Stop the truck!
Immigration! Pull over!
Immigration! Freeze!
Freeze!
You, stay where you are!
You got him?
Dr. Brooks to Labor and Delivery.
It's kind of eerie, isn't it?
It's not eerie.
It's profound.
The chances of identical
triplets is one in 200 million.
That's why we called you in, Dr. Hood.
I'm Ray De La Pena,
Special Agent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Hi.
Uh, this was supposed
to be just another illegal alien bust.
And now it's what,
stolen babies for sale?
Well, that's what we thought.
Problem is, we have no missing persons
or kidnapping reports on these particular infants.
Why is that, hmm?
Why is no one anywhere
screaming out for you?
There's no heartbroken mom out in that hallway?
No distraught dad crying with relief?
Unless
someone wants to keep the existence
of these three babies a secret.
Not three babies, Agent Young.
Four.
We found this diaper bag next to the truck.
It was dropped by someone
who wasn't apprehended in the raid,
and inside it, we found these.
Identical quadruplets?
I'm gonna have to run some tests.
Maintenance to Pedes ICU.
I tested the nuclear DNA of all three babies, Rachel.
Oh, it's a perfect match.
It's pretty much what you'd expect from, um,
identical triplets created from one
fertilized embryo.
Created?
Then I did a similar test on the mitochondrial DNA,
the DNA material outside the nucleus of the egg.
You know what I found?
These three babies
have mitochondrial DNA
from three...
different mothers.
I'm lost, guys.
Identical babies
from three different mothers.
Isn't that impossible?
In nature,
absolutely.
There's only one way
identical nuclear DNA can find its way
into the eggs of three different mothers.
Somebody put it there.
Can one of you guys please tell me
what the heck's going on here?
Agent De La Pena, what you picked up
in your routine bust yesterday...
is three cloned babies.
Cloned?
Did you just say cloned?
A cloning operation this sophisticated
can only mean one thing.
Geppetto.
Hood, there's a fourth baby out there.
Who the hell is Geppetto?
Geppetto is the criminal alias
of a black market geneticist
we tracked down a while back in Seattle.
And this Geppetto got away?
Rachel,
we have to find this baby.
And when we do...
it's gonna lead us directly to Geppetto.
This is unmanned drone footage of the raid on the truck.
Interviews from detainees confirm that the quadruplets
were the only infants in this load of illegals,
and they were all with this young couple right here.
We'll get a Persons of Interest
bulletin out on the two of them right away.
Yeah, well, while you're at it,
send out a public health bulletin
to hospitals and local
health facilities.
This infant may need urgent care.
What makes you say that?
Well, clones of other species exhibit a lot
of quite severe problems.
There's no reason why humans should be different.
Yeah, but
the three that we recovered seemed
to be healthy enough to me.
Yeah, so far. Let's just
keep them under observation.
I mean, they could have pretty major problems
if their, uh, DNA comes from someone who's older.
How do you mean?
Well, it's kind of like an old shoelace
that snaps each time you use it.
Um, doesn't matter how many times you tie it up.
It's gonna keep on breaking.
These babies may be starting out with the human cellular
equivalent of that old shoelace.
That's the reason why
ethical scientists don't want
to get involved in human cloning.
Among the items found
in the smuggler's truck was a prepaid cell phone.
I had someone at NSA run a matrix
on all the calls made by numbers dialed by that phone.
The phone called a number in the Mexican port of Tampico.
That number made a few calls
to a prison in Washington state,
where our old friend Lea Muller
is doing time.
Lea Muller...
she connected to Geppetto?
One of her key operatives.
Geppetto is definitely back, Hood.
She never went away.
She's learned from her mistakes,
and this time, she's got it right.
I don't believe it.
What?
Lea Muller
died last night.
Neli.
Oh, my God.
What are you doing here?
I came to see my sister.
Oh. Precisosa.
Last night, when Cristofer was asleep,
I was alone with her.
The moon was so bright and clear,
so I named her Espy for Esperanza, 'cause I have such
hopes for her.
You can't keep this baby!
Esperanza. She has a name now.
Cristofer, talk to her!
I think she's doing the right thing.
No, No.
