The Dead Zone s05e11 Episode Script

The Hunting Party

I had the perfect life until I was in a coma for six years, and then I woke up and found my fiancee married to another man and they're raising my son.
Everything has changed including me.
One touch, and I can see things, things that happened, things that will happen.
You should see what I see.
You don't want to admit it.
You're just mad because I got a brand new computer.
For free! What's that all about anyway? You win the grand prize in a magazine sweepstakes you don't even remember entering? What can I say, I'm a lucky guy.
You're monitoring the Evening Frost, the first truly independent political webcast of the people, by the people, and for the people.
I'm Marshall Frost and we're talking about my favorite subject, the raping of the American ideal.
It's not too late to take this country back from the power hungry, right wing conservatives who stole it.
When are we gonna kick this 'love it or leave it' mind set and realize the answer is self sacrifice? I'm talkin' blood and guts.
Takin' one or givin' one for the cause.
Which brings me back to my good friend, Vice President Danbury.
Seems old Danny boy is also under investigation for embezzlement, bribery and forgery.
Unbelievable.
I've been pretty tough on this guy the past few months and I intend to keep it up.
Eric Danbury is exactly the enemy our founding fathers were trying to protect us from a tyrant driven by arrogance, ego and greed.
I'm tellin' ya somethin', if this was a Third World country, this criminal would be takin' out and shot! And I'd be first in line to pull the trigger.
God, if it were only that easy.
Let's take one last break.
This is the Evening Frost.
Marshall Frost.
A wisp of knowledge can be an infinitely slippery slope.
Mister Wolf.
It's been almost a week.
You said you'd have more dirt on Danbury.
This will be the last time we speak for awhile.
Why? I never mentioned you as my source.
Powerful feathers have been ruffled.
It's no longer safe.
I'm the guy with his neck stuck out! Danbury is the tip of the iceberg.
I'll contact you when it's safe.
Wait.
What should I Goddamn it, Phil.
You're lucky I was still here to help put it together.
Because I catch a plane out in one hour.
Mom must be excited to have her little boy home for her birthday.
She'd be even more excited if you came with me.
Thanks, but I've got that thing with J.
J.
, besides I want to hang out and surf the net on my free computer.
Did I mention that this thing was free? On second thought, I'm glad you're not coming.
That's strange.
You've got an email message, but we haven't set up your address yet.
It's probably some come on from the company I'm the guy with his neck stuck out! What's wrong? I think my luck just ran out.
According to the license, the webcast is generated from this industrial complex.
Seems Frost is a major paranoid, moves the broadcast every couple months.
What else do you know about him? Fancies himself some kind of a gonzo journalist.
Drugs and guns.
Lately he's been in the papers for his oneman crusade against Vice President Danbury.
Oh! Here we go.
Speak of the devil.
And the devil appears.
This is Sheriff Bannerman! Stay where you are! Hang on.
Okay, okay.
No, no, no, no! Don't kill me, please! Don't kill me! I didn't see anything! I swear! They killed Phil.
They killed my engineer.
I tripped over something and that's when I found his body.
He'd been shot through the head.
That's the way I saw it.
You saw it? Who the hell are you? Nevermind.
Both of you just stay close to me.
You sure this is where he was? Yeah, I'm sure.
The body was right here.
There was blood all over my hand.
They must have cleaned it off.
After I was knocked out.
I'm not crazy.
Relax.
We believe you.
I can take a Goddamn lie detect You believe me? The shooter came in through here.
He was dressed in dark fatigues and wore a black ski mask.
It was quick, professional.
Who the hell are you? His name is John Smith.
Smith.
The psychic who was stalking Greg Stillson? The shooter could have killed you, but he didn't.
Any idea why? No.
What was your engineer's last name.
I need to talk to his family.
He didn't have any family.
No friends I know of.
He was a fan, just showed up one day about a year ago and never left.
He was a good guy.
I'll get CSU to sweep the place.
If there's anything here, we'll find it.
