Yates quotes from American Ultra (2015)

We lost two assets attempting to neutralize Wiseman-designate Howell.

Yates

How is that possible?

He was armed with a spoon, sir.

Yates

Well, if it isn't Miss Stockholm Syndrome 2010.

Phoebe

Yates. What the **** are you doing here?

Yates

Whoa. That's unprofessional.

Phoebe

Who's running this operation? Since when did desk jockeys like you run field ops?

Yates

Well, I guess that's the problem with going dark for five years. You kinda fall out of the loop on a couple things.

Phoebe

Do you have authorization at all? Where's Krueger?

Yates

Phoebe Selburg. She who'd rather suck some stoner's **** than turn herself in for debrief, is going to question my authorization? I've read your file. You have no secrets from me! Your boyfriend isn't real. We made him. Oh, I'm so sorry that some lab-rat made you **** a bunch of times in the back of a Taco Bell. Yeah, that's probably a good reason to throw away your entire life! I guess it all worked out because look where I am now. In charge of a major operation. And look where you are. Under departmental arrest for insubordination, and your face is all messed up. And I'm going to get a promotion.

Yates

Uh, your girlfriend's here. Would you ever like to see her alive again?

Mike

I don't know.

Yates

So if I just took out my gun and blew her **** face off, you'd be cool with that?

Mike

No, that wouldn't be cool. Is she really there with you?

Phoebe

Mikey? I'm sorry. But I'm the tree. I've been the tree the entire time, you're the car. Okay? I love you. So you can leave. You can go wherever you want and they will **** never...

Yates

That was really **** lame.

You directly interfered with a government operation. And as a result, you caused the deaths of innocent civilians. Is that correct?

Yes, sir.

Yates

You're absolutely right, sir. Thanks to Lasseter activating Howell, seven American citizens are now dead.

This is an operation that you created and spearheaded without any authorization, is that correct?

Yates

Yes, sir. But you have to understand, I was self-starting.

Excuse me?

Yates

Did I make some mistakes? You know, I did. Did I take some shortcuts? Sure. But in the end, I was just doing what I needed to do to create a cost-efficient exploit of a system already put in place. And if I'd pulled it off, you'd be thanking me. Right? Come on, you'd be **** thanking me, right?

Yeah.

Yates

Okay! Thank you.

I don't know if this is appropriate, but please do not kill me.

I'm your source. When I called to notify you that the sweep was happening, I did it out of respect and courtesy. And you've made me regret that now. It was not my intention for you to act like a child and try to save your puppy. The puppy was going down, I was notifying you of the puppy's death. But the puppy just shit all over everything! You have a crazy, scary rabid puppy that murders people and will still need to be put down. You understand that, correct?

Yes, sir.

You better pray you can find a way to turn this into a win and pull a miracle out of your ass. Because if you can't, that's you. [looks to Yates]

You already have your miracle, sir. My program worked. Wiseman beat Toughguy. Mike Howell eliminated 17 Toughguy assets single-handedly. That makes him the most effective asset we've ever seen in any of the Ultra programs. Ever! In 60 years. Pardon me for saying it, sir, but that is a puppy worth saving. That is a $400 million puppy. And you have him sitting in a holding cell right now.