Dion!
-Huh? -You coming?
-In a minute. -The bell's about to ring.
-I'm waiting for someone. -Dion.
Oh, hey.
We can't really talk out here. Come on.
So, you're a telepath?
A mind prober.
I have so many questions. I don't know which one to ask first.
You don't have to ask. You can just think them if you want.
Can you hear my thoughts right now?
Yes, and you don't have to touch your head.
So you can read thoughts and make yourself appear in my mind?
That's awesome!
I can also make people do things.
Can you make me do things?
I've been trying to make you stop talking this whole time.
-I don't think it works on Powered people. -That's good.
-Got a superhero name? -No.
Dude, what are you doing? You need a name.
-Mine's Mind Mover because-- -You can move things with your mind.
Exactly.
I've been working on my costume design. I could show you sometime.
Can you guess what I'm thinking now? Twix bars. Cookies & Creme minis.
Whoa.
All right. Look, promise me you won't tell anyone about my powers.
Not your mom or the nerd squad you hang with.
Nerd squad? We're the Triangle of Justice.
They're my best friends.
We could use a Jedi like you.
I'm no Jedi. The Sith are way cooler.
-Dude, the Sith are the bad guys. -Bad guys get all the best lines.
"I find your lack of faith disturbing."
"They call me Mr. Glass."
"You merely adopted the dark. I was born in it."
Villains are… kind of cool.
I wish we could hang out longer, but we gotta get to class.
We can do both.
What does that mean?
You'll see.
Look at this. All of a sudden, it's spiking.
What?
Work?
It's Tevin.
Why are you still giving that man the Heisman?
How is that conversation gonna go? "Hey, sorry I couldn't chat with you."
"Pat, Dion's homicidal former trainer, who I thought we killed two years ago,
is locked up in a cage at BIONA."
"Facepalm emoji."
I would probably go with the mind blown emoji.
I can't do that to Dion.
I can't have him reliving the Pat trauma all over again.
Seems like you're the one who doesn't wanna do the reliving.
What's that supposed to mean?
It means that you have issues with Powered men.
If that smooth-skinned brother wasn't Powered, you'd be texting him back.
-Tell me I'm wrong.
Dion isn't the same kid he was two years ago.
Back then, he was a kid dealing with the loss of his father,
trying to find his way in a new neighborhood,
new school, new friends.
He has come through that a brave, sensitive young man.
He's growing up.
You need to trust him.
Are… Are you listening to me?
Girl, quit wasting that gym body
and go make out with that fine brother to some '90s R & B.
Nicole Warren, answer the damn phone.
Hey.
I'm at Rico's.
-He got jokes?
Um…
Uh, yeah, I don't have work for a little bit. I'll be here.
She sure will.
Yeah. Great. See you soon.
-Will you wipe that smile off your face? -What? This is my face.
That dancing is the most working out you've done all day.
Here you go.
So the only thing you saw down there were flowers?
Yeah, but they were weird flowers. They lit up.
That was probably just the sun hitting them.
Esperanza, there's no sun underground.
Did you get any proof? Photos?
I got way too freaked out and left, but I drew a picture.
It has a face!
Come on, Dion.
What's your deal? Is Brayden your new BFF or what?
No! We just have some stuff to talk about.
-What kind of stuff? -"Stuff" stuff.
Okay, class.
All of you received your quizzes back, all of you that are here.
Dion.
A few of you even actually got 100%.
Still want to hang out?
Yeah, but we're in class.
Close your eyes.
Now, open them.
Whoa.
How did we get all the way out here? This place goes on forever.
Dude, did you just teleport us here?
This is a place I like to go in my mind.
So we're in your head right now?
Can I use my powers?
-Yeah.
Yeah!
This is awesome!
You do something. You know, besides talk in my head.
Like this?
Wha-- Whoa.
W-Which one's the real you?
-What do you think? -I don't know. That one?
How about this one?
Whoa. This is so weird.
-How do you do that? -I put an idea inside your head.
And if you believe it, that's what you see.
So you can't make me do things, but you can make me see things.
Brayden!
Come out, come out, wherever you are.
Who's that?
Brayden.
Come on, I'll show you.
Brayden?
Where's my baby?
Where in the world could he be?
I'm gonna get ya. Gotcha!
Is that you?
Yup. And my mom. That's my dad.
What is this place?
Home. I try to come here and watch them whenever I can.
