Previously on Absentia ...
That reporter, Erika Lyle, she wants to come over tonight
and shoot a little footage. Oh?
Happy marriage, American dream.
Are you sure? Shut up.
We're not here to kill you!
Holt!
Jesus, Emily, stop. Minefield!
Why did you kill all those people?
Mistakes were made. They had to be cleaned up.
Who do you work for?
No!
The hives. What about the hives?
Marco had 'em. Farley had it, too.
And Valerie Chandris had it.
It's a rash. What Is their connection?
Tommy, I found something. And I really need your help.
You had no authorization. No warrant.
You are suspended without pay, pending formal review.
Detective Tommy Gibbs was one of Boston's finest.
He gave the force 15 years of his life.
15 years. That's something.
Tommy was something.
Passionate, dependable and fiercely loyal,
not only to the badge, but to the people around him.
That crazy accent made him hard to understand in Spanish or English.
Yeah, his ego might have been a little more inflated
than Brady's footballs.
But damn it if he wasn't the toughest, most determined,
relentless cop I know.
A good man, a good officer...
a good friend.
So, everyone, raise a glass...
to Tommy.
To Tommy. To Tommy.
Gone. Never forgotten.
Losing someone... never is easy.
He was a good man.
I'm here when you need me.
So, here we are. Drinking, laughing.
Pretending Tommy's life was sunshine and roses.
It's a wake.
It's supposed to be a celebration.
It's a lie.
He was in a bad place before he died.
I suspended him. Maybe I shouldn't have done it.
Maybe if I hadn't then he wouldn't have...
Wait a minute, you think he was suicidal?
Yes.
And why did you suspend him?
He was working an off-book Investigation
at Catalyst Diagnostics.
He broke into their facility and got caught.
They agreed that they wouldn't press charges against him
but I suspended him... Excuse me, sorry.
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So, What do you think?
Um... Well, the signs point to suicide.
Yeah, but what about the bruise on his forehead?
Well, carbon monoxide poisoning causes seizures,
he could've smashed his head off the steering wheel? I don't know.
Mm. Look,
if you wanna talk about Tommy. I'm here. okay?
Please eat something, I'm not gonna finish those fries by myself.
What's going on with you?
What do you mean?
What? What?
You're glowing.
I think I'm kinda seeing someone.
Yeah? Yeah.
Who is she?
I don't wanna say. Mm-mm, not yet.
We're just... We're still figuring it out.
We gotta go. Okay.
Um... I'm happy.
Good. You deserve it.
Thanks. Uh, well, I gotta go.
Uh, It's good to see you. Yeah.
All right. Take some of these.
Okay. Bye.
This is nice, eating together.
It's nice having you here for a change.
I've got a surprise for you guys.
I have, um... used some of my banked vacation days,
and I got the rest of the week off.
I wish you'd told us sooner, I... I'm getting slammed at work lately.
You can't move some things around? My clients need me.
Um... how about we all do something this weekend?
Sure, yeah. Why not? Yeah, that sounds...
that sounds good. Let's do that, let's get out of the City.
We can drive up to Pelham, we can stay by Raymond Park.
Maybe.
They've got that rock climbing site up there.
Sounds cool. We can talk about it.
Okay.
You look great. Is something big happening at work today?
Just something I threw on.
Flynn, let's go.
Uh, I could take him.
Uh, no, no, um... You just relax.
You earned it. Uh, you can take him tomorrow.
Okay.
All right, bye, you guys. Have fun at school.
Yeah.
It's us. It's just us. It's just us.
We tracked Rex Wolfe to a small farmhouse outside of Zelena.
He opened fire, we returned.
A physical altercation ensued... and a civilian was killed.
Wolfe fled, Agent Byrne... Agent Byrne and I pursued.
Wolfe stepped on a landmine and he died instantly.
Well, it wasn't an optimal result,
but at least we get to close the book on this.
Close the book? Sir, we still don't know why he killed his victims.
Wolfe said he was ordered to kill. We can't ignore that.
The Son of Sam was ordered to kill by a dog.
Sir, this was a clear-headed soldier on a mission.
We believe there are people above him.
All right.
You're free to pursue this... quietly.
But whatever you bring me better be big.
Deputy Director Webb is coming up from Washington tomorrow.
Unfounded suspicion is not a good look, understand?
