.
I'll go with self-driving cars instead.
Similar sponsorship opportunities.
But next time I get first pick, I'll be taking it.
No sympathy.
Okay.
Divvy up the rest.
Now, where my dogs at? Sic 'em! I don't think I've ever actually seen a rich, powerful man enjoy it before.
Moments like this, if you don't actually enjoy it, what's the darn point? Where do you go when you need to breathe a little? I have a wonderful library on the first floor of my duplex.
Great old 78 player.
And a 60-year-old Speyside single malt.
But your family's there.
That makes it all the more pleasant.
Shit.
Hit me with the real of it.
I'm moving in with Chelz, my girl, and she wants me to get rid of my rooms at the Pierre.
I want to make her happy, but I can't do it, not yet.
I'll move out and in with her, but I can't actually let the suite go.
So I was thinking you could let me put them under your name.
I'd pay, of course, off the books.
For a host of reasons, primary among them that I don't believe this serves you or your relationship, I say no.
I also say and I mean this if you ever find you need a moment to breathe, come on over to my place.
There's more than enough 60-year to go around.
I'll do it.
You can put the rooms in my name.
Really? I can tell that's what you need, not a pep talk.
It's like at Brown, they didn't lecture you not to do Molly.
Instead, some students gave you a testing kit to make sure it's actually Molly you're doing.
And they hope eventually you'll just decide to quit.
God fucking bless them.
And you.
Well, I hope you're enjoying the city, Miss Brett.
Or do you prefer Katerina? We do not yet know each other.
Then Miss Brett it is.
Thank you very much for seeing us.
I'm a big, big Olympics person.
One of my first memories was watching Klammer on the downhill.
Couldn't believe the way he got up in the air yet stayed on the course.
Inspired me to try to do the same in my chosen field.
The Games mean something like this to so many.
And I never tire of hearing it.
The majesty, the patriotic pride, the striving for excellence.
That's all why I was so glad, at first, to know that they were coming to New York.
From my understanding, you wanted to stop them.
Oh, once I found out who was bringing them to New York, and whom he was working with a certain Colin Drache then, yes, I took action.
Not to stop the Games.
No, to protect them from disgrace, from shame.
But this Drache is not the one person involved with Prince.
He put together a top group.
Every important business leader in New York.
Surely they are not all "in on it.
" They may not know every move that Prince has made, but Every four years the rumors start.
This is how I know the Games are really about to begin.
Oh, no, no, no, no.
Much more than that here.
You have a case to present against Michael Prince and his group? Let me answer that with a question.
Do you believe an animal a bear, say can commit crimes against nature, even though that bear is only doing what he was made to do? - I do not.
- Ah.
Then you've never seen such an animal engaging in an activity called high-grading, have you? - Hmm? - This is when the bears are in the last stages of hyperphagia.
They're eating twenty, thirty, forty thousand calories a day to ready themselves for winter's hibernation.
Now in the beginning, they catch a salmon, they eat a salmon.
Natural.
As intended.
Yes.
But towards the end, the bears are mostly full.
The supply could be cut off and they'd be fine.
They'd sail through the winter.
But they don't stop eating.
Instead, they become very picky.
The bears grab the salmon in their mouths, they turn them inside out, devour only the brain and skin, and throw the rest away.
Now, they are gorging on only the most choice bits, killing because they can, because they want to, not out of need and leaving a giant pile of mostly whole, skinned salmon sitting there to rot in the sun.
I'll admit this is a disturbing image.
It should be.
And Mike Prince is one of those bears.
Society is the river, the citizens are the salmon.
And now he wants the Games, too? It's high-grading.
I understand what you're saying.
I also understand that it means you don't have any real evidence of corruption or anything else.
When you do, I will act right along with you.
Until then, I move forward.
"Until then, I move forward"? Come the fuck on.
We break Prince off from his friends.
That's how he loses the Games.
With a threat to take their money, a convincing fucking threat.
- I can think of a few.
- Yeah.
There's one they're particularly worried about.
Long promised.
Now we have to make it come true.
We're going to tax their asses.
Yes, we are.
Here they are, the A-Team.
More like heroes of the city.
They cheered for me when I walked into Marea.
Some people stood.
That's good.
I got invited to join Augusta, - which is better.
- Me too.
We should play a round.
Met Gala? - Yep.
- Yep.
Love what I'm hearing.
It's what I expected.
Ah.
Miss Brett, welcome.
We are partners now.
Call me Katerina.
Congratulations on your winning bid and to this powerhouse organization.
We're going to put on a spectacular show.
I particularly love this one-man torch relay you have been training for.
This is already driving huge traffic to the ICS website.
Well, that was the intention.
We have all the city's key real estate.
A whole array of resources, really.
Which is why I have assembled this group, so I can deploy each of their special gifts.
We already have the entire bid office converted to headquarters.
We're getting right to work.
Just wait till you see the extent of the plans - I have in place.
- Oh, before that.
A word.
Your attorney general is telling an ugly story of bribery.
Don't they always? Yes, of course, as I suggested when he came to see me.
- He visited you in person? - He did.
And he had nothing when pressed.
Because, as you know, nothing untoward happened.
If that reveals itself to be otherwise, you and I will be having a completely different conversation.
Great job.
First gold medal of this Olympic era.
- Nice work, guy.
- Use me as your Jim Kiick.
Follow behind and get your yards.
I will.
- What's the thing? - Philip nabbed 10% of AutoTelic.
Plus they're donating 500 self-driving cars for athlete transpo during the Games.
Huge win.
The compressed timeline to get the cars ready means AutoTelic gets the largest urban beta phase in the history of self-driving cars.
Good for all of them.
I need a huge fucking win.
Megan.
Shit.
Superhero stuff right here in front of me.
Ah, I just worked a little harder than the other ones.
Here's what I see: someone with the rarest of abilities.
And you inspire people.
You take them out of their day-to-day and give them an injection of hope.
- I try.
- But you understand it.
I'm head performance coach for the Olympics, and I'm trying to build out my team.
And I don't want a bunch of performance shrinks who haven't been out there.
I mean, the thing is, you have to really consider every word when talking to an athlete who are trying to perform at the highest level.
It's one thing to have a coach yell at us, but if I let you into my psyche This is exactly what I need to hear.
And why I want you to be my partner in this.
I'm in.
Not while I'm playing.
Cool.
That's the sixth generation, taken at the beginning of the flight when we found out that 9.
5 Gs was a bit too much.
- G-LOC.
- No.
Too much for the plane.
The fuselage buckled.
Had to punch out.
- Maté? - No, thanks.
The projections on your company are off the charts.
Business is secondary.
I know aircraft.
Delta wing design, new composite materials, tri-spool configuration.
Commercial travel's at the stagecoach phase.
Hypersonic will be like locomotives.
Make the world crossable.
Make things possible.
That's how I got back from Australia so fast.
And that was just in the Mini Hype.
Does Mach 2.
2.
The Symphony will do 2.
8 with 75 souls aboard.
Which is why my firm's ready to take a big position at the opening tomorrow, but I wanted to discuss a bigger partnership.
Don't want partners.
Don't like them.
Sure, ones who don't know that the single crystal nickel alloy that allows your engines to operate above melting point is the key to your tech.
You know about high-bypass turbofans.
My principal just brought the Olympics to New York, and we need the ability to fly in teams, fans, fast, from far and wide.
- From Tokyo in eight hours - Six Once you start flying passengers, of course.
But before that, you'll need a bigger market cap, which will give you freedom with your board.
- I can give all that to you.
- How? By making Hypersonic the official airline of the New York Games.
Fuck me.
We've got a hell of a lot to talk about, my new friend.
Sure you don't want a maté? Sure, I'll take one.
Azucar or amargo? Gotta whip it.
Whip it good.
It's hard to get the state legislature to go against the people whose money put them in their seats.
That's why they call it whipping the vote.
Never easy.
Plus, we only need the threats, not the action.
It's got to be convincing.
If we can get this cabal of Prince's to believe we're finally going to close the carried interest loophole And that all their capital gains will suddenly be considered income at the state level, too.
That's a 22% tax hit for them.
Cap gains is their very lifeblood.
Truth is, the people will love this.
We just have to remind our state reps of it, that there's some things more important than deep pockets.
- How do you do that? - Well, Dave, some things haven't changed since Hugh Carey put on his first straw boater.
You go into their world, you speak their language, you solve their problems.
You offer them friendship.
Albany is as Albany ever was.
Instead of duckpin bowling, you show up just when they need the help, when their constituents are about to rebel because their property taxes have been raised.
And you help remind those constituents just how powerful their representative is.
And, of course, you do the bandstand circuit of bar mitzvahs, confirmations, christenings and the like.
Sometimes, you recreate with these fine folks, up in the deer stand or on the lake.
And, most crucially you feel their pain.
So I know you must've anticipated this part, even as we scare them with the state tax, they don't have to pull support of the Games.
They're rich enough.
They can move themselves and their firms out of state to avoid it.
Ah, now we're talking about the interstate compact.
- Yep.
- Which is why you're going to rope the governors of neighboring and other likely states into a dinner to make that compact.
They're not going to agree to something as jacked up as that over dinner, no matter how good the wine is.
They don't have to.
They don't even need to know why they're coming to dinner.
They just need to come, so give them a good reason.
Your guy's going to want to be there, believe me, or he'll be caught out.
We're bringing an antitrust case against medical monopolies.
These bloodsuckers slowed down essential testing, shunted off patient care.
They made money off the pandemic.
Fuck Big Health! Well, it's a slam dunk with your constituents, so you'd better get your boss there.
And two other governors have already committed.
And it's going to be a hell of a meal too.
Yeah.
So I'll see you there.
Hypersonic.
Big plans for them.
They're positioned and ready to go.
The elevator pitch is: faster than the Concorde, more accessible than Jet Blue, and safer than your mother's Volvo.
Do I have your blessing? - You seem convinced.
- I am.
Then I am.
You know the "four out of five dentists surveyed" thing about Trident being better for your teeth? Apparently I'm the fifth dentist.
- Meaning? - We need to hold up a sec.
On Hypersonic.
I haven't been able to independently verify the tech claims in their literature.
I see.
Well, we can't wait.
I got clearance, and I want to size up before the stock moves.
The sizing you're suggesting goes outside usual risk parameters.
Because we are I am taking into account guaranteed growth from the Games.
Guarantees don't even work when you buy mangoes online.
Look, big positions lead to big wins.
Is the big win on Hypersonic, or against Philip? I'm tempted to stand here like Siddhartha until you relent.
Sidd's father knew the kid would stand there until he died.
You got more Govinda in you.
So we both know you'll give it up the second you get lightheaded from hunger.
Oh, and the fifth dentist? He caved and agreed with the other ones.
We're completing the buy.
- It's me.
- Good evening, sir.
Well, uh, good day to you, I suppose.
You're a tough man to reach.
Where the heck have you? Sat phone's only on an hour a day.
Makes the untraceable more untraceable.
- Protocol, you know.
- Fine, listen if there were inquiries, would our status be solid? Quite.
Untraceable.
Everything's locked, my friend.
Mm-hmm.
Most everyone who's fallen thought that.
Please.
Amateurs.
Right.
You know her better than I do.
Can I count on Katerina Brett to stay locked even if there's noise? Oh, Michael, Michael Miss Brett is a mercenary type who cares about a proper Games above all.
She will not countenance impropriety.
You understand? So, in that way, yeah, you can count on her absolutely.
- Boss - Oh, none of that.
No, no.
You're no junior.
I paraphrase the modern philosopher Steve Parish: I am not the boss.
You are not the boss.
The situation, that's the damn boss.
I didn't read Parish at university.
Well, philosophy was his sideline.
His main gig was lead roadie for the Grateful Dead.
And his experience on that long, strange trip taught him, you think you're the boss right until the car breaks down.
At which point, it is revealed the carburetor is the boss.
Well, right now, the situation is an uncooperative boss who goes by the name of Governor Sweeney.
He has a conflict and won't attend the dinner.
He is willing to come a different night.
No, that's the complication, not the situation.
The situation is, we need him there.
That's the driver.
That's the boss.
That's why I'm bringing it to you.
Yeah.
You know, I bet old Steve Parish would recognize that Sweeney is Buridan's ass caught between hay and water, equally hungry and thirsty.
We have to convince him to come our way, or risk ending up dead.
for that report.
Let's do more on this.
Our emerging action segment Whoa.
You didn't just go big on Hypersonic, you went Snake River Canyon big.
I'm familiar.
Magic Valley region of southern Idaho.
It's more of an Evel Knievel reference.
The daredevil.
I've kept myself in the dark about him because his politics were The suits, though.
I'll admit I like the suits.
Colorful.
He tried to jump it.
The canyon.
Made him the most famous man in America for a summer, Ali excepted.
I assume Ali is always excepted from statements like that.
The problem was, Snake River Canyon can't be jumped.
Not by a motorcycle.
So Evel built himself a steam-powered rocket called the Skycycle X-2 and tried to fly over.
And instead, the most famous man in America Ali excepted.
became the biggest joke in America.
Whole nation watched that Skycycle malfunction, trip the parachute, and Evel drift to the bottom.
His rep never recovered.
And you think Hypersonic is the Skycycle.
I think it's unproven and untested in just the same way.
And you came in here as a compatriot to warn me, not as a competitor trying to dislodge me from a winning position, sure.
This doesn't have to be a competition.
If that were true, you wouldn't be standing there.
I may not be rooting for you to beat me, but I am not rooting against you, either.
A big win for you won't do me any harm, but you will screw everyone if you take a big loss.
True in theory, yet unlikely in practical terms.
You and I both know your position is way too big.
For you maybe.
That's fine.
Stay safe at street level.
But as Mr.
Knievel might have put it, I'm gonna rev my engines and jump.
House rules? Uh, this contains certain unmentionables, which will remain just that.
Keep my paws off the top drawer.
Got it.
No, no.
The whole highboy.
And the armoire.
And the bottom shelf in the bathroom.
And the top shelf in the bathroom.
And the cabinet over the toilet.
I'll just steer clear of the bathroom altogether.
Not that I'll ever be here anyway, but of course.
I'll reimburse you on Venmo in varying amounts, balancing it out every three months.
Under "what it's for," it'll say "sports bet.
" Ooh, better mark those private.
Your gal could be stalking your Venmo if she's suspicious.
- Stalking Venmo is a thing? - It is.
Innovation sucks.
Could I maybe get your POV on something? It's slightly sketch.
"Slightly sketch" is my nom de guerre.
You know what? It was more of an inside thought.
I get that.
I don't have as many of those as I used to.
But I get it.
