02x03 - ISSUE #203: Monster Problem

[bunniefuu]

["Be a Leada" by Jino & Jane plays]

♪ Hot ride, shades down... ♪

[Esperanza] Dion!

Dion!

Dion!

- Huh?
- You coming?

- In a minute.
- [Esperanza] The bell's about to ring.

- I'm waiting for someone.
- [Brayden] Dion.

[Dion yelps]

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.

[Dion] 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."

[both laugh]

Villains are... kind of cool.

[school bell rings]

[groans] I wish we could hang out
longer, but we gotta get to class.

We can do both.

What does that mean?

You'll see.

[breathing heavily]

[woman] Look at this.
All of a sudden, it's spiking.

[man] What?

[woman speaking indistinctly]

[foreboding music plays]

[groaning]

[Gary breathes heavily]

[eerie jingling]

[foreboding music continues]

[supernatural whooshing]

[groaning]

[groaning]

["Get It" by Stella Mwangi plays]

♪ Drop top coupe, throw the whip in gear ♪

♪ Took a bag full of cash
Like a souvenir ♪

♪ 211 and we outta here ♪

♪ Put the pedal on the floor
Got the jakes in the rear view, uh ♪

♪ Hit the corner drift ♪

♪ Back wheels spinnin'
And it's time to split ♪

♪ Uh, drop a gear and dip ♪

♪ Get away, boy, yeah, I got the gift
Now work ♪

♪ Come on, work, yeah... ♪

[cell phone buzzes]

♪ I'm about to get it
Now work, come on... ♪

[cell phone buzzes]

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 k*lled two years ago,

is locked up in a cage at BIONA."

"Facepalm emoji."

I would probably go
with the mind blown emoji.

[sighs] 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?

[Kat] 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.
- [grunting]

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?

[cell phone beeps]

Girl, quit wasting that gym body

and go make out
with that fine brother to some '90s R & B.

[cell phone rings]

Nicole Warren, answer the damn phone.

[cell phone continues ringing]

Hey.

I'm at Rico's.

- [Nicole giggles]
- He got jokes?

Um...

Uh, yeah, I don't have work
for a little bit. I'll be here.

She sure will.

[Nicole] Yeah. Great. See you soon.

- Will you wipe that smile off your face?
- What? [giggles] This is my face.

[Kat giggles]

That dancing is the most working out
you've done all day.

[Nicole laughs]

[Ms. B] 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.

[Esperanza] It has a face!

Come on, Dion.

[Dion sighs]

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.

[Ms. B] Okay, class.

All of you received your quizzes back,
all of you that are here.

[Brayden] Dion.

[Ms. B] A few of you
even actually got 100%.

[Brayden] Still want to hang out?

[Dion] Yeah, but we're in class.

[Brayden] Close your eyes.

[quiet ethereal music plays]

[Brayden] Now, open them.

[supernatural whooshing]

[gasps softly]

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.
- [whooshing]

[sighs, grunts]

[whooshing]

[Dion] Yeah!

This is awesome!

You do something.
You know, besides talk in my head.

[echoing] Like this?

[Dion] Wha... Whoa.

W-Which one's the real you?

- [both] What do you think?
- I don't know. That one?

[chuckling]

How about this one? [grunts]

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.

[woman] Brayden!

Come out, come out, wherever you are.

Who's that?

[woman] Brayden.

Come on, I'll show you.

[rooster crows]

[woman] Brayden?

Where's my baby?

Where in the world could he be?

[laughter]

I'm gonna get ya. Gotcha!

[laughter]

Is that you?

Yup. And my mom. That's my dad.

[indistinct chatter]

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.

[father] Are you all right?

[ground rumbles]

[magical jingling]

- 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.

[woman 2] Evil child.

- [Dion] Wait.
- [sinister rumbling]

What's happening?

- Uh, c-come on. Let's... Let's go.
- [Dion grunts]

[supernatural jingling]

[woman 2 wailing]

[Dion] What's that?

[Brayden] Never mind. Don't look at it.

- [sinister clanking]
- Evil child. You brought the devil here.

No!

- [yelps]
- [pencil clatters]

Are we ready to get started?

[Dion] Yeah.

[Ms. B] The question was, which of
the following colonies was settled first?

[blows landing]

Whoever it is you're envisioning
kicking that bag,

I'm pretty sure they're dead.

[laughs] 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.

[chuckles]

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. [laughs]

You know what, you wanna go?

No, I saw you kick. I'm good.