Why don't you live here anymore?
They died. So I had to move.
Are you all right?
-Your dad had powers? -That's who I got them from.
My dad had powers too. Uh, he got 'em on a trip up to Iceland.
So did mine.
Dude, do you think they knew each other?
Mm-mm.
Evil child.
-Wait.
What's happening?
-Uh, c-come on. Let's… Let's go.
What's that?
Never mind. Don't look at it.
-Evil child. You brought the devil here.
No!
Are we ready to get started?
Yeah.
The question was, which of the following colonies was settled first?
Whoever it is you're envisioning kicking that bag,
I'm pretty sure they're dead.
I wish.
Thanks for seeing me.
I was hoping I hadn't heard the last from you.
I'm sorry about the way I left the other day.
-I just-- -You don't have to explain anything to me.
You're a single parent, raising a little boy with superpowers.
I can't imagine what that's like.
Well…
let me paint you a picture.
Dion thinks he can do anything.
So, when he walks out into the world, all he sees is adventure and possibility.
And all I see is everything that could go wrong.
I'm constantly searching the horizon, looking for what's coming next,
and every time he walks out the door, I know he's in danger.
And you think it's on you to be everywhere at all times.
I'm gonna do everything I can to protect him.
When I was little, I remember playing outside my building.
We were looked after
by aunts or grandparents.
Maybe even people from my neighborhood.
My community raised me.
My point is… is that sometimes it takes a village.
I'm all for villages.
Just not Powered villages.
Yeah.
No, you have every right to be careful.
I hope I can earn your trust.
I'm sure gonna try.
Because whoever it was that hurt you, it isn't me.
I could hurt you, though.
You know what, you wanna go?
No, I saw you kick. I'm good.
We got the test results back on Pat.
-And? -Negative.
He's clean.
Run it again.
There's nothing there.
I-I think the guy is really here to help.
You don't know him.
That stupid grin. That whole golly gee, puppy dog thing.
That's his mask.
When a tiger flashes its teeth, don't mistake that for a smile.
I seem to remember you having a similar reaction to me
when we first met.
Charming people make me nervous.
You're charming.
The moment Pat gets out of line, I'll pump him with enough CO2
to turn him into Jack Nicholson at the end of The Shining.
I have a call with doctors from Oslo.
David.
Yes?
Run it again.
Will do.
I got you something. Straight from Hi-Ho Comics on 3rd.
You really should be putting these in plastic.
The value dropped right when you left the store.
No Mark Waid?
I told the guy at the store I'm shopping for a comic book geek.
I prefer the term "aficionado."
Whenever a guy like you calls a guy like me a geek or a nerd,
it's never a term of endearment.
I didn't mean to insult you.
The truth is it was a weak attempt to gain your trust.
Well, then you will need to do better than a 12-dollar comic.
I've done a deep dive into your life.
Read every Reddit post, every Facebook update.
I know people questioned how the great Mark Warren
could be friends with you, but I get it.
You're likable.
Go on.
You've built up quite the résumé over the years.
Your ex-girlfriend, Kerry Phillips, Dr. Morton Lungstad--
-Stop. -Charlotte Tuck, Jill Noonan.
-Walter Mills, Mark Warren. -Why are you here?
After all that death, you surrendered of your own volition.
You were dead to the world. Anyone else would have moved away, started over.
Can't get enough of that Gucci Mane. Trap music for life.
I believe you came home to help.
Even if it means being locked in a cage for the rest of your life.
That choice must have come from a profound change in character.
-I think you're ready to become the hero. -No. I'm no… I'm no hero.
I'm not much of, uh, anything.
The earth disagrees.
This is the soil from the sinkhole.
The tests we ran show that you're still charged.
Uh,
that can't be right. I've been powerless for over two years.
The Crooked Man is part of your DNA. It's who you are.
It'll always be inside you.
I'm still Powered?
It's not enough juice to help you win an arm wrestling contest.
It's enough to make you a valuable asset in our research at the sinkhole.
Things will get worse. You know that.
We need to diagnose what's happening down there and stop it.
You wanted to help? Now's your chance.
Uh, what-whatever you need.
Um, Suzanne, is she on board with this?
With me?
I told her your tests came back negative.
So you lied. Um…
Do you know what she'll do to us if she finds out? Or to me?
She will ship me to Siberia.
Where am I gonna find trap music in Siberia? It's a very small scene there.
