01x18 - Bezgranichnyy

[bunniefuu]

Previously on Limitless...

Do not tell anyone about this. I mean it.

You put your sister in danger... undercover agent bleeding out on the kitchen table.

I love you, Brian, but unless you start making some different choices, you are not welcome here.

When all of this started, we made promises to each other.

I know. I didn't mean to lie to you.

I just spoke to Naz.

You're being assigned to a different handler.

Your mom mentioned an undercover agent.

Yeah.

Could you describe him for me?

My name's Sands.

You belong to Mr. Morra now, which means you belong to me.

Did you k*ll Piper Baird's boyfriend?

(sighs) She found you. I thought she might.

I know how Morra works.

He has a way of corrupting good people.

You're one of them. Same way I was.

You can't play both sides forever.

I'm gonna figure out how that enzyme works, Brian.

You can be free of Morra for good.

If Morra ever finds out that you are still alive, then everything that means anything to me is gone.

(dance music playing)

♪ Oh, my gosh ♪
♪ Oh, my gosh... ♪

Man (Russian accent): Are you sure this girl in St. Petersburg?

I tracked her here.

Her real name's Piper Baird.

She's been traveling using an alias, Frances Houseman.

She checked into a hotel in Lower Nevsky.

That was, like, two weeks ago.

And you think I can help you find her?

Well, I asked around.

Everyone said Vladi knows things.

Well, I can see.

No promises.

You might not like answer.

A beautiful girl disappears, usually means one of two things.

Neither good.

So... who is this girl?

Why are you in Petersburg?

That's my business.

You refuse drink?

Is not polite to refuse drink.

So it's really not that complicated.

I mean, things got weird at work.

Right? My partner... my handler... whatever she is, she was like, "I just feel like you're lying to me pretty much always."

And my family... They pretty much just said: "You know, you're a big disappointment."

"And you should pretty much just take off."

So it all built up, and one day I was like, "I got to get out. Right? I mean, I just got to... I just got to just get out. Right?"

I'm not saying I'm a big deal, per se. All right?

But if I just took off, people would notice.

I mean, they would be like, "Where the frick is Brian?"

"Brian just, like... whew. He's gone. You know? He just left."

And Naz will be like, "What do you mean, he's gone, ja? He's not allowed to just go."

And Rebecca will be all like, "Hey, what do you want from me? Dude's gone."

And you know Boyle's gonna have an opinion.

"I knew something like this would happen. Brian's a flake. He wears dumb sweaters."

And Naz will say, "Whatever on the sweaters, ja? Just find him."

And so, you know... (sighs) there's the whole "on the run" aspect to consider.

So why are you so important to these people?

I am so important to these people...

Hmm.

I... You know what? That's where it gets tricky, 'cause I-I can't... I can't really talk about that.

♪ ♪

It's called NZT.

NZT.

Now... How much of this are you understanding, Evgeny?

None? Good.

So I took two pills from my bodyguards before I left, and I'm pretty sure they told Rebecca.

"Look, we don't how to tell you this, but Brian...

"he took two pills.

And we were powerless to resist."

So... (laughs)

I honestly have no idea what she's gonna do.

You're definitely not understanding, like, any of this, are you?

And Piper... she is...

Look, I only met her a couple of times, but she is amazing.

Seriously.

I mean, how many people can say... "I'm a chemist or a biochemist or something, and I also totally know how to use a sn*per r*fle. And the last time I saw Brian, I gave him a little kiss on the cheek. But maybe it was more than a kiss on the cheek. You know?"

So if Piper can make the immunity sh*t, then Sands can't control me anymore, and I can finally tell him, "Hey, Sands, you know what, man? Cram it!"

And he'll have to say, "I will, Brian. I will cram it."

So I used one pill to track Piper here... which means I've got one pill left.

Oh, hey, man. How you doing?

So I wonder if I can use that one to find her, and then we can get out of whole mess, you know?

Then everyone... Rebecca, my family, everyone...

Will be like, "You fixed it, Brian. You rule."

That's why I'm kind of all-in on this Piper thing though.

Good news, my friend.

That was fast.

Konstantin talked to a man named Yuri.

Yuri texted the picture to his cousin Andrea who knows things, and she says, "My friend's girlfriend's cousin shares a cell with that girl in Kresty Prison."