What about me? Why don't you go in first.
I doubt they'd let you live, just to kill you again a few hours later.
That makes sense.
Go first anyway.
- Can you think of anybody - Shhh! Are you nuts? They could be listening.
You can go now! What do you Tell me about who Wolf is? How do you know? You're psychic.
He first started to call the show about four months ago.
Said he had sensitive information concerning Vice President Danbury.
I thought he was just another whack job.
He wasn't? Next day, I found a package on the front seat of my car.
Danbury's CIA file.
Names, dates, the whole enchilada.
Documentation linking him to a half dozen illegal or, at the very least, unethical situations.
I was gonna make copies and sent to every major newspaper.
You didn't? The file vanished.
I just had enough time to read and then it was gone.
That's when you went after the Vice President on your show? Wolf started calling me once a week.
Dropping information about Danbury's personal and political life.
I have an obligation to my audience.
People need to know they have a criminal in the White House.
How can you be sure it's all true? Because of the silence.
The silence? Four months I've been pounding Danbury on the web, in all that time do you know how many denials have been issued? Zero! Maybe because response would give you credibility? Yeah, maybe.
Or maybe I was right on the money.
Who do you think Wolf is? I've narrowed it down to two possibilities State Department or NSA.
Wherever he is, he's got his nose in deep.
How am I supposed to sleep with all this noise? What the hell are you doing here? My neighbors are having a party and I needed someplace quiet to crash.
We don't Who's your friend? John Smith.
Kendra Crowe.
She was just leaving.
- Hello.
- Hi.
Baby, you seem wired.
Did you take your medicine? I'm in no mood for this right now.
I need to think.
That means for both of you.
Fine.
- The front door! - I'm getting my stuff! What the hell do you think you're doing? - Calling a cab.
- Not from here you aren't.
Microwaves are traceable.
Don't you know anything? I'll have an heart attack.
I come all the way out to this dump and for what? To get the cold shoulder from a computer geek.
- Would you mind give me a ride? - Come on.
Go ahead and ask.
What's a girl that looks like me doing with a guy like Marshall Frost? It is a little bit curious.
We have a business arrangement.
Oh.
Oh! It's not like that.
I mean, I don't sleep with him or anything.
Mitch hates being alone, especially since his wife left him.
When was that? Almost a year.
Took his little girl.
Nearly destroyed him.
Mostly I listen to him rant about the world.
Do you think he's dangerous? I think Mitch Frost believes everything he says.
This is me on the corner.
You asked me if I thought Frost was dangerous.
The answer is yes.
Thanks.
Tonight, a nation mourns, as the White House has now confirmed reports that Vice President Eric Danbury is dead.
As reported, it appears that a lone gunman was able to breach security and shoot the Vice President once in the head.
Details remain extremely sketchy.
August 26.
Day after tomorrow.
That's it? A phone call? Do you have any idea how many death threats the White House gets every year? It's not a threat.
The Vice President is going to be assassinated some time in the next 48 hours.
Where? How? By who? I don't know.
That's the problem.
Truth is, I'm not exactly high on the FBI's credibility list.
Not after what happened out at that commune.
Forensics report from the Webcast studio.
Thanks.
CSU didn't find anything.
No hair, no trace of blood.
John, I believe you.
But in order to get anybody else to take it seriously, we've got to have something solid.
Where are you going? To find Frost.
John, there's something you should know about him before you go.
Why didn't you tell me you were stalking Eric Danbury? What the hell are you talking about? Don't play stupid with me, because I saw copies of the police reports.
You crashed your car through the front gate of his house.
The police found a 38-caliber pistol under the front seat of your car.
- Shall I continue? - Whatever floats your boat.
You spent 6 months in a psychiatric hospital.
You spent 2 months in isolation under a suicide watch.
I had some issues and I dealt with them.
Why does all this matter so much to you anyway? It matters so much because sometime in the next 36 hours, Frost, someone is going to kill Vice President Danbury! And they think I'm crazy! You're serious? What? You think it's me? You've got the resumé.
