FRANK: Previously, on Hardy Boys...
[gunshot] [Belinda and Chet gasp]
OLIVIA: Tell your friends it's no use.
The Core is out of reach. You'll never get down there.
[taser zaps] [Laura grunts]
FENTON: I love you.
- It's you. - There it is.
- It's shameful to say, but my daughters frighten me.
- I can't get the microchip out without putting her life at risk.
But I can disable it.
How will we actually know it worked?
- I'll know the moment she wakes up.
- What are you doing with the Energy Core?
- I'm going to change the world.
You're gonna get that helicopter ride you wanted.
[Frank and Joe grunt] [bodies thud]
[gas hissing]
- Wakey-wakey, Hardy Boys.
♪ ominous music playing ♪
[Joe grunting]
- Where are we?
- Do you ever get tired of asking the same questions
over and over again?
Do you ever stop and think to yourself,
"Hey, what if I didn't dig into this?
What if I just left it alone and went on with my life?"
No?
Well, that was your mother's problem, too.
She just wouldn't let it go.
She just kept pressing and, and pressing.
So, eventually, she became the test subject for my project.
Oh, come on. You stop asking questions now?
You're seriously not gonna ask me, "What project, Drew?
What are you planning?"
- I have a feeling you're gonna tell us no matter--
- You know, no one ever recognized my genius.
Not publicly, anyway.
[sighs] You know, deep down, I think my father knew
that I was the true visionary in the family.
I had already designed the mind-control microchips.
With the crystal fragment, I was able to bring one to life.
You know... it worked so wonderfully on Laura.
I was able to get her
to do the most... interesting things
without a second thought.
Unfortunately, my prototype was impractical on a large scale.
I couldn't possibly implant chips in everyone's brains.
I mean, who has time for that?
No. What I needed was to be able to control people remotely.
I-I know. I know. It sounds wild, right?
But, but the government, they have been working on it for years.
They just haven't been able to crack it.
[sharp inhale] They don't have the skills or the money.
And, well... I have both. [chuckles]
The only thing I needed was more power. Hence, the Energy Core.
That's where you two came in. [Joe groans]
- Why would you want to control people's minds?
- Why not, Frank?
Sway world leaders, shift the economy, manipulate the media.
I mean, [sharp inhale] the possibilities are endless.
[Frank sighs]
- I've got a jet.
So farewell, my little Hardy Boys.
I... cannot wait to control your... busy little brains,
in exactly four hours and ten minutes.
[door buzzes]
♪ ominous music playing ♪
- [panting] We've gotta get outta here.
- Way ahead of you, buddy. Ahh. - What?
- She likes to hear herself talk. - Ow!
- Gave me time to slip out.
[outer door opens]
- Hold on. Someone's coming.
[banging, rumbling]
♪ suspenseful music playing ♪
[both gasp]
- Mom?
[Frank breathing heavy]
[Laura whimpers]
[Laura and Frank crying]
- Joe. Hey, it's all right.
[Laura gasping]
It's her.
[Laura chuckles]
♪ poignant music playing ♪
LAURA: I love you.
♪ mysterious theme playing ♪
- What happened? Where have you been?
- I was investigating The Circle of the Eye
and I stumbled upon something bigger.
Exposing The Circle meant exposing Project Midnight,
which meant exposing the next iteration of it,
mind-control experiments funded by Sparewell Technology.
So after the crash, they took me, they put a chip in my head.
Sparewell had total control.
I think-- I think I've done terrible things.
- Laura, it doesn't matter what you've done.
Right now, we gotta stop Hurd Sparewell.
- It's not Hurd. It's his daughters, Olivia and Drew.
- Olivia Kowalski?
- No. Olivia Sparewell.
- Drew is just trying to do what she did with Mom.
But to everybody all at the same time.
- How is that even possible?
- You can't implant a microchip in 5 billion people's heads around the globe.
- She doesn't have to. She said she can do it from afar.
Sparewell microchips are everywhere.
