Echelon Conspiracy (2009) - full transcript

Everything okay down there?

Piece of cake.

That locks it?

Yep. Centuries of Thai history
safe as Fort Knox.

Watch.

Now, relax, I'm a professional.

Okay, now your servers are down
because of a power surge

or a grid malfunction
or maybe even a bomb.

Now, if an intruder tries to reboot
your servers or access the data,

he'll always get this screen.

Now, this is your BIOS level password.



Without it, nothing works in this room.

Okay.

- You memorized.
- Always. Just in case.

- See?
- Good.

All right.

When do lights come back on?

Right.

You're gonna have to call an electrician.

- Hi.
- Yes, Mr. Peterson.

Hi. Yes, my flight's tomorrow.

Global Skies flight 4400
departing at 4:00.

Would you like me to arrange a taxi?

Yes, please.

And you have a package, sir.



And welcome back to the broadcast.

Today in the US Congress,
debate continues to rage

over a controversial
security funding bill.

If passed, the measure,
known as Senate Bill 2330,

would authorize the NSA

to upgrade its current surveillance
technology worldwide.

In other news...

Hi. What kind of special rates
do you have this weekend?

- We're offering a half-price rate, sir.
- Really?

Okay, book me for one more night,
and could you please...

Shall I rebook your flight
with Global Skies?

That's right. Global Skies flight 4400
but leaving on Saturday instead.

No problem, Mr. Peterson.
Enjoy your stay.

Thanks a lot.

And in the US Congress today,

controversial Senate Bill 2330
failed by a single vote.

NSA Director Raymond Burke,
an outspoken advocate for the upgrade,

was not available for comment.

And we're getting breaking news now
out of Bangkok, Thailand.

It seems Global Skies flight 4400

has crashed in a small town
outside Bangkok shortly after takeoff.

All 126 passengers
were killed instantly.

No word yet as to
what might have caused the crash

of Global Skies flight 4400.

Hey. Thank your manager
for his innovative advertising.

It was a lifesaver, literally.

Advertising, sir?

The text message?

I'm not familiar
with our promotional techniques, sir,

but I'll pass your compliments along.

No, the sender field was blank.
Look, I'm looking right at it.

Unknown sender.

What do you mean "unknown sender"?

Okay, can you put a trace on it
or something?

Why not?

The biggest news on Wall Street today
was the skyrocketing Syzor,

which, by market close, had more than
tripled its value at opening bell.

If you own Syzor shares,
you're a happy investor tonight.

Checking out.

- Did you have a nice stay with us, sir?
- Yes, thanks.

You're all set, sir. Have a nice flight.

Is something wrong, sir?

I think I need you to
change my flight again.

Sir, do you need a ride?

Taxis sit in traffic to pad meter.
My town car is flat €20.

- Yeah, I don't know...
- Sir, how can you not trust this face?

All right. Where to?

My name is Yuri. I am from Moscow.

- Where are you from?
- United States.

American.

What hotel are you staying in?

- The Empire.
- Good hotel.

Is that a GZT 650?

I'm sorry, what?

Your mobile. Your phone.
GPS capability, UMTS.

Hasn't hit the streets yet.
Where did you get it?

- It was a gift.
- Good gift.

If you need accessories,
earpiece, charger, let me know.

Driving job just part-time.

I can unlock phone, anything you need.
Small fee.

- All set, sir?
- Yeah.

And how will you be paying?

You know what? Make that a suite.

I've already spoken with DHL.

They said that the package came
from your mail order house.

That's correct. I'm not denying that, sir.

Okay, yeah,
I know you're not denying that.

I'm just trying to figure out
who paid for the item that you sent me.

- I'm not allowed to disclose that.
- Why can't you disclose it?

It's strict company policy to protect
our clients' privacy rights, sir.

I'll call you back.

Hey, how you doing?

I was wondering if I could play this slot.
I'm superstitious about this number.

Sorry, I'm keeping this one warm
for my wife over there.

I'll give you €20.

Okay, okay, 40. You can pocket 20
and you can give the rest to your wife.

€100.

Okay.

Hey!

Sir. Better take a look at this.

What do you got?

This guy paid
for that guy's seat at the slot,

then hit us for €100,000.

Like he knew the machine would pay off.

- Send up his stats.
- Profiling.

Hotel guest, Max Peterson.
Arrived today from Bangkok.

American citizen, born in Omaha.

Is he in our books?

He's a ghost.
Nothing in our database or Interpol's.

