Nikita (2010–2013): Season 3, Episode 11 - Black Badge - full transcript

Naomi Ceaver here
to see Director Kendrick.

- Sorry. Name's not on the list.
- Tell him it's about Greenbriar.

KENDRICK: Have a seat.
- Sir, I can't.

I have something this time.

Let me guess. More random,
unsourced atmospherics...

...about a covert spy program
pulling jobs all over the world?

- Not atmospherics, sir.
- Tweets?

Proof, sir.

It was in my mailbox this morning.

Detailed after-action reports
that could only...

...have come from inside the Division.



That's what I've heard it's called.

After-action reports, huh?
What was the action?

Assassinations. Sanctioned by
Senator Madeline Pierce.

The late senator, killed in a car bomb.

Yes, I remember.

I'll parse through it and get back to you.

In the meantime,
let's keep this between you and me.

Good work.

[DIALING]

We've got a problem.

[OVER PHONE] An ambitious young analyst
just stumbled past her security clearance.

She's gonna be asking questions
none of us want answered.

Sound familiar, Mr. Fletcher?

- It's the path to destruction.
- Come on, Birkhoff.



It's four missions the president
wants us to look into.

Yeah, then it's five, then six.

You go down to Ops...

...tell them that instead of shutting
this down, earning their freedom...

...they have to shine it on
a little longer for Uncle Sam.

That's why we are going to
take on the risk ourselves...

...without involving the rest of Division.

Speak for yourself, sister.

Birkhoff, sack up.

These are not Percy's side-jobs,
these are not illegal.

Division is illegal. it always has been.

If the president wanted
Constitutionally approved spy missions...

- ...she'd use the CIA.
- Guys, this stuff can wait.

- We've got an exposure alert.
- See what I mean?

Closed briefing, 30 minutes.
Where's Alex?

- Off duty, with Sean.
- Call them both.

This concerns him too.

SEAN: When are you gonna tell me
what this means?

Is that what we do now?
Tell each other all of our stories?

Tell you anything you wanna know.

Maybe later.

That might be a while.

I deploy in two weeks.

Deploy?

- You're going back to the SEALs.
- I never really left.

I was on special leave, but the term is up.

Hey. What?

I don't know. I guess I just...

- I thought, since we were together...
- I was going to join you back at Division.

Hey.

I dedicated my whole life to being a SEAL.

I can't just walk away from that,
it's who I am.

- Yeah.
- This has nothing to do with us.

[PHONE RINGS]

Guess who.

Amanda's just made her latest move.

An attack designed to expose Division
while leaving no trace back to her.

Wait. Amanda.

I thought this was about some analyst
at the CIA.

Naomi Ceaver. She's just a pawn.

Had a flash drive dead-dropped
in her mailbox this morning.

With information about my mother?

With information that could have
only come from the black box.

- Amanda.
- Naomi said she thought she saw...

...someone watching her,
but it was a man, not a woman.

All right, what exactly
is on this flash drive?

Ten digital files, un-redacted.

Linking former senator Madeline Pierce...

...to a secret black ops
unit called Division.

Why would Amanda leak this?
If she wanted to expose us...

...she could send the black box
to The New York Times.

Why peel off a couple of files
and filter it through the CIA?

Where are these files?
Why are we not looking at them now?

Kendrick's got the flash drives.
We gotta figure out pick up.

You guys never heard of e-mail?

We can't risk sending black box
files on the web.

NIKITA:
Amanda knows that.

Knows we'd have to send someone
to pick it up.

We can't just waltz into the CIA.

It would have to be done discreetly and...

Kendrick.

That's her move.
She's going after Kendrick.

- Kendrick?
- The only person at the CIA...

...who knows about Division.
He's keeping the secret.

He wouldn't just send some random agent
out to deliver it.

It would have to be him.

Amanda targeting the director
of the CIA? That's a little crazy.

Amanda targeting our closest ally
in the government is not so crazy.

We need to get those files.

We Will.

And if Amanda makes a move at the drop,
we'll be ready for her.

