Yes!
Ava?
Goddamn it.
The goddamn shower just tried to kill me.
What? I suppose you enjoy getting blasted by, like,
a thousand jets of ice-cold water?
Well, I don't know what magical land you're from
where the showers are the perfect temperature from go,
but, um, you gotta give this one a minute to heat up.
He's into me.
He busted in like he was gonna slay a dragon to save me.
Let me set it up for you.
And he saved me from drowning.
-And from that demon I hallucinated.
Oh, goddamn it.
There's a pattern here, and it's Ava being pathetic.
So, it has ambient lighting, mood music, steam therapy.
He's not into me. He's just being nice.
Yeah.
Basically, everything you never knew you needed in a shower.
I should tell him I can walk through walls.
So what if I can't swim or use a shower?
I rose from the fucking dead.
Why is this so complicated?
Oh, fuck. That was out loud.
It's cool. I mean, You can roll with my preset if you want.
Roll with his presets?
Wait, is he flirting with me?
But I gotta warn you. It's intense.
Oh, definitely flirting.
Your body mod is badass. Where'd you have it done?
My body what?
The scar on your back?
Oh. That was from a car accident.
I probably have a bunch of scars from it.
Can we just leave it at that?
Yeah, of course.
Sorry. I thought... It's just that it's a perfect circle, so...
Wait. What? That's just bizarre.
So, uh, breakfast?
-Yeah, sure. -Yeah? Nice. Cool. Um...
Why did...
Now they knew we were coming.
Why else would there be mercenaries waiting for us?
That has never happened before.
What's changed?
It's no wonder we couldn't single her out.
The chiringuitos were packed with girls just like her last night.
She'll be easier to spot during the day.
We need to keep canvassing.
We need more eyes.
I'll check in with the parishes.
Someone must have seen her.
We'll find her.
She's out there somewhere.
So are the mercs that killed Shannon.
And every second you spend on that dead girl
is another second that they walk free.
Tell me you were able to piece the shrapnel back together.
The heat from the blast warped the fragments beyond my ability.
So you were off chasing conspiracy theories
instead of helping the rest of us find the Halo?
You just can't stop drooling over that thing, can you?
You've been clamoring for the Halo your whole life,
you can wait a little longer.
Sure, why not?
It's not like the fate of the world hangs on it. Oh, wait--
You're just pissed 'cause you were screwed out of your legacy.
Could we please not use that language in church?
Legacy?
Let's focus on the crisis at hand, please.
You're right, Mary.
I am here because my family has contributed six Halo-Bearers
over three centuries.
But I earned my spot as Next in Line.
I train longer and harder than anyone else,
which you'd know if you ever bothered to show up for combat skills.
Baby girl, I have two shotguns.
When you have two shotguns, you don't need combat skills.
Until we get the Halo back, the entire Order is vulnerable.
Maybe try caring about something other than yourself.
Enough.
That was unfair.
Was it, though?
She doesn't belong here.
She never did.
Special treatment again.
Vows aren't the only way to express dedication.
She's no less committed to the Order than you are.
She should be committed.
Mary, I know you're suffering.
We all are.
I promise, as soon as the Halo is secured,
we'll give the altercation at the docks due diligence.
It wasn't just an altercation, Father.
It was an ambush.
No one packs custom armor-piercing rounds like this for basic security work.
They knew we were coming.
They were ready.
And if we don't figure out who hired them
-and neutralize them, we're gonna have--
We need to go.
Now.
Whoever did this is gonna pay.
Whoever did this wasn't human.
Demons can't cut off heads or slice into people.
Wraith demons can't.
But I think this may have been a Tarask.
From the ancient texts?
Yes.
Unlike the wraith demons,
a Tarask can take corporeal form in our world,
which means it can do physical damage.
Fatal damage.
A higher-order demon hasn't been seen in over a century.
The Halo must have been exposed for too long.
Or it senses the weakness of the Bearer.
What does it want?
To claim the Halo for Hell.
And now that it's caught the scent, it won't stop searching,
killing anyone in its way.
All the more reason the Halo needs to be borne by someone who's ready.
I'll pull every manuscript that references the Tarask.
See what strategies have worked in the past.
Go.
Do what you need to do for Shannon.
We have to find Ava before the Tarask does.
It's been lost from the Church...
since the Third Crusade.
I suspected we'd find it here.
Boy, it must be... almost six kilos.
Our biggest find to date, Kristian.
No question.
Whoever you're paying off...
worth every penny.