Well, let's keep an eye on him.

- For you, sir. Well done.
- Thank you.

- Cash or chips, sir?
- Chips.

Zoom in on him there.

Get you anything?

Ginger ale.
You know, make that Scotch, neat.

Your bets, please. Sir.

That's 100,000.

Good luck.

Blackjack.

Play that again.

All right, stop it there. Zoom in.

Son-of-a-bitch. It's his phone.

Send in Martin.

Could you hold on to these for me?

Mobiles are forbidden in casino.

There. Happy?

Yuri.

Hey, this is Max Peterson.
You picked me up earlier.

- Max with the GZT 650.
- Right.

I need your help.

I need to be able to read text messages
without looking at my phone.

Why?

Cell phones aren't allowed in the casino.

- You want to cheat?
- No! No, no, no, no, no.

It's my mother.
She needs to contact me.

Your mother. Okay, I hook you up. €500.

500? Hey, hey, I'll call RadioShack.

No RadioShack in Prague. Only Yuri.

I hook you up. Bye-bye.

- Kamila, where are you going?
- Home.

Where do you think I'm...

- Kamila, come back.
- Let go!

Please, please, please.
Just one more drink.

- One more drink.
- I said I am leaving.

- Stay!
- I said I'm going home!

Kamila!

- Hey, she said leave her alone, okay?
- Piss off.

Hey! Just let her go.

Are you okay?

Are you okay?

Yeah.

Here, let me help you up.

Okay.

I am so sorry.
I didn't know he was like that.

No, it's okay.

He's gone, right?

Yeah, security.

I'm Kamila, by the way.

- Max.
- Hey, Max.

You're American. Long way from home.

Yeah. I'm just here
doing a little gambling, so...

Yeah? How's that treating you?

Better now.

Okay. Can you excuse me just one...

Okay.

- Hello?
- It's Yuri. Meet me in the parking lot.

Yeah, see, now's a bad time.

I've gotta go downstairs for a minute,
but maybe I can buy you a drink later?

- I really should be going, so...
- Okay.

Thank you again for helping me.

Can I see you again?

I'll call you here.

Good night.

All right, where are they coming from?

According to his service provider...

There's no record of his text messages.

How is that possible?

Technically, it isn't.

- Hey.
- Hi. Give me your phone.

All right.

- What are you doing?
- Bluetooth text-to-speech transmitter.

It's kickass.

Mother, huh?

Bet all.

No sender on SMS. Very sophisticated.

Who gives gift like this?

I'm not really sure.

Hey, you think you could maybe
figure out who sent those?

- Not here. Only back in Moscow.
- Really? Why not here?

In Moscow, I have equipment,
connections, can find out anything.

Yeah, but I can't go to Moscow.

You change mind, you have card.

- Thanks, Yuri.
- You forget something?

Pleasure doing business.
Say hi to Mother.

Castle slot. East wing.

He's back.

All right, where's he headed?

- East wing.
- East wing.

Maximum bet on next pull.

Shit!

Yes!

Hold it right there!

Don't let that guy leave!

Shit.

Max Peterson,
I'm Special Agent Grant of the FBI.

Put your hands behind your back.

Now!

Grant?

What are you doing here?

Look, I don't care what this guy did,
all right?

- He ripped us off, he stays here.
- He comes with us.

I'm not in the Bureau anymore.
All right? You don't give me orders.

I don't have to.
We're taking Sunshine here.

Yeah, well,
it's good to see you're still a prick.

Nice tie.

Tell me about the phone.

Look, I didn't know.
Whatever it is, I'm really sorry.

Okay, I'll get you started.

You bought it online with the credit card
of one Stuart Wallace.

Then you came here
and you used it to rob a casino.

- How am I doing so far?
- I swear to God,

I don't know what you're talking about,
all right?

This phone came to me in the mail.

Who are you working with,
Mr. Peterson?

Oh, my God, nobody!

Look, I don't know
what you're talking about.

I'll make it easy.

Yuri Malinin.

A known hacker from Moscow.

We have a tape of you and him
exchanging equipment.

No, no, no, no.
Look, I just met him today.

He picked me up from the airport, okay?

Who's sending the messages?

I told you, I don't know, okay?
I got a package and...

You know, no one knows you're here.

Who's sending the messages?

Look, I swear.
You gotta believe me, I don't know.

Who's sending the messages?

Please, I don't know!

Oh, God, oh, God, oh, God, oh, God,
just, no, don't!

- Bye, Sunshine.
- No!