[both laugh]

[chuckling]

[plane engines whooshing]

[knocking]

We got the test results back on Pat.

- And?
- [David] 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.

[laughs]

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.

[Suzanne] David.

Yes?

Run it again.

Will do.

[door buzzes]

I got you something.
Straight from Hi-h* 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.

[David scoffs]
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.

[David scoffs]

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.

- [Pat gasps softly]
- [electricity crackling]

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? [scoffs]

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.

[buzzing]

[door whirring, clangs]

Are you okay?
That was like a horror movie or something.

What was that?

[sighs] 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!

[quiet tense music plays]

So how are you feeling?

- I don't want to do this.
- [Dion] What?

[Jonathan] You're the reason we're here.

- [Dion] Exactly.
- I... made a mistake.

[Dion] 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.

[Kwame] 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.
- [student] 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!

[piano chords play]

["Oh Susanna" introduction on piano]

Line?

Next.

[paper rustles]

"Oh, Susanna."

♪ Oh, don't you cry for me ♪

♪ Well, I come from Alabama
With a banjo on my knee ♪

♪ Oh, Susanna
Oh, don't you cry for me ♪

♪ I'm going to Louisiana
For my true love to see me ♪

- Next?
- Next.

♪ It rained all night the day I left
The weather, it was dry ♪

Fosse, forgive them,
for they know not what they do.

♪ Susanna, don't you cry ♪

♪ Oh, Susanna, don't you cry for me ♪

♪ For I've come from Alabama
With a banjo on my knee ♪

♪ Oh, Susanna ♪

♪ Don't you cry for me ♪

♪ I come from Alabama
With a banjo on my knee ♪

I really hate this song.

Next!

- [Jonathan] 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
sh**ting 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.

[sparking, crackling]

Oh, oh.

You just got yourself a stage manager.

[Kwame] 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.

[weapons powering up]

[monitor beeping]

[David] 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.

[weapons powering down]

I tried to k*ll 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.
- [monitor clicks faster]

- [David] What do you feel?
- [lightning crackles]

[Pat groans]

Like a rush of

hate.

[monitor clicking]

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.

[Pat grunts]

[Pat exhales]

Yeah, it's not hiding anymore.

[breathing heavily]

[Suzanne] Where the hell is Pat Rollins?

I want a full lockdown.
Get him back in his cage. Move!

[alarm blaring]

[breathing heavily]
Nicole, I have news. It's Pat.

[piano playing]

[applause]

[piano playing]

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.

- [Dion] Come on.
- Let's do it.

[all] TOJ!

[Esperanza squeaks]

[piano plays]

[exhales]

♪ Beautiful dreamer ♪

[piano continues]

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.

[sighs]

You got this.

Okay.

[piano plays]

♪ Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me ♪

♪ Starlight and dewdrops
Are waiting for thee ♪

♪ Gone are the cares
Of life's busy throng ♪

♪ Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me ♪

♪ Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me ♪

[applause]

[kids chatter]

[Crooked Energy] He's here.

[sinister music plays]

[door squeaks]

- [Pat] How long do I have to stay here?
- [David] Do you have somewhere to be?

Just anywhere but here. This is painful.

[David] Pat, you can handle it.

[sinister rattling]

[Pat] This is the spot where Dion
was standing when I tried to k*ll him.

Will Dion ever forgive me?

I need to talk to you.

In a minute.

- [Brayden huffs]
- 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.

[Dion gasps]

- [Dion growls]
- [whooshing]

- [panting]
- [hands sizzling]

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... [sighs]

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.

[Pat] 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.

[Dion] This isn't a bad dream!

He's alive!

- Come here.
- [Dion cries]

- [Suzanne] 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.

[Dion sobs]

[sighs deeply]

[school bell rings]

[melancholy music plays]

[door buzzes]

[door whirring, clangs]

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.

[scoffs] 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?

[door whirring]

I'll try to get you some new comic books.

Oh.

[door slams]

[knocking]

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.

[Nicole sighs]

[beeping]

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.

[line ringing]

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?

[Suzanne] 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.

[phone beeps off]

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... [inhales sharply]

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?

[message whooshes]

- Can you watch Di for me?
- [Kat] I got you.

I'm sorry, Mom.

We'll talk later.
I'll be back as soon as I can.

[door closes]

Have you ever watched The Bachelor?

[indistinct radio chatter]

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.

[Nicole] 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!

[rustling]

[rustling continues]

[Nicole screams]

[Suzanne] Nicole!

[groans]

[eerie jingling]

[Nicole groans]

[sighs]

[sinