03x02 - Sweat Equity

[bunniefuu]

NICK: I want you to tell me about
your favorite place in the world.

Somewhere safe that nobody
can take away from you.

- IZZY: My aunt Araña's farm in Cuba.
- Uh-huh.

INTERVIEWER: Izzy Morales.

No one's spoken at all of what her
involvement still is in Araknet.

TUCKER: You guys capped out.

MARTIN: Congrats. You tricked
million clickbaiters. Way to go.

I'll tell you what. You get to mil,

and we'll give you your little Series B.

You're on.

Project teams are almost
done with the suite,

I just need three months
to shape it into SELF.

One month.

- (g*nshots)
- Contact!

(IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

Yo! Found somethin'.

Special Agent Rebecca Stroud,
National Security Agency.

Your network is fermenting t*rror1st
activity, and illicit crime.

MAN: Movin' product for
Big Keef. Even some MS- s.

STROUD: It would be a big shame

if I had to tie you back to LH
for some past transgressions.

That American dream
of yours would be over

faster than a Kn*fe
fight in a phone booth.

The feds is looking into Araknet.

Some NSA sh*t.

STROUD: I'll just
have to break 'em down.

Each one of 'em.

I'll start by taking things
away, little by little.

They'll think they still have rights.

One day soon...

they will realize...

they're in my world now.

WES: So, if you have dinner at eight...

MARTIN: Dinner at eight, that's noon.

WES: So you don't eat again 'til noon?

MARTIN: That's right.

Sorry, sir. Card must have a bad stripe.

MARTIN: Sixteen hours.

Hang on, hang on, hang on. So,
you can eat whatever you want

- for the next eight hours?
- Yeah, well, you know.

I mean, you still have
to eat reasonably healthy

but you gotta keep in mind, that
that rye, it counts as food, too.

- Oh, really?
- MARTIN: Yeah.

- Oh, well, forget that sh*t.
- (MARTIN LAUGHING)

MARTIN: I sh*t you not though.

pounds just fell off
this frame like that.

- Got my magic touch back.
- TUCKER: Oh, come on, dude.

Trying to bang junior account managers

does not mean you have
your magic touch back.

- Oh, screw you.
- Oh, come on, they'll bang you.

They'll bang you to get
into bigger accounts.

You might as well enjoy
food like regular people.

Not Sophia, man. She used to turn
me down left, right, and center

before I got on this thing.

- Sophia?
- Yeah!

Sophia, she's playing you
like the rest of 'em...

She's not, man!

She's not, okay? And I'll
tell you what, in two weeks,

I'm gonna have those Brazilian legs

wrapped around my head like a pretzel.

Sorry, Mr. Chandler, excuse me.

Um, this card declined as well.

WES: Are you...

um, it's gotta be the machine, man.

Tucker; Oh, Jesus. Relax, old man.

We got you, don't have a heart att*ck.

WAITRESS: Thank you.

TUCKER: What's the matter, Wessy,

things getting a
little tight over there?

MARTIN: Need me to call you an Uber?

(BEEP)

Goddammit.

(BEEP)

(BEEPING CONTINUES)

(THEME MUSIC)

- NICK: Are you ready?
- MARA: Yeah.

Oh, I'm excited.

"SELF: The one that matters."

- No.
- Why?

No, it sounds arrogant.

It's not arrogant, it's confident.

And it's also, it's personal.

I think it would make people reflect.

I think it's a little aggressive.

And I think we need to think
more abstract. Something like...

- Like what?
- Like, "Think Different."

- Apple?
- Yeah, ever heard of 'em? (LAUGHS)

- Jesus Christ. We're supposed to be different.
- I know but...

we don't have to be assholes.

It's not about being an
assh*le. It's about...

it's not even about being
self-involved. It's... the point is,

the app itself is the only one you need.

It's the only one that matters.

It's not that I don't
get it. It's just...

I think the fact the fact
that we're debating it

is probably not a
good sign for a slogan.