The director's a busy man. High profile.

We can arrange the drop during
his normal schedule...

...under the nose
of his own security team.

Tomorrow he's got an 0900
at the federal courthouse.

Nikita will run point.

On his way into the building,
Kendrick will stop by the coffee cart...

...and drop the drive into the tip jar.

We'll have undercover assets
on every corner...

...scanning every possible threat
in a three-block radius.

Counter-snipers on the surrounding
rooftops will own the sightlines.

No person or vehicle gets
within range of Kendrick...

...without us
having the drop on them first.

SEAN [OVER COMM]:
All units be on alert.

[PHONE RINGING]

Yeah.

Your mother was a good woman, Sean.
She didn't deserve to die.

BODYGUARD:
Director Kendrick, this way.

[GRUNTS]

[SCREAMING]

BIRKHOFF:
Ryan.

Ryan.

Ryan.

I can't...

...I can't tell what we missed.

We didn't miss anything.
Our screen was airtight.

This was an inside job.
We couldn't have protected against it.

Street cams. We need to scrub them,
erase any trace we were there.

We know who did this.
We can't tell the authorities...

...because they'll ask how we know
and who we are.

Psychological torture.
Amanda's specialty.

I agree. She called me
just before the strike, to gloat.

The whole team's back? Where's Nikita?

In Medical, just cuts and bruises.
She's with Michael.

- How did this happen?
- We're working on that.

Uh, guys? Someone's already
accessed the traffic cam servers...

...around the bomb site.

- FBI. They're already checking.
- No, before that.

This is a hack.

We've already been deleted
from the scene.

Not all of us.

What the hell?

That's not me. I was in the truck.

Amanda grafted your face on some
other guy's body. A digital mask.

We pulled the same gag on
her last year in Moscow. Payback.

- Erase this. This is bad.
SONYA: And getting worse.

ShadowBot's been monitoring
the FBI investigation.

Turns out a cellular call
pinged off a local tower...

...at 9:02 on the dot.
The exact time of detonation.

The number is registered
to Lieutenant Commander Sean Pierce.

Amanda called me. I didn't call out.

She cloned your number.
Put you at the scene of the crime...

...so you can't say your phone was stolen.

She's framing you for the assassination.

You did well, Mr. Toyon. I'm impressed.

Didn't tell me how loud that was gonna be.
You here to pay me?

I am.

Clearly the same height and weight
as Sean. Selected for that reason.

See if you can pick him up on some
of the other cameras.

- She can't have hacked them all.
- Give me some space, please.

Ryan, I'm sorry.

Kendrick was a friend, and it hurts.

Yeah.

He gave the eulogy at my funeral.
I can't even go to his.

We're gonna make her pay.

Gotta be careful in here.
System is swarming with Feds right now.

MICHAEL:
Don't have time for careful.

The Feds will not stop
until they hang somebody.

We need to deliver them
the guy behind the mask...

...and write a cover story to match.

Turn Amanda's frame
back onto her accomplice.

Can't do that unless we ID him.

Can't ID him because
no one's seen his face.

One person might have:
The CIA analyst.

She saw a shady guy on her street.
The day the drive was dropped off.

- Could be the same guy.
- Could be. How do we find out?

We ask her to describe him.

You wanna make contact with the
conspiracy theorist digging into Division?

I made contact with you.

If this woman is anything like me,
she's scared out of her mind right now.

I'm not gonna tell her I'm Division.
I'll approach as FBI.

Gonna be hard with all this heat going on.

Don't need it to get into Quantico.
Need an icebreaker.

This could be our only lead to clear Sean.

Sources speaking under the condition
of anonymity...

...have named a person of
interest in the public bombing:

Lieutenant Commander Sean Pierce.
Authorities are seeking Pierce for...

...immediate questioning in the matter.

Well, you wanted me here at Division.

I'm gonna get you out of this, I promise.

You are a part of the
family, like it or not.

I never signed up for this.
So technically I'm on my own.

No way.

Not while I'm here.