According to accounts from 1532 and 1749,
Tarasks can only appear in our mortal realm in short bursts.
They seem to be tethered to Hell.
-That's good news. - You'd think.
But the Tarask inevitably tracks down the Halo-Bearer despite that limitation.
Any luck finding a way to slay it?
Every entry I can find on the subject arrives at the same conclusion.
Only the combination of Halo-Bearer and Divinium Sword can destroy it.
Father?
If the Tarask gets the Halo...
and takes it to Hell...
what will happen?
Hell will rise up.
Heaven will fall.
Not a good day for humanity.
-Your Eminence. -Sister.
Father Vincent.
When I left word with your office, I didn't realize you were in the area.
I'm in town on other business, fortunately.
For a thousand years,
the Halo remained in the safety of this Order.
How did our greatest weapon against evil end up in a non-believer?
Our surgeon made the best of an impossible situation.
There's no precedent for something like this.
No contingency plan.
An oversight we need to address.
However, the Halo is our sole focus until it's back in the fold.
Of course. I'm working on it.
I expected nothing less.
Let me know how I can help.
I take it Mother Superion filled you in on the ambush at the dock...
and Sister Shannon.
Yes.
It would appear someone is taking an interest in Divinium.
The timing is unfortunate.
Something I should know?
Perhaps when your plate isn't so full.
Sister Lilith is Next in Line.
Is she prepared?
-Fully. - Good.
Her family has supported the Church steadfastly since the First Crusade.
Her leadership conveys a foundation of duty and dependability,
something the Order is in acute need of today.
Keep me updated on your progress, and I will keep the powers that be
from feeling like they need to take matters out of your hands.
Thank you.
Father Vincent...
if Sister Lilith doesn't have the Halo come morning,
I'm not sure how long I'll be able to cover for you.
Mmm.
This is insane. You seriously made this?
I used to watch cooking shows with my mom.
Translation: he will fight you for the remote if Cake Wars is on.
He even watches cooking shows in languages he doesn't understand.
Hey, don't antagonize the man.
Do you want him to stop cooking for us?
This is nice. I've never hung out with a group of friends before.
I mean, they're not my friends, but they are a group of friends.
They're so comfortable with each other.
And with themselves. Like, comfortable in their own skin.
Two days ago, I couldn't even feel 95 percent of my skin.
Me and my skin are practically strangers.
These guys are eventually gonna see that I'm not like them.
That I'm some kind of a freak.
Are you okay?
Yeah. I'm just gonna go to the beach.
Not to swim. But even if I was, I don't need you to keep rescuing me, okay?
I can slay my own dragons.
Okay.
She seems great.
Really stable.
♪ You don't need those bitches... ♪
Mary.
Here for the Lunch Special?
Don't recognize it.
The craftsmanship and quality is exquisito.
You and I both know it could have only come from your hands.
You don't reveal your clients' identities, and under normal circumstances,
I appreciate the hell out of your discretion.
But I wouldn't ask if it wasn't crucial.
The client's a local.
But your flattery won't work on him.
You're going to have to say pretty please.
La dársena.
The explosion. Talk.
¿Quien eres, puta?
Please tell me you speak English.
My Spanish still needs work.
Vete a la mierda.
My Spanish isn't that bad.
I'm a hired gun.
I can't help you.
Hmm.
Come on.
It wasn't that hard.
I haven't seen one of these since I was eight.
You ever use it?
Oh.
Nope.
Just one of those guys that likes to buy a cool knife,
flash around with your mates.
Play who's got the biggest.
I saw it used once, back in the day.
He sliced right here.
The brachial artery.
Once that sucker opens up, there's no saving you.
All anyone can do is watch.
You'll bleed out in minutes.
My friend is dead.
And I want answers.
Hey, Ava.
It's gonna be hotter than a priest at a Boy Scout jamboree today.
Judging by your pale skin, you grew up somewhere dark and depressing.
That's-- that's accurate.
So, dark and depressing, huh?
Well, that’s ancient history.
Besides, your life is so soft and easy
that you'd probably find happy hour depressing, huh?
-That was a joke. -Yeah.
‘Cause the word "happy" is in it.
Forget it.
Did you just call me soft?
Well, if the beach house fits...
You don't take offense at "easy," I see.
You got me there.
Hey, about what you said, that I don't need to rescue you.
-Um-- -Oh, forget it.
You probably didn't even realize you were doing it.
No.
And I know you don't need my help, um...
Yesterday in the pool, it just-- it just felt good to help someone.