- Everything that Sparewell makes, microwaves, computers, satellites,
run off of Sparewell chips that'll a-amplify it
a-and transmit the program to anybody in range.
- Okay, well, if that's true, we gotta find her.
So where do we start?
- She'll need someplace specific, secluded, secure.
Someplace with its own power source.
- A place where the Core's power can be activated.
- George's private island. LAURA: Yes!
- But Drew said that she was looking forward to controlling our minds
four hours and ten minutes from now.
- Well, that's awfully specific.
- The island's three and a half hours away.
- There's an airfield 40 minutes away from here.
That's four hours and ten minutes.
- Okay. And if we hurry, we won't have to stop her from activating the Core.
We'll just have to stop her from getting it on the plane.
- Well, she's got a head start, so let's go.
- Okay. Come on.
- Wait. [gasps]
- What's wrong?
- The microchip. It's still in my head.
What if I'm a danger to you?
- We won't let that happen.
- We're not losing you again.
- [sighs] Okay.
[plane engines roaring]
FRANK: All right, whatever happens, we can't let Drew leave here with the Core.
- Just do what you guys do best.
- Annoy her until she gives up?
- Distract her long enough so your mother and I can take out that pilot. Let's go.
♪ suspenseful music playing ♪
JOE: There she is.
DREW: Change of plans. Olivia's not coming.
Let's go.
- The weather's taken a turn. - Unacceptable.
We need to take off. Sort it with the tower, and get us to the island.
- Looks like we still got a bit of time. Let's split up. Let's go.
- Come on.
- [whistles] Wow! Is that your plane?
It's a beaut. Whoa. Hey, now.
[both grunting]
[body thuds]
[exhales sharply] - It's good to have you back.
- [exhales] Good to be back.
[energy surging]
- Stop!
We're not gonna let you take the Core to George's Island.
- Game over. No resets. No continues. Etcetera.
So just back away from the computer and nobody has to get hurt.
- Sure they do.
- What are you doing?
- You know, you still don't understand how vindictive I can be.
You ruined my plan.
So I'm gonna destroy your family.
Ah.
You know, the chip's still in there.
It can be reactivated.
And your mother?
Well, she's still my passenger.
She will obey my every command.
♪ tense music playing ♪
So... who wants to go first? Hm?
Who wants to see their brother die?
[Drew grunts, body thuds]
- [exhales sharply] You guys are right. She really loves to hear herself talk.
- [chuckles] We gotta stop the Core.
- Um, uh, this looks pretty complicated.
- Yeah. So does this.
[keyboard clacking]
[countdown beeping] - Frank. Frank, Frank it's counting down.
Why is it counting down?
- Uh, I don't know. Try, uh, try this.
[computer beeping]
[countdown beeping rapidly]
- It's counting down faster!
- Well, I don't know, Joe! I'm not a rocket scientist.
- Well, that's good 'cause it's not a rocket!
- Uh-huh. [heavy breaths]
[rapid beeping]
♪ suspenseful music playing ♪
JOE: Frank! Frank, do something!
FRANK: Oh, no, no, no, no, no. No! Uh...
[beeping stops, machine powers down]
[both laugh]
- We did it.
Okay.
[both groan]
- I've seen the end.
[distorted voice] This isn't it.
This isn't right!
[case slams] [Joe groans]
[Frank groans]
LAURA: Guys?
[Frank groans]
[Joe groans] - You guys okay?
- Yeah. - Okay. [chuckles]
♪ light music playing ♪
FENTON: Oh! [Laura chuckles]
[Frank sighs]
[distant sirens wailing]
[Joe sighs] [Laura chuckles]
[door rattles]
- Hi.
Okay, look.
I don't know how to say this in a way that doesn't make me sound ungrateful,
so I'm just gonna say it.
What you did was stupid and reckless.
You could have called me in at any point to handle this.
- W-We thought you were dead.
- I was wearing a vest. Okay?
I never go in the field without one.
- How were we even supposed to know that?
We barely even know who you are.
AGENT DRISCOLL: Look, that's not the point.
