Countdown (2025) s01e09 Episode Script

1
[suspenseful music plays]
Six months ago, VKN purchased land
just north of Santa Barbara in Goleta.
They were just here.
All of these people have proved
their mettle again and again.
They deserve to know that
they have a ticking time bomb
standing next to them
when their lives are on the line.
[Nathan] Volchek intends
to set off a dirty bomb.
If he's successful,
there won't be Sundays for any of us.
[Astapov] Meet me at the alley.
I'll give you everything.
- [knife slices]
- [grunting]
[breathing heavily]
[groans softly]
[tense music plays]
[groaning] No.
[grunting]
[grunting, panting]
[grunts]
[siren wailing]
[groans]
[panting]
I need a 10-33.
At the corner of…
of…
[ominous music plays]
[breathes heavily]
[grunts, panting]
[groans]
[coughing]
[grunts, inhales deeply]
[phone vibrates]
God. [sniffles] What?
- [phone vibrating]
- [breathing heavily]
[vibrating continues]
- [vibrating stops]
- This is Meachum.
[tires squeal]
[suspenseful music playing]
[horn honks]
[Finau] Where are you?
I'll be there in five.
[tires screeching]
[Mark] Anything?
Excuse me, ma'am.
I need some information on Nathan Blythe.
- He's a federal officer…
- Like I told the other one,
I do not have an update at this time.
Listen, I'm an LAPD detective…
I don't care
if you're the king of England.
You'll get an update
when the chief surgeon updates you.
Oh. That's…
- Fuck was that?
- [Shepherd] Yeah.
[chattering, indistinct]
Julio?
Yes?
- Oh, my God. [chuckling]
- [chuckles]
Or I should say Dr. Beltran.
No. No, no, no. Julio's good.
I didn't know you were in LA.
Yeah. Chicago winters.
Nine years, counting my residency.
If I never see snow again,
it'll be too soon.
- I bet.
- How about you?
My mom says
you're some kind of secret agent.
Um… [chuckles] DEA.
- Really?
- Mmm.
Wow. Yeah, I always knew
you were gonna do something epic.
[chuckles] You always had
that cool factor.
- No. [chuckles]
- [chuckles]
Hey, listen. Um,
I'm working a federal case,
and our boss, Nathan Blythe,
was brought in this morning.
The admitting nurse
will not tell us anything.
Blythe? Like it sounds?
Yeah. B-L-Y-T-H-E.
- All right. Give me a minute. I'll check.
- Okay.
Thank you.
- [on PA] Dr. Merill to pathology.
- [line rings]
- Dr. Merill, you're needed in pathology.
- Hey. The doctors are great.
[Finau sighs] Hey.
My buddy in Homicide said
the crime scene is a few blocks south.
Uh, the alley where Third crosses Hill.
- We should check it out.
- Yeah.
I assume you're all here
about Nathan Blythe.
- Yeah.
- Okay.
Trauma surgeon removed an impaled object.
A knife through his thoracic cage.
Early diagnosis is the sharp force
intrusion missed his lungs and kidneys.
He's in surgery now to explore
any possible organ damage
or internal bleeding.
How long?
Hour. Maybe more.
Okay. Thank you, Julio.
- Good to see you, Amber.
- You too.
Don't be a stranger.
Look, there's no point in us
standing around here.
Um, Finau, Oliveras and I will walk
a few blocks down, check out the scene.
Then we can head back
and try and figure out
why Blythe was in that alley
in the first place.
Yeah. I'll leave my number
with the attending.
[camera shutters clicking]
[Flagler] All right. Let's, uh…
Let's get a couple blues.
I want every window on this thing knocked.
If we're lucky, maybe we'll get a witness.
[Mark] Flagler. Clausen.
Ah, Meachum.
- I thought you went federal on us.
- That's why I'm here.
- You too, big guy?
- I just go where they tell me, brother.
Oh, this is Oliveras. She's DEA.
I recognize him.
He's the, uh, consul general.
That's right.
Iosif Astapov. Belarusian citizen.
Got the Russian necktie.
We haven't found the knife.
It's at Dignity.
Trauma surgeon pulled it out of our boss.
Nathan Blythe. He's a fed.
But he didn't do this. Which means
there was a third party involved.
I'm thinking that, uh,
Blythe showed up to meet up with Astapov,
but Volchek
or somebody that worked for Volchek
was already following the diplomat.
Slices his throat, leaves him here.
Then Blythe approaches out of the blue.
The attacker thinks
he's got a two for one,
sticks Blythe, fucks off for some reason,
then Blythe crawls his way back
to his car, calls in a 10-33.
That's what I think.
Yeah. I like it.
We get Forensics down here yet?
[Clausen] Not yet.
[Oliveras] Okay. Uh…
If Blythe was coming to meet Astapov,
why downtown in an alley?
Why not official business
at the consulate?
Diplomat didn't want eyes on him.
Because if it was official business,
it's public record.
Probably had some information for Blythe
he wanted to keep on the down-low.
I'd like a look inside that car.
- This one?
- Mm-hmm.
Hey, did you guys photograph everything?
Not yet.
Might be something
in my boss's car I wanna show you.
Come here.
[camera shutters clicking]
Excuse me. You got gloves on?
Need to open up the trunk, please.
[sniffs]
- Meachum, we gotta get going.
- What? Okay. Yeah.
Wait. Whoa, whoa, whoa.
What did you wanna show us?
Shit. Thought there were weapons back here
that he was trying to get to,
but, uh, nope. It's empty. So…
But, hey, now that it's open you guys
can photograph it. So you're welcome.
[elevator dings]
[phone vibrates]
- [Mark] Any news on Blythe?
- Uh, negative.
Anything from the scene?
This was in Astapov's car.
I think he was gonna pass it to Blythe.
Looks like official reports,
all in Belarusian.
You took it from the scene?
- I did.
- I don't think we're worried
- about chain of evidence at this point.
- Well, pass it here.
Shepherd, you and me, let's start
combing through this translation, okay?
- Yeah.
- [phone vibrates]
Mina.
You don't come home all night,
it makes me worry.
[sighs] Yeah. Sorry. I…
I didn't even notice.
Things are going crazy here.
[sighs] Hey, uh, listen.
You should take the girls
and go see your parents in Palm Springs.
- What do you mean?
- I just think it's probably best
to get out of LA for a while.
- Then you come with us.
- Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
I'll be right behind you.
[inhales deeply] Okay.
Well, the girls are already in school.
Right.
And they have Poetry in the Park
at the Vine today.
Yeah. Okay, but listen.
They're gonna have to skip it, okay?
- Well, they were so excited…
- Amina, I'm serious.
Go pick them up from school, get on
the road to the desert, and then call me.
Do you understand?
[stammers] Yeah.
Okay.
Sorry. I'll just feel a lot better
when you're on your way.
- I understand.
- Thank you.
Okay. Uh,
from Astapov's file, best I can tell,
they were tracking Volchek
through a Russian named…
Sergei Belyaev. He's a forger in Reseda.
- You got an address?
- Yep. Sending it to you now.
[intense, dramatic music plays]
Hi, there.
What? No, no. No, no. No.
- No.
- Come on.
- [Mark] LAPD.
- Oh!
- [Oliveras] Federal officers.
- [Mark] Hey.
Hey! Oliveras.
Yeah. Got you.
Go.
- Nothing? Where the fuck did he go?
- [Oliveras] What do you mean?
[Mark] Hang on.
This thing's on rollers.
Oh, shit.
Shit. Here we go.
[grunts]
[metallic clanging]
- Hey.
- Yeah.
[panting, grunts]
Hey!
[straining]
[straining] I got… I got you.
[grunts]
Hey. You okay?
[groans]
- [groans, panting]
- I got him. Go.
- You okay?
- [Mark] Fuck.
What are you doing?
Stop. Stop.
- Come here.
- [sighs]
Step down. Hands behind your back.
- [sighs]
- Come on.
[sighs]
[Finau] You fucking moron.
- You good?
- [Oliveras] Be right there.
All right. Come on.
Let's get you off this roof.
I skipped breakfast this morning,
so I was a little…
Hey. Tell him the lie, okay?
I know what happened.
Come on.
[Mark sighs]
[in Russian] I don't know how…
[in English] We already know you speak
English, Sergei. Don't waste our time.
Borys Vusovich. Barry Vuso.
Josip Horvat.
Three different identities
for the same man.
We don't care about you. We want him.
Okay.
You gave him the new names?
The new passports?
Yes.
- How many?
- More than what you have.
I will tell you each of his identities
if you reduce the federal charges.
And spoken like
you've been anticipating this day, huh?
I would like to serve no more than two
years and do my time at FCI Butner Low.
[Bell scoffs]
Minimum security.
Club fed?
We can make that work.
Give it to me in writing, and I will…
[whistling]
That's my favorite song.
[Shepherd] Okay. The ones we know.
Borys Vusovich, Barry Vuso, VKN Limited,
Josip Horvat and Yuri Volchek.
But the one that we did not know,
Karel Novak.
If Josip Horvat is
the John Smith of Croatia,
then Karel Novak is
the same for Czech Republic.
There's probably
a thousand in Los Angeles alone.
Then, same as always, we check 'em all.
We know he used the other names
to purchase property, businesses.
That's his MO. So we find a Karel Novak
with a connection to the case,
go from there.
[grunts]
[phone vibrating]
Molly, not now, okay?
And please don't call me
unless you're dying.
[Molly] Well,
I have something I want to tell you.
But it needs to be in person.
So why don't I meet you…
I said not now, okay? Not now.
[phone beeps]
[panting, grunting]
[yells]
[panting]
- [Oliveras] What are you doing?
- I'm losing my fucking mind here.
I can't take it. [panting]
Okay.
All right.
Hey. Hey.
It's okay. It's… It's all right.
It's all right.
- Okay? Just breathe.
- [groans]
You're good. You're good.
Just…
Look at me.
You're good.
Okay? Breathe with me.
I got you.
- [breathes shakily] Okay.
- Yeah.
[Heather] Okay, thanks.
Blythe is out of surgery.
[tense music playing]
Let's go.
- Excuse me. Do…
- [Nathan] No, no.
I can refuse further medical assistance
if that's what I want, which is my right.
- [Mark] Boss.
- What?
- What's going on?
- What's going on is
- I need to get back to the task force.
- What he needs to do is rest.
He had no internal bleeding,
and luckily the impalement
missed his kidneys
by about two centimeters.
- But still, we need at least 48 hours.
- [Nathan] Oh, that's nonsense.
Forty-eight hours of observation
to make sure he's healing properly.
It should be a week,
but he's not going to listen.
- I'm not gonna listen to you.
- Boss, you should listen to the doctor.
I don't need to do shit.
What I need to do is get out of here
because we're in the middle of an inve…
- Boss!
- What?
You're not gonna do anyone any good
if you're incapacitated.
Fine. [sighs]
I'll stay for observation,
but I'm not doing the 48.
[sighs] Okay.
That's all we're asking.
[on PA] Dr. Sherman to radiology.
[Julio] Can you update this chart
and set her up
with a follow-up
from neurology for two weeks?
- Thanks. Hey.
- Julio. Hey.
Thank you for earlier.
Oh. Of course. Happy to help.
My aunt said that you're
a neurosurgeon or something?
- A neuro-oncologist. Yes.
- Okay.
Um… [smacks lips]
I have a friend…
a colleague, really, who was diagnosed
with a tumor in his head.
Oh. You know what kind of tumor?
No. I don't.
But he's been getting these
headaches or full-on migraines,
dizziness, vertigo, and he's…
They're definitely getting worse.
And he won't… [stammers]
It's like he's just accepting
that it's a death sentence.
I take it you don't know his oncologist.
- No. I don't.
- Okay.
Well, uh, tell you what.
Look, this is my card,
and this is my personal cell number.
Have your friend call me.
And I'll set up a consult.
