Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1983–1987): Season 4, Episode 5 - It's in the Water - full transcript
An ecological stunt gets out of hand when an overeager but well meaning activist beats a top secret system and gains the attention of the Libyans.
We're trying to get you
more details on the events...
that led to this emergency.
We'll be with you live
throughout the day...
keeping you posted as
we get more information.
Right now we can confirm that the
entire metro area has been affected.
We have learned that reserve water
supplies are monitored 24 hours a day...
based on a special directive
from the White House...
issued after several threats
of sabotage in the past.
Washington's water is
the cleanest in the world...
a product of high technology...
and the dedication of over 200
technicians, chemists and engineers.
Facilities like these
throughout the District
are fed by several
natural streams and lakes...
that are directed
toward the main
purification plan via
the Richmond Aqueduct.
Once within the aqueduct, high
security measures take effect.
Over 5 miles of flowing water
is kept from the public view...
and trespassing within the facility
is considered a federal offense.
Since 1976 the top purification
center has worked flawlessly...
pumping millions of
gallons of water a minute...
through an intricate maze of
chlorinators and detoxification units.
Good morning.
It is safe for consumption, but
officials are asking to
refrain from using it...
until a complete check of
the system has been made.
You do? Who said that? They did?
- Amanda.
- Huh?
Joe says that Channel 6 says that
even the White House has green water.
Really? Remind him that
Phillip has a soccer game tonight.
Did you hear that? Heh, heh.
Yeah, okay. All right. Bye-bye.
Again we repeat, the
City Engineer's office has
confirmed that the
discoloration of the water...
is a direct result of a harmless green dye
and it's perfectly safe for consumption.
- Maybe it's lime flavored.
- Phillip, don't you even think about it.
The unusual video confession
by the as yet unidentified man...
was found by Senator Alan
Babcock in his morning mail.
- Here again is a portion of that tape.
- Well.
Senator Babcock, please
reassess your stance
on the Dean-Wilton
Conservation Initiative.
- Oh, my gosh, that's Carmine Davis.
- I think you're right.
The Dean-Wilton Initiative, which
you are so determined to defeat...
is the first
comprehensive measure...
that would halt the widespread
pollution of our environment.
- You know that guy?
- He helped set up a chapter...
of Mothers for a
Safe Environment.
Sounds like the dude cracked.
Senator, the harmless dye
that I put into the water system...
will clear up in
less than 24 hours.
But if the Dean-Wilton Initiative
dies, our planet will not be far behind.
Well, Carmine was always a little
reckless about making his points.
- Darling...
- Uh-huh.
- The dude cracked.
- Yeah.
In 1972 John Kinnerman,
a love-in freak...
was caught trying to dump
a barrel of hallucinogenics...
into the District's
main water reservoir.
- You were on that case, Scarecrow?
- Yeah, the guy was a burnout.
He thought if he could turn on
Capitol Hill they'd get out of Vietnam.
If that stuff ever got
in the water system...
It would be a nightmare.
I thought the White House initiated
a safeguard system after that scare?
Well, a tactical force of
chemists, Army engineers...
and Pentagon computer specialists
were assigned to develop and install...
on a need-to-know-only
basis, the Omega Triad System.
Which is?
Well, basically it's a computerized
lab which randomly samples the water...
for inert gases, toxins and
about a hundred other impurities.
You're not supposed to
get a flea's whisker through...
without a lot of red flags
popping up everywhere.
This is the most
technically-advanced
grid system in operation today.
It never shuts down and it
constantly monitors itself.
We just checked the
system with a chlorine flush.
All the pumping
stations shut down...
the purification plant started
an automatic backwash...
the White House
switched to reserves.
- So the system's working.
- Somebody beat it.
I don't have to remind you that
Washington, D.C. is a prime target...
for every two-bit extremist.
It won't be long before they find
out that our water is vulnerable.
Now, I want this guy ID'd and
picked up today. Move it out.
Metropolitan P.D. has already
screened 1600 anonymous tips...
positively identifying
the man in the video.
Well, follow up every one.
That could take weeks.
You've got hours. We're already
getting reports from the Mideast.
Everyone with a grudge
against us wants this guy.
Excuse me. I should have followed
procedure and gone through proper channels.
- But I thought you would want to see this.
- What is it?
It's a positive identification of
the man who was on television.
I've got his last known address,
last known phone and next of kin.
Well, what are you
waiting for? Go get him.
Yes, sir. LEE: Come on.
Oh, tip number 1601.
This is point one, we are
10-20 at the Davis house.
WOMAN: Roger, point one.
This is point three, we are in
position and the block is secured.
This is point two. We
are 10-20, in position.
Stand by point one and
two. All agents move.
I've got it. WOMAN: Suspect
is considered priority one.
Let's go.
- No gunfire. Suspect
is to be taken complete.
Somebody really called out the militia.
- Yeah.
This guy is the most
wanted man in D.C.
He was a nice guy when
I knew him years ago.
I mean, I guess he
could have changed.
Helicopters are a nice touch.
Mother, they're here.
- You're here about Carmine, right?
- Yeah.
I told you they'd be here.
You wouldn't let me call.
- He's not here.
- Hello, Mrs. Davis, I'm Amanda King.
Do you remember me?
Carmine help me set up an
ecology group a couple years ago.
Oh, I'm sorry, Carmine set
up so many of those things.
Yes, I know. We
need to talk to him.
Talk to him? Hell, I'd
like to ring his neck.
Uh, I'll have to look
inside, if you don't mind.
Sure. Come on, I'll
show you around.
How much trouble is he in?
Well, he broke the law.
He scared an
awful lot of people.
The water supply is a pretty
sensitive thing. We need to find him.
Thank you.
When was the last
time you saw Carmine?
He was home this
weekend, wasn't he?
He didn't say anything
about what he was up to?
No, just did laundry, cleaned out the
refrigerator and went back to school.
Just like every other weekend.
He's been pushing hard to
finish his Ph.D. dissertation.
- We barely see him anymore.
- What's all this stuff?
It's his play bench. He's
had it ever since he was a kid.
Well, we'll have to have
someone go through it.