The point is, there's a whole agency you could have called,
and you only did so after arriving at the airfield,
which, in turn, only allowed us to arrive
after the threat had been neutralized.
Look, thank you for everything you've done.
The government is in your debt.
I mean, you know, not literally, of course.
We're not gonna hand out medals or tax breaks,
but, uh, we are, let's say, pleased with your assistance. Hm?
- Assistance?
- We spearheaded this whole thing.
- Well, regardless, it's all being classified as top secret,
and no one will ever know the extent of Drew Sparewell's threat,
or about the Relics,
or that any of you were ever, ever involved.
- That's great. That's great. Yeah.
Still no credit.
- The agency is also banning Sparewell Technology's
"The future is coming" commercial from the airwaves, effective immediately.
Until we know exactly how the Core works, we're not taking any chances.
The last thing we need is some kind of hidden message
beaming into viewers' brains.
- Have you found Olivia yet?
- Sadly, no. No. She's still very much at large.
But, her photo is on every agency bulletin board in the country.
So, you know, she can't stay hidden forever.
- What about our friends? Aunt Trudy, everybody?
- Yeah. We found your aunt, Chief Hooper, and Brian Conrad
being held at a building near Sparewell Headquarters.
And now they're okay, but they were taken to hospital for assessment,
because we have to make sure they haven't been microchipped and whatnot.
You'll likely be able to visit them tomorrow.
We also located your friends at Sparewell HQ.
They're being debriefed now.
It's gonna take a while to sort it all out.
In the meantime, I've got your statements
and I'll piece it all together with your friends
when I'm back at my desk.
[distant siren wails]
- So, that's it?
- Yeah, for now.
Uh, you've all earned a break. [chuckles]
Take some time to enjoy being a family again.
[Laura chuckles slightly]
But also, Laura, very important.
You're still technically deceased. - Mm-hmm.
- So it's gonna take a bit to legally resurrect you.
You know, red tape and whatnot.
Probably best if you just lay low for a little while,
try not to freak out the neighbors.
And, you know, for your safety,
what with Olivia still out there somewhere.
Okay, then!
I'm off to file an 800-page report.
- Great. Thanks. - Yeah.
- All right, so you heard the guy. LAURA: Hm.
- Let's, uh, let's lay low at home.
Come on. FRANK: Mm-hmm.
- Sorry. Where's, where's home?
FENTON: What do you mean?
- It's just, I've been gone for so long, and you all--
You all have new lives with new people and a new place,
and I'm not a part of that.
- Of course, you're a part of it.
Wherever we are... wherever we live,
this right here, the four of us-- FRANK: Mm.
FENTON: This is our home.
[Frank chuckles]
Hm?
- I know we can't go back to the way things were,
but maybe just for today, we can.
- What do you mean?
- Let's go to our house.
- Oh.
- Yeah. With the stairs that creak, and that doorknob that sticks.
[Frank and Joe chuckle] You know, the tree out front
where we take the back-to-school photos. FENTON: Yeah.
- And that wall that's covered in marker to track your heights. That's what I've--
It's what I've--
♪ solemn music playing ♪
I just really need to be there.
- Okay.
If that's what you want, that's where we're going.
[sharp inhale]
[sighs deeply]
♪
♪ light music playing ♪
[Laura chuckles]
- Hm. For lease?
- Yeah.
Anytime someone tried to rent it, I said, "No."
- I'm going in.
- Oh, yeah? [Laura laughs]
LAURA: You have keys, right? FENTON: Yep.
[door opens]
♪ poignant music playing ♪
LAURA: [sighs] Oh.
[sighs] Just the way I remember it. [chuckles]
- Me too. - Yeah.
- Oh, look. [chuckles] - Yeah. Yeah.
YOUNG FRANK: There's a trick to this. It's never that simple.
YOUNG JOE: The only trick is not being lame.
Give me the contr-- - I'm not being lame.
- Give me the controller. Ow! YOUNG FRANK: Get off of me!
- Joe! Frank! Knock it off. [Frank and Joe grunting]
YOUNG JOE: Ugh. No!
