01x08 - Reclamation

Episode transcripts for the TV show "The Terminal List". Aired: July 1, 2022 - present.*
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Thriller based on the same name as the novel, follows former Navy SEAL James who investigates why his entire platoon was ambushed.
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01x08 - Reclamation

Post by bunniefuu »

No, Reece.
Wait, wait. God, no.

Yeah.

Good.

All right.

I owe you one.

You look like sh*t.

I look like sh*t?

You don't like it?

You look like Patrick Swayze
who lives in his van.

Mmm.

Hartley just landed
up north, by the way.

Oh, her place on Orcas Island?

She just dumped CID, too.

- For who, Secret Service?
- One more guess.

Talos.

Contract sale
for a dozen men, maybe more.

She knows I'm coming.

Yeah, she does.

Does it matter?

f*ck no, it doesn't matter.

Hasn't mattered yet.

Mind if I record this?

Of course not.
It's why you're here.

Yeah,
to set the record straight.

You sound skeptical.

You used government resources
to intercept my story.

I'm extremely skeptical.

Well, your story was wrong,
Ms. Buranek.

Libelous, in fact.

I thought
before you went to print

you ought to understand
the true order of events

exactly as they occurred.

Everything in my story
has been corroborated.

I have documents from
Steve Horn, Admiral Pillar...

I'm not denying
you have the right facts.

You're just drawing
the wrong conclusions.

Now, in your story,
you refer to a shell company,

Oberon Analytics, and you imply

that I am
the unnamed beneficiary.

I'm not.

I never received a payout
from Steve Horn or anyone else.

That's really hard to believe
considering the fact

that every conspirator
was paid in the cover-up.

Well, I didn't conspire,
Ms. Buranek.

I acted in accordance
with the authority vested in me

by the Pentagon.

You tested an unlicensed drug

on a whole platoon
of Navy SEALs.

I initiated that test.

But I had no part in a cover-up,

and I definitely didn't
do it for profit.

Then why?

Why test RD4895?

My policies paved the way
for troop draw down

in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But for our special operators,

it meant longer deployments,
more stress.

More trauma.

Which is an issue that I have

a moral and professional
obligation to address.

But EUAs are used
to solve acute problems,

to prevent imminent,
catastrophic loss of life.

On average,
between 17 and 22 veterans

commit su1c1de every day.

You add in active duty
who take their own lives,

and it is the equivalent
of two 9/11s every year.

And if that's not
catastrophic loss,

I-I don't know what is.

And brain tumors in
an entire platoon of Navy SEALs,

you consider that catastrophic?

Admiral Pillar sent me
regular medical reports.

I had no reason
to question their content.

So you're saying that you didn't
know about the tumors?

Not until I saw you
confronting Horn

on the news in San Francisco.

I mean, what you were yelling,

that meant nothing to the rest
of the world, but for me,

it was a clarifying moment.

And when I realized
that Horn and his cabal

engineered Operation
Odin's Sword as a cover-up,

I initiated
a DCIS investigation.

I was as upset about it
as you are.

More so.

Madam Secretary?

I need to escort you
to the SCIF.

You have a call
with the Joint Chiefs.

Thank you.

We'll pick this up later.

In the meantime, you could
set up shop in the east wing,

probably away from a window.

Or you're free to go
and publish what I've given you,

because...

it's the truth.

Roadblocks and checkpoints?

L.A. always knows what's best.

You see the Howards ID'd
Ben Edwards?

Yeah. We looked into him.
BUD/S classmates.

Guy's CIA. Ground Branch.

He was a ghost till now.

Hartley cuts loose CID.

Decamps with Talos contractors

and lets Reece come after her
with zero oversight.

She's gonna k*ll him.

Then tell
whatever story she wants.

At least it finally ends, right?

Yeah, but not on our terms.

You know, when I left Quantico,

I could've written
my own ticket.

I chose fugitives
because I like the simplicity.

You don't have to prove
motive or intent.