WOMAN [ON TV]: Authorities are seeking
Pierce for immediate questioning.

NIKITA:
Naomi Ceaver.

Special Agent Margaret Bishop, FBI.

ID?

Got a couple questions for you, Naomi.
Shouldn't take too long.

Sorry about that.
Guess I'm a little on edge.

Totally understand.

You knew Morgan Kendrick pretty well.

Professionally. He appreciated the
value of a good analyst.

His secretary says you were one of
the last people to meet with him.

It wasn't a meeting.
I was dropping off some files.

- Oh, right. You're on the Russia desk.
- Mm-hm.

People in your office say
you have other interests.

Other interests?

Conspiracy theories.
Shadow governments.

They say that you think
the Gates House attack...

...was not the work of
a domestic terrorist.

- That's just a crazy theory.
- I don't know.

Madeline Pierce survived that attack, but
they got to her in the end, didn't they?

You think that was a cover black ops group,
operating within the government?

I know that look.

That's the look I get at the Bureau
when I spin my crazy theories.

- No, I was just noticing...
- Oh, this.

This was last week.
Disagreement with a fugitive.

Naomi, I don't wanna take up
any more of your time.

My co-workers think
it's a waste of time to...

I gave Director Kendrick some files.

- What?
- They were about Senator Pierce...

...and her involvement in covert missions.
You're not wasting your time.

- How did you get these files?
- They showed up in my mailbox.

- So you don't have a source.
- No.

But the day I found them, there was a man
watching me from down the street.

Can you describe him?

No. Not really. He was like a blend of
all my brother's old roommates.

- Kind of faceless.
- But if you saw him again, you'd know.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure. Why?

Let me try out one of my crazy theories,
okay? I'll get back to you.

Thank you for your time.

Nice gun, by the way.

Thanks. I think.

No. Pierce never had a tracker,
he was never an official...

We are extending every resource, sir.

The second we find him, we'll bring him in.

Danforth, calling from the White House.

Could have said you think I didn't do it.

- He's just worried about Division.
- What?

This investigation is raising questions...

...concerning your whereabouts
during your leave.

I was all over the world
on missions with you guys.

Exactly. That's what Amanda wanted
to begin with.

Expose Division, and watch us squirm.

If Division gets exposed,
she gets to watch us die or go to prison.

We don't have a counterattack ready,
but we need to make a move now.

You're right.

You have to turn yourself in.

- What?
- Just as a stop-gap measure.

To buy time, while we find
Amanda's accomplice and clear your name.

So he has to say he's guilty?

No, he turns himself over
for questioning...

...just as any innocent man would do.

- What if they try to pin it on him?
- Without motive? Won't work.

We can't do this. Sean isn't like us.

He has a record, a reputation...

...a career he has spent
his entire life building.

Not if I stay in the shadows.

I'm on every news channel, Alex.

They've raided my apartment, they're
questioning my sisters, my teammates.

My reputation's already tarnished.

The longer I stay hidden,
the guiltier I look.

- You're going through with this?
SEAN: I'm innocent, remember?

I got a whole secret agency
trying to prove that.

I believe if I take the heat off them,
they'll return the favor?

We Will.

Sean.

WOMAN [ON TV]: Sources speaking
under the condition of anonymity...

...have named a person of interest
in the public bombing:

Lieutenant Commander Sean Pierce.

I'm the guy you're looking for.

Freeze! Get down on the ground!

Reports from witnesses
in the federal building...

...indicate that Sean Pierce
willingly surrendered himself.

How could you do this?
This is exactly what Amanda wants.

- We didn't have a choice.
- Of course you did.

They have no motive.

Amanda's planning something.
Trust me.

We're not sitting on our hands.
We're building the cover story...

...to frame Amanda's accomplice.

We're building a cover story that paints
the accomplice as a lone nutjob...

...obsessed with Madeline Pierce
conspiracies. Once we find him...

...we plant it in his residence.

It'll explain why he went to great lengths
to frame the senator's son.

