Episode 8 of The Terminal List commences with Katie consenting to the interview with Hartley, escorted to the Secretary's abode. There, Hartley unveils a shocking truth, alleging they've been misled. She confesses to greenlighting the RD4895 project but claims innocence in the subsequent cover-up. She further asserts that profit was never her motive, rather, she sought to address trauma through testing RD4895. However, Admiral Pillar's doctored medical reports deceived her, convincing her of the drug's efficacy, despite its blatant failure.
Hartley's revelation came after hearing Katie's passionate outcry against Steve Horn on TV, sensing a deeper story beneath the surface. She delved into the Syria incident, feeling equally devastated as Reece. Having recounted her tale, Hartley released Katie, urging her to make informed decisions with the information.
Katie faces a dilemma: Is Hartley sincere, or is she fabricating a tale to salvage her reputation? Determined to uncover the truth, Katie confronts Lorraine that night, noticing discrepancies in her narrative. Lorraine's revised story hints at actions against Steve Horn and others prior to the street confrontation, contradicting her earlier claims. Katie corners Hartley, highlighting her knowledge of RD-4895's flaws and Hartley's questionable decision to sacrifice Reece's men in battle.
As fate would have it, Ben and James encountered a routine highway checkpoint, their progress abruptly halted. James concealed himself in the shadows of the vehicle's rear, and the tension mounted as they delicately maneuvered through the checkpoint. Miraculously, they emerged unscathed, with James remaining undetected.
Once Katie uncovered the truth behind Hartley's duplicity, Ben and James unleashed a barrage of gunfire on the compound. Enraged, James charged straight for Hartley's fortified safe-room. Katie attempted to soothe his fury, revealing that she possessed incriminating audio evidence of Hartley's deception.
Amidst their heated discussion, Secretary Hartley, her guilt now indisputable, snatched a handgun concealed on the table and took her own life, preferring death to the humiliation of a public scandal.
James Reece, gravely wounded in the earlier confrontations, stumbled outside, bloodied and vulnerable. A soldier approached, but hesitated before pulling the trigger, ultimately allowing Reece to escape.
Three weeks later, Katie's narrative gained momentum, sparking genuine reforms within the Pentagon. Meanwhile, Reece, still alive, remained on the run, pursued relentlessly by Katie and the rest of the world.
Unbeknownst to all, James Reece had already tracked down Ben Edwards in Peru. Remember the final name on his list? It was Ben, the one who had fed him faulty intelligence. Ben insisted he had no hand in James' family's murder, claiming he desired their demise as much as James did. Nevertheless, as Ben's name sat at the end of that list, James made the decision to finish what he had started, ending his brother's life with a cold, calculated shot.
