Millennium (1996–1999): Season 2, Episode 13 - The Mikado - full transcript
A serial killer uses the Internet as a medium for broadcasting his victims' murders.
TRY "NAKED GIRLS."
ALL RIGHT! WE GOT 473 MATCHES.
IF WE SPENT JUST FIVE MINUTES IN
EACH SITE, THAT WOULD MAKE, LIKE...
39 HOURS OF PORN
ON THE INTERNET.
YEAH! THAT IS WHY BILL
GATES SHOULD BE PRESIDENT.
THERE! THAT ONE! "100% FREE NASTY
HARDCORE COED TEENAGE VIRGINS."
"I UNDERSTAND I WILL BE EXPOSED TO
VISUAL IMAGES, VERBAL DESCRIPTIONS,
"AND AUDIO SOUNDS OF A
SEXUALLY ORIENTED, EROTIC NATURE."
"UNDER PENALTY OF PERJURY, I
AFFIRM THAT AS OF THIS MOMENT,
"I AM AN ADULT AT
LEAST 21 YEARS OF AGE."
- YES.
- OH.
$9.95? THAT'S FALSE ADVERTISING.
- IT SAYS "100% FREE."
- YEAH, AND WE SAID
WE WERE OVER 21.
IT'S OKAY. ONE DOWN, 472 TO GO.
DON'T START WITHOUT ME. MAN!
YOU ALMOST GAVE ME A HEART
ATTACK. I THOUGHT YOU WERE MY MOM.
OH, MAN, THE PIZZA'S COLD.
I GOT SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA
MAKE UP FOR THAT. I RAN INTO LEE.
HE HEARD ABOUT IT WHILE LURKING
ON A CHAT ROOM FOR PERVERTS.
HEARD ABOUT WHAT? AN ADDRESS...
TO A VERY SPECIAL PLACE.
OH, YES!
"S" AND "M"!
I DON'T KNOW. SHE
DOESN'T LOOK THE TYPE.
AS IF YOU'D KNOW.
THE HIGHER THE NUMBER,
THE LESS CLOTHES.
SO, WHAT HAPPENS AT
37122? FULL-FRONTAL?
BETTER. WATCH.
HEY, THIS IS GETTING
KIND OF FREAKY.
GOD! WE GOTTA TELL SOMEBODY.
WHAT ARE WE GONNA TELL THEM?
WE NEED PROOF. HIT PRINT!
DID THAT REALLY HAPPEN?
THE GROUP RECEIVED REPORTS...
FROM 24 POLICE DEPARTMENTS
ACROSS THE UNITED STATES.
ALL HAD COMPLAINTS
FROM CITIZENS...
CLAIMING TO HAVE WITNESSED
A MURDER ON A WEBCAST.
AND THE ACCOUNTS
ARE CONSISTENT? YES.
OVER A PERIOD OF SEVERAL HOURS, A
SERIES OF LIVE, STILL IMAGES UPDATED.
THEY DEPICTED THIS WOMAN
BEING RESTRAINED TO A CHAIR,
AND THEN BEING MURDERED WHEN
THE NUMBER OF HITS ON THE WEB SITE...
MATCHED THE NUMBER THAT
WAS PAINTED ON THE WALL.
37122. AND THE WEB
SITE? IT DISAPPEARED.
IN YOUR HANDS IS THE ONLY VISUAL
RECORD WE HAVE OF THE ENTIRE INCIDENT.
NOW, SOME OF THE GROUP
THINK IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN STAGED,
THAT IT MIGHT BE SOME KIND
OF SICK PERFORMANCE ART.
NO, IT'S REAL. THOUGH THE
ELABORATE NATURE OF THE MURDER...
SHOWS THAT HE IS
PERFORMING FOR US.
WHO HAS JURISDICTION OVER
THIS? TECHNICALLY, NOBODY.
NO LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY
CAN CLAIM JURISDICTION...
UNTIL WE CAN FIND OUT
WHERE THIS HAPPENED.
THE LAW JUST HASN'T KEPT
UP WITH THE TECHNOLOGY.
WE HAVE NO ACCESS TO A CRIME
SCENE, NO PHYSICAL EVIDENCE,
AND WE DON'T EVEN KNOW
THE IDENTITY OF THE VICTIM.
DO YOU THINK HE'S GONNA
COMMIT ANOTHER MURDER?
YOU CAN COUNT ON IT.
OKAY, THE FIRST STEP IN
FINDING THE VICTIM'S IDENTITY...
IS TO DECONSTRUCT HER
FACE, TO GIVE THE COMPUTER
SOMETHING IT CAN
COMPARE TO OTHER FACES.
SO, WE HIGHLIGHT THE
CARDINAL POINTS OF THE
FACE WHICH CREATES A
DIGITAL ABSTRACTION...
I CAN ENHANCE FURTHER BY THE
MINUTE DEGREES OF PIXEL CONTRAST.
BASICALLY, REDUCING HER
FACE TO A STRING OF NUMBERS...
THAT I CAN FEED INTO THE
NATIONAL MISSING PERSONS REGISTRY.
THIS WILL TAKE A MINUTE.
SORRY ABOUT THE MESS.
IT'S THE MAID'S DAY OFF.
DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. YOUR APARTMENT'S
EXACTLY HOW I IMAGINED IT WOULD BE.
OOH. WE GOT SIX MAYBES.
SHOW ALL OF THEM.
WHICH ONE OF THE MISSING
WOMEN HAVE AN E-MAIL ADDRESS?
UH, THREE.
CLAUDIA VANCE, REBECCA
DAMSEN, AND PATRICIA VIAMONTE.
CAN YOU TELL HOW ACTIVE THEY WERE
ONLINE BEFORE THEY WENT MISSING?
VIAMONTE'S GOT A COMPUNETSERVE
ACCOUNT WHICH SHE'S USED TWICE.
VANCE HAS GOT THE SAME KIND OF
ACCOUNT, AND SHE LOGGED IN ONCE A WEEK.
- WHAT ABOUT DAMSEN?
- WHOA. SHE'S POSTED
HUNDREDS OF MESSAGES...
IN EVERY CONCEIVABLE NEWSGROUP.
MUST'VE BEEN ONLINE
HUNDREDS OF HOURS A MONTH.
MY KIND OF WOMAN.
A REAL NET CHICK.
- IS THERE A USER PROFILE?
- UH-HUH. UH...
"FEMALE, 26, LIBRARIAN AT THE
SHEBOYGAN CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC."
- SHE'S THE VICTIM.
- WHY? JUST BECAUSE
SHE USES A COMPUTER?
NO, BECAUSE HE DOES.
THE WEB'S BECOME HIS WORLD.
HE SHOWED HER OFF ON THE INTERNET.
HE KILLED HER ON THE INTERNET.
I BELIEVE THAT'S WHERE HE
FIRST FOUND HER. HE STALKED HER,
THEN MADE CONTACT IN CYBERSPACE
BEFORE ABDUCTING HER IN REAL LIFE.
IT'S POSSIBLE THERE'S A
RECORD OF THAT CONTACT.
I NEED ACCESS TO
HER E-MAIL ACCOUNT.
WE NEED TO GET PERMISSION
FROM COMPUNETSERVE
AND GO THROUGH
THEIR BUREAUCRACY.
PROBABLY HAVE THE FILES FOR
YOU BY THE END OF THE WEEK.
NOT GOOD ENOUGH. THE KILLER'S
ALREADY TROLLING FOR HIS NEXT VICTIM.
I COULD TRY HACKING INTO THEIR
SYSTEM, BUT I NEED SOMETHING...
WITH A LOT MORE FIREPOWER
THAN WHAT I HAVE ON HAND.
WHERE CAN WE GET ACCESS
TO THAT KIND OF EQUIPMENT?
OH, I CAN THINK OF TWO PLACES:
ONE IS THE N.S.A. DATA SYSTEM AT
VANDENBERG, WITH LEVEL THREE CLEARANCE.
THE OTHER IS EVEN
HARDER TO GET INTO.
ACCESS IS USUALLY RESTRICTED TO
MEMBERS OF THE MILLENNIUM GROUP,
BUT THIS IS A SPECIAL CASE, SO
ANYTHING YOU DON'T SEE, ASK.
MY GOD. THIS IS LIKE A
HACKER'S WET DREAM.
DICKEY BIRD TOLD ME ABOUT THIS ROOM,
BUT I THOUGHT HE WAS JUST YANKING MY CHAIN.
AH! THAT'S A T3 LINE.
IT'S LIKE A FIRE HOSE...
COMPARED TO THE SODA STRAW WE
WERE SUCKING INFORMATION OUT OF BEFORE.
OOH.
YOU TWO MAY WANNA
LEAVE THE ROOM.
WHAT I'M DOING
ISN'T EXACTLY LEGAL.
JUST GET IN AS QUICK AS YOU CAN.
DING! ELEVEN SECONDS.
- HER PASSWORD WAS "PASSWORD."
- HER PSEUDONYM ONLINE
WAS "QUEEN LIBIDO."
THESE ARE QUITE
EXPLICIT. DOESN'T SYNCH...
WITH A LIBRARIAN FROM THE
SHEBOYGAN CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC.
SOME PEOPLE FEEL
LIBERATED FROM THEIR NORMAL
SELF WHEN THEY ADOPT
AN INTERNET PERSONA.
IN THE ANONYMITY OF CYBERSPACE,
PEOPLE ARE FREE TO EXPERIMENT.
ONLINE, I'VE CHANGED
MY NAME, MY APPEARANCE,
SEXUAL ORIENTATION...
EVEN GENDER.
THAT'S MORE PERSONAL
INFORMATION THAN I NEED, BRIAN.
HER PRIMARY CORRESPONDENCE
WAS TWO MEN AND A WOMAN.
TWO WHO CLAIM TO BE MEN AND
ONE WHO CLAIMS TO BE A WOMAN.
- WE OUGHT TO INTERVIEW THEM
AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
- WHO DO YOU WANT FIRST?
WELL, IDEALLY, ALL AT ONCE. OTHERWISE,
THEY'LL COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER...
AND TIP OFF THE SUSPECT.
- WELL, WE CAN'T BE
IN THREE PLACES AT ONE TIME.
- ACTUALLY, FRANK, YOU CAN.
WE HAVE FULL-DUPLEX VID
CONNECTIONS WITH EVERY CITY NOW.
WE CAN SEE AND HEAR THEM.
THESE SLIDERS ALLOW YOU TO TURN UP
THE VOLUME ON ANY OF THE THREE SATCASTS.
IF YOU WANT TO TALK, HIT THIS;
OTHERWISE, YOU CAN'T BE HEARD.
- PETER, CAN YOU HEAR ME?
- YEAH, LOUD AND CLEAR.
DETECTIVE BRUSKY?
- SERGEANT COLLIER?
- MM-HMM.
LET'S GO.
YEAH, THAT'S ME. MY
ON-SCREEN NAME IS "BIGONE."
BUT I'VE NEVER HEARD
OF A LAW AGAINST E-MAIL.
ASK HIM IF HE EVER
MET QUEEN LIBIDO?
HAVE YOU EVER HAD ANY
CONTACT WITH QUEEN LIBIDO?
NEVER HAVE, NEVER WILL. DON'T
EVEN WANT TO SEE A PICTURE.