Barn! That's what I'm talking about.

Not exactly retina display...

...but I got a long-lens shot
from a liquor store.

Looks like he tossed his phone.

- Somebody screwed the pooch.
- Without gloves on.

Get a team down there.
See if we can lift prints.

Fastest way to convince the Feds they got
the wrong guy? Give them the right one.

Mr. Pierce, you wanted to talk to us.

That's why I came in.

So far, you haven't said anything.

- Sir, I've answered all your questions.
- Not really.

You haven't explained
why you left the SEALs.

Or where you spend your days.

Or where you were the afternoon
Director Kendrick was murdered.

I told you I was at my apartment,
taking a nap.

- Can anyone substantiate that?
- Not really. Can anyone refute it?

Fresh from the trash.

Let's see what we got here.

Ellis Toyon.

Convicted of grand theft auto,
just out on parole.

Not exactly top-rung talent.

That's not like Amanda.

Take your breaks where you get them.

Let's try and confirm.

[PHONE RINGS]

- Ceaver.
NIKITA: Naomi, Special Agent Bishop.

I'm sending a photo to your phone.

- That's him.
NIKITA: You're sure?

I'm sure. I remember those eyes.
Who is he?

You'll know when I know.
Thank you for picking up.

Wait. How do I get in touch with you?

I'll get in touch with you.

Because I called the Bureau, and
they transferred me to your voice-mail.

But when I contacted a supervisor
at Hoover, he didn't have you on file.

I'm not working out of the D.C. office.
I'm liaising from Quantico.

Got it. Which division?

What are you getting at?

It's just that,
that black ops group you mentioned.

One of my theories is that they operate
by impersonating other agencies...

...moving invisibly through the bureaucracy
in order to cover their tracks.

A process known as black-badging.

I'm familiar with the concept,
but can you imagine the amount of...

...logistical support it would take
to maintain that level of deception?

Would have to have an entire floor
of computer experts...

...working around the clock.

Right, not very likely.

Naomi, our focus should be on getting
the real bad guys.

You're right. I agree.

Girl is pushing it.

Our good friend Ellis
may not have a reliable address...

...but he does have a new credit card...

...with a charge for Chinese takeout
one hour ago.

- Got the delivery address.
- Let's see if he wants dessert.

I know that smell.

- Amanda.
- Yeah, she cleaned him.

[ALEX GROANS]

[PHONE RINGING]

AMANDA [OVER PHONE]:
One question, Nikita.

Do you really think I'd have my operative
drop his phone in the trash for you to find?

- This is what we're calling an operative?
- Well.

When you don't have the best,
take what's available.

I taught you that.

What are you trying to teach us now?
That every operative is disposable?

Alex, how nice to hear your voice.

I think you're beginning to see
that running Division is difficult work.

Work that requires hard choices,
hard sacrifice.

First Michael's hand, now Sean's life.

Sean is a decorated soldier.
He's innocent.

Without motive, they can't charge him.

Very good. So the problem is
how we establish motive.

AMANDA: Turns out Sean was ordered to see a
Navy psychiatrist after his mother's death.

The loss, combined with latent PTSD,
caused increasing levels of paranoia.

The doctor was meticulous.

He took copious notes
on his digital recorder.

The notes proved Sean believed his
mother was assassinated by the CIA...

...in retaliation for
reducing their funding.

So he plotted his revenge.

A car bomb for the director of the CIA.

The same way they killed his mother.
Poetic justice.

So, Nikita...

...you did the right thing
by throwing Sean to the FBI.

These are the sacrifices we make
to protect Division. And, yes, Alex...

...the lesson
is that every operative is disposable.

Sean Pierce,
you have the right to remain silent.

Anything you say can and will be
used against you in a court of law.

You have the right to an attorney.
If you cannot afford one...

...one will be appointed for you
by the state.

Patient identifies two previous episodes
of paranoia...

...the initial incident
following the murder of his mother.

Voice-stress-analyzer registers
well above normal.

Amanda was holding a gun to his head.

