Previously
A weaponized virus has surfaced on US soil, planned to be used against American citizens. Former federal agent Adam Black was brought back from prison to help the anti-terrorist agency ATC to locate and secure the virus from the market. This attempt was successful, and the virus ended up in the hands an unknown terrorist who is now using it as leverage against the President, who he appears to have a personal grudge with. It's been a long day with no end in sight.
November 2nd, 2023. Midnight - Los Angeles, California
On the Roof of the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
Adam, Paul, and Kevin are on the roof of the hospital, Paul has his gun aimed at Adam, while Kevin is targeting Paul.
Adam is trying to piece everything together; a minute ago he heard Maria is being held hostage and Dietrich is using her as leverage to get Paul to do his biddings, mainly killing Adam. And then Kevin somehow shows up, even though he was in ATC custody.
Paul does lower his gun just a little as Kevin takes a few more steps towards him, and this allows for Adam to wrestle away his gun.
Adam then grabs his own gun as well and is aiming at both Paul and Kevin.
"No one's getting shot today! Kev, put the gun down. Slowly."
Kevin puts away the gun, as Adam keeps targeting both of them.
"Now I wanna know what the hell is going on here. Paul, put your hands behind your head, now. Where's Maria?"
Paul places his hands behind his head and attempts to explain the best he can.
"Schneider got her. When we approached his location a few hours ago, I got a call. He was threatening to kill to her unless I gave him the opportunity to escape. And then he wanted you dead."
"Why?"
"I don't know. I'm supposed to deliver you to the LA Port at 1am."
"Do we know she's still alive?"
"I talked to her a while ago, yes."
Adam cares about Maria's situation, but also wants to know what on earth Kevin is doing here in the middle of this.
"What the hell are you doing here? What are you really up to, Kev? And you better be telling the truth."
Kevin figures it's no use lying at this point since he's come this far.
"I don't work for Schneider. But I'm after the same thing he is."
"Which is?"
"Look, it's a long story, and we don't have time right now."
"You expect me to trust you under these circumstances?"
"I came here to save your life, so yes."
"How did you know to be here?"
"I've been working with Theodore. He broke me out, and listened to Paul's phone call with Schneider. That's how I heard about Maria."
Kevin seems sincere to Adam, but it still doesn't make sense for him to trust him.
"So Theodore was the one working against ATC? And he worked with you? Why?"
"I needed Schneider to get something from the President. Classified data that only the President has access to. Included in the data is a list called the SG-6. It's a list of major secret Israel Benefactors. We don't have time to get into it now."
"You're gonna have to give me more than that, Kev. You knew what Schneider was up to, and you were going to allow him to slaughter hundreds of thousands of innocent people for your own personal gain? What the hell, Kev?"
"I was wrong! Okay, Adam? I was wrong! I didn't think it would come to that. Yes, I knew what Schneider was after, but I didn't know he would go through with releasing the virus. I was counting on him getting the data without any casualties!"
Adam can't believe what he's hearing. Regardless of what is on that data, Kevin knowingly put innocent lives at risk, and that's something Adam can't accept. It's not just Kevin's actions that hurt Adam, but the fact that he used to be a man who would never allow for something like this to happen. The man who used to be Adam's best friend seems to be long gone, though the fact that he tries to make it right suggests that maybe some of it is still left.
"What the hell is wrong with you? What happened to you, Kev? You of all people should know how these people operate! What the hell is on that data that is so important to you?"
Before Kevin can answer, Paul shifts the conversation back to Maria.
"Both of you! Schneider is holding my wife! If I don't deliver Adam to the Docks in less than an hour, she's dead!"
Adam realizes Paul is right. They don't have time to lose.
"Paul's right. We need to get to the docks by 1 am."
Adam picks up his phone and starts dialing a number. Paul gets nervous and asks who he's calling.
"Who are you calling?"
"ATC. We need a team at the docks to take him in."
Paul attempts to take the phone away from Adam, but both Kevin and Adam instinctively pull their guns at him for making a sudden movement.
"You can't call ATC! If Schneider knows ATC is on to him, he'll kill her!"
"Schneider is not going to know!"
"This is my wife we're talking about! Damn it, Adam, we're talking about Maria!"
"You think I don't know what? Maria's going to be safe! This is our only play. We know where Schneider is going to be, and when. We don't have a choice here, he still has more of the virus. Stopping Schneider is our top priority."
Paul gets hot at Adam insinuating that Maria is some sort of an acceptable loss, which is not something he would expect to hear from Adam.
"We're talking about my wife, not some kind of potential civilian casualty! Just because you couldn't take care of her doesn't mean-"
Adam knocks Paul to the ground with a right hand and holds him up with his gun.