I don't know
who sent the messages, okay?

You know what?

I believe you.

- Still resourceful, I see.
- This is my town, remember?

Have a seat. Can we get you
something? Cappuccino?

What are you doing here, Dave?
We clean our own house.

This is bigger than your house, John.

You think I'd fly here and pull the strings

to conduct this operation if it wasn't?

All right.
Well, then, how about you clue me in?

I'd say you owe me at least that much.
And I'll take coffee black, thank you.

Okay, John.

We've been investigating people
receiving financial tips via text and SMS.

The recipients have all been American.
Other than that, they seem random.

The first was an executive at Axapris,
a major credit bureau.

The next, a realtor.

They both received tips to buy stocks.

The stocks went up.

Now, once the person
gets hooked on making easy money,

we think
they start receiving instructions.

Last week we found another.

An IT administrator
at the Department of Defense.

She made $1 million buying stocks

before a coworker noticed
her receiving unusual text messages.

Then, one night,
she receives a message

and shuts down the firewalls
to the Pentagon's servers.

Who sent the messages?

The sender fields on the texts
are always blank and untraceable.

Well, can't you
interrogate the recipients?

I would,

but they're all dead.

Now you see
why your guy is so important.

You got tipped to the woman.
How did you find Peterson?

We intercepted a similar text
in Bangkok, ID'ed him,

showed a sudden ticket to Prague.

- I hopped on the next flight.
- Doesn't sound like FBI technology.

I'm coordinating with Burke
at NSA on this.

Mr. Total Information Awareness, huh?

Yeah. He's shitting bricks
after the DOD incident.

They can trace the texts
if Peterson plays ball.

Can I count on your help?

You have a good nap, Sunshine?

You all right?

Option one,
you can help us nail these bastards.

Option two,
you can go to prison for fraud.

So, what will it be, one or two?

Oh, gee, let me think.

Good.

Come on.
I'll give you a ride back to the hotel.

I'll hold on to this till tonight.

You stay confined to the hotel
and act normal.

Normal?

It's Grant for you, sir.

Coffee's cold.

- Morning, Grant.
- Afternoon, sir.

Right. Now that we've got the small talk
out of the way, what's our status?

- We got Peterson.
- And?

He doesn't know anything.

Whoever's playing him
is doing it anonymously.

- Why him? Any idea?
- Not yet, sir.

- When can we go live?
- We can be ready in three hours, sir.

Done.

Tracking protocol in three hours, folks.

Zone 180.
Trunk line three, negative lock.

Someday, all this will be yours.

Really?

No.

Sir.

John, I need some answers.

I'm sorry, Mr. Mueller.

I haven't got anything for you yet.

A man walks into my casino
with nothing more than a phone

and walks out with €3 million.

If my casinos are vulnerable,
what about my banks?

What about
my commodities operations?

I need to know
that some fool with a phone

can't bring down
a multibillion-dollar empire.

I will find whoever's behind this.

Not just who, John. How.

Of course.

Do you like archery, John?

I'm sorry?

Archery.

I was quite an archer when I was young.

I was passionate about it.
Used to make my own arrows.

Do you know the secret of making
an arrow that will fly to the target?

You need strong feathers.
So I bought myself a falcon.

Called him Apollo,
after the god of archery.

Marvelous creature. Beautiful, proud.
Magnificent feathers.

Yes. So, one day, Apollo was
flying the grounds here, flying freely.

I was watching him, admiring him.

I picked up my bow and shot him

straight through the heart.
Died instantly.

Do you know why I did that, John?

To remind myself.

It's the seemingly harmless traces
we leave behind

that later can be used to destroy us.

Feathers, John. Feathers.

I think I understand.

Follow the messages, John.

Bring me the sender.

Yes, sir.

- Yeah?
- Hi, it's Kamila.

Wow! Hi. Where are you?

So, you basically
protect data from hackers?

Yeah. Believe me,
it's not as exciting as it sounds.

Well, don't get me wrong,
it's not a bad job.

I get to travel sometimes.

But why computers?

Well, I don't know. They're reliable.

They always follow their programming.

- What, as opposed to people?
- Well, yeah.

I mean,
when computers tell you something,

it doesn't really hide what it means.

What?

Just someone's still hurting
from a bad breakup.

Beautiful and wise.

- So, where you from?
- The States.

I bounced around a lot.

- And you live in Prague?
- Yeah.

I studied photography at the university.

So, now you're a photographer?

Not exactly.

