01x07 - Crosshairs

[bunniefuu]

[SIGHS]

[GRUNTS SOFTLY]

[SIGHS]

Dad, what are you...
Why aren't you at work?

I'm going.
I just, uh, wanted to catch you first.

[SNIFFS]

You okay?

What happened to your shirt?

[CHUCKLES] It's cold as a witch's tit.

You're gonna catch your death.

- Let me get you something.
- No, I'm... It's fine.

Well, coffee at least. Warm yourself up.

[SIGHS DEEPLY]

[SCOFFS] I mean, Jesus, look at you.

How long's it been since you slept?

Now, I know this is a
tough time for you.

But this damn hole in the backyard...

You keep going like this,

you're gonna hurt yourself
or somebody else.

I love you, son.

I'll do whatever you need.

There is nothing that you can do.

Doc Rhodes gave me these
when your mother passed.

I looked a lot like you do right now.

I don't know if you remember.

I was doing everything I
could to hold it together,

and then at night...

There's no shame in bad dreams.

Now, take two of these.

Get some sleep.

Good boy.

You're a damn hero
as far as I'm concerned.

[DOOR CLOSES]

[PANTING]

[GRUNTING]

- [CHAMBERS ROUND IN p*stol]
- [GRUNTS, GASPS]

[GRUNTS]

[BREATHING HEAVILY]

[THEME MUSIC PLAYING]

[GRUNTING]

- Hey, easy now, Frank.
- [FRANK GRUNTING]

Don't overdo it.

What do you think?
We give it a last sh*t?

Sure. [SNIFFS]

[SIGHS]

[MICRO] Okay, one more time.

Colonel Morty Bennett, Fort Bryon.

[FRANK] I infiltrate here.

Make my way to Bennett's quarters,

which are here. I do what I gotta do.

Yes.

Then I head toward the extract point,
which is there.

And that is where you'll be waiting
in the van. [SNIFFS]

- Around the corner.
- That's it. You got it?

- That's it.
- Good boy.

Agent Orange.

He knows I'm alive.
He knows I'm coming for him.

It was him who was watching

that feed up on that mountain that day.

I know it.

If Gunner was right,
then Colonel Bennett...

Bennett knows Agent Orange's name.

He knows.

[SAM] ...one of three, one of...

Oh, thank you... Whoa. Too weird.

[CHUCKLES]

On duty, huh?

So what does that make me?

Your confidential
informant or something?

- Or something.
- Hmm.

What?

Nothing. I was just thinking.

Well, more remembering, really.

[SIGHS]

You look tired.

- [SIGHS] Well, I've been busy.
- Glad to hear it.

So, what have you got for me?

Nothing.

I reached out to everyone I know
who served with Frank.

Put the word out I needed to talk.

If he's alive, he knows
I'm looking for him

and he'll reach out.

But we're a small community,
and so far, nothing.

I wish I had better news for you,

but according to my sources...

Frank Castle is dead.

He's alive.

Okay.

If he's alive, after
everything he's done,

why not just go public with it?

I already told you more than I should.

Because you thought I could help you.

You said that he was hurt.

How could you know
something like that?

We found evidence of a firefight.

Someone walked away bleeding,
the only survivor.

Well, that sounds like Frank,
I'll give you that.

Who was he fighting?

Well, that's what I don't know yet.

They took away all the bodies,
left no trace.

Without Castle, I've got nothing.

If he's alive...
I promise you I will find him.

And then... maybe I can stop being
whatever "something" is

and go back to the other thing.

I like the other thing.

You know, the naked thing.

I know what thing
you're talking about.

Relax. Nobody's listening.

[SIGHS]

You told him about
Castle, didn't you?

Generally, you knock
before you come in.

No, because he was Castle's best friend

and if anyone knows
how to find him, it's Billy.

You just answered your own question,

and the next one,
which I guess would be, "Why?"

Nope. The next one is,
why didn't you tell me?

sh*t, why didn't you ask me

before running to some civilian?

Okay, I should've told you.

Look, I know it's a Hail Mary,

but we're running out of options.