- (SIGHS)
- But, hey,

can we just talk about something
else for the next couple hours?

- You're right, you're right.
- 'Cause we're... cheers.

- To one year.
- Happy anniversary.

- Since that magical night...
- When I first entered you.

(LAUGHING)

(PHONE VIBRATING)

What is it?

WES: You call your guy?

Yeah, he's headed back to
the bank to check right now.

- I mean, but each account, ya know...
- I tried them all.

- Both banks?
- Yeah, both banks.

- God damnit.
- RONALD: Yo, this sh*t for real?

WES: Lookin' that way, man.

JERRY: Look, we don't know anything yet.

I've still got some calls to make.

- All our money tied up?
- All my money, yeah.

No, but I'm talking about
Araknet, though. Those accounts?

I'm checking on that right
now. Just give me a minute.

Was this her? Was is Stroud?

Well, she didn't leave a note,
Nick, so, I'll be damned if I know.

- Well, it had to be her, right?
- She can't... she can't...

she doesn't have the
authority to do this, right?

She hacked into my car, she can
do whatever the hell she wants.

- Did somebody come here? Was somebody here?
- We just got here ourselves.

I mean, both my credit
cards got shut down.

Stopped at the ATM on
the way home... nothing.

Another bank, nothing.
Online accounts...

What about the rest of your funds?
You have other accounts, right?

Everything that's domestic was
in those two accounts, okay?

They're frozen now.

But offshore? You have
offshore funds, correct?

- They're offshore for a reason, Nick.
- Okay.

- Well, you...
- You know what? Do me a favor.

Just shut the f*ck up right now, okay?

Uh, okay, so, um... this isn't good.

- You think?
- KELLY: I called my guy over at the AUSA.

A seizure order was
signed this afternoon

by Chief Justice Jimenez
in the Southern District.

But, we can appeal, right?

I mean, I can file for one,

but it'll take weeks to
get in front of a judge.

God damnit. We don't have
weeks. Jerry, do we have weeks?

- Gimme a sec.
- WES: We gotta do something, right? Kel?

I'm gonna try, don't worry.

I'm just saying, I mean,
this stuff takes time.

JERRY: Okay. My guy at First Federal

says that the order came from a judge.

- I talked to some people, thank you, Jerry.
- Oh.

So no money in or out?

For at least a month,
and that's being generous.

NICK: What about Araknet's funds?

(SIGHS) She can't freeze
those, she has no grounds.

Okay, so, Jerry, what do we
have now in Araknet's funds?

We have enough to keep the
lights on for a few weeks.

Okay, that's fine. That's enough.

That's enough time to
get SELF out the door.

JERRY: Uh, no, I literally
mean just the lights.

We're not gonna be able to
meet at least half our payroll.

- I'm sorry, what?
- Wait, how the hell'd that happen?

- Ask Nick.
- NICK: Maybe just don't ask Nick.

I'm asking Nick.

NICK: It was... a fudge.

It was a temporary fudge.

- To empty our accounts?!
- No, not empty.

JERRY: Well, payroll
taxes were coming up.

So, we needed to look slim for a minute.

- Correct. Thank you.
- Damn.

You would think this
is something that a CEO

might consult his co-CEO with.

- It's honestly not a big deal.
- Not a big deal?!

- No!
- You had Jerry cook the g*dd*mn books!

- Don't be so dramatic!
- I didn't cook anything...

Hey! Hey! Hey!

I don't give a horse
f*ck who cooked what.

All right? I leave you two
amateurs to handle sh*t,

and look what happens!

The government comes down, lays us down,

and sodomizes us, like
we're a bunch of altar boys.

Do me a favor, all right?

Figure out a way to get Uncle
Sam's horny d*ck outta my ass,

or I'll burn this place down
to the ground with you in it.

(SIGHS)

JERRY: Well, if we're
gonna be here super late,

I'm gonna order a pizza.