I GET OFF ON THEIR MINDS, MAN.
PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES BORE ME. LOOK AT ME.
- NOW CLOSE YOUR EYES...
- FRANK, THIS IS OFFICER DOMINIC.
I DON'T THINK THIS BRANDON
HEYGOOD III IS HOME.
OFFICER, TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE.
CAN YOU TURN THAT AWAY A SEC?
WHAT DO YOU KNOW? HE
LEFT THE DOOR UNLOCKED.
DETECTIVE, THERE
MUST BE SOME MISTAKE.
THE PERSON YOU'RE LOOKING
FOR IS OBVIOUSLY FEMALE.
WITH A NAME LIKE "LADYLOVE"?
HONEY, HAVE YOU
BEEN LOGGING ONLINE?
BRUSKY, I THINK YOU'D FIND MORE
SUCCESS IF YOU ISOLATED THE HUSBAND.
MRS. O'CONNOR, DO
YOU THINK WE MIGHT...
TALK TO YOUR HUSBAND
IN PRIVATE FOR A MOMENT?
PETER, ANYTHING OF
INTEREST? STILL LOOKING.
SMELLS TERRIBLE IN
HERE... FOOD ROTTING...
LIKE HE HASN'T
BEEN HOME FOR DAYS.
WHY NOT USE YOUR OWN
NAME? IT'S A NOM DE PLUME.
IT'S VERY COMMON AMONGST
AUTHORS AND LITERARY PEOPLE.
"LADYLOVE" JUST HAPPENS
TO BE MY WRITING PERSONA.
PETER, ON THE WALL...
WHAT WAS ON THE WALL?
SHOW HIM THE WALL.
SHOW HIM THE PICTURES.
THAT'S IT, THE CEMETERY.
THE VICTIM, THAT'S WHERE THE
GIRL IS. I CAN'T DO THIS ON VIDEO.
YOU WANNA COME DOWN AFTER
THE STORM TO DO THE SEARCH?
THEY'RE PREDICTING HEAVY
RAINS HERE, FRANK... EL NIÑO.
A LOT OF EVIDENCE COULD BE
WASHED AWAY BEFORE YOU GET HERE.
THEN GO THERE. GET
TO THE CEMETERY NOW.
LET US BE YOUR EYES AND EARS,
FRANK. TELL US WHERE TO LOOK.
- SHOW ME EVERYTHING.
- JUST KEEP PANNING
ALL AROUND.
I KNOW IT'S DIFFICULT, BUT
TELL ME WHAT YOU'RE THINKING.
I CAN'T PUT IT INTO WORDS.
WHAT I DO EXISTS SOMEWHERE
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF WORDS.
IT'S GONNA RAIN, FRANK. WE'RE NOT
GONNA GET A SECOND CHANCE AT THIS.
YOU SLAUGHTERED
THAT YOUNG GIRL...
FOR NO OTHER REASON
THAN YOU WANTED TO.
YOU HATE YOURSELF, BUT YOU FEEL
LIKE YOU'RE GOD AT THE SAME TIME,
BUT MAYBE THE
BITCH HAD IT COMING.
I WATCHED THE LIFE
DRAIN FROM HER BODY,
AND NOW SHE'S MINE FOREVER...
I SHOWED HER TO THE WORLD.
AND NOW I HAVE
HER IN A SAFE PLACE,
WHERE I CAN SEE
HER ANYTIME I WANT.
THERE'S A SHED.
OVER HERE. SHED.
- IT HASN'T BEEN OPENED.
- SHOW ME THE LOCK.
THAT'S A NEW LOCK.
THAT'S MY LOCK.
I WANTED TO BE CAREFUL.
HE WANTED TO BE CAREFUL.
OPEN IT UP. GET IN THERE.
GO IN.
GOD, IT'S BOTH OF THEM,
THE GIRL AND HEYGOOD.
HEYGOOD'S NOT OUR
KILLER. HE'S ANOTHER VICTIM.
THOSE ARE NUMBERS.
"362-588-912."
MAYBE PASSAGES FROM THE BIBLE.
- IT'S AN I.P.
- THAT'S AN INTERNET ADDRESS.
HE'S TAKEN ANOTHER VICTIM.
ANY CHANGES ON THE WEB SITE?
ONLY THE TARGET NUMBER
ON THE WEB SITE HITS.
THE CHAIR IS EXACTLY THE SAME.
ON THE FLOOR, THE
SPRAY PATTERN IS
CONSISTENT WITH THE
CAROTID ARTERY BEING CUT.
- ANYTHING FROM THE SHACK?
- NO. NO PRINTS
OR USEFUL FIBERS.
HE WAS VERY CAREFUL.
THE F.B.I.'s BEEN ALERTED.
THEY'RE PREPARED TO MOBILIZE WHENEVER
WE FIND THE LOCATION OF THE SITE...
WHICH COULD BE ANYWHERE.
OKAY, I'M SET. COMPUNETSERVE
IS READY TO HELP WITH THE TRACE.
THIS SHOWS HOW THE WEB CONNECTION
IS ROUTED. THIS IS AUDIT INFORMATION.
WE FIND OUT NOT ONLY
HOW THE WEB SITE GETS TO
US, BUT HOW THE PICTURE
GOT TO THE WEB SITE.
I'VE GOT TO DO THE WHOLE
TRACE WITHIN ONE CYCLE.
EVERY TIME IT UPDATES,
WE'RE BACK TO GROUND ZERO.
- GO.
- BEFORE IT GOT TO US, IT
TRAVELED THE FIBER BACKBONE.
COME ON. JUST A SECOND MORE.
THE PICTURE WAS ROUTED
TO A SERVER IN MICHIGAN.
BOSTON... IT'S ON THE MAIN SERVER
FOR THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS.
I'VE GOT IT ORIGINATING
IN A SUBURB CALLED...
WELLESLEY.
COME ON.
- BOSTON.
- DAMN! LOST IT.
WE NEED AN ACCOUNT
NUMBER AND WE NEED A NAME.
I'M GETTING CLOSE. THE NEXT
ONE WILL GIVE ME AN ADDRESS.
BOSTON LAW ENFORCEMENT IS
READY TO MOVE WHEN WE SAY SO.
WHAT? THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE.
NO ONE CAN DO THIS.
WHAT'S GOING ON? THIS UPDATE IS COMING
FROM AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT SERVER.
IT'S COMING FROM HAWAII.
THE SERVER'S IN HONOLULU.
WHAT IS IT, BOSTON OR HAWAII?
I HAVE TO START OVER!
I'M TRACKING IT BACK.
IT CAME OFF THE BACKBONE.
THAT'S RIGHT. COME TO PAPA.
ROUTING INFORMATION... IT'S COMING
FROM... CANTERBURY, ENGLAND.
I DON'T GET IT!
HE'S PLAYING WITH US. HE GAVE
US THIS INTERNET ADDRESS...
BECAUSE HE KNEW
WE COULDN'T TRACE IT.
THERE ARE TWO MILLION LINES OF
CODE RUNNING COMPUNETSERVE.
NO ONE KNOWS
WHAT ALL'S IN THERE.
I'M SORRY. I CAN'T IDENTIFY
THE SOURCE OF THE CALL.
BEST I CAN DO IS
DISCONNECT THE WEB SITE.
NO, THEN WE CUT OFF OUR
ONLY SOURCE OF INFORMATION.
696-314.
696-314.
I HAVE A FEELING IT'S MORE
THAN JUST A TARGET NUMBER.
IT'S A PUZZLE. IT'S A CODE.
SOMETHING WE HAVE TO UNRAVEL.
PETER, 696-314, I
KNOW THAT NUMBER.
I PRACTICALLY LIVED WITH
IT WHEN I WAS IN THE F.B.I.
SAN FRANCISCO FILE, A.K.A.
"AVATAR," STILL UNSOLVED.
DOES THAT RING A BELL? WELL, YEAH,
BUT YOU'RE TAKING A 12-YEAR LEAP.
THE LAST MURDER THAT WAS
ATTRIBUTED TO AVATAR WAS IN 1986.
HE WAS THE SAME KIND OF
PREDATOR. HE KILLED COUPLES,
HE TOOK SOUVENIRS,
HE TAUNTED THE POLICE.
THE UNIQUE ASPECT OF THIS CASE
IS THE PUBLIC NATURE OF THE ACT.
IT'S MURDER ON DISPLAY. THAT'S THE
SALIENT DETAIL WE GOTTA FOCUS ON.
NO. IT'S JUST A NEW MEDIUM
TO VENT THE SAME OLD RAGE.
YOU TAKE THE TECHNOLOGY OUT
OF IT, IT'S JUST THE SAME CRIME.
696-314... IT CAN'T
BE A COINCIDENCE.
MR. BLACK, MR. WATTS.
THE PICTURE CHANGED.
THIS JUST CAME IN.
- FORWARD THAT
TO F.B.I. CRYPTOGRAPHY.
- ALREADY DID.
A ROTATION SUBSTITUTION CIPHER.
SEMAPHORE CODES,
HOROSCOPE SYMBOLS.
JUST LIKE AVATAR.
LOOKS LIKE WE LOST THE
SIGNAL. THAT'S NOT BLANK.
THAT'S A CURTAIN.
JUST LIKE ON A STAGE.
HE'S GONNA OPEN THE CURTAIN
AND SHOW US SOMETHING.
- PRINT EVERY FRAME.
- PRINTING.
HIS NEXT VICTIM.
I DON'T KNOW IF I
WANNA SEE THIS.
IF WE CAN I.D. HER, AT LEAST WE
CAN TELL WHERE SHE CAME FROM.
THAT'S THE FIRST STEP TO FINDING
OUT WHERE HE'S HOLDING HER.
NO, HE WON'T SHOW US HER FACE.
THAT'S HOW WE FOUND
THE OTHER TWO BODIES.
THE CIPHER IS ALL
HE'S GONNA GIVE US.
WE SENT THE CIPHER TO THE
GROUP'S CRYPTOGRAPHER.
AS YET, THEY HAVEN'T
HAD MUCH LUCK.
AGENT TULLY, HOW'S
IT GOING ON YOUR END?
WE'VE RUN IT THROUGH EVERY
ALGORITHMIC SOLUTION. SO FAR, NOTHING.
DID YOU TRY MY SUGGESTION?
YEAH, WE TRIED IT.
THIS RECENT CODE
MAY LOOK SIMILAR,
BUT IT'S NOT THE SAME AS THE
AVATAR CODE SENT 10 YEARS AGO.
OKAY. WE'LL BE HERE IF
YOU COME UP WITH ANYTHING.
HE COULD BE A COPYCAT.
SOMEONE WHO WAS OBSESSED
WITH THE CASE, WITH HIM.
OBSESSED ENOUGH TO RECREATE IT.
THE MOST RECENT
EVENTS ARE NOT A COPY.
IT'S A WHOLE NEW CREATION FROM
THE SLIPSTREAM OF ELECTRONS.
A WORLD AS REAL AS LIFE OR DEATH,
BUT DISAPPEAR IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE.
THE DEVIL HAS A NEW PLAYGROUND.
696-314... WAS A MESSAGE.
THE CIPHER WAS ANOTHER MESSAGE.