Governor, I need you in the lineup tonight.
Oh, Chuck, I have to deal with the Big Ugly tonight.
Everything the state legislature hasn't voted on tonight gets Yes, reconciled, voted on, decided.
- And you need to ratify.
- So you see No, I see that you can do it all.
The Big Ugly doesn't wrap until the wee small hours of the morning, and not even Nelson Riddle could arrange it so this excuse works on me.
And it is better for you to be at this dinner.
If you don't go, you will miss out on this giant antitrust case, which'll look bad for you.
I'm not as smart as you, Chuck.
No.
So I can't outthink you.
So I got to use my instincts on this.
And they're telling me not to go to this dinner because you seem to want me there.
Why? Huh? Why there? Why then? I just feel like you're setting me up for something.
It's a trick, and I'm just going to end up looking like a schmuck.
So, no, thanks.
Fine.
Don't go.
In fact, yes, I'll admit it, your gut is right.
It might be best for you to leave it to me and the other governors.
Talk soon, pally.
- Wait.
Hold it.
- Mm-hmm.
That was too easy.
You asked me to come so I'd feel included, but you follow up here so I couldn't say later that you should have told me it was important to be there.
Ah-ha, you you don't want me to go.
And if I don't go, I'm going to end up looking like a schmuck.
Ah.
Is that what I really want? Ooh, wait - It actually works.
- Yeah! Wild! The night you gave this to me It was the night before the first company went public.
I found it in some Sharper Image catalog, or Hammacher Schlemmer, maybe.
The thought of us being like those characters in Wall Street was too funny to me.
We were too nervous to eat.
Never opened it.
Glad I kept this thing.
I mean, that would be sweet, but I know you had someone buy 20 of them and stash them in every home, just in case.
I still love that you brought it out now.
Damn.
Well, I haven't ever used it, any of them.
I know that too.
You're romantic.
Always have been.
Let me prove it to you.
Move in.
Move your stuff in, at least.
Forget a hotel, or some other apartment, on your trips here for the Games.
I'm here now.
What more do you need? I need it all.
You know that's the reason I did the thing, right? Got the Games here in the first place? No, you did it to replenish the energy and relevance coffers of New York City, along with the actual ones.
Yeah.
Both.
I'm not the kind of person who would ever assume that level of gesture is for me, even from you.
Which is why you warrant it.
And now you don't have to assume.
We're a quorum.
Good.
Let's begin.
I only came because you said our futures were in the balance.
Oh, your lives are about to change in a brutal way.
The carried interest loophole is about to be closed.
Okay, Rhoades, sure it is.
You know, this happens every few years, but there's never the political will to pass it.
Student loan forgiveness.
Free universal health care.
There are a lot of big ideas in flux right now, but the loophole isn't one with teeth.
Ah-ha, but tonight is a very special night.
Have you ever heard of the Big Ugly? No? Well, it's the last night of the legislative session, when all outstanding business is voted on and passed.
You see, the Assembly can't call it a night until it all is.
And tonight there is an item that I have jammed into a certain bill that will also be passing: closing the carried interest loophole.
You fucking kidding me? - Jesus Christ.
- Hold on, gang.
No need to sweat through your Speed Stick.
Loophole closes, it's easy enough to move a residence or office or a server to Jersey or Connecticut, or even Pennsylvania for tax filing purposes, because as Chuck well knows, without a little something called an interstate compact, meaning if those other states don't agree to closing the loophole too we're in the clear.
What do you think they're agreeing to right now? Those governors, with my second-in-command locking it all in.
Oh fuck.
Yeah.
So you fund managers can kiss your cap gains rate goodbye and suck on straight income tax.
But what's another 22% in taxes between friends, huh? Between city, state and federal, this now brings you right up to 50%.
Oh, and you guys who just invest, don't think they won't pass the pain along to you in fees.
A few billion bucks between you all next year alone.
Welcome to fucking Cuba, kids.
But you're showing us before it closed.
That's no accident.
Lazarra, you must be one tough out at Russian roulette.
So, what do we need to do to get the bullet out of the gun? Whoo! Yeah! "I've seen better tennis playing in a tampon commercial.
" What the fuck? Crap.
I needed to unplug.
Had to get away from my roommate, you know? Last time I had a roommate was Chuck Sheen at Promises in Malibu.
I don't have a roommate either.
I needed I needed to think.
Or not think.
What are you stressing over? You're 12.
You want to talk it out? Unpopular opinion: Youth makes stress worse, not better.
Like, I don't know what the fuck I'm doing with a certain work matter.
I don't know if I should trust myself.
Ah, a real problem.
Thus, the Cheetos.
Yeah.
I found something on Hypersonic, and it's bad.
Full on, not good, bad.
But Taylor doesn't want to hear that shit.
That's been made abundantly clear.
So I don't know what to do.
I've already pushed.
They're the genius, and I'm 12.
But this time they're wrong.
Is there a trade I can kill? Too late.
It's locked.
People who really know about investing and I'm not talking about cocktail party expert bullshitters like me, I mean real operators say, the bigger the position, the more stress there is on the research.
And if that research shows a crack, you better fucking act on it ASAP.
If you freeze in the moment, you're a corpse.
I can do it for you, but the truth is, you can't let your boss eat a giant shitburger.
In the end, they will blame you.
You've got to have the courage to tell Taylor yourself.
Is this like a way for you to sort of hedge your bet? This place? Because I was in a relationship a while back.
We moved in together, but we each kept a locked-drawer file cabinet in the name of privacy and independence.
Some real Edgar Allan Poe shit started happening about what was in each other's drawer.
I'm not going to say that's why it didn't work out but it didn't work out.
I guess I'm saying, hedging's for work, not this.
And if I do it again, it'll be open drawers only.
Not locked.
Yeah.
Where have you been? The whole world just blew up.
I need you to look past my glowing complexion and focus on what you need to hear.
You're not acting on logic.
What am I acting on? Jealousy.
The Hypersonic investment is totally fucked, and so are we.
Fucked how? A small aerospace company of a different name a front for Hypersonic secretly tested the technology.
This highly pressurized super stratosphere shit.
- And? - Dalton's Law, Graham's Law, Henry's Law.
There are major problems with their tech and aviation physiology.
Static pressure at the altitude they fly, resulting in pulmonary hypertension, clotting, embolisms.
They're trying to fix it, but it'll take years.
And when people find out Here.
Then "bad" is the right word.
How deep is this link buried? It took you long enough to find it.
Don't even think about pinning this "garbahge" on me.
I felt the spidey senses tingling.
I tried to come to you.
You were having some space cowboy moment.
You're right.
Crap.
I got sucked in by that Chuck Yeager-wannabe flyboy.
If I found it, everyone else will.
Soon.
What do you want to do? The second we make a move, we'll alert the market.
It'll take a split second to connect the dots from us to MPC to the Olympics back to Hypersonic.
This fucking stock will go down to a price that represents the company's office furniture and phones.
There's no way to trade out without taking a massive loss.
Yeah, no.
But sitting on it could be even worse.
We're gutting ourselves either way.
Yeah Yeah, I'm out that Brooklyn Now I'm down in Tribeca Right next to De Niro But I'll be 'hood forever And since I made it here I can make it anywhere Yeah, they love me Everywhere - Sorry to barge.
- Couldn't reach you.
Didn't want to be reached.
The phone was off for a reason.
