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1
There are over 6 billion
people on planet Earth.
Ordinary folks
like you and me,
but if you look around
carefully,
you might find that some
of these ordinary folks
have extraordinary abilities.
I call them Alphas.
Some Alphas,
like the ones I work with,
can do things
that would amaze you.
Others--the angry,
the lost, the afraid--
have abilities that frankly
can be terrifying.
Ah!
Hello.
I'd like to report
an accident.
Original Air Date on July 18, 2011
I can't believe you already
have your office done.
You know, it's easy to get
people to do things for me.
Yeah, it is.
Hey, do you think
I could take this office?
We could be neighbors.
Sure.
Oh, you don't want
to be neighbors.
Oh, I can find another office.
No, it's fine.
- It's okay.
- It's fine. It's just
I mean, Queens, seriously?
There's, like, a million vacant
offices in Lower Manhattan.
I could walk to work.
Ugh.
Man, I need to clean.
Watch your back, ladies.
You okay?
Gary, how's this?
No, there's a hum.
It's still humming.
Gary,
how can there be a hum?
I haven't even plugged
the damn thing in yet.
I hear
fluorescent lightbulbs,
Bill's stomach
digesting his breakfast,
but no hum, Gary.
Okay, there you go.
No. Yes, there's a hum
in my head.
I don't know
where it's coming from.
The old offices were perfect.
There was no hum.
I'm with Gary.
I mean, Brooklyn
I can understand, maybe,
but Queens?
Uh, hello, people.
Someone tried to kill Dr. Rosen
in the old office.
You were trying to kill
Dr. Rosen, Bill.
- Yeah, that was you.
- I was mind-controlled, okay?
Gary, this is where I put it.
This is where it stays.
Drink up.
We wouldn't even be here
if it wasn't for you.
You can't leave that
right there.
- Your parents?
- Yeah.
I thought you weren't gonna
take any calls at the office.
I know. I'm not.
Be strong, Rachel.
Mm.
Yeah, I already told you.
Sunday night is fine.
Yeah.
Sunday night
is fine, mother.
Yes, I'm capable
of dressing--
Yeah, dress myself.
Click, hang up.
Mm.
Bill? Bill?
The humming is back.
It's annoying.
A little privacy, please.
Sorry I'm late.
I, uh, had to drop my kid off.
You're over here
Your new home.
Not much of a view.
Well, you show up late,
you get what you get.
I'm, uh, not really sure
what to do with an office.
You could decorate.
You're an ex-jock.
Go for sports stuff.
Right. Seriously,
what do we do all day?
We just, uh, sit around
having therapy sessions?
Sometimes,
but most of the time
we spend looking
for other Alphas.
When we find them?
We identify them,
government tracks them,
and some go to the compound.
The compound?
- It's--
- That's not its real name.
She just calls it that.
It's, uh, Binghamton
Special Research Facility.
It's this place
where they send Alphas
who misuse their abilities.
Yeah, a danger to self
or others.
Dr. Rosen says that we don't
have to worry about that.
But you do.
You do, but we don't.
- Gary. Gary.
- Mm.
Excuse me.
Can I help you?
Is Dr. Rosen in?
I've got some extra office keys
for him.
I'll take those.
I should probably give them
to him personally.
- Do you have some I.D.?
- Bonita.
Hi.
Hi.
Uh, uh, Bonita's
a real-estate agent
for the--for the building.
She's been
extremely helpful and
Well, if she's so helpful,
how about the keypad
entry system
and the lobby
surveillance cameras?
- I-I could look into that.
- I'll walk you out.
Dr. Rosen.
I didn't realize what you do
is so security-conscious.
What do you do exactly?
Uh, self-market research.
We're not
in market research.
It's a cover story.
Uh, by the way,
you left this
at my place last night.
Oh. Uh, ties.
Uh, excuse me.
I'm sorry.
I have to take this.
Call me.
- Lee.
- Dr. Singh.
Thanks for coming
all this way.
You said there's been a--
an escape?
First ever
of a Binghamton patient
from a moving ambulance.
Someone walked away
from this?
The patient's cuffs were
somehow severed
during the crash.
Marcus Ayers?
Got it in one.
And you have no idea
where he is.