HE FOUND THIS IMPORTANT
ENOUGH TO SEND IT TWICE.
FIRST, BEFORE THE REVEAL OF
THE VICTIM, AND THEN, AGAIN, AFTER.
WHAT IF HE DIDN'T SEND
THE SAME ONE TWICE?
I'VE CHECKED THIS THING
A DOZEN TIMES. EVERY
SYMBOL, POSITION:
IT'S EXACTLY THE SAME.
WELL, TO OUR EYE, MAYBE,
BUT AT THE PIXEL LEVEL, THERE COULD BE
A SLIGHT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PICTURES.
EACH POINT COULD BE ONE
OF 64,000 COLORS, RIGHT?
WE CAN'T TELL THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN, SAY, COLOR 32,105...
- AND COLOR 32,106, RIGHT?
- RIGHT.
IT'S JUST ONE SMALL
DOT IN A BIG PICTURE.
SO, TWO PICTURES WHICH
APPEAR IDENTICAL BY SIGHT...
AND THEY HAVE
THE SAME FILE SIZE...
CAN CONCEAL WITHIN
THEM A HIDDEN MESSAGE?
YES, THOSE TWO FILES
MAY BE DIFFERENT.
NOT IN A MAJOR WAY,
BUT IN A MINUTE WAY.
IT'S CALLED "LEAST
SIGNIFICANT DIGIT."
THE IMPERCEPTIBLE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN PICTURES YIELDS A BINARY NUMBER.
IF WE FIND THAT NUMBER,
WE'LL FIND THE MESSAGE.
THIS IS THE CIPHER
AS WE KNOW IT,
AND THIS IS HOW
WE'RE GONNA DECODE IT.
WE COMPARE BINARIES IN
SUCCESSIVE PAIRS OF PICTURES...
UNTIL WE FIND A TINY DIFFERENCE.
THERE'S A MISMATCH...
AND ANOTHER AND ANOTHER.
THOUSANDS OF BITS. IS THE EMBEDDED
MESSAGE IN A RECOGNIZABLE FILE TYPE?
IT'S...
- A SOUND FILE.
- PLAY IT.
♪♪
♪ A PERSONAGE OF
NOBLE RANK AND TITLE ♪
♪ A DIGNIFIED AND
POTENT OFFICER ♪
♪ WHOSE FUNCTIONS
ARE PARTICULARLY VITAL ♪
"DEFER, DEFER." ♪ DEFER ♪
♪ DEFER ♪
"TO THE LORD HIGH EXECUTIONER."
♪ TO THE LORD HIGH EXECUTIONER ♪
THE MIKADO. YEAH.
AVATAR'S FAVORITE OPERETTA.
♪ LORD HIGH EXECUTIONER ♪
♪ TAKEN FROM THE COUNTY JAIL ♪
THIS WAS NEVER MADE PUBLIC. MAYBE
TEN PEOPLE IN THE NATION KNEW ABOUT IT.
♪ LIBERATED THEN ON BAIL ♪
WHAT IS IT?
AVATAR SENT FOUR CIPHERS
TO THE SAN FRANCISCO
NEWSPAPERS. THREE OF
THEM WERE PUBLISHED.
AN AMATEUR
CRYPTOGRAPHER CRACKED IT.
THE FOURTH... WAS NEVER DECODED.
THAT'S WHAT WE LED PEOPLE
TO BELIEVE, BUT WE CRACKED IT.
"WE WORK IN THE DARK.
WE DO WHAT WE CAN.
"WE GIVE WHAT WE HAVE.
OUR DOUBT IS OUR PASSION."
"OUR PASSION IS OUR TASK...
"AND THE REST IS THE
MADNESS OF ART." HENRY JAMES.
YEAH, BUT AVATAR
CHANGED ONE WORD:
"THE REST IS THE
MADNESS OF PAIN."
BRIAN, IS THERE A WAY THAT WE
CAN SEND A MESSAGE TO HIS WEB SITE?
NO, THERE'S NO E-MAIL LINK,
BUT I DID FIND A NEWSGROUP...
ALT.CRIME.MURDER...
THAT'S GOING CRAZY OVER
THIS WEB DEATH ROOM.
IT HAS OVER 300 NEW POSTS
IN THE LAST TWO HOURS.
- WHAT DO YOU THINK?
- IF IT REALLY IS AVATAR,
THERE'S A CHANCE...
HE'S MONITORING THAT NEWSGROUP.
WE COULD TAKE A SHOT.
WE'LL SEND OUR OWN CIPHER.
WE'LL DO THE HENRY JAMES
WITHOUT THE LAST WORD.
WE'LL SIGN IT, "SKEPTIC." WE ADDRESS
IT TO "THE LORD HIGH EXECUTIONER."
GOT THAT, BRIAN? WHO
IS THIS "AVATAR" ANYWAY?
THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
AS MANY AS 19 MURDERS OVER A PERIOD OF
SEVEN YEARS WERE ATTRIBUTED TO AVATAR.
THE ONLY SURVIVOR DESCRIBED
AVATAR AS WEARING A ROBE AND A HOOD.
HIS EIGHTH VICTIM
WAS A CAB DRIVER.
AVATAR SHOT HIM ON
A CROWDED STREET.
STILL COVERED WITH BLOOD, HE WAS
SEEN HEADING INTO A PUBLIC PARK.
FORTY POLICE OFFICERS
WERE SENT INTO THE PARK.
THEY SEARCHED ALL NIGHT, FINDING NO
ONE. THE POLICE GAVE UP THE SEARCH AT DAWN.
DAYS LATER, A LETTER ARRIVED
WITH A SWATCH OF BLOODY CLOTHING.
AVATAR ACCURATELY
DESCRIBED DOZENS OF OFFICERS...
WHO WERE SEARCHING FOR HIM IN THE
PARK... DOWN TO THE BADGE NUMBERS.
HE WAS THAT CLOSE.
NONE OF THE OFFICERS SAW HIM.
I WAS WITH THE SEARCH
TEAM IN THE PARK,
BUT I WAS YOUNGER, AND MY
INSTINCTS WEREN'T AS REFINED,
BUT I FELT HIM, BUT I WAS TOO
SLOW TO REACT AND HE WAS GONE.
OH MY GOD.
HE'S BACK.
WE JUST GOT TIME FOR BREAKFAST
BEFORE THE VIDEOCONFERENCE.
F.B.I.'s SET UP LINKS ALL
ACROSS THE COUNTRY...
ANYWHERE THERE WAS A GIRL REPORTED
MISSING THAT MIGHT MATCH OUR VICTIM.
CANCEL IT. WE'RE
CASTING TOO WIDE A NET.
FRANK, THE FIRST VICTIM WAS
FROM SHEBOYGAN, WISCONSIN.
YES, BUT HER BODY
WAS FOUND IN SAN JOSE.
37122. THAT WAS WHAT
WAS ON THE WALL...
BEHIND THE FIRST VICTIM.
37 NORTH, 122 WEST. THAT'S
SAN FRANCISCO IN THE ATLAS.
37122.
THE COUNTER ON THAT
WEB SITE IS ALREADY
ABOVE 600,000. AT THIS
RATE, WE'VE GOT A DAY.
IF WE DIRECT OUR SEARCH ACROSS THE WHOLE
UNITED STATES, WE'RE NEVER GONNA MAKE IT.
HE TOLD US WHO HE IS. HE
TOLD US WHAT TO LOOK FOR.
DAMN IT! I SHOULD HAVE
SEEN IT, SHOULD HAVE FELT IT,
BUT I'VE BEEN IN HERE IN FRONT OF
THIS MONITOR, AND I DON'T FEEL A THING.
I CANNOT FEEL ANYTHING
THROUGH THOSE WIRES!
HE HAS PUT US ON THE DEFENSIVE, AND
HE'S BEEN TWO STEPS AHEAD OF US ALL ALONG.
YOU KNOW WHY? BECAUSE
WE'RE NOT TAKING CONTROL.
THE ARGUMENT COULD BE MADE THAT HE TOLD
US WHERE TO LOOK BECAUSE HE ISN'T THERE.
HE'S TOO ARROGANT FOR
THAT KIND OF DECEPTION.
AVATAR WILL TELL
US HOW TO FIND HIM,
AND THEN, AFTER HE ESCAPES,
IT PROVES HIS SUPERIORITY.
IF WE DO WHAT HE WANTS, THAT
MAY BE THE CUE TO KILL THIS GIRL.
IF WE DON'T DO SOMETHING,
IT GUARANTEES SHE DIES.
OKAY... WE'LL TAKE
IT ONE STEP AT A TIME.
WE'LL NARROW THE SEARCH AND START
BY BRIEFING SAN FRANCISCO POLICE.
NO, THE OTHER WAY.
TURN THE FOCUS
RING THE OTHER WAY.
- HE ZOOMED OUT INSTEAD
OF FOCUSING.
- I CAN'T PROGRAM MY V.C.R.
CAPTAIN BACHMAN, CAN YOU SEE
AND HEAR US? LOUD AND CLEAR.
WE GOT THE FAXES, AND I
GOTTA SAY, I'M CONFUSED.
THE FIRST TWO BODIES WERE
FOUND IN A CEMETERY IN SAN JOSE.
WHAT LEADS YOU TO BELIEVE THAT THIS
"DEATH ROOM" IS LOCATED IN SAN FRANCISCO?
HE'S IN SAN FRANCISCO, BECAUSE
THAT'S WHERE HE'S ALWAYS BEEN.
I BELIEVE WE'RE DEALING
WITH AVATAR HERE.
HE TARGETS COUPLES. HE KILLS
THE MALE. HE KIDNAPS THE GIRL,
THEN ENSLAVES HER
BEFORE THE MURDER.
THESE ARE LOW-RISK VICTIMS,
MOST LIKELY PROFESSIONALS.
WAIT A MINUTE. AVATAR?
THE MANIAC FROM THE '80s?
YES, WE HAVE STRONG
EVIDENCE TO INDICATE...
I WAS A HOMICIDE DETECTIVE
WHEN AVATAR WAS ACTIVE.
I KNOW THE FEAR HE INSPIRED...
IN THIS CITY, IN
THIS DEPARTMENT,
AND, THE TRUTH BE TOLD, IN ME.
AND NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW THIS,
BUT WE HAD TWO SUSPECTS.
ONE WORKED IN A HARDWARE
STORE, THE OTHER, CONSTRUCTION.
BOTH WERE COLLEGE DROPOUTS, BOTH
HIGHLY INTELLIGENT, AND BOTH ARE DEAD.
NOW, ALL THIS YOU
GOT HERE, THE FAXES,
THE COMPUTERS, THE
INTERNET WEB ROOM,
THIS CAMERA I'M SPEAKING INTO... NONE OF
THIS CAN REPLACE OLD-FASHIONED LEGWORK.
WITH JUST A LITTLE BIT OF LEGWORK, YOU'D
HAVE FOUND OUT WHAT I ALREADY KNOW.
NOW, IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE
I CAN HELP YOU GENTLEMEN WITH,
PICK UP A PHONE.
BRIAN, AT THE CURRENT RATE, HOW LONG BEFORE
THE NUMBER OF HITS ON THE WEB SITE...
MATCH THE TARGET NUMBER?
SITE'S BEEN GETTING
ABOUT 4,000 HITS PER HOUR.
