Killbird (2019) - full transcript

No, we're almost done.

Final sequence initiated.

Okay.

Echo Five Sierra November 273.

Alpha Delta 1964

Whiskey Three Foxtrot Two India.

- Yes, that's right.
- Okay, three days.

This is a bad idea.
You know what they're capable of.

- My brother.
- Not my fault.

- They know where you are.
- I cover my tracks.

Execute.



Yeah.

It's a fine art,
and I'm really good at it.

Of course I'm talking
about birding.

It's peaceful.

Look, I need you to understand.

Actions speak louder than words.

Yeah, okay, say what you want.

It's what you do.

No. Look, I never said
I wouldn't, but I need you...

Hello?

Hello? Hey, are you there?
Can you hear me?

Middle of frigging nowhere.

Hello?

Can I help you?



Yeah. Sorry, I'm just having
a little bit of car trouble.

My car stalled and won't
even turn over.

Why are you here?

Uh, my car stalled.

What I mean is,
no one lives around here.

What, you visiting someone?

Birding.

Birding?

You like birds?

Well, I'm a photographer,
freelance.

You know, pays the bills,
kind of love it, but not really.

- What kind of birds?
- The colorful kind.

Your cell?

Yeah, I mean, I had
reception and then I didn't.

You know, comes and goes. So, I just thought
that you might have something more stable.

No.

No? Okay. Um, well,

Do you mind if I step inside for a
minute and just use your charger?

Because the guys who sold me
this phone are total liars.

They told me that I would
have reception anywhere I go

with a 12-hour battery,
new technology and all that,

total BS when I looked it up.

And then they told me
I had the wrong model

and not the newest model.

They told me a hundred
lies to cover up the first.

So, 12-hour battery my ass.

It's more like two.

You got a charger, right?

- I don't own a cellphone.
- Oh.

Okay. Well, I would kind of go somewhere
else, but you're the only game in town.

What game?

It's just an expression.

Never heard of it.

Okay, great. Well, I don't know,
maybe you have a neighbor?

I'm going to hitchhike
or walk around.

I'll figure it out.

Okay, wait.

No, it's fine, come on.

Sit. Um...

Do you, uh,
you want a cup of coffee?

I have instant.

Sure, why not?

I'm Riad.

Taylor.

You, uh, expecting a storm?

Wow, there really is
nothing out here, is there?

- It's Oregon.
- Sure is.

Hey, you don't know
anything about cars, do you?

- Not really.
- Shit, that sucks.

Why don't you try your phone?

Yeah.

No service, no charger, no cell.

You got a landline?

Shit, this really is my day.

So what do you do?

- What's it to you?
- Just making conversation.

Anyone else live around these parts?
Then I can get out of your hair.

Just me.

Well, if you have an hour,
maybe you can,

uh, drive me into town?

I could pay you.

- I don't need your money.
- Any other suggestions?

I'll be picking up mail
in town this afternoon.

I'll drive you in.
Someone can help you there.

- This afternoon?
- Two hours.

Can't leave any earlier.

Okay.

Well, thank you, and sorry
for the inconvenience.

Yeah, it's bad timing.

Yeah.

That looks disgusting.

Simple never goes bad.

You got TV?

Great.

Or you could continue
with your birding.

What are you out
here looking for?

Pretty birds.

Maybe a pine grosbeak?

Yeah, I know those.

They have blue feathers,
yellow beak.

Not even close. They have...

red and orange
feathers on the head

and a black beak.

Like this.

Yeah, I've seen those.

What about a kingbird?

No Western kingbirds
in these parts.

Yeah, I like birds.

They're interesting, you know.

I see so many out here.

Much more predictable
than people.

My favorite is, um, I just
read about it, uh, a killbird,

kill something or other.

It, uh, it uses
a wounded wing act

to distract predators
from its nest.

It plods along
the ground holding its wing,

a bird in distress,
shrieking in pain.

Predators go in for
an easy kill,

but before it knows what's what,

killbird's suddenly
all better and flies away.

Tricky.

It's called a killdeer, I think.

Killdeer?

Strange name for a bird.

Yeah.

Cuckoos are my fave.

They're the worst though.

Brooding parasites
that lay their eggs

in another bird's nest,
usually a poor magpie,

then they get that bird
to raise its young.

Some don't even know it
until it's too late,

but if the mama bird's smart,

she'll toss the eggs
out of the nest,

and then the cuckoo goes on
attack, destroys the nest,

the eggs, everything,
until the poor little magpie

just gives up and raises
its cuckoo bastards.

It's kind of like a bird
that works for the mob.

You know your birds.

Stay here.