Just got to catch
the son of a bitch

'cause he did what he did
or else he wouldn't be running.

But I'm pretty sure
the guy we've been chasing

is the victim,

and the people
Reece is gunning for

- are guilty as sin.
- Whoa.

What, are we rooting
for Reece now, or...

No.

No, we get 'em all.

"We"?

We're on the bench, boss.

I made some calls.

We're not the only ones
that want another sh*t.

You willing to f*ck up a good
career to see this through?

I cannot handle
this music right now.

Oh, you can't handle it.

Okay.

All right.

There you go.

That's a good song.

Are my eyes deceiving me
right now?

Was that a smile?

I mean, I vaguely remember
you having one, but...

For a second there,

I thought both of us
were losing our memory.

Who is it?

It's the reporter.

She's on the island.

Yeah. Of course she is.

SecDef's got her own
f*cking human shield now.

How long till we're feet wet?

Two, three hours.

Question is: Is there gonna be

a boat waiting for us
when we get there?

He said it'll be there.
It'll be there.

Hmm. I doubt that.

Raife Hastings.

I could live a thousand years
and still wouldn't be able

to comprehend how you trust
that m*therf*cker.

Well, I still trust you,
don't I?

Ben.

Hmm?

Oh, f*ck.

sh*t.

We got three, four Chargers.

Couple Tahoes, couple bikes.

Seven...

eight cops.

We're not
outrunning them here, man.

Hey, we're not
f*cking outgunning them, either.

We got no exit.

No cover.

I'm with you.

We'll get through.

We got to.

Morning, Officer.

What's good?

Driver's license, please.

Yeah, of course.

Oh, where is she? Oh.

One second here.

Where you headed this morning,
Mr. Adams?

Off to, uh, Pacific City, sir.

Rumor has it
there's a northern swell

with my name
written all over it.

Mind if we take a look in back?

Routine check.

She's all yours.

Morning.

You live in the vehicle, sir?

Oh, time to time, ma'am.

Just chasing waves.

ID check.

California, India,
eight, eight, eight,

four, two, one, zero.

Sir.

I know what this is.

I got that silver alert
on my phone on the way up here.

I mean, who kidnaps
an old lady like that?

I mean, is she gonna, what,

run around and knit sweaters
for everyone or...

Mr. Adams, can we just
proceed in silence?

Of course.

Seven, Lincoln, four, two.

Not getting a hit on that name.
Can you confirm the ID?

Last name: Adams.
First name: Shane.

Male, white.

Date of birth: 07-22-1984.

Seven, Lincoln, four, two.

ID check is clear.
No wants and warrants for

last of Adams, first of Shane.

Seven-L-42. Roger.

Good on ID. Vehicle clear?

We're clear.

Have a great day.

Drive safely.

...Xray, seven,
nine, seven is showing clear.

No wants, no warrants.
He is good to be released.

Yeah, they're clear.

Free to pass.

Go ahead. Clear.

I assume
my financials were helpful.

As SecDef, I have to
make them public every year.

$20 million would be
very hard to hide.

Hard but not impossible.

I would also like to access
the Odin's Sword mission log.

I'll have it sent to your room.

Anything else?

We didn't finish our interview.

To what extent are you aware
of my father's history?

Well, I've read your biography.

I know that he came
from logging money,

that he served
in Korea and Vietnam.

I know about his struggles.

The alcoholism,
psychotic episodes.

And that he took his own life.

When I was a child,
he'd play me songs

on his ukulele
in this very room.

Couldn't carry a tune,
but he was happy.

After the w*r,
that man was gone.

Respectfully, Madam Secretary,
I think that's a dodge.

It doesn't take
personal experience with PTSD

to think curing it is good.

Well, I expect it doesn't,

but protecting your mother from
your father as a 12-year-old

or finding your father
dead in the attic,

it adds fuel to the fire.

I'm sorry, but the question
that I'm interested in

is whether or not we should
test an unproven drug

on our troops without
their knowledge or consent.

Trauma research
is more effective

if carried out via blind study.