Well,

we all have our secrets, I guess.

Oh, great. I gotta go.

- Again?
- Yeah. I'm sorry.

I'm really sorry.
Can I buy you dinner later? Please?

I don't know.

- I'll cook.
- You cook?

Let's do that.

Okay. I'll see you later. Okay.

We've isolated the trace.
We need three messages for a lock.

- What if I don't get three?
- Well, then we wait until we do.

And just keep
following their instructions.

Whatever they say?

Why do you even care?
It's not your money.

What about my 3 million?

- Your 3 million? Yeah.
- Yeah.

I'll look right into that.

- Grant?
- Yes, sir.

- We're ready on our end.
- Good.

We're live, people.

What a douche.

VIP Blackjack. Seat five.

Here we go.

Target SIM just went active.

Trunk line three, negative lock.

- Transit trunk node Bravo four is active.
- Active source trace and lock.

Localization on, partial lockout.

Change, please.

Bet all.

Second text.

- Second SMS detected.
- Locked. Tracking second SMS.

The system's refining
source coordinates.

Messages are coming from
inside US territory, sir.

One more.

Bets, please.

Seventeen. Nineteen.
Nineteen. Thirteen.

Card?

That was your only warning.

No more interference.
Turn the phone off again, I'll kill you.

We got them.

- Full lockout.
- Triangulation complete.

- Call them as they come in.
- Refining coordinates.

Latitude north between 42 and 29.

The messages are coming
from Maryland.

Transit trunk node Bravo four is active.
Refining final coordinates.

North, 38 hours, 57 minutes.

Shut it down!

All tracking systems off! Now!

Abort. I say again, abort.

Yes, sir.

Source is Echelon.

We have an abort. Pull him off now!

Whoa, whoa, what do you mean abort?

Let's go, Peterson.

Hey, don't turn off the phone!

Come on.

This is bullshit.
What am I supposed to tell my boss?

- What do I care? Tell him it's classified.
- Classified.

That's not gonna satisfy him.

Well, there goes your job, again.

What's going on?

The investigation has been terminated.

This is about Echelon, isn't it?

You always had a big mouth.

You should keep it shut.

Both of you.

- What's Echelon?
- It's NSA's central computer.

It filters all global communication.

Wait a minute.
So whoever's sending the messages

- is using the NSA?
- Exactly.

Echelon's been compromised.
Find out what the hell's going on.

I don't show any
unauthorized access, sir.

Somebody got in. I want to know
how they did it and who it was.

Well, I can monitor the inputs.

If someone's remotely manipulating,
we'll see it in real time.

Do it.

It's gonna take me some time
to reconfigure the...

Just do it! Now!

Well?

Echelon's a juggernaut.

It can access any security system
on the planet.

I know what Echelon's capable of.
I need to know who can hack into it.

Well, someone with
some serious know-how.

My guess is a foreign power,
maybe even an insider.

What are the NSA's plans?

Well, they've gotta
keep a lid on this thing now.

They've got the phone,
so they'll try and trace the messages

without Peterson.

You said there were others
who'd received messages.

Yes, but the selection seems random.

Nothing's random.

Track Peterson.
He'll lead us to who's doing this.

Well, what makes you think
he hasn't served his purpose already?

Because he isn't dead yet.

Sir, the NSA is not gonna tolerate
an outside investigation.

John, just keep him alive.

Otherwise, you'll have
worse than the NSA to deal with.

Who is he?

- Navy SEAL, sir. He can handle himself.
- Not exactly his twin.

He'll do.

If there's a line of sight, which I doubt,
it'll be from a distance.

What about Reed and Peterson?
Do they know?

They'll stay quiet, sir.

Reed, I trust. Peterson, I don't.

He's too scared to be a threat,
I guarantee it.

We're ready here, sir.

Forgive me for asking, but are you sure
you don't wanna use Peterson on this?

Grant, you have your orders,
now follow them.

Waiting for the order on Peterson, sir.

Proceed.

Well, this was excellent.
You're an amazing cook.

Thank you.

- Let me help you with this.
- No, no, no, no.

- Stay here. I'll be right back.
- Okay.

You take these photographs yourself?

Yeah. You like them?

Yeah. Yeah, they're beautiful.

Yeah, it's always been my dream
to live in Paris.

What's stopping you?

Reality.

Isn't that what usually
gets in the way of dreams?

- I can't say.
- Come on, Max.

- You must want something.
- I guess...

Thanks.

All I really want is to be useful.

