Alphas (2011–2012): Season 1, Episode 2 - Cause and Effect - full transcript

There are over six 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.

Don't take no for an answer

There's no telling
where we've been

Because people don't
understand, understand, understand

People don't understand

People like me

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.

Oh, 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 light bulbs,

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. Okay, drink up.

We wouldn't even be
here if it wasn't for you.

You can't leave
that right there. Oh!

Your parents? Yeah.

I thought you weren't gonna
take any calls at the office.

I know. I'm not.
Be strong, Rachel.

Yeah, I already told
you. Sunday night is fine.

Yeah. Sunday
night is fine, mother.

Yeah, dress myself.

Click, hang up.

Mmm.

Bill? Bill?

The humming is
back. It's annoying.

Little privacy, please.

Sorry I'm late. I... I
had to drop my kid off.

You're over here.

Your new home.

Not much of a view.

Oh, well, you show up
late, you get what you get.

I'm not... I'm 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 sit around
having therapy sessions?

Sometimes. 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.

Compound?

It's... GARY: That's
not its real name.

She just calls it that.

It's the Binghamton
Special Research Facility.

It's this place where they send
Alphas who misuse their abilities.

Uh, a danger to self or others.

Dr. Rosen says that we
don't have to worry about that.

But you do. But we don't.

Gary. Gary. Hmm?

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.

You have some I.D.? Bonita.

Hi. Hi.

Bonita's a real-estate
agent for the building.

She's been
extremely helpful and...

Well, if she's so helpful, how
about the key pad entry system,

and the lobby
surveillance cameras?

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, market research.

We're not in market research.

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... You said
there's been 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
have 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,
64 squares, 32 pieces.

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 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... 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 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 neural anatomy.

That's why I took such
an interest in your case.

I'm calling people
like you "Alphas."

Alphas. Acceleration.
The first variable.

I like that.

Let me ask you,

is there anything
out of the ordinary

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 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.

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.

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.

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, I wasn't all that happy

when they started
assigning us fieldwork.

That's not what I had
in mind for my group.

Working under Don Wilson,

finding people for Clay
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 safe.
Is that a necessary risk?

No, you're gonna be 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.

Cause.

Effect.

Uh, from now on, 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 neural anatomy
is quite similar to Marcus'.

So you're telling me my mind
is wired like a psychopath.

No, I'm not saying that.

Neural anatomy 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 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 are 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...

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.

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 screw-ups.

I'm not the one
acting like a cowboy.

Nathan, let me
ask you something.

Marcus was furious about
his treatment at Binghamton.

He talked of plans.

Something that he thought was
going to happen to him offsite.

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 a 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,

SSRI's, SNRI's, antipsychotics.

Sedatives worked for a time,
but he developed a tolerance.

We even tried shock therapy.

He redirected the current

and nearly killed
one of my techs.

We were shipping
him off-site for surgery.

For surgery? 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...

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.

The DOD'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 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 Clay.

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 lily...

Okay, 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.

Clay 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!

Clay, 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.

Not a lot for
Marcus to work with.

The area's been cleared,

but Clay's got
snipers on the roof.

This isn't going to work.

Clay'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, Clay 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?

Box him in.

Oh, maybe Rosen's right.
Maybe he's playing us.

Hey!

Hey! Stop! Freeze!

Come on, Rachel,
what do you hear?

I'm scanning. Let
me concentrate.

Okay.

I smell something.

Get back! No!

Gas, there's gas in the sewer.

There he is! Stop!

Stop or we'll fire!

Are you okay?

Yeah.

Checkmate.

Son of a bitch.

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 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, 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 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.

But that does
not justify murder.

It's not murder.

Singh was a casualty of war.

War?

I see what's coming.
20 moves ahead.

I thought that you could, too.

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 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, Clay
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. Yes. Exactly.

The Aztecs were able to
handle anything their world

threw at them until
the Spanish showed up.

Yes, and destroyed them.

See, Marcus said 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.