"This is not your call! Maria is not going to die; we're making sure of it! But we can't risk hundreds of thousands of lives being lost here; you need to work with me on this, you understand?"
Paul holds his jaw and doesn't answer.
"Do you understand!"
"Yes. But you better make sure Maria makes it out of this alive. Or I'll kill you myself."
"I know."
Adam puts the gun away and is about to lay out the plan, as the sound of Dietrich's henchman's phone ringing inside the helicopter interrupts him.
Adam holds him up and tells him to take the call.
"Answer it. And if you say anything I don't like, I'll blow your brains out."
The henchman reluctantly picks up the phone.
"Yeah?"
It's Dietrich.
"Did everything go smoothly?"
"Yeah. Everything is fine."
"Good. You will receive your payment within the hour. Thank you for your service."
"Thank you, boss."
As the phone call ends, Adam pulls the trigger and shoots him.
Neither Kevin or Paul understand why, but Adam then lays out the plan.
"Here's what we're going to do."
The White House
The President and Palmer have been discussing what to do with Adam. Palmer has noted that the President is going to be in hot water politically, due to making Adam's involvement public in the press conference, if it gets out that Adam has been a hazard to the operation to capture Dietrich and secure the virus.
They have concluded that something needs to be done about him, but Dietrich calls in once again and the President, of course, takes the call and puts it on speaker.
"Mr. President."
"What is it that you want now?"
"I would like to inform you that more virus has been released, and it will not be an easy task to contain the damage done. Being a benevolent man, however, I am giving you one more opportunity to prevent further disasters."
The President and Palmer are not aware that Dietrich's plan to contaminate the hospital was unsuccessful, so they operate under the assumption that there was indeed another attack. The President is cooperative since he doesn't know ATC has any leads on Dietrich's whereabouts.
"What is that you want?"
"I'll let you get off easy. As the President of the United States, you have access to a particular piece of data that I desire. Something called the SG-6."
Whereas the President is confused more than anything, Palmer immediately realizes what is going on, and has a terrified look on his face. He knows more than the President, but tries not to let him know.
"What could you possibly want with that? To use it as a hit list?"
"You don't need to know that. All you need to know is that I want it, and I need you to provide me with it. I will give you instructions within the hour. There's something I need to take care of first. Provide me with the SG-6, and this will all be over."
After everything that has happened, this seems like an unusual turn of events.
"That's it?"
"That's it. You'll be hearing from me soon."
The President is puzzled. Clearly, the SG-6 holds value for Dietrich, but he can't understand why.
"What do you make of this, Palmer?"
"I couldn't tell. But you shouldn't give up that information without knowing its value. Who knows what he'll do with it. That data is highly classified, it holds information of major Israel Benefactors. He could be selling it on the open market to anyone willing to pay for it. If it's used as a hit list, you'd be responsible."
There's more to the story and Palmer knows it, but they are things Palmer can't discuss with President Reynolds.
"If it's all that takes to stop further attacks..."
"I urge to reconsider, Mr. President. But if you'll excuse."
Palmer leaves the room in a hurry, which seems suspicious, but the President concentrates on the matter at hand.
Palmer finds a room where can be alone to make a phone call.
Paris, France
Simon Silverman sitting in a limousine that is heading to a private airport, after having finished a meeting, when Palmer calls.
"Yes?"
"It's me. I can't talk for long, but you were right: Dietrich Schneider, the man behind the attacks today in Los Angeles is after the SG-6. The President just received a call."
Silverman was expecting this, so he remains calm.
"I see. Does the President know why?"
"No. To him, it's just a Benefactor List for Israel. He doesn't know about you."
"Make sure you keep it that way."
"Yes, sir, I will."
Los Angeles
Adam and Kevin have taken the car to drive to the docks, while Paul is heading there in the helicopter.
Adam takes the opportunity to get something more out of Kevin now that they are alone.
"Are you going to tell me what's really going on here?"
"What do you want to know?"
"Don't play dumb. You show up in Los Angeles, today of all days, I find out you knew about Schneider all along, and you're after the same thing he is. What's going on? Why don't you start from the beginning? What is the SG-6??"
"The SG-6 contains a list of the six highest ranking members of the Vandenberg Committee."
"Isn't just a secret think tank for some ultra-rich old people?"
"Yeah, but it's more than that. I have a contact in France. He and I have been tracking down Silverman ever since you stopped Derek in Washington 18 months ago."
That name popping back up gets Adam's increased attention.
"Silverman? So that's what this all about, still?"
"He killed my wife, Adam."
"Are you even sure about that?"
"Damn it, Adam. Yes, I'm sure. This goes a lot deeper than you think."
Adam refreshes his memory. One of the hostages in Washington talked briefly about an organization called The Order, which seemed to be who Kevin was after at that time.
"The Order. Who are they, really?"
"Everything in this country goes through them. This isn't just about Jessica. The deeper I've been digging, the more I've found out. Why do you think it was so easy to frame you for what happened 18 months ago? Didn't you find that strange? The entire media was selling a fabricated story of what happened. That's because they control every major media outlet in this country. 96% of the world's media goes through these people. They have the power to shape the world into whatever they please."
"Kev, that's a fifth-grade conspiracy theory."
"Come on, Adam. Think. Remember what Derek told you. Everything he said came true as you got blamed for that incident."
It did puzzle Adam that he got blamed for what happened so easily. Clearly, there is something going on. Silverman did get involved with what took place in Washington. But Adam doesn't know what to believe. It's entirely possible, he feels, that Kevin is simply so distraught over Jessica's death that he's gone mental.
The threat of Dietrich and the virus is real enough. And that's what Adam wants to concentrate on.
"Well, right now we need to stop Schneider and the virus. But I need to know something."
"What?"
"Stopping Schneider means the President won't have to give up the SG-6. Can you live with that? Can I trust you?"
Kevin takes a few moments to think about it.
"Yeah. Let's stop him and save Maria."
"What changed your mind?"
Kevin turns his head and looks straight at Adam.
"The fact that you're my best friend. You were right about what you said earlier: I can't live with all those deaths on my conscience. Maria almost died in Wahington because of me. Because I was so consumed with revenge. Let me make it right."
Adam has no reason to believe Kevin, but they were best friends for so long, he decides to trust him one more time. At least slightly. He doesn't let his guard down, though.
"Yeah. Let's save Maria and stop that son of a bitch."
Kevin's words from earlier that day echo in Adam's mind. The claim about everything around Adam ending up dead. He prays it won't be the case this time. He's kept it together, trusting his abilities to pull this off. But in reality, even though he doesn't show it, he's absolutely terrified for Maria.
Dietrich's Hideout
Dietrich is packing his things and is getting ready to head to the docks. He tells Gwen to grab Maria, while he calls in for some re-enforcements.
"Take the woman, it's time for us to go."
"So, you're coming there, too?"
"Of course. Adam killed my friend. I want to see his dead body in person. After that, I will ask the President to give up the SG-6, and we're done here."
Earlier, Dietrich was adamant about taking revenge on the President before asking for the SG-6, so she is somewhat skeptical.
"And that's it?"
"Yes. That's it. Take the woman and let's go."
Dietrich gets done calling for a welcoming committee for the exchange in case something goes wrong, and then calls Paul to make sure he has done what was asked of him.
Port of Los Angeles
It's nearing 1am, as Dietrich and Gwen arrive at the Port to await Paul's arrival. Maria is tied up in the backseat of the car. Alongside Dietrich's car, there are four vans of hired guns, each containing two men.
Paul's helicopter approaches the Port, and everybody gets out of their cars, except Dietrich.
There's very little light, which makes it hard to see anything. There's no way of confirming whether or not Dietrich is in one of the cars.
Paul lands his helicopter several feet away from the cars and gets out.
"Nothing happens until I see my wife!"
One of the men from the vans open the door of Dietrich's car and grab Maria out. She's told to yell at Paul, confirming her identity.
"Paul! It's me; I'm okay."
Maria is scared; since the exchange is happening, does that mean Paul went ahead and did what Dietrich told him to do? Is Adam dead?
The man holding Maria then yells at Paul to show Adam to them.
"Now let's see the body!"
Paul pulls out a body from the helicopter. The lack of light makes it impossible to identify it.
"Carry the body to the middle, drop it, and step away!"
Paul does so, but demands that Maria starts walking towards the center, as well.
"Bring her to me!"
The man grabs Maria by the arm and slowly starts walking her towards the center while holding a gun to the side of her head. With each step, Paul gets more and more nervous, and begins to doubt if this is really going to work.
He stops and drops the body to the ground, and takes a few steps back. Maria is being brought closer and closer to the body.
The man gets to the body, which is laying on the ground face first, and moves the body its back with his foot.
He realizes that the body is not Adam's, but one of Dietrich's henchmen, instead.
"What the-"
At that exact moment, Maria grabs the knife from her pocket, ducks down and stabs the man in the leg.
Dietrich notices something went wrong and gets out of the car to get a better look.
"What happened!"
Adam was hiding behind one of the large cargo crates, while Kevin was waiting on top of another. Adam finally confirms Dietrich's location and tells Kevin to cover for him.
"I have a visual on Schneider!"