You must give this baby back to the people you took it from.
I can't do that.
She's not yours!
Listen to me, Hermanita.
We both know some very bad people spent a lot of money
to get this baby.
They will hurt you to get it back.
Don't you see? That's why I can't let them have her.
I'm going
to save her from them.
I didn't want
to bother you, but we have
nowhere else to go.
We have no money.
Get what you need.
For Esperanza?
For Esperanza.
His name is Val Tambor.
Those chocolates
tested positive for cyanide.
We're watching a murder in progress.
And here's the information from Tambor's Nevada license.
Wait a minute.
The Val Tambor who came to visit Muller
isn't the Val Tambor whose photo is on file
with the Nevada DMV.
Stolen ID.
Original.
Well, at least now we know what he looks like.
Geppetto is planning something big.
And she's more than capable
of covering her tracks.
Which means she'll kill anyone who tries to stop her.
Carla.
Hi.
Please.
What do you want?
The baby.
Where is Neli?
I haven't seen her since she went back home!
Oh. That why you tried to shut the door on me?
No!
Come on. Come on.
Shh, shh, shh, shh. Come on.
Come on. Let's get up.
- No. - Come on.
I know. I know.
Shh.
That hurt, didn't it? Huh?
Just tell me what I wanna know.
I don't know where my sister is.
That's the wrong answer, darling.
What's wrong?
Shh, shh, shh.
I know that man. He works for them.
- No, no, no, no! - Oh, my God, Carla!
No! No!
Ray, I've got something.
An anonymous witness called in a murder
involving the license plate
of a car rented by whoever's using the Val Tambor identity.
It's a live crime scene not far from the border.
Geppetto's getting desperate...
And desperate people make mistakes.
So, our victim was a legal resident in this country.
She had a job. She paid her taxes.
This would look like a burglary
gone bad if it wasn't for the connection
to Lea Muller's death.
Yeah.
Detective, this might be your guy.
We think he's a hired killer.
Okay.
Look familiar?
That's our couple.
The patient's pain level is at nine out of ten.
The prognosis, pending blood analysis,
is at three weeks to six months of life.
The patient understands this
and is prepared to pursue treatment.
It's me, Geppetto.
How sweet of you to call.
We've been missing you.
The sister won't be a problem anymore.
Did she have any information for you?
She was tough,
but I'm right behind the nanny and the missing baby.
They're on foot, and there's only so many places
to hole up in on this road.
Well, we're ready here.
Don't hesitate to call
when you've done what you need to.
And hurry.
The patient is running out of time.
Understood.
Did you know that I passed Phase 1 testing
to get hired at the Bureau?
Really?
Let me guess.
You want me to tell you how I passed Phase 2
of my FBI recruitment test?
You just read my mind.
Sorry, but that's classified.
Any luck finding out who the couple in the picture were?
Uh... yeah.
The woman's name is Neli Gamarro.
She's our victim's sister.
Turns out she had a job here in the US
as a nanny until she was deported two years ago
for overstaying her visa.
Well, Geppetto's network tends to use
very young, very vulnerable women
as egg donors, surrogate mothers...
women who have no idea what they're getting involved in.
So our Neli is running for her life,
trying to make a break from Geppetto's organization,
along with the babies.
Yeah.
Explains why they ended up in the smuggler's truck.
Financial tracking checked out Carla Gamarro's purchases
over the last couple days.
Any idea why a single woman would spend $280 on baby care?
What was Carla's time of death?
Roughly 2:00 P.M. yesterday.
Then what was she doing using the same card on a motel room
40 miles up the road last night at 8:00 P.M.?
Which room?
Same credit card paid for a pizza to be delivered to room 5.
Well, let's check it out.
We'll go in the front door.
You watch the window in the back.
You got it.
Hood.
- Yeah. - The door's open.
Looks like whoever was here is gone now.
They definitely left in a hurry.
Get out of my way.
Get down.
- Get down! - Okay.
Federal agent! Freeze!
Ray, look out!
Get out of the car!
- Get out! - Oh, God!
- Get out. - Get down.
FBI.
Dammit!
You guys okay?
Very funny.
You do realize this is really going
to help your application at the Bureau?