Anything interesting?

No.

Not really.

So, birding,
this like a real job?

Yeah, sort of. It's part-time.

You sell your pictures?

Oh, we try to.
It's mostly a hobby.

- What else do you do?
- Temp work.

- Temp?
- Yeah, you know, secretary,

- domestic services, things like that.
- Hmm.

What happens when
you quit school, but hey,

my husband makes enough,
so whatever.

I just figure I got to do
something or I'll lose my mind.

Why don't you go back to school?

You're getting really
personal here.

Just want to make sure
you're not a crazy person.

Is that why you're
asking all the questions?

It's not normal to be out here.

Well, it's not normal to be

living out here.

I got tired of the big city.

I was studying psychology,
but I'm no psychiatrist,

and it took me too long
to figure that out.

My husband Doug is though.

I was probably infatuated
with him.

You know, he's really good at
listening to other people's problems

and ignoring everything else
in his life, including me.

I guess I'm just something
else though.

Like?

Like, I'm creative.

You know? What do you do?

I do nothing.

Well, you're a little
young to be retired.

- Taking a vacation.
- From what?

Doesn't matter.

Okay.

Well hey, look,
um, my car isn't far.

Maybe you've got jumper cables.

- Uh...
- You got to have those, right?

No, I already told you.

That you're not
a mechanic, I know.

I just thought guys
would be good with their

- cars and tools and stuff.
- Not me.

Okay.

Okay.

I read birders make good spies.

Are you saying I should
become a spy?

Just something I read.

Here, come on, I'll show you.

Sorge, Duchesne, Hari,
they're all birders,

to one degree or another.

Hmm. Never heard of them.

Yeah, spies fascinate me.

Sorge, he infiltrated
Japan in World War Two,

posing as a journalist.

He uncovered that Japan
had no intention

of invading the USSR.

Without that intel,
it's entirely possible

Germany would've taken
the Russians.

Had they beat the Russians,
Germany would've taken the war.

- Huh.
- He was eventually captured and hanged.

You don't seem to care.

World War Two.

History's rich with
hidden stories.

- It sure seems that way.
- But none beat the women

when it comes
to the game of espionage.

I didn't know that women
were spies or the best.

You learn something
new every day.

Like, to this day
we're not really sure

which side Mata Hari was on.

- Oh, come on, you know.
- Sorry, I...

One of the, the most infamous
spies of World War One.

I know the Iraq War.

That's just not a,
it's not a war.

Okay, well, don't tell my cousin
that, 'cause he did two tours.

It was barely a conflict,
never mind a war.

Okay, it wasn't a war.

Was she German?

- Who?
- Mata Hari.

Dutch.

She, she fell in love
with a French officer

who needed an eye operation

and went undercover as
a French spy to pay for it.

Of course, the officer
hooks up with another girl,

so she decides to make
a life of spying.

- Hmm.
- She pretends to be a double agent to the Germans,

but actually works
for the French.

In the end no one really
knew who she was working for,

so they, uh, they executed her.

Shit.

Sucks to be her.

Yeah, I guess it does.

So why would I want
to be a spy then?

I mean, I'd rather
stick to birds.

Real spies get captured,

poisoned, tortured, executed.

Screw that, man.
I'd rather be alive.

- That right?
- Well, yeah.

Death kind of sucks.

I guess it does.

Um...

So is that what
you're doing up here?

Spying?

What would make you say that?

I don't know, you just seem
to know a lot about spies.

- Maybe you're spying.
- On what?

I don't know.
Whatever's out here, the bears?

No bears out here.

Like I said,
I'm taking a vacation.

This is the perfect place for that.
No one to bother you up here.

Well, except for
the occasional birder.

Sorry.

Shit happens.

Sure does.

So, did she get a stamp
for all her troubles?

Mata Hari? Uh...

no.

You know that the post office is
super weird with their stamps, right?

It'd be pretty weird
for a spy to get one.

Birds get stamps.

Yeah, and they don't even
have to die for their country.

- Well, neither do spies.
- What do spies die for then?

Their ego.

That is funny.

Can you imagine
a narcissistic spy,

self-involved guy looking
at himself in the mirror

and getting stabbed
in the back?

Ego and money,
it's never about patriotism.

You sure know
your shit about this.

Why do you care?

Big business and the CIA
control the government,

and so long as they do, we have
no real government, just debt.

A whole lot of debt.

Yeah, sure do.

I mean, I have debt.

Maybe I can just call up the CIA

and have them wire me
some money,

because they're in control.

You think I'm nuts?

No.

Be honest.

Look, is there a lot

of fucked up shit going
on in the world?

