Nikita s04e03 Episode Script

Set-Up

Previously on Nikita Deputy Director of the FBI, a Secret Service supervisor, and the president of the United States-- all high level, all clearly compromised.
Amanda switched them.
The United States will not negotiate with terrorists.
Perfect replicas-- someone who's been physically and mentally altered to act as a replacement.
I can now confirm that the secret Cayman accounts in Nikita Mears' name was, in fact, funded through a key third party that we are closing in on as we speak.
You've got the wrong person! Can you hack into the FBI's communication log? Find who Amanda is communicating with at the NSA.
No matter how the FBI autopsy plays out, this has already forced us to accelerate our time line.
Don't forget--we still have one more ace in the hole, and his mission is just beginning.
Tensions continue to escalate between the United States and Pakistan following the assassination of Leaders officially have denied any involvement.
NSA intel confirms that Pakistani intelligence paid $50 million to The payment was hidden by-- and I quote-- "an elaborate money-laundering scheme funded by a mysterious third party.
" Alexandra Udinov The most famous Russian party girl since Anna Karenina.
Number seven on Maxim's Top 25 richest hotties.
Wouldn't know it to look at you.
You can't just arrest me like this.
Oh, this is a rendition.
It's not an arrest.
And I highly suggest you do not remain silent.
Who are you? Well, I am a forensic accountant by training.
I pull apart terrorists' financial networks.
Now do you know why you're here? Should I? I'm just a Russian party girl, right? I mean, unless you need fashion advice--which you do.
I can tell you the new Burberry collection just hit the shelves at Harrods.
You want to go check it out? Only if you can get me a few of these.
Maybe in rose gold.
I know who you really are.
You're somebody who pays other people to do her dirty work-- people like Nikita.
Nikita The assassin.
So you do know her.
No, I have eyes, ears, and an Internet connection.
The only thing I know about Nikita is that she wears too much black.
And what does Nikita say? She believes she has been framed by a conspiracy of people, such as Deputy FBI Director Matthew Graham, who she assassinated just days ago.
I am so sure of that.
That I will make this offer.
Do a DNA test on his body and compare it to the samples already on file.
Do that, and I will turn myself in.
Are you sure it was spec ops? Yes, judging from their call-outs and movements, absolutely.
Probably deployed by the Agency.
Sonya, where are you now? In another room in the same hotel.
Sam and I managed to salvage some gear.
Alex is probably in a CIA safe house, at least for the next 24 hours.
They're gonna start with routine questioning and then ship her out of there.
Extradite her to the states.
No, Alex is not an American citizen.
They'll declare her an enemy combatant, rendition her to a black site.
Sonya, get me Sam on the line.
- What? - Hey.
I'm glad you're there.
I know what you're gonna ask.
The answer is good-bye.
They're gonna put Alex in a hole.
Is that what you want? I'll tell you what I don't want.
I don't want to be on the top of every terrorist watch list in the world.
Yes, but you do want Amanda.
Now's your shot.
After what she did to you? Hey, hey, hey.
You're not talking to Owen here, all right? You're talking to Sam.
And Sam knows when to get up from the table and cash out.
He's gone.
Sonya, we're coming to you.
How long for wheels up? We don't need to.
We have a way to end this today.
We killed Graham's double for a reason.
Once they test his DNA, once they see it doesn't match what's on file, it'll blow the lid off this whole conspiracy.
No, it won't be that easy.
Shop's got another sleeper inside the NSA-- the one who's planting all this intel.
If they went to all the trouble for Alex, you can bet they're gonna try to control the DNA results.
Not if we get ahead of it.
Birkhoff can hack into Quantico, monitor the autopsy.
Once they run his DNA, we make sure it doesn't match.
Autopsy's in an hour.
Where's--where's Birkhoff? Nerd We need you.
Surgery should take about three hours.
Good.
Which reminds me Are you prepared for the DNA test? A bad result could expose us.
Don't worry about the autopsy.
We have a secret weapon, remember? Anything? Nerd? Huh? Yeah, I'm--I'm getting there.
No match.
We got it.