Gun that killed the doctor
was a SOCOM .45.

Weapon of choice for Navy SEALs.

- There's gotta be a way we can scrub this.
- Too late for that.

- What can they charge him with?
- Treason...

...domestic terrorism...

You're talking death penalty.
There's nothing we can do?

[SIGHS]

There is.

We can do what we do best.

Take Sean from the law,
we bring him to Division.

The way I was brought in.

First we gotta kill him.

Okay. We have a two-fold problem.
Fake Sean's death, and extract him. Ideas?

Faking a suicide won't work. Can't
hang himself in an interrogation room.

Slipping him poison
will raise too many questions.

What about a
don't-look-don't-touch gag?

I hacked their forensic lab's inventory.

Russian informant who died of Polonium
poisoning currently on ice in the basement.

Scheduled to be picked up
by the CDC next week.

No one wants to be near radiation.
Don't look.

Don't touch. That solves extraction.
Now for the other problem.

There's a third problem. Sean.

There's no turning back.

We're making a decision
without knowing it's what he wants.

Briefing him in the middle
of the FBI beehive is difficult.

- Tenth floor's too hot to use a cover.
- This ain't like Hong Kong...

...when you were in holding
and Sean played your lawyer.

What if we use a real lawyer?

Alex, can you get in touch
with Sean's sisters?

- Excuse me! So sorry.
- Any time.

Mr. Pierce. Thomas Leonard.

I've been retained by your sisters
to represent you.

Take them off.

I'm sure you don't want to be accused
of obstructing attorney-client privileges.

Anytime now would suffice.

Thank you.

Quite the bind you're in.

Glad you noticed.

From your sisters.

They specifically asked that I have
first word with you before reading it.

They want you to have
the best legal counsel possible...

...the alpha team, on your side.

- Birkhoff, where are we with Sean?
- He's reading, we're holding our breath.

My sisters sent this?

Come on, man. First word.
First word of every sentence.

Article 134. Right there in front of you.

What's Article 134?

Military violation.
Self-injury with intent to avoid service.

- Not sure I'd get that.
- That's because you were never a SEAL.

Come on, man. The address is even wrong.
It's a dead giveaway.

I think I understand.

Good, because I couldn't
make much sense of it.

They need to know if you agree.

We're on our way up.

Could you point me in the direction of
Special Agent Will Arnold?

Bullpen. Near holding.

Is this a difficult decision?

Yeah.

- Will Arnold.
- Yeah?

Naomi Ceaver, CIA.
I need clearance to speak with Sean Pierce.

You're gonna need
higher clearance than that.

All due respect, sir.
Something much bigger is going on.

- Excuse me?
- Pierce is just the tip of the iceberg.

And he is not acting alone.

I have reason to believe there are
other conspirators out there.

What's she doing here?

Earning her Fletcher badge.
How's the kit?

Ready. It's up to Sean now.

Sean. If you don't give me an answer,
I'll have no choice but to leave.

No. No, no, no.

- I think I've made up my mind.
- Good.

What shall I tell your sisters?

Don't talk about my sisters.

[ALARM BLARING]

- [OVER COMM] Leave my sisters out of this!
- He's going for it.

[GRUNTING]

No, no, no!

Don't do it.

Don't. Don't.

No!

Go get a medic. Get a medic. Go!

Excuse me.

Put pressure on it.

Keep pressure on it.

AGENT:
He's losing blood.

MEDIC:
We're gonna stop that right now.

[GASPING]

Damn it.

What's going on?

MEDIC:
He's reacting badly to the coagulant.

There's something wrong with the de-fib.

Get him down to Forensics.
I want a full autopsy by tomorrow morning.

I want to know what went wrong here.

Excuse me.

Sean Pierce is dead.

- You saw him die?
NAOMI: He shot himself.

They tried to revive him but he flat-lined.

May have been an allergic reaction
to something in the med kit.

- Get down to the Forensics lab.
NAOMI: Why?

He's not dead. Nikita's trying to
extract him. Get down there.