THAT GIVES US... MAYBE 21 HOURS.
4,000 PEOPLE VISIT THIS SITE JUST
BECAUSE A GIRL MIGHT BE KILLED?
WELL, THERE'S A LOT
OF REPEAT BUSINESS,
AND MOST OF 'EM JUST HOPE
SHE'LL TAKE OFF HER CLOTHES.
YEAH, BUT SOME OF 'EM
KNOW WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN.
THEY SAW IT OR HEARD
ABOUT IT ON THE PREVIOUS SITE.
THEIR ACTIONS NOW PRACTICALLY
MAKE THEM ACCESSORIES TO THE CRIME.
WELL, NOT TO BE EVEN
MORE DOWNBEAT, BUT...
THE RATE OF WEB HITS ALWAYS INCREASE THE
CLOSER IT GETS TO THE ANTICIPATED EVENT.
DAMN IT!
PETER.
WHAT DID I DO?
JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE
AND I'M DONE HERE.
FRANK.
I'VE BEEN IN TOUCH
WITH COMPUNETSERVE.
WHEN WE SWITCH THE FEED ON
THE SERVER FROM HIS SITE TO OURS,
THEY'VE INDICATED A
POSSIBILITY OF A MOMENTARY
LAG, LASTING FROM
ONE TO THREE SECONDS.
IF HE HAPPENS TO BE LOOKING AT HIS
MONITOR AT THAT MOMENT... HE KILLS HER.
WE'LL STILL BE ABLE
TO SEE AVATAR'S SITE,
BUT EVERYONE ELSE, INCLUDING
HIM, WILL BE DIVERTED TO OURS.
IT'S THE ONLY WAY WE CAN ENSURE THE
HIT COUNTER NEVER REACHES ITS TARGET.
AT BEST, IT GIVES
US ABOUT 18 HOURS...
BEFORE HE DECIDES
SOMETHING'S WRONG.
- I'M READY.
- IT HAS TO BE
A PERFECT MATCH, BRIAN.
IT ONLY HAS TO APPEAR
PERFECT AT 640x480.
ANGELA, MOVE YOUR RIGHT
HAND A HAIR TO YOUR LEFT.
ON THE NEXT UPDATE,
WE TAKE OVER.
DO IT.
GOT IT.
NOW WHAT?
I WISH I KNEW.
ANGELA, SLIDE DOWN A
LITTLE AND MOVE TO YOUR LEFT.
THANK GOD SHE MOVED.
I WAS BEGINNING TO LOSE
FEELING IN MY RIGHT SIDE.
UM, DO YOU NEED ANY
WATER OR ANYTHING?
NOT RIGHT NOW.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S USUALLY AT
LEAST A MINUTE BETWEEN UPDATES.
I COULD GIVE YOU A MASSAGE OR SOMETHING
TO GET SOME OF THE CIRCULATION BACK.
IS THIS SOME KIND OF A SICK
COME-ON? I'M NOT ENJOYING MYSELF.
I DON'T GET TIED
UP IN REAL LIFE.
FORGET IT. FORGET I
EVEN MENTIONED IT.
FRANK.
WHAT'S GOIN' ON?
PRINT IT.
GOT IT! THE MESSAGE HIDDEN...
IN THE LAST WEBCAST CIPHERS
APPEAR TO BE TWO URLs.
TWO WEB SITES. WHAT DOES
THAT MEAN, TWO MORE VICTIMS?
IT COULD REPRESENT AN
ESCALATION. BRING IT UP, BRIAN.
NOT AGAIN. I HATE THAT CHAIR.
THE TARGET NUMBER'S GONE DOWN.
I'M NOT CERTAIN WHAT
THAT REPRESENTS. HE
KILLED THE LAST GIRL
BEFORE HE REACHED TARGET.
BRING UP THE OTHER WEB SITE.
350 MILLION HITS?
THAT'LL NEVER HAPPEN.
IF THAT'S A LIVE PICTURE, WE
CAUGHT OURSELVES A MAJOR BREAK.
MODEM ALL THE INFORMATION
ON THAT WEB SITE TO THE F.B.I.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF
THAT NUMBER, FRANK?
IT'S TOO LONG TO BE A CASE FILE
OR A GEOGRAPHICAL DIRECTION.
SPECIAL AGENT TULLY,
PLEASE. I'LL HOLD.
MAYBE IT'S THE SQUARE ROOT
OF A MORE SIGNIFICANT NUMBER.
"3-5-0." 3-5-0.
"0-4-7-7-3-4." 0-4-7-7-3-4.
WHOA.
MAYBE IT'S A WORD.
"HELLHOUSE." CHANGE
AN "O" FOR A "U."
WE FIND THAT R.V.
AND WE GOT HIM.
BACHMAN. CAPTAIN
BACHMAN, THIS IS FRANK BLACK.
I'M FORWARDING INFORMATION TO
YOU AND THE POLICE COMMISSIONER...
FROM THE F.B.I. REGARDING
THE INTERNET KILLER.
I SEE YOU'VE FINALLY GIVEN
UP THE IDEA THIS IS AVATAR.
REGARDLESS OF HIS NAME,
WE BELIEVE HE'S LOCATED...
IN A 20-SQUARE-MILE AREA IN
AND AROUND SAN FRANCISCO...
ADJACENT TO A BODY OF WATER.
NOW, HOW DID YOU COME TO
DETERMINE THAT, MR. BLACK?
CAPTAIN, THIS IS PETER WATTS. WE
DETERMINED THAT FROM A PICTURE.
THE LOCATION OF THE SUN ON THE
HORIZON, THE EXACT TIME OF DAY,
THE ANGLE OF A SHADOW ON A
FIXED OBJECT OF STANDARD HEIGHT...
ALL THESE DETAILS ARE CONTAINED
IN THE E-MAIL FROM THE F.B.I.
IF IT'D BE MORE CONVENIENT, I
COULD TALK TO THE COMMISSIONER.
NO NEED TO BOTHER THE
COMMISSIONER, MR. BLACK.
IF THE BOYS FROM THE
F.B.I. SAY THAT'S WHERE
HE IS, THAT'S WHERE
WE'RE GONNA FIND HIM.
I'LL SEND OUT A COUPLE OF
PATROL CARS RIGHT AWAY.
HE'S COVERING HIS BEHIND.
I'M GOING TO SAN FRANCISCO.
FRANK, I BELIEVE HIM. HE'S
GONNA SEND OUT THOSE PATROLS.
NO, IT'S NOT ABOUT
HIM. IT'S ABOUT ME.
I DO BETTER BEING THERE.
FRANK BLACK. FRANK, THEY'RE
GETTING MORE SPECIFIC WITH THAT IMAGE.
THE DOOR IS FROM A
CASTLE-ETTE BRAND MOBILE HOME,
MANUFACTURED
BETWEEN '69 AND '74.
S.F.P.D. IS CANVASSING EVERY WATERSIDE
TRAILER PARK AND PARKING LOT IN THE AREA.
- ANYTHING ON THE OTHER
WEB SITE?
- NO. THEY KEEP UPDATING.
IT'S STILL THE CHAIR SO FAR. WHERE
ARE YOU HEADING? I DON'T KNOW.
JUST A FEW OF THE HAUNTS
WHERE AVATAR DROPPED THE BODIES.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT
WILL GET US ANYWHERE.
JUST BEING OUTSIDE, AWAY
FROM THAT DAMN COMPUTER,
I FEEL LIKE MY SENSES
ARE FINALLY WORKING.
LEAVE YOUR PHONE ON. I'LL UPDATE
YOU AS SOON AS I FIND OUT ANYTHING NEW.
ALL RIGHT.
UNIT 57, SEARCHING FOR
LOCATION, WHAT'S YOUR E.T.A.?
MR. WATTS, I THINK
YOU SHOULD SEE THIS.
FRANK BLACK. FRANK,
THEY FOUND THE R.V.
IT'S AT THE POWELL
WRECKING YARD IN OAKLAND.
6521 ALLESANDRO. OFFICERS
ARE THERE NOW. I'M ON MY WAY.
SAN FRANCISCO
POLICE. ANYONE HOME?
THIS IS UNIT 419. SHOTS
FIRED. OFFICER DOWN.
OFFICER DOWN AT 6521 ALLESANDRO!
♪♪
ALL RIGHT. FULLER,
GET OUT OF THERE!
EASY! HE'S STILL IN THERE.
♪ DEFER, DEFER ♪
♪ TO THE LORD HIGH EXECUTIONER ♪
♪ DEFER, DEFER ♪
♪ TO THE LORD, THE LORD
TO THE LORD, THE LORD ♪
♪ TO THE LORD HIGH
EXECUTIONER ♪♪
♪ SO THEN SHOW US A TALE ♪
♪ WHICH MAY RANK
WITH MOST ROMANCES ♪
♪ TAKEN FROM A COUNTY JAIL ♪
♪ BY A SET OF CURIOUS CHANCES ♪
♪ LIBERATED THEN ON BAIL ♪
THEY GOT HIM, RIGHT? THERE'S
NO WAY HE COULD HAVE GOT AWAY.
♪ ON MY OWN RECOGNIZANCES ♪
♪ WAFTED BY A FAVORING GALE ♪
♪ AS ONE SOMETIMES
IS IN TRANCES ♪
THERE'S FRANK.
♪ DEFER, DEFER ♪
♪ TO THE LORD HIGH EXECUTIONER ♪
♪ DEFER, DEFER ♪
♪ TO THE LORD, THE LORD
TO THE LORD, THE LORD ♪
♪ TO THE LORD HIGH EXECUTIONER ♪
NO, THEY DIDN'T GET HIM.
♪♪
♪ BY A SET OF CURIOUS CHANCES ♪
♪ SURELY NEVER HAD A MALE ♪
♪ SO ADVENTUROUS A TALE ♪
♪ DEFER, DEFER ♪
♪ TO THE LORD HIGH EXECUTIONER ♪
♪ DEFER, DEFER ♪
♪ TO THE LORD, THE LORD
TO THE LORD, THE LORD ♪
♪ HIGH EXECUTIONER ♪
♪ THE LORD, THE LORD ♪
♪ TO THE LORD HIGH EXECUTIONER ♪
DON'T MOVE.
♪ DEFER ♪
♪ TO THE LORD, THE
LORD, THE LORD ♪
NO.
YOU'RE SAFE NOW.
NOBODY'S GONNA HURT YOU.
♪♪
YOU ALL RIGHT?
THEY FOUND A BADLY BURNED BODY AT
THE MOBILE HOME AT THE WRECKING YARD.
IDENTIFICATION'S
GONNA BE DIFFICULT,
BUT POLICE BELIEVE IT
WAS THE INTERNET KILLER.
NO, IT'S ANOTHER VICTIM.
TWICE I'VE BEEN CLOSE ENOUGH
TO STOP HIM. TWICE I'VE FAILED, PETE.
OH, NO, YOU DIDN'T FAIL.
YOU SAVED THIS GIRL.
HE'S STILL OUT THERE.
IS HE GONNA REAPPEAR?
NOT IN THIS FORM.
NOT IN THIS MEDIUM.
BUT WHEN HE FINDS THAT NEXT
THING, THAT NEXT WEAKNESS,
THAT'S WHEN HE'LL
BE THERE AGAIN.