You're not only compromising
this investigation,

you're compromising me.

I put my head in a noose for you
over this.

What? You're not gonna tell
Hernandez about Castle,

but you'll tell Billy Russo?

How do you know you can trust him?

- Same as with you. Instinct.
- Hmm.

See... that's not gonna work.

The implied flattery there?
No, nice touch.

Appreciate it, but no.

Uh, just curious. In Russo's case,

did the instinct have anything to do

with his scarily pretty face
and catwalk silhouette?

- Think I'm that shallow?
- Oh, we're all that shallow.

It's why pretty people rule the world.

What do you want me to say?

I want you to say you won't do it again.
And mean it.

Okay. It won't happen again.
Are we good?

- Guess we have to be.
- Good.

Most important thing is that Bennett
has to be where you say he is.

100%. I've accessed his credit cards,

bank statements, phone records.

I know where he gets his dry cleaning.

I know what he got his mother
for her birthday.

Colonel Bennett entertains

at home every Saturday
night, like clockwork.

Trust me.

He's gonna be tied up with company
when you arrive. [CHUCKLES]

The sooner we find him,
the sooner I get to put the guy down.

- You mean Agent Orange.
- What's that?

Well, you just said, "the guy."

I wanna make sure you mean Agent Orange
and not Colonel Bennett.

- Because that's not the plan.
- I know what the plan is, David.

Because I'd hate for
you to get confused.

You know, you got Colonel Bennett
standing in front of you.

You hate the guy, you have a g*n,
your blood gets up.

- You know how it goes.
- How exactly does it go, David?

I'm wondering. How does it go?

Is that how it, uh...
Is that how it goes for you? Hmm?

When your blood goes up, you just...

boom, boom, boom?
You got a room full of dead guys?

- I've never k*lled anybody.
- No.

Because you know, I was thinking,

maybe this time I wait in the van.
Right?

Send you in,
seeing as how you know the plan so well.

- I got the bad arm and all.
- Frank...

I'm under no illusion
that I can do what you can.

I appreciate what you're doing.

I appreciate the choice that you made.

Oh.

Well...

- whole thing's crazy.
- How do you mean?

Sneaking into a US m*llitary base.

The thing I keep thinking about is...
you know, what if...

what if one of these guys
tries to stop me, right?

Am I supposed to k*ll a US soldier
for doing his job?

Let's just hope it doesn't come to that.

Hmm.

[SIGHS]

[SAM] What's going on?

One day after we identify
Gunner Henderson,

he ends up dead on some mountain

in the backwoods of Kentucky.

Is there a reason we're not doing this

in your office, you know,
with the comfy chairs?

That's one hell of a coincidence.

Yeah, it is.

Then this guy, the gall of it,
he puts his hand on my ass and says,

- "See, perfect fit."
- Jesus.

Like it was still the '70s.

- What an assh*le. Am I right?
- [CHUCKLES]

Yeah.

That a true story, the hand on the ass?

'Cause I'm intrigued
to know what you did.

- It is, actually. I broke his finger.
- Of course you did.

Are you listening to what I'm saying?

Yeah, though it's tough

because we're standing in a hallway
and you're whispering.

Yeah, my point is...
Henderson's death is not a coincidence.

He was only k*lled after
we were onto him.

[MAN] Hey.

[SAM CLEARS THROAT]

Mm-hmm.

I think there's a bug in my office.

[BILLY]
So what does a place like this go for?

I have no idea.

The agency owns a few
up and down the East Coast.

Safe houses, custody, interrogation...
that kind of thing.

I could see myself in
a place like this...

[SIGHS] ...one day.

- You saw Madani?
- You know I did.

- You still sleeping with her?
- Every chance I get.

Have you seen her? Thank you.

She has no leads.

Henderson was her way in.

With him out of the way,
we don't have to worry about her

unless, of course, she gets to Castle.

There's no way
she gets to Castle before we do.

Trust me. I know him.

Clearly not as well as you think.

You should've k*lled him
when you had the chance.

The country has too much to lose

for Frank Castle to expose me.