I was hoping
he might've contacted you.
Marcus and I haven't talked
for years.
I try every time
I'm up in Binghamton, but
It's his choice.
Has his mental state
improved at all
in the time
you've been treating him?
If anything,
it's gotten worse--
the ideas of reference,
the persecutory delusions.
Nathan, hello.
Dr. Rosen,
I wasn't expecting you.
I know Marcus.
I know how he thinks.
You're going to need my help.
The situation
feels pretty straightforward.
Got an escaped prisoner--
patient, whatever.
All we got to do is find out
where Marcus is running to,
intercept him.
Marcus doesn't run, Nathan.
That's not his style.
Have you ever played chess
with him?
Marcus plans meticulously.
He thinks through every move,
but he's always attacking.
Marcus sees enemies
everywhere.
And we know what happens
to Marcus' enemies.
If he's broken out,
he's perceived a problem
and has decided to fix it.
The question is,
what's the problem?
Or who?
I'll see what I can do.
It's a simple game--
Given any position
on the board,
there are only
a few logical moves.
Understand that, and the game
becomes predictable.
Well, you're
You're not taking
the human factor into account.
People don't always make
the perfect move.
They do, though.
For them,
it's their perfect move.
Well, now we're
We're getting to the heart
of what we've been working on--
you believe that everything
that happens in your life
has intent,
that there are no accidents
or no mistakes.
Life isn't like that, Marcus.
It's, uh, sometimes
it's a flip of the coin.
The universe isn't random.
Things happen
because people want them to.
It's just moves
And forced moves.
Well,
what about you and me?
You didn't choose to be
my patient, did you?
Forced moves.
My roommates don't like me,
so they throw a party
right before finals.
I get angry,
and the police show up.
The judge makes me go
to counseling,
and now I'm here with you.
It's a chain of events--
cause and effect.
You don't really believe
your roommates
planned all of that, do you?
I can see things
How everything led to this.
How couldn't they?
Why can't you?
Because you're not
like everyone else, Marcus.
Your brain scans revealed a
A unique neuroanatomy.
That's why I took such
an interest in your case.
I-I'm calling people
like you "Alphas."
Alpha, acceleration,
the first variable--
I like that.
Let me ask you
Is there anything
out of the ordinary
that--that you can do?
We're on our way home now.
Yeah. No, we're just
leaving the office.
Mom, I never said
that I would marry him.
I said that I would meet him.
Mom. Mom.
Don't say anything.
No, I thought
you handled that well.
No, you didn't.
You--you would've stood
up to her.
You would've been stronger.
Look, I haven't talked
to my mother in years
or my father or my sister,
so
I wouldn't use me
as a yardstick for anything.
I don't know.
Maybe you're better off.
That's what I keep trying
to tell myself.
Good luck.
Tough first day?
It'll get better.
You know, my drill sergeant
used to tell me
the exact same thing.
Look, I know you're feeling
pretty useless right now, but--
You don't know anything
about me, Nina.
Well, I know you have
excellent hand-eye coordination.
And Rosen thinks
you belong here.
I'll see you, Hicks.
Nice car.
I borrowed it.
Hi. I'm looking
for Dr. Rosen.
I don't know
what Dr. Rosen told you
over cocktails last night,
but it is not--
Cocktails?
We all know Dr. Rosen's
got some game--
obviously.
Oh, Bill Harken--
right.
I'd shake your hand,
but don't want any broken bones.
Miss Theroux.
No eye contact, please.
Rachel.
Do we know you?
Miss Sullivan, you're early.
Oh, well, we were all
just getting acquainted.
Your cell phone
is encrypted.
That's right, Gary.
It is.
Agent Sullivan is
overseeing our group
while Wilson
is on assignment.
I'm glad you're here.
We need to gather
in the conference room.
We've got a case.
This way, please.
Uh, about that
You and I
need to talk first
In private.
According to Marcus' files,
he blames you
for his institutionalization,
which he brought up repeatedly
at Binghamton.
And now you're saying
you think he broke out
with a specific goal in mind.
What's to say
that goal's not you?
Uh, I
I don't see it, frankly.
Uh, Marcus left me a message
What?
At the accident site,
and I followed it.
