Numb3rs (2005–2010): Season 3, Episode 7 - Blackout - full transcript

(pounding techno music plays)

♪ A wonderful place to be ♪

♪ The birds are singing ♪

♪ Dreams that are sent to me ♪

♪ Everyone's waving... ♪

I owe you, Eppes.

Ahh...

You saved my night

from being a total disaster.

Hey, look, I don't see how

anyone could stand
you up anyway.



Will you keep this
between you and me?

Word gets out I use an
Internet dating service,

I'm going to take
some serious crap.

Yeah? I don't know, I'm having
a hard time imagining that.

Take away my badge

and gun, I'm just
like anybody else.

Course, you try
and take it away,

I'm likely to kill you.

See? That's my point.

♪ Up here in the sky ♪

Thanks for dinner.

♪ A beautiful place to be ♪

♪ So I don't know why ♪

♪ You're telling me something ♪



You sure you want to do this?

You've got this
whole settled life.

This prosecutor girlfriend.

Yeah. Maybe you're right.

♪ So ready to see you ♪

♪ So ready to see you ♪

♪ So ready to see you ♪

♪ So ready to see you... ♪

(cell phone rings)

Hey.

Nah, it's going to be late.

I don't know how
late. Just late.

(crackling)

(wrench clatters)

Hey, uh... no, it's
fine. It's nothing.

I just dropped the phone.

That's all. But I need to go.

All right? Don't wait up.

(tires screeching)

♪ So ready to see you ♪

♪ So ready to see you... ♪

(phone rings)

Mine or yours?

(ringing continues)

♪ So ready to see you... ♪

It's mine.

(sighs)

Yeah, Eppes.

Yeah.

All right. I'm on my way.

(hangs up)

You got my clothes off, and
now you're going to leave?

Yeah, someone
blew up a power plant.

Homeland's involved, and...

What do you think?
Should I come back?

Nah, I have to get up early.

You have to get up early, huh?

How early?

I'm locking the
doors at midnight.

All right.

♪ ♪

Just got the
all-clear from LAFD.

Mm-hmm.

Power company's
taken the station off-line.

Don, if this is terrorism,
it's pretty low-end.

A few thousand customers
spend the night in the dark.

Or it could be a test run,
you know, for a bigger attack.

DAVID: This is the worker right
here. Doing routine maintenance.

And the driver?

Must have gotten out
before the fire and taken off.

(indistinct voices)

Hey, check this out.

DAVID: Somebody jammed

a 2X4 in the gas pedal? Yeah.

Looked like it was
wedged in there pretty tight.

So, there was no driver.

Hey, guys, thanks
for staying late. Sorry.

That's cool, I could
use the overtime.

We don't get overtime, Granger.

Yeah, I know, and it's a shame,
'cause I could really use it.

Anyway, here's what we got
on the victim, Randy Syles.

31 years old, he's
married with two kids.

How long's he been
with the power company?

Well, he's not,
actually, not officially.

This substation is
owned by Renault Energy,

and they're in the
middle of a labor dispute.

The union's been on
strike for six weeks.

So, he's a scab?

Union workers
must have loved that.

There's your motive.

Have a printout on
the truck that was used.

It's not going to help

us much, though. Stolen.

DAVID: Yeah,
early this afternoon.

Echo Park area.

MEGAN; Echo Park?

That's really far
from the crime scene.

So, this guy steals

a car, drives it 20 miles
and into a power station?

How-How's he get home?

Means we're looking
for multiple suspects.

Yeah, we're gonna need to get
a list of the local union members.

Yes, and cross-reference it
against addresses in Echo Park.

Yeah, I'll check with Homeland,
see if they're picking up

any terrorist chatter
that is related, you know?

You got somewhere to be?

Not anymore.

You got this wire coiled
too tight. No, it's not too tight.

You didn't leave enough
room at... It's wrapped too tight.

Don't touch it,
okay? Hey, play nice.

I'm tenured. Hey, hey, if you
two are gonna fight over your

toys, I'll have to take 'em
away. CHARLIE: This is not a toy,

Dad, okay? This is
an electrostatic lifter.

How does that work?

Well, there's some serious
disagreement about that,

whether it's
Biefeld-Brown effect,

ionization of the corona wires,

simple dielectrophoresis.

ALAN: Boy, I'd hate

to be in the room
during that debate.

You laugh, but
it's a heated issue.

Okay, let's see what
happens when we apply a little

current. (buzzing)

Wow!

That is amazing!

Well, unless you can
do that with my car,

I still say it's a toy.

DON: Hey!

What's with all the candles?

You guys didn't
lose power, did you?

Yeah, it was out
just a few hours ago.

Someone blew up a
substation down in Mission Hills.

ALAN: Mission
Hills? How in the world

would we be affected by
something so far away?

It's called a precautionary broad-line
reduction. The operator simply

shuts the power off till
they can restore balance.

Right, the thing you have to
remember about electricity...

It can't easily be stored, so
generally, it has to be consumed

within milliseconds
of being produced.

LARRY: Yeah, which means
for the power companies,

it's a constant game of balance

between electricity
production and consumption.

CHARLIE: So, when
this substation in Mission

Hills failed, well, then there would
have been a surge in other areas.

ALAN: So, the operators

shut down all the large
areas until the balance is

restored, right? Right.
DON: What happens

if they don't do that, Larry?

Worst case scenario,
cascading failure.

CHARLIE: It's just
like that game, Jenga.

You know, the game with
the tower of wooden blocks.

Except in this case, the
substations are just like

the individual blocks.

Many of the blocks can
be removed without having

a great effect on the
entire system as a whole.

However, if the wrong block...
Or in this case, substation...

Is knocked out, well, then...
then yeah, the whole system

could come crashing down.

What, like the-the
huge blackout back East,

a couple, what, three years ago?

Right, 50 million
people left in the dark

because of the failure
of a single switch.

ALAN: You think someone
who did this tonight

had something like that in
mind? LARRY: Well, if so,

I can't imagine we've
heard the last of them.

WOMAN: I talked
to him on the phone

just minutes before it happened.

He was there, you know,
and then... suddenly he's not.

Maybe you should have a seat.

I'm sorry.

I'm acting like a crazy person.

I can't believe he's
dead. COLBY: Mrs. Syles,

we know your husband only
worked for Renault for a short time.

Since the strike.

The pay was so much
better than his usual job.

But do you have any
idea if he received

any threats for crossing

picket lines?

He tried to keep
it from me, but...

he got calls.

I know he did.

That's why he started
working at night.

Figured he'd have less
chance of running into trouble.

You really think that
someone killed him

for trying to earn a living?

MEGAN: We're not sure yet.

You know, emotions run
really high during a strike.

People think their
livelihoods are in danger.

Someone had to do the work.

Otherwise, people
would be in the dark.

Like the station that failed

two nights ago
wasn't one of Robbie's.

He said that was just
poor maintenance.

A substation failed
two days ago?

Boyle Heights.

The night before last,
Renault Energy had

another substation
go down. No way.

No, and they blamed
it on wear and tear.

Because of the strike,

they can't keep up with
the maintenance program.

All right, well, it ain't
a coincidence, then.

Why not? I mean,
coincidences, after all,

are an absolutely valid
mathematical occurrence.

Two failures in two nights,
I mean, they're related.

And if they are, then
Randy Syles wasn't

the target last night.

So... they're after substations?

It doesn't rule out
the striking workers,

because every blackout is bad PR

for the energy companies.
DON: I don't care about

the PR; I'm worried they're
gonna crash the entire grid.

Right?

Cascading failure.

Yeah, but wouldn't they need
to knock out every substation

to do that? No,
just the right one.

Look, if a cascading

failure is what they're after,
then yes, I-I may be able

to predict where the
next attack will come from.

Yeah? How you do that?

Load flow analysis. Just
get me the usage and current

flow figures from
the power company.

I can do that. And
then a load flow analysis

could tell us which
substations are most critical...

The ones that are most
likely to be the next target.

All right, we'll get
you what you need.

Hi, Charlie. Hey.

Hey.

What's up?

You left these last night.

Ah...

Hey, that was fun.