YOU CAN COUNT ON IT.
I MADE THIS!
ALL RIGHT! WE GOT 473 MATCHES.
IF WE SPENT JUST FIVE MINUTES IN
EACH SITE, THAT WOULD MAKE, LIKE...
39 HOURS OF PORN
ON THE INTERNET.
YEAH! THAT IS WHY BILL
GATES SHOULD BE PRESIDENT.
THERE! THAT ONE! "100% FREE NASTY
HARDCORE COED TEENAGE VIRGINS."
"I UNDERSTAND I WILL BE EXPOSED TO
VISUAL IMAGES, VERBAL DESCRIPTIONS,
"AND AUDIO SOUNDS OF A
SEXUALLY ORIENTED, EROTIC NATURE."
"UNDER PENALTY OF PERJURY, I
AFFIRM THAT AS OF THIS MOMENT,
"I AM AN ADULT AT
LEAST 21 YEARS OF AGE."
- YES.
- OH.
$9.95? THAT'S FALSE ADVERTISING.
- IT SAYS "100% FREE."
- YEAH, AND WE SAID
WE WERE OVER 21.
IT'S OKAY. ONE DOWN, 472 TO GO.
DON'T START WITHOUT ME. MAN!
YOU ALMOST GAVE ME A HEART
ATTACK. I THOUGHT YOU WERE MY MOM.
OH, MAN, THE PIZZA'S COLD.
I GOT SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA
MAKE UP FOR THAT. I RAN INTO LEE.
HE HEARD ABOUT IT WHILE LURKING
ON A CHAT ROOM FOR PERVERTS.
HEARD ABOUT WHAT? AN ADDRESS...
TO A VERY SPECIAL PLACE.
OH, YES!
"S" AND "M"!
I DON'T KNOW. SHE
DOESN'T LOOK THE TYPE.
AS IF YOU'D KNOW.
THE HIGHER THE NUMBER,
THE LESS CLOTHES.
SO, WHAT HAPPENS AT
37122? FULL-FRONTAL?
BETTER. WATCH.
HEY, THIS IS GETTING
KIND OF FREAKY.
GOD! WE GOTTA TELL SOMEBODY.
WHAT ARE WE GONNA TELL THEM?
WE NEED PROOF. HIT PRINT!
DID THAT REALLY HAPPEN?
THE GROUP RECEIVED REPORTS...
FROM 24 POLICE DEPARTMENTS
ACROSS THE UNITED STATES.
ALL HAD COMPLAINTS
FROM CITIZENS...
CLAIMING TO HAVE WITNESSED
A MURDER ON A WEBCAST.
AND THE ACCOUNTS
ARE CONSISTENT? YES.
OVER A PERIOD OF SEVERAL HOURS, A
SERIES OF LIVE, STILL IMAGES UPDATED.
THEY DEPICTED THIS WOMAN
BEING RESTRAINED TO A CHAIR,
AND THEN BEING MURDERED WHEN
THE NUMBER OF HITS ON THE WEB SITE...
MATCHED THE NUMBER THAT
WAS PAINTED ON THE WALL.
37122. AND THE WEB
SITE? IT DISAPPEARED.
IN YOUR HANDS IS THE ONLY VISUAL
RECORD WE HAVE OF THE ENTIRE INCIDENT.
NOW, SOME OF THE GROUP
THINK IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN STAGED,
THAT IT MIGHT BE SOME KIND
OF SICK PERFORMANCE ART.
NO, IT'S REAL. THOUGH THE
ELABORATE NATURE OF THE MURDER...
SHOWS THAT HE IS
PERFORMING FOR US.
WHO HAS JURISDICTION OVER
THIS? TECHNICALLY, NOBODY.
NO LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY
CAN CLAIM JURISDICTION...
UNTIL WE CAN FIND OUT
WHERE THIS HAPPENED.
THE LAW JUST HASN'T KEPT
UP WITH THE TECHNOLOGY.
WE HAVE NO ACCESS TO A CRIME
SCENE, NO PHYSICAL EVIDENCE,
AND WE DON'T EVEN KNOW
THE IDENTITY OF THE VICTIM.
DO YOU THINK HE'S GONNA
COMMIT ANOTHER MURDER?
YOU CAN COUNT ON IT.
OKAY, THE FIRST STEP IN
FINDING THE VICTIM'S IDENTITY...
IS TO DECONSTRUCT HER
FACE, TO GIVE THE COMPUTER
SOMETHING IT CAN
COMPARE TO OTHER FACES.
SO, WE HIGHLIGHT THE
CARDINAL POINTS OF THE
FACE WHICH CREATES A
DIGITAL ABSTRACTION...
I CAN ENHANCE FURTHER BY THE
MINUTE DEGREES OF PIXEL CONTRAST.
BASICALLY, REDUCING HER
FACE TO A STRING OF NUMBERS...
THAT I CAN FEED INTO THE
NATIONAL MISSING PERSONS REGISTRY.
THIS WILL TAKE A MINUTE.
SORRY ABOUT THE MESS.
IT'S THE MAID'S DAY OFF.
DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. YOUR APARTMENT'S
EXACTLY HOW I IMAGINED IT WOULD BE.
OOH. WE GOT SIX MAYBES.
SHOW ALL OF THEM.
WHICH ONE OF THE MISSING
WOMEN HAVE AN E-MAIL ADDRESS?
UH, THREE.
CLAUDIA VANCE, REBECCA
DAMSEN, AND PATRICIA VIAMONTE.
CAN YOU TELL HOW ACTIVE THEY WERE
ONLINE BEFORE THEY WENT MISSING?
VIAMONTE'S GOT A COMPUNETSERVE
ACCOUNT WHICH SHE'S USED TWICE.
VANCE HAS GOT THE SAME KIND OF
ACCOUNT, AND SHE LOGGED IN ONCE A WEEK.
- WHAT ABOUT DAMSEN?
- WHOA. SHE'S POSTED
HUNDREDS OF MESSAGES...
IN EVERY CONCEIVABLE NEWSGROUP.
MUST'VE BEEN ONLINE
HUNDREDS OF HOURS A MONTH.
MY KIND OF WOMAN.
A REAL NET CHICK.
- IS THERE A USER PROFILE?
- UH-HUH. UH...
"FEMALE, 26, LIBRARIAN AT THE
SHEBOYGAN CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC."
- SHE'S THE VICTIM.
- WHY? JUST BECAUSE
SHE USES A COMPUTER?
NO, BECAUSE HE DOES.
THE WEB'S BECOME HIS WORLD.
HE SHOWED HER OFF ON THE INTERNET.
HE KILLED HER ON THE INTERNET.
I BELIEVE THAT'S WHERE HE
FIRST FOUND HER. HE STALKED HER,
THEN MADE CONTACT IN CYBERSPACE
BEFORE ABDUCTING HER IN REAL LIFE.
IT'S POSSIBLE THERE'S A
RECORD OF THAT CONTACT.
I NEED ACCESS TO
HER E-MAIL ACCOUNT.
WE NEED TO GET PERMISSION
FROM COMPUNETSERVE
AND GO THROUGH
THEIR BUREAUCRACY.
PROBABLY HAVE THE FILES FOR
YOU BY THE END OF THE WEEK.
NOT GOOD ENOUGH. THE KILLER'S
ALREADY TROLLING FOR HIS NEXT VICTIM.
I COULD TRY HACKING INTO THEIR
SYSTEM, BUT I NEED SOMETHING...
WITH A LOT MORE FIREPOWER
THAN WHAT I HAVE ON HAND.
WHERE CAN WE GET ACCESS
TO THAT KIND OF EQUIPMENT?
OH, I CAN THINK OF TWO PLACES:
ONE IS THE N.S.A. DATA SYSTEM AT
VANDENBERG, WITH LEVEL THREE CLEARANCE.
THE OTHER IS EVEN
HARDER TO GET INTO.
ACCESS IS USUALLY RESTRICTED TO
MEMBERS OF THE MILLENNIUM GROUP,
BUT THIS IS A SPECIAL CASE, SO
ANYTHING YOU DON'T SEE, ASK.
MY GOD. THIS IS LIKE A
HACKER'S WET DREAM.
DICKEY BIRD TOLD ME ABOUT THIS ROOM,
BUT I THOUGHT HE WAS JUST YANKING MY CHAIN.
AH! THAT'S A T3 LINE.
IT'S LIKE A FIRE HOSE...
COMPARED TO THE SODA STRAW WE
WERE SUCKING INFORMATION OUT OF BEFORE.
OOH.
YOU TWO MAY WANNA
LEAVE THE ROOM.
WHAT I'M DOING
ISN'T EXACTLY LEGAL.
JUST GET IN AS QUICK AS YOU CAN.
DING! ELEVEN SECONDS.
- HER PASSWORD WAS "PASSWORD."
- HER PSEUDONYM ONLINE
WAS "QUEEN LIBIDO."
THESE ARE QUITE
EXPLICIT. DOESN'T SYNCH...
WITH A LIBRARIAN FROM THE
SHEBOYGAN CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC.
SOME PEOPLE FEEL
LIBERATED FROM THEIR NORMAL
SELF WHEN THEY ADOPT
AN INTERNET PERSONA.
IN THE ANONYMITY OF CYBERSPACE,
PEOPLE ARE FREE TO EXPERIMENT.
ONLINE, I'VE CHANGED
MY NAME, MY APPEARANCE,
SEXUAL ORIENTATION...
EVEN GENDER.
THAT'S MORE PERSONAL
INFORMATION THAN I NEED, BRIAN.
HER PRIMARY CORRESPONDENCE
WAS TWO MEN AND A WOMAN.
TWO WHO CLAIM TO BE MEN AND
ONE WHO CLAIMS TO BE A WOMAN.
- WE OUGHT TO INTERVIEW THEM
AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
- WHO DO YOU WANT FIRST?
WELL, IDEALLY, ALL AT ONCE. OTHERWISE,
THEY'LL COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER...
AND TIP OFF THE SUSPECT.
- WELL, WE CAN'T BE
IN THREE PLACES AT ONE TIME.
- ACTUALLY, FRANK, YOU CAN.
WE HAVE FULL-DUPLEX VID
CONNECTIONS WITH EVERY CITY NOW.
WE CAN SEE AND HEAR THEM.
THESE SLIDERS ALLOW YOU TO TURN UP
THE VOLUME ON ANY OF THE THREE SATCASTS.
IF YOU WANT TO TALK, HIT THIS;
OTHERWISE, YOU CAN'T BE HEARD.
- PETER, CAN YOU HEAR ME?
- YEAH, LOUD AND CLEAR.
DETECTIVE BRUSKY?
- SERGEANT COLLIER?
- MM-HMM.
LET'S GO.
YEAH, THAT'S ME. MY
ON-SCREEN NAME IS "BIGONE."
BUT I'VE NEVER HEARD
OF A LAW AGAINST E-MAIL.
ASK HIM IF HE EVER
MET QUEEN LIBIDO?
HAVE YOU EVER HAD ANY
CONTACT WITH QUEEN LIBIDO?
NEVER HAVE, NEVER WILL. DON'T
EVEN WANT TO SEE A PICTURE.
I GET OFF ON THEIR MINDS, MAN.
PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES BORE ME. LOOK AT ME.
- NOW CLOSE YOUR EYES...
- FRANK, THIS IS OFFICER DOMINIC.
I DON'T THINK THIS BRANDON
HEYGOOD III IS HOME.
OFFICER, TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE.
CAN YOU TURN THAT AWAY A SEC?
WHAT DO YOU KNOW? HE
LEFT THE DOOR UNLOCKED.
DETECTIVE, THERE
MUST BE SOME MISTAKE.
THE PERSON YOU'RE LOOKING
FOR IS OBVIOUSLY FEMALE.
WITH A NAME LIKE "LADYLOVE"?
HONEY, HAVE YOU
BEEN LOGGING ONLINE?
BRUSKY, I THINK YOU'D FIND MORE
SUCCESS IF YOU ISOLATED THE HUSBAND.
MRS. O'CONNOR, DO
YOU THINK WE MIGHT...
TALK TO YOUR HUSBAND
IN PRIVATE FOR A MOMENT?
PETER, ANYTHING OF
INTEREST? STILL LOOKING.
SMELLS TERRIBLE IN
HERE... FOOD ROTTING...
LIKE HE HASN'T
BEEN HOME FOR DAYS.
WHY NOT USE YOUR OWN
NAME? IT'S A NOM DE PLUME.
IT'S VERY COMMON AMONGST
AUTHORS AND LITERARY PEOPLE.
"LADYLOVE" JUST HAPPENS
TO BE MY WRITING PERSONA.
PETER, ON THE WALL...
WHAT WAS ON THE WALL?
SHOW HIM THE WALL.
SHOW HIM THE PICTURES.
THAT'S IT, THE CEMETERY.
THE VICTIM, THAT'S WHERE THE
GIRL IS. I CAN'T DO THIS ON VIDEO.
YOU WANNA COME DOWN AFTER
THE STORM TO DO THE SEARCH?
THEY'RE PREDICTING HEAVY
RAINS HERE, FRANK... EL NIÑO.
A LOT OF EVIDENCE COULD BE
WASHED AWAY BEFORE YOU GET HERE.
THEN GO THERE. GET
TO THE CEMETERY NOW.
LET US BE YOUR EYES AND EARS,
FRANK. TELL US WHERE TO LOOK.
- SHOW ME EVERYTHING.
- JUST KEEP PANNING
ALL AROUND.
I KNOW IT'S DIFFICULT, BUT
TELL ME WHAT YOU'RE THINKING.
I CAN'T PUT IT INTO WORDS.
WHAT I DO EXISTS SOMEWHERE
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF WORDS.
IT'S GONNA RAIN, FRANK. WE'RE NOT
GONNA GET A SECOND CHANCE AT THIS.
YOU SLAUGHTERED
THAT YOUNG GIRL...
FOR NO OTHER REASON
THAN YOU WANTED TO.
YOU HATE YOURSELF, BUT YOU FEEL
LIKE YOU'RE GOD AT THE SAME TIME,
BUT MAYBE THE
BITCH HAD IT COMING.
I WATCHED THE LIFE
DRAIN FROM HER BODY,
AND NOW SHE'S MINE FOREVER...
I SHOWED HER TO THE WORLD.
AND NOW I HAVE
HER IN A SAFE PLACE,
WHERE I CAN SEE
HER ANYTIME I WANT.
THERE'S A SHED.
OVER HERE. SHED.
- IT HASN'T BEEN OPENED.
- SHOW ME THE LOCK.
THAT'S A NEW LOCK.
THAT'S MY LOCK.
I WANTED TO BE CAREFUL.
HE WANTED TO BE CAREFUL.
OPEN IT UP. GET IN THERE.
GO IN.
GOD, IT'S BOTH OF THEM,
THE GIRL AND HEYGOOD.
HEYGOOD'S NOT OUR
KILLER. HE'S ANOTHER VICTIM.
THOSE ARE NUMBERS.
"362-588-912."
MAYBE PASSAGES FROM THE BIBLE.
- IT'S AN I.P.
- THAT'S AN INTERNET ADDRESS.
HE'S TAKEN ANOTHER VICTIM.
ANY CHANGES ON THE WEB SITE?
ONLY THE TARGET NUMBER
ON THE WEB SITE HITS.
THE CHAIR IS EXACTLY THE SAME.
ON THE FLOOR, THE
SPRAY PATTERN IS
CONSISTENT WITH THE
CAROTID ARTERY BEING CUT.
- ANYTHING FROM THE SHACK?
- NO. NO PRINTS
OR USEFUL FIBERS.
HE WAS VERY CAREFUL.
THE F.B.I.'s BEEN ALERTED.
THEY'RE PREPARED TO MOBILIZE WHENEVER
WE FIND THE LOCATION OF THE SITE...
WHICH COULD BE ANYWHERE.
OKAY, I'M SET. COMPUNETSERVE
IS READY TO HELP WITH THE TRACE.
THIS SHOWS HOW THE WEB CONNECTION
IS ROUTED. THIS IS AUDIT INFORMATION.
WE FIND OUT NOT ONLY
HOW THE WEB SITE GETS TO
US, BUT HOW THE PICTURE
GOT TO THE WEB SITE.
I'VE GOT TO DO THE WHOLE
TRACE WITHIN ONE CYCLE.
EVERY TIME IT UPDATES,
WE'RE BACK TO GROUND ZERO.
- GO.
- BEFORE IT GOT TO US, IT
TRAVELED THE FIBER BACKBONE.
COME ON. JUST A SECOND MORE.
THE PICTURE WAS ROUTED
TO A SERVER IN MICHIGAN.
BOSTON... IT'S ON THE MAIN SERVER
FOR THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS.
I'VE GOT IT ORIGINATING
IN A SUBURB CALLED...
WELLESLEY.
COME ON.
- BOSTON.
- DAMN! LOST IT.
WE NEED AN ACCOUNT
NUMBER AND WE NEED A NAME.
I'M GETTING CLOSE. THE NEXT
ONE WILL GIVE ME AN ADDRESS.
BOSTON LAW ENFORCEMENT IS
READY TO MOVE WHEN WE SAY SO.
WHAT? THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE.
NO ONE CAN DO THIS.
WHAT'S GOING ON? THIS UPDATE IS COMING
FROM AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT SERVER.
IT'S COMING FROM HAWAII.
THE SERVER'S IN HONOLULU.
WHAT IS IT, BOSTON OR HAWAII?
I HAVE TO START OVER!
I'M TRACKING IT BACK.
IT CAME OFF THE BACKBONE.
THAT'S RIGHT. COME TO PAPA.
ROUTING INFORMATION... IT'S COMING
FROM... CANTERBURY, ENGLAND.
I DON'T GET IT!
HE'S PLAYING WITH US. HE GAVE
US THIS INTERNET ADDRESS...
BECAUSE HE KNEW
WE COULDN'T TRACE IT.
THERE ARE TWO MILLION LINES OF
CODE RUNNING COMPUNETSERVE.
NO ONE KNOWS
WHAT ALL'S IN THERE.
I'M SORRY. I CAN'T IDENTIFY
THE SOURCE OF THE CALL.
BEST I CAN DO IS
DISCONNECT THE WEB SITE.
NO, THEN WE CUT OFF OUR
ONLY SOURCE OF INFORMATION.
696-314.
696-314.
I HAVE A FEELING IT'S MORE
THAN JUST A TARGET NUMBER.
IT'S A PUZZLE. IT'S A CODE.
SOMETHING WE HAVE TO UNRAVEL.
PETER, 696-314, I
KNOW THAT NUMBER.
I PRACTICALLY LIVED WITH
IT WHEN I WAS IN THE F.B.I.
SAN FRANCISCO FILE, A.K.A.
"AVATAR," STILL UNSOLVED.
DOES THAT RING A BELL? WELL, YEAH,
BUT YOU'RE TAKING A 12-YEAR LEAP.
THE LAST MURDER THAT WAS
ATTRIBUTED TO AVATAR WAS IN 1986.
HE WAS THE SAME KIND OF
PREDATOR. HE KILLED COUPLES,
HE TOOK SOUVENIRS,
HE TAUNTED THE POLICE.
THE UNIQUE ASPECT OF THIS CASE
IS THE PUBLIC NATURE OF THE ACT.
IT'S MURDER ON DISPLAY. THAT'S THE
SALIENT DETAIL WE GOTTA FOCUS ON.
NO. IT'S JUST A NEW MEDIUM
TO VENT THE SAME OLD RAGE.
YOU TAKE THE TECHNOLOGY OUT
OF IT, IT'S JUST THE SAME CRIME.
696-314... IT CAN'T
BE A COINCIDENCE.
MR. BLACK, MR. WATTS.
THE PICTURE CHANGED.
THIS JUST CAME IN.
- FORWARD THAT
TO F.B.I. CRYPTOGRAPHY.
- ALREADY DID.
A ROTATION SUBSTITUTION CIPHER.
SEMAPHORE CODES,
HOROSCOPE SYMBOLS.
JUST LIKE AVATAR.
LOOKS LIKE WE LOST THE
SIGNAL. THAT'S NOT BLANK.
THAT'S A CURTAIN.
JUST LIKE ON A STAGE.
HE'S GONNA OPEN THE CURTAIN
AND SHOW US SOMETHING.
- PRINT EVERY FRAME.
- PRINTING.
HIS NEXT VICTIM.
I DON'T KNOW IF I
WANNA SEE THIS.
IF WE CAN I.D. HER, AT LEAST WE
CAN TELL WHERE SHE CAME FROM.
THAT'S THE FIRST STEP TO FINDING
OUT WHERE HE'S HOLDING HER.
NO, HE WON'T SHOW US HER FACE.
THAT'S HOW WE FOUND
THE OTHER TWO BODIES.
THE CIPHER IS ALL
HE'S GONNA GIVE US.
WE SENT THE CIPHER TO THE
GROUP'S CRYPTOGRAPHER.
AS YET, THEY HAVEN'T
HAD MUCH LUCK.
AGENT TULLY, HOW'S
IT GOING ON YOUR END?
WE'VE RUN IT THROUGH EVERY
ALGORITHMIC SOLUTION. SO FAR, NOTHING.
DID YOU TRY MY SUGGESTION?
YEAH, WE TRIED IT.
THIS RECENT CODE
MAY LOOK SIMILAR,
BUT IT'S NOT THE SAME AS THE
AVATAR CODE SENT 10 YEARS AGO.
OKAY. WE'LL BE HERE IF
YOU COME UP WITH ANYTHING.
HE COULD BE A COPYCAT.
SOMEONE WHO WAS OBSESSED
WITH THE CASE, WITH HIM.
OBSESSED ENOUGH TO RECREATE IT.
THE MOST RECENT
EVENTS ARE NOT A COPY.
IT'S A WHOLE NEW CREATION FROM
THE SLIPSTREAM OF ELECTRONS.
A WORLD AS REAL AS LIFE OR DEATH,
BUT DISAPPEAR IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE.
THE DEVIL HAS A NEW PLAYGROUND.
696-314... WAS A MESSAGE.
THE CIPHER WAS ANOTHER MESSAGE.
HE FOUND THIS IMPORTANT
ENOUGH TO SEND IT TWICE.