Uh, anyone have any preferences?

Got, uh, Bricktown, Domino's...

- Shut up, Jerry.
- Okay.

- (INDISTINCT OFFICE CHATTER)
- (TYPING)

(PHONE RINGING)

Three weeks?

Mm-hmm.

STELLA: (SIGHS)

Guys, it's...

Okay, um... (LAUGHS)

Guys, we just went over our
current projections on Friday.

What changed?

NICK: It's complicated, but, uh,

just know that if we don't get
SELF launched in three weeks,

I don't want to scare
anyone, but we're dead.

RONALD: What Nick's trying to say

is that due to the shifting
landscape of all-inclusive suites,

it would behoove us to
get SELF out to market

- before the end of the quarter.
- Exactly.

STELLA: Yeah, okay, I get that.

But it's not like we've got a
bullpen full of Izzys out there.

It's gonna be at least a month,

before the internal
platform is even functional.

And Sal, your team, with the apps...

Yeah, what's going on with the apps?

Yeah, um, my team is
busting their asses,

but it's a lot of work.

Yeah, so guys, it's
gonna be the old adage:

good, fast, cheap. Pick two.

Good and fast.

- STELLA: Yeah?
- You said "pick two."

- Good and fast.
- So, you can get more money approved then?

- NICK: Sure. What do you need? Tell me.
- STELLA: Okay.

That's easy. We just need manpower.

Okay, can't hire any more
people right now. But, what else?

Okay, but no, but that's what I
need. I need coders, I need designers.

Sal has needed a right-hand
man for the past month...

NICK: I'm sorry, we can't
hire anyone else right now.

Even just moonlighters, that would work.

- You're just gonna have to put in more time.
- More than hours a day?

- Whatever it takes!
- RONALD: Hey, sidebar for a quick second.

Why?

I got an idea, just... sidebar.

NICK: Be back.

(PHONES RINGING)

- All right, what's your idea?
- I ain't got one.

I just needed you to shut
your damn mouth for a second.

We need to be straight with 'em, Nick.

- What we askin' them to do...
- No, no, no.

- No.
- People ain't just disposable.

You gotta treat them with respect.

Our people, that's all we got.

Do you know what "our
people" are gonna do

if they find out that we
are financially frozen?

Kelly is gonna get the funds
released by the end of the month.

Everybody will get their paychecks.

Why you rushin', you
so damn confident, huh?

'Cause maybe we don't get liquid again.

Don't make that face at me.

You're the one who wanted
to diversify our investors.

This is how we do it, we
have to prove we have legs.

Does it suck for
everyone out there? Yes.

You're not wrong about that.

But if Kelly fails, and
we only have days left,

this is our last sh*t.

- (HORSE EXHALES)
- (GOATS BLEATING)

(CAR APPROACHING)

Okay.

Okay. Okay.

(IZZY GRUNTS)

(COUGHING)

(LAUGHING)

(MOANS)

(STAMMERING) What if I put in
my own money? What if we all do?

RONALD: I'm tryna raise a family,
man, got a baby on the way.

I ain't got much extra
just lying around.

All right, all right. Well,
Mara, how much can we do?

Well, I don't think anything
that would make a difference.

Everything would make a difference
right now. Every little bit.

I'm telling you, bro, we need to
be out there securing new funds,

not sittin' in here,
sweatin' it like this...

Ronald, you don't think any
new investors' gonna wonder why

our liquidity's under
government seizure?

- Maybe they don't ask.
- WES: Nah, they'll know.

There's always due diligence
before the checks clear.

This is why we gotta go
with somebody we know.

Somebody to look the other way.

Like the Saginaw brothers.

Well, whatever you
amazing people decide,

we have five days of liquidity

before we start defaulting
on contractor obligations.

- Oh, and paying our employees.
- (PHONE CHIMES)

Yeah, I already had a few folk
ask me why their sh*t was late.

Wait, hold up real fast.

She just wrote back, Agent Stroud.