And if Marcus wanted me dead,
I would be.
Wait.
He contacted you, and you
didn't tell anybody about it?
Well, not contacted,
not directly.
He wanted to remind me
of something, uh
of a place and time.
Okay, so he doesn't want
to kill you,
but apparently you still have
a conflict of interest.
Forgive me, but I don't think
we've known each other
long enough for you to make
that presumption.
All right, this is not
what I was aiming for
between us.
Let's start again.
I have no interest
in playing games.
I won't withhold information
from you without a good reason.
Look, uh,
I wasn't all that happy
when they started
assigning us fieldwork.
That's not what I had in mind
for my--for my group--
working under Don Wilson,
finding people for Cley
and his tactical teams.
But apparently
that's the reality now.
So let us do our work.
Marcus has the ability
to predict and even control
cause and effect
in the physical world.
He can create
elaborate chains of events--
drop a coin
and cause a car to crash,
pull one wire
and ignite an entire building.
Now you all know what I know.
Just remember, Marcus' abilities
make him unpredictable
and potentially
extremely dangerous,
so no unnecessary risks.
"Unnecessary risks."
How do you know
if a risk is unnecessary?
What's a necessary risk?
Gary, you're
just gonna be scanning
cell phones
and street cameras, okay?
Yeah, but I get headaches
if I go too long.
- Well, that's pretty standard.
- Is that a necessary risk?
- You're gonna be okay, okay?
- Is that an unnecessary risk?
Marcus has been on the loose
for almost a day,
and you don't even tell me?
I know
it always troubled you--
the fact that I chose to send
Marcus to Binghamton.
Not as much
as it bothered you.
I always worried that,
you know, I would be next.
You know what happened
to my boyfriend
and what I made him do--
I hurt someone
and so has Hicks and Harken--
Never intentionally.
Yeah, but you're the one
who gets to make that choice
Who goes and who stays.
Nina, that's something
I think about every day.
- Really?
- Please.
Cause.
Effect.
Uh, from now on,
l-let's avoid sharp objects.
Learning anything?
Well, I can tell you
he's no lost little lamb.
That man's got a mean streak.
Driven by paranoia.
Since he can control so much
in his environment,
he has a hard time
understanding why others can't.
So, when people fail him,
he assumes malevolent purpose.
Yeah, I get that.
Precisely why I wanted you
to take a look at this,
because your neuroanatomy
is quite similar to Marcus'.
You're telling me my mind
is wired like a psychopath.
No, I'm not saying that.
Neuroanatomy and psyche
are two very different things.
Marcus blames everyone else
for the things that go wrong
in his life,
whereas you turn
the blame inward.
You obsess on every moment
of past failure.
I don't know, Doc.
I mean, I look
at this guy's face, and I think,
you know, he blames everything
and everyone,
but somewhere inside of him,
he is pointing that finger
right at himself.
What are you finding, Rachel?
Well, there weren't
any fingerprints,
but I did find a tiny smudge
in the grooves.
It's old,
but I'm pretty sure it's--
Ash.
Yeah.
How'd you know that?
Past failures.
Dr. Rosen!
What took you so long?
Dr. Singh says you have a team.
He says they're a bunch
of misfits--I'd fit right in.
Are they here, huh?
Are they gonna try to stop me?
Is that why you left a trail
for me to follow?
Would you like to meet them?
I think you'll find
that they're not your enemies.
- So you're not my enemy?
- No.
Your enemy has only ever been
your thinking, Marcus.
You've got to understand that.
God, where have
I heard that before?
Oh, that's right--from Singh
and his staff for six years.
You told me I was special.
Then you handed me
over to people
that spent all their time
telling me I'm broken.
Mmm.
God, that tastes good.
You know, Singh won't let me
have any sugar.
Is that why
you brought me here--
to tell me
about all the horrible things
that are happening to you
at Binghamton?
You're saying
this is news to you
That you don't know
what's happening to me?
The only thing that they've
ever tried to do to you up there
is to help you understand
your feelings of persecution
so you could live
a normal life.
Maybe in the beginning.
But things have changed,
you know?
It's not just ping-pong
and group therapy anymore.
What's changed?
I-I don't know
what you're talking about.