Wait. What?

Your friend, she is not dead or sex sl*ve.

She is in prison.

Congratulations.

♪ ♪
♪ ♪

Brian: That's Kresty Prison.

If there was a competition for worst place in the world, it could give 1970s Detroit a run for its money.

And that is my last NZT pill.

From the second I take this, I have 12 hours to get there, gain entry, find Piper, and then break out with her before the dose wears off.

Second Brian: Or die trying.

Which, let's face it, is really the most likely scenario.

You don't know that.

I mean... I don't know that?

Come on, man.

Every second you're on NZT, there is an oddsmaker running numbers in your head.

So, what's the over-under on you surviving this?

That depends on the plan.

And which one of the plans that you totally don't have is the one where you get away alive?

I'm working on it.

Helpful fact: in 115 years, exactly one person has escaped this prison.

So escape is possible.

And that person was, you know, Russian and inside the prison and not you.

Hmm.

All right. I'll run scenarios with you.

Frontal as*ault?

Brian: Open the gates! Please!

(rapid g*nf*re)

Brian: All right, okay, I get it.

We've got 12 hours.

Brute force approach is a no-go.

Surely there are other outcomes.

Of course there are. And don't call me Shirley.

(both laugh)

On the other hand, you are in a country where, rumor has it, corruption and graft hold actual sway.

I don't even know how much I have left in rubles.

I mean, Vladi wasn't cheap.

There are other forms of currency.

Influence, for example.

Okay, all right.

So...

Who is the most influential person in the St. Petersburg prison system?

Boyle: Okay, so State tells us that someone in Moscow broke the bank at a casino betting on the roulette wheel.

A CIA asset says someone stole a shipment of hand grenades from an arms dealer in Georgia.

They're outliers.

They could have been enabled by NZT, but does that sound like Brian?

Well, those guys at State, they don't know Finch the way we do.

Naz: Hey.

I've got a conference call with D.C. in five minutes.

What can I tell them about Brian's whereabouts?

Well, we know he traveled to Moscow on the, um... fake passport you gave him.

I'll leave that part out, thanks.

Well, we don't know if that was his final destination, and we don't have the authority to do a damn thing on Russian soil.

So the, uh, Diplomatic Security Service, they're working it hard.

The CIA has their assets keeping their ears open, and NSA, they've cast a...

In other words, nothing new.

No.

Naz.

Are you gonna tell them?

On your call, are you gonna tell them that Brian brought two pills with him?

To Russia?

A country we are currently sanctioning?

If D.C. finds out that Brian brought NZT into Russia, this becomes an entirely different kind of manhunt.

Now, I am pissed off with Finch, but I know he's not a spy.

I just don't want him to get sh*t.

I want him to come home in one piece so I can sh**t him.

(phone chimes)

Ike: Can I have a word?

We're down in the file room.

Look, I don't know if this is anything at all.

But I also know that we're stuck here waiting for the State Department to find Finch.

So we hope this will help.

We were at the house, right?

When he had the big blowup with his family, we were there.

But something came up while they were fighting.

I guess Brian's sister was at the safe house and someone showed up with a s*ab wound.

Brian told her he was an undercover agent, but he did an emergency procedure on the guy in the middle of the night.

That doesn't make any sense.

Why would one of our people go to Brian for medical care?

Right?

Now, I know Rachel a little.

I-I asked her about it, but she really wouldn't talk to me.

She said Brian told her not to talk to anyone about it.

Now, it could be nothing.

But... I don't know, it feels weird.

And anything could be a lead at this point, right?

Yeah, thanks.

Sorry.

Room just didn't feel right without those on.

♪ ♪

Brian: So it turns out that the biggest of all judicial bigwigs in St. Petersburg is that guy, Maxim Lavrov, Deputy Prosecutor General.

Oh, no, I understand you're a very busy man.

But this really shouldn't take longer than...

I don't know, 15 minutes?

But I can't tell you who I'm talking to.

That part's a surprise.

Hey, now.

I heard you out for, what, three hours?

You can give me 15 minutes.

Thank you.

I just had to dig around a little bit in Lavrov's life, see what I could learn.

It was kind of a busy day.

(bell dings)

- One more thing.

Dobbry Den!

We were speaking Russian.