- Word?
- Yeah, she's willing to meet us...

at Nolan's.

The fast food joint?

(INDISTINCT CONVERSATION)

Mm. You guys come here ever?

Yeah, I mean, everybody
do at some point.

Only place I eat.

Ever?

I travel all over the world.

And it don't matter it's
Paris, or Kuala Lumpur,

I can rely on the fact that I will
always get the same, exact meal.

This American institution has sold

hundreds of billions of this sandwich

and there has never been
one, single, proven case

of food-borne illness.

- Imagine that.
- Yeah, well I got the shits real bad one time

from that double bacon burger, so...

No. I can promise you it wasn't that.

Pretty sure it was the
double bacon burger.

You know, people think

that food-borne illness
happens quick, but...

actually, it takes about to hours

for the strains to gestate.

So, you might be thinkin' that
it's that undercooked pork,

or that scallop that did ya in,

when, in fact, it was
that unwashed kale salad.

Okay, look here.

You can't come at us like this.

This sh*t is straight up illegal

and we got about a
dozen legs to stand on,

if this whole thang go to court.

I'm not sure I understand
what you're referring to,

but you guys should have
some pie. It's for .

- NICK: The seizure order...
- No, look...

You froze all our damn money.

I did no such thing, gents.

That was the FBI, from what I heard.

I mean, you can check with the judge.

But, from "what I heard" also,

the order wasn't against
your whole company,

it was just your chair of the board.

Okay, all right, fine, so
we're just doing this...

new thing where, uh, you
just find little loopholes

to go after people
outside your jurisdiction.

RONALD: You know as well as anybody

that this whole thing have
to hold up in federal court.

Mm, well, sorta, kinda.

But you know, they
could remove the order

and you'd still have problems.

Not with me, of course,
more like the DEA, maybe.

You know, with those friends
of yours, down in Little Haiti,

who are still buyin' and
sellin' arms and narcotics

through the same company for
which you currently serve as CEO.

I may not have a back door,

but with your boys,

I have a place to start lookin'.

I have no idea what
you're talking about.

Oh, okay, well, that's fine.

Cause I don't think
your co-CEO does either.

So, we're good.

You really should try that pie.

It's a shame to waste it.

(SLURPING)

- (WHISTLE)
- GIRL: Here!

TAMARA: Okay girls, yes!

Keep it open, keep it open!
Keep movin', keep movin'!

- (WHISTLE)
- That's right! Good job, good job, good job!

Sophia, Sophia, yeah!
Adeala, go, go, go, go.

All right, Sophia, yes. Good job!

Come on! Ladies, let's hustle!

- Yes! Elsie! Woo!
- (CROWD CHEERING AND CLAPPING)

TAMARA: Alright!

What's up baby? Work stuff?

Yeah, sort of.

Or you still on that bull
with E, and Frantz, and 'em.

Maybe not talk about it right now...

(SCOFFS)

We keep not talking about it,
then you keep not talking at all.

Just not with Els in the car. Okay?

I'm not a baby, Dad.

I know, it's just somethin'
that your mother and I

need to talk about in private. Okay?

TAMARA: You don't owe them nothin'.

They can't eat without being on Araknet,

that's they own damn fault.

That's they own damn fault.

(LAUGHING)

sh*t!

f*ck.

Bye.

(CAR HORN HONKS)

- (MUSIC PLAYING OVER SPEAKER)
- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)

(KNOCKING)

sh*t.

(BOYS GASP)

(ROCK MUSIC PLAYING)

(OBJECT CLATTERS)

(WAVES CRASHING)

- Hey.
- Hey, hey, go back to sleep.

Babe, I'm worried about you.

You're gonna make yourself sick.

NICK: It's okay. I'm young, I'm virile.

What about Stella, and all
them? Are they still there?

(SPITS) Yeah, some of Sal's
guys set up cots on the floor.

Oh, Jesus.

And they still don't know, huh?