[video game dings] - Oh. Game over.
[Frank and Joe chuckle]
FENTON: Hey, Joe.
- You're a winner! You're a winner, winner, chicken dinner. [laughs]
[Laura's laughter echoes]
♪ poignant music continues ♪
[Fenton chuckles] - [chuckles] No way.
What?
- Looks like... six inches. Nice work.
FRANK: Yeah. Way to grow.
LAURA: I almost forgot.
- Mom, stop. - That's our thing.
And I know. But you'll lose it. So, here.
[Joe sighs]
- This is--
This can't be right.
LAURA: Hm? FRANK: What day is it today?
- It's Tuesday? - June, something?
- Oh, it's the 26th.
Frank, it's your birthday. [Fenton groans]
[Frank laughs] - Oops.
FENTON: I'm sorry. [Laura gasps]
Come here. I didn't even notice, man.
- It's fine. I didn't even realize. - Sorry.
- Oh, my gosh. No. We have to celebrate.
What do you want, Frank? Anything.
- I've got everything I want. [Laura groans]
- Oh, my God. Ask for video games like a normal person.
[Laura and Frank laugh]
FRANK: Hmm...
What if we all cook dinner together?
You know, like we used to.
[chuckles] Is that dumb?
- No. It's not dumb. It's perfect.
I love it.
- I'm gonna need to get groceries. I'll go to the corner store.
- Oh, I gotta come with you 'cause you're gonna get something stupid,
like carrot cake or raisin ice cream. [Laura chuckles]
- No, no. That was one time.
And it wasn't raisin ice cream. It was ice cream with raisins in it.
- Dad, nothing should have raisins in it!
- Yeah, not wrong.
[front door opens]
[door closes] - So...?
- So.
- Um, how was baseball this season?
- Uh, I-- I actually quit.
- You what?
[scoffs] I can't believe you threw your glove in my grave.
It's a bit dramatic, no?
- Yeah. [Laura chuckles]
But I got a new, uh, part-time job now so I can buy a new glove.
- There's nothing worse than a new glove. Yours was perfectly broken in.
You're lucky we had that in the crawl space.
Here. Just careful, 'cause it is full of spiders.
Ha, ha. [Frank laughs]
Let's see that million-dollar fastball.
[laughs] All right. Good?
[Frank grunts]
Oh, yes! Yes! [laughs]
You have not missed a beat!
[Frank laughs] Okay, let me see the curve ball.
What's wrong?
- Why didn't you come back?
- Frank, I explained all that.
I was injured. I was being controlled by a microchip.
- Even when you got away from the medical facility.
You left a message for Dad on the wall.
You told him to meet you at your old apartment.
Even with the microchip, you still had memories.
You must have known we thought you were dead.
- I didn't want to put you in danger.
- But if you had come back, we could've kept you safe.
We could've protected you.
- I know you would've.
God, I am so proud of you.
I had no idea what amazing detectives you and Joe would become.
God, if I could do things differently, I--
I would tell you about my investigation.
I wouldn't push Gloria about The Circle of The Eye.
And I would have gone to your game.
But I can't change that.
And I don't want you to torture yourself
with all the things that could have been.
Okay?
I want to move forward.
[Frank sniffles] As a family.
♪ poignant music playing ♪
- I want that. I want that too.
- And I know one game of catch in the backyard's not gonna fix everything.
It's not. But... I have been replaying this moment
since... it was all ripped away from me.
And I'm so happy to be living it again.
It's gettin' late.
I should probably go boil some water.
[door opens]
[door shuts]
- We got way too much ice cream. [Joe scoffs]
We're never gonna finish it all.
- Eh, I'm sure we can take it home with us.
We're going back to Bridgeport, right?
- I'm not sure. I'm not sure. We've got a lot to talk about.
♪ mysterious music playing ♪
- I knew it.
[vehicle approaching]
- Joe? Everything okay? Hey?
- Yeah. Yeah.
LAURA: Who does the cooking these days?
'Cause I know for a fact it's not your father.