I'll tell you something, I've made some mistakes in my life and I paid for them.
I lost my wife and my daughter, both of which I'm trying to get back.
If you think I'd do anything to jeopardize that, you need to take another look into your crystal ball - You don't have a cigarette, do you? - I don't smoke.
Here.
Sohwa naranai desho.
Is the man available? He's expecting you.
How did you meet Kendra Crowe? - What? - Crowe.
How did you meet her? She was recommended.
By who? Phil.
Phil recommended her.
Do you know where she lives? No offense, Smith, but I think your radar's on the fritz.
Kendra may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but she isn't a liar.
She dates strange men for money.
I think she's whoever she needs to be.
Baby? Kendra! What are we looking for anyway? I'm not sure.
It's a set-up.
What? The apartment.
It's been created to simulate reality.
What are you talking about? That's crazy.
I know this girl.
We've spent quality time together.
Pictures of her family.
This is her father, Hank.
He was injured in Vietnam.
He's a good guy.
- You've met him? - Uh, no, not in person.
I don't understand.
But she Wait a minute Wait a minute Oh, no.
Hello? Uh-huh.
Yeah.
Okay.
It's for you.
This is truly an honor, Mister Smith.
Who is this? You can call me The Wolf.
What do you want? We need to talk.
Go to Anderson Park.
Bring Mister Frost with you.
How will I know you? Go to the water fountain.
If you're as good as they say, you'll find me.
M.
Smith He's here.
Where? Sit on the bench.
Don't turn around.
Don't make eye contact.
How did you know we were at Crowe's apartment? How did you know her phone number? It's in my best interest to know a great many things.
Who is she really? A puppet.
A pawn on a chess board.
Why was she sent to me? You're both missing the big picture.
The Vice President.
It's deeper than one man.
Who's behind it? Let's just say it involves political and industrial elements.
Big business.
If you consider formulating foreign policy, controlling global currency and unleashing the American war machine as big business, then you've got some idea of what's at stake.
Rich white guys trying to rule the world through chaos.
On the contrary, these individuals operate through precision and efficiency.
Everything is a means to an end.
Even a seemingly insignificant magazine sweepstakes.
You're saying some evil organization of power hungry billionaires sent me a home computer? There are no coincidences.
Everyone plays a role.
You, of all people, should realize that.
What about the Vice President? What's his role? Every crusade needs a martyr.
We talking about the Bible now? Only in terms of scope and consequence.
These people believe that out of chaos comes order, catastrophe is salvation and only through annihilation can there be rebirth.
Armageddon.
Now you understand.
How do we stop it? I'm not here to stop it.
I'm here to put it on the record.
To place it in proper historical context.
Nobody can stop it.
The first stone has been cast.
The revolution is underway.
Wait! Who did this to you? Please, before it's too late.
It is too late.
He's dead.
They killed him.
Preliminary tests indicate the victim had a high concentration of serotonin in the brain stem.
From the injection? Normally, I'd say it could be a combination of serotonergic medications but not in this case.
The initial ToxScreen came back negative across the board.
So how did he die? Off the record, I'd say his brain was turned off.
The only problem is there's nothing I'm aware of that could do that to a human being in such a short period of time.
At least nothing anyone is supposed to know about.
Meaning what? I've read about tests conducted by the military.
Experimental chemical agents meant for use on the battlefield.
You think that's what how this man died? Let me show you something There were two men.
They said they were from the FBI and that they were supposed to pick up the body.
- Did they show you their ID? - Yes sir.
These guys really clean up after themselves.
And we've got nothing again.
That's not completely true.
I always do a set of polaroids, just in case.
I'll be in my office when you're finished.
First they kill Frost's engineer and now Wolf, and they do it right in front of us.
Why? I recognize this tattoo.
I think it's military.
I'll make some phone calls.
John, if this Wolf character was telling the truth, we could all be in big danger.
Where the hell have you been? There were complications.
Complications? What does.