Yeah. Yeah. Thank you.
And listen. At least this maniac can't kill again, right?
Right.
Did you mean what you said? About trusting my instincts?
Yeah. They let us track down a serial killer
halfway around the world.
Before Moldova, I found a connection
between Clay and Valerie.
Medical tests they had done at a place called Catalyst Diagnostics.
Why didn't you tell me?
Because we didn't know each other, and I didn't know what it meant.
So I asked a friend of mine to help me out.
Who? Who?
A cop. He, uh... He looked into it and now he's dead.
Jesus.
Okay, I'm sorry. And did he find anything?
I don't know. He, uh, broke in and then he got caught,
but instead of suing the city, they asked for Tommy's badge.
That sounds like someone wanted something to disappear.
I don't know what he found at Catalyst.
But I think it has something to do with the fentanyl killings.
Come here. I need to show you something.
Damn it.
Hello. Hey. man, It's Nick.
Hey, did you have a chance to trace the recipient's IP address?
Just came through. All the DMs came out of Boston Mercy Hospital.
Yeah, uh, thanks. I appreciate it.
Valerie had diabetes, Clay had CTE,
Farley was getting regular allergy shots, and Ramos's wife said
that he had back pain from a ski accident.
So that's regular cortisone shots.
Turns out Marcos has asthma. So, that's five out of six.
All of the diagnostic tests were being run through Catalyst.
So, that's what they have in common.
Another thing that they had in common were the rashes.
Each one of them had a rash.
But they were getting different treatments and different shots.
And Catalyst, they don't manufacture medicine, they just run the blood.
So, how does that work?
He got allergy shots every week for years.
Thank you.
But you said his behavior only changed recently?
Yeah. Well, more like intensified.
Anything about the shots change? Anything out of the ordinary?
No. Well...
Three weeks before Nathan was murdered,
his doctor called and said he was due for a flu shot.
So, I arranged a traveling nurse service for him.
A nurse came and gave it to him.
And did Nathan have a reaction to that injection?
I think so. One sec.
Here it is.
Three days later, he had me pick up hydrocortisone.
He broke out In hives. Also...
I don't know. The nurse guy. he was different
How? Really big guy. Intense.
I asked him if he had any extra doses
because I thought I'd get a flu shot too,
but he said. no, he didn't have any extra doses.
I mean, that's weird. right? Yeah.
It was him.
This was the person that gave Nathan Farley the injection?
Yeah. Yeah. Really creeped me out.
Hey. Hey. You ready to go?
Uh, yeah.
Okay, quick question.
How do you feel about playing a little hooky today?
What? Well... how about you and I...
spend the day together? I'll call you in sick from school.
I feel like you haven't checked with Mom about this.
Yeah, well, she's got a lot on her mind right now.
I know I haven't been around much lately...
but I wanna make it up to you.
What do you say?
Yeah, cool. Yeah?
Hey, listen, I was thinking...
We should go away somewhere.
How?
I have a family. Work.
they'll still be here when we get back.
Okay. I have to go.
Me and Donny were on duty.
We saw there was a breach in the archive room,
Donny went down to apprehend him. We were just doing our job.
Well, we're investigating Detective Gibbs, not you.
So, can we please see the footage?
All right.
Okay.
Oh, we've got another angle.
What?
N No... That's outside.
What? No. That's it? That's all you got?
That's all.
You got any cameras in the archive room?
No.
Can you take us down to the archive room?
Not without a warrant. A man was killed over this,
and you're gonna hold us back just because of some paperwork?
Byrne... Look. I like my job.
Without my boss's okay, this is the end of the tour.
Okay. We'll come back with a warrant.
Thank you, sir. Byrne.
Why would you do that? We've got to work up a warrant.
You know we need to see what Tommy found.
Come on, Byrne. If you wanna make the case, we'll get a warrant.
Hey. Dad? Yeah, what's up. buddy?
Never mind.
You know you can talk to me about anything, right?
No, you got mad last time.
Is this about Tyler Brandon Mills?
Yeah. I wa... I wasn't mad at you,
uh... I just had a lot on my mind.
I just think it was pretty awesome.
And, like... you took out a terrorist. That's all.
Well, I tried my best.
I just wonder if I've got what it takes,
like in a life-or-death situation.