Hang on a second.
What is it? There's somebody else in the system.
- From where? - I don't know.
Damn it.
They've taken over the whole system.
- Wait.
How did this happen? - I don't know.
Obviously she had somebody else in there, somebody good.
Better than you? Talk to me, Fletch.
Who's our next target-- Amanda's double inside the NSA? Shh, shh.
Hey, whoa.
This is Birkhoff's rig.
Why are you messing with it? You know how he gets.
He's been using his laptop since yesterday.
Yeah, so? What-- What's with the "Conspiracy voice"? It's nothing.
Forget it.
It doesn't sound like nothing.
It's just--it's a theory I'm working on.
Okay.
Birkhoff can't seem to find our mystery man at the NSA.
It's Birkhoff.
He'll get it.
Like he got the DNA hack? Okay, when have you ever seen Birkhoff get handled like that? Never, and when he does, he always circles back to tell you why it wasn't his fault.
I'm telling you, he's off.
It's just Nerd being Nerd.
Forget it.
Fletch.
What if that's not Nerd? Okay.
Wait a second.
You're saying that Birkhoff-- you think-- You think that Birkhoff is one of Amanda's-- oh, man, Ryan, you need to step away from the wall of crazy, okay? Think about it.
Everything he is doing or not doing-- the NSA lead, the busted hack-- it's helping the other side.
What if Alex is in custody right now because of him? We've been compromised before.
Amanda turned Alex against us.
She turned you against the president.
If what you're saying is true, then why hasn't he shot us in our sleep? Why hasn't he crashed the plane? Maybe he's deep cover for a reason.
Okay, it's the Shop.
Their plans have plans.
- Wall of crazy.
- Yep.
Okay, you know what? This is exactly why I didn't want to say anything.
I'm trying to find proof.
Oh, no.
You want to test this.
I can test it.
How? Make it personal.
If it's not Nerd, I'll know.
Well, you said write down everything I know about money laundering.
It was a good offer, Alexandra.
You should have taken it.
Now you've lost any hope of amnesty.
You've got the wrong girl.
Nikita's the one who shot the president.
And paid quite handsomely for it.
$49.
6 million deposited in her very own Cayman account.
And you said I'm spoiled.
You bought yourself an assassination the way you'd buy a Lhasa Apso or Birkin bag.
No receipt, no return-- where's your proof? Potwar basin One of the oldest oil-producing regions in the world.
Do you know where that is? Pakistan.
Very good.
And do you know which industrial giant won a contract with that government for 37 new wells? Zetrov-- the company founded by your father.
I divested from Zetrov two years ago.
You did.
Your trust did not.
A substantial amount of active shares were tied to the Pakistan deal.
It created a dividend in the amount of Oh, look at that $49.
6 million The exact sum Nikita was paid.
That's how you link me to her? Your evidence is barely circumstantial.
G20 Summit, Toronto-- you remember that, don't you? That dress is a stunner, Alexandra, but Nikita Oh, you can't lose in red.
Unless you have someone coming to bust you out of here, I highly suggest that you pick up that pen and you start writing.
Enjoy.
Sam.
Did you not think we would find you? I try not to think of you, ever.
Mm.
Mr.
Braga wants his payment.
It's coming.
You're not this foolish.
Tell me good things.
I can't.
Sam just killed me.
- Samuel.
- Did we not talk about this? Did I not assure you payment was forthcoming? You said you had a line on the money-- something about an ex-girlfriend.
I hit a snag.
You did not need to send guys.
I need the first installment, Sam, and it needs to be at least 25 million.
Otherwise, I will send more guys.
And I'll kill them too.
Hey, can I talk to you about something? I'm sorry-- I can't talk to Ryan because he's buried in his wall of crazy, and I can't talk to Michael because he's part of the problem.
Well, maybe he's not the only problem.
What? I don't know.
Never mind.
Look, maybe you're right.
Maybe I keep self-sabotaging because I don't know what happily ever after looks like.
I've never had happiness or normality in my life ever, so I don't know.
Maybe when this is all over, I'll-- I'll find out.