And should it come to that,
you need to know

you'll be right there with me.

No more government contracts,
no more Anvil.

No Mr. Billy Russo.

No country house.

So I should have just... what?

k*lled him on the pier
right in broad daylight,

in front of a calzone truck?

No. Someone else. A sn*per.

[INHALES SHARPLY] You know...

I always...

thought of you
as more of a hands-on kinda guy.

Your face when you were working over
those Afghans...

They would talk and
talk, scared shitless.

Terrified and you'd just...
keep on hitting them.

And there would come this moment...

always, sometimes sooner,
sometimes later...

where they knew that
they were gonna die.

And you knew it, too.

You'd see it.

And I swear, you would get
about as hard as a man could get.

Is that your thing, Rawlins?

I mean, I'm not judging.
Every man's got a thing.

- Stay on point, Lieutenant.
- Oh, I am right on point.

I saw that same look on your face once.

That fear.

When Frank gave you that milky eye,

he was gonna keep right on going, too.

And you knew it then.

All of your grand ambitions
choked out of you in a shitty tent.

And who was it...

Remind me,
who was it who pulled him off you again?

Oh, yeah.

- I did.
- For which I'm eternally grateful.

Is that what you want, Billy?
My gratitude?

You were protecting your own meal ticket
was all. I made you.

You know what I think?

I think that maybe the only reason
that you ever wanted Frank dead...

was so that you could pretend
that he never made you feel

like a man about to die.

So...

are we gonna warn Morty Bennett that

Frank Castle might be coming for him?

Morty has the instincts of a rat
and the courage of a rabbit.

We tell him Castle is still living,
one of two things happen.

- He runs or he talks.
- So why not just k*ll him, too?

Not if we don't have to.
Too many questions.

We want Morty alive
and where we can find him.

When Castle finally turns up,
we're gonna save his life anyway,

so what can he complain about?

- [BENNETT] Your favorite.
- [SOFT MUSIC PLAYING]

Sit down and eat, Morty.

[SIGHS] Man, oh, man,
the week I have had.

You have no idea what it's
like living on a base

with a bunch of cretins.

A thousand men all looking for me

to tell them what to
do and when to do it.

If I didn't tell them, they
wouldn't know whether to sh*t

or fall back in it.

Look at the mess you've made.

You missed a spot.

[GRUNTING]

[PANTING]

[BEEPS]

- [FRANK] I'm in.
- Copy that, loud and clear.

Okay, got you on the drone.

[DRONE BUZZING]

We are good. You are clear to proceed.

[MICRO] Wait.

[SOLDIERS SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

[MICRO] Okay, go.

- [WHIP LASHING]
- [MUFFLED GRUNTING]

Shut it.

If I wanted to hear from you,
I'd take that gag out of your mouth.

- [WHIP LASHES]
- [GRUNTS]

I don't want to hear another sound
out of you.

Not a moan, not a grunt. Nothing.

But if you can be good...

I might just have a
little treat for you.

[MUFFLED] Mmm.

[GRUNTS]

Perfect. Hold there.

You have one sentry coming up
on your left.

He's gone.
You're clear to Bennett's quarters.

[SIGHS]

[MUFFLED] Mm-hmm. [GRUNTING]

- [FRANK] Well, sh*t, Morty.
- [GRUNTS]

- [WOMAN SCREAMS]
- Looks like I got here just in time.

He's here! He's here! [SCREAMS]

- We're up. Let's go.
- [SOLDIER] Roger that.

[BOTH GRUNTING]

- Oh, dear Lord, God in Heaven.
- Not exactly.

All right, we're in business.

We're tied into his phone.
Three minutes.

- [FRANK] Get your ass up.
- [BOTH GRUNTING]

Castle. [CHOKING] I...

- [GRUNTING]
- Damn it, stop hitting me!

- Please, just stop.
- [GRUNTING CONTINUES]

[WHIMPERING] Don't k*ll me!
Please don't k*ll me!

[PANTING] They made me do those things!

- [MICRO] Frank...
- Don't k*ll me.