Hell yes.

And I'm not a computer hacker.

I don't know how to download

or any of that kind of stuff.

But they've got millions of dollars.
They've got lawyers, courts.

They can bribe whoever
they want, the whole shebang.

And my husband is totally into
this shit, but frankly,

I'll just stick to birds.

You're making fun of me.

I'm just playing. I mean,
what are you going to do?

Are you going to tear it all down
from your cabin in the woods here?

All it takes is one person.

For what?

Change.

Sure does.

Car breaks down
and your whole day changes.

Am I keeping you from something?

No, nothing that can't wait.

- Oh, shit.
- Are you expecting someone?

What do you think?

Feeling better?

Must've been a bird.

Missed opportunity.

Could've been a good one.

You have alarms on your
property, it's a bit intense, no?

- Keep out the bad guys.
- Here?

- What's the problem?
- No problem. I just figure

if I was a burglar I wouldn't
want to come all the way out here.

All it takes is one crazy.

Yeah, no kidding.

What are you writing down?

Alarm logs.

- What's your name?
- Taylor.

- Taylor what?
- Crane.

- Birthday?
- November 9th.

You know, this is some fucked up shit. Are
you going to steal my identity or something?

I just like to know
who I'm dealing with.

You really are nuts.
Well, at least do my horoscope,

- give me my money's worth.
- Yeah, astrology's a lie.

The earth has
a wobble along its axis

that changed the elliptical
equator over the last 3,000 years.

Now every Cancer's a Gemini,
every Gemini's a Taurus.

Wow. You know, I totally am
into this mystical stuff,

you know, tarot cards.

In theory, palm reading is
considered much more accurate.

The palm is a fossilized record
of a person's development.

Do it.

I'd rather not.

Come on.

What do you see?

You're strong-willed, vital.

What else do you see?
I love this shit.

What do you want to know?

Um, am I going to have kids?

Probably not. Your love line indicates
you're aloof and prone to affairs.

Affairs?

So am I going to stay
with my husband?

Unlikely.

So, have you ever been wrong?

Sure, all the time.
It's complete bullshit most of the time.

So I could have kids?

- Yeah.
- And I could live out the days with my husband?

Mm-hmm.

Why bother
if it's just lies?

Exactly.

Huh. Your wife?

Dog.

Do you keep him upstairs?

- Why not?
- I mean, wouldn't he want to be down here

- or out in the yard?
- He's a lazy dog.

He usually sleeps.

He likes the quiet.

He told you that?

What's it to you?

I just know that my dog would go crazy,
loves running around all over the place.

And I know I wouldn't want to
be cooped up like that.

He has water, food.

You're not thinking about reporting
me to some animal shelter?

- No, no, no, it's fine.
- I wouldn't want that.

- None of my business.
- That's right. It's just, uh,

it's none of your business,

but you do ask
a lot of questions.

Yeah, well I'm just
made that way.

My husband complains
about it all the time,

and there's nothing
I can do about it.

Your husband, the, the lawyer?

- Psychiatrist.
- Right.

What was his name?

And you think I ask
a lot of questions?

Dave.

What? Dave what?

Ellis.

- When was he born?
- This is weird.

Just tell me.

- December 8th, why?
- Year?

Are you okay?

- What year?
- '81.

- Anniversary?
- Are you serious?

- Do you want me to drive you into town?
- Okay, fine,

if that's how
we're going to play it.

Married or first day we met?

Both.

May 8th, September 15th.

- Married in May?
- September.

I know, who gets married
in September, right?

But, hey, we did,
'cause you know, fuck it.

- Fuck it.
- It was also cheaper.

Check that window, will you?

He shouldn't be here.
I pick up my mail.

Wait here.

Holy shit.

Oh, fuck.

Hey.

What are you doing?

I was just looking
for the bathroom.

Hmm.

Yeah, it's not in there.

I figured. My mistake.
I just really need to go.

It's outside.

Okay.

I didn't recognize
the delivery man.

A lot of changes today.

What's in the box?

Question of the day.

Western meadowlark.

Actually, wild birds
are far less fascinating

than domesticated birds.

How so?

Well, um, well, take a chicken.

A dumb animal by any standard.

- I suppose.
- But, uh, chickens have a pecking order,

a literal pecking order.

And if a, if a chicken
doesn't respect the hierarchy,

a higher status chicken
will peck at it, peck and peck,

tearing skin and drawing blood.

Under duress,
other chickens join in,

pecking the disrespectful
bird to death.

The point is, it's beneficial
to know your place.

Hello?

Who are you?

- What?
- You heard me.

Who are you?