Adam also commands the ATC field team that was hiding around the dock that reveals itself.
Kevin and the ATC team take out several of Schneider's men, as Paul covers for Maria.
"Maria, get inside the chopper!"
A massive fire fight ensues between Dietrich's men and ATC, with Adam, Paul, Kevin and the ATC getting the upper hand due to the virtue of surprise. Paul moves in closer to Dietrich's entourage, while Dietrich takes the opportunity to make a break for it.
Adam sees Dietrich getting away and goes to chase him, while one of the men Kevin missed takes out his gun and is about to pull the trigger on him. Instinctively, Paul dives in front of the bullet.
"Adam, look out!"
The bullet pierces through the side of Paul's neck, and he falls to the ground, bleeding all over the place.
Maria sees this and yells out.
"Oh my God, Paul!"
Adam notices what happened, but can't let Dietrich get away, and continues to chase after him.
Kevin takes out the shooter and the rest of Dietrich's men and jumps down from the crate to go to check on Paul.
Adam is alone chasing Dietrich who has a head start, but knowing Adam musters every bit of strength left in his body after the day's events to run as fast as he possibly can to get close enough to stop him.
"Schneider! Stop!"
Dietrich turns around and fires at Adam, but Adam manages to dodge the bullet behind another cargo crate, and then fires back, but he also misses.
The dock is a maze of those crates, and Dietrich momentarily thinks he lost Adam, but suddenly a bullet is shot through his foot. Adam was one step ahead of Dietrich and apprehends him.
"Schneider! It's over! You lost!"
Dietrich is on the ground, in pain, but knows something Adam doesn't.
"This is far from over."
Adam gets a call on his earpiece from one of the ATC field operatives.
"We searched through the vehicles. The vials are not here. I repeat: the vials are not here."
Adam tries to press Dietrich by threatening him with his gun.
"The vials that are unaccounted for. Where are they?"
Despite being in pain, Dietrich has a smirk on his face.
"You think it's gonna be that easy?"
Dietrich then starts to get up to a sitting position, but Adam violently kicks his head back to the ground. There's a lot of power behind the kick. Adam has been waiting all day to take out some his frustrations on the man behind the day's events.
"Where are the vials!"
"You can try, Mr. Black. The Mossad spent a year trying to break me and they didn't. You won't break me in an hour."
"An hour?"
"Until the rest of the virus is going to be released. Unless I get what I want. I didn't make it this far without a contingency plan. You should know that."
Dietrich once again has the upper hand, and Adam hates it.
"What do you want? Immunity?"
"Call the President. He knows what I want."
Adam calls the President. Before arriving at the docks, he told the President what was going on.
"It's me. I have Schneider in custody."
"Adam, that's great news! Great work!"
A weight is lifted off of the President's shoulders, but the joy is rather short-lived.
"I'm afraid the day isn't over yet, Mr. President."
"What do you mean?"
"The rest of the vials containing the Azreal virus are unaccounted for. Schneider won't reveal their location until his terms are met. Apparently, the virus will be released within the hour. Mr. President, I don't think I'm able to break him in time."
"What does he want?"
Adam hands Dietrich the phone.
"Talk to him."
"Hello again, Mr. President. I'm sure you're already aware of what I want. I want the List. And a safe passage to a country of my choosing."
Adam despises the fact that the President is negotiating with Dietrich, but even more than that he despises the fact that Dietrich simply played the game too well. They don't have a choice, and capturing him was ultimately in vain.
The White House
Palmer followed the situation with Dietrich closely, and made a call to Silverman as soon as he learned about Dietrich being captured.
"ATC's operation was successful. Dietrich Schneider has been apprehended at the Port of Los Angeles, but he is threatening to release the rest of the virus unless his demands are met. I have a feeling the President may be forced to give in to his request."
"Thank you, Mr. Collins. I will take care of the matter."
Silverman hangs up and makes another call.
"The Port of Los Angeles."
The Port of Los Angeles
The President decides to give in to Dietrich's demands, and promises to upload the data to his phone in exchange for the locations of the remaining vials of the virus.
As Dietrich is waiting for the data to upload, Adam presses him for answers.
"Now you're going to tell me the vials are."
"Very well. The remaining vials are located at the Staples Center, the Los Angeles City Hall, the Theme Building, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the U.S. Bank Tower. These were timed to be released in the morning. The biggest of them all, however, the one released within the hour, is-"
Before Dietrich can finish the sentence, a bullet from a sniper travels right through his head, killing him instantly.
Adam jumps for cover and notifies the ATC field team.
"Schneider's been shot, he's dead! We do not have the location of the last vial! I repeat: we do not have the location of the last vial!"