But I'll translate for you.

(bell dings)

Good afternoon.

I'm here to see Maxim Lavrov.

I don't have an appointment, but you can tell him that I'm here to discuss "The Iron Price."

Where did you hear this name, "The Iron Price"?

I did a little digging around.

Some light hacking of firewalls.

No, wait!

Hear me out, hear me out, hear me out.

"The Iron Price."

That is the screen name you use on Game of Thrones message boards.

You've got, like, 20,000 posts between three different sites.

You're a little obsessed, man.

Sir.

These books, they are a saga of realpolitik.

There is much to learn from them.

I'm not here to judge.

I'm really not.

I can dig it, man. I love the show.

I'm here to help.

Help?

Yeah.

I bought this phone.

I got in touch with George R.R. Martin's publisher, who said, "All requests to talk to Mr. Martin have to go through his publicist."

She told me, "Look, the guy's crazy busy.

I can't just give you his phone number."

But after a few white lies, I was on the phone with the man himself.

I told him I was in a complicated situation in Russia.

And it turns out he's in a complicated situation for this other project he's been trying to find time for.

We talked for... way more time than I had to spare.

Kicked around a few ideas.

I think he's got a great handle on it now.

And in exchange for the help, he's willing to tell you how it all ends.

The fate of Westeros and all its inhabitants.

Turns out he's always known that.

George R.R. Martin is on that phone?

I hope so.

You still there?

And all I need from you is for you to help my friend out of a jam.

So this is a bribe.

I guess. Kind of. Yeah.

But, look, come on, man.

It's the end of A Song of Ice and Fire.

He took the call.

The Deputy Prosecutor General talked to George R.R. Martin for, like, five minutes.

Then he had me put in cuffs.

Maybe he didn't like the ending.

I almost had the cuffs open when they pulled the truck over.

(grunts)

Hey, did I forget to mention that there are people looking for me, you know?

Americans, you know.

We tend to be tenacious.

Mr. Lavrov invites you to leave our country immediately.

And never to speak of this to anyone.

Brian?

(chuckles)

Hi.

Are you okay?

How did you do this?

It is a very long story involving another really long story.

Can I tell you about it on the way to the airport?

Thank you.

Yeah.

You're okay.

You're out.

Okay? Piper, listen to me.

I came here because I need your help.

Okay? I'm ready.

Okay? I'm ready to be done with Morra, with Sands, all of it.

Like I said, a lot of details.

And I'd rather tell you on the way out of here, okay?

Brian...

Yeah?

I can't leave yet.

I'm almost done, but the last thing I need to synthesize the sh*t, it's here.

I got arrested trying to steal it.

Uh-huh.

And you want to do that again now?

I don't have a choice.

If I'm ever gonna make the enzyme, we can't leave Russia.

Great.

Piper: It's called Roarke's Delphinium.

It speciated from the common flower after the nuclear tests in Socorro County.

Thrives in radioactive soil, and it's one of the rarest plants in the world.

The oil you extract from the seeds of Roarke's Delphinium...

It's one of the last ingredients in the booster sh*ts that Senator Morra gives you.

Is that why you're in St. Petersburg?

Fourth wealthiest person in Russia, Nikolai Zukov.

He made billions in oil after the Soviet Union fell.

The older he gets, the more paranoid he becomes about the end of the world.

His latest pet project is a seed vault that he keeps underneath his house.

I got arrested trying to get in there.

And now that you're free, you really want to try it again?

If you want those booster sh*ts, we don't have a choice.

You want my help?

(laughs)

I don't know what good I'd be.

I mean, I used my last NZT to get you out of prison.

I have some.

I timed my last attempt to one of Zukov's vacations, but his security was too good.

And you think it's gotten less good, now that you got caught trying to break in?

No.

But he's having a benefit to raise money for the Russian Botanical Society in a week.

There's gonna be hundreds of people there, and if we can slip in under cover of the party...

We can steal the seeds.

Look, we could wind up in prison, or worse.

You want to go home, I get it.

(knocking at door)

Special Agent Harris.

Mrs. Finch. May I come in?

Thank you for having me over.

Marie: I assume if you knew anything about Brian's whereabouts, you would tell us, yes?

I don't.

I was hoping Rachel could help with that.