NICK: Know what?

That we don't have any money.

Kelly's got a date with the judge
tomorrow, I'm sure it'll be fine

(SIGHS) I didn't see you leave.

What's up with the release?

They're still working on it.

- They're gonna go over it in the morning.
- Okay.

Hey, um, I was thinking
that we should...

we should really do
something for everyone.

My guys and Stella's guys,

just so they know that we
appreciate everything they're doing.

They know.

Well... I don't think so.

Not everything has to be a party, Mara.

What's that supposed to mean?

It means that they're
used to hard work, okay?

They relish in it.

They don't need... balloons.

Okay, thanks.

Come on, I'm sorry, I...

- Don't go.
- (DOOR OPENS)

- Come on!
- (DOOR SLAMS SHUT)

(SIGHS)

(KEYBOARDS CLACKING)

(COFFEE MAKER CLICKS, STRUGGLES)

(GRINDING)

- You didn't tap it down enough.
- What?

It ain't workin' 'cause you ain't
tap the grounds down enough. Look.

- (METAL CLANGING)
- Check this out.

- Oh.
- Like that.

Thank you.

I can't figure this thing out.

- All right, and in like this.
- And then it's... okay.

(COFFEE MAKER BEEPS, WHIRS ON)

Thanks.

Hey, um...

Can I let you in about somethin'?

- Yeah, of course.
- (TYPING)

Are you sure about this?

We got to.

It's crossing a major line.

If this blow back on me,

it blow back on all of us.

The whole company goes down.

Okay.

Okay.

- (ELECTRICITY BUZZING)
- (DOG WHIMPERS)

What the f*ck?

(DANCE MUSIC PLAYING)

(PEOPLE TALKING, INDISTINCT)

(DANCE SONG IN SPANISH PLAYING)

Fernan! Fernan!

(IN UNISON) Hey!

(GREETINGS IN SPANISH)

(MUSIC CONTINUES)

(PARTYGOERS GASP, CHATTER)

(GLASS SHATTERS)

(TYPING)

- (SIGHS)
- (PRESSES BUTTON, WHOOSH)

(SIGHS) sh*t.

(PRESSES BUTTON, WHOOSH)

Mother...

- (PRESSES BUTTON, WHOOSH)
- sh*t!

(DOOR SLAMS)

- Hey, what's this?
- Huh?

- What?
- (PRESSES BUTTON, WHOOSHING)

- That's um...
- What it should be is a ding. A ding is a happy sound.

This is a whoosh. A whoosh,
that's a toilet flushing.

- (WHOOSHING CONTINUES)
- Yeah, I mean... We had, I mean... we... we...

- Toilet flushing.
- We still haven't gotten to the point of...

Is this the level of detail? Yes
I know, but we talked about this.

The details are everything.

- Come on, man, take some pride in the work.
- (SAL MUTTERING)

- Hey, okay.
- (WHOOSHING CONTINUES)

Most of the team hasn't even opened

the branding guidelines Mara gave them.

- Uh-huh.
- Okay?

We're barely above water
on the basic mechanics.

- I know, we all are.
- Okay, but you want a ding?

Well, I need people, Nick.

- You want more people?
- Yes, I do.

(YELLING) I will get you more people!

f*ck!

sh*t...

(HORSES NEIGH IN THE DISTANCE)

(IZZY HISSES, GROANS)

(DOG BARKING OUTSIDE)

Isobel?

Okay?

Okay.

- (DOOR CHIMES)
- (FOOTSTEPS)

(SIGHS) Bitch.

- Hi.
- Hi.

- I finally got face-time with Judge Nunez.
- Mm-hmm.

No go.

She said, since the freeze
was requested by the FBI,

FISA has no jurisdiction.

Agent Stroud's still
friends with the FBI.

Thought you said FISA can
do whatever they wanted?

If they want to.

- I guess they don't want to.
- Mmm.

- It's time for plan B.
- Yep.