Yeah.

Hey, I'm sorry...

No, you don't have to explain.

No, no, no, we ended up
going way past midnight, so...

I mean...

I appreciate it,
but I really did

just come by to
return the glasses.

Oh?

I've got a meeting upstairs.

Now, really.

It's cool.

All right, thanks.

Don't get me wrong, Eppes.

I wouldn't say no
to a rain check.

All right, well, I'll keep
my eye on the weather.

See you later. Yeah.

That was a quick visit.

Yeah, she, uh... just
had my glasses, so...

Is everything all right
with you and Robin?

Yeah. I got to get Renault
Energy on the phone.

(crackling buzz)

Look at how much energy
we actually consume.

This is amazing.

Yeah, and how much
paperwork goes with it.

This is staggering.

I didn't know you
guys were still here.

What are you doing?
CHARLIE: We're trying to

determine which
substation we'd attack

if we wanted to black out
most of Southern California.

Please don't tell me

this is something
for Senior Ditch Day.

It's Don.

LARRY: Hey, did
I never tell you two

how one year in graduate school

I attempted to live
without electricity?

They had electricity when
you were in graduate school?

LARRY: Yeah.

Yeah, and thank
you for that, Charles.

Why would you want
to go without power?

Was this some Thoreau's

Walden Pond phase or something?

No, it had to do with
some girl I was dating.

Sandra Darwinkle...
yes, that was

her real name. Anyway, this is

back a ways. This is back
during the energy crisis.

The first one.

LARRY: And again, I
thank you for that, Charles.

Anyway, she thought that
if she and I went off grid

that it might make
a political statement.

And of course, I
was just thinking

it might get me...

Lucky?

Eh... crudely put, but yes.

Did you?

Well, there is, of course,

my obsession
with dental hygiene.

CHARLIE: She caught you

with your electric
toothbrush, didn't she?

UH, the Waterpik, yeah.

But with the same result.

Anyway, thus
ended my relationship

with Sandra Darwinkle.

CHARLIE: All rightie, you
know what? I think I have it.

So if I wanted to cause
a cascading failure, then

this is the substation
that I would

attack.

Anything?

No.

Maybe Charlie's wrong.

There's no activity
at this power station.

DAVID: Math says
this is the spot.

Hey, you think Megan ever
comes up here with Fleinhardt?

Oh, come on.

When you gonna give that
whole thing a rest, dude?

I'm just saying,

that guy's into his classic
car, he doesn't have anywhere

to live, leaves him with
pretty severely limited options.

You are obsessed,
man. That is crazy.

Why is it so hard for you to

get it through your head
that those two like each other?

Come on, you're telling me you don't think
that that's just the slightest bit weird?

I don't think about it.

Seriously?

Seriously.

(electrical zapping)

DAVID: Whoa, look at that.

COLBY: They must've crashed
out another power station.

They hit it.

Not here they didn't.

DAVID: Then which
one did they hit?

How'd they do it?

Looks like they threw a little piece
of rebar across the transformer grid

and it caused a short.

That'd bring the
whole thing down?

Oh, absolutely.

Yes, rebar, is it?

Yeah. That's metal.

Highly conductive.

Yeah, that would
provide a pathway

from the high to the low sides.

Get a power surge...

drives the transformers
way beyond their

capacity... boom.

We were having dinner,

and all the lights went out.

So?

Don's briefing the mayor. 60,000
customers lost power tonight.

This is not where Charles and
I predicted they'd strike next.

No, we were staked
out up on Mulholland.

And they hit here instead?

The question is why.

Think the real question is who.
Our prime suspect group doesn't

make any sense anymore.
The striking workers?

Yeah, this power station is
owned by an independent company.

It has nothing to do
with Renault Energy

or the labor dispute at all.

So that means that
terrorism moves back

to the number one slot.

MAN: Agents, LAPD

found a body along
the north perimeter.

Oh, dear. Come on.

The company said they
didn't have anybody on, so

he can't be a worker.

Then I think we just
found our next suspect.

He must have climbed
the fence to throw the rebar.

Still holding on
when it shorted out.