Uh, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Actually, Rachel told me what she had to say, and I honestly don't see how this could point us to where Brian is.

Well, it's my understanding that Brian spoke to you about, um, an undercover agent at his apartment.

His apartment?

You mean the safe house that the FBI is providing Brian with.

Right. I was hoping that you could provide a description of that man.

Why?

Excuse me?

Why is a description of this man relevant to finding my son?

Mr. Finch, the entire Cross-Jurisdictional Command is searching for Brian.

We are exhausting every lead...

Yeah, because you have no idea where he is.

You're just flailing about, hoping that somebody will accidentally point you in the right direction.

You can understand how this doesn't exactly fill me with confidence.

I'm sorry. Mr. Finch, are you formally acting as Rachel's legal counsel?

Because I'm not here to interrogate anyone.

I'm simply trying to get to the bottom of what happened in that apartment.

No.

I'm not formally representing my daughter.

I wanted to speak candidly with you, Agent Harris, because frankly...

I'm pissed.

I understand.

No, you don't.

You have no idea.

The last time I saw you here, you were standing just about where you're standing now and you called my son a m*rder*r.

Rachel: He did save your life, Dad.

Yeah.

He did. You're right, sweetheart.

He did save my life, and I think about it every day.

And every time I do, I wonder if this was my fault.

If I hadn't been sick, could he just have walked away from all of this...

From the FBI, from the dr*gs?

I can rationalize all this away, because I have my life, I had my son, I could see him, I could talk to him...

Mr. Finch, I...

Where is my son?!

What the hell have you people done to him?

And why in God's name should I, or anyone else in my family, help you in this case of yours... absent a guarantee of his safe return?

Can you provide that guarantee?

No.

I think maybe we should do this another time.

Okay.

Another time.

Agent Harris.

Yes, sir?

Next time you want to talk to anybody in my family about Brian, you issue a summons, and we'll testify formally under oath.

But otherwise... we have nothing to say.

Brian: In case you were wondering if I decided to stay in St. Petersburg...

I mean, it was only a week.

And sure, we had to save the last of our NZT, but there was plenty of vodka.

♪ ♪

And snow.

And vodka!

And borscht.

And what else do you need, really?

There was also work to do.

Piper walked me through Zukov's property: the seed vault, the weaknesses in his security system.

Without NZT, it took our combined efforts to remember enough about hacking to break into the Russian Botanical Society's invite list.

But in about three days, we were in.

In three more days, we'd combed through all the guests who had RSVP'd "no" until we found Benjamin and Olivia McMahon.

Not only were they American born, but they bore enough of a resemblance to Piper and I that we could make it work.

Only problem?

Olivia is the daughter of a mining magnate, which means she is loaded.

(playing "No Easy Way Out")

So I had to earn money somehow.

And I'm not saying I raked in the rubles, but I did make enough to afford what we needed to pass ourselves off as Mr. and Mrs. McMahon.

♪ Ain't no easy way out ♪
♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh... ♪

I didn't forget about my old life completely.

I sh*t Rebecca an e-mail once or twice so she could let everyone know I was okay.

I told her that I met a girl, and that I'd be home soon, and she said, "You met a girl? In Russia? Brian, get your ass back here now!"

So, basically, that all took a week.

In between all the, uh, you know...

(laughing) Let's just say it was a very full week.

And before we knew it, it was the day of Zukov's party.

Today's the day.

I wouldn't have minded another week.

You ready?

What?

(laughs)

Nothing.

You just look...

Hey, strange question: You sure we want to take these?

We've had a fun week.

More than fun.

What if we just... tried to live, you know, and forgot all this?

Be like normal people.

Together?

Yeah.

It has been fun.

But it hasn't been real.

Oh, come on. What are you talking about?

I'm pretty sure we were both there.

(sighs)

We got seven days to pretend we live in a world where neither of us got sucked into any of this.

But we did.

And it's nice to imagine going back to the way things were before.

But you can't. Neither of us can.

Not really.

(sighs)

There's a bigger picture here, and it matters more than either of us.

NZT, it's gonna change everything, and you and me, we get a say in whether that's a good thing or a disaster.

You matter now.

That's hard, but you can't walk away from this.

(exhales)

Ever since I started taking these pills, everyone's told me that I'm through making my own choices.