Took it to my stashbox 560 State Street Catch me in the kitchen like A Simmons whippin' pastries And so it's clear that there was a conspiracy to bring the Games to New York by whatever underhanded method was deemed most expedient.
Had we known, and I speak for all of us on this stage, we never would have been party to such malfeasance.
Yes.
We know Michael Prince led the effort and engaged in these actions by himself.
These men and women were unknowingly brought in to an attempt to commit bribery at a very high level.
You got to be kidding me, Mike.
It's B.
S.
, Andy.
Every friend who betrayed you, I'll hunt each and every one of them down and skin them alive.
I'll do it because I want to, and I'll do it for you.
Yeah, I appreciate it, but no.
I'm going to need them later.
Look, this is bad, but it's not over till the ICS says it is.
I need to talk to Katerina.
Thanks.
Not even Dollar Bill could help me pawn it off anonymously.
No one wanted the block? Spartan-Ives? The Sovereign Wealth Funds? - Some dumb Third World despot? - They smelled it.
We're going to have to wait until the market opens, try to bleed it off share by share.
No.
We can't do anything.
Our hands are tied as long as Hypersonic's bound to the Olympics.
You going to tell Prince? What? That I fell prey to first instinct fallacy like some rube stumbled on the monte table along the midway? You outplayed me this time.
I pray to the Good Lord in heaven this is the last time we have to hondle.
You're welcome, Todd.
As long as we're square.
That we are.
Thank you.
Well, they did their part.
Yep, I guess I have a bill to pull.
Or we let it go to a vote, see if it passes.
The Big Ugly's on our side.
If it goes through, it would be New York's most aggressive wealth reform since FDR was bankrolling La Guardia.
Could become a test case for the nation.
The world.
Mm-hmm.
Oh, that's fucking tempting.
So I say we clock out for the night.
Leave it to fate.
No.
No, if I do that, break my word to this camarilla, I lose all future leverage.
And your future in the public sector goes extinct.
Without an actual interstate compact, which was really just a fancy-tasting dinner, the whole thing's toothless anyway, and and I have to be honorable to my word.
Even in this.
So we pull it.
And then we take the office out for a celebratory pop.
Pull the damn thing.
Yanking like Pee Wee Herman himself.
We can work through this and still do great things together.
You're looking at the only man who can bring the Olympics to New York.
- Baseless charges.
- Utter bullshit.
Katerina, standing against these tactics is the only way we can protect the Games from real corruption.
You should refer to me as Miss Brett.
I gave this a chance to go away, but I am afraid the New York Games are tainted now.
My statement is about to go up on the ICS site.
After an unfortunate series of developments, the ICS has come to the conclusion that the 2028 Games can no longer be held in New York City.
Fortunately, after talking to the organizers in Los Angeles, they will be ready to host the Games, with brand-new sponsors and renovated stadiums.
Man, that sucks for our Mikey Prince.
Yes, it does.
But it doesn't suck for us.
Me.
This news is our boarding pass out of our fucked situation.
We can make a statement saying that we're exiting our position because Hypersonic will no longer be the official airline of the New York Games, since L.
A.
will make their own airline deal.
We're going to take a hit.
Damn right we are.
But 10, 15%, not 80.
This will be the story long enough for us to evacuate before the real news gets out.
That their planes will fucking hospitalize you? Exactly.
I figured there might be one person at this company who wasn't upset the Games just went bye-bye.
I also figured you'd need help unloading the shares at the open.
Yes, another set of hands would be good.
Good.
These hands are gonna start by getting some coffee going.
It's not the particular memories in this place.
It's the idea that this is where my memories happened.
But now, new memories.
And no secret rooms.
Or secret compartments out here.
Or up there.
That's the idea.
Never did it before.
Never even tried.
Well, we'll try together.
Yeah, we will.
All in.
It's time.
- Hi.
- Hi.
I'd ask how it went, but I saw the announcement.
Yeah.
Where you going? My hotel.
I need to pack.
It's an early flight.
I can change that, you know.
It is my plane.
I know, but I need to get home and organized.
I missed too much time already, and I need to start booting things back up in L.
A.
- Ouch.
- Sorry.
But I guess we're back where we started.
In some ways.
In others, not.
Our thing's been dormant, switched off for years because of distance.
Not just distance, you know? It's switched back on now, unless I hate to say it, but if this grand gesture of yours was really about us It was, as I said.
I was trying to bend the world to my specifications to do it.
Well, that's the way it goes when you try and do that.
It doesn't work.
You used to say that in the beginning with us.
Before.
It's gone my way plenty since.
Yeah, I can see that.
But the world's a beast sometimes.
You said you'd be willing to travel before you knew it was going to be here, so Of course.
I'll be in Colorado, then L.
A.
every weekend.
Or every other.
Good.
I'll see you next weekend.
For sure.
Well, not next weekend, 'cause the fallout from this is going to be I know.
I'll see you when I see you.
Hey!
My guess is, somewhere inside this is a direct bribe of sorts.
A quid pro quo.
The Olympics.
You want to be on the performance coaching team.
To run it.
Use my talents to turn those athletes into medal machines.
Done.
I can't stay.
You can come with, but I have to go back to the St.
Regis to pack.
- Pack? - Before the Games, I need to spend time in the mountains.
Yeah, but I thought we were going to try here.
Us.
The Olympics mean something very different to me than they do to you.
This is everything I ever worked for, and I need you to do the work and climb for the kiss.
Yes.
You're right.
And I will.
Prince didn't pull this off all by his lonesome.
So we separate Prince from his power base.
Let him fall like the smoke from the fireworks drifting down on this fine city.
Prince, let's go.
Wake up.
Get your shit on.
Time to go.
How cold is it out there? We're not doing that.
Let's go, come on.
I guess that's why I hired Gabby Reece.
The worst thing that can happen is a person gets comfortable, and then they think the world is a comfortable place.
You have to be comfortable being uncomfortable.
You catch my drift? I mean, otherwise, you would think, like, this pace is running.
But this is a jog.
Well, it's more like a walk.
It's a long run.
It's not a sprint.
Life is a sprint.
You just hope it's a long one.
When I do this for real, when I run the original marathon route, it'll remind people of doing hard things, and the original meaning of the Games.
The original run into Athens was to bring a message about a war that was finally won.
And the messenger, he died because his cardio was crap.
And you know what? You haven't won a damn war yet.
Come on! Pick it up! - All right.
- Okay, thanks.
There he is.
Good to see you, Mike.
We saved a seat for you.
Good to see you.
Very impressive pace.
Bravo.
I'm just trying to stay loose, turn my mind off.
It's the closest thing I know to meditation.
But this particular run has a higher purpose, doesn't it? I want to celebrate what humans are capable of.
And, yes, when I do this run in the summer months before the Games begin, I hope thousands join me all around the world.
Millions, even, just to help welcome the Games to New York City.
But that is the purpose of the traditional run, right? People all around the world get to carry the torch to the destination.
But with you, it seems very personal.
You seem, some say, deeply invested, maybe more than what people are comfortable with.
So here's a question: what, if anything, are you trying to say about yourself? And I ask that because these Games are for all global citizens, not just for Michael Thomas Aquinas Prince.
Well, Gayle, I could throw the famous Roosevelt quote at you about getting in the ring.
But instead, I'll give you some Dusty Rhodes.
Okay.
"Let me tell you something, Daddy.
"I am the bull of the woods, and it ain't my dream.
It's the American dream.