Electricity... always
looking for someplace to go.

Jumped to that fence
post as a ground.

And then made use of
this poor gentleman as well.

Got no I.D. on him.

There's no way we're
going to get any prints

off these hands.

They're way too charred.
Car keys, cell phone?

Nothing.

Were his pockets turned out
like that when you found him?

Yeah. I didn't touch anything.

Somebody went
through his pockets?

I'm guessing whoever
he was working with

cleaned him out to make
sure we couldn't I.D. him.

What's this on his neck?

It's a prison tattoo.

"4-B-27."

Cell block in Chino.
He did time there.

Well, then let's get his photo,

and we'll fax it over and
see if anyone recognizes him.

Alejandro Munoz... he's
a Salvadorian national

released from Chino
about six months ago

after serving a four-year
stint for dealing drugs.

Any ties to terrorist
organizations? Still checking.

All right, so Charlie,
explain to me

why the attack
happened in Silver Lake

and not up on Mulholland.

Well, my guess is we were wrong.

See, we assumed that the
objective was a cascading

failure, remember? So you
don't think that's what these guys

were after? No.

So, wrong on

suspect, wrong on motive.

DAVID: I think I have a
line on Munoz's accomplice.

Cell phone records.

Last three days he traded
more than a dozen calls

with one number.

I traced it back to a guy
named Lyle Donahue.

An electrical engineer, and
former member of the State

Utility Commission.

Former member?

It gets kind of interesting.

He helped stage

a phony power
shortage back in 2001.

Made a fortune when the
prices shot up... He was caught.

It's called utility
price manipulation.

Served two and a half years.

In Chino, same as Munoz. Yeah.

So all of this has to have some
effect on utility prices, right?

COLBY: So you think Lyle Donahue

is back to his old game?

Makes sense. He's not a
player anymore. Maybe he's

found a new way to
manipulate the power market.

By crashing substations.

COLBY: Or hiring old

prison acquaintances
to do it for him.

DON: All right, well,
let's get this guy Donahue

in here. Set up his
phone, his house,

credit cards, the
whole nine yards.

Hey, Charlie.

Hey.

I was thinking
about you last night.

Is that right?

I was preparing a lecture.

And I found an
interesting article

on synapse reflexivity.

I thought you might fit it into
your cognitive emergence theory.

Oh, thanks.

Another load flow analysis?

Yeah. The FBI has a new suspect.

Former utilities commissioner.

I guess they think that
the attacks are an attempt

to influence utility prices.

The outages cause

spot fluctuation in
the demand market.

So I guess if you made
the right investments

and you hit the right targets,
you could do pretty well.

If you hit the right targets,
you could do very well.

These guys aren't
hitting the right targets.

What do you mean?

Well, if you really want
to influence utility prices,

there are so many other
substations to go after

that would have greater impact.

Then what's all this about?

I don't know. Who knows, right?

I mean, all they've really accomplished
is a few localized blackouts.

Charlie, the focus so
far has been on the global

systemic objective. First
the cascading failure,

now market manipulation.

Yep, that's right.

Well, you're
treating the outages

as if they're a
secondary by-product.

And what if they
aren't a by-product?

What if they're the objective?

What if?

Hey, Donny, I didn't
even know you were here.

Yeah, I left this
here the other night.

So, uh, you think you're going
to be around for dinner tonight?

Or do you already have plans

with Robin?

No plans.

Really?

I could have sworn I remember

you talking about
a concert, but, um...

So how are things
going with you two, huh?

They're fine.

Fine?

What is it, we
can't talk about it?

Do I need a security

clearance to get information
about you and Robin?

Dad, what are you doing?

What? I'm not doing anything.

Yeah, your little
interrogation here.

All right, I was talking
to Charlie earlier.

Ah... And he told me some woman
came around to see you at work.

A woman, n-not Robin.

And, um, he said it
was fairly obvious that

something was going on
between the two of you.

So?

Donny, uh, do you remember

we were talking
about how you wanted

things to work out between
you and Robin? And...

I mean, you can't
have a relationship

if you're not
gonna commit to it.

Yeah, well, Dad, I'm
not doing this, okay?