Whatever we did off of NZT, whatever we felt off of NZT, we were lesser versions of ourselves.

We have to be rational, and love has no place in that.

This is the real me, Brian.

And the real me needs... the real you.

Davai.

♪ ♪

Brian: After a week in a two-room flat on Bolshoy Prospekt, the combination of NZT with the palace of an oligarch made everything seem a little heightened.

(woman laughing loudly)

(man speaking Russian over earpiece)

You good?

Yeah, I'm fine.

It's just been a minute.

Well, focus on the plan.

First, we need to get eyes on Zukov.

There's no guarantee he didn't see my face, so we need to keep him good and away while I do what I do.

Quick question while we do that: Why is it...

No, thank you.

Every time someone takes enough NZT, they're always talking about "the greater good"?

(sighs) Because... the pills give you perspective.

And you don't think I have that.

Maybe you start from a different baseline than the rest of us.

Pretty sure you just called me dumb, but I'm gonna ignore that.

Food for thought: What if I'm right and you're wrong?

Spasibo.

'Cause you know who you sound like when you talk about sacrificing good things...

Things that are real right now...

On the altar of some hypothetical better future?

You sound like him.

You sound like Morra.

Could you stay in character, please?

Man: Mr. and Mrs. McMahon?

Yes.

Mr. Zukov has been very eagerly anticipating your arrival.

Has he?

You wanted to see me?

Vacation request?

Excuse me?

You have taken exactly one and a half sick days since you've been here at the CJC, and we practically had to remove you from the building for the half day.

Well, that was for... allergies, and...

Yeah, and now, suddenly, you're requesting a vacation of "indeterminate length."

Is that even a thing?

You know, Rebecca, we have every available intelligence asset looking for Brian.

On the ground, in the sky.

We have satellites orbiting the planet, Rebecca.

What exactly are you planning to do on this "vacation" to look for Finch that we're not already doing?

I just feel like if I were actively looking, then at least I'd be doing something.

You are doing something here.

You're needed here.

Everybody that's looking for Brian, they don't... know him.

He's just another file to them.

They don't have to look his family in the eye and tell them that he's gone and we don't know where.

I'm guessing the Finch family weren't exactly helpful.

"Helpful," no.

That is... not the word I would use.

His father blamed me for this, and...

I don't think he's wrong.

It's not the first time that I've seen this behavior.

Unstable, erratic, he tries to keep a handle on things, and then they get worse, and all of a sudden, he's gone.

I've seen how this plays out, and it does not end well.

Rebecca, whatever Dennis Finch said to you, this is not your fault.

And I promise you, we are going to bring Brian home.

If you want to go, I won't stop you.

Thank you.

It's not every day that we have the opportunity to entertain the horticulture tsar and tsarina of Chicago.

That's us.

Mr. Zukov! May I present...

Benjamin and Olivia McMahon.

What an honor and pleasure to have you in my home.

Well, the pleasure is all ours, Mr. Zukov.

(chuckles) Nonsense.

This place is disgusting.

I have become ostentatious with my good fortune.

Shameful.

But in my position, perhaps inevitable.

There's nothing shameful about celebrating beautiful things, Mr. Zukov.

Mrs. McMahon, through her foundation, has planted philanthropic gardens all across the blighted inner city of Chicago.

Yes.

Mr. Zukov, I noticed the silene tomentosa in the foyer.

Did you cultivate them yourself?

Mmm.

Gibraltar Campion.

Extraordinarily rare.

Yes.

You have an exquisitely trained eye, moya dorogaya.

You have an extraordinary collection.

Hey, is that a balalaika?

Zukov: It was my grandfather's.

Are you a musician, Mr. McMahon?

I dabble.

Mm.

May I?

Please.

(piano continues playing)

He's not allergic to attention either.

May I have a look at your plants while he...?

Of course.

Piper: Excuse me.

(Brian strumming balalaika, piano stops)

(playing Slavic melody)

(music continues in distance)

(beeping)

(lock clicks)

(door closes)

(people clapping rhythmically to music)

(beeping)

Zukov: That is Kalinka!

Amazing that he knows that. (chuckles)

You've lost your way?

My wallet was stolen.

Will I find it on you?

I'll save you the search.

(crowd cheering)

Hey!