Look, there's something I got to tell you.
I don't even know how to start.
Beginning works for me.
Okay.
I'm not really Seymour Birkhoff.
Wait, wait.
Let me-- let me back up.
That's not the beginning.
My mom had already raised two kids by the time I was born.
I was an accident.
My dad completely ignored me.
He was into computers.
I know-- big surprise, right? He had all this gear lying around the house.
I was, like, nine when I used his 486 to hack the power company and shut down our street.
Totally screwed him up at work.
I got really good.
I was running with phone phreakers and hackers.
We were really far out there.
And my dad thought he could set me straight with military school.
Well, the day I found that email, I started making plans.
I was 15 when I faked my own death in a sailing accident.
You faked your own death? Call it a reboot.
If you're not Birkhoff, then what's your real name? My first name is Lionel.
You changed your name from Lionel to Seymour? Don't ask.
Get away from him! That's not Seymour Birkhoff.
Ryan, I know.
Gun down! What the hell is wrong with you, man? Birkhoff, drop the gun.
Somebody better tell me what the hell is going on right now! Put it down! We'll figure this out.
Okay? Put it down.
This was buried on your laptop Ronald Peller.
That's him-- Amanda's double in the NSA.
Birkhoff covered it up.
Wait a minute.
He thinks I'm a-- you think I'm a--you got to be freaking kidding me, man.
I am not a double.
Birkhoff Who's Ronald Peller? He's my father.
All right? My birth name is Lionel Peller.
Why did you keep this from me? What? That my dad is your next target in the war against the Shop? Nikki As much as I hate the son of a bitch, I can't let you kill him.
Chief strategy officer, cybercrimes unit-- catches hackers for the NSA.
That's not ironic.
He's a very big fish.
He's got access to systems throughout the government, if not the world.
I guarantee you he is a bigger part of the Shop's plan.
They wouldn't double him just to plant some intel on Alex.
Look, we are not killing him.
It's not him.
They replaced him with a double.
And who said anything about a hit? Did you guys forget what happened to Graham? The second we took out the double, Amanda put a bullet in the real one.
If she finds out we know about Ronald, he becomes compromised, useless, and she will wipe out the evidence.
There is a way to do this without any collateral damage.
- No! - Just hear me out.
Amanda won't kill your father if she doesn't think the double's compromised.
We can use the double to save your dad.
- How do we do that? - Catch and release.
We grab him, let him go, follow him back to their base Get in there and get your dad.
Looks like I don't have a choice.
I told Michael to land, find alternate transport to Mumbai.
We'll head back to D.
C.
Hey This is gonna work.
We're gonna save him, I promise.
The DNA was a perfect match.
You handled yourself well.
What happens when I refuse to cooperate? You won't.
That's just a taste of what's coming.
You treat me like a terrorist.
Do you even know what I've been doing in Mumbai? Let's keep talking about Toronto.
Turkish minister of intelligence says you tried to purchase a cache of U.
S.
intelligence documents.
You were obsessed with trying to identify the black-Ops group that killed your parents.
That's why you want revenge.
You think my country made you an orphan.
I was trying to save your country.
All of this was engineered-- the Zetrov deal, the Cayman account.
You're being played.
Everything's a conspiracy with you, isn't it? Should I have my DNA tested too? You're the only fake in this room, princess.
I'm going to ask you one more time.
Who are you? My father was gunned down in front of me when I was 13 years old.
I was sold into slavery, but I lived.
I came out a drug addict, but I got clean.
I've killed dangerous men, and I've watched people I love die in my arms.
You want to know what I am? I'm a survivor.
So you do me a favor and turn up the music on your way out.
And I assume there's no mention of Alex on the local police band.
Negative.
I've been trying to narrow down a signal spectrum the CIA might use.
Tap the U.
S.
consulate.
The Agency field office is there.
They've got to be talking to the safe house.
Cavalry's here.
Sorry I'm late.
I was talking about me, actually.
Get out.
Aren't you gonna say "please"? She usually says "please.
" She's not gonna say it again.
All right, look, I changed my mind.