I'm not Charlie, and, I...

(phone ringing)

Eppes.

DAVID: Don... Lyle
Donahue, engineer.

We've been sitting
on his credit cards.

He just used one. Uh, bar up

on Sunset, corner of Gardner.

All right, you
know what, take it.

Get Megan and hit it.

We can't wait. All right.

I'm doing the best I can.

How? By carrying
on with another girl?

See you later.

Have you seen this
guy? (rock song playing)

I don't think so.

That's funny, 'cause you just ran his
credit card less than 20 minutes ago.

What's the name?

Donahue. Lyle Donahue.

Here it is.

Lyle Donahue.

He's not the guy in the picture.

Kid over there.

He and his buddies
are running a tab.

Got a kid running... he's
headed for the back door.

COLBY: All right.

(grunting)

Where do you think
you're going, huh?

Kid, where'd you get
the credit card from?

So which one is it?

It's that one there.

Oh, boy. I didn't do it.

He was that way
when I found him.

It's Donahue.

Single shot to the
back of the ear.

A little too professional for,

this bozo, don't you think?

MEGAN: Donahue must have been
dead when he got the credit card.

We all realize that this means

there are more players involved than
just the Salvadorians and Donahue.

Maybe some other investors
in his little pricing scheme.

Found Munoz, made the
connection to Donahue.

Someone wanted to make sure

we didn't take that
chain any higher.

Yeah, but who is that somebody,

and how high is that
chain going to go?

Hey, we've all been going
in the wrong direction.

All right, Charlie, just relax.

We just found
Donahue, all right? Oh!

Did you talk to him?
Did he, did he tell you?

No, Charlie. He's dead.
Somebody shot him.

DON: This is much
bigger than price fixing,

I can tell you that.
I'm sorry, but this

has nothing at all to
do with price-fixing.

What do you think
it has to do with?

I... I don't know, but
it's about the blackouts.

It's about the blackouts.

I mean, at first they seem

unrelated and disparate,
but when I looked at them

in the context of set theory,
they had a lot in common,

so just... Just pay attention.

So there have been
three substation attacks.

Each of these caused a
blackout in a particular region.

This is the area hit
by the first blackout,

the Boyle Heights
substation failure.

This is the second, caused
by the outage that killed

that maintenance worker.

And here's the third.

Okay, so the three
overlap in one area?

Right, to a statistically
significant extent.

All right, so why blackouts
three nights in a row?

Well, that must be
Donahue's objective.

To take down these blocks.

Okay, so what...? Uh...
Cover up a heist, knock out

a security system...

And there's a lot
of stuff in that area.

There's banks and
brokerage houses,

museums, but I haven't
seen any reports of break-ins.

Charlie, the thing is,

we're pretty much looking
at most of downtown here.

Is there any way
to be more specific?

This is the best I could
do with what I had.

That's not all you have.

We just found this
pad in Donahue's car.

And it's filled
with calculations.

These are Dantzig-Wolf
decompositions,

network interdiction
strategies...

It's-It's pretty high-end stuff.

Can you use any of it to
figure out where he was

gonna try to black out?
Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna need

to take a look at these.

In the meantime, I'll see

who else Donahue
was in bed with.

Maybe that's who murdered him.

Hey. Wait, wait. Listen.

This, this little conversation
you had with Dad.

Oh. Yeah. Um...

Sorry. I just...

No, you're right.

You're right... I had no right

to tell him about you
and Agent Warner.

Yeah. Exactly.

I don't know. You
seemed to be getting along

real nicely with
Robin, you know, and...

you just seemed a lot happier.

Well, Charlie, you don't know

what you're talking
about, okay? So,

I mean, I appreciate
the thought, but...

All right?

Sorry.

Thanks. Go ahead, take a look.

Let me know what
you come up with.

Okay.

CHARLIE: None of the three

substations attacked

directly affect the
downtown area.

You know, they're too far out,

like Boyle Heights and
Mission Hills and Silver Lake.

No, the blackouts

were due to the
broad-line reductions.

The operators just shut

the area down. Right, right.