Why are you doing this?

Who are you?

Please, please
don't hurt me, please.

- Stop with the games.
- I don't understand.

- Are you a spook?
- Like for the government?

- Stop!
- I don't know what you're talking about!

What's in the box?

You sent it. What's inside?

I didn't send anything.
I didn't know I was

- going to be here!
- Lies!

Please. I didn't
see anything, okay?

Please don't hurt me.

I won't tell anyone anything.

Anything about what?

I don't know, I don't know. I just...
My car broke down and I just needed help.

Please, I don't want
to be here anymore.

- Just quit the act.
- I don't understand.

- How'd you find me, huh?
- I don't even know who you are.

- Satellite? Facial recognition?
- I don't know what...

- Is that shit even real?
- How did you track me?

I don't know.

- This is not going to end well!
- Please!

I'm not who you think I am!

No, please!

Open it.

Now!

It's a geometry set.

What?

What the fuck?

This your way of poking
my nose in it?

- No.
- Who sent you?

It's just a coincidence, okay?

It's just bad fucking timing.

- Compass and a T-square?
- Your intel is bad.

Masons were involved at the start,
but it's gone way beyond that now!

- My husband knows where I am.
- What, your psychiatrist husband

who barely has time for you? He knows
you're birding in the middle of nowhere?

- Liar!
- No, it's for a magazine!

It was a small commission.
It just helped me relax.

I should've tried like CBD

or fucking sleeping pills
or meditation!

You're playing with me.
You're fucking with my head.

No, no, I'm not playing with
you. Please just let me go.

Please.

Tell me again about
your husband.

What does he think of you?

He thinks I'm always
changing my mind,

I can't finish anything
that I started,

that he would rather
have me out of the house

doing shit like this,
like photographing birds,

than being there with him.

Have you ever been with anyone

who doesn't even
acknowledge your existence?

You love him?

Why do you care?

Yeah.

Yeah, I love him,
and he loves his work.

Do you have kids?

What's the problem?

Are you going to let me go?

Haven't decided yet.

Someone must love you.

Are you married? Would they want
you doing this kind of shit?

- Don't ask me questions!
- You think I'm a threat?

- Me?
- You're secret police, NSA, CIA, FBI!

You're fucking nuts, man!

And why would those people give
a shit about what you're doing

out in the middle of
bumble-fuck nowhere?

Because of what I took.

Oh, my god.

That's a bomb.

That's what
you're fucking doing.

It's not what you think.
I'm not a psycho.

No, no, no, you're one of
those fucking converts.

You're fucking ISIS!

Holy shit. You're going
to fucking videotape me

and then cut off
my fucking head!

Don't be so dramatic.

What would be the point
in killing you?

We're on the same page then.

You asked about the device.
That was smart.

What? Why?

Because it's not
why you're here.

What do you know about Catalyst?

It sounds like a fucking
video game!

Fuck you!

You know.

- You saw the files.
- I didn't see anything.

It just looked like
a bunch of encoding shit

and fucking newspaper
clippings on your wall.

You're good.

You're real good.

They must know
I'm getting close, huh?

Only a few missing pieces.

Communication channels,
the organizations involved,

and the one thing I could never figure
out, what happened to the passengers?

- What passengers?
- What did you do with them?

I didn't do anything to anybody.

Three planes traveling
at a low altitude,

hitting the towers,
defying every law of physics,

leaving a roadrunner imprint and
then melting the fucking buildings

in not one but three
perfect demolitions?

All this allegedly done in
almost perfect synchronicity

by guys who had two
months of flying lessons.

Huh? It was
a coordinated effort,

a terrorist plot that
was given a little push.

It was never about the Iraq War.

Catalyst could only
be set in motion

once everyone was scared
out of their fucking minds.

Edward Snowden, he was aware of the
surveillance, but he didn't have access

to the redacted files
prior to Prism.

Once the towers came down,
so did privacy.

X-Keyscore compromised emails.

Fascia compromised
location data.

Dishfire compromised
text messages.

A few Freemasons responsible
who infiltrated the NSA

and helped kickstart
the whole damn thing.

Do you fucking watch Loose
Change on repeat or something?

- Is that what this is?
- You're good.

Fucking let me go.

I can't believe this
is happening.

If you know anything,
you'd know I was a frog man.

I don't know anything about you.

You know, I was
dishonorably discharged

and then recruited.

I'm sorry.

I don't keep up with the news.

It was a national story.

A few powerful white men
decided to scapegoat a brown guy

for a military fuck-up,
and now my brother's in jail.

I am sorry.

- Yeah.
- That's horrible.

I don't need your
false sympathy.

You probably signed the order.

- What order?
- You'll break, like the other spook.

If you're lying,
I'll know soon enough.

Stay here, I'll be back.

Wait. Wait, wait, wait!
Where are you going?

Wait, don't fucking
leave me here!

I'm not a fucking agent!

Fuck! Fuck!

Oh, yes.

Oh, shit.

Holy shit.

- You're not Riad.
- Yeah, no shit.

Who the fuck are you?

Hey, look, we have to get
the hell out of here right now.

Okay, where is the key to this thing?
How do you get out of here?

No, no, no, no.

It's not safe out there.

And it's safe in here?

Like, why are you
making so much noise?

I'm hungry.

Shh.

They want to kill me.

I go out there,
I have to disappear.

Why would anyone want
to kill you, huh?

You know.

No, no! Please!

It's dead. It's dead.

No!

No, no, no, no, no!

No!

No! No!

No!

Like déjà vu.

I had to take you with me.

What did you inject me with?

A short-acting barbiturate.

Better than a polygraph.

Got a connection in town.

Maybe that's the same guy
that sent you the package.

It broke the other spook.

Sang like a bird.

You mean the guy upstairs?

That guy's no spy.

What did you do to him?

What I'm going to do to you
until you tell me the truth.

Are you going to kill me?

I haven't decided yet.

Fuck!

Oh, I'm going to be sick.

Who are you?

Fuck you. I already told you.

Who are you?

You are very serious.

There's so many me's, I don't
even know where to start.

Start with your name.

- Taylor.
- Taylor what?

Taylor Crane.

I'm 31, I'm a Scorpio,

and I'm soon to be single
if my husband

doesn't get his shit together.

Describe the circumstances
that led to you being here.

- This is a strange way to talk.
- Do it.

Well, this wild birdy told me to
come up here and say cheese.

It's not a joke.
How'd you end up at this cabin?

I already told you.

Tell me again.

Well, while I was birding,

my car broke down in
the middle of fucking nowhere,

'cause that's what
cars do, right? Murphy's law.

I mean,
who the fuck is Murphy anyway?

Focus.

I, I bet you know who he is,

and you just don't
want to tell me.

Murphy's Law originated
with an aerospace engineer.

His name was Edward Murphy.

Your car stalled.

How did you end up
in these parts?

I was just bored.

I mean, it was either
taking up birding

or taking up a lover.

Maybe I should be
taking up both.

- So you're just killing time?
- Yeah, you know.

Soul-searching,
reading self-help books,

all that kind of stuff.
I mean, hey, look what good it's done me.

I'm up here in a cabin
with a fucking Unabomber.

- There's more to that story.
- Oh, I'm sure there is, yeah.

He had bad parents, boo-hoo,

but that doesn't give you
a reason to kill people.

Ted Kaczynski was
a brilliant student

until the CIA got their
hands on him at Harvard.

You must know something
about that.

Actually, you know what?
I don't.

Why don't you invite
your friend Ted up here

and then he can
tell me all about it.

They subjected him to a series of
degrading and humiliating experiments,

destroyed him, tried to mind
control a brilliant student.

The teacher would humiliate him in class
until he couldn't function anymore.

He disappeared. Then he started
killing off the Feds

and spooks in charge of
the MK Ultra experiments.

You never hear about how
Harvard and the CIA fucked them.

You only hear about some guy

who randomly decided to
bomb assholes in suits.

- Not accurate.
- Great, that's great news.

Totally relevant to my current
situation, and I also don't give a fuck.

- Do you work for the CIA?
- No.

Do you work for
the police or the FBI?

No. I am not a cop
and I'm not an FBI agent.

- Are you?
- I'm asking the questions.

Are you a terrorist?

That why you're up here
hiding like a snake?

Watch it.

Okay.

You want the truth?

Here's what I think. I think
you should get a fucking life,

because nobody lives
out here in the woods

unless you're a terrorist
or a crazy person

or you're a lumberjack
and you don't have the hands.

Hmm.

Okay, the truth is
that I also like

selling the pictures
I take of birds

because it gets me
out of the house,

and when I'm out of the house
I meet interesting men,

and when I meet
interesting men...

it's just, you know, hasn't
been the same with my husband

and I just...

I just want to get laid.

I know. I know it's so cliché,
but I just,

I just want to
get fucked, man, like,

I haven't been
touched in months, you know,

and when I am,
it's just business.

You got to relate
living up here, right?

- I don't, I don't like to...
- And it's like...

- ...talk about that.
- You know when you're just craving food,

and all you think about is
food and what you want to eat?