(playing rapidly)

(screams)

(speaks Russian)

(music, rhythmic clapping continues)

Brian: Okay, not really.

It just seemed like a really long time.

Also, the outside of wherever I was being held probably didn't look like that.

Honestly, I never saw.

They arrested me and took me to some guy's office, and he told me, "Maybe you work for the FBI like you say you do and maybe you don't, but either way, we are holding you as an enemy of the state. So have fun and don't expect official charges for a trial anytime soon."

I think probably about a day and a half went by before anyone else talked to me.

(shouting in Russian)

I'm sorry. I... don't understand.

I told you to leave Russia.

Nikolai Zukov is asking questions about the release of your friend, the girl.

I won't say anything.

Is that the same as your promise to leave the country, hmm?

It's easier for me if all this goes away.

It's easier for me if you go away.

Understand?

You will die in custody.

Fight with one of the prisoners.

That is the official story.

(grunting)

You're making a mistake.

You came back.

Actually, I never left.

(chuckles)

Brian: She was about to.

She was almost out the door when she realized, "I can't leave Brian here."

So she took her last NZT pill to figure out a way to get me out.

And with one quick phone call to George R.R. Martin, Maxim Lavrov already knew the ending to Game of Thrones, but Piper realized, "You can't let anyone else know what happened."

So she had George R.R. Martin say, "I will tell the whole world that you took a bribe."

George threw in an offer to name a clan after a relative of Maxim's choosing.

Piper used her last few hours on NZT to make some new travel documents for us.

And here we are.

Why wouldn't you just leave?

Isn't that the smarter thing to do?

I don't know.

Maybe I spent too much time thinking about the future.

Maybe I need to pay attention to the things that are here right now.

(indistinct radio transmission)

(speaks Russian)

We'll stay.

Make sure you both leave tomorrow.

I'm gonna be in so much trouble when I go back.

Do you want to come with me?

I thought none of this was real.

I guess if I really believed that, I would've left you here.

Brian, when I think about the future, it's... big.

Who has the drug? What are they doing with it?

And I'm not gonna stop asking those questions.

But within that, maybe I can think a little more about... myself, where I am, who I'm with.

Yeah.

Neither of us can go back to the way things were before, but maybe we can make the way things are... better.

It's tempting.

(chuckles)

I can't go back to the States.

Sands and Morra think I'm dead.

Well, I wish I could come with you, but...

I came after you so I could stop betraying the people that I care about.

Not so I could get away from them forever.

I'm almost done with the sh*t.

I just need a week, maybe more.

And when I'm done, I'll find you.

(crickets chirping)

(phone chimes)

(sighs)

(mumbling): Okay, money transfer.

Do the thing.

Yes, I understand that there's a penalty to change the flight.

And I'll pay it, I just... I don't know when I'm traveling.

Or if.

So can we just...?

Thank you.

I appreciate it.

Excuse me, Agent Harris?

Yeah, Rachel, right?

Mm-hmm.

You can call me Rebecca.

Uh, I'm not even sure I should be here right now.

My dad doesn't want me to talk to you.

But Brian's been gone so long, and... you're the one he's been e-mailing.

So he must trust you.

I think he does.

Is there someplace we can go?

I'm ready to talk about what happened that night.

(exhales)

(phone ringing)

Rebecca (recorded): Hi, you've reached Rebecca Harris.

Please leave a message and I'll get back to you shortly.

Hey, it's me. It's Brian.

I'm coming back.

Not exactly sure what's waiting for me there, but I'm coming back.

I think things have a sh*t at being better now, and if there's any way we can work together, I want that.

You have no idea how much I want that.

And he was big.

At least a couple inches taller than Brian.

And a shaved head.

Thick British accent.

Look, you saw something in me.

A reason why you asked me to come work with you.

Well, it's still there. I promise.

Is that him?

Yeah.

That's him.

I don't care what Sasha says.

That girl has no idea what she's talking about.

I know things.

Barry Manilow did not write the song he sings.

I write the songs.

A pig's orgasm can last 11 to 40 minutes.

When you walk, your head moves faster than your body.

An octopus has three hearts.

Black holes aren't really black.

Quantum mechanics theorizes that there is unlimited number of universes, which means there is infinite amount of mes making this talk and infinite amount of yous listening.

Think about that.