It's not a choice I made.

It's just the science.

Why not make this whole thing
public after Odin's Sword?

I am making it public.
Right now.

One could argue that you're
trying to control the narrative.

That you're laying the blame
on dead men

because they're not around
to contradict you.

Will I be judged harshly
for authorizing RD4895?

By some, maybe.

But I suspect others
will understand my decision.

Do you think
James Reece will understand?

We both know
the answer to that question.

Do you blame him
for what he's done?

I was in the w*r room
during Odin's Sword.

I listened
as his men were m*rder*d

in those tunnels,
powerless to save them.

And then to lose his wife,
his daughter...

You claim to be his champion,

but you have
private m*llitary contractors

fortifying your house
as we speak.

Reece is coming, Ms. Buranek.

I have no choice
but to defend myself.

Doesn't make me a criminal.

It makes me human.

The m*therf*cker came through.

sh*t.

Damn.

Raife really came through.

What's the note say?

Wishes us both good luck.

Thought we were gonna
keep a low profile, guys.

Eh, we'll do better in the dark.

It's good to see you
cleaned up, Mac.

- Layun.
- We owe you guys one.

Been doing this job
ten-plus years.

The only man we ever lost
blows up an admiral?

You don't owe us sh*t.

Uh, I'll take your bags.

You covered on this?

Yeah, Tee's wife's
a federal attorney.

Yo, Tee, what does she call it?

- Exi...
- Exigent circumstances.

- Exigent.
- We're in the vicinity doing water drills

and something goes down,

- we have an obligation to intercede.
- Hmm.

Hope you all don't get seasick.

Reece, listen to me.

I counted 15 f*cking Talos
external.

- I'm coming with you on infil.
- Ben.

I need you on this .50 cal.

You're gonna stay at the boat,
cover down from the lighthouse.

We stick to the plan.
It'll work.

This is not
the only option, man.

We turn around right now,
go back the way we came.

That reporter has the story.

Hartley's not gonna walk.

We find that beach
in Peru, brother,

cr*ck some cervezas,
and we just...

...we see where
the tide takes us.

And I just wait for
this b*mb in my head to go off?

That's not how this ends.

Hey.

You don't got to die alone.

I'm not alone.

Ma'am.

You're leaving?

I have to if I want to catch
the last ferry.

Well, you can always leave
in the morning.

I don't want to be here anymore.

I'm glad you changed your story.

I'll make a call
to some outlets.

Thirty-two years of
public scrutiny has its perks.

That would be helpful. Thanks.

I'll have a car brought around.

Uh, there's actually
just one more thing.

Uh, I just want to do
some fact-checking

just to make sure
my time lines are straight.

- Whatever you want.
- Thank you.

Um...

Okay.

Okay. Okay.

So, according to
the Odin's Sword mission log,

you came into the w*r room with
the mission already in progress.

- Yes?
- That's correct.

I believe the mission clock said
we were roughly 22 minutes in.

21:12, actually.

And then it was
approximately how much time

before comms went down?

Well, that's in the log,
correct?

Nine minutes and 21 seconds.

And there was nothing
about Admiral Pillar

in that time
that felt off to you?

Nothing out of the ordinary

in the intelligence reports
in front of you?

No. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Not until Alpha Platoon
encountered IEDs

- at 30:33 on the clock.
- That's correct.

Great.

And do you recall
the exact dates that you started

the budget reforms
and the DCIS investigation?

I will reach out to my office
and Agent Azad for those.

Do you remember if it was before
or after Steve Horn's death?

I-I'm sorry.
How is this relevant?

I'm just trying to understand
the true order of events,

exactly as they occurred.

See, the thing is,
you've told me

two different stories,
Madam Secretary.

In the first story,
you made a decision...

A questionable one maybe,
but a justifiable one...

To resolve on ongoing mental
health crisis in our m*llitary.

Only you put your faith
in the wrong people,

Horn and Pillar,

who lied to you
about the experiment

and then committed
unspeakable crimes

in order to protect
their profit margins.

Is that right so far?

And in the other version
of the story,

you realize what they had done,
and you took steps

to curb their access
to your department.

And you began
criminal investigations

because you wanted to make sure

that all of them
were held accountable.

You're saying
these are two stories.

These are the same story.

Well, no.
They can't be the same story,

because in the first story,

you didn't know
anything was wrong

with RD4895 until you saw me

yelling at Horn
in San Francisco.

But in the second story,

you took actions
to punish Horn and Pillar,

actions that your records show
happened before San Francisco.

Do you see the contradiction?

How can you hold somebody
accountable

if you didn't know
they were committing a crime?

If you didn't know,
in that room,

that Reece and his men would die
in Odin's Sword?

Pillar had told me...
uh, well, he explained

that there were complications
with Alpha Platoon.

So you did know
that they were ill?

I knew that there were
unfavorable developments.

Headaches, memory loss.

Yeah, I would agree,
pretty f*cking unfavorable.

You know,
Admiral Pillar assured me

they'd resolve
the health issues.

And what did he mean,
"resolve it"?

I assumed it meant medical care.

I'm sorry.

You skirted FDA regulations
to test an unproven drug

on Navy SEALs,
and when they got sick,

you didn't even ask
what the plan was?

I never could have imagined

Horn and Pillar would do
what they did.

You told me, and I quote,


"I had to listen
as Reece's men were m*rder*d

in those tunnels,
powerless to help them."

- Why couldn't you help them?
- Comms were down.

Eventually they went down,
but you just said

you had nine minutes
and 21 seconds of open comms

before Alpha Platoon went dark.

- There wasn't time...
- How much time does it take to say "abort"?

The truth is, Madam Secretary,

for nine minutes and 21 seconds,

you considered
the consequences of admitting

that you approved an experiment
that gave 14 men brain tumors.

For nine minutes and 21 seconds,

you weighed your selfish needs
and your legacy

against the value
of those men's lives!

You chose to remain silent,
and you let those men die!

Those men didn't just die!

They saved lives!

The trouble with you
and your reporting is

that you act like
our operators...

Men who understand the nature
of personal sacrifice...

You act like they're victims.

They're not. They're heroes.

Fourteen lives?

My policies save
40 men and women every day.

And when RD4896 comes out...
And one day it will...

That number will be higher.
So, yes.

Yes, I stayed silent,

because it was a sacrifice
that I was willing to make!

And if you asked James Reece
to lay down his life

to spare his men
the trauma of w*r,

it's a sacrifice he'd make
in an instant as well!

Only you didn't ask him,
did you?

You just admitted
to letting Alpha Platoon die.

m*rder is m*rder whether or not
you got paid for it.

On you, brother.

I'm in position.
Send it.

You're not putting
that story out, Ms. Buranek.

If you do,

the sacrifices of those men
are meaningless.

Going hot.

And I won't let you advance
your career off their deaths.

In three...

...two...

...one.

Oh, sh*t.

Move, move, move!

Ma'am, we need to move you. Now.

Okay. Stick with the plan.

Come with me.

Right over here.
Keep your eyes up.

- Careful.
- Copy that.

Moving.

I got you covered!

Get down!

Muzzle flash on the quarters!

Hey, when we make shore,

you grab Lowe and get
to that fricking lighthouse.

- I want that sh**t.
- Yes, sir. We're on it.

They're taking out the lights!

Ben.

- Balcony.
- On it.

You are clear.

All right,
hit the beach, fan out.

f*ck.

FBI just landed.

Abort now.

How copy?

What the f*ck?

We got a dozen armed unknowns

approaching on
the west shoreline.

Get those lights back up.

FBI! Stand down! Stand down!

Reece, come on, buddy.

I'll see you
on the other side, Ben.

f*ck.

Federal f*cking agents!

Hold your fire!

Cease fire!

We're not the enemy.

HRT owns all this sh*t now.
We're taking over the estate.

Stand your
security element down.