Yeah. I understand, Carmine's
done something really stupid...
- and he's gonna have to pay for it.
- Yes, he will.
Um...
Could you kind of make sure they
don't make it too hard for him and...
Sure make his
mother feel a lot better.
Uh, I can't promise anything.
- We'll do our best. We can promise that.
- Yeah.
It has been confirmed here, at the
Davis home, that Carmine Davis...
a 2 5-year-old Ph.D. candidate
at the University of Georgetown...
is responsible for the
greening of Washington's water.
I know your government's
anxious for an opportunity.
Of course I can,
he's in my backyard.
Any information on the
whereabouts of this man.
For that amount, your government
can have exactly what they want.
Carmine, you're gonna
make me a very rich man.
I know exactly how many
international flights come into Dulles.
That is your problem. My
problem is finding a terrorist.
I want every passport and every
piece of baggage double checked.
Scramble this. Get it to
our Mideast operatives.
And if anybody so much
as walks funny, I want
them detained until
we can question them.
Jensen, pull Lannier and Davis out of
crypto and get them out to the airport.
Right away.
Francine, the White House is barking at
me for an update on that terrorist angle.
Well, tell them anybody with
teeth is hungry for Carmine.
I think the president would like
something a little bit more specific.
All right. Well, here
is the latest profile.
Syria, Germany, Libya, every
terrorist organization is making noises.
Melrose.
Where?
All right, we'll handle it.
The Cubans have boats in the water. Let's
send a unit over to help the Coast Guard.
I am running out of manpower.
You can't expect me to track down...
every suspicious move in
the Northern Hemisphere.
Come on. We've got
to find Carmine Davis.
Where are Amanda and Lee?
They're blanketing the university.
There's no contact with Carmine yet.
Do you have anything good
I could tell the president?
Do you want an honest answer?
I don't think so.
- I'll see you there.
- I'll talk to him.
- You'll have a good time.
- Heh, heh. I can meet you there.
I've got one.
All right, get this stuff down
to the lab. I'll seal off the room.
- Sorry. Excuse me. How's it going?
- Hi.
It's taken us two hours to clean
this place. Hope it pays off. You?
They're working
on Carmine's room.
- What about his professor?
- Oh, bad news. It's still semester break.
He's in the Brazilian rain forest.
They'll try to track him down.
The Brazilian rain forest? That's
a big place and there's no time.
What are you doing?
Uh, I'm Lee Stetson.
This is Amanda King.
- Hello. SALLY:
You're federal agents?
- Yeah, that's right.
- Sally Boyer. I'm the next door down.
What did you do with
Carmine's papers?
Well, we're trying to figure out
how Carmine polluted the water.
He didn't pollute the water. He
was making a point with some dye.
We know what he did.
Maybe you could tell us how.
Yeah, well, maybe I couldn't.
Look, if you know
something and you're not
telling us, you're not
doing anybody any good.
I told you all I know. Okay?
- Never trust anyone over 30.
- What?
Remember we used to say that in
college? "Never trust anyone over 30."
Yeah. You think she knows
more than she's telling us?
Yeah.
I think we better
put a tail on her.
- Sally.
- Carmine?
Get me out of here.
- Oh, you really did it this time.
- Not now, Sally.
Just get me out of here.
Lee's coordinating
surveillance on Carmine's
apartment, his office,
his parents' house...
- every place he's been.
- Good.
Excuse me, but if he knows there's a whole
army after him, he's not gonna come out.
Amanda, this is a
25-year-old walking time bomb.
What is it, Billy?
We just intercepted this transaction
on the international bank wire.
Someone in Libya deposited a
million dollars in a Swiss account.
Oh, that fits.
The Libyans need to do
something to embarrass us...
otherwise their generals are gonna
lose a lot of face in empty threats.
We're working with the Swiss to
try to get a name on the account.
Don't Swiss accounts
mean professionals?
- Oh, yes. Unfortunately, the worst kind.
- Damn that kid.
If we don't get him
before they do...
some madman will have a
weapon that could kill a city.
Excuse me, sorry to trouble you.
- There seems to be a mix-up.
- I don't know what you're talking about.
I think you picked up my bag by
mistake back in the Laundromat.
I wasn't at a Laundromat.
You must have me mistaken.
I don't make those mistakes.
What I want is in the back of your car.
What are you doing?
Get out of my car! Stop it!
- Hey! What's the problem?
- Oh, there's no problem now, officer.
The car stalled. They're overheated or
something. Thank you for your concern.
Look, I went over everything
with a half a dozen other agents.
Sally, we found a picture of
you and Carmine in his office.
- You're pushing the wrong buttons.
- I'm not trying to push buttons.
- I want to find Carmine.
- You and the rest of the world.
He was just trying to get a little
publicity for a conservation bill.
I understand that. But in the process,
he beat a top-secret purification system.
And there are a lot of
pretty rough people out
there who would do
anything to find out how.
If you're trying to
scare me, good job.
I'm not trying to scare you.
I just want you to understand that I'm
Carmine's friend and I'm worried about him.
Tell him to call me.
I don't want to see him hurt
and I don't think you do either.
If I see him, I'll pass it on.
- What happened?
- I think I got to her.
- And?
- She's in love with Carmine.
- Well, so what?
- She's not gonna tell us where he is.
It's amazing how a little
romance can complicate things.
There's nothing much out of
his house or his dorm room.
He did play with some interesting
toys down in his basement.
A 64 KZ-80 computer, circuits
from portable radios, a microscope...
ammonium nitrate, magnesium
sulfate, phenolphthalein.
It's your basic toy chemistry set.
Nothing that could pollute the water.
- And nothing that'll get us anywhere.
- What about his dissertation?
Well, he's working with
synthetic enzymes...
specifically utilizing
these organic catalysts
as a way of uniting
various molecules.
Charles, we're not chemists.
But could it be used to beat
the Omega Triad System?
Well, in layman's
terms, yes and no.
How about in non-layman's terms?
Well, according to Mr. Davis' notes he's
been able to break substances down...
and then at any given time integrate
them back to their basic structures.
- How did he make the water green?
- Okay, well, maybe this will help you.
Imagine I put half the
formula for blue dye...