You got four hostiles headed your way.
They're moving fast.

- They're gonna be on you in 30 seconds.
- [BENNETT GRUNTS]

You make a sound,
I open your head up all over this floor.

[CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYING]

[BREATHING HEAVILY, GASPS]

[BODY THUDS]

How you doing, Frank?
More than halfway there.

[BOTH GRUNTING]

[BREATHING RAGGEDLY]

[SOLDIER PANTING]

[PANTING]

[WHIMPERING]

[SOLDIER GRUNTS]

[SIGHING]

Almost done, Frank. We're close.

Ten more seconds, Frank.

Five, four, three, two...

[BOTH GRUNTING]

Get out of there.

[GRUNTING]

Stay down.

[GRUNTING]

[g*n f*ring]

[GROANS]

[BREATHES DEEPLY]

[PANTING]

What a shitshow. Get your asses up!

- What the hell are you doing here?
- Saving your life, Morty.

So why don't you put your pants on...

and then you're gonna say exactly
what I tell you to say,

when I tell you to say it.

[ALARM BLARING]

[MICRO] No, no, no. Wait, wait.

Okay, go.

[BRAKES SCREECH]

[SOLDIER 1] Spread out.
Establish a perimeter watch.

Come with me. Let's go. Move!

Come on!

[SOLDIER 2 ON RADIO]
Squad two to the east gate.

Roger that.

[MICRO] You're clear to proceed.

Hands up.

[PANTING]

Get on your knees.

- [SOLDIER] Don't come any closer.
- Easy, kid.

Don't move any closer.

I know. I know you got your duty.

- Kid, I'm not your enemy here.
- Stop!

I don't wanna have to k*ll you.

Now, look... I'm gonna go that way.

You do what you gotta do.

I said stop!

- Get on your knees right now. Do it!
- Come on, kid.

- Get on your knees.
- Easy, easy.

- Get on your knees. Now!
- Easy! Easy!

[SOLDIER GROANS]

[SCREAMING]

[GRUNTS] Drive.

[PANTING]

- [STARTS ENGINE]
- You okay?

Yeah. sh*t's a lot easier
when you can k*ll people.

[ANNOUNCER] No steam in those punches

but you don't need me to tell you that!

Ali leans on him.

- Ali sits back on the ropes...
- Hey, son.

- Hey, Dad. How was work?
- [MUTES TV]

Ah, same as always, which is fine by me.

You get some sleep?

Yeah. Some.

- Feeling better?
- Yeah.

You want some pizza?
It's cold, but it's good.

Here you go.

Good.

You look better, much better.

[SNIFFS] A little sleep, a little rest.
That's all you needed.

- How old's this fight?
- '74.

You weren't even a
twinkle in my eye yet.

[CHUCKLES SOFTLY]

I never get tired of seeing it, though.
Watchin' Ali take a b*ating,

letting Foreman get tired out,
waiting to strike.

[CHUCKLES]

[SNIFFS]

I envy boxers.

What, getting b*at for a living?

No, sir. No, thank you.

[LEWIS] You know who your enemy is.
He's right in front of you.

You got one job... k*ll the other guy.

[CLAY] You know,
everybody counted Ali out.

Nobody thought he could win.

Ali knew he couldn't b*at
the guy toe-to-toe,

so he rope-a-doped that sucker. Look.

He knew it was gonna hurt,
but he was willing to take it,

prove the world wrong.

See, thing is, son,
you're not at w*r anymore.

Maybe real life is more complicated.

- But it's not a fight.
- [SIGHS]

You still gotta get up every day...

try and live your life
like a regular person.

Oh, see that? See that?

Foreman, he wouldn't change up his game.
He got tired.

And boom! Knocked the hell out.

Ali took back his title.
Thirty-two years old.

That man didn't have any quit in him.

Do you think that's what I'm doing?

I don't know what you're doing.
I don't know what you need.

And I'm worried about you.

Foreman couldn't do it his way...

[SCOFFS] ...and he lost.

Other guy, he changed up his game.
Found a way to win.