So Donahue did
these calculations

in order to predict the
human operator's reaction

to his attacks?
I mean, that's...

that's so impressive.

Impressive, yes, but it gets us

no closer to discovering
his intended target,

does it?

No. I know. I, I've
performed every particular

permutation I could
possibly perceive of.

I've gone over and
over these three attacks.

I can't narrow it down.

What about the
other substations that

affect downtown?
What about them?

He didn't choose
the others. Yeah.

That's precisely my point.

Why not?

Presumably because
they would not

result in a blackout
that included his target.

An exclusionary approach?

Run calculations on
the other substations,

see what area of
downtown is omitted.

Plus, it is a more
powerful approach

than the one you're using.

LIZ: You know what, I'll
catch you later, all right?

I'll catch up with Don.

What do you say, gents?

How you doing?

What? Downtown two days
in a row, huh? Lucky me.

Forget it, Epps.

You already blew your
one chance with me.

No way. I thought I
was getting a rain check.

You remember our,
um, drug dealer friend

operating out of the racetrack?

Yeah. Tabakian?

He's decided to cooperate

and help us go after

the Salvadorian cartel
that was supplying them.

Oh, yeah? Well, that's a
good get for you, huh? Yeah.

Bottom line, Tabakian and
I are gonna be shacking up

in a safe house... in San Diego.

Ha-ha.

While he spills everything
to the U.S. attorney. So...

You know when you take off?

Today.

I gotta run. We're gonna
process him, but, uh...

I'll call you when I get back.

Yeah.

I'll make sure it
doesn't rain. (chuckles)

You know, my brother
can do things with math.

It's, uh... he's a genius.

Oh.

Got it.

You narrowed down the area?

Yeah.

So it turns out,

there are 12 substations
whose failure would

have directly or indirectly
caused a downtown blackout.

Overlaying the boundaries
of the three attacks

gave us an initial target area.

Yeah, but, Charlie,
that area was too big.

It's too vague. No, I know.

Mapping the three blackouts

was just the first step.

The real key was
examining the substations

that Donahue did not attack.

He rejected the nine
others as targets because

the blackouts they
would have caused

didn't include this area.

COLBY: So, you're saying
this is the area that he

wanted to black out? 'Cause
that's only a couple blocks from here.

It's the J. Edward
Rice Building.

The Rice Building.

Yeah, right. Rice. What?

That's the downtown
Federal Detention Center.

Donahue's choreographing
a prison break.

(indistinct voices)

MAN: I don't really
know how we can take

any more precautions against
a breakout if you can't tell me

which prisoner
you're talking about.

Right. Well, we're
working on that.

As soon as we get the
name, we'll get it to you, okay?

What about the
power-failure scenario

we were discussing earlier?

Well, there's no denying it.

Everything here
runs on electricity.

Cells open and
close electronically.

Locks are automated.

We rely heavily on
surveillance cameras.

Yeah, and what happens
if the power gets cut totally?

We're screwed.

45 guards.

2,200 prisoners.

But that's exactly why
the detention center

has a backup system.

We have four 30-
megawatt generators.

Diesel-powered. Anytime we fall

off the power grid, they
automatically kick in.

Right. And where are they at?

Sub-basement, totally
secure and no inmate access.

DAVID: For the last three nights

during the blackouts
were there any incidents?

Anyone trying to get to
the generators, maybe trying

to disable them?

No. Powered us through,
no problems at all.

Look, if-if, if these blackouts

are someone trying to get to us,

they haven't done
their homework.

We're the last place
to feel any effect.

Hi.

You look awfully

contemplative.

Is it pondering

some mystery of the universe?

Hardly. I'm pondering the
Federal Detention Center.

Oh. Charles said you suspect
some possible jailbreak.

Yeah, but there's
2,000 prisoners

and I can't connect
any of them to Donahue.

I don't know who
he was working for.

How do you know Donahue
was working for someone else?

Well, there has to
be someone else.

Someone murdered him.

No, I'm not questioning whether
someone else was involved.

I think that much is a
matter of near certainty.

Okay, now you're
just confusing me.

Well, what I mean to say is...

You see, all along
you've been applying

a kind of bottom-up analysis.