Take it easy, Ray.
Well, I managed to bleed our bad guy.
We got a sample from where he hit the bathroom wall.
We'll run it through the NCIC's database.
Could have been you in there.
You don't get rid of me that easy.
Agent Young, I'm popping the trunk.
What do we got?
Well, our bad boy's definitely an assassin.
This is even more interesting.
We're looking at the contents
of Carla Gamarro's medicine cabinet,
cleaned out by her killer.
Look at this,
injectable vials of Pergonal and Lupron.
- Fertility medicine? - Yeah.
It's used to increase egg production during ovulation.
For egg harvesting?
There's no pharmacy labels,
which is kind of unusual for compounds
like this, but from the expiration date,
I'd say she had them about a year.
It's the right time frame
to make Carla eligible to be an egg donor.
- Yeah. - She must have been involved
in the cloning operation with her sister Neli.
He cleaned out her medicine cabinet
to hide her role in the whole thing.
First Geppetto takes her eggs,
then she takes her life.
I'd say she's definitely after our missing baby
and whoever's with her.
Yeah, and I don't think
this missing tool kit's going to slow him down much.
We got to find Neli before he does.
Thank you for the ride.
I wish we could pay you.
You sure you want to get off here?
I could take you guys to the doctor.
Baby doesn't sound too good.
Thank you.
Neli, come on.
I'm walking back Carla Gamarro's financials.
How is this sounded, two wire transfers totaling $6,000
from an account in the Cayman Islands?
Yeah, that's in the ballpark for a paid egg donor.
The account is held by Jennifer Hammer
of Houston, age 38
and single.
Could be infertile, feeling lonely
and for a shortcut
to a child.
So adopt.
Then there's always the, uh,
straight-up narcissists,
looking to replicate themselves at any expense.
Why would you even think of cloning yourself?
That's twice as many problems.
I guess some people just can't get enough of themselves.
Hey, what is it?
Hmm?
Is something bothering you, Hood?
No, I'm fine.
- Take care, see you. - I'll see you later.
Espagate aquelly.
Permiso?
Uh, yeah?
Uh... I could get in so much trouble for this.
She has a fever.
I don't know exactly how high.
Her throat is inflamed
and there's congestion in the lungs.
It's definitely an infection.
Now, if it keeps up,
you'll need antibiotics, but right now she needs fluids.
Just use a medicine dropper
and squirt a little in her mouth
every few minutes,
and give her something to help with the fever.
Thank you.
Well, if you do that, you'll be doing
everything we'd do in a hospital.
Yes.
And if she gets sicker, you need to take her
to an emergency room.
Promise me you'll do that.
I promise.
Gracias... gracias.
Carla Gamarro's
test results confirm that she was an egg donor
for one of the clones.
That means Jennifer Hammer's payment
to Carla links her directly to Geppetto's operation.
That'll make it easy to get a court order to test her DNA,
if it comes to that.
Right.
Geppetto, it's me.
Had a little setback involving some federal agents.
Jacob Hood was there.
Really?
Well, Jacob Hood is a very stubborn individual.
I could have had him.
Our security is still very tight here.
We're just waiting for word from you that you have the child.
You may have to maintain a little longer on your end.
My patient may not have much time left.
I've been in touch with my sources in Mexico.
Neli's boyfriend has a cousin who's a construction foreman
in Victoria, Texas.
He may be their next attempt at sanctuary.
I don't see that working out too well for them.
Next time you bump into Jacob Hood,
I'd consider it a personal favor
if you'd take care of him.
Dr. Hood, Agent Young, I'm Jennifer Hammer.
It's nice to meet you.
Thanks for agreeing to talk with us.
Can I ask, is that your mother?
- Yes, it is. - A very striking woman.
With a personality to match.
Oh, really?
She's still alive?
Yes, uh, but she's been ill.
I am lucky enough to have
full-time care for her, so she's here with me.
Still, still I know
that must be very hard for you.
Not as hard as it is for her.
Well, I'm surprised
the FBI is interested in where we keep our money.
Offshore accounts
are hardly financial exotica.
My family has investments in many parts of the world.
The Cayman Islands is
a well-known flag of convenience.