Hey, you know what this is?
A plant?
It's moss. It grows on the north side of trees and rocks.
So?
Well, It's... It's easy to get lost out here.
If you know where north is, then... you can always find your way home.
The compass on my phone works pretty good too.
You're a real smartass, you know that?
Let's fill this thing up.
I'm glad I was too sick for school today.
Me too.
Okay, how about this one?
Uh... leaves with 3. leave them be. Leave them be.
Okay, you know that one. You know What they say about snakes?
What?
Never pee on them.
Okay. you have the fentanyl killer case
and the Tyler Brandon Mills case report. right?
I do. I do, yes.
Here we go.
Here comes Director Webb.
Good afternoon, sir.
Julianne. Hobster.
How are you? Hey. It's been too long.
How's Boston been treating you?
Not too bad, yeah. How's Gwen and Blake?
Growing like weeds. Oh! Of course. I can imagine.
All right, come on.
Thanks for picking him up from school.
Actually, we took the day off.
Nick, school is important for Flynn.
Routine is a key part of his therapy.
I'm starting to think that Flynn doesn't need to go to therapy.
He should be with us, his family.
He spent his childhood thinking his mother was dead.
He met and lost his biological grandmother in days,
and then Warren's health scare.
Trust me, he needs Doctor Oduwale's support and expertise.
We all do.
Maybe he'd need less of Doctor 0's support
if you weren't so distracted lately.
Are you really putting this on my job when you've barely been home?
You take a few days off and think you're "father of the year"?
I think that I'm doing my best.
How much more shit am I gonna get about being busy for a few weeks?
Weeks? You've been a stranger for months.
Ever since the miscarriage.
I was giving you space. You said that you didn't wanna talk about it.
For a few days, not forever. It's like I don't exist to you.
You don't spend time with me, you barely even look at me.
Well, does someone else have that covered now?
What is that supposed to mean? Why were you in a hotel?
I took an afternoon to decompress. Sure you did.
You're being insane.
Byrne.
Byrne... go home.
I'll call you if I find anything.
There are hundreds of people with the name Quill
In Massachusetts alone. Yeah.
Mmmmh. Keep it going. Thanks.
Hey, you're that guy from the FBI who brought down that terrorist.
Put his drinks on my tab, this guy's a national hero.
No. No.
I saw you on the TV. You were amazing.
Hey, you all right, pal? Yeah, I'm fine.
Thanks.
Emily.
Emily, you in there? I, uh... you see, it's Nick.
I need to talk.
Yeah, okay, I'm coming. One second.
Okay.
...I, uh...
What happened?
I think Alice Is cheating on me. What?
Yep, I found, um, uh...
I found some e-mails and some... some, some messages.
Wait. Um, e-mails? What're you talking about, Nick?
I swear... I don't... I don't... I don't even know who they're from.
I don't. I just...
I don't even really know What they mean. Maybe...
Maybe they don't mean anything. What are you talking about?
I know. I do. I know. I do.
No. Nick, I don't believe that. She doesn't seem like that.
She would never hurt you. She seems so...
So safe. No, loving. And loyal.
I guess you never really know someone, do you?
Maybe it's for the best.
What are you talking about? Hey.
Hey.
No. No, Nick. No.
Why not?
We don't get to go backwards.
You ever, um...
Do you ever think about...
What could've been?
No.
We can't erase what happened.
Hello? It's Cal, I've got something.
Hey. Hey.
Can I come in? Yeah.
So... I think I found Quill. Can I show you?
Yeah, go ahead.
So. Quill Is a. uh. a research project run out
of the Saugus University.
It was started in the late seventies with government funding.
They handed out hundreds of grants, it was like a science incubator.
But then in the mid-eighties, the funding dried up.
Is there any connection to Catalyst Diagnostics?
No. What about Rex Wolfe?
Not yet. But there is this guy. He's still a professor at Saugus.
Ulf Maston. You recognize him?
No.
I mean, maybe we, uh...
We talk to him In the morning, right?
I'll see you in the morning.
What's going on over there?
All right. I'll get out of your hair.
Those are foster kids from the Barrett House.
Some of them were Shen experiments like Laurie.
I couldn't let it lie.
Detective Gibbs was helping me with that. too.
Good night. Night.
For a couple of days and like, uh... I could fix everything.