- Really?
- Absolutely.
Look, I actually teach at UCLA.
I'm doing a clinical study
on emerging treatments
involving T cells and oncolytic viruses,
so it's…
Anyway. Absolutely.
Have him call me.
I can't promise anything, but…
Right. No. Yeah. Of course.
Um… Thank you. It means a lot.
My pleasure.
All right.
Hope I get to keep bumping into you.
Though under better circumstances.
[chuckles] Right.
All right. Thanks.
Okay, but couldn't you
just wait a couple of hours?
I mean, the girls have been
working so hard on their poems,
and they're really looking forward to it,
and it's supposed
to clear up and get beautiful.
Look, I will have them go first,
and you can leave straight from the Vine.
You're gonna make this hard for me,
aren't you? [chuckles]
I just think you're gonna be really glad
that you let them have
this moment for themselves.
Okay. Okay.
- Yes!
- [teacher chuckles] Thanks.
- I will see you there.
- Okay. [chuckles] Thank you.
Okay, children.
Pick a seat and slide to the window, okay?
Two to a seat. No exceptions.
Augie. Augie. Hey.
Hey. Hands to yourself, okay?
Thank you.
All right. Well, I will keep breaking
down the first 30 Karel Novaks,
- if you wanna take the next grouping.
- Yeah. Absolutely.
Cool. [clears throat]
Hey, I did wanna tell you something.
[sighs]
Um,
you know, when I first saw you were
assigned to this task force, um,
I wasn't sure what to make of you,
to be honest.
You were beyond green. I mean… [chuckles]
…bright, bright green.
- Wow. Thank you. [chuckles]
- [chuckles] You're welcome.
Uh, but seriously,
my dad's generation used to say
you can't investigate cases
sitting on your ass.
And I thought that that was good advice
until I saw what you do with a keyboard.
You know, in this day and age,
you gotta have an extra gear, right?
And, um…
Oh, to see what you do
with barely any data,
and the paths that you've opened up
in this investigation…
[sighs] It's inspiring.
Like, truly, you should be proud.
Thank you.
I'm gonna surprise you
in the field sometime too.
Oh, yeah. I bet you will. [chuckles]
All right. On that note, I'm gonna
go break out some more hard copies.
Uh, I'll be right back.
[line ringing]
[ringing stops]
- Hey. Uh, listen, sorry about earlier.
- What's up?
- I didn't…
- No, don't apologize to me.
Apologize to that bathroom in there.
It was more just the trash can.
It wasn't the whole bathroom.
I'd say it was more the whole bathroom.
Okay.
I'm trying to apologize here, all right?
I just… I'll…
I'll get my shit together.
You're fine.
It's fine.
Listen. Actually.
I moved to LA when I was 17, from Chicago.
- Uh-oh. Here we go.
- Shut up.
There was one kid from my neighborhood
who set every single academic record
at Claremont Unified.
Like, every one.
Valedictorian. National Merit scholar.
You name it.
Went to Yale.
Stayed for medical school. Right?
Was like the pride
of the neighborhood kind of thing.
- Right.
- I saw him today.
At Dignity.
He is a neuro-oncologist now.
- Hmm.
- He said to come in and meet with him.
- He'd do a consult with you.
- Okay.
I don't even know
if you got a second opinion.
- What is that?
- Do you guys mind coming in here, please?
Uh, so it's like we thought.
There are hundreds
of Karel Novaks in Los Angeles.
Residences in basically
every neighborhood,
some businesses.
I thought I should expand the search
to Orange County and north,
past Thousand Oaks,
but it's just a bit overwhelming.
I thought Bell and I could handle it,
but just… [sighs]
Hang on. What…
What is that one right there?
Uh, it looks like
a movie production company.
What was the name of the parking lot
company that Barry Vuso owned?
Kestrel Parking.
Kestrels are birds indigenous to Belarus.
- That's him.
- Agree.
- What's the address on that company?
- Uh, Hollywood.
- Twenty minutes.
- Let's go.
["Fight Song" playing]
[song ends]
LAPD. Federal officers.
Kestrel Entertainment Productions?
Uh, second floor.
- Suite 205.
- Do you have keys?
- Yes.
- Let's go.
[tense music playing]
[Bell] Clear.
- [Oliveras] Clear.
- Clear.
Clear.
Come on. You the building manager?
Yes. Lydia.
Who rented this place?
I don't know. I-I just moved
to this location four months ago.
We have other buildings
in Studio City, Culver.
Um, I-I run the casting office next door.
Never seen one person go in or come out.
The rent is paid through a service.
I can check,
but I'm sure they're up to date.
We rent to production companies,
casting offices, a few podcasters.
There is nothing freaky or illegal.
Okay. Thank you.
I'll let you know if we have
any further questions, okay?
- I'm gonna call our owners.
- Sure.
[sighs] Okay. Well, I can get
the Geiger counter, but honestly,
there is no way that they stored
fissile material here.
I mean, it's too many cameras.
Too many eyeballs.
- Yeah. I agree.
- All right. So what do we think?
Hiding money.
Some kind of laundering cash dump.
All right. I'll check
and see if there's any
Kestrel Entertainment Productions
bank accounts,
but to be honest, I-I can't
help feeling this is a square peg.
Yeah.
- [sighs]
- Let's go.
- [elevator bell dings]
- [Oliveras] He hates the world.
He creates all these identities
for this grand master plan to what?
Fucking make movies?
Doesn't that seem absurd to you?
Yeah. It does, actually.
I feel like we're on to something,
but my brain can't line up the signals.
Ah. Well, maybe, uh, talk to your friend.
You know, the, uh, neuro-whatever.
Pride of the neighborhood.
Maybe he can, uh, align your signals.
Yeah. I will. After you do.
Come on.
Okay, he said to come in and talk to him.
What harm can that do?
I mean,
your brain wasn't much to begin with.
Now look at you.
Oh, my God. You're so good at pep talks.
I know. That's why Blythe picked me.
- Oh, that's why.
- Here's his number.
You'll do it?
Can somebody catch me up on where
the hell we're at with this investigation?
- Hey, what are you doing here, boss?
- I'll rest when I'm dead.
Let's go, people. I want a full recap
of everything since
that son of a bitch stuck me.
- Boss, are you sure…
- I'm fine.
And if anybody says another word,
I'll ship you off to El Paso, okay?
- Come on, now. We don't…
- Meachum, I swear to God, don't test me.
If you wanna come to the conference room,
we've got a lot to catch you up on.
Good.
We can't figure out why Volchek
would have a production company.
Everything this guy has done
under these false identities
has been to blend in, right?
He has trucks that look like
a million others.
He has a farm
out in the middle of nowhere.
A house in Sherman Oaks.
Even the parking lots was
a nothing business.
There were no products sold,
no company-to-company sales,
just a way to move money.
Right. So-So why the flash
of a Hollywood company?
I mean, sure,
they have them all over the city,
but it's a business
that attracts eyeballs.
It's like, "Oh, look.
They're making a movie over there."
[Nathan] Yeah. I'm not seeing it.
Trucks.
What?
A month ago, there were
movie trucks parked on my street.
They parked wherever they wanted.
Didn't matter that people live there.
They put up a sign, take up half a block.
Shepherd,
see if Kestrel Entertainment Productions
- has filed for any filming permits.
- Yeah.
Holy shit. They did.
The city gave them permission
to shoot at the Vine.
- [Nathan] When?
- Right now. Today.
[tense music playing]
My family's there.
Punch it.
[car engine revs]
[in Belarusian] It is active?
Active.
A significant day.
Yes.
We are men discarded by our homeland,
stepped on by America.
And now, Los Angeles will be synonymous
with Hiroshima and Chernobyl.
And our country will be condemned…
shamed…
throughout the world.
But the two of us?
Our names will be remembered forever.
The last image I would like to see
is destruction…
and the last sounds I would like to hear
are the cries of the damned.
[in English] Hey. Hello.