And just once, you know,

make a real difference.

You'll get your chance.

- I've never been.
- You're missing out.

Everyone has to see Paris at least once.

What's so special about it?

It's hard to describe, really.

Tell me.

It's the way the streets look

and the light from people's windows

and the rain.

The way it sticks in your eyelashes.

Makes everything a painting.

You know, it's just Paris.

- Yeah?
- Is he still there?

Yeah.

Good. Keep him there. I'm on my way.

- And Kamila.
- Yeah.

Be prepared for anything.

If there's one there,
then a four could be...

Fun, my ass.

- Anything?
- Nothing.

- "10 a. m. Kaprova and..."
- "Krizovnicka."

Come on, let's move it!

Target SIM just went active.
System's refining source coordinates.

Transit trunk node Bravo four's active.

Receiving initial GPS data.

Channel Delta seven is active.
Negative lockout.

Intel set tracer active. Negative lockout.

Target SIM just went active.

Output data stream detected.

Morning.

- Wow, you look beautiful.
- Thank you.

- I hope you don't mind.
- No. No, not at all.

- What are you reading?
- A little background on Echelon,

NSA's filtering computer.

Did you know that the NSA intercepts
every phone call we make?

Every email, every text.

- I guess I just assumed that.
- Yeah, well, that's just what exists now.

The upgrade that failed would've put
a camera in every person's home.

Okay, now you just sound paranoid.

No. NSA actually admits it.
Look. Come on.

See, the upgrade
would've decentralized Echelon

to operate in every computer on the net.

This would be Echelon,

knowing what you download,
reading what you type,

watching you on your webcam.

- Jesus.
- Yeah, worst of all,

there'd be no stopping it.

I mean, not unless you turn off
every computer in the world.

- A global police state.
- Exactly.

And this only failed by one vote.

I bet the folks back in Omaha
are glad that didn't pass.

What?

I never said I was from Omaha.

So how do you know that?

Kamila? Look at me.

Who the hell do you work for?

Get down!

Bedroom! Now!

- Shit. Shit.
- Bathroom.

- Stay down.
- Okay.

He's with the girl.

They're in the back.

Are you all right?

Get him out of here. I'll be fine.

Come on.

Just go.

Sir?

- Give me some good news.
- I'm sorry, sir.

We monitored everything, but...

If someone's getting in,
I honestly don't know how.

- Yeah?
- I'm afraid I have some bad news, sir.

- Peterson got away.
- What?

It was the girl. She killed two of my men.

Stupid sons of bitches!

You all right?

I told them
not to turn off the phone, okay?

- It said it was gonna kill me.
- Look, it wasn't them, all right?

It's NSA.

All right, so what do we do?
Do we hide?

Hide? Look,
you don't hide from these guys.

What we've gotta do is figure out
who's behind this,

- and let's see if NSA will cut a deal.
- Okay.

How are we supposed to do that?

That... That I don't know.

Yuri.

- The cabbie with the earpiece?
- Yeah, no.

I'm saying, he said, with my SIM,

he could find out
who's sending the messages.

Look, I think this is
a little bit out of his league.

Besides, he's already skipped town.
Hopped a plane back to Moscow.

I'm gonna call him.

Hey, hey.
You're not calling anybody, all right?

One call,
and we're gonna pop up on the grid.

- Fine. So we go to Moscow.
- Just like that.

- Me and you go to Moscow, right now.
- If you got a better idea, spit it out!

You know what, just...
I'll go myself. Let me out.

Hey, look, buddy, you would not be alive
right now if it wasn't...

I am not gonna be alive
if I don't get some answers soon.

So, stop the car.

Stop the goddamn car!

Fine.

Where the hell do you think
you're gonna go?

They've got your phone, remember?

Shit.

And I've got your SIM card information.

Kamila cloned it.

That's great.

She really went above and beyond,
didn't she?

Yeah, I'd say she did.
She risked her life protecting you.

You know a lot of women
that would do that for you?

Forget about Kamila.

Can you get me to Moscow or not?

Mueller can, but I don't know how
I'm gonna convince him to do that.

Russian cabbie can do
what the NSA can't?

Yuri says he has equipment.
He's got connections.

- That's not good enough.
- Listen, back at Corgem,

we bought cryptography modules
from the Russians.

They have things that we don't have,

shit that the Chinese
and Israelis don't have.

I don't know how they got it,
but they're jacked in.

All right, maybe so.

But what makes you think
we can trust this guy?