- How do you know that for a fact?
- Because neither you nor Joe are showing signs of food poisoning.
[Frank laughs]
[water running]
- Uh, to be fair, Trudy cooks a lot, but-- LAURA: Hm.
- They get a lotta takeout from Wilt's.
- Ooh. Well, we're gonna fix that. How is Wilt, anyway?
- He's good. - Yeah?
- He's a cool boss. - Mm.
- Helps out with a case every now and then, mostly inadvertently.
- I always liked Wilt. Bit of an odd character, though.
I always thought he was hiding something.
- Really? - Yeah.
Like he's, uh, in Witness Protection or something.
- Wilt?
- I'm serious.
Doesn't he kind of seem like there's more going on than meets the eye?
[both chuckling]
I don't know. Maybe it's just my imagination, but probably not.
[front door opens]
Ooh.
- We come bearing provisions. LAURA: All right.
- No raisins. LAURA: Okay.
[Joe panting]
- I saw JB on the street. - What?
- I knew this whole thing was a big ruse. I knew he was alive, and I was right.
- Joe, how is that possible? He was in your arms.
- I know what I saw.
- Maybe you saw someone that looked like JB.
Or maybe your mind's just showing you what you wanna see.
- No, no. It had to be him.
All right? He smiled that stupid smile right at me.
How else do you explain that?
LAURA: Boys! Make yourselves useful and set the table.
[Joe sighs]
JOE: Okay, Mom. LAURA: Hm?
- You're gonna love Phil.
He's really weird, but he's really funny. [Laura and Fenton chuckle]
And, um, Frank's girlfriend-- - What?
- Callie. She's really great.
She's, like, the smartest girl in all of Bridgeport.
Way too smart for Frank, now that I think about it.
[Laura chuckles] - He's not wrong.
She's really cool. You're gonna love her.
LAURA: Cool. - I don't know that we have to be in such a hurry
to get back to Bridgeport.
I mean, I could kind of stay here forever, and--
- Why didn't you?
- What do you mean?
- Well, I left Bridgeport to get away from my mother
and the Estabrooks.
Why did you go back there, Fenton?
- I mean, the boys need more than just me.
They need their family around them.
I couldn't handle it on my own.
- Well, you're not alone anymore.
You got me. And now we can stay. Yeah?
- Stay here in Dixon City?
- Yeah. This is our home.
- Bridgeport's our home, too.
- Yeah, That's where we go to school. That's where all our friends are.
- And that's great.
But you're gonna be going away to college in a year or so.
And, I mean, truth is, friendships change over time.
Family's forever.
- Why are you resisting being part of our lives so bad?
FENTON: Frank. - I am not resisting.
- Yes, you are. Why don't you want to come back to Bridgeport?
- I told you I don't like it there.
- No. Something's wrong. This doesn't make any sense.
- Frank.
- Is that chip messing with you?
- Frank! Hey!
- No, it's okay.
Oh. - What are you do-- Just sit down, Frank.
What are you doing? - Don't worry about it.
I will talk to him. It's fine. It's okay. [Fenton sighing]
♪ solemn music playing ♪
[footsteps approaching]
[Laura sighs]
[knocks on doorframe]
Hey.
- Why am I not happy?
Why doesn't anything feel right?
- I think because it's not.
It's really strange.
And we, we tried to force it, you know?
We tried to come back to what things were instead of what they are.
We're both gonna have to get used to this next chapter.
- It's not just that. I don't feel like myself.
I'm worried.
- Worried about what?
♪ mysterious music playing ♪
- Okay, everyone who got exposed to the Crystal got sick.
All right, George lost his mind. Drew became unhinged.
What if... my time in the Crystal is finally catching up to me?
- Frank, that's-- Frank--
- I just got you back.
[softly] I feel like we're running out of time.
- No, we're not. Okay?
Everything's okay.
Yeah?
And this--
This bad feeling, this worry, it's all gonna fade away.
[Frank sniffles]
- Uh, hey, I'm gonna go to the video store. All right?