That's the same with sex.
It's like you just want to fuck,

and it's on your mind
all the time.

You just got
all these fantasies,

and then, I just...

I masturbate... a lot.

- Good for you.
- No, it's not good for me.

Okay, I don't like it, and it feels
like I'm cheating all the time,

and I don't want to
feel like a rug,

but it's just...
it's just not the same.

- We used to fuck all the time.
- Okay, okay, enough.

Why, what's the matter?

I'm not your marriage counselor.

But I'm sure you can relate. I mean,
you must get a lot of action up here

living out in
butt-fuck nowhere.

If you weren't crazy,
I'd fuck you.

I'm not crazy.

I'm not going to fuck you.

It's really good with strangers.

Save it for one of your
interesting men.

Hey, you asked.

That's why I like birding.

I'm thirsty.

Your friend broke
within minutes.

- What friend?
- The spook upstairs.

I don't know that guy.
I've never seen him in my life.

Hey, and if you don't believe
me, why don't you inject me

with some more of this
stuff and I'll prove it.

Even if you are who you say you are,
you could still go to the police.

No, I won't. I won't, I promise.

How am I supposed
to believe you?

Because I don't care what you're
doing up here or what you've done.

- I've done nothing.
- I don't want to know, and I don't care.

Get up.

What?

Come on.

Where are you taking me?

Where I know you can't escape.

I've got something to do.

Sorry.

You again.

Come on.

You got to help me
get out of here.

Don't bother.

What is your problem?

- Huh?
- My problem?

No, no, no. We've been betrayed.

We? No, okay.

I'm just trying to get
back to civilization.

- No, you work for them.
- Oh, Jesus Christ.

How many times do
I have to say it?

I didn't obey my orders,
and now I'm on a kill list.

Orders? What orders?

Kill Riad, obtain the files,
encryption key, you know.

Okay, great. Well, look,
if we get out of here,

then you can go do
whatever you want, okay?

No. He showed me the package...

and now... we're on a countdown.

Countdown, what?
Is something going to happen?

He decrypted the majority
of the files.

No, no, no, no, no, no.
That shit isn't real, okay?

Ah, it is.

I've seen it.

The public deserves to know,
but it doesn't matter

'cause they're just
going to kill us both

and scrub the cabin.

Oh.

Oh, no.

I said don't bother.

Stay away from there.
Don't look in there.

What the fuck?

What's going on?

Get back.

I just pushed him.

- You killed him.
- He tried to kill me.

- He was an asset.
- What was he doing in a cell then, huh?

He liked it.

Where else do you want me to keep a
spook who was sent here to neutralize me?

Jesus Christ!

Jesus, what the fuck are you?

Where's the key card?
Toss it over.

Toss it over, now!

- You're dangerous.
- It was an accident!

No, please! Please don't
leave me in here with him!

He had the opportunity to
leave and chose to remain!

Maybe you'll feel the same!

No.

Fuck you, you fucking asshole!

Hey!

Hey!

At least bring me
some fucking water!

Fuck.

Fuck!

What the fuck? Stay back!
Stay the fuck back!

Shut up, shut up!
Listen to me here, okay?

You're being hunted.
Listen, there's a mailman,

but he's not really
a mailman, okay?

He has a gun and he's
coming to kill you,

and if he kills you,
he kills me too.

Inside!

- Are you fucking kidding?
- Can't leave yet.

I'm not getting back
in that house.

We've got to go right now, okay?
Who is that guy?

Your backup. Move.

My car is right over
there, okay?

Don't!

This isn't a negotiation.

You're surprisingly
resourceful for a photographer.

Another one of your
tricks, I'm sure.

Yeah, or maybe the mailman
teamed up with his buddies,

the cable guy, the plumber,
the electrician.

Down. Get down!

Don't move.

Fuck. Is this you?

Of course not.

We are going to have
to make a run for it.

We? Are you ever
just going to let me go?

- Come on.
- What are you hiding from anyway?

Hiding? I'm dead.

You don't look dead to me.

No, I was a Marine
who went crazy

and then committed suicide.

At least that's the story.

It made sense too.

After all, my brother
was a traitor.

It's enough to drive
a man insane, right?

Does your family know?

No, no family.

I was working for the NSA
when they destroyed my brother.

My parents are dead. They're going
to kill me for real this time

over these damn files.

What are they?

This is Catalyst.

It's a record
of domestic black ops

designed to heighten fear
and subjugate rational thought

among the general population,
starting with 9/11.

Dozens of successful attacks,

San Bernardino, Boston Marathon.

Why would they do that?

Fear equals funding.

A little push creates
the opportunity,

and a no-fly list up-and-comer
takes the bull by the horns.