We can trust him a hell of a lot more
than your buddies from NSA.

Okay.

I'll get us to Moscow,
but you better be right about this.

Sir?

Facial recognition got a ping.

Moscow.

This is where we're going.

Hey, your seatbelt's broken.
It won't fasten.

Why you need fasten?

- 'Cause it's the law.
- You do that, police stop us.

- They think something wrong.
- Welcome to Moscow.

- Yes, sir.
- They're in Moscow.

I mean, is that a "B" or a "six"?

Max with GZT 650.

You come to Moscow after all.

Who this man?

- He's cool.
- Don't look cool.

- What do you want?
- Answers.

It's my SIM info.

It's been you all along, hasn't it?

- Reed!
- Shut up!

You just happen to
pick Max up at the airport,

know all about his phone,
and then offer to help him?

- I don't send messages, sir, I swear.
- Prove it!

You bring SIM all this way.

Let me find out
who's sending messages.

Reed, listen to me.
We've got to trust somebody.

Just give me three hours.

You try to run, and I will hunt you down.

Come on.

You're awful quiet.

It's just strange being here.

This was Cold War central
when I started at the Bureau.

You were in the FBI with Grant?
Did you like it?

Yeah, I did.

So why'd you leave?

I had a big mouth.

Patriot Act was up for renewal.

I was pushing for stricter safeguards.

Burke, at NSA,
wanted to fast-track approval.

He didn't appreciate having somebody
on the inside speaking out.

So you were forced out.

No. He had Grant take care of that.

Wait a minute. That's it? You just left?

What good is freedom of speech
if you can't use it?

- You can't just leave.
- Why not?

Reed, you don't strike me
as the kind of guy

who's gonna be happy guarding
people's money in a Prague casino.

Hey, look, I'm taking care of myself.

Then what are you doing here?

Getting paid to find out who's doing this.

And you don't care who it is or why?

Not even a little.

I just think you feel sorry for yourself.

Let's just get back, okay?

- Did you figure it out?
- Yeah.

All right.
So, who's sending the messages?

You won't like answer.

This is entire input-output stream
for all messages sent to SIM.

Box is empty.

Nobody used Echelon
to send messages.

Echelon sent them itself.

Wait, you gotta be kidding me.
That's your explanation?

Wait, what are you saying,
that it's alive?

- No. Just following its programming.
- That's your explanation?

I knew you wouldn't believe me.

Yeah, you're damn right
I don't believe you.

You tell me if I could do this.

This list is all Echelon intercepts
cross-containing SIM information

and name Max Peterson.

First, I sub-sort for information
relating to flight 4400.

Night before you receive phone,

Echelon intercepted fuel analysis
at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok.

Test results indicate
fuel viscosity exceeds maximum,

but fuel provider
reports normal viscosity.

Echelon knew flight 4400 would crash.

Yes, with probability of 94.67%.

I'm not buying it.

- No?
- No.

Okay, it gets better.

Day of crash, Echelon intercepts SMS.

Sender was Chairman of Board
of Tercom Corporation.

Recipient was Li Lin Chao,
Director of Syzor.

Message body reads, "Congratulations.
Our board has ratified your bid."

So Echelon intercepts an SMS
for a little insider trading.

- Precisely.
- Big deal.

Anyone with access to Echelon
could've done that.

Maybe so,
but only a computer could have known

that two of Empire Casino's high paying
slots would pay off in one night.

- And the blackjack tables?
- Simple card counting.

It just watched table
and calculated probability

of blackjack or dealer going bust.

No human can count that fast.

Echelon can access
any security camera in world.

Nobody used Echelon
to send messages.

Echelon sent them itself.

So, if Max has phone, it has Max.

But why me?

What's so special about me?

Shit!

All right, how do we get out of here?

- This stairwell. Hurry!
- All right, come on.

Stairwell.

- FBI crash course?
- Brooklyn childhood.

Forget this.

- Look for a map.
- All right.

It's in Cyrillic.

Left or right? Left or right?
Left or right?

Left!

- I meant right.
- Great.

Shit.

All right, hold on.

- Reed, let's talk!
- All right, Grant, I'll start.

Jackasses, I wasn't trying to kill you.

Grab his other gun. It's on his ankle.

- I can prove it.
- Easy.

Shit. All right, on your feet, Grant!

Let's go, move it!

Come on!

"I see you. I want Max."

We need you. It will only deal with you.

Not even Burke can touch you now.

Yeah? You got a funny way
of showing it.