You're smart. You're a good boy.

You can do anything you set your
mind to. Accomplish anything.

I've done things, Dad.
Things that you don't know about.

You didn't do anything
you weren't told to do.

You fought their w*r,
you took your licks.

Now, you gotta fight for yourself.

[FRANK] Should've k*lled that
piece of sh*t when I had the chance.

[MICRO] And we would have learned
precisely nothing.

What'd we learn, huh?

We're being too smart.
That's what I think.

Hmm. And by "we," you mean me, right?

Yeah. You're g*dd*mn right.

Frank, tonight was a success.

- [SCOFFS]
- Okay?

You were right.

Agent Orange knew we would
go after Bennett next,

and they were waiting for us.

They set a trap, but we saw it coming.

They think they out-thought us.
It's the other way around.

You understand that?

If he calls anyone or moves,
we're gonna know it.

- [FRANK] Nothing, huh?
- No. Not yet.

What's going on? You think Bennett knows
we're tracking his phone?

If he did, he would have turned it off.

- God damn it.
- You all right?

Yeah.

There was this, uh...

There was this kid there
at the end of the night...

- [SIGHS]
- ...and...

I had to hurt him.

A kid like that, he makes a choice,

you know, be loyal to this country,
to a flag, his unit.

Then comes some... some piece
of sh*t like Bennett, you know.

He abuses that loyalty, that... [SIGHS]

It just makes me sick.

From now on...
I'm taking out every single one of them.

[LAPTOP BEEPING]

- [MICRO] Uh-oh.
- What is it?

- [MICRO] Bennett's on the move.
- [ENGINE STARTS]

[SIGHS]

You knew, you sons of b*tches!

You knew he was coming for me
and you said nothing!

- Not true, Morty.
- [BENNETT SIGHS]

As soon as we got the intelligence,

we acted on it and saved your life.

He almost k*lled me! Do you
understand what I'm saying to you?

Yes, we understand, because
you're saying it very loud and often.

Man, oh, man. Do you understand
how much dancing I have to do

to clean this sh*t up?

Whole damn base was up in arms.

- [ORANGE] What did you say?
- What he told me to say.

His lips were moving but I assume
you were the one that was talking.

Secret training exercise,
unit readiness and all that sh*t.

I reamed out the whole damn battalion
for their shitty performance

and letting the intruder get away.

Although, thank Christ
they didn't catch him!

I thought Castle was dead.

- As did we all.
- Till you got your intelligence.

- Exactly.
- [BENNETT] Yeah?

Then how come Russo and his team
were already on the base?

Without my knowledge. Hmm?

And why'd that bitch yell, "He's here"?

You staked me out like a goat.

Then you think I'm stupid enough
to fall for your sh*t.

You know, without us,

Frank Castle would have your balls
wired to a car battery by now.

You'd probably love
that though, right?

Kiss my ass, Lieutenant Russo.

If I want your opinion,
I'll give it to you.

Far as I'm concerned,
rank still applies.

What did you tell Castle?

- Nothing.
- Did he take anything?

Did he take anything?
He was trying to take me!

He said he knew what we did
and wanted to know who you were.

What did you tell him?

[BENNETT] You kidding?
I didn't tell him anything.

But he tried to get me to say something.

- Did you give him our names?
- No, okay?

I told him to kiss my ass.
He didn't get sh*t from me.

[CHUCKLES] You think that
if I'd told him what he wanted,

that I would be alive
when you came through the door?

See, Billy? I told you
we didn't have to worry about Morty.

Damn right, you don't have to worry
about Morty. [SCOFFS]

But... what are we gonna do now?

Time's come for you to retire.
Just like we always talked about.

You backed me into a corner, William.

And now I'm getting you out of it.

We're gonna set you up with
a new identity, new passport, the works.

You're gonna take all that money
I made you and start a new life

and we're never gonna
see each other again.

- Castle is never gonna find you.
- Sounds good.

Russo will handle all the details.

As soon as you have your credentials,

he'll get you safely
out of the country.

Until then, we'll hide you
at a secure location.