Pick up a movie for tonight.
You think like a comedy? Action? Science fiction?
- Why didn't you get one when we were out before?
- Nah, it just slipped my mind.
- Driscoll said we should lay low. Olivia's still out there.
- I'm not concerned about Olivia. Back in five.
- Why are you always taking off?
- What?
- The movie, groceries, investigating the Circle.
Always finding an excuse to bail.
- Joe--
- What if something bad happens while you're gone?
- Nothing bad's gonna happen. I promise.
- You can't promise that.
- Sure, I can. Because I'm your dad.
And I am not gonna let any more bad stuff happen.
Got it?
[chuckles]
Oh! Make sure to set up the VCR
'cause I still can't figure out how to make that thing work.
- All right. - Thanks.
[door closes]
[VCR powers up]
[sighs]
[turns on TV]
HURD SPAREWELL [on TV]: Fast as lightning
and completely untethered. It-- [changes channel]
HURD [on another channel]: ...and with it, you can go--
[new channel] ...the Passenger--
[new channel] ...completely un-- [new channel] ...anywhere.
[new channel] It can go every-- - What the...?
HURD [on new channel]: ...fast as light--
[new channel] Sparewell.
[new channel] ...completely untethered-- [new channel] ...can go ev--
[new channel] ...with it--
[new channel] The Passenger by Sparewell.
[electricity shimmers] The future is coming.
[electricity surging]
...well... fast as light-- ...can go-- Spare--
- Hey, you.
Want in on this?
- Uh, I do. I just--
I-I just need to talk to Frank for a second.
- Oh.
Okay. Yeah. [Frank groans]
Where's your father?
- Uh, he went out to rent a movie.
- Oh, yeah. Of course, he did.
Anything to get out of doing the dishes.
Dude, you're so tall now.
Oh! [chuckles]
- Come with me.
- Why?
♪ suspenseful music playing ♪
- Do you know where my old hiding spot is?
- Yeah. Under the floorboard, by the bed.
- No, that's my decoy spot.
- Okay. So then, no, I don't, Joe. What's this all about?
- I'm testing a theory, okay?
This drawer here has a false bottom. Okay?
And if you didn't know about it,
that means you don't know what's inside it, right?
- I guess so. Yeah.
- Okay. I want you to look inside.
There should be a pack of gum and firecrackers in there.
Look. Don't touch anything. Just tell me what you see.
[Frank sighs]
- It's gum and firecrackers, Joe.
What's wrong?
- I've never kept gum and firecrackers in there.
I kept my pocket knife and my baseball cards.
Nobody knew that but me.
- Okay, so-- - So, why did you see
what I told you to see rather than what was actually there?
♪ mysterious music playing ♪
[energy surging]
- Whoa.
- What is this?
- I don't know.
JOE: What are you doing? - Just hold still.
Wherever we are, I want to make sure that we're together.
Let me see your eyes.
- What are you looking for? - A glitch.
Like when our video games fritz out, like the coding's corrupted.
You're good. Do me.
- Yeah, I-I think you're, you're good.
So, what, you think... we're in a video game?
♪ tense music playing ♪
- I think we've been programmed into a false reality.
Drew said that she had a prototype, but we were wrong about what it was.
It's not mind control. It's, um--
It's a simulation.
She must've powered it with the crystal fragment from her necklace.
- Then to take it to the next step,
she needed to fuse the full crystal with the Core.
- Okay, so are we in the prototype?
Or are we in the full simulation?
- I mean, it's gotta be the prototype, right?
There's still bugs in the code.
- I hope you're right. Otherwise, it's too late.
- For what? - To get us all out of here.
- Hey, hey, where's the fire?
- Dad!
FRANK: Do you see any glitches? JOE: No.
- Dad's real.
- Dad's confused. What's up, boys?
[laughing] Boys. Boys. Hey. Okay.
- Listen. - All right.
- Drew's plan was never microchips.
Our minds just created that once we were in her simulation.
- Just slow down. Joe--
- She built it, and put you inside it.