There's no way.

Shh! No, wait!

You'll make too much noise, he'll know
we're in here, you fucking lunatic!

- Open the door.
- Go away!

You think this is a coincidence?

Then why this? Just leave
the crazy guy alone, right?

Well, you did kidnap
a guy and hold him hostage,

and you stole government files
for the sole purpose to leak them,

so I can think of
a few fucking reasons.

This is your fault.
You revealed my position.

Oh, yeah, and then I told them
to kill me. Great plan.

- I think you're missing the point!
- There is no point, okay?

There's no reason
for this bullshit.

The only way to subjugate
rational thought

is fucking Facebook, 24-hour
news, and reality TV, okay?

No need for hiding in a cabin and
covert NSA conspiracy bullshit.

- Shut up!
- No.

Look, why go down
that rabbit hole?

Okay, it's a dark
and lonely place,

and the bad guys will lose.

You're naive,
and we're both going to die.

It's guys like you
that are the problem.

You think that you
can go against the system,

but the system has its
checks and its balances.

You actually believe that?

- Drop the gun, Riad.
- Why would I do that?

Miss Crane,
please take his weapon.

How do you
know my name?

This is your
failed operation.

No. No, no, no,
no, no, that's a lie.

- Fuck you.
- That's a lie. Look, you have to believe me.

- Stay there.
- No, please.

- Please, please, please, please.
- Wait, stop, don't...

Look, I have nothing
to do with this, okay?

Fuck.

Listen!

Get off her, get off!
Get over there!

Don't move.

Miss Crane, the gun, please.

The gun, please.

Air-gapped computer.

Miss Crane, is that everything?

Is that everything?

As far as I know.

Get up.

Move.

Move!

Over there, by the chair.

What are you going to do?

Sit.

Put these on him.

Tight.

Now yours.

Over there, Miss Crane.

Sit.

Tight.

Your plan is faulty.
I'm already dead.

That's easy enough to explain.

Terrorist faking
his own death...

and only now regretting
his actions.

The guilt over killing
an innocent woman.

You have a role to play
as well, Miss Crane.

Get up.

I said get up.

Stand up!

Status check,
code four, ready to deploy.

We're good. Stay put.

Do you want me to draw this out?

No.

Get up. Get up!

Status check.
Agent, please respond.

Please respond.

Agent unresponsive.

Deploy to engage target.

Huh, kind of embarrassing.

Who do you work for, NSA?

We'll find you.

Oh, shit!

Who are you? Huh?

- Who are you?
- You're a dead man.

Yeah, probably.

What is the fucking password?

You don't look so good.

Backup's on the way.

I thought you were going
to bleed out up there.

Stabbing me with
a compass was elegant.

- My HQ will enjoy that one.
- Yeah, didn't stab you hard enough.

Where's the flash drive?

You're acting like
all this bullshit is real.

- He's a total nut job.
- On your knees.

Hands behind your back.

Why the package, huh?
That was dumb.

To send you a message.

- You had no business interfering.
- Orders.

Here's not your jurisdiction.

- Hand over the drive.
- Convoluted idiocy.

- Vetted and approved.
- Oh, bullshit!

You were sloppy.

That's it?

Doesn't matter.

You're a hostage!

Hey, I saved your life, you saved mine.
How about we're even, okay?

If you're so innocent, the authorities
will probably want to keep you alive.

Yeah, well,
clearly I'm expendable.

The postman was going
to shoot my head off.

- Where is it?
- Where's what?

The flash drive, what do you
think? Did you take it?

No.

Okay, time to leave.

- I rigged the cabin to blow.
- What?

We'll take your car.

How about we just go
our separate ways, okay?

Just drive! Get in!

Okay, okay.

This is really bad.

Multiple covert actions failing
to take out a single target.

- Pretty pathetic, actually.
- Holy shit, you're bleeding.

I'll manage.

Holy shit.

- What was that?
- C-4 packs a punch.

The explosion will distract them,
but they'll find us eventually.

- I have a new location in mind.
- So it was a bomb.

Well, there's bombs
and there's bombs.

No more helicopters.

I thought we
discontinued this line.

Ricochet, there's
been a problem.

We need to reinitiate.

- I can't.
- Contingency protocol, secondary location.

Not possible. Getting the
files will be tough this time around.

No! This is for Ahmed.
You promised.

- You owe him everything!
- It's a terrible setback.

I'll contact you in six
hours with new instructions.

I can't believe you have
a fucking phone, you asshole.

It's a SAT phone on an encrypted
line, not for car repairs.

You're something else,
you know that?