" Now be careful you don't accidentally get in the way of a bionic elbow.
Duly noted.
And ouch.
Is that the purpose of the traditional run? - That people all around - Wow, look at that.
A couple of bona fide heroes, huh? Split times are no joke.
Especially into mile eight.
Really? And for Prince to stay with her that's no mean feat.
And the guy's got a day job with pretty decent remuneration.
They ought to bottle his sweat and sell it for a million dollars an ounce.
I'm surprised shocked, really to see you succumb to the testosterone-infused stylings of this guy.
You don't buy into him carrying the torch for all of New York City, then? Oh, yes, of course.
The great man carries the torch for us all.
Be a real shame if the bull of the woods got his big run canceled and ended up hanging on a hook.
The question is, how? What's the only thing worse than not getting what you want? Getting what you want, but having it ripped from your hands.
It's like I hired my own twin.
Anyone know what "sic 'em" actually means? It's a command originating from the order for attack dogs to seek, to pursue with lethal focus.
Now, if you own a great dog, a loyal dog, a dog that would kill for you on that command, as every person here would for each other, you're very careful not to speak that command loosely.
You save those words for when the target is clear and the moment is exactly right.
The rest of the time, you rein them in, keep them fed but not full, exercised and ready to go.
Now, why am I giving you this little canine chalk-talk? Because the Olympic Games are going to present an opportunity for maximal profits, and so I want everyone here to free up some capital.
Sell off that which you've been holding on for the same reason a college senior holds on to her high school yearbook, for sentiment and comfort.
And remember what it was like when the future was brighter than a shiny red F-150.
When you say free up some capital? I mean sell the house, go west and find the gold before the next guy does.
Games open a window for sure, but I don't want to dump out of great shit on some flyer.
To respectfully echo that concern, maybe some of us could sit this one out.
I don't mind the bench.
Well, when you own dogs, you feed them all, but you save the freshest meat for those that don't hesitate.
Find the best ways into new plays, and I'll back your move with the main fund.
Targets will be transportation, recommendation apps, keycard entry systems, personnel, and hospitality start-ups.
Give Airbnb a good scare.
We're allocating based on performance.
- Whose book has done the best.
- I'll be getting into Hold that thought.
Philip get first pick.
He's outperformed everyone lately.
Thanks.
I'll take air travel, aim to secure official airline sponsorship for the Games.
I already started working on Hypersonic, a new high-tech passenger airline that travels 3X the sound barrier.
I've done the research, and I'm in the process of building a relationship with the CEO.
Good.
You can put Philip in touch.
I'm happy to let Taylor go first if they want.
Take Hypersonic, I can see you're emotionally invested.
I'll go with self-driving cars instead.
Similar sponsorship opportunities.
But next time I get first pick, I'll be taking it.
No sympathy.
Okay.
Divvy up the rest.
Now, where my dogs at? Sic 'em! I don't think I've ever actually seen a rich, powerful man enjoy it before.
Moments like this, if you don't actually enjoy it, what's the darn point? Where do you go when you need to breathe a little? I have a wonderful library on the first floor of my duplex.
Great old 78 player.
And a 60-year-old Speyside single malt.
But your family's there.
That makes it all the more pleasant.
Shit.
Hit me with the real of it.
I'm moving in with Chelz, my girl, and she wants me to get rid of my rooms at the Pierre.
I want to make her happy, but I can't do it, not yet.
I'll move out and in with her, but I can't actually let the suite go.
So I was thinking you could let me put them under your name.
I'd pay, of course, off the books.
For a host of reasons, primary among them that I don't believe this serves you or your relationship, I say no.
I also say and I mean this if you ever find you need a moment to breathe, come on over to my place.
There's more than enough 60-year to go around.
I'll do it.
You can put the rooms in my name.
Really? I can tell that's what you need, not a pep talk.
It's like at Brown, they didn't lecture you not to do Molly.
Instead, some students gave you a testing kit to make sure it's actually Molly you're doing.
And they hope eventually you'll just decide to quit.
God fucking bless them.
And you.
Well, I hope you're enjoying the city, Miss Brett.
Or do you prefer Katerina? We do not yet know each other.
Then Miss Brett it is.
Thank you very much for seeing us.
I'm a big, big Olympics person.
One of my first memories was watching Klammer on the downhill.
Couldn't believe the way he got up in the air yet stayed on the course.
Inspired me to try to do the same in my chosen field.
The Games mean something like this to so many.
And I never tire of hearing it.
The majesty, the patriotic pride, the striving for excellence.
That's all why I was so glad, at first, to know that they were coming to New York.
From my understanding, you wanted to stop them.
Oh, once I found out who was bringing them to New York, and whom he was working with a certain Colin Drache then, yes, I took action.
Not to stop the Games.
No, to protect them from disgrace, from shame.
But this Drache is not the one person involved with Prince.
He put together a top group.
Every important business leader in New York.
Surely they are not all "in on it.
" They may not know every move that Prince has made, but Every four years the rumors start.
This is how I know the Games are really about to begin.
Oh, no, no, no, no.
Much more than that here.
You have a case to present against Michael Prince and his group? Let me answer that with a question.
Do you believe an animal a bear, say can commit crimes against nature, even though that bear is only doing what he was made to do? - I do not.
- Ah.
Then you've never seen such an animal engaging in an activity called high-grading, have you? - Hmm? - This is when the bears are in the last stages of hyperphagia.
They're eating twenty, thirty, forty thousand calories a day to ready themselves for winter's hibernation.
Now in the beginning, they catch a salmon, they eat a salmon.
Natural.
As intended.
Yes.
But towards the end, the bears are mostly full.
The supply could be cut off and they'd be fine.
They'd sail through the winter.
But they don't stop eating.
Instead, they become very picky.
The bears grab the salmon in their mouths, they turn them inside out, devour only the brain and skin, and throw the rest away.
Now, they are gorging on only the most choice bits, killing because they can, because they want to, not out of need and leaving a giant pile of mostly whole, skinned salmon sitting there to rot in the sun.
I'll admit this is a disturbing image.
It should be.
And Mike Prince is one of those bears.
Society is the river, the citizens are the salmon.
And now he wants the Games, too? It's high-grading.
I understand what you're saying.
I also understand that it means you don't have any real evidence of corruption or anything else.
When you do, I will act right along with you.
Until then, I move forward.
"Until then, I move forward"? Come the fuck on.
We break Prince off from his friends.
That's how he loses the Games.
With a threat to take their money, a convincing fucking threat.
- I can think of a few.
- Yeah.
There's one they're particularly worried about.
Long promised.
Now we have to make it come true.
We're going to tax their asses.
Yes, we are.
Here they are, the A-Team.
More like heroes of the city.
They cheered for me when I walked into Marea.
Some people stood.
That's good.
I got invited to join Augusta, - which is better.
- Me too.
We should play a round.
Met Gala? - Yep.
- Yep.
Love what I'm hearing.
It's what I expected.
Ah.
Miss Brett, welcome.
We are partners now.
Call me Katerina.
Congratulations on your winning bid and to this powerhouse organization.
We're going to put on a spectacular show.
I particularly love this one-man torch relay you have been training for.
This is already driving huge traffic to the ICS website.
Well, that was the intention.
We have all the city's key real estate.
A whole array of resources, really.
Which is why I have assembled this group, so I can deploy each of their special gifts.
We already have the entire bid office converted to headquarters.
We're getting right to work.
Just wait till you see the extent of the plans - I have in place.
- Oh, before that.
A word.
Your attorney general is telling an ugly story of bribery.
Don't they always? Yes, of course, as I suggested when he came to see me.
- He visited you in person? - He did.
And he had nothing when pressed.
Because, as you know, nothing untoward happened.
If that reveals itself to be otherwise, you and I will be having a completely different conversation.
Great job.
First gold medal of this Olympic era.
- Nice work, guy.
- Use me as your Jim Kiick.
Follow behind and get your yards.
I will.
- What's the thing? - Philip nabbed 10% of AutoTelic.
Plus they're donating 500 self-driving cars for athlete transpo during the Games.
Huge win.
The compressed timeline to get the cars ready means AutoTelic gets the largest urban beta phase in the history of self-driving cars.
Good for all of them.
I need a huge fucking win.
Megan.
Shit.
Superhero stuff right here in front of me.
Ah, I just worked a little harder than the other ones.
Here's what I see: someone with the rarest of abilities.
And you inspire people.
You take them out of their day-to-day and give them an injection of hope.
- I try.
- But you understand it.
I'm head performance coach for the Olympics, and I'm trying to build out my team.
And I don't want a bunch of performance shrinks who haven't been out there.
I mean, the thing is, you have to really consider every word when talking to an athlete who are trying to perform at the highest level.
It's one thing to have a coach yell at us, but if I let you into my psyche This is exactly what I need to hear.
And why I want you to be my partner in this.
I'm in.
Not while I'm playing.
Cool.
That's the sixth generation, taken at the beginning of the flight when we found out that 9.
5 Gs was a bit too much.
- G-LOC.
- No.
Too much for the plane.
The fuselage buckled.
Had to punch out.
- Maté? - No, thanks.
The projections on your company are off the charts.
Business is secondary.
I know aircraft.
Delta wing design, new composite materials, tri-spool configuration.
Commercial travel's at the stagecoach phase.
Hypersonic will be like locomotives.
Make the world crossable.
Make things possible.
That's how I got back from Australia so fast.
And that was just in the Mini Hype.
Does Mach 2.
2.
The Symphony will do 2.
8 with 75 souls aboard.
Which is why my firm's ready to take a big position at the opening tomorrow, but I wanted to discuss a bigger partnership.
Don't want partners.
Don't like them.
Sure, ones who don't know that the single crystal nickel alloy that allows your engines to operate above melting point is the key to your tech.
You know about high-bypass turbofans.
My principal just brought the Olympics to New York, and we need the ability to fly in teams, fans, fast, from far and wide.
- From Tokyo in eight hours - Six Once you start flying passengers, of course.
But before that, you'll need a bigger market cap, which will give you freedom with your board.
- I can give all that to you.
- How? By making Hypersonic the official airline of the New York Games.
Fuck me.
We've got a hell of a lot to talk about, my new friend.
Sure you don't want a maté? Sure, I'll take one.
Azucar or amargo? Gotta whip it.
Whip it good.
It's hard to get the state legislature to go against the people whose money put them in their seats.
That's why they call it whipping the vote.
Never easy.
Plus, we only need the threats, not the action.
It's got to be convincing.
If we can get this cabal of Prince's to believe we're finally going to close the carried interest loophole And that all their capital gains will suddenly be considered income at the state level, too.
That's a 22% tax hit for them.
Cap gains is their very lifeblood.
Truth is, the people will love this.
We just have to remind our state reps of it, that there's some things more important than deep pockets.
- How do you do that? - Well, Dave, some things haven't changed since Hugh Carey put on his first straw boater.
You go into their world, you speak their language, you solve their problems.
You offer them friendship.
Albany is as Albany ever was.
Instead of duckpin bowling, you show up just when they need the help, when their constituents are about to rebel because their property taxes have been raised.
And you help remind those constituents just how powerful their representative is.
And, of course, you do the bandstand circuit of bar mitzvahs, confirmations, christenings and the like.
Sometimes, you recreate with these fine folks, up in the deer stand or on the lake.
And, most crucially you feel their pain.
So I know you must've anticipated this part, even as we scare them with the state tax, they don't have to pull support of the Games.
They're rich enough.
They can move themselves and their firms out of state to avoid it.
Ah, now we're talking about the interstate compact.
- Yep.
- Which is why you're going to rope the governors of neighboring and other likely states into a dinner to make that compact.
They're not going to agree to something as jacked up as that over dinner, no matter how good the wine is.
They don't have to.
They don't even need to know why they're coming to dinner.
They just need to come, so give them a good reason.
Your guy's going to want to be there, believe me, or he'll be caught out.
We're bringing an antitrust case against medical monopolies.
These bloodsuckers slowed down essential testing, shunted off patient care.
They made money off the pandemic.
Fuck Big Health! Well, it's a slam dunk with your constituents, so you'd better get your boss there.
And two other governors have already committed.
And it's going to be a hell of a meal too.
Yeah.
So I'll see you there.
Hypersonic.
Big plans for them.
They're positioned and ready to go.
The elevator pitch is: faster than the Concorde, more accessible than Jet Blue, and safer than your mother's Volvo.
Do I have your blessing? - You seem convinced.
- I am.
Then I am.
You know the "four out of five dentists surveyed" thing about Trident being better for your teeth? Apparently I'm the fifth dentist.
- Meaning? - We need to hold up a sec.
On Hypersonic.
I haven't been able to independently verify the tech claims in their literature.
I see.
Well, we can't wait.
I got clearance, and I want to size up before the stock moves.
The sizing you're suggesting goes outside usual risk parameters.
Because we are I am taking into account guaranteed growth from the Games.
Guarantees don't even work when you buy mangoes online.
Look, big positions lead to big wins.
Is the big win on Hypersonic, or against Philip? I'm tempted to stand here like Siddhartha until you relent.
Sidd's father knew the kid would stand there until he died.
You got more Govinda in you.
So we both know you'll give it up the second you get lightheaded from hunger.
Oh, and the fifth dentist? He caved and agreed with the other ones.
We're completing the buy.
- It's me.
- Good evening, sir.
Well, uh, good day to you, I suppose.
You're a tough man to reach.
Where the heck have you? Sat phone's only on an hour a day.
Makes the untraceable more untraceable.
- Protocol, you know.
- Fine, listen if there were inquiries, would our status be solid? Quite.
Untraceable.
Everything's locked, my friend.
Mm-hmm.
Most everyone who's fallen thought that.
Please.
Amateurs.
Right.
You know her better than I do.
Can I count on Katerina Brett to stay locked even if there's noise? Oh, Michael, Michael Miss Brett is a mercenary type who cares about a proper Games above all.
She will not countenance impropriety.
You understand? So, in that way, yeah, you can count on her absolutely.
- Boss - Oh, none of that.
No, no.
You're no junior.
I paraphrase the modern philosopher Steve Parish: I am not the boss.
You are not the boss.
The situation, that's the damn boss.
I didn't read Parish at university.
Well, philosophy was his sideline.
His main gig was lead roadie for the Grateful Dead.
And his experience on that long, strange trip taught him, you think you're the boss right until the car breaks down.
At which point, it is revealed the carburetor is the boss.
Well, right now, the situation is an uncooperative boss who goes by the name of Governor Sweeney.
He has a conflict and won't attend the dinner.
He is willing to come a different night.
No, that's the complication, not the situation.
The situation is, we need him there.
That's the driver.