And when we confronted her, she put us in, too.
- And she needed the Core...
- Okay. - ...to take her simulation global.
- All right, just calm down. You've been through a lot.
Don't go making up problems to solve. All right? Everything's fine.
- No. Everything is not fine. Please listen.
Drew is still out there...
- No, we-- - ...and she still has the Core.
- She trapped us in here to get us out of her way.
- We caught Drew. This is over.
- No, we didn't, Dad.
Our, our minds created a reality where we stopped her,
where we saved the day, and we got what we wanted most.
LAURA: Hey.
What's going on?
Yeah...
[shaky breaths]
FENTON: Frank.
[energy surges]
- What's wrong?
- Did you see that?
- What is it?
- You're not real.
- What?
- Joe-- - What are you talking about?
- [softly] You're just a simulation.
- Stop it, boys, stop it. - Dad!
- Stop it, boys. Dad!
- You-- just stop it! Now!
Can't you just leave it well alone? All right?
Why can't we just concentrate on being a family again?
- Because it's not true.
- That's enough. Do you understand me? That is enough.
- Dad, you've been trapped in here longer than we have. Okay?
The Crystal's messing with your mind.
- What if it's messing with your mind, Frank? Hm?
What makes you so sure that you're not just making stuff up?
- Dad, you need to try.
Please.
- Fine. Fine.
[inhales, exhales]
Okay. I don't believe any of this.
[Laura chuckles]
When would it have even happened? Huh?
- Drew would have had one shot at seamless transition.
It would have had to be when we were gassed.
- Right. Right before Mom came to rescue us.
Did you ever get gassed or knocked out?
- [scoffs] I get knocked out all the time, boys.
- Dad, think, please.
- All right. Um...
Yes. Olivia gassed me at the Grand Hotel.
I escaped. I called Trudy.
Trudy and I found Olivia with the codexes.
Trudy knocked Olivia out.
I sent the codexes back with Trudy.
You see?
Your little theory doesn't hold any water.
If this is a simulation, where's Trudy?
Hm?
Where are all your friends? How'd you get the codexes?
How'd you find the Core? You couldn't.
- He's right. The timeline doesn't add up.
- Then it had to be after that.
Dad, what's the last thing you remember
before seeing Mom again for the first time?
- Take me to your partner. - You're not ready for that.
- Laura?
[grunts]
Um... wait, uh--
You were there at the warehouse, right?
- Of course, I was.
- Of course, you were.
And then you ran away, and I found you.
And you left me that sweet message on the wall at the medical facility.
Our anniversary.
I saved you.
- Of course, you did.
- Doesn't this all seem a little too easy?
A little too convenient?
- No.
- [sighs] You wanted Mom to be alive.
So your mind created her in the simulation.
- No!
Sam was even a part of it. They took you, didn't they?
They faked your accident.
They took you, and then they planted a microchip in your brain.
- Everything that you discovered,
from the moment you stepped into that warehouse and saw Mom, is a lie.
- I spent days in solitary confinement, boys.
Why would my mind want that?
- Because you feel guilty, Dad.
Because you're punishing yourself.
- For what?
- For not saving Mom.
[Fenton sniffles]
It's not your fault.
It's just a terrible thing that happened.
[echoes] Mom?
- Um-- - Hm.
♪ suspenseful music playing ♪
- And if we don't get out of here, more terrible things are gonna happen.
People are gonna get hurt.
And the worst part about it is nobody will ever know.
It's not your fault, Dad.
Drew and Olivia, they're master manipulators.
♪ ominous music playing ♪
They used pieces of your narrative, pieces of the sim
to sow confusion and misinformation out to us in the real world.
- The phone calls of you and Hurd were fake.
The photo of Mom in the cloak was fake.
She was never in the cloak in real life.
It was just made to look like that to distract us... lead us astray.
[Drew grunts]
[gunshot]
- You are going to find out how far I am willing to go.
[taser zapping] [Fenton grunts, gasps]
[body thuds]
[machine beeping]
- [groans] No.