The lie was essential. Plausible deniability.
It keeps Suzanne clean and BIONA functioning.
We can solve this problem together without involving her.
The question I have for you is, do you still want to help?
Yeah, I do.
Then let's get you out of here.
Are you okay? That was like a horror movie or something.
What was that?
My aunt. She was awful.
But we were in your head.
You can think about anything you want. Why would you be thinking about her?
I, um…
I saw her die.
Whoa.
It was bad. I try to keep her out, but sometimes I can't.
She can't hurt you.
-Next time I'll try-- -Okay, hold on. Next time?
No way. I'm gonna stay out of your head.
Come on. Let's do something else.
I gotta support Esperanza.
Why? 'Cause she's in your Triangle of Justice?
Because she's my friend.
-This is lame. -Brayden!
So how are you feeling?
-I don't want to do this. -What?
You're the reason we're here.
-Exactly. -I… made a mistake.
You didn't make a mistake.
You're the best singer I know, and you love it.
Everyone's here. You can't miss your shot.
Did I just get Hamilton'd?
-That's besides the point. -The TOJ is here for you. So please.
Welcome to the auditions.
I will be your director.
But I will also be your mentor,
your… inspiration.
I will not stand for any prima donnas.
This is the beginning of your lives.
Actually, it's the beginning of fourth period.
Be careful. This is my world. You're auditioning to be in it.
You got big dreams.
You want fame?
Well, fame costs. And right here is where you start paying.
In sweat.
Jesus, take the wheel.
-Oh, Jesus won't save you, my dear. -Isn't that what Jesus does?
I have been given the responsibility of deciding
which music will make it into the revue.
So get out there and sell it. I want to see passion.
I want your blood, sweat and tears on this stage.
And I promise
I will make you a star!
Line?
Next.
"Oh, Susanna."
-Next? -Next.
Fosse, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
I really hate this song.
Next!
-Mr. Kwame? -Huh?
There is no doubt this stage is filled
with the best McKoy Park Elementary has to offer.
But there's one thing that puts your show over the top.
Imagine, pyrotechnics, flames shooting from both sides of the stage.
And for the finale, confetti cannons.
This is a video I took at Josie's quinceañera.
I think the quality of my work speaks for itself.
Oh, oh.
You just got yourself a stage manager.
Next!
This feels like we're smack in the middle of a very bad idea.
If there's a spike in energy, the cooling vest will extinguish it.
Your temperature is rising. Are you feeling anything?
Yeah, I'm feeling lots of things. Mainly remorse, shame.
Also, the guy with the CO2 weapon pointed at my back
isn't exactly comforting.
I tried to kill everything I loved here.
The look on Dion's face, the fear in his eyes…
This energy inside me, this hunger, I just had to feed it.
That was the only way to make it stop and then, uh,
I felt like a god.
It's… It's terrible, but
it's true.
It erased me and made me into something else.
Okay.
Oh.
-I feel it.
-What do you feel?
Like a rush of
hate.
Just blind anger that's been held down here for a long time.
What is it? Is it the Crooked Energy?
No, no, but the Crooked Energy is using it.
It brought it up to the surface and let it out.
Yeah, it's not hiding anymore.
Where the hell is Pat Rollins?
I want a full lockdown. Get him back in his cage. Move!
Nicole, I have news. It's Pat.
What were you and Brayden talking about?
Nothing.
It didn't look like nothing.
Can we talk after your audition?
You're supposed to be taking my mind off of being scared.
By the way, you're doing a terrible job.
You're the best singer in school. Okay, you're way better than us.
-Absolutely. You got this. -Esperanza Jiménez.
-Come on. -Let's do it.
TOJ!
Next!
You can't "next" her.
-She didn't sing her song. -Child, what are you doing on my stage?
It's okay, Dion.
Mr. Kwame, when you were a dancer, you never messed up?
That is how I remember it.
Esperanza worked really hard on her song, and she's really, really good.
Give her a chance.
You got this.
Okay.
He's here.
- How long do I have to stay here? -Do you have somewhere to be?
Just anywhere but here. This is painful.
Pat, you can handle it.
This is the spot where Dion was standing when I tried to kill him.
Will Dion ever forgive me?
I need to talk to you.
In a minute.
-Hey, the auditions are almost over!
-Who's Pat? How do you know that name?
He's here. At the sinkhole. And he's thinking about you.