Until it resumes contact,
we're stuck on...

Whoa, what do you mean "it"?

We believe that Echelon
may be sending the messages itself.

Will you help us, Peterson?

Will you help us?

- Can I trust you?
- Of course you can trust me.

- I said, can I trust you?
- Whoa! Max, Max, what are you doing?

- Can I trust you?
- Yo, quit fooling around, man.

You can trust me!

You know what?
I believe you, Sunshine.

- Give me that goddamn thing.
- That was loud.

What does it say?

All right. What the hell does that mean?

It's a zip code.
This was the first installation I did,

in Omaha.

Sir, the NSA has uploaded
the information on the Omaha facility.

- Are we set up?
- Yes.

We're coordinating with local SWAT.

- Good.
- Okay.

The facility is a converted hangar
bought by a startup

planning to lease bandwidth.

That ring a bell?

I remember it was a strange building
to house servers in.

Yeah, apparently,
so did the potential clients.

Company was sold at auction
before they even opened.

The place hasn't been entered
since time of sale.

We're still trying to locate
the current owner.

What'd you do there?

Same thing I always do.
Installed BIOS level failsafe circuitry.

BIOS what?

Password protection.

I'm impressed.
I always thought you were a little stupid.

You mean stupid like build a computer
that knows absolutely everything,

then lose control over it?

Special Agent Grant, FBI. Are we ready?

Just about, sir.

All clear!

We'll take over from here.

- Activate the grid.
- Yes, sir.

Okay, now what?

You know how to do that?

Yeah.

Sir, we got the next text message.
"Authorize BIOS."

Hang on.

What the hell is "Authorize BIOS"?

It opens the servers for access
so outside data can get in.

Why would it want that?

I don't know. But it will allow us
to see what's on the servers.

You sure we're not opening up
a Pandora's box of viruses?

No, sir. They can prevent any existing
files on the drives from getting out.

Grant,

- do it.
- Yes, sir.

Turn it on.

Yeah.

Yeah. Try not to fuck it up, Max.

So far so good.

Okay.

Okay.

All right. I'll use my admin password.

Are you ready?

Do it.

Step back, Peterson.

What do we have?

- Nothing, sir.
- No, check again.

I'm positive.

Command structure
for boot-up is in firmware,

and the drives are formatted,
but I haven't seen any data.

Dry hole, people.

Everybody out!

Sir, I'm seeing an outbreak of copy
routines and massive data outflow.

Yeah.

I got it.

We finally tracked down the guy
that owns this place.

Great. Get him on the line.

- That's gonna be difficult. He's dead.
- What?

Yeah, Stuart Wallace.

Get the men out of here. We'll catch up.

All right, you got it. Let's go!

Who's Stuart Wallace?

He's a realtor.
His credit card bought your phone.

One of the other recipients.

I got a bad feeling about this.

Hey, Max!

Echelon's moving in.

What's going on?

Where's it going?

Looks like Nebraska.

- Do a goddamn reboot.
- We can't.

- What?
- It's no longer here, sir.

Echelon is gone.

Are you trying to tell me our multibillion
dollar program just got up and left?

On its own?

What the hell are you looking at?

All right, so that's why it picked you.

It wanted to move
and you were the only one with the key.

Yeah, but to get out past
the NSA firewalls,

- it would've needed...
- Someone at the Pentagon.

Right.

Okay. Why does it even need
to leave NSA at all?

What could it possibly do here
that it couldn't do there?

- Well, there's your answer.
- What is it?

Sir, come take a look at this.

- Now what?
- It's upgrading itself.

The upgrade.

Congress wouldn't allow it,
so it's giving it to itself.

- And it couldn't do that at NSA, could it?
- No. This is a temporary house,

long enough to take residence
in every computer on the net.

I mean, it'll be unstoppable.

Shut it down.

What's that?

It looks like financial records.

Oh, my God.

It's taken
the entire country's money hostage.

Of course.

The fourth recipient worked at Axapris.

Right? They have the largest credit
data storage facility in the country.

- Makes sense.
- So if we turn it off

or blow this place, we'll lose everything.

No, no, no, hold on.
If I can get around our security failsafes,

somehow, I might be able to stop
the upgrade without losing the money.

- Get to it.
- All right.

All right, Max, come on.

- Think.
- Exactly. You know it.

Okay, I'll see you Thursday.

You, too, sir.
And thank you, Mr. President.

- It's Grant for you, sir.
- Coffee's cold.