.
Forget it.
I don't even want to know.
I don't think I want to know anything anymore.
What, you're giving up? You saw what they did to Phil.
To that poor son of a bitch in the park.
What a hell are we supposed to do? We're supposed to fight back.
Isn't that what you're always telling people? The little guy can make a difference.
Our voices will be heard.
Was that real, or was it just part of the show? There was a time It's every man for himself.
See ya' in the history books, Smith.
Ice cubes.
Hello.
Oh What was so important we couldn't talk on the phone? I talked to a friend of mine.
We were in the Marines together, then he went to work in Washington for the Army.
And? I sent him a picture of the tattoo.
And he sent me something back.
This is classified.
I only got it because I saved this guy's ass once, and I promised him that I'd burn it after I was done.
What is it? I was right about the tattoo.
It a symbol for a low profile Ranger unit.
It was officially disbanded in 1997 after some secret missions to Afghanistan.
Our dead guy in the park, right here, in the middle.
What kind of unit was this? The kind of unit nobody talks about.
If Wolf was just a soldier, how could he know the things he told Frost? He had to be getting information from somewhere My God.
What? I recognize a few more faces here.
The female, that's Crowe, the woman I met at Frost's trailer.
She's the one who killed Wolf.
Jesus.
Who else? The guy at the far end.
That's Frost's dead engineer, Phil.
Damn, this is complex, John.
It gets worse.
See the man in the middle, the hunting knife.
That's Malcolm Janus.
Janus.
He's Stillson's top advisor.
Jesus.
You think Stillson is involved in this.
John, where are you going? I think I know where to find Janus.
I call you later.
- Can I help you? - I want to see Janus.
There's no one here by that name.
Lady, I don't have time for this.
Security.
I'm not sure I'm comfortable with this idea.
Not comfortable? We've invested a great deal of money and effort into you Congressman.
Tremendous sacrifices have been made and will continue to be made in order for you to realize your place in history.
I appreciate everything You're appreciation is neither expected nor required.
Your commitment is all we ask, all we've ever required.
There's a storm coming.
The winds of change are howling.
And when they strike, our great nation will ascend from the rubble and once again become the beacon of power and dignity by which all other civilizations will be judged.
The question is are you the man to stand above the rest? The voice that will lead us from the darkness into the light? Are you? Excuse me, sir, the Vice Presidential party has left Andrews.
We expect wheels on the ground in less than an hour.
It's time, Congressman.
What will it be? This is for my country.
My people.
Happy hunting, sir.
You don't understand what's happening! Remove him from the building.
You won't get away with this! I know what you're doing! Good-bye, Mister Smith.
Frost?! Frost?! Hey, Frost! What Jesus Christ! John! I almost blew your damn head off! I've been trying to get in touch with you for the past 2 hours.
I went to Boston and forgot my phone.
Where's Frost? - They took him.
- Who took him? Some guys in military uniforms.
What a hell are you doing up here? Feds got an anonymous tip that Frost was going to try to assassinate the Vice President.
What? The Secret Service issued a warrant for his arrest.
Janus.
I tracked him down to an office building in Boston.
Organization called 'The Coalition For A Better America'.
I was able to get into their conference room.
I had a vision of Janus and Stillson.
It was clear something was going down involving the Vice President.
Where does Frost fit in to all of this? There are no coincidences.
Everyone plays a role.
You, of all people, should realized that.
you crashed your car through the front gate of his house.
The police found a 38-caliber pistol under the front seat of your car.
Frost is the just the patsy.
- It's Oswald all over again.
- Oswald? Don't you see? They found the guy to fit the crime and then built the conspiracy around him.
They knew Frost had already threatened Danbury.
They knew that he had a history of mental illness All they had to do was to connect the dots.
They must have known that, soon or later, you're gonna see all this, all right? Everything is a means to an end Even a seemingly insignificant magazine sweepstakes.
They brought me here as a witness.
Why not? They knew I couldn't prove anything.