You pick this up, huh?
I don't have any dinero.

(SCOFFS) Sure. Awesome.

Where're you going?

Gonna talk to this bitch myself.

Well, I'm gonna go ahead and advise
e

against intimidating a federal agent.

Intim...

Kel...

I'm about to make her my best friend.

(TO HIMSELF) f*ck.

(SIGHS HEAVILY)

WAITRESS: This is from a friend.

Hmm.

(EXHALES DEEPLY) Jesus f*cking Christ.

Evenin'.

Thanks for the drink.

Thank the U.S. government.

Tastes like gimlet.

Tightening the belt.

So, look, um...

what do you really want?

You know what I want.

So, just let me give it to
you and let's be done with it.

You want a front row
seat to the network?

Unfreeze my money and
I'll let you get access.

- How? Are you gonna get it yourself?
- "How?"

What do you mean "how?" It's my company.

I would need an office
inside your building,

and full-time cooperation
for this to work.

I know that your other three
partners aren't gonna go for that.

They have three votes to your two.

I can convince them, okay?

You just unfreeze the
money. I'll make it happen.

No, that's not the
order which this works.

I will unfreeze your money
once you turn one of them.

But which one is it gonna
be? Because they all hate you.

Look at you.

- You happy in this job?
- I love my job.

I'm sure you do.

When was the last time
someone laid the wood to ya?

Such a shame, 'cause...

you're kinda pretty.

Somebody like you shouldn't be so alone.

But that's just me. What do I know?

That domestic seizure
wasn't even a warning sh*t.

I know about the Virgin Islands.

And I know what you and
Andrew Talman were up to

before you had him k*lled.

Thanks for the shitty drink.

(HIP HOP MUSIC OVER STEREO)

Hey, you want a Coke or somethin'?

Uh, no bro, I'm good, I'm good.

Ah, bruh, well, I'm glad
you're here. For real.

(LAUGHS)

It actually give me an
excuse to get out the house.

- 'Cause them kids 'bout to be the end of me, bruh.
- (LAUGHS)

- See what I'm sayin'?
- Oh, bruh, I feel that. You in it now.

Dawg, and Alma.

She all up in my nuts, talkin' about,

"you gotta be around more."

Boy, these are the tough
years, right here. Real talk.

I'm sayin', you know what I mean.

So, how y'all doin', man?

How the boys?

Miss y'all.

(LAUGHS) It's not good.

Not good at all.

No?

Nah. You ain't talked to Frantz?

Araknet,

that job done gone cold.

- Dead cold.
- Get the hell out here.

Dawg, our business
more than cut in half.

Damn.

I mean, that must be some
type of fluke, though,

or something like
that. Ain't that right?

We hurtin', zo. We're hurtin bad.

We got all this stock in the back.

We can't even move it.

Damn.

I mean, I told y'all the
feds been gettin' the drop.

Folks must be scared
or some sh*t, but damn.

Maybe so, but Frantz talkin' 'bout

selling it wholesale
back on the streets.

Tryna play that volume
game for a minute, feel me?

No, no, no, no, no.

The streets done gone cold, bruh.

That's the reason why y'all
in this spot to begin with.

No...

(LAUGHS) You talkin' 'bout
sellin' to Little Haiti.

We talkin' 'bout stretching our legs.

Dawg, we tryna expand
our territory, dawg.

Bruh, you can't do that.

- (SLAMS BOTTLE DOWN)
- All right then, boss, what else we got?

What we supposed to do?

(WOMAN LAUGHING)

(INAUDIBLE)

(ELEVATOR DINGS OPEN)

- Morning, Earl.
- Big Nick.

- How you doin'?
- Good, how 'bout yourself?

Good.

Hey, where is everyone?

I think they quit, right?

Oh! I have not received my
paycheck for the week yet.

So... is that... like,

when's that happening?

Uh... I'll get back to you.

(KEYBOARD CLACKING)

(HIP HOP MUSIC)