I lost my mother last spring.
Pancreatic cancer, so, um...
I knew it was coming.
I was braced for it.
Happy, actually, because she was in so much pain.
Yeah.
Sometimes life just...
...changes right out from under you, you know?
Yeah.
I do know.
So, after her funeral, I told my dad I was going on walkabout,
and, um... I've been bumming around Europe ever since.
So I'm not the career outlaw you thought I was.
Well, I like you anyway.
- Is he ringing a dinner bell?
Yeah, Randall likes to be fashionably on time
-when fancy snacks are on offer. -Oh.
So...
The party we're crashing tonight is going to be lit.
Gravy train leaves in 60.
Okay? Those brilliant bursts of primordial umami perfection
are not going to pop themselves.
Caviar. These PR parties tend to have the best grub.
So, if you've never had the really good stuff, hit it up tonight.
With a description like that? Oh, hell, yeah.
Hey, man, do you mind if I take point?
I see. You wanna impress the lady with a little front-door action.
Mi purloined press badge es su purloined press badge.
I cannot believe I'm actually at Arq-Tech.
You've heard about this company?
I read a Wired article about Jillian Salvius.
Mostly on the biotech stuff, like neural interfacing.
Did you know she helps people move stuff with their minds?
So, uh, telekinesis, basically.
The woman creates superpowers on the daily.
That's cool.
Oh, shit, shit, shit!
Is he here to take me back to St. Michael's?
Did we keep up those churches?
- Kristian. -Ah.
Thank you for your invitation, but please tell me:
Why is a man of the cloth
necessary at a press event for a tech company?
Cardinal Duretti, the fact that you're here
tells me that you already know the answer to that question.
Hmm.
Curiosity.
I sense that whatever she's dreamed up will impact me...
-...regardless of my attendance tonight.
Dr. Salvius hopes to bridge the chasm between our two houses,
and she invites you here to share her view
that religion and science are two sides of the same coin.
And does that coin spend as well as the secret you stole
from our innermost sanctum?
Ah, yes. My fall from Vatican archivist to corporate whore.
No. The advice I provide to Dr. Salvius regarding the Church
is pragmatic, not sacred.
You abandoned your faith.
I put my faith in truth.
After 30 years in the Church,
I finally understood.
If you want a stairway to Heaven, you don't call a priest.
You call a carpenter.
Faith is taking the first step when you can't see the staircase.
Is it?
You've built a career using faith as a stepping-stone to personal power.
But perhaps, as you bear witness
to a genuine miracle here tonight,
you will be humbled.
I genuinely welcome the attempt.
Please.
Thank you.
-Mmm. Oh, my God. Amazing.
That was about 40 euros' worth there, so best not to fall in love.
It’s too late.
You know, for someone who wants to try everything,
-there sure is a lot you haven't done yet. - Yeah, well, opportunity was scarce.
Well, not today. Look sharp.
Whoo!
-Oh, shit. Shit.
My fault, my friend.
I was so captivated by the lady that I didn't look where I was going.
- Are you hurt? I’m so sorry. -Yes.
Are you okay? I didn’t see you. I’m sorry.
That was a good one.
Got any more dance moves to teach me?
-Oh, my God. So many. -Really?
All right.
East wing exit. That should be the one.
Friends, thank you for standing beside me on the precipice of a future
unlike anything we could have imagined.
Which way to the free booze?
- This way.
Don't even look at it.
As many of you are aware,
our pivot into quantum applications has been deep and far-reaching.
And as my board will tell you...
expensive.
Invitation or no, it is imperative that I deliver a message from the Vatican
to Cardinal Duretti, immediately.
Now, thanks to a proprietary superconductive alloy,
I am thrilled to report a game-changing breakthrough.
I can stabilize the Higgs field for up to a full minute.
Wait for it.
You gave her Divinium?
No. Jillian unearthed the artifacts herself and continues to do so.
I am not a magician,
but this is going to look like a trick.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I give you the world's first quantum portal.
Now, I better get my hand back before the field collapses.
Mmm. What do they make here?
The future.
No way!
Oh, my God!
I always wanted one of these. Oh, my God.
A wheelchair?
With a neural net.
Let’s hit the party.
Okay.
How do I...
Okay.
Okay. Stand back.
I'm guessing there's a learning curve.
-Okay.
- Oh, my God. -Wow.
-Oh, my God.
Come on. What are you waiting for?
There aren't any controls.
Use your brain! Come on.