And a well-known tax shelter.
I thought you were with the FBI, not the IRS.
We're kind of one big family called the government.
I need to ask you about two specific transactions you made last year,
wire transfers to the account of a woman
named Carla Gamarro.
Offhand, I don't recall any such transfer.
But I can have my accountant
look into the notation of that payment.
Would it help your memory
if I told you that Carla was murdered yesterday?
Probably to keep her quiet
about being an egg donor.
That's what you paid her for, isn't it?
Egg donor?
Yeah.
The thing is,
we're really not interested in you.
We're after the people who actually did the cloning.
It'll help this all go away if you tell us everything
you know about a scientist known as Geppetto.
"Geppetto"?
As in the Pinocchio story?
No, as in the story
of a woman who paid to have herself cloned.
I don't know what the hell you're talking about.
Big mistake, Ms. Hammer.
Maybe.
Maybe not.
Doesn't really matter.
- What do you mean? - Well, we found out
everything we needed to know the moment we came in.
Jennifer's eyes are
a very nice shade of brown.
And her baby's eyes are blue.
They're six months old, so they'll stay that way.
Um, that means they couldn't have come
from Ms. Hammer's DNA.
Your mother's eyes are blue.
FBI, did you say you were?
That's right.
Offhand, I'd say you don't have the build.
Your neck isn't thick enough.
But you'll do in a pinch.
Oh, yes, you'll do.
Thank you.
You don't have to answer any of their questions, Mom.
First of all,
you call me "Pete." That's my name.
Second of all,
try and shut me up.
I don't get many visitors and those that do come,
I catch looking at their watches
as soon as they sit down.
- Sick old broad, that's me. - Mom...
What can you tell us about your illness?
Well, it's no secret I'm dying.
Cirrhosis of the liver.
In my case it's caused
by viral hepatitis, not boozing.
I'm not saying I won't take a drink now and then.
How about you, sweetie?
I like a glass of Italian red.
Or three.
I hear that, honey.
My daughter here,
she seems to think I have a good chance at a transplant.
I let her think so, but I read the list every day.
I'm way too old and that doesn't make me a priority.
What would you say, Pete, if someone were to tell you
they could grow you a whole new liver?
One that would kind of neatly sidestep
the main problem with organ transplants,
tissue rejection?
Your body would accept it more readily because essentially,
the organ would be genetically identical to your own tissue.
What would that be worth?
You couldn't put a price on it.
Well, right now, the state of the art
doesn't really allow us to grow a whole organ
in the laboratory. We still need
the protective system of the human body for that.
So, it can't be done?
Oh, it can be done. Yeah, has been.
If you need a particular human organ
with a specific DNA pattern,
it is now possible to grow a whole person
just for the body part.
And that's what we believe your daughter has done.
See, right now, we have three little babies
who we believe were cloned with your daughter's help
in order to grow an organ to help her beloved mother.
I am going to call our attorneys right now.
So...
You're saying Jennifer committed a crime?
Well, the problem is, uh,
cloned babies are people.
No matter what their origin.
And some organs can't be removed without killing a person.
If you remove the organ,
in order to put it into someone else,
the donor is going to die.
And that, last time I checked, was murder.
You leave.
I want to talk to Dr. Hood in private.
Now.
It's my fault, Dr. Hood.
I'm responsible for everything.
For the cloning.
Everything, whatever.
I'll shoulder the blame
for any and all crimes committed.
Well, supposing we could accept your confession...
How can you help us?
How about a name?
We're listening.
Genvictus.
A company our family
suddenly made a very large investment in a year ago.
Jennifer probably thought I didn't notice.
I was wondering when I saw it, and now I know the reason.
I want you to know,
I would never endanger the life of anyone,
particularly a child.
It certainly wouldn't be the first time
I'd known someone go to extraordinary lengths
to help someone they love.
I'm sorry for you, Dr. Hood.
Me? Why?
We're an industrial agricultural cloning company.
We clone a dozen animals a week here.
This is one of our two-year-olds.
Gaining weight nicely.
You plan on growing
the next Triple Crown winner in a laboratory?
No, the last one.
The last five, actually.
We have an extensive library of genetic material
from prize-winning stallions and mares.