All right. Empty your pockets.

[MICRO] I've been waiting
to get back to my family for so long,

it's hard to imagine that
it actually might happen.

They've been living day in and day out
with my death

and then all of a sudden,
I just walk through the door one night?

- We're gonna need some serious therapy.
- Won't be easy.

No. You're supposed to say,

"Don't worry about it, David.
It's gonna be great."

You want me to lie to you, huh?

- I want you to lie to me.
- [CHUCKLING] Jesus Christ.

Yeah, we did 15-month rotations
in Afghanistan.

You leave, you got a pregnant wife.

You come back, the kid, he's...
he's walking, you know.

He sees you for the first time,
starts to scream.

He's got no idea who you are.

I think you'll live.

I know, but this is different.

How so?

I've allowed them to believe...

this horrible fiction, you know?

And I've done it for them,

but I don't know
that they're gonna see that necessarily.

I think maybe I just missed too much.

Come on.
You didn't miss sh*t and you know it.

You've been watching the whole time
on those cameras of yours.

You know about that?

Look... David, you do what you want,
but if I were you,

I would not let your wife find out.

She's liable to cut your nuts off.

I know you're worried,
but just walk in...

hug each one of them
and don't let them go.

Not till they beg you to stop.

That's what I would do.

- Sorry.
- Come on.

Don't be.

Not your fault.

Do you regret not
taking Billy's offer?

Nah.

It'll still be there
when we're done, right?

[SCOFFS]

[SIGHS DEEPLY]

[CHUCKLES]

- You late for something?
- No. I would've settled for late.

I missed it completely.

Sorry.

Just a date.

Not the first one I've
missed and I'm sure

it won't be the last. Not a big deal.

[CHUCKLES]
You trying to make me feel better?

Yeah, I am.

Though I suspect
you don't feel bad anyway.

If you do this job right,
then no matter who she is...

she'll always play second fiddle.

And no one likes that.

Well, maybe you're right, but it
doesn't hurt to keep trying, right?

- Call me an optimist.
- [CHUCKLES]

- [DINAH] I'm gonna do you a big favor.
- [SAM] You are? Really?

Yeah, I'm gonna... I'm gonna give you
some free, unsolicited advice.

I'm all ears.

This job is not compatible
with family or friends.

It's a lonely row to hoe.

Best suited to closed-off types.

And you, my friend,
are not a closed-off type.

You know who you remind me of?

Who?

Frank Castle.

- You know, you two are very much alike.
- We're nothing alike.

I'm about the law. He's about...

Well, that's what
we're trying to figure out.

[SAM] What are we gonna
do about this bug?

[DINAH CHUCKLES]
I haven't the faintest g*dd*mn clue.

[SAM CHUCKLES]

[MICRO] It's a CIA safe house, Frank.

[FRANK] Bennett must have run to Orange.

Be careful.

Happy hunting.

What the hell kind of place is this?

Relax. It's only
temporary and it's safe.

Nobody's gonna look for you here.

[SIGHS] You all better come up
with the goods fast,

or I'm gonna die
from looking at this wallpaper.

We all gotta die somehow, right?

Yeah. Good thing self-importance
isn't fatal, huh, Russo?

- [SCOFFS]
- [BILLY SIGHS]

You never liked me much, huh, Morty?

Nope. You special forces types
always pissed me off.

Superior sons of b*tches,

swanning around like
your sh*t doesn't stink.

What the hell's this?

[GASPS] Ah, Jesus!

What I said...

- I... I didn't mean...
- It's not about what you said.

Look, there's no need.
I'm leaving anyway.

Tomorrow, I'll be gone.

Yeah.

[BOTH GRUNTING]

[BENNETT SCREAMS]

[GROANING]

[GRUNTING]

You know, since we're being honest...

I never much cared for
you either, Morty.

[CELL PHONE VIBRATING]

Yeah.

[BILLY] It's done.

One batch...

two batch.

Penny and dime.

- [ALARM BLARING]
- [DOGS BARKING]

[GRUNTS]

[ALARM CONTINUES BLARING]

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]