I have to maintain my cover.
What do you expect me to do?

Kill Sean Pierce. Again.

We're shipping out the Glow Stick.

The Irradiated Russian?
He's CDC's problem now. Where is he?

In containment. I thought that was
scheduled for Monday?

- You're welcome to hang on to him.
- Might as well make room for the new guy.

This corpse is technically a biohazard,
so we're gonna need full protection.

Which one of you would like to suit up?

Fine. I'll wear the pajamas.

He's gonna be fine but we have to
get his vitals up right now.

[BEEPING]

ALEX: Birkhoff, we're ready.
- Okay, is he hooked up?

ALEX:
He is now.

All right, start with the first vial.

The blue one. That's Ethylmodine.

To counteract the toxin you gave him.

Two cc's.

- Two cc's. Got it.
BIRKHOFF: Not a drop more.

This is a very a delicate cocktail.

Too much, too fast,
we'll lose him for real.

Sonya, moving the tag.

Due to an unfortunate paperwork snafu...

...the FBI has just shipped
the wrong body to the CDC.

What are you doing?

- Naomi.
- Stop right there.

And you, get away from him.

Sorry, can't do that.

Naomi, we're not your enemy.
Put the gun down, please.

Oh, this? It's not for you.

[GRUNTING]

Stay with Sean!

- Gogol?
- One black badge deserves another.

- How long?
- Five years in.

[GASPING]

- Birkhoff, he's seizing!
BIRKHOFF: The last vial...

- ...how much did you get into him?
- I don't think any!

He has no pulse!

Listen, Alex. Focus.
He needs the rest of that cocktail.

You're in a med lab, they gotta
have the goods in there somewhere.

MAN 1: Look at the tape. Yeah?
- I did.

There were not two Markovs
in the White House.

MAN 1: Look again, I'm telling you.
MAN 2: I don't have to.

- Nice shoes, actually.
- Oh, thanks...

ALEX: Birkhoff, how much, again?
BIRKHOFF: Two cc's.

ALEX: How fast?
- Just keep it steady. I'll count you down.

- Go.
BIRKHOFF: One...

...seven, eight...

That's it, stop. That's enough.

[GASPS]

Hey, Sonya. Need to add a Jane Doe
to the forensic manifest.

Hey.

[GROANS]

Hey. Try not to move too much.

Takes a while for that
cocktail to wear off.

My sisters, I have to call them.

You can't.

Why, did they get hurt? What happened?

They think you're dead, Sean.

The whole world thinks you're dead.
The FBI, the Navy.

Your funeral is on Wednesday.

- This is insane.
- I know.

This was your choice.
I fought so this could be your choice.

So to the world, I died a criminal?

A traitor.

When a new recruit wakes up in Division...

...they're told that
their old life is over.

But they're offered a chance at a new one.

Maybe this new one
can be something better.

I swore that when you and I
took over Division...

...no new recruits
would make the roster.

And I swore we wouldn't do any outside
missions for the government.

But now with Kendrick gone...

...we've lost our buffer zone.

What do you mean?

Kendrick was helping me
get Danforth off our backs.

He was gonna shoulder
some cases that were earmarked for us.

Now we gotta do them all.

Ahh. Great. So Birkhoff's right?

This is history repeating itself?

This place is gonna keep running
whether we want it to or not?

What's wrong with that?

Look...

...Division is as good or as bad
as the people running it.

We can do it right this time.

Division's always been illegal,
like its agents.

But Percy and Amanda
would never admit that.

Because we were the elite.

We were the best of the best.

Anything less wouldn't do.

NIKITA: If an agent was exposed
on a mission, they were canceled.

If they got injured too badly,
they were put down.

And if they formed relationships...

...Amanda would never forgive that.

But you do.

And the people around here
would take you over her any day.

- Me, on the other hand. Pure evil.
- Oh, yeah.

- Evil.
- To the core.

- Percy's got nothing on you.
- Nothing.

And your office
is so much more intimidating...

[SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

[English - US - SDH]