- Where's the SecDef?
- Second floor, northeast corner.

Got a safe room set up
with a personal detail.

Where's James Reece?

On me. Move.

sh*t! We have contact!

We have contact!

Coming in!

We got smoke in the corridor.

- Check.
- Hold your positions.

You need to get out there.

FBI is on the grounds, ma'am.
We should hold fast.

We're not waiting. Go. Go!

Yes, ma'am. We got this.

Open it.

Open it.

Reece, stop! Stop!

Move.

Reece, she didn't
take the money.

The last account.
Oberon Analytics.

It's somebody else.
It's someone in the Agency.

Someone else
who set up Odin's Sword.

I never meant to hurt you,
Commander.

I swear, I wanted to help you.

It doesn't matter.
She lit the fuse.

She lit the fuse.

Reece.

See.

Yes. Your daughter
drew this for you, right?

Look at this. Look.

She looked at you,
and this is what she saw.

You can still be this.

Leave her to me. I got her.

I f*cking got her, Reece.
I got her on tape.

The whole world is gonna know
she's a f*cking disgrace.

Her only legacy will be shame,

but if you k*ll her now,
it'll be m*rder.

It's over at the lighthouse.

No sign of the sh**t.

Tee, you treat the wounded.

Mac, Smitty, on me.

- We'll take internal.
- Roger that.

Take the east shore.
I'll cover west.

Reece, don't do this.

No. It's not in your world.

She's on the b*ttlefield.

No!

Moving to Hartley's safe room.

Reece!

Put your w*apon down.

Reece.

Reece!

Don't make me sh**t you.

I'm already dead.

Tony, we've got
a situation in the safe room.

The reporter's alive,
but Hartley took her own life.

Do you copy?

Tony, do you have eyes on Reece?

Negative.

I was hoping I'd see you again.

Oberon Analytics.

You left that shell company
off your list.

Pillar tried to tell me.

Said he had a name to offer up.

I was assumed he was
talking about Hartley.

It was you, Ben.

It was f*cking you.

You knew my source.

You fed bad intel through SDF.

You were in a perfect position
to set up Odin's Sword.

I need to hear it from you.

Admiral swore...

...you were already dead.

Said you and the boys
had tumors.

And I thought,

"Let 'em die
with their f*cking boots on...

...rather than
in some hospital bed."

So did you do it for us
or you do it for $20 million?

Maybe both.

At first.

I haven't spent a f*cking dime.

I can't.

But you should know...

...I need you to know...

...that it's set
in f*cking stone.

Laura and Luce...

...I had nothing do with it.

And when I found out,

I wanted to set the f*cking
world on fire, brother.

I was with you.

Every step.

Cleaning up all those
m*therf*ckers that took them.

That's the truth.

That's the truth.

I know.

I'm sorry.

I know, Ben.

I, uh...

I got some new ink.

I didn't know
if it was for you or for me.

Now I know.

Now I know.

It's okay.

Let's finish the list.

Is she gonna be okay, Daddy?

You don't have to lie to her.

I tell you what, Bug.
I don't think she is.

- She's dead.
- Yeah, that's right, sweetie.

Daddy.

What happens
if you don't come home?

Oh, sweetheart,
I'll always come home.

What if you don't?

Come here.

If someday
I don't come home from work,

you should know

that...

...your dad d*ed
doing something important...

...and that I was surrounded

by good men that I loved.

Like you love me and Mommy?

No. No, sweetheart.

I-I could never love anybody
the way that I love you

and the way
that I love your mom.

Your mom is still gonna be here,
and she gonna take care of you

just like she always does
when I'm on deployment.

You'll still have soccer
on Sundays

and horseback riding.

And dancing in the backyard.

Dancing in the backyard.

And then, one day,

you're gonna get older,

and you're gonna
take care of your mom.

And though I won't be here
to watch that,

that doesn't mean that I won't
keep my eye on you always.

Just... from someplace else.

From where?

From right here, honey.

Right here.

Come here.
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