That's the boss.
That's why I'm bringing it to you.
Yeah.
You know, I bet old Steve Parish would recognize that Sweeney is Buridan's ass caught between hay and water, equally hungry and thirsty.
We have to convince him to come our way, or risk ending up dead.
for that report.
Let's do more on this.
Our emerging action segment Whoa.
You didn't just go big on Hypersonic, you went Snake River Canyon big.
I'm familiar.
Magic Valley region of southern Idaho.
It's more of an Evel Knievel reference.
The daredevil.
I've kept myself in the dark about him because his politics were The suits, though.
I'll admit I like the suits.
Colorful.
He tried to jump it.
The canyon.
Made him the most famous man in America for a summer, Ali excepted.
I assume Ali is always excepted from statements like that.
The problem was, Snake River Canyon can't be jumped.
Not by a motorcycle.
So Evel built himself a steam-powered rocket called the Skycycle X-2 and tried to fly over.
And instead, the most famous man in America Ali excepted.
became the biggest joke in America.
Whole nation watched that Skycycle malfunction, trip the parachute, and Evel drift to the bottom.
His rep never recovered.
And you think Hypersonic is the Skycycle.
I think it's unproven and untested in just the same way.
And you came in here as a compatriot to warn me, not as a competitor trying to dislodge me from a winning position, sure.
This doesn't have to be a competition.
If that were true, you wouldn't be standing there.
I may not be rooting for you to beat me, but I am not rooting against you, either.
A big win for you won't do me any harm, but you will screw everyone if you take a big loss.
True in theory, yet unlikely in practical terms.
You and I both know your position is way too big.
For you maybe.
That's fine.
Stay safe at street level.
But as Mr.
Knievel might have put it, I'm gonna rev my engines and jump.
House rules? Uh, this contains certain unmentionables, which will remain just that.
Keep my paws off the top drawer.
Got it.
No, no.
The whole highboy.
And the armoire.
And the bottom shelf in the bathroom.
And the top shelf in the bathroom.
And the cabinet over the toilet.
I'll just steer clear of the bathroom altogether.
Not that I'll ever be here anyway, but of course.
I'll reimburse you on Venmo in varying amounts, balancing it out every three months.
Under "what it's for," it'll say "sports bet.
" Ooh, better mark those private.
Your gal could be stalking your Venmo if she's suspicious.
- Stalking Venmo is a thing? - It is.
Innovation sucks.
Could I maybe get your POV on something? It's slightly sketch.
"Slightly sketch" is my nom de guerre.
You know what? It was more of an inside thought.
I get that.
I don't have as many of those as I used to.
But I get it.
Governor, I need you in the lineup tonight.
Oh, Chuck, I have to deal with the Big Ugly tonight.
Everything the state legislature hasn't voted on tonight gets Yes, reconciled, voted on, decided.
- And you need to ratify.
- So you see No, I see that you can do it all.
The Big Ugly doesn't wrap until the wee small hours of the morning, and not even Nelson Riddle could arrange it so this excuse works on me.
And it is better for you to be at this dinner.
If you don't go, you will miss out on this giant antitrust case, which'll look bad for you.
I'm not as smart as you, Chuck.
No.
So I can't outthink you.
So I got to use my instincts on this.
And they're telling me not to go to this dinner because you seem to want me there.
Why? Huh? Why there? Why then? I just feel like you're setting me up for something.
It's a trick, and I'm just going to end up looking like a schmuck.
So, no, thanks.
Fine.
Don't go.
In fact, yes, I'll admit it, your gut is right.
It might be best for you to leave it to me and the other governors.
Talk soon, pally.
- Wait.
Hold it.
- Mm-hmm.
That was too easy.
You asked me to come so I'd feel included, but you follow up here so I couldn't say later that you should have told me it was important to be there.
Ah-ha, you you don't want me to go.
And if I don't go, I'm going to end up looking like a schmuck.
Ah.
Is that what I really want? Ooh, wait - It actually works.
- Yeah! Wild! The night you gave this to me It was the night before the first company went public.
I found it in some Sharper Image catalog, or Hammacher Schlemmer, maybe.
The thought of us being like those characters in Wall Street was too funny to me.
We were too nervous to eat.
Never opened it.
Glad I kept this thing.
I mean, that would be sweet, but I know you had someone buy 20 of them and stash them in every home, just in case.
I still love that you brought it out now.
Damn.
Well, I haven't ever used it, any of them.
I know that too.
You're romantic.
Always have been.
Let me prove it to you.
Move in.
Move your stuff in, at least.
Forget a hotel, or some other apartment, on your trips here for the Games.
I'm here now.
What more do you need? I need it all.
You know that's the reason I did the thing, right? Got the Games here in the first place? No, you did it to replenish the energy and relevance coffers of New York City, along with the actual ones.
Yeah.
Both.
I'm not the kind of person who would ever assume that level of gesture is for me, even from you.
Which is why you warrant it.
And now you don't have to assume.
We're a quorum.
Good.
Let's begin.
I only came because you said our futures were in the balance.
Oh, your lives are about to change in a brutal way.
The carried interest loophole is about to be closed.
Okay, Rhoades, sure it is.
You know, this happens every few years, but there's never the political will to pass it.
Student loan forgiveness.
Free universal health care.
There are a lot of big ideas in flux right now, but the loophole isn't one with teeth.
Ah-ha, but tonight is a very special night.
Have you ever heard of the Big Ugly? No? Well, it's the last night of the legislative session, when all outstanding business is voted on and passed.
You see, the Assembly can't call it a night until it all is.
And tonight there is an item that I have jammed into a certain bill that will also be passing: closing the carried interest loophole.
You fucking kidding me? - Jesus Christ.
- Hold on, gang.
No need to sweat through your Speed Stick.
Loophole closes, it's easy enough to move a residence or office or a server to Jersey or Connecticut, or even Pennsylvania for tax filing purposes, because as Chuck well knows, without a little something called an interstate compact, meaning if those other states don't agree to closing the loophole too we're in the clear.
What do you think they're agreeing to right now? Those governors, with my second-in-command locking it all in.
Oh fuck.
Yeah.
So you fund managers can kiss your cap gains rate goodbye and suck on straight income tax.
But what's another 22% in taxes between friends, huh? Between city, state and federal, this now brings you right up to 50%.
Oh, and you guys who just invest, don't think they won't pass the pain along to you in fees.
A few billion bucks between you all next year alone.
Welcome to fucking Cuba, kids.
But you're showing us before it closed.
That's no accident.
Lazarra, you must be one tough out at Russian roulette.
So, what do we need to do to get the bullet out of the gun? Whoo! Yeah! "I've seen better tennis playing in a tampon commercial.
" What the fuck? Crap.
I needed to unplug.
Had to get away from my roommate, you know? Last time I had a roommate was Chuck Sheen at Promises in Malibu.
I don't have a roommate either.
I needed I needed to think.
Or not think.
What are you stressing over? You're 12.
You want to talk it out? Unpopular opinion: Youth makes stress worse, not better.
Like, I don't know what the fuck I'm doing with a certain work matter.
I don't know if I should trust myself.
Ah, a real problem.
Thus, the Cheetos.
Yeah.
I found something on Hypersonic, and it's bad.
Full on, not good, bad.
But Taylor doesn't want to hear that shit.
That's been made abundantly clear.
So I don't know what to do.
I've already pushed.
They're the genius, and I'm 12.