- in this beaker...
- Uh-huh.
And the other half in this beaker.
- Yeah.
Each beaker is harmless. Passes through
the Omega Triad System without a red flag.
Then on the other side...
it's just the combination
of two chemicals.
Now, what Davis' dissertation suggests
is that he could do this with any compound.
And if he can?
If he can, you're dealing with
something akin to a molecular time bomb.
- Melrose here.
- I'm at the Paradise Fountain Hotel.
Sally Boyer just went in.
- Did you see Carmine?
- No. But I'm gonna go in now.
- Backup is on the way.
- Right.
Oops, I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?
Carmine.
You're in real trouble.
It was an act of civil
disobedience, a misdemeanor.
I was supposed to have been picked
up by police and had my day in court.
You still can.
Honey.
Those are not metropolitan police
out there. Those are federal agents.
- They're gonna bury me.
- They're going to protect you.
- Stay with the plan. Turn yourself in.
- My plan? My plan is over.
Just like every other
plan that I have started.
The world is dying
and they won't listen.
Carmine, I care about the world too,
but I care about you a hell of a lot more.
It'll be all right.
I just don't want
to see you get hurt.
That Mrs. King really scared me.
Come here. Come here.
So you think I should
give myself up, huh?
Well, Mrs. King was always
pretty straight with me.
All right.
I'll get my stuff.
I'll go get the car.
Mr. Davis.
You and I have a little
business deal to discuss.
That man's got Carmine.
Hold on.
Aah! MAN: Look out!
Don't move. WOMAN 1: Oh, no.
- Just stay there.
- Come here.
Stay back!
Whatever he hit me with,
they neutralized in time.
I still feel dizzy, but they say I can
be released in a couple of hours.
Good. What about the ID? Was
it the Australian, Franklin Miller?
I only had half a second to see
him before I hit the pavement.
But his coloring, his height,
his accent, it could have been.
Can you give a green
light on a positive ID?
Not as green as the water.
All right. We'll just
have to go with it.
Just because you're in the hospital
doesn't mean you're off the clock.
You get back in here pronto.
The Swiss have confirmed that the
account belongs to Franklin Miller...
alias Jordan
Parker, alias Starkill.
Is this the Miller that's been running
with the Red Letter gang for years?
- The same.
- What's the Red Letter gang?
A bunch of punks who
kill for politics and profit.
He did it so well that he
started freelancing last August.
Now he's just
motivated by profit.
- How'd he get in the country?
- We have no idea.
But we do know he's been living
under our noses for six months.
Yeah. He's smart and gutsy. Damn,
we should have had him by now.
They just pulled out bullets
from your car, Scarecrow.
- I'm surprised you're still in one piece.
- How's Francine?
Just a scratch of
zenoprolyne. She's fine.
I talked to Sally Boyer.
She'll be released
from the hospital today.
Good. Now here's the bad news.
Up till now we've been running
on a reserve water supply.
Well, how much time do we have?
We'll be running dry
in less than 12 hours.
So to get Miller, we're gonna
have to turn the water back on.
- That leaves us wide open. It's too risky.
- No, Billy. Billy, Amanda is right.
Now, Miller has
been hired to do a job.
He can play this game of
cat and mouse with us forever.
Yes. Eventually we're gonna
have to turn the water back on.
Yeah, and when we do,
Miller will be waiting for us.
You want to flush him out.
And put every agent we have in
and around that purification center.
The bottom line is that we
gamble he won't get anything by us.
- Yeah.
- It's a big gamble.
If we lose it, we call the television
channels, the radio stations...
we do a media blitz,
we warn everybody.
Yeah, any way you look
at it, Billy, if we lose...
hundreds of thousands
of people are gonna die.
Damn it, Scarecrow, you're
not making this easy for me.
If I draw to an inside straight,
I don't think about losing.
All right. Every piece
of security equipment
and manpower
around that water plant.
Amanda, I want a
follow up on Sally Boyer.
If there's anything, anything
that can get us to Carmine...
get on the horn to Lee.
- Yes, sir.
I'll inform the president and
coordinate from here. Let's move it.
- Lee.
- Hmm.
How'd you do the last time
you drew to an inside straight?
How do you think I got my car?
Let's just say my friend
Carmine was a good sport.
We've come up with something interesting.
It's tasteless, odorless and very potent.
Pleasure doing
business with you too.
Good morning.
It's moving day.
You can't poison the water.
It's halfway there
anyway, isn't it?
People will die.
And a couple of Libyans will have their
revenge and I'll have a million dollars.
It's a neat contract,
don't you think?
Look at it this way. You'll got a second
chance to test this great concept of yours.
I'm not doing any more.
I'm done.
You'll do what I tell you
to do, when I tell you...
or there won't be anything
left of you but one last scream.
- Come on, Champ. Get it! Get it!
- I was out the minute the door hit me.
I'm sorry. I really
want to help, Mrs. King.
Okay. Let's just try to
take this step by step.
If Carmine's going to
repeat the experiment,
he's going to need
some kind of lab...
with computer analysis
for designing enzymes.
Well, he'd be crazy to
try to use a campus lab.
He didn't do the first experiment
there. I would have seen him.
- He does need his equipment.
- Not necessarily.
He's already split the formula
and all he would need is a computer.
Okay. Let's say he has
already split the formula.
- How is he gonna get the dye in the water?
- I don't know.
He stuck his head in my door
with a couple of water balloons.
I thought he was goofing around.
He wanted me to
videotape his confession.
The next time I saw him, the
whole world was falling apart.
Ha, ha, I've got it.
Carmine, why didn't you call us?
Because I thought that you
would be ashamed of me.
- You're our son.
- Shut up, lady.
Hey, hey, why don't
you just let them go.
They have got
nothing to do with this.
I'll worry about mom and
pop. You get on with the work.
It's done.
I've taken the toxin and split
it at the third double bond.
Now, separately both
beakers are harmless...
but when the enzymes
bring them together, they are...
- Man, you can't do this. This is insane.
- I want to see it work.
I want to see it work now.
- Separately, both beakers are harmless.
- Put them together.
Put them together.
- Balloons?
- Yeah. That's what she said.
- Why?
- Well, I don't know.
Maybe Carmine
put the dye in them.
Got to find out where
he makes that stuff.
There could be hundreds
of labs in this city.
Six hundred and
fourteen to be exact.
I've got every man I can spare checking
them out. We've got three ourselves.
- How are things at the purification plant?
- Every inch of it is covered.
I'd feel a lot better
if we had Carmine.
What? AMANDA: Laundry.
Sally said that Carmine
came by her dorm room...
and showed her
balloons on Monday, right?
Yeah.
Carmine's father said the only
time they see him anymore...
is when he comes home on
weekends to do his laundry.
Then the laundry room
isn't only a laundry room.
- Ah. It's a lab.
- It's a lab. That's it.
You're covered. Don't waste
any more time. Get rolling.
What?
Lee and Amanda think they've
found where our button's been hiding.
Where are they?
At a phone booth
near the Davis house.
They think that Miller might be
using Carmine's old lab equipment.
All right. I'll get
a backup team.
No, no. I want you back
at the purification plant.
Billy, I've got every inch
of that place covered.
Listen, he's been ahead
of us every step of the way.
If we lose him at the Davis
house, we have only one shot left.
It takes time to get
the water shut down.
- Maybe we should start now.
- No.
We stick with the plan.
The water stays on.
That is a hell of
a calculated risk.
Listen, it's my decision.
It's on my head.
We've been tiptoeing on a razor's
edge since Miller joined the game.
- It's too late to fold up now. Go.
- Yes, sir. I'm on my way.
I appreciate all the time
we've spent together.
I'm sure you'll be
expecting some guests soon.
I hope they enjoy the greeting.
Miller's been playing his cards
right every step of the way.
If he's at the Davis
house, we better be careful.
He's probably got a
nice fat ace up his sleeve.
- Who is it?
- He's one of our guys. He's drugged.
- This Miller guy doesn't fool around.
- Well, the backup ought to be here soon.
- Take it nice and slow, huh?
- Yeah.
How's it look?
Empty from here. I'm
gonna check around the back.
Right.
- What's our status?
- Lee's in the back. There's an agent down.
Take care of it.
Anything going on inside?
- Empty as far as I can see. AMANDA:
It's okay. The door is unlocked.
Hold it.
It's booby-trapped.
No time for a bomb
squad. It may be on a timer.
Then we'll have to
go through the window.
Get that thing out
of here. I'm fine.
Mr. Davis, they just don't
want to take any chances.
I don't care what they
want. I'm not getting on that.
Would you just cooperate?
- We've got enough problems.
- The problem was your 10th birthday.
Never should have
bought that chemistry set.
Norm, would you please do
what they want and shut up.
Here we go.
You'll take care of our boy?
I will. EMT: Lock it in, Jim.
We have surveillance teams all the way
from the purification plant down to here.
I bet Miller knows it too.
Carmine, is there any specific place
where Miller might dump that poison?
Not if he's using the balloons.
Tell your men to look for a
balloon. Get them out of the water...
before they're sucked under.
We could stretch a net
across the waterway.
If there's any hint
of a current, you're
taking a chance. Nets
will rip the balloons.
Look, Billy, Carmine can
explain it all on the way up there.
All right. Go. I'll put the
purification plant on alert.
What's beyond the main aqueduct?
Once there, you're in
the middle of the country.
Lots of places to hide.
That's where he'll be.
Take Amanda with you
and cover the perimeter.
Take the radio because I
want to know what's going on.
You got it. Amanda,
could you hold onto it?
Yeah.
Come on, Carmine.
I know the area up there
like the back of my hand.
Unfortunately, Miller's the kind
of guy who does his homework.
He'll know it too.
I'm sorry, I tried to lie, but I was
so scared I told this guy everything.
Carmine, he gave
you a truth drug.
- There's nothing you could have done.
- Yeah, Amanda's right.
All we can do now is try to
stop him before he hits us.
There's the road I used up ahead.
- All right.
Hold on, it can
get pretty rough.
We checked the other
entry points. No balloons.
- Miller must be at your
end. LEE: Thanks, Francine.
- Keep your eyes open and stay in touch.
- Will do.
That's it. He's got
half of it in the water.
We're on top of him. I feel it.
I'll radio Francine, tell
her they're on the way.
No. We got a problem.
Can't take the chance
of missing one of them.
Okay. Well, then we'll just have to stop
Miller before he gets the yellow ones in.
They have to be 23 minutes apart
so they don't set the alarms off.
All right. Put your clock on it. That's
how much time we have to find Miller.
Tough country here.
Miller could be anywhere.
Not really. There's only about
three or four ways to
the water this far out.
Yeah, well, let's hope Miller
hasn't crawled too far under a rock.
Lee.
- Yeah.
- Where are you?
If we haven't missed him, we
should just be on top of Miller.
I can't guarantee we got every one of
those balloons. It's a mess down here.
They're not 100 percent
on the red balloons.
Assume it's in the water.
We've got to get the yellow one.
They're trying to shut down,
but it'll take too much time.
All right. Do what you can.
Lee, Billy's putting
the president on alert.
I understand.
- There he is.
- He got some in.
Miller!
Go on!
Stay in the car, Carmine.
Hold on a minute.
- Here.
- Oh!
Amanda, get back.
Back by the car.
That's terrific, Sally. I
know you'll be happy.
Well, I don't... You never
know. Maybe someday.
Okay. Say hello
to Carmine for us.
All right. Bye-bye.
- Who's that? Sally?
- Yeah. Carmine's been working all day...
with the Army engineers
on the Omega Triad System.
The judge might take that
into consideration at his trial.
I hope so. He's got a
lot to look forward to.
- Why?
- He asked Sally to marry him.
- No.
- Mm-hm.
- When's the big day?
- They haven't set a date.
They're gonna take
it one step at a time.
Well, you never know.
Maybe one day...
- What?
- That's what you said on the phone.
Oh, yeah.
She asked if I thought I'd ever
get married again and I said:
"You never know. Maybe someday."
- We have meeting. Where's the report?
- Uh, it's right here, Billy.
- Yeah. Second one under.
- Yeah. Right here.
See you later. LEE: Mm-hm?
Mm-hm.
more details on the events...
that led to this emergency.
We'll be with you live
throughout the day...
keeping you posted as
we get more information.
Right now we can confirm that the
entire metro area has been affected.
We have learned that reserve water
supplies are monitored 24 hours a day...
based on a special directive
from the White House...
issued after several threats
of sabotage in the past.
Washington's water is
the cleanest in the world...
a product of high technology...
and the dedication of over 200
technicians, chemists and engineers.
Facilities like these
throughout the District
are fed by several
natural streams and lakes...
that are directed
toward the main
purification plan via
the Richmond Aqueduct.
Once within the aqueduct, high
security measures take effect.
Over 5 miles of flowing water
is kept from the public view...
and trespassing within the facility
is considered a federal offense.
Since 1976 the top purification
center has worked flawlessly...
pumping millions of
gallons of water a minute...
through an intricate maze of
chlorinators and detoxification units.
Good morning.
It is safe for consumption, but
officials are asking to
refrain from using it...
until a complete check of
the system has been made.
You do? Who said that? They did?
- Amanda.
- Huh?
Joe says that Channel 6 says that
even the White House has green water.
Really? Remind him that
Phillip has a soccer game tonight.
Did you hear that? Heh, heh.
Yeah, okay. All right. Bye-bye.
Again we repeat, the
City Engineer's office has
confirmed that the
discoloration of the water...
is a direct result of a harmless green dye
and it's perfectly safe for consumption.
- Maybe it's lime flavored.
- Phillip, don't you even think about it.
The unusual video confession
by the as yet unidentified man...
was found by Senator Alan
Babcock in his morning mail.
- Here again is a portion of that tape.
- Well.
Senator Babcock, please
reassess your stance
on the Dean-Wilton
Conservation Initiative.
- Oh, my gosh, that's Carmine Davis.
- I think you're right.
The Dean-Wilton Initiative, which
you are so determined to defeat...
is the first
comprehensive measure...
that would halt the widespread
pollution of our environment.
- You know that guy?
- He helped set up a chapter...
of Mothers for a
Safe Environment.
Sounds like the dude cracked.
Senator, the harmless dye
that I put into the water system...
will clear up in
less than 24 hours.
But if the Dean-Wilton Initiative
dies, our planet will not be far behind.
Well, Carmine was always a little
reckless about making his points.
- Darling...
- Uh-huh.
- The dude cracked.
- Yeah.
In 1972 John Kinnerman,
a love-in freak...
was caught trying to dump
a barrel of hallucinogenics...
into the District's
main water reservoir.
- You were on that case, Scarecrow?
- Yeah, the guy was a burnout.
He thought if he could turn on
Capitol Hill they'd get out of Vietnam.
If that stuff ever got
in the water system...
It would be a nightmare.
I thought the White House initiated
a safeguard system after that scare?
Well, a tactical force of
chemists, Army engineers...
and Pentagon computer specialists
were assigned to develop and install...
on a need-to-know-only
basis, the Omega Triad System.
Which is?
Well, basically it's a computerized
lab which randomly samples the water...
for inert gases, toxins and
about a hundred other impurities.
You're not supposed to
get a flea's whisker through...
without a lot of red flags
popping up everywhere.
This is the most
technically-advanced
grid system in operation today.
It never shuts down and it
constantly monitors itself.
We just checked the
system with a chlorine flush.
All the pumping
stations shut down...
the purification plant started
an automatic backwash...
the White House
switched to reserves.
- So the system's working.
- Somebody beat it.
I don't have to remind you that
Washington, D.C. is a prime target...
for every two-bit extremist.
It won't be long before they find
out that our water is vulnerable.
Now, I want this guy ID'd and
picked up today. Move it out.
Metropolitan P.D. has already
screened 1600 anonymous tips...
positively identifying
the man in the video.
Well, follow up every one.
That could take weeks.
You've got hours. We're already
getting reports from the Mideast.
Everyone with a grudge
against us wants this guy.
Excuse me. I should have followed
procedure and gone through proper channels.
- But I thought you would want to see this.
- What is it?
It's a positive identification of
the man who was on television.
I've got his last known address,
last known phone and next of kin.
Well, what are you
waiting for? Go get him.
Yes, sir. LEE: Come on.
Oh, tip number 1601.
This is point one, we are
10-20 at the Davis house.
WOMAN: Roger, point one.
This is point three, we are in
position and the block is secured.
This is point two. We
are 10-20, in position.
Stand by point one and
two. All agents move.
I've got it. WOMAN: Suspect
is considered priority one.
Let's go.
- No gunfire. Suspect
is to be taken complete.
Somebody really called out the militia.
- Yeah.
This guy is the most
wanted man in D.C.
He was a nice guy when
I knew him years ago.
I mean, I guess he
could have changed.
Helicopters are a nice touch.
Mother, they're here.
- You're here about Carmine, right?
- Yeah.
I told you they'd be here.
You wouldn't let me call.
- He's not here.
- Hello, Mrs. Davis, I'm Amanda King.
Do you remember me?
Carmine help me set up an
ecology group a couple years ago.
Oh, I'm sorry, Carmine set
up so many of those things.
Yes, I know. We
need to talk to him.
Talk to him? Hell, I'd
like to ring his neck.
Uh, I'll have to look
inside, if you don't mind.
Sure. Come on, I'll
show you around.
How much trouble is he in?
Well, he broke the law.
He scared an
awful lot of people.
The water supply is a pretty
sensitive thing. We need to find him.
Thank you.
When was the last
time you saw Carmine?
He was home this
weekend, wasn't he?
He didn't say anything
about what he was up to?
No, just did laundry, cleaned out the
refrigerator and went back to school.
Just like every other weekend.
He's been pushing hard to
finish his Ph.D. dissertation.
- We barely see him anymore.
- What's all this stuff?
It's his play bench. He's
had it ever since he was a kid.
Well, we'll have to have
someone go through it.
Yeah. I understand, Carmine's
done something really stupid...
- and he's gonna have to pay for it.
- Yes, he will.
Um...
Could you kind of make sure they
don't make it too hard for him and...
Sure make his
mother feel a lot better.
Uh, I can't promise anything.
- We'll do our best. We can promise that.
- Yeah.
It has been confirmed here, at the
Davis home, that Carmine Davis...
a 2 5-year-old Ph.D. candidate
at the University of Georgetown...
is responsible for the
greening of Washington's water.
I know your government's
anxious for an opportunity.
Of course I can,
he's in my backyard.
Any information on the
whereabouts of this man.
For that amount, your government
can have exactly what they want.
Carmine, you're gonna
make me a very rich man.
I know exactly how many
international flights come into Dulles.
That is your problem. My
problem is finding a terrorist.
I want every passport and every
piece of baggage double checked.
Scramble this. Get it to
our Mideast operatives.
And if anybody so much
as walks funny, I want
them detained until
we can question them.
Jensen, pull Lannier and Davis out of
crypto and get them out to the airport.
Right away.
Francine, the White House is barking at
me for an update on that terrorist angle.
Well, tell them anybody with
teeth is hungry for Carmine.
I think the president would like
something a little bit more specific.
All right. Well, here
is the latest profile.
Syria, Germany, Libya, every
terrorist organization is making noises.
Melrose.
Where?
All right, we'll handle it.
The Cubans have boats in the water. Let's
send a unit over to help the Coast Guard.
I am running out of manpower.
You can't expect me to track down...
every suspicious move in
the Northern Hemisphere.
Come on. We've got
to find Carmine Davis.
Where are Amanda and Lee?
They're blanketing the university.
There's no contact with Carmine yet.
Do you have anything good
I could tell the president?
Do you want an honest answer?
I don't think so.
- I'll see you there.
- I'll talk to him.
- You'll have a good time.
- Heh, heh. I can meet you there.
I've got one.
All right, get this stuff down
to the lab. I'll seal off the room.
- Sorry. Excuse me. How's it going?
- Hi.
It's taken us two hours to clean
this place. Hope it pays off. You?
They're working
on Carmine's room.
- What about his professor?
- Oh, bad news. It's still semester break.
He's in the Brazilian rain forest.
They'll try to track him down.
The Brazilian rain forest? That's
a big place and there's no time.
What are you doing?
Uh, I'm Lee Stetson.
This is Amanda King.
- Hello. SALLY:
You're federal agents?
- Yeah, that's right.
- Sally Boyer. I'm the next door down.
What did you do with
Carmine's papers?
Well, we're trying to figure out
how Carmine polluted the water.
He didn't pollute the water. He
was making a point with some dye.
We know what he did.
Maybe you could tell us how.
Yeah, well, maybe I couldn't.
Look, if you know
something and you're not
telling us, you're not
doing anybody any good.
I told you all I know. Okay?
- Never trust anyone over 30.
- What?
Remember we used to say that in
college? "Never trust anyone over 30."
Yeah. You think she knows
more than she's telling us?
Yeah.
I think we better
put a tail on her.
- Sally.
- Carmine?
Get me out of here.
- Oh, you really did it this time.
- Not now, Sally.
Just get me out of here.
Lee's coordinating
surveillance on Carmine's
apartment, his office,
his parents' house...
- every place he's been.
- Good.
Excuse me, but if he knows there's a whole
army after him, he's not gonna come out.
Amanda, this is a
25-year-old walking time bomb.
What is it, Billy?
We just intercepted this transaction
on the international bank wire.
Someone in Libya deposited a
million dollars in a Swiss account.
Oh, that fits.
The Libyans need to do
something to embarrass us...
otherwise their generals are gonna
lose a lot of face in empty threats.
We're working with the Swiss to
try to get a name on the account.
Don't Swiss accounts
mean professionals?
- Oh, yes. Unfortunately, the worst kind.
- Damn that kid.
If we don't get him
before they do...
some madman will have a
weapon that could kill a city.
Excuse me, sorry to trouble you.
- There seems to be a mix-up.
- I don't know what you're talking about.
I think you picked up my bag by
mistake back in the Laundromat.
I wasn't at a Laundromat.
You must have me mistaken.
I don't make those mistakes.
What I want is in the back of your car.
What are you doing?
Get out of my car! Stop it!
- Hey! What's the problem?
- Oh, there's no problem now, officer.
The car stalled. They're overheated or
something. Thank you for your concern.
Look, I went over everything
with a half a dozen other agents.
Sally, we found a picture of
you and Carmine in his office.
- You're pushing the wrong buttons.
- I'm not trying to push buttons.
- I want to find Carmine.
- You and the rest of the world.
He was just trying to get a little
publicity for a conservation bill.
I understand that. But in the process,
he beat a top-secret purification system.
And there are a lot of
pretty rough people out
there who would do
anything to find out how.
If you're trying to
scare me, good job.
I'm not trying to scare you.
I just want you to understand that I'm
Carmine's friend and I'm worried about him.
Tell him to call me.
I don't want to see him hurt
and I don't think you do either.
If I see him, I'll pass it on.
- What happened?
- I think I got to her.
- And?
- She's in love with Carmine.
- Well, so what?
- She's not gonna tell us where he is.
It's amazing how a little
romance can complicate things.
There's nothing much out of
his house or his dorm room.
He did play with some interesting
toys down in his basement.
A 64 KZ-80 computer, circuits
from portable radios, a microscope...
ammonium nitrate, magnesium
sulfate, phenolphthalein.
It's your basic toy chemistry set.
Nothing that could pollute the water.
- And nothing that'll get us anywhere.
- What about his dissertation?
Well, he's working with
synthetic enzymes...
specifically utilizing
these organic catalysts
as a way of uniting
various molecules.
Charles, we're not chemists.
But could it be used to beat
the Omega Triad System?
Well, in layman's
terms, yes and no.
How about in non-layman's terms?
Well, according to Mr. Davis' notes he's
been able to break substances down...
and then at any given time integrate
them back to their basic structures.
- How did he make the water green?
- Okay, well, maybe this will help you.
Imagine I put half the
formula for blue dye...
- in this beaker...
- Uh-huh.
And the other half in this beaker.
- Yeah.
Each beaker is harmless. Passes through
the Omega Triad System without a red flag.
Then on the other side...
it's just the combination
of two chemicals.
Now, what Davis' dissertation suggests
is that he could do this with any compound.
And if he can?
If he can, you're dealing with
something akin to a molecular time bomb.
- Melrose here.
- I'm at the Paradise Fountain Hotel.
Sally Boyer just went in.
- Did you see Carmine?
- No. But I'm gonna go in now.
- Backup is on the way.
- Right.
Oops, I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?
Carmine.
You're in real trouble.
It was an act of civil
disobedience, a misdemeanor.
I was supposed to have been picked
up by police and had my day in court.
You still can.
Honey.
Those are not metropolitan police
out there. Those are federal agents.
- They're gonna bury me.
- They're going to protect you.
- Stay with the plan. Turn yourself in.
- My plan? My plan is over.
Just like every other
plan that I have started.
The world is dying
and they won't listen.
Carmine, I care about the world too,
but I care about you a hell of a lot more.
It'll be all right.
I just don't want
to see you get hurt.
That Mrs. King really scared me.
Come here. Come here.
So you think I should
give myself up, huh?
Well, Mrs. King was always
pretty straight with me.
All right.
I'll get my stuff.
I'll go get the car.
Mr. Davis.
You and I have a little
business deal to discuss.
That man's got Carmine.
Hold on.
Aah! MAN: Look out!
Don't move. WOMAN 1: Oh, no.
- Just stay there.
- Come here.
Stay back!
Whatever he hit me with,
they neutralized in time.
I still feel dizzy, but they say I can
be released in a couple of hours.
Good. What about the ID? Was
it the Australian, Franklin Miller?
I only had half a second to see
him before I hit the pavement.
But his coloring, his height,
his accent, it could have been.
Can you give a green
light on a positive ID?
Not as green as the water.
All right. We'll just
have to go with it.
Just because you're in the hospital
doesn't mean you're off the clock.
You get back in here pronto.
The Swiss have confirmed that the
account belongs to Franklin Miller...
alias Jordan
Parker, alias Starkill.
Is this the Miller that's been running
with the Red Letter gang for years?
- The same.
- What's the Red Letter gang?
A bunch of punks who
kill for politics and profit.
He did it so well that he
started freelancing last August.
Now he's just
motivated by profit.
- How'd he get in the country?
- We have no idea.
But we do know he's been living
under our noses for six months.
Yeah. He's smart and gutsy. Damn,
we should have had him by now.
They just pulled out bullets
from your car, Scarecrow.
- I'm surprised you're still in one piece.
- How's Francine?
Just a scratch of
zenoprolyne. She's fine.
I talked to Sally Boyer.
She'll be released
from the hospital today.
Good. Now here's the bad news.
Up till now we've been running
on a reserve water supply.
Well, how much time do we have?
We'll be running dry
in less than 12 hours.
So to get Miller, we're gonna
have to turn the water back on.
- That leaves us wide open. It's too risky.
- No, Billy. Billy, Amanda is right.
Now, Miller has
been hired to do a job.
He can play this game of
cat and mouse with us forever.
Yes. Eventually we're gonna
have to turn the water back on.
Yeah, and when we do,
Miller will be waiting for us.
You want to flush him out.
And put every agent we have in
and around that purification center.
The bottom line is that we
gamble he won't get anything by us.
- Yeah.
- It's a big gamble.
If we lose it, we call the television
channels, the radio stations...
we do a media blitz,
we warn everybody.
Yeah, any way you look
at it, Billy, if we lose...
hundreds of thousands
of people are gonna die.
Damn it, Scarecrow, you're
not making this easy for me.
If I draw to an inside straight,
I don't think about losing.
All right. Every piece
of security equipment
and manpower
around that water plant.
Amanda, I want a
follow up on Sally Boyer.
If there's anything, anything
that can get us to Carmine...
get on the horn to Lee.
- Yes, sir.
I'll inform the president and
coordinate from here. Let's move it.
- Lee.
- Hmm.
How'd you do the last time
you drew to an inside straight?
How do you think I got my car?
Let's just say my friend
Carmine was a good sport.
We've come up with something interesting.
It's tasteless, odorless and very potent.
Pleasure doing
business with you too.
Good morning.
It's moving day.
You can't poison the water.
It's halfway there
anyway, isn't it?
People will die.
And a couple of Libyans will have their
revenge and I'll have a million dollars.
It's a neat contract,
don't you think?
Look at it this way. You'll got a second
chance to test this great concept of yours.
I'm not doing any more.
I'm done.
You'll do what I tell you
to do, when I tell you...
or there won't be anything
left of you but one last scream.
- Come on, Champ. Get it! Get it!
- I was out the minute the door hit me.
I'm sorry. I really
want to help, Mrs. King.
Okay. Let's just try to
take this step by step.
If Carmine's going to
repeat the experiment,
he's going to need
some kind of lab...
with computer analysis
for designing enzymes.
Well, he'd be crazy to
try to use a campus lab.
He didn't do the first experiment
there. I would have seen him.
- He does need his equipment.
- Not necessarily.
He's already split the formula
and all he would need is a computer.
Okay. Let's say he has
already split the formula.
- How is he gonna get the dye in the water?
- I don't know.
He stuck his head in my door
with a couple of water balloons.
I thought he was goofing around.
He wanted me to
videotape his confession.
The next time I saw him, the
whole world was falling apart.
Ha, ha, I've got it.
Carmine, why didn't you call us?
Because I thought that you
would be ashamed of me.
- You're our son.
- Shut up, lady.
Hey, hey, why don't
you just let them go.
They have got
nothing to do with this.
I'll worry about mom and
pop. You get on with the work.
It's done.
I've taken the toxin and split
it at the third double bond.
Now, separately both
beakers are harmless...
but when the enzymes
bring them together, they are...
- Man, you can't do this. This is insane.
- I want to see it work.
I want to see it work now.
- Separately, both beakers are harmless.
- Put them together.
Put them together.
- Balloons?
- Yeah. That's what she said.
- Why?
- Well, I don't know.
Maybe Carmine
put the dye in them.
Got to find out where
he makes that stuff.
There could be hundreds
of labs in this city.
Six hundred and
fourteen to be exact.
I've got every man I can spare checking
them out. We've got three ourselves.
- How are things at the purification plant?
- Every inch of it is covered.
I'd feel a lot better
if we had Carmine.
What? AMANDA: Laundry.
Sally said that Carmine
came by her dorm room...
and showed her
balloons on Monday, right?
Yeah.
Carmine's father said the only
time they see him anymore...
is when he comes home on
weekends to do his laundry.
Then the laundry room
isn't only a laundry room.
- Ah. It's a lab.
- It's a lab. That's it.
You're covered. Don't waste
any more time. Get rolling.
What?
Lee and Amanda think they've
found where our button's been hiding.
Where are they?
At a phone booth
near the Davis house.
They think that Miller might be
using Carmine's old lab equipment.
All right. I'll get
a backup team.
No, no. I want you back
at the purification plant.
Billy, I've got every inch
of that place covered.
Listen, he's been ahead
of us every step of the way.
If we lose him at the Davis
house, we have only one shot left.
It takes time to get
the water shut down.
- Maybe we should start now.
- No.
We stick with the plan.
The water stays on.
That is a hell of
a calculated risk.
Listen, it's my decision.
It's on my head.
We've been tiptoeing on a razor's
edge since Miller joined the game.
- It's too late to fold up now. Go.
- Yes, sir. I'm on my way.
I appreciate all the time
we've spent together.
I'm sure you'll be
expecting some guests soon.
I hope they enjoy the greeting.
Miller's been playing his cards
right every step of the way.
If he's at the Davis
house, we better be careful.
He's probably got a
nice fat ace up his sleeve.
- Who is it?
- He's one of our guys. He's drugged.
- This Miller guy doesn't fool around.
- Well, the backup ought to be here soon.
- Take it nice and slow, huh?
- Yeah.
How's it look?
Empty from here. I'm
gonna check around the back.
Right.
- What's our status?
- Lee's in the back. There's an agent down.
Take care of it.
Anything going on inside?
- Empty as far as I can see. AMANDA:
It's okay. The door is unlocked.
Hold it.
It's booby-trapped.
No time for a bomb
squad. It may be on a timer.
Then we'll have to
go through the window.
Get that thing out
of here. I'm fine.
Mr. Davis, they just don't
want to take any chances.
I don't care what they
want. I'm not getting on that.
Would you just cooperate?
- We've got enough problems.
- The problem was your 10th birthday.
Never should have
bought that chemistry set.
Norm, would you please do
what they want and shut up.
Here we go.
You'll take care of our boy?
I will. EMT: Lock it in, Jim.
We have surveillance teams all the way
from the purification plant down to here.
I bet Miller knows it too.
Carmine, is there any specific place
where Miller might dump that poison?
Not if he's using the balloons.
Tell your men to look for a
balloon. Get them out of the water...
before they're sucked under.
We could stretch a net
across the waterway.
If there's any hint
of a current, you're
taking a chance. Nets
will rip the balloons.
Look, Billy, Carmine can
explain it all on the way up there.
All right. Go. I'll put the
purification plant on alert.
What's beyond the main aqueduct?
Once there, you're in
the middle of the country.
Lots of places to hide.
That's where he'll be.
Take Amanda with you
and cover the perimeter.
Take the radio because I
want to know what's going on.
You got it. Amanda,
could you hold onto it?
Yeah.
Come on, Carmine.
I know the area up there
like the back of my hand.
Unfortunately, Miller's the kind
of guy who does his homework.
He'll know it too.
I'm sorry, I tried to lie, but I was
so scared I told this guy everything.
Carmine, he gave
you a truth drug.
- There's nothing you could have done.
- Yeah, Amanda's right.
All we can do now is try to
stop him before he hits us.
There's the road I used up ahead.
- All right.
Hold on, it can
get pretty rough.
We checked the other
entry points. No balloons.
- Miller must be at your
end. LEE: Thanks, Francine.
- Keep your eyes open and stay in touch.
- Will do.
That's it. He's got
half of it in the water.
We're on top of him. I feel it.
I'll radio Francine, tell
her they're on the way.
No. We got a problem.
Can't take the chance
of missing one of them.
Okay. Well, then we'll just have to stop
Miller before he gets the yellow ones in.
They have to be 23 minutes apart
so they don't set the alarms off.
All right. Put your clock on it. That's
how much time we have to find Miller.
Tough country here.
Miller could be anywhere.
Not really. There's only about
three or four ways to
the water this far out.
Yeah, well, let's hope Miller
hasn't crawled too far under a rock.
Lee.
- Yeah.
- Where are you?
If we haven't missed him, we
should just be on top of Miller.
I can't guarantee we got every one of
those balloons. It's a mess down here.
They're not 100 percent
on the red balloons.
Assume it's in the water.
We've got to get the yellow one.
They're trying to shut down,
but it'll take too much time.
All right. Do what you can.
Lee, Billy's putting
the president on alert.
I understand.
- There he is.
- He got some in.
Miller!
Go on!
Stay in the car, Carmine.
Hold on a minute.
- Here.
- Oh!
Amanda, get back.
Back by the car.
That's terrific, Sally. I
know you'll be happy.
Well, I don't... You never
know. Maybe someday.
Okay. Say hello
to Carmine for us.
All right. Bye-bye.
- Who's that? Sally?
- Yeah. Carmine's been working all day...
with the Army engineers
on the Omega Triad System.
The judge might take that
into consideration at his trial.
I hope so. He's got a
lot to look forward to.
- Why?
- He asked Sally to marry him.
- No.
- Mm-hm.
- When's the big day?
- They haven't set a date.
They're gonna take
it one step at a time.
Well, you never know.
Maybe one day...
- What?
- That's what you said on the phone.
Oh, yeah.
She asked if I thought I'd ever
get married again and I said:
"You never know. Maybe someday."
- We have meeting. Where's the report?
- Uh, it's right here, Billy.
- Yeah. Second one under.
- Yeah. Right here.
See you later. LEE: Mm-hm?
Mm-hm.