And now outright denial.
What am I denying?
Binghamton--
big plans for the future.
This is your mind
deceiving you again, Marcus.
There were no big plans for--
Then why was I
in that ambulance, huh?
I don't know.
I
You don't really know
what's going on at Binghamton,
and you don't know why
we're having this conversation.
- No, I don't.
- And you don't even know
when you're being used
as bait, do you?
Not much use, are you?
Marcus.
Sorry, Dr. Rosen.
Our time is up.
Stay down.
Stay down.
Someone call an ambulance!
You should've kept me
in the loop.
Maybe then one of my men
wouldn't be dead.
And you are blaming me
for that?
- You're damn right I am.
- Okay!
All right, we are all
on the same side here.
Now, we need to start
sharing information,
or we're gonna have
more screwups.
I'm not the one
acting like a cowboy.
Nathan,
let me ask you something.
Marcus was furious about
his treatment at Binghamton.
He--he talked of plans,
something that he thought was
going to happen to him off-site.
Do you know anything
about that?
All I know is Marcus Ayers
is a paranoid and a killer.
So, sorry if I can't see him
as a victim.
Now, I got next of kin
to call
and a murderer to catch.
If you knew where to find
Marcus, you should've told us.
I suspected.
I did not know.
We shouldn't dismiss
what Marcus has been saying.
His persecutory delusions
often have a basis in truth.
They may even indicate
what he intends to do next.
So you think
that Marcus' fears,
his talk of plans,
there's some truth to it?
We need to talk
to Dr. Singh.
Thank you.
Lee, I heard what happened.
I'm glad you're all right.
Oh, I don't think Marcus
was trying to hurt me.
I really don't.
You're alive.
Seems to prove your point.
On the other hand, he might not
feel so kindly towards me.
Nothing like being thrown
into the deep end.
Vijal, is there anything
going on at Binghamton
I should be aware of?
You haven't, by any chance,
modified Marcus'
treatment plans, have you?
Is that what Marcus
told you?
Why was he being sent
off-site?
Marcus proved unresponsive
to traditional therapies--
SSRIs, SNRIs, antipsychotics.
Sedatives worked for a time,
but he developed a tolerance.
We even tried shock therapy.
He redirected the current,
nearly killed one of my techs.
We were shipping him off-site
for surgery.
For surger--
To see if we could correct
his problem,
suppress his Alpha ability.
Suppress his ability?
Marcus' ability
is an integral part of him,
as is the color
of a person's skin
or you being left-handed.
You can't extract that.
But if I could've,
that agent would still be alive.
If you'll excuse me,
I have another meeting--
more feathers to unruffle.
Excuse me, Dr. Singh.
We're not through here.
Vijal, I sent Marcus to you as
a patient, not as a guinea pig.
Really?
You sure it wasn't because
you wanted him off your plate?
Be honest with yourself, Lee.
You have no idea what goes on
at Binghamton,
and that's
the way you prefer it.
Taxi!
Yeah, yeah.
I'll call you
when I get back to Binghamton.
Aah!
Did you see how it happened?
The D.O.D.'s sending
a notification team
over to Singh's family.
Knock on the door
Uh, I think you should take
a look at this.
Two people are dead,
and this guy thinks
that this is some sort of game?
I'm afraid
it's all games to Marcus.
It's all moves
and countermoves.
Yeah, well, I don't know
how many moves it's gonna take,
but this game is only gonna
end now with Marcus Ayers dead.
Domino number one.
How'd you come up
with that?
I just kind of worked
my way backwards,
like I could see it.
Similar, but not the same.
There's no prints,
no trace particles.
It's com--completely clean.
They're no help.
Everyone saw
something different,
none of it useful.
So all this,
and we're at a dead end.
Not quite, bill.
I found this.
Marcus is obsessed
with chess.
Yes.
I think Marcus' killing
of Dr. Singh
is his latest move.
Assuming Singh was the Rook,
who do you think
is the Black King?
Pollen--
there's lots of pollen.
Stargazer lilies--that's where
the pollen came from.
Okay, well, he could've picked
that up anywhere, right?
Hotels, restaurants,
flower shops.
Gary!
I need you to do a search.
I can't search any better
than anyone else, Bill.