It all started with the
unfortunate gentleman

who was electrocuted.

Alejandro Munoz.

That's right, and then you
worked your way up to Donahue

and now you're working up
to someone above Donahue.

That's standard procedure.

We're always looking
for the bigger fish.

Yeah, but how do you
know you're even fishing

in the right direction?

You see, in 1959,

Richard Feynman gave
a very famous lecture.

It was called, "There's
Plenty of Room at the Bottom,"

and it altered the thinking of a
whole generation of scientists

because it changed their focus
to thinking smaller and smaller

instead of larger.

Now, see, you've gone
from Munoz to Donahue,

and now you're looking
even farther up the chain.

Perhaps you need to go

in the opposite direction.

You're suggesting that the
plan to blow up the substations

just started with Munoz.

I think it's worthy
of consideration.

You're a genius.

Head of the class.

DON: Look, the prison is

immune to blackouts. Hey, guys.

How do you mean, "immune"?

Well, they have a backup system.

The recent blackouts didn't
even ruffle their feathers.

There's the possibility of
other targets in the area.

Yeah, but I'm not
wrong about the prison.

Charlie, three nights in a row,
the backup generators kicked in

and-and there was no impact.

Listen, you cannot have
an event in a closed system

without subsequent
impact on that system.

All right. Impossibility.

Don't go all Isaac Newton on me.

We'll go take another
look at the map, all right?

Sir Isaac Newton.

Hey.

We just found the link

between the prison
and the blackouts.

Tell me again how I'm wrong.

A link to Donahue?

No, it's Alejandro Munoz.

Turns out Munoz is Salvadorian.

Has close family ties
to a major drug cartel.

The same cartel that
was supplying the drugs

to Tabakian's operation

at the Southland
Downs racetrack.

Tabakian.

COLBY: Yeah, and
he's currently being held

in the Federal Detention Center.

It's gotta be who they're
trying to break out.

Tabakian had a deal with the
U.S. Attorney to testify against

the Salvadorians.

COLBY: Well, then, maybe the

blackouts were an attempt
to cover a hit, try and get

an inmate close enough to him

to shank him or
something. DON: No, no.

The guy's in solitary.
I mean, they're not

gonna let anyone near
him. DAVID: And besides,

the blackouts didn't have any
effect on the prison operations.

I don't understand how
they're part of the plan.

Well, the blackouts had
to have had some impact.

We were there. They didn't.

You said the prison
ran their generators

three nights in a row.

How are the generators fueled?

On diesel, Charlie.

That's a pretty large facility.

They'd have to have
burned through a lot of fuel.

MEGAN: Okay, so what if
that was the plan? The first

three just run the fuel tanks
dry, and the fourth night

they're in the dark.
COLBY: Yeah, but they're

not gonna just let
the tanks go dry.

I mean, they'd just call up
and get an emergency order

of fuel. DON: It's the truck.

It's the truck. It's-It's
an unscheduled delivery.

DAVID: Oh, they get

that truck in there,
they will have

a way to break Tabakian out.

Yeah, but wait a
minute. Don just said

that he's testifying
against them.

I mean, why are they
gonna spend the time

coming in to break him out?

Be a lot easier
to just kill him.

They're going after him.
This isn't a break out.

These guys are
trying to break in.

MAN: Opening Sally port one.

Fuel transport coming in.

Hey, you guys are right on time.

(silenced shots
fire, man groans)

(buzzer)

Hi. How you doing?

Liz Warner, FBI.

I'm processing out a
prisoner, Ivan Tabakian.

No weapons allowed inside
the prison, Agent Warner.

You're gonna have
to check that here.

Thank you.

I can't get Liz.

COLBY: Probably
no cell service inside.

I'm still not getting anything
from the prison switchboards.

Fuel truck.

I got a man down.

Is he dead?

Yeah.

Thing's empty.
It's a Trojan horse.

The guys are already
inside the prison.

SWAT's out on a call right
now... It'll be at least 20 minutes.

All right, look, we
got 45 officers in there

on our side, right?
Yeah, but their guns

are locked in the
armory... It's gonna

take time to distribute them.