Alex did me a solid back at the docks.
She put a bullet in a guy before he put a bullet in me.
So I'm guessing the plan is to raid the CIA safe house, if you ever find it.
Either of you super spies thought of bribing an official? You need money for that.
Alex's assets are frozen.
She's broke? She has a little bit left in her Swiss account, but only she can withdraw it personally.
What about your money? Tied up.
Investments--I couldn't get it fast enough anyways.
Look, last I checked, it was Special Forces that grabbed Alex, at least four of them.
Situation like that, two door-kickers are better than one.
Even Owen could do that math.
Are you sure he's going to go there? Ronald Peller likes to get his mail in the morning.
Doesn't like to deal with it at night.
Likes to read it on his desk at work.
Yeah, that's weird.
Definitely your dad.
Just make sure you get him alive.
I got the backup right here.
Nikki! Nikki Who the hell are you? Come on.
He'll be ready for insertion in seven hours.
How does that fit with Mr.
Peller's time line? Perfectly.
We have a situation.
I'm reaching into my pocket for my glasses.
It is you.
The one and only.
- We got about four hours.
- I thought we had all day.
Your dad's a CSO with level-one clearance.
If he doesn't check in, NSA starts looking-- it's protocol.
Now, does he have a comm device or not? It's the glasses.
They're full duplex.
Amanda can hear everything.
Good.
Sorry about that kidnapping.
I hope we didn't rough you up too much.
I'll live.
Mr.
Peller, I'm not here to hurt you.
I'm here to make you an ally.
Really? Put these on.
I'm gonna ask you some questions.
Just think of them as security questions.
Why should I cooperate? Because once I know you're not an impostor, I'm going to share all my intel with you.
Uh, Nikki Ask him how he takes his coffee.
Just trust me.
How do you take your coffee? Milk and cream.
But not half & half.
So half & half.
Separate cream and separate milk.
The dairy solids react differently so you get a richer flavor.
Separate cream, separate milk.
The dairy solids react differently so you get a richer flavor.
What is it? Listen to how he's pausing.
I don't think it's Amanda.
She's got my real father coaching him.
Confirm it.
Make the questions more personal.
All right, Nikki You have a wife? Late wife--Rosemarie.
Kids? Lilly and Lyle are grown And a third child who passed away.
Name? His name was Lionel.
Lionel.
Ask him how he died.
How did he die? Sailing accident.
They found the boat Floating Empty Nothing on it except a dead tarantula.
All they found was a dead spider.
That's it.
He's on the other side.
Only my father would know that.
Congratulations.
You passed the test.
What happens next? You are gonna help me find the real impostor who's inside the NSA.
See? They don't know what he is.
Or so it seems.
Haven't you been listening? They're going to release him.
Best-case scenario-- he tells us exactly where they are.
Worst-case--we find out everything they know.
What about this place? Egress is good.
Not isolated enough.
Sonya narrowed down the signal from the consulate.
She said it'd be in this neighborhood.
You sure are eager to find Alex.
Aren't you? Of course, but you walked away.
I still don't get why.
It was an impulse Sort of like when Nikita took off on you.
- All set.
- All right.
Let's just go through this again.
You sit him down--you do a fake search on the NSA server.
Act like you found the double.
I thank him.
I give him this, send him on his way.
As soon as he uploads this bad boy to Amanda, it will ping us with her location.
We go save your real dad.
Hang on.
Amanda had your dad coaching him, right? Yeah.
So? So she'll put him in the server when you're hacking, just to monitor you.
I mean, your dad's probably the one who beat you during the DNA hack.
What's your point? Send him a message-- something embedded, something only your dad can read.
Why would I do that? So you can talk to him.
Nah, I-I think that's too risky.
Nerd He could give us his exact location, and even if he can't, we'd have a mole on the inside.
- No.
- Amanda won't kill him if he's not comp-- No.
You're that afraid, are you? Afraid? Afraid of what? I'm not afraid.
"Afraid.
" You're his son.
Talk to him.
Come on, Nerd.
What Easter egg is he going to use? The name of that tarantula he left on the sailboat.
It was his favorite pet.
But when his grades started to suffer, his dad thought it was a distraction, so he killed it.
Birkhoff made it seem like he got drunk and was gonna bury it at sea.
Pop sounds like a piece of work.
This is the same monkey from the coroner's office.
That's him.
You said you knew this guy? Does it matter? I recognize a few things.
His name is Seymour Birkhoff.
You might know him as the Shadowwalker.
He's on the agency's list.
I don't doubt it.
He's had his moments.
He designed a very useful program.
Yeah.
Shadownet.
That's right.
Can I see a picture of him? What you expected? No.
What do you got? Time for your transfer, Alex Unless you've changed your mind.
You're not just doing this because of the assassination.
Something's coming, and you think I know about it.
I already told you, I am not gonna share unless you do.
Who am I gonna tell? I'm just a trust-fund baby.
We've been monitoring chatter by Pakistani intelligence.
We believe an operation is in the works, but we haven't been able to pinpoint exactly where.
The Pakistani man That must be what they're gonna use him for.
They're going to put him somewhere in Pakistani intelligence.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
What Pakistani man? I found four of them on the docks-- same place I found that.
They're gonna surgically alter his face, turn him into one of their impostors.
Go time.
I'll meet you outside.
Freeze! Hands! Not bad for a trust-fund baby.
Not bad for an accountant.
Sorry we're late.
You look surprised I am.
What is taking so long? Hold on.
Boom! We got our double.
What? Here we go.
Give him the bait.
Let's go get Amanda.
Sheryl Stein- says right here she was promoted just after the G20.
President Spencer must have known about that.
So? It'll all make sense once you read this.
It's everything we know about the Shop.
- The Shop? - You'll see.
Come on.
Let's go.
He did it.
We did it.
That flash drive will be useful-- everything we need to tear them apart.
Why'd you do it, Lionel? What did you say? You asked for his picture.
Why did you ask for-- you had a third child who passed away-- sailboat accident Lionel.
Execute fail-safe Now! Don't move! - Aah! - You don't have to do this.
I'm not going back to live in the sewer.
If anything happens to you, Amanda kills my-- aah! I think that's everything.
Yep.
That should be helpful.
You came back for me.
Yeah, well, I sort of ran out on you first.
Yeah, Michael told me.
He would do that.
Look, we're a team.
We can't work together if we can't trust each other.
Yeah.
No, I-I hear you.
- Thank you.
- Alex It's Ryan.
Thanks for your help.
I guess having me back wasn't such a bad thing, huh? Guess not.
Yeah, I've run the stats on the Pakistani man you found-- height, build, blood type.
He doesn't match up with any high-ranking officials in Pakistani intelligence.
Keep looking.
I'm telling you, they've got something big planned for him.
They'll never see him coming.
It will be trickier without Peller, but we'll make it work.
It had to be done.
You wasted a valuable asset.
We can't see this through as designed without Peller in place.
We have the Stuxworm.
We can improvise.
Oh, I will.
Despite your posturing, you clearly don't have the wits to defeat Nikita.
You were played, Amanda.
We do this my way.
He was a son of a bitch, but he didn't deserve this.
I know what you're feeling.
I just don't know how to make it better for you.
Well, at least I got to talk to him.
If you hadn't pushed me to send that message, I never would've had the chance.
I wanted to keep my promise.
I'm so sorry.
You want to promise me something? Promise me you'll take your own advice.
Stop running.
What you run from you run into.
You never cease to amaze me, Nerd.
This is not over.
For years, I tried to discover his secret.
All those sessions-- I could never crack him.
You don't know anything about him.
But you do.
The secret is somewhere inside that decrepit little psyche of his A valuable password to an absolutely invaluable system The only system that could ever bring us down.
You'll never crack Shadownet Not without him.
Hmm.
Yes.
Lionel may be out of reach, but the building blocks of his personality are right here, aren't they? You know, back when he worked for me, I wanted to use more extreme measures on your son.
But my boss at the time-- he wouldn't allow it.
Well, guess what.
I'm my own boss now.

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