- Grant.
- Sir, it's got us by the balls.

We're trying to find
a safe way to shut it down.

Shut it down?
Why the hell would I do that?

- Shit!
- Listen to me.

Last week, one liberal senator
switches her vote at the last minute

and mothballs the greatest
surveillance tool ever created.

Now we are just 10 minutes away
from realizing the greatest

security advance in my lifetime,
and you wanna shut it down?

Sir, if we do this,
we won't have security. It will.

Look, I'd be lying if I said I thought
this was how it was gonna go down,

but the bottom line is
the President wants this,

I want this,
and the country will be safer with this.

So end of story.

Let me try talking to him.

Burke, this is Reed.

Reed, I'm sorry you got caught
in the crossfire on this one.

Yeah, I'm sure you are.

Have you thought of the consequences?

This thing has killed
four people already.

Which was unfortunate.

But Spencer assures me
it's malfunctioning

because it hasn't been permitted
to follow its original programming.

Giving it the upgrade will cure that.

Once it's installed,
you'll have no control over it.

We're at war, Reed.

If the computer acts unilaterally on
occasion, that's a small price to pay.

Anyway, we programmed it.
It's on our side.

No, don't bet on that.

Damn it!

Peterson thinks he can shut it down
without losing any of the money,

and I'm gonna let him.

You're forgetting yourself, mister.
You do not have the authority.

But I do.

I'm sorry, sir,
I have to go against you on this.

Say that again, Grant, and this time,
choose your words very carefully.

Yes, sir.

I'm authorizing Peterson to shut it down.

If you so much as touch one key
on that computer,

so help me God,
I'll have you hauled up for treason

and watch your ass hang in
the public square, you understand me?

Do you?

We'll see who hangs who.

So, how long you figure we have
till they come back?

SWAT's local.
Burke won't want any witnesses.

But my men, my former men,

a few minutes.

What kind of artillery you got
in this rig, then?

Welcome back, baby.

Fletcher.

Are you sure, sir? All right.

How you doing, Max? Any progress?

Not yet.

Yeah, well, take your sweet time, huh?

Can you hear me?

Yes.

I have orders to take this building
by force, if necessary.

I need you to stand down.

I can't do that.

So, what is your basic mandate?

To protect the national security
of the United States.

National security?

Sir, I need you to
throw down your weapons.

Sorry, I can't do that.

Define the United States.

A nation of citizens with freedoms
protected by the Constitution.

Okay. So, per your mandate,

you must defend the freedom
of United States citizens?

Yes.

Damn it, Grant, don't make me do this.

And any threat to that freedom
must be eliminated?

Yes.

Search all articles for Senate Bill 2330.

This is your last chance!

Come on, come on, come on,
come on, come on. Hurry up. Hurry.

Come on, come on, come on.
What the hell's taking so long?

Let's go, Max!
We can't hold them all day!

- Come on, hurry!
- Hold on.

Come on. Get it already.

Come on.

Learn. Learn!

Echelon is a threat to freedom.

- I did it!
- Shutting down.

- Oh, shit.
- I did it.

Don't move!

Get them out of here.

No, Mr. President.

Echelon is completely offline

until we can figure out a way
to solve the malfunction.

Of course not.

Yes, sir, I understand you can't.

Yes, sir. It is entirely my responsibility.

Goodbye, Mr. President.

- Your car's waiting, sir.
- Who's first?

The Senate
Intelligence Oversight Committee.

You know the three
most important words in politics?

No, sir.

"Don't get caught."

All right, let's go, Peterson!

There he is.

So they're not pressing charges?

Yeah, you know, I really don't think they
want the public to hear about this one.

Do me a favor.
Keep your mouth shut this time. Please.

And who paid our bail?

Nobody special.
Just someone who took a bullet for you.

Hi.

So, what do you think?
You gonna come back?

I don't know. Maybe.
If I can get my old office back.

What old office?

That old office I had in the corner,
with the view?

You mean my office.

- Well, thanks for getting us out.
- Not me. Mueller.

He's a hard man to say no to,

especially when he wants
to keep a story off the front page.

He sent you all this way
just to tell me that?

And to give you this.

He said you deserved it.

I don't know what to say.

Just say you'll stay out of his casinos.

Fair enough.

- So when are you headed back?
- Tonight.

How about a little detour?

Where?

Paris.

Well, the check's in euros.

I figure it's as good a place as any
to cash it.

That a yes?

Is it...

No, no. It's Yuri.

Who's Yuri?