Who is that guy,
your friend, Ricochet?

He's assistant to
the deputy director.

- Of what?
- NSA.

Bullshit. Why would he help you?

He served with Ahmed.
Ahmed saved his life.

They were best friends.

I don't believe you.

You need to realize how
serious this situation is.

It goes back to 9/11, the
World Trade bullion reserves.

- Of course it does.
- Would you stop?

200 billion dollars
in gold evaporated.

That was the funding
for every damn program.

It was the world's greatest
extortion and heist

all rolled into one.

- So this is about gold?
- No. It's about power, lost power.

The gold was leveraged,

deposited into foreign
bank accounts.

The bank accounts were leveraged
to create the covert ops,

the covert ops create the fear,

and the fear
redistributes power.

And the American citizens
are the complacent sheep

that let it all happen.

Always bet on
the guy with the gold.

What, you're the guy who's just
going to come in and save the day?

I saved your life.

Yeah, you did, after you
did all that shit to me.

And now you think that maybe
I was sent here to destroy you.

- But you were, weren't you?
- What?

Sent here to destroy me.

I think it's time
that you let me go.

I'll let you go when I'm clear.

Look, Riad, back in the cabin...

you said something important
about change.

And I just want you to know...

that, um...

that whatever you're doing...

whatever you think you're doing,
it's, it's, um...

it doesn't just change
with one person.

You're wrong.

You're wrong.
One person is everything.

Gandhi, Kennedy,
Martin Luther King.

The lone wolf makes
the difference.

Good guys, on the other hand,
they're the worst.

They, they sit on their ass
while bad guys take over.

Okay, and after all of that,

after all the bullshit,
all the lies,

the truth eventually comes out.

Truth, truth finds a way?

Truth won't do shit.

- I'll find a way.
- At what cost?

Assassination,
a couple gunshot wounds.

They will get me, I know that,
just like they got my brother.

It's just a matter of time.

We're the ones
that get disappeared.

Well, it's just easier
to waterboard you

and throw you in Guantanamo.

Maybe that will happen,
but I need to be fearless.

It takes one voice, one person
who has the courage to say enough.

Is that what you told the guy that
you kidnapped? Was that your pitch?

Spook with a guilty conscience,
he confessed to a lot of shit.

- Oh, so he was helping you.
- I think so. That's what he said.

If he called in my location,
they would've been on me fast,

but it, it gave me a chance...

a window of opportunity.

What was on that flash drive?

Incontrovertible proof.

That was what,
going to change the world?

I don't know. Probably not.

But it was something.

A chink in the armor.

I owe my brother that much.

Should've let it go.

What's done is done.

I ran, they took steps.

My bank account's locked.
My identity's gone.

I'm barely a person.

I'm sorry.

I really am.

Hey, I brought your
camera. You should thank me.

Yeah, well, bird-watching seems
a little unimportant right now.

- What are you doing?
- Appreciating your work.

No, stop. Okay, that's private.

Not if you're selling
them to a magazine.

Okay,
that's enough, okay?

No, you're good.
Don't be embarrassed.

Thanks.

Look, I, um...

I want to apologize.

I, um...

I think I, uh...

Simply
new surveillance tools...

- Riad?
- ...including a number of programs...

Cellphone metadata and boomerang

routing to prevent
economic espionage,

and threats to Homeland
Security.

These are high priority

- national security threats.
- Are you okay?

Foreign governments,
as well as terrorist cells,

operating both inside
and outside...

Mr. Bishara, let me
officially welcome you

to the very best of
the clandestine organizations.

Riad.

I do hope I'll be able to look into
my brother's situation as well.

Absolutely.

- Riad, are you okay?
- I'm fine.

- I should really look at your shoulder.
- No! I said I'm fine.

Okay.

Actually, um...

actually, you're, you're right,

you should, um, you should
just pull over and let me out.

I'll take my bag and go.
I can...

Keep you clear of this thing.

Are you sure?

Yeah.

I, uh... made a mistake.

Can I drive you into
town or anything?

No, this is fine.

Thank you.

Yeah.

- He sent you.
- Who?

To eliminate the threat?
I'm the threat?

No, please.

Please, don't...

Stop.

No, no, you have it.

I'm not crazy.

The world needs to know
I'm not fucking crazy.

No, no, no, no. I can stop them.

Only I can stop them.

We can stop them.

Oh, no.

Riad.

Riad, I need you to tell
me the password, okay?

Come closer.

Text messages just pop up.

Worst phone ever.

Oh, my God.

Veracity
is questionable.

He has upset several
tangent agencies.

Neutralize only. Be discrete.

Expect interference.