But this time they're wrong.
Is there a trade I can kill? Too late.
It's locked.
People who really know about investing and I'm not talking about cocktail party expert bullshitters like me, I mean real operators say, the bigger the position, the more stress there is on the research.
And if that research shows a crack, you better fucking act on it ASAP.
If you freeze in the moment, you're a corpse.
I can do it for you, but the truth is, you can't let your boss eat a giant shitburger.
In the end, they will blame you.
You've got to have the courage to tell Taylor yourself.
Is this like a way for you to sort of hedge your bet? This place? Because I was in a relationship a while back.
We moved in together, but we each kept a locked-drawer file cabinet in the name of privacy and independence.
Some real Edgar Allan Poe shit started happening about what was in each other's drawer.
I'm not going to say that's why it didn't work out but it didn't work out.
I guess I'm saying, hedging's for work, not this.
And if I do it again, it'll be open drawers only.
Not locked.
Yeah.
Where have you been? The whole world just blew up.
I need you to look past my glowing complexion and focus on what you need to hear.
You're not acting on logic.
What am I acting on? Jealousy.
The Hypersonic investment is totally fucked, and so are we.
Fucked how? A small aerospace company of a different name a front for Hypersonic secretly tested the technology.
This highly pressurized super stratosphere shit.
- And? - Dalton's Law, Graham's Law, Henry's Law.
There are major problems with their tech and aviation physiology.
Static pressure at the altitude they fly, resulting in pulmonary hypertension, clotting, embolisms.
They're trying to fix it, but it'll take years.
And when people find out Here.
Then "bad" is the right word.
How deep is this link buried? It took you long enough to find it.
Don't even think about pinning this "garbahge" on me.
I felt the spidey senses tingling.
I tried to come to you.
You were having some space cowboy moment.
You're right.
Crap.
I got sucked in by that Chuck Yeager-wannabe flyboy.
If I found it, everyone else will.
Soon.
What do you want to do? The second we make a move, we'll alert the market.
It'll take a split second to connect the dots from us to MPC to the Olympics back to Hypersonic.
This fucking stock will go down to a price that represents the company's office furniture and phones.
There's no way to trade out without taking a massive loss.
Yeah, no.
But sitting on it could be even worse.
We're gutting ourselves either way.
Yeah Yeah, I'm out that Brooklyn Now I'm down in Tribeca Right next to De Niro But I'll be 'hood forever And since I made it here I can make it anywhere Yeah, they love me Everywhere - Sorry to barge.
- Couldn't reach you.
Didn't want to be reached.
The phone was off for a reason.
Took it to my stashbox 560 State Street Catch me in the kitchen like A Simmons whippin' pastries And so it's clear that there was a conspiracy to bring the Games to New York by whatever underhanded method was deemed most expedient.
Had we known, and I speak for all of us on this stage, we never would have been party to such malfeasance.
Yes.
We know Michael Prince led the effort and engaged in these actions by himself.
These men and women were unknowingly brought in to an attempt to commit bribery at a very high level.
You got to be kidding me, Mike.
It's B.
S.
, Andy.
Every friend who betrayed you, I'll hunt each and every one of them down and skin them alive.
I'll do it because I want to, and I'll do it for you.
Yeah, I appreciate it, but no.
I'm going to need them later.
Look, this is bad, but it's not over till the ICS says it is.
I need to talk to Katerina.
Thanks.
Not even Dollar Bill could help me pawn it off anonymously.
No one wanted the block? Spartan-Ives? The Sovereign Wealth Funds? - Some dumb Third World despot? - They smelled it.
We're going to have to wait until the market opens, try to bleed it off share by share.
No.
We can't do anything.
Our hands are tied as long as Hypersonic's bound to the Olympics.
You going to tell Prince? What? That I fell prey to first instinct fallacy like some rube stumbled on the monte table along the midway? You outplayed me this time.
I pray to the Good Lord in heaven this is the last time we have to hondle.
You're welcome, Todd.
As long as we're square.
That we are.
Thank you.
Well, they did their part.
Yep, I guess I have a bill to pull.
Or we let it go to a vote, see if it passes.
The Big Ugly's on our side.
If it goes through, it would be New York's most aggressive wealth reform since FDR was bankrolling La Guardia.
Could become a test case for the nation.
The world.
Mm-hmm.
Oh, that's fucking tempting.
So I say we clock out for the night.
Leave it to fate.
No.
No, if I do that, break my word to this camarilla, I lose all future leverage.
And your future in the public sector goes extinct.
Without an actual interstate compact, which was really just a fancy-tasting dinner, the whole thing's toothless anyway, and and I have to be honorable to my word.
Even in this.
So we pull it.
And then we take the office out for a celebratory pop.
Pull the damn thing.
Yanking like Pee Wee Herman himself.
We can work through this and still do great things together.
You're looking at the only man who can bring the Olympics to New York.
- Baseless charges.
- Utter bullshit.
Katerina, standing against these tactics is the only way we can protect the Games from real corruption.
You should refer to me as Miss Brett.
I gave this a chance to go away, but I am afraid the New York Games are tainted now.
My statement is about to go up on the ICS site.
After an unfortunate series of developments, the ICS has come to the conclusion that the 2028 Games can no longer be held in New York City.
Fortunately, after talking to the organizers in Los Angeles, they will be ready to host the Games, with brand-new sponsors and renovated stadiums.
Man, that sucks for our Mikey Prince.
Yes, it does.
But it doesn't suck for us.
Me.
This news is our boarding pass out of our fucked situation.
We can make a statement saying that we're exiting our position because Hypersonic will no longer be the official airline of the New York Games, since L.
A.
will make their own airline deal.
We're going to take a hit.
Damn right we are.
But 10, 15%, not 80.
This will be the story long enough for us to evacuate before the real news gets out.
That their planes will fucking hospitalize you? Exactly.
I figured there might be one person at this company who wasn't upset the Games just went bye-bye.
I also figured you'd need help unloading the shares at the open.
Yes, another set of hands would be good.
Good.
These hands are gonna start by getting some coffee going.
It's not the particular memories in this place.
It's the idea that this is where my memories happened.
But now, new memories.
And no secret rooms.
Or secret compartments out here.
Or up there.
That's the idea.
Never did it before.
Never even tried.
Well, we'll try together.
Yeah, we will.
All in.
It's time.
- Hi.
- Hi.
I'd ask how it went, but I saw the announcement.
Yeah.
Where you going? My hotel.
I need to pack.
It's an early flight.
I can change that, you know.
It is my plane.
I know, but I need to get home and organized.
I missed too much time already, and I need to start booting things back up in L.
A.
- Ouch.
- Sorry.
But I guess we're back where we started.
In some ways.
In others, not.
Our thing's been dormant, switched off for years because of distance.
Not just distance, you know? It's switched back on now, unless I hate to say it, but if this grand gesture of yours was really about us It was, as I said.
I was trying to bend the world to my specifications to do it.
Well, that's the way it goes when you try and do that.
It doesn't work.
You used to say that in the beginning with us.
Before.
It's gone my way plenty since.
Yeah, I can see that.
But the world's a beast sometimes.
You said you'd be willing to travel before you knew it was going to be here, so Of course.
I'll be in Colorado, then L.
A.
every weekend.
Or every other.
Good.
I'll see you next weekend.
For sure.
Well, not next weekend, 'cause the fallout from this is going to be I know.
I'll see you when I see you.
Hey!