We only clone proven winners
who are already profitable semen donors and broodmares.
Seems like it's working out for you, Mr. Price.
Well, a single stud fee can go
for tens of thousands of dollars.
It only makes sense to create
a brand-new, genetically identical animal,
after the original can't produce any more
equine joy juice.
We, uh, charge a fee for cloning
and then take a royalty on every successful mating.
And it's not just horses.
We're working on cloning our sixth species here.
- And it's all legal? - According to the FDA.
Your clones have
an unusually low rate of defects.
What's your solution to that problem?
Well, that's a bit of a "secret sauce" question.
We call it the Pinocchio Effect.
Let me guess
you've found a way to lengthen the telomeres
the way, uh, lying lengthened Pinocchio's nose?
You seem to know your way around DNA, Dr. Hood.
Yes, that's exactly what we've done.
Every time a telomere divides,
a little bit breaks off and that means
there's a little bit less the next time it reproduces.
Yeah, it's part of the natural aging process.
Doesn't have to be natural forever.
Well, I'd certainly be interested
in knowing how you developed that technique.
Uh, it was before my time.
Hmm.
Ever hear of a scientist
who uses the name "Geppetto?"
That's a funny name for a scientist.
Quite a coincidence,
given the name of the technique
responsible for your company's success.
You know, I'm sure our legal department would tell me
that we're getting into the area of proprietary information here.
Jennifer Hammer placed
a great deal of money with your company.
Can you tell us why?
Have you done any genetic work for her?
Our lawyers gave me
very specific instructions on what to say
and what not to say.
So, again, that information is not at my discretion
to disclose. I'm sorry.
Not as sorry as you'll be
when we come back with a subpoena.
You notice you mention Geppetto
and people clam up?
Whether it's to protect themselves
or protect their profits.
Or both at the same time.
Hood, I've located the Pinocchio patent.
The name on the application is a "Dr. Miranda Cochran."
Tracing her yields only a few biographical facts.
Dates on her undergrad and doctoral degrees
at Massachusetts Academy
of Technology, but not much more.
She added an MD at Los Angeles University,
and then she just disappears.
Falls off the grid entirely.
It doesn't add up.
Anybody who invented something so promising
should have a massive trail
of articles in the scientific press.
I'll contact the school.
See if they have a picture of her.
Ya, ya, it's okay.
It's okay. It's okay.
Hood, the academy sent us
a freshman yearbook image of Miranda Cochran.
I'm gonna age her up to her 50s.
Rachel,
that's her.
Miranda Cochran is Geppetto.
Ladies and gentlemen,
today the FBI
officially announces an addition of
Dr. Miranda Cochran, AKA "Geppetto,"
has been identified as the head of a criminal enterprise
and involved in at least three murders in two states.
She is also wanted for wire fraud, money laundering,
and repeatedly violating FDA regulations regarding
scientific experimentation on human subjects.
The FBI has instituted a $50,000 reward
for any information
leading to the capture of Miranda Cochran.
Now, I'll take any questions you have.
We're not gonna be able to maintain much longer.
And if we can't maintain, you can't get paid.
Relax. This is your last call, Geppetto.
It'll all be over in a few hours.
My patient is ready.
Just make sure she has my final payment.
I'm kind of a stickler about that.
Okay.
Well, you should be happy.
Most agents work their whole career
for a Ten Most Wanted case.
Well, I'm not really an agent,
so I don't care about stuff like that so much.
What's on your mind, Hood?
And don't say "Nothing."
When I was, um,
holding that child,
that cloned child...
I had a feeling for a second
what it must be like to be Geppetto.
Godlike.
And it made me dizzy.
I mean, if
this is really where we're headed,
if, if we're really going to be playing God,
then I don't want a part of it.
I mean, there have to be boundaries.
Have to be.
There's just going to be moral chaos out there.
Hopefully the Bureau making this public will help.
You know a lot of cases are still solved
by average caring citizens making a call.
So...
we wait.
I'll met Rudy here.
- Where's Rudy? - I don't know.
He said he would be here.
Shh.
Oh, it's okay.
It's okay. It's okay.
You'll feel better soon.