If we wait, it's over... I
say we make our move.

Let's go.

(buzzer)

Assistant U.S.
Attorney Diane Verano.

Nice to meet you.
Special Agent Liz Warner.

I'm gonna be heading the
transport and safe house detail.

I just have some paperwork
for Mr. Tabakian to sign,

then he's all yours.

No problem.

Hey, you guys...

(silenced gunshots)

Hey! FBI. You've been breached.

You got guys in
here with weapons.

They already killed one of
your guys... get some men

to the armory and break
out the weapons. Go, move!

Megan, go with him! Got it.

Got it.

(buzzer)

Mr. Tabakian.

Well...

This is even better
than I expected.

(alarm buzzing)

MAN (over P.A.): Attention all
personnel! Attention all personnel!

Be advised, the entire
facility is now on lockdown.

Hey, where's the utility
room! End of the corridor!

Go left!

All prisoners, return to
your cells immediately.

All prisoners, return to
your cells immediately.

We have a deal.

You have to protect me.

The entire facility
is now on lockdown.

This is a mandatory lockdown.

(indistinct shouting)

Don't move!

How many more in there?

It's clear, you
guys can come on.

Let's go!

This is too hard to defend.

Don, we got to go.

DON: Liz, come here.

Come on.

DON: All right.

It's clear.

Clear on this side.

You guys stay close.

You hear gunshots,
you get to the ground.

All right, put him in the
guard station up there.

Door!

Get down!

Get down!

Is he all right?

(groaning in pain)

We got a prisoner down!
We need EMT right away!

MAN: Copy that, medical
team four minutes out.

Got no pulse.

All right? Yeah.

Okay, just keep
breathing, keep breathing.

(groans)

How is he?

The bullet passed clean through.

They don't think it
hit any vitals, so...

he'll live.

You guys saved

his ass, Epps.

Not to mention what
you did for me back there.

Hey, now, don't
sweat it. You kidding?

But now I owe you one.

Well, that's just the
way I want it, so...

You know I don't
like being in debt. No?

What are you gonna do about it?

Get even.

All right, I'm ready
for you, tough guy.

COLBY: Hey, Don.

You got the warden waiting
in his office to talk to you.

All right, one sec.

I got to run. Mm-hmm.

I want to get him out of town before
they have a chance to try again, so...

Hey.

What are you guys
doing up so late?

Hey, hey, Charlie told
me what happened today,

and, uh, we were worried.

Well, he was worried.

I-I just stayed up

to savor an "I told
you so" moment

while it was still fresh.

Hold on, we dealt
with this. Did we?

There-There was
so much going on.

Accusations about
my math being shifty.

All right, Charlie, have your
moment, go ahead, say it.

I told you so.

I told you so.

All right, there you go.

Well, that's about as
much brotherly love as I can

take tonight...
I'm going to bed.

Yeah, I'm done, so
I'm gonna hit the hay.

Hey, look, uh...

about Robin.

Yeah, I said

we-we're... I mean,
we're sorry, you know?

Well, she broke up with me.

About a week ago.

Oh.

She dumped you.

Shut up.

No, no, look, Donny, uh,

I'm, uh, I'm really sorry.

What happened?

You know, it takes two, and, uh,

I guess she didn't want
to be one, what can I say?

Mm.

Well...

you know, maybe
she'll change her mind.

Yeah.

Anyway... Hey, now, wait
a minute, wait a minute.

That-that's a
good sign, isn't it?

You're not the one

that pulled the plug.

You were willing
to go through with it.

That's a good sign, isn't it?

A step in the right direction?

I guess, if you say so.

Hey, look, I'm not really tired.

There's got to be
something good on late night.

You know, that's when
they play the classics. Let's...

Yeah, I mean, if we're
gonna stay up, then I'll just

pop some popcorn, and...
Guys, you don't have to do this.

ALAN: Do what? Seriously,
go to bed. I'm okay.

Hey, come on, you
don't even live here...

Why are you telling
us what to do?

(theme song to Taxi
playing on TV) All right.

Thanks.

Don't mention it.

(theme to Taxi continues)