FIRST, BEFORE THE REVEAL OF
THE VICTIM, AND THEN, AGAIN, AFTER.
WHAT IF HE DIDN'T SEND
THE SAME ONE TWICE?
I'VE CHECKED THIS THING
A DOZEN TIMES. EVERY
SYMBOL, POSITION:
IT'S EXACTLY THE SAME.
WELL, TO OUR EYE, MAYBE,
BUT AT THE PIXEL LEVEL, THERE COULD BE
A SLIGHT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PICTURES.
EACH POINT COULD BE ONE
OF 64,000 COLORS, RIGHT?
WE CAN'T TELL THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN, SAY, COLOR 32,105...
- AND COLOR 32,106, RIGHT?
- RIGHT.
IT'S JUST ONE SMALL
DOT IN A BIG PICTURE.
SO, TWO PICTURES WHICH
APPEAR IDENTICAL BY SIGHT...
AND THEY HAVE
THE SAME FILE SIZE...
CAN CONCEAL WITHIN
THEM A HIDDEN MESSAGE?
YES, THOSE TWO FILES
MAY BE DIFFERENT.
NOT IN A MAJOR WAY,
BUT IN A MINUTE WAY.
IT'S CALLED "LEAST
SIGNIFICANT DIGIT."
THE IMPERCEPTIBLE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN PICTURES YIELDS A BINARY NUMBER.
IF WE FIND THAT NUMBER,
WE'LL FIND THE MESSAGE.
THIS IS THE CIPHER
AS WE KNOW IT,
AND THIS IS HOW
WE'RE GONNA DECODE IT.
WE COMPARE BINARIES IN
SUCCESSIVE PAIRS OF PICTURES...
UNTIL WE FIND A TINY DIFFERENCE.
THERE'S A MISMATCH...
AND ANOTHER AND ANOTHER.
THOUSANDS OF BITS. IS THE EMBEDDED
MESSAGE IN A RECOGNIZABLE FILE TYPE?
IT'S...
- A SOUND FILE.
- PLAY IT.
♪♪
♪ A PERSONAGE OF
NOBLE RANK AND TITLE ♪
♪ A DIGNIFIED AND
POTENT OFFICER ♪
♪ WHOSE FUNCTIONS
ARE PARTICULARLY VITAL ♪
"DEFER, DEFER." ♪ DEFER ♪
♪ DEFER ♪
"TO THE LORD HIGH EXECUTIONER."
♪ TO THE LORD HIGH EXECUTIONER ♪
THE MIKADO. YEAH.
AVATAR'S FAVORITE OPERETTA.
♪ LORD HIGH EXECUTIONER ♪
♪ TAKEN FROM THE COUNTY JAIL ♪
THIS WAS NEVER MADE PUBLIC. MAYBE
TEN PEOPLE IN THE NATION KNEW ABOUT IT.
♪ LIBERATED THEN ON BAIL ♪
WHAT IS IT?
AVATAR SENT FOUR CIPHERS
TO THE SAN FRANCISCO
NEWSPAPERS. THREE OF
THEM WERE PUBLISHED.
AN AMATEUR
CRYPTOGRAPHER CRACKED IT.
THE FOURTH... WAS NEVER DECODED.
THAT'S WHAT WE LED PEOPLE
TO BELIEVE, BUT WE CRACKED IT.
"WE WORK IN THE DARK.
WE DO WHAT WE CAN.
"WE GIVE WHAT WE HAVE.
OUR DOUBT IS OUR PASSION."
"OUR PASSION IS OUR TASK...
"AND THE REST IS THE
MADNESS OF ART." HENRY JAMES.
YEAH, BUT AVATAR
CHANGED ONE WORD:
"THE REST IS THE
MADNESS OF PAIN."
BRIAN, IS THERE A WAY THAT WE
CAN SEND A MESSAGE TO HIS WEB SITE?
NO, THERE'S NO E-MAIL LINK,
BUT I DID FIND A NEWSGROUP...
ALT.CRIME.MURDER...
THAT'S GOING CRAZY OVER
THIS WEB DEATH ROOM.
IT HAS OVER 300 NEW POSTS
IN THE LAST TWO HOURS.
- WHAT DO YOU THINK?
- IF IT REALLY IS AVATAR,
THERE'S A CHANCE...
HE'S MONITORING THAT NEWSGROUP.
WE COULD TAKE A SHOT.
WE'LL SEND OUR OWN CIPHER.
WE'LL DO THE HENRY JAMES
WITHOUT THE LAST WORD.
WE'LL SIGN IT, "SKEPTIC." WE ADDRESS
IT TO "THE LORD HIGH EXECUTIONER."
GOT THAT, BRIAN? WHO
IS THIS "AVATAR" ANYWAY?
THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
AS MANY AS 19 MURDERS OVER A PERIOD OF
SEVEN YEARS WERE ATTRIBUTED TO AVATAR.
THE ONLY SURVIVOR DESCRIBED
AVATAR AS WEARING A ROBE AND A HOOD.
HIS EIGHTH VICTIM
WAS A CAB DRIVER.
AVATAR SHOT HIM ON
A CROWDED STREET.
STILL COVERED WITH BLOOD, HE WAS
SEEN HEADING INTO A PUBLIC PARK.
FORTY POLICE OFFICERS
WERE SENT INTO THE PARK.
THEY SEARCHED ALL NIGHT, FINDING NO
ONE. THE POLICE GAVE UP THE SEARCH AT DAWN.
DAYS LATER, A LETTER ARRIVED
WITH A SWATCH OF BLOODY CLOTHING.
AVATAR ACCURATELY
DESCRIBED DOZENS OF OFFICERS...
WHO WERE SEARCHING FOR HIM IN THE
PARK... DOWN TO THE BADGE NUMBERS.
HE WAS THAT CLOSE.
NONE OF THE OFFICERS SAW HIM.
I WAS WITH THE SEARCH
TEAM IN THE PARK,
BUT I WAS YOUNGER, AND MY
INSTINCTS WEREN'T AS REFINED,
BUT I FELT HIM, BUT I WAS TOO
SLOW TO REACT AND HE WAS GONE.
OH MY GOD.
HE'S BACK.
WE JUST GOT TIME FOR BREAKFAST
BEFORE THE VIDEOCONFERENCE.
F.B.I.'s SET UP LINKS ALL
ACROSS THE COUNTRY...
ANYWHERE THERE WAS A GIRL REPORTED
MISSING THAT MIGHT MATCH OUR VICTIM.
CANCEL IT. WE'RE
CASTING TOO WIDE A NET.
FRANK, THE FIRST VICTIM WAS
FROM SHEBOYGAN, WISCONSIN.
YES, BUT HER BODY
WAS FOUND IN SAN JOSE.
37122. THAT WAS WHAT
WAS ON THE WALL...
BEHIND THE FIRST VICTIM.
37 NORTH, 122 WEST. THAT'S
SAN FRANCISCO IN THE ATLAS.
37122.
THE COUNTER ON THAT
WEB SITE IS ALREADY
ABOVE 600,000. AT THIS
RATE, WE'VE GOT A DAY.
IF WE DIRECT OUR SEARCH ACROSS THE WHOLE
UNITED STATES, WE'RE NEVER GONNA MAKE IT.
HE TOLD US WHO HE IS. HE
TOLD US WHAT TO LOOK FOR.
DAMN IT! I SHOULD HAVE
SEEN IT, SHOULD HAVE FELT IT,
BUT I'VE BEEN IN HERE IN FRONT OF
THIS MONITOR, AND I DON'T FEEL A THING.
I CANNOT FEEL ANYTHING
THROUGH THOSE WIRES!
HE HAS PUT US ON THE DEFENSIVE, AND
HE'S BEEN TWO STEPS AHEAD OF US ALL ALONG.
YOU KNOW WHY? BECAUSE
WE'RE NOT TAKING CONTROL.
THE ARGUMENT COULD BE MADE THAT HE TOLD
US WHERE TO LOOK BECAUSE HE ISN'T THERE.
HE'S TOO ARROGANT FOR
THAT KIND OF DECEPTION.
AVATAR WILL TELL
US HOW TO FIND HIM,
AND THEN, AFTER HE ESCAPES,
IT PROVES HIS SUPERIORITY.
IF WE DO WHAT HE WANTS, THAT
MAY BE THE CUE TO KILL THIS GIRL.
IF WE DON'T DO SOMETHING,
IT GUARANTEES SHE DIES.
OKAY... WE'LL TAKE
IT ONE STEP AT A TIME.
WE'LL NARROW THE SEARCH AND START
BY BRIEFING SAN FRANCISCO POLICE.
NO, THE OTHER WAY.
TURN THE FOCUS
RING THE OTHER WAY.
- HE ZOOMED OUT INSTEAD
OF FOCUSING.
- I CAN'T PROGRAM MY V.C.R.
CAPTAIN BACHMAN, CAN YOU SEE
AND HEAR US? LOUD AND CLEAR.
WE GOT THE FAXES, AND I
GOTTA SAY, I'M CONFUSED.
THE FIRST TWO BODIES WERE
FOUND IN A CEMETERY IN SAN JOSE.
WHAT LEADS YOU TO BELIEVE THAT THIS
"DEATH ROOM" IS LOCATED IN SAN FRANCISCO?
HE'S IN SAN FRANCISCO, BECAUSE
THAT'S WHERE HE'S ALWAYS BEEN.
I BELIEVE WE'RE DEALING
WITH AVATAR HERE.
HE TARGETS COUPLES. HE KILLS
THE MALE. HE KIDNAPS THE GIRL,
THEN ENSLAVES HER
BEFORE THE MURDER.
THESE ARE LOW-RISK VICTIMS,
MOST LIKELY PROFESSIONALS.
WAIT A MINUTE. AVATAR?
THE MANIAC FROM THE '80s?
YES, WE HAVE STRONG
EVIDENCE TO INDICATE...
I WAS A HOMICIDE DETECTIVE
WHEN AVATAR WAS ACTIVE.
I KNOW THE FEAR HE INSPIRED...
IN THIS CITY, IN
THIS DEPARTMENT,
AND, THE TRUTH BE TOLD, IN ME.
AND NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW THIS,
BUT WE HAD TWO SUSPECTS.
ONE WORKED IN A HARDWARE
STORE, THE OTHER, CONSTRUCTION.
BOTH WERE COLLEGE DROPOUTS, BOTH
HIGHLY INTELLIGENT, AND BOTH ARE DEAD.
NOW, ALL THIS YOU
GOT HERE, THE FAXES,
THE COMPUTERS, THE
INTERNET WEB ROOM,
THIS CAMERA I'M SPEAKING INTO... NONE OF
THIS CAN REPLACE OLD-FASHIONED LEGWORK.
WITH JUST A LITTLE BIT OF LEGWORK, YOU'D
HAVE FOUND OUT WHAT I ALREADY KNOW.
NOW, IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE
I CAN HELP YOU GENTLEMEN WITH,
PICK UP A PHONE.
BRIAN, AT THE CURRENT RATE, HOW LONG BEFORE
THE NUMBER OF HITS ON THE WEB SITE...
MATCH THE TARGET NUMBER?
SITE'S BEEN GETTING
ABOUT 4,000 HITS PER HOUR.
THAT GIVES US... MAYBE 21 HOURS.