Look at you. You're so tall.
I can't call you "little man" anymore.
You died.
I saw you die!
Okay, so,
not exactly.
I know seeing me has got to be like, "Whoa, dude's supposed to be dead,"
but, see, the-the bad part of me, the-the Crooked Energy, that's, um…
That's…
It doesn't control me anymore. So I'm… I'm me again!
It-It's like, um, um…
Zemo. Baron Zemo and the Thunderbolts. You love the Thunderbolts.
Remember how they were villains pretending to be heroes,
but they actually became heroes? That's me. I'm Baron Zemo.
I'm a reformed villain. I'm a good guy.
-Di! -Stop talking!
Hey, Di, hey, look at me.
I didn't hurt him.
You stay away from us!
Dion, talk to me.
Okay, I know this must feel like a really bad dream.
What do we do when we have bad dreams? We work through it together.
This isn't a bad dream!
He's alive!
-Come here.
-What were you thinking? -I had it all under control.
Put that thing back in its cell and be in my office first thing.
-Suzanne-- -Just do it!
Something else is down there, Suzanne!
You swore to me he would never leave that cell.
-I had no idea. -You knew?
I--
You knew and you didn't tell me?
I'm sorry. Yes, I knew about it and I should have told you.
You're not sorry. You just got caught.
She, uh, she took my comics.
All of them. Gone.
You just had to lie to the CEO of BIONA.
Storms pass.
You should know better than anyone.
Right, 'cause I'm…
We just have to ride it out.
No, see, y-you… You knew exactly what you were doing when you lied to Suzanne.
There are powerful people who aren't happy about how much money BIONA's bleeding.
They'd like to see some returns.
So you lied to the boss!
I took action.
And as a result, we found valuable information at the sinkhole.
The surge of electricity. You're not causing the spikes.
Someone or something is.
In time, Suzanne will appreciate that.
Great. So where does that leave me?
I'll try to get you some new comic books.
Oh.
You have every right to be mad.
I messed up. I should've told you about Pat.
Sometimes, I try so hard to protect you, I-I end up doing the opposite.
But, if Pat's alive,
does that mean that Dad is too?
I think if Dad were here, he would have come home to us.
But he said energy never dies.
It doesn't.
Your dad is all around us.
I see him in you.
He's everywhere that we remember him.
We won't always get answers,
but we can keep him in our hearts,
and keep moving forward.
It's part of growing up.
We've got an uptick on the NRMs. I'm thinking it's fault line stress.
I could check with the US Geological Survey.
It could be activity at the Brevard Fault Line.
Georgia hasn't had a significant earthquake since 1916.
I'm really not in the mood to talk right now.
Yeah, that makes two of us.
But there's something going on in the sinkhole.
It's spiking with energy. Same way it did three days ago.
I'd feel better if you came down and saw this.
Pat was right. Something is down there.
Have you thought maybe Pat's right,
because he's the one messing with the sinkhole?
That's not what the data's telling us. Something is happening.
And I don't think it's Pat.
Well, that something is outside my kid's school,
where you let Pat go,
so why don't you figure out what's going on
and call me back when you know something.
Preach, sis.
What was that about?
Ms. Suzanne wanted me to go out to the sinkhole.
Really? Great.
Why is that great?
Uh…
Because…
The sinkhole's interesting, and there's some really cool things down there,
um, like… history stuff.
And maybe stuff that Ms. Suzanne knows about.
Is there something you want to tell me?
Um…
I might have teleported to BIONA to find my phone, which I didn't lose,
but then I heard Ms. Suzanne talking about a weird secret down at the sinkhole.
Then I went down there and I saw these really weird flowers
and they kind of came alive.
And then Pat shows up there? What the hell, Nic?
-Can you watch Di for me? -I got you.
I'm sorry, Mom.
We'll talk later. I'll be back as soon as I can.
Have you ever watched The Bachelor?
Okay, I'm here.
Take me to this damn hole
so I can put my son to bed and feel like I did my job.
Right this way.
Suzanne, home base is on the line.
I'll be right there.
Pat, is that you down there?
I want you to know I'm ready.
Do you hear me?
I'm ready for whatever you want to throw at me.
I'm not afraid of monsters!
Nicole!
Are you okay?
Yeah. Yeah, I think so.
Get the ladder!
Ladder.
Get Nicole out of that hole now!
No!
Here.
Look out!
We got a monster problem.