Whoa! Oh, my God. Okay.
Whoo!
-Come on! -This is crazy.
Your Eminence, such an honor.
Would you care to share where you stand on quantum realms?
Directly in your path, Dr. Salvius.
I'm sure you are aware that what you call a "proprietary" alloy
is, in fact, the consecrated property of the Church.
With all due respect, Cardinal,
the Church can hardly claim ownership of an entire native metal.
What's next, you sanctify gold?
Platinum?
"We mock that which we do not understand."
The artifacts you have excavated are fragments of holy relics.
I must insist that you return them to the Church.
Hmm.
Yes, I've heard the Church has been hoarding Divinium for centuries,
keeping it under lock and key.
It's almost as though we are safeguarding against those who would twist and defile
our sacred relics for personal gain.
And shutting out those who would hold them up to the light.
For the world's gain.
Dr. Salvius, you are dealing with forces
that science, in its smugness, dismisses out of hand.
Forces that you can't hope to comprehend,
much less control.
Your inability to understand will be catastrophic for us all.
Hey, um, I think we should get back to the party.
Yeah.
Whoa.
Check that out.
Oh. It's reacting to me.
How does Jillian Salvius do this stuff?
A motion detector?
Body heat sensor, maybe.
Amen.
What is it?
Camila uploaded Ava's photo
into the National Police facial recognition system.
I got a hit off a CCTV camera...
...in the university campus.
Good work.
See if you can narrow it down and get Lilith.
-We leave immediately. -Right away, Father.
And, Camila...
thank you.
Have you given any thought to what we do when we find her?
-Um...
You're not going to give the Halo to Lilith?
I want to consider all options.
Because you think this Ava girl has been chosen.
Shouldn't we eliminate all possibilities
before we make a decision that could kill her?
The politics, though.
I'm very aware.
Lilith has waited this long.
She can wait a little longer.
And Cardinal Duretti?
As long as the Halo is safe,
he will allow for a certain degree of flexibility.
And how do you propose to handle her when we bring her back here?
Each of us has a moment...
when we must decide what we will do with our lives,
with the opportunities we've been presented.
All I want is to give her the choice.
I don't recall Dr. Salvius engaging your services this evening.
As I’m sure you are no doubt aware,
Arq-Tech uses in-house security at exclusive events like these.
Yeah, that’s a smart call.
If your goal was a roomful of breaches and leeches.
Scammer number one.
Two.
And don't get me started on that guy.
Cut to the chase, Mr. Macready.
She sent us into a clusterfuck the other night.
I lost men, and someone's gonna answer for that.
Naivety doesn't suit you.
The assignments you take on can be assumed to carry risk.
Why else would anyone engage you?
Our job was to escort a package to Arq-Tech. That's all.
Dr. Salvius is well aware of your failure.
A lot of money was spent for your services with no return on her investment.
Is she aware that her highly-motivated opposition
were tactically trained nuns?
I knew you were keeping something from me.
-But I'll take it up with her. -No.
You... will come when called.
Like a good soldier, nothing more.
The theoretical and practical applications...
are nothing short of mind-blowing.
Teleportation, energy research,
medical treatments, and life extension.
You’re... beautiful.
I'm... weird.
Yeah, totally.
Um...
I like you anyway.
I've left no stone unturned to make sure that in our research, we--
We have trespassers.
I need them found and detained.
I’m on it.
With me, please.
Come.
Ava.
Hey! Come on.
Hey! You saw that back there, right?
Don't slow down now. We gotta bolt, okay?
There was a kid locked in a room.
Like we'll be when we get caught in here.
We need to get back to the party, blend in, and get out, okay?
This place has something to do with what happened to me.
Ava.
I have to.
Wait. No. What-- what are are you...
Maybe Diego was right.
Maybe I am a freaking lab rat. Some kind of experiment...
Hello?
...like that little boy.
Hello?
It's okay. I just want to talk.
We might be able to help each other.
Gonna have to help myself then.
-Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!
Amateurs.
-Say good night.
They're gonna find her.
-No. -Better than finding both of you.
Oh! Okay, okay, okay, hold on.
I haven't actually done anything wrong, so--
- Come on! - Shit!
Where'd it go?
Back to Hell.
-Did she kill it? - Without the Sword?
I doubt she even discouraged it.
Ava.
You must have a million questions.
Just one.
Where's the goddamn door?
Hey!
I had a feeling she'd be a handful.
Happy now?
What a mess.
God has a plan for each of us.
Get her legs.