4,000 PEOPLE VISIT THIS SITE JUST
BECAUSE A GIRL MIGHT BE KILLED?
WELL, THERE'S A LOT
OF REPEAT BUSINESS,
AND MOST OF 'EM JUST HOPE
SHE'LL TAKE OFF HER CLOTHES.
YEAH, BUT SOME OF 'EM
KNOW WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN.
THEY SAW IT OR HEARD
ABOUT IT ON THE PREVIOUS SITE.
THEIR ACTIONS NOW PRACTICALLY
MAKE THEM ACCESSORIES TO THE CRIME.
WELL, NOT TO BE EVEN
MORE DOWNBEAT, BUT...
THE RATE OF WEB HITS ALWAYS INCREASE THE
CLOSER IT GETS TO THE ANTICIPATED EVENT.
DAMN IT!
PETER.
WHAT DID I DO?
JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE
AND I'M DONE HERE.
FRANK.
I'VE BEEN IN TOUCH
WITH COMPUNETSERVE.
WHEN WE SWITCH THE FEED ON
THE SERVER FROM HIS SITE TO OURS,
THEY'VE INDICATED A
POSSIBILITY OF A MOMENTARY
LAG, LASTING FROM
ONE TO THREE SECONDS.
IF HE HAPPENS TO BE LOOKING AT HIS
MONITOR AT THAT MOMENT... HE KILLS HER.
WE'LL STILL BE ABLE
TO SEE AVATAR'S SITE,
BUT EVERYONE ELSE, INCLUDING
HIM, WILL BE DIVERTED TO OURS.
IT'S THE ONLY WAY WE CAN ENSURE THE
HIT COUNTER NEVER REACHES ITS TARGET.
AT BEST, IT GIVES
US ABOUT 18 HOURS...
BEFORE HE DECIDES
SOMETHING'S WRONG.
- I'M READY.
- IT HAS TO BE
A PERFECT MATCH, BRIAN.
IT ONLY HAS TO APPEAR
PERFECT AT 640x480.
ANGELA, MOVE YOUR RIGHT
HAND A HAIR TO YOUR LEFT.
ON THE NEXT UPDATE,
WE TAKE OVER.
DO IT.
GOT IT.
NOW WHAT?
I WISH I KNEW.
ANGELA, SLIDE DOWN A
LITTLE AND MOVE TO YOUR LEFT.
THANK GOD SHE MOVED.
I WAS BEGINNING TO LOSE
FEELING IN MY RIGHT SIDE.
UM, DO YOU NEED ANY
WATER OR ANYTHING?
NOT RIGHT NOW.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S USUALLY AT
LEAST A MINUTE BETWEEN UPDATES.
I COULD GIVE YOU A MASSAGE OR SOMETHING
TO GET SOME OF THE CIRCULATION BACK.
IS THIS SOME KIND OF A SICK
COME-ON? I'M NOT ENJOYING MYSELF.
I DON'T GET TIED
UP IN REAL LIFE.
FORGET IT. FORGET I
EVEN MENTIONED IT.
FRANK.
WHAT'S GOIN' ON?
PRINT IT.
GOT IT! THE MESSAGE HIDDEN...
IN THE LAST WEBCAST CIPHERS
APPEAR TO BE TWO URLs.
TWO WEB SITES. WHAT DOES
THAT MEAN, TWO MORE VICTIMS?
IT COULD REPRESENT AN
ESCALATION. BRING IT UP, BRIAN.
NOT AGAIN. I HATE THAT CHAIR.
THE TARGET NUMBER'S GONE DOWN.
I'M NOT CERTAIN WHAT
THAT REPRESENTS. HE
KILLED THE LAST GIRL
BEFORE HE REACHED TARGET.
BRING UP THE OTHER WEB SITE.
350 MILLION HITS?
THAT'LL NEVER HAPPEN.
IF THAT'S A LIVE PICTURE, WE
CAUGHT OURSELVES A MAJOR BREAK.
MODEM ALL THE INFORMATION
ON THAT WEB SITE TO THE F.B.I.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF
THAT NUMBER, FRANK?
IT'S TOO LONG TO BE A CASE FILE
OR A GEOGRAPHICAL DIRECTION.
SPECIAL AGENT TULLY,
PLEASE. I'LL HOLD.
MAYBE IT'S THE SQUARE ROOT
OF A MORE SIGNIFICANT NUMBER.
"3-5-0." 3-5-0.
"0-4-7-7-3-4." 0-4-7-7-3-4.
WHOA.
MAYBE IT'S A WORD.
"HELLHOUSE." CHANGE
AN "O" FOR A "U."
WE FIND THAT R.V.
AND WE GOT HIM.
BACHMAN. CAPTAIN
BACHMAN, THIS IS FRANK BLACK.
I'M FORWARDING INFORMATION TO
YOU AND THE POLICE COMMISSIONER...
FROM THE F.B.I. REGARDING
THE INTERNET KILLER.
I SEE YOU'VE FINALLY GIVEN
UP THE IDEA THIS IS AVATAR.
REGARDLESS OF HIS NAME,
WE BELIEVE HE'S LOCATED...
IN A 20-SQUARE-MILE AREA IN
AND AROUND SAN FRANCISCO...
ADJACENT TO A BODY OF WATER.
NOW, HOW DID YOU COME TO
DETERMINE THAT, MR. BLACK?
CAPTAIN, THIS IS PETER WATTS. WE
DETERMINED THAT FROM A PICTURE.
THE LOCATION OF THE SUN ON THE
HORIZON, THE EXACT TIME OF DAY,
THE ANGLE OF A SHADOW ON A
FIXED OBJECT OF STANDARD HEIGHT...
ALL THESE DETAILS ARE CONTAINED
IN THE E-MAIL FROM THE F.B.I.
IF IT'D BE MORE CONVENIENT, I
COULD TALK TO THE COMMISSIONER.
NO NEED TO BOTHER THE
COMMISSIONER, MR. BLACK.
IF THE BOYS FROM THE
F.B.I. SAY THAT'S WHERE
HE IS, THAT'S WHERE
WE'RE GONNA FIND HIM.
I'LL SEND OUT A COUPLE OF
PATROL CARS RIGHT AWAY.
HE'S COVERING HIS BEHIND.
I'M GOING TO SAN FRANCISCO.
FRANK, I BELIEVE HIM. HE'S
GONNA SEND OUT THOSE PATROLS.
NO, IT'S NOT ABOUT
HIM. IT'S ABOUT ME.
I DO BETTER BEING THERE.
FRANK BLACK. FRANK, THEY'RE
GETTING MORE SPECIFIC WITH THAT IMAGE.
THE DOOR IS FROM A
CASTLE-ETTE BRAND MOBILE HOME,
MANUFACTURED
BETWEEN '69 AND '74.
S.F.P.D. IS CANVASSING EVERY WATERSIDE
TRAILER PARK AND PARKING LOT IN THE AREA.
- ANYTHING ON THE OTHER
WEB SITE?
- NO. THEY KEEP UPDATING.
IT'S STILL THE CHAIR SO FAR. WHERE
ARE YOU HEADING? I DON'T KNOW.
JUST A FEW OF THE HAUNTS
WHERE AVATAR DROPPED THE BODIES.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT
WILL GET US ANYWHERE.
JUST BEING OUTSIDE, AWAY
FROM THAT DAMN COMPUTER,
I FEEL LIKE MY SENSES
ARE FINALLY WORKING.
LEAVE YOUR PHONE ON. I'LL UPDATE
YOU AS SOON AS I FIND OUT ANYTHING NEW.
ALL RIGHT.
UNIT 57, SEARCHING FOR
LOCATION, WHAT'S YOUR E.T.A.?
MR. WATTS, I THINK
YOU SHOULD SEE THIS.
FRANK BLACK. FRANK,
THEY FOUND THE R.V.
IT'S AT THE POWELL
WRECKING YARD IN OAKLAND.
6521 ALLESANDRO. OFFICERS
ARE THERE NOW. I'M ON MY WAY.
SAN FRANCISCO
POLICE. ANYONE HOME?
THIS IS UNIT 419. SHOTS
FIRED. OFFICER DOWN.
OFFICER DOWN AT 6521 ALLESANDRO!
♪♪
ALL RIGHT. FULLER,
GET OUT OF THERE!
EASY! HE'S STILL IN THERE.
♪ DEFER, DEFER ♪
♪ TO THE LORD HIGH EXECUTIONER ♪
♪ DEFER, DEFER ♪
♪ TO THE LORD, THE LORD
TO THE LORD, THE LORD ♪
♪ TO THE LORD HIGH
EXECUTIONER ♪♪
♪ SO THEN SHOW US A TALE ♪
♪ WHICH MAY RANK
WITH MOST ROMANCES ♪
♪ TAKEN FROM A COUNTY JAIL ♪
♪ BY A SET OF CURIOUS CHANCES ♪
♪ LIBERATED THEN ON BAIL ♪
THEY GOT HIM, RIGHT? THERE'S
NO WAY HE COULD HAVE GOT AWAY.
♪ ON MY OWN RECOGNIZANCES ♪
♪ WAFTED BY A FAVORING GALE ♪
♪ AS ONE SOMETIMES
IS IN TRANCES ♪
THERE'S FRANK.
♪ DEFER, DEFER ♪
♪ TO THE LORD HIGH EXECUTIONER ♪
♪ DEFER, DEFER ♪
♪ TO THE LORD, THE LORD
TO THE LORD, THE LORD ♪
♪ TO THE LORD HIGH EXECUTIONER ♪
NO, THEY DIDN'T GET HIM.
♪♪
♪ BY A SET OF CURIOUS CHANCES ♪
♪ SURELY NEVER HAD A MALE ♪
♪ SO ADVENTUROUS A TALE ♪
♪ DEFER, DEFER ♪
♪ TO THE LORD HIGH EXECUTIONER ♪
♪ DEFER, DEFER ♪
♪ TO THE LORD, THE LORD
TO THE LORD, THE LORD ♪
♪ HIGH EXECUTIONER ♪
♪ THE LORD, THE LORD ♪
♪ TO THE LORD HIGH EXECUTIONER ♪
DON'T MOVE.
♪ DEFER ♪
♪ TO THE LORD, THE
LORD, THE LORD ♪
NO.
YOU'RE SAFE NOW.
NOBODY'S GONNA HURT YOU.
♪♪
YOU ALL RIGHT?
THEY FOUND A BADLY BURNED BODY AT
THE MOBILE HOME AT THE WRECKING YARD.
IDENTIFICATION'S
GONNA BE DIFFICULT,
BUT POLICE BELIEVE IT
WAS THE INTERNET KILLER.
NO, IT'S ANOTHER VICTIM.
TWICE I'VE BEEN CLOSE ENOUGH
TO STOP HIM. TWICE I'VE FAILED, PETE.
OH, NO, YOU DIDN'T FAIL.
YOU SAVED THIS GIRL.
HE'S STILL OUT THERE.
IS HE GONNA REAPPEAR?
NOT IN THIS FORM.
NOT IN THIS MEDIUM.
BUT WHEN HE FINDS THAT NEXT
THING, THAT NEXT WEAKNESS,
THAT'S WHEN HE'LL
BE THERE AGAIN.
YOU CAN COUNT ON IT.
I MADE THIS!