I'm not Google guy.
I know, but you are
camera guy, right?
- Yeah.
- Right.
So I need you
to search cameras,
security cameras
all over Manhattan.
Yeah, I can do that,
but which cameras, Bill?
What am I looking for?
Specificity.
You're looking
for stargazer lilies.
- Stargazer lilies.
- It's a flower.
You got it?
- Stargazer lilies.
- Yes, yes.
Thank you.
Why don't you tell me
what happened in that apartment?
Gas mains blow up
all the time.
It was an accident.
You don't believe
in accidents, Marcus.
Ugh.
I know you're mad at me,
but did you have to take it out
on the coffee?
We're not here to talk
about coffee.
I don't understand
why you're so upset, okay?
You're my doctor.
You're supposed
to take my side.
Two of your roommates
are in the hospital
with second-
and third-degree burns.
Look, I'm sorry
the building burned down, okay?
It was a nice place,
and it was rent-controlled.
It's not like
anyone died, okay?
No one was going to die
Unless I wanted them to.
Marcus
I can't follow
- Marcus
- The cause.
I think you need more help
than I'm able to give you.
What did you do?
I'm going to send you
to a place
where you can get
the care you need.
Now, Marcus,
this is Nathan Cley, okay?
He's the gentleman
who's going to bring you there.
That's mistake number one.
- What?
- You cannot get sentimental.
That man is a killer.
He was a patient first, Bill,
my patient.
I keep wondering what
I could've done differently.
If I had known then
what I know now, I
You know, I might've been able
to prevent all this.
Doc, Doc, don't go there.
You know how many times
I hear that,
how many times
I hear mothers say,
"I can't believe my son
did this terrible thing,"
or, "I was his teacher--
I should've known better"?
Let me tell you,
what you're doing
is exactly what
every good person does
when somebody that they know
that they're close to
does something bad.
Now, the fact of the matter is
Marcus was probably born broken.
Nobody is born broken, Bill.
Life just conspires.
I encouraged him.
I actually helped him perfect
his ability.
I might as well have put
the gun in his hand.
And now
we're gonna stop him.
Search parameters.
Bill, Bill,
you have to be more specific--
not all
the stargazer lilies,
not all of Manhattan,
just the important parts.
- Okay, okay.
- Stargazer lil--
All right,
what are the important parts?
The parts involved in the case.
Stargazer lily locations
are set "A."
Places and people involved
in the case are set "B."
We're looking
for the intersection
- So, Gary--
- The overlap.
Okay, so did you find
anything?
Yeah, Bill,
it's what I do.
Office tower
near the federal building.
Dr. Rosen, I--
Here.
Stargazer lilies
in the lobby,
Cley and his team
working out of a temporary
location upstairs.
Yeah, a chess piece
sitting next to a whole table
full of flowers.
Smell nice, if you like
that kind of thing.
Marcus was right there,
and I'm guessing he still is.
So you're saying
I'm the Black King.
I like that.
He's coming after me,
let him come.
This isn't a game, Nathan,
chess or otherwise.
I know that
better than you.
From now on, call me
"Your highness."
Let's wrap this up.
I'm waiting!
Cley--
unbelievable.
The guy's got a pair
of brass ones.
I'll give it to him.
He chose his ground well--
open space, no moving objects.
There's not a lot
for Marcus to work with.
The area's been cleared,
but Cley's got snipers
on the roof.
This isn't going to work.
Cley's ambush--
Marcus would've seen this
coming a mile away.
It's too logical a countermove
on our part.
You sure about that, Doc?
You ask me, Cley makes a pretty
tempting target out there.
He's not gonna just walk
into a trap.
It's up to us to find out
what his next move's gonna be.
Rachel,
you're gonna come with me.
Nina, you're gonna stay
with Hicks.
Fan out, move very slowly
and carefully.
If you see or hear anything,
call us.
Let's go.
I need your eyes.
Lee.
So this is how we deal
with Alphas?
Nina.
When things go wrong,
we assassinate them?
Marcus brought this
upon himself.
He did kill someone.
Snipers on the roof?
That's not
what I signed up for.
Trouble?
Understandable concerns.
Come on, guys.
- What are they trying to do?
- Boxing him in.
Oh, maybe Rosen's right.
Maybe he's playing us.
Hey!
Hey! Stop! Freeze!
Okay.
Come on, Rachel,
what do you hear?
I'm scanning.
Let me concentrate.
Okay.
I smell something.
Gas--
there's gas in the sewer.
Aah!
Aah!
Are you okay?
Yeah.
Checkmate.
Son of a ***.
Marcus,
why are you doing this?
If I'm your target,
you could've taken me anytime.
I have something
to show you.
Drive.
Gary.
Yes, Gary, I know it's late.
Listen, I need you to track
a black SUV, government plates.
They just left the federal
building a few minutes ago.
Okay, I can see them.
Yeah, they're--they're headed
north on Henry Hudson,
and he's going very fast.
It's illegal to go that fast.
Yeah, well, if you think
that's illegal, you watch this.
Stay on them--
close, but not too close.
Get after them.
Marcus,
wait a minute.
Don't do this.
Marcus, please, don't do this.
No!
We're 50 meters up.
It takes a little over
three seconds to fall that far.
That means a body
would hit bottom
going something,
like, 70 miles an hour.
If you're trying
to scare me, Marcus,
you're doing
an excellent job of it.
You have every reason
to be afraid.
We all do
No matter what side you're on.
There are
no sides here, Marcus.
But you have broken the law.
You have hurt people.
What--what have you
always said?
Cause and effect.
And now this is where we find
ourselves because of that.
It's not that simple.
What they plan to do to me
What they plan to do for all
the Alphas at Binghamton--
that's got nothing to do
with the law
or medicine
or common decency.
That does not justify ***.
It's not ***.
Singh was a casualty of war.
War?
I see what's coming
I thought
that you could, too,
that--that you had to be
a part of it,
but now I realize
you didn't see it coming.
You don't
You don't see anything.
I'm trying, Marcus.
Believe me, I'm trying.
All units, looks like they're
heading into Inwood Hill Park.
It's
an out-of-context problem.
- What?
- Out-of-context problem--
that's what the Alphas are.
No one saw us coming,
so the response is instinctual--
panicked, violent.
Yes, but it doesn't always
have to end in violence.
The Alpha phenomenon--
it's an opportunity
for us, for all us, for you.
It's your gift.
- My gift?
- Yes.
My gift got me locked up
for six years.
Terrified Singh so much, he was
willing to cut my head open
to pull it out.
He wanted to turn me
into nothing!
He wanted to turn all of us
into nothing!
He was afraid of us.
And maybe he was right.
Marcus, you are a much better
person than what you are doing.
I miss that
And your belief that somehow
trajectories can be altered,
even once the dominoes
have started to fall.
They can.
They can.
You can always change.
No.
You're wrong.
It's too late for me.
My path is locked in.
No. No.
The sides
are only gonna get more rigid,
more predictable,
but you--
you're the variable,
the part I could never see.
You still have one move
left to make--
the only thing
that might get you
to this rosy future
you cling to.
And w-what move is that?
Kick over the chessboard.
Good job, Gary.
We found them.
Right on time.
- No, Marcus--
- They need to see this.
Ayers!
Bill! No!
It's not necessary!
Please, put your gun down.
This is all playing out
the way it's supposed to--
you and me standing here.
This is
the best possible outcome.
If I'm wrong
They'll take me alive.
Nathan, no!
Still no sign of the body.
In his debriefing,
Cley swore he hit Marcus
square in the chest.
So I guess chances are his body
got taken up with the current,
which means it may take weeks
to find it.
Or we may never find it
at all, right?
And then there's that.
Agent Sullivan,
have you ever heard
of the phrase
"Out-of-context problem"?
Like the Spanish
and the Aztecs.
The Aztecs were able to handle
anything their world
threw at them
until the Spanish showed up.
Yes, and--
and destroyed them.
Um, see, Marcus said that,
that Alphas might be
our out-of-context problem.
Do you agree?
I think
it would be a mistake
to get into that kind
of thinking--
us versus them.
It should be us and them.
That's the only option.
Let's hope you're right.
It's been 18 hours.
You want to call it?
Nope.
Keep looking.
Yes, sir.