It's a coup d'etat and it starts with the assassination of the Vice President.
Bannerman All right, keep the line opened.
Air Force Two landed in Bangor 4 hours ago.
Danbury is here? Briar Hill; unscheduled hunting trip.
Happy hunting, sir.
They're going to kill Danbury in the woods.
Actually, everybody: the FBI, the State Police, I even tried the National Guard.
All the lines are blocked and everything's locked down.
Something big is happening up there.
Keep trying.
The second you get anyone on the phone, I wanna know.
We're too late.
It's done.
Hey, what a hell is going on? Some nut shot the Vice President.
They airlifted him out a few minutes ago.
What was his condition? I don't know.
He took one in the head.
It's Kennedy all over again.
- Anybody else get hurt? - Stillson.
They say he got shot and then killed the bad guy.
- Any idea who the shooter was? - Beats me.
We should go back.
Contact the FBI and tell them everything.
Without evidence.
They'd throw us out.
I'm staying here.
I need to see it for myself.
John, hang on a second! John! Nobody goes in! They just radioed up that they need another tank of oxygen for Congressman Stillson.
I have orders.
I don't know what your name is, but if a United States Congressman dies because you didn't let me do my job, I garantee you the world will know about it tonight.
Okay, go.
They said you guys might need another tank.
What we need is two more hands.
I'm your man.
Smith.
I got him, I shot the bastard.
Greg, get on up here.
Can't get in the action if you're not on the front line.
Thank you, sir.
Call me Doc.
Thank you, sir.
I mean, Doc.
First time in the big woods? No, sir.
I used to hunt with my father when I was a boy.
Bear? Elk? No, sir, squirrels, actually.
You boys hear that? We got us an honest-to-God squirrel hunter! Yeah.
It's too bad Senator Jennings couldn't make it.
That'll teach the old coot not to order his steaks rare.
Besides, if he hadn't got sick, you wouldn't be here, right? Yeah, right.
Look alive, boys.
Mr.
Vice President! Look alive, boys.
Mr.
Vice President! See you in the history books.
The White House has now confirmed reports that, despite best efforts, surgeons were unable to revive Vice President Danbury.
The official time of death 3:47PM.
The condition of Maine Congressman Greg Stillson, also wounded in the shooting, has now been raised to stable.
The President is calling Stillson an American hero as the charismatic young leader returned fire in defense of the Vice President, killing the lone gunman with a single shot.
The assassin has been officially identified as controversial media personality, Marshall Frost.
Frost, who had a history of mental health problems, often attacked the Vice President on his weekly webcast.
Now it's too soon to speculate, but early word out of Washington pegs Stillson as a likely candidate to fill the now vacant Vice Presidency.
Like you said, Julie, it's too From her lips to God's ears.
You did this.
You murdered the Vice President.
I prefer to see it as a liberation.
The freedom to usher in new perspectives of leadership.
You're insane.
Again, I believe we'll have to agree to disagree.
Why did you let me in on it? You knew I'd see the truth.
I thought I made that clear in our last conversation.
The third ruler in the Kingdom.
Technically, you'd be number two, but everything's negotiable.
Those people that you killed, they were your soldiers.
Did you offer them the opportunity to negotiate their lives? Their mission was to serve the greater good of the unit.
In that respect, they died heroes.
We should all be thankful to pass with such dignity.
Dignity? Is that what it took to murder Miranda Ellis on her wedding day? Or was she just more collateral damage on your way to the White House? We have philosophical differences, I respect that, but at the core we both desire the same things.
A safe and powerful land in which to raise our children and build our future.
You've seen what we can accomplish without you, imagine the things we could do together.
Are you suggesting this was all some kind of audition for my benefit? Not an audition.
A preview.
The opening act of the greatest drama ever written by a man.
An epic tale born of victory and penned in blood.
You need only to decide on which side of the curtain you'll stand.
And if I turn away? You won't need psychic powers to see that future.
There won't be one.
Think it over, John, it's almost show time.

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