I, uh, wanna thank all of the parents
for coming out on this gorgeous day
to hear what your amazing children have
been working on for the last month or so.
[tires squeal]
[rock music playing]
[sirens wailing]
[exhales sharply]
Fucking move.
- [horn honks]
- Get the fuck out of the way, people.
- Hang on.
- [tires squeal]
- Oh, my God. Watch out. Watch out.
- [horn honks]
- Fuck.
- [continues honking]
Nicely done.
[music continues]
Clear on this side so far.
Nothing on the south side.
There. Two trucks.
Parked at the curb near the west entrance.
- Copy.
- All right. Let's go.
Gallagher.
Fucking knew it.
Hey.
Did you see who parked these trucks here?
- They have permits.
- That's not what I asked.
Wow. Uh, it was two guys.
- They looked normal, like movie teamsters.
- Was this guy one of them?
Yeah, that's him.
[Mark] I'm going in.
Oh, fuck.
Holy…
Can you disarm it?
Any attempt might set it off.
Figure it out.
It's fucking loaded.
He just left two minutes ago.
It's all up on the screen.
He's got all the devices linked.
He's gonna trigger it remotely.
You think he's trying to keep out
of the blast radius?
Or he wants to watch people die.
Murder-suicide.
Spread out.
Find him.
Stop him before he detonates.
Hot-wiring the truck and trying
to drive it out of here isn't gonna
do a whole hell of a lot of good
in a city this populated.
No, ANFO could be wired
into the engine anyway.
Okay. Well, you stay here.
We'll communicate through throat mics.
Do not cue your radio.
I'm gonna get to the other truck
and see if it's any different.
Copy.
Hey. If you wanna get to
a perimeter, that's fine.
- I wouldn't hold it against you.
- No. No. No. It's fine.
[Bell] Okay.
[breathes shakily]
[breathing heavily]
I called in bomb squad and LAPD.
I couldn't wait.
If we spook him, we spook him.
I'll take the risk.
There's too many people here.
We need to evacuate as many as we can.
Okay. I'm gonna check out the other truck.
See if it's redundant to this one.
[sighs]
[sighs] Shepherd, you there?
Yeah.
- [Bell] Carbon copy of number one.
- [sighs] Okay.
[tense music playing]
[grunts]
I mean, this doesn't look like
a radio signal ignition.
At least,
I can't find a receiving antenna.
Okay. Uh, Blythe's called the bomb squad.
- How far out?
- I am not sure.
Anything?
I got nothing.
- Hey, I don't see…
- [Cameron] Sunshine tickles my eyelids.
Sunshine makes shadows play.
Sunshine warms up the sky.
Sunshine starts the day.
- Sunshine tickles my eyelids…
- LAPD! Everyone out!
Everyone clear out! Clear out!
[people clamoring, screaming]
["Bad Rabbit" playing]
[clamoring continues]
Jerry, we got two dirty bombs,
and they're the real deal.
I need everyone out of here
within a ten-mile radius.
- [Bell] LAPD's here.
- Yeah. This looks like a…
like a Wi-Fi system. Like…
Like for one of those automated
home routers, you know what I mean?
- No. Tell me.
- It's a… It's a tri-band.
A transmitter, receiver, receiver.
It's like what you would buy at Home Depot
so that you could turn
your lights on remotely.
Wait. Like through an app?
- Yeah.
- Okay.
- Then we just need to jam it, right?
- Or we pull the plug on both receivers.
You said yourself
that could trigger the bomb.
Yeah. I-I know. Maybe.
We wait for bomb tech.
Well, they could take
15 minutes assessing.
- [song continues]
- Everyone out!
Everybody move! Everybody evacuate!
Move, move, move!
[people continue screaming]
Move. Move. Move!
[Finau]
Everybody evacuate! Move, move, move!
Everybody evacuate!
Come here, baby. Come here.
I told you to leave town.
- The girls.
- Everyone move! Everyone move!
LAPD!
[song ends]
[Finau] Everybody move! There's a bomb!
LAPD! Move, move!
[Oliveras] Everybody down! Everybody down!