He's in building 60. Let me find out where it is.
Okay.
Good morning.
Alice...
I'm sorry.
There's been a lot going on at work...
that I...
that I couldn't talk about.
We can talk now.
I didn't kill Tyler Brandon Mills during that convoy.
What?
Another man killed Mills...
and then he put a gun to the back of my head.
I thought he was gonna kill me, too.
Oh, my God.
All I could do is just lay there.
And then he left.
But the interview you did with Erika Lyle?
It was a lie.
And... And I wanted to tell you what really happened.
That I... That I was afraid that I was gonna die.
And that I felt like a coward.
I wanted to tell you that.
I'm no hero. I ran from Maura.
I ran away from our, our son.
When he was... When he was struggling, and...
Because I did... I didn't know how to help him.
And then I ran away from you after the miscarriage, be...
Because I was afraid to face the pain, honestly.
We lost a child, and I w... I wasn't there for you...
or for us.
And you know what? You were... You were right.
I... I really... I did, I thought that I could come home
for a couple of days and like, uh... I could fix everything.
It was my fault too.
I should've told you what I was going through.
For a while now, I haven't been sure what my place is,
if I really belong anywhere.
I thought working would make me feel valued.
I know, I know.
But it's not just that.
I've been...
restless.
Okay.
And...
I met with Doctor Huang the other day.
She said I won't be able to have a baby.
Hey.
I wanted to build a family with you.
But you... You have.
You have built a family... with me.
What are you doing here? This is a restricted area.
Get out of here. Uh... I'm looking for Ulf Maston.
I'm Ulf Maston. Who are you?
I'm FBI. I need to talk to you about Project Quill.
Project Quill? Oh, yeah, yeah, he called. Yeah, follow me.
So, this is Project Quill.
Or what's left of it. It was a, um, psychobiology incubator.
The goal was cross pollination. Information sharing,
talking across projects and disciplines.
We were originally funded to look into PTSD.
How to help soldiers returning from Vietnam,
and later other conflicts, handle trauma.
It was becoming a big problem.
Now, if you could take the lid off the, uh, the old rat cage there.
Okay, little fella.
There we go.
Oh, that shouldn't hurl: at all. Oh, there you go.
Okay, if you could just hold on to him.
Yeah. Thank you.
Right, follow me.
So, how do the rats figure in?
Well, it turns out that the body has
a very specific bio-chemical response to stress.
You know, different subjects respond differently
when subjected to trauma.
These are your test subjects? Yeah, as they were during Quill.
You know, rats are often vilified as disease-spreading monsters,
but they're very intelligent, social creatures.
Did you know they live in communities?
Yeah.
A rat will often take care of a member of their group
if it becomes injured or sick.
They protect each other? Well, they can.
And... And individual rats respond differently to stress and trauma,
just like people. See, I've been working for years
to distill which hormone leads to the most resilient response.
Why are some people more affected in the face of stress?
Why do some fall apart?
You know... See, if I could bottle the right chemical combination,
just imagine what a... An amazing boon that would be.
Not just for soldiers returning home from war, but for society.
Did you have any luck with the rats? I bred these rats myself.
They come as near as possible to what seem to be
the most resilient combination of various stress chemicals.
Do... Does it work?
Not as I predicted, as often happens in science.
Here.
There we go. Ooh.
But it's interesting.
Whoa!
So, the serum works, but not the way I thought it would.
These rats can withstand stress.
You know. they have fewer heart attacks,
better odds of survival in a fight, but... they become more aggressive.
Violent. Murderous, even, towards their fellow rodents.
This is Special Agent Isaac. Professor Maston.
It was never my intention.
Project Quill lost its funding decades ago.
Most of us scattered.
Did you ever experiment on people? Oh, no, no.
What you'd have to put someone through... Oh.
No, there are prohibitions on, uh, on that sort of thing.
But do you think anyone might've tried?
I mean, to continue the experiments on people?
Uh, many years ago, I had a collaborator,
a behavioral psychologist.
Push the envelope on that sort of thing.
But that was a problem right away.
No, no, Lu-Fang didn't last long at Quill.
Who? Lu-Fang Shen. Brilliant theorist.
Shen was looking for a very specific profile.
You had what he was looking for.
Come on.
Extracted from MKV & Synchronized By Hisoka Oni