Uh, Cristofer!
What is it? What's the matter?
She's getting worse. She's burning up.
We need help!
We got several tips
linking this hotel room seven blocks from here
to our Ten Most Wanted felon, Miranda Cochran.
Subject is in her late 50s
and incredibly creative at evading capture.
She's had practice.
This is the muscle(TBD)
He's got two bodies to his name in the last week
and a strong short punch.
Any questions?
- No. - No. - All right,
let's check com links before we mount up.
- FBI! - FBI!
FBI.
- Clear. - Clear.
Clear.
Clear!
We have somebody who saw her kind of wait in line
at the service elevator in the last half hour.
Okay.
She beat us again.
She left in a hurry.
Look.
These drugs tell a story, Rachel.
Cytokine inhibitors.
Anti-tumor necrosis factor.
Insulin.
What are they used for?
Well, taken together, they tell me that
Geppetto's patient's suffering from a form of pancreatitis.
Not liver disease like Pete Hammer.
And with pancreatitis,
the body's digestive juices attack the organ.
It's very painful, normally fatal.
There's only one cure.
Let me guess.
A new pancreas.
Makes perfect sense.
I mean, you can transplant a pancreas
from a child to an adult fairly easily.
There's a possibility that Geppetto was planning
to use more than one organ at the same time.
Explains the number of, uh, donors.
Hood.
You can't live without a pancreas, right?
No.
Not a chance.
Help us!
- Please! - What's the matter?
She's burning up.
- Is she going to be okay? - We're doing everything
we can. Excuse me.
Es mi primo, Rudy.
FBI hotline. May I help you?
Hood, I just got a hit off your health alert.
It's from a hospital
less than 20 minutes from here.
Our baby showed up in the ER.
Hola, Cristofer.
Ah, ah, ah.
Don't be stupid.
You're gonna take me to that baby.
Or I'll blow a hole in your belly
big enough to pass a burrito through.
Fancy running
into you here, Wayne Swafford.
Yeah, that's right.
We ID'd you from
a little blood smearing left behind
when you sucker-punched me.
Did you know, Wayne,
that in Texas they execute more murderers than any other state?
Help us nail Geppetto
and I'll make sure that doesn't happen to you.
You're gonna let me go?
After a long-ass prison sentence... of course.
- Do you have the child? - I've got her.
We're en route to your locale.
She's perfect.
You know she wanted me to kill you.
Well, I must be doing something right.
FBI! Nobody move!
You can wake up now.
It's all over.
Is it done?
Yeah, I'd say it's done.
This time
you were the patient.
Miranda.
So...
... you cloned those babies for yourself.
Always the savior.
Jacob Hood.
Would you mind calling me Dr. Hood?
I don't really know you.
By the way,
the baby...
she's safe.
She's with her mother.
You would sacrifice a talent like mine
for a cloned infant.
She has a name. Esperanza.
And, yes, I'd sacrifice your talent for an insect.
I create life.
Only so you can destroy it.
I could teach you everything I know, if you help me.
That's quite an offer,
Geppetto.
But, um...
I'm going to have to say no.
You see,
unlike you...
I have a soft spot for human beings.
You're a coward, Dr. Hood!
You play at being
a good man.
But you'll never be great.
I can live with that.
Miranda Cochran...
... AKA Geppetto,
you are under arrest.
How is she doing?
She has none of the genetic problems
you were worried about.
What she does have is a very bad case of the flu.
Her seizures were febrile seizures...
very scary, but also fairly common
in babies with high fevers.
If it hadn't been for the care she received
from these young people,
it could have been a lot worse.
Your three baby sisters are doing just fine, too.
And we're finding very good homes for them.
So something good come did come out of Geppetto's work.
You do realize she's a very special baby, don't you?
I know I broke the law,
but I also know
I did the right thing.
I mean look at her.
She's alive.
And she's safe.
Oh, by the way,
um, apparently, it turns out catching
a Top Ten Most Wanted Felon's some kind of big deal.
You both helped with that,
so thanks to the FBI, your, um, immigration
and your adoption papers are not going to be a problem.
So you're going to be able to stay here,
all three of you as a family.
Is that okay?
Mm-hmm.