[Drew typing]
- What's going on? - Those two jerks are breaking my toy.
- [scoffs] The prototype wasn't supposed to hold them forever.
- I can fix the code.
- Let the Hardy Boys flounder a bit longer.
By the time they break out, it'll be too late.
- I don't want them to break out.
My code needs to be perfect.
- Remember the endgame.
Your plan is so much bigger than the prototype.
You can correct the coding in the global version,
but to do that we need to activate the Core now.
JOE: Dad. Dad, wait. It's gonna be okay.
- Mom, our friends don't know what happened to us.
Okay? They're in danger.
All right? The world is in danger.
We need to get out of here.
- Why don't you just stay? Wouldn't you be happier?
I mean, you both have everything you've ever wanted right here.
Just think of how many mysteries we could solve,
how many people we could help.
All of us together as a family. Huh?
- It wouldn't be real.
- It feels real, doesn't it?
What's the difference?
Soon enough, the remnant of The Power of The Eye will fade
and this will be--
This will be as real as it feels to your father.
- That's why we need to leave, Mom.
Before it's too late.
At least this time we all get to say goodbye.
[Frank sobs]
I love you.
And I always will.
I miss you so much.
- I love you, too.
But you don't have to miss me. You can stay.
- [crying] I can't, Mom.
♪ somber music playing ♪
You're always gonna be with me.
Just not here.
- I don't know what to say.
- You don't have to say anything.
Just let me be your mom.
[all three sobbing]
- I want that so much.
But Dad needs me.
My friends need me.
- You're such a good kid, Joe. Mwah.
You both are. Okay? You both are.
But listen, if you're gonna sacrifice everything you've ever wanted,
you better win.
[Frank chuckles]
- We will.
- Okay.
Oh! Oh, oh, oh.
[Frank laughs]
LAURA: [laughs] Ah!
It's our thing, right?
If I don't give it to you... you lose.
[energy surges]
[Joe gasps]
[Frank gasps]
[both panting]
- You're good? - Yeah.
FENTON [muttering weakly] : Come on, Frank, what are you doing?
- Frank!
[muttering indistinctly]
- Dad-- - No, no. Wait, wait.
Give him a second. Let him say goodbye.
- What if he decides to stay?
[Fenton moans softly]
[muttering indistinctly]
[door opens, footsteps approaching]
[Fenton sighs deeply, scoffs]
- I spent the last year chasing your ghost.
Just trying to fix everything.
- And you did. [Fenton scoffs]
Everything is as it was. [Fenton sighs deeply]
You got everything you wanted.
- But it's not real.
[both inhale sharply]
- You can feel that, can't you?
- Yeah, I can feel it. - Yeah.
Yeah, so it's as real as you want it to be.
[sighs] If it wasn't for the boys, you wouldn't even know.
- But I know. - You'll forget.
- I don't want to forget.
I don't want to forget the boys.
I already left them when they needed me the most.
I am sorry that I could not protect you.
I'm not gonna make that mistake with the boys.
- They're grown boys, Fenton. They don't need their dad to protect them.
Okay?
- Maybe.
But I need them.
I need them.
- You need to forgive yourself, Fenton.
Move forward.
♪ solemn music playing ♪
[Fenton sobs]
- I can't let go. - You can.
- I can't let go.
- You can.
- I can't. I'm so-- - You can. And you have to.
[Fenton sniffles]
- Laura, I love you.
I love you, Laura.
- Dad! - Dad.
- I love you.
- I know.
I will always love you.
JOE [distant, muffled]: Dad... FRANK [distant, muffled]: Dad, please!
Dad... Dad!
[Fenton gasps]
- [panting] Mm... Boys!
[gasps] Boys, are you okay?
- Not even close, no.
We need to stop Drew. For real this time.
- Before she puts everybody else in the simulation.
FENTON: [groans] Okay. Okay. FRANK: Okay.
♪ ominous music playing ♪
[energy buzzing]
[energy shimmers]
[machines beeping]
- The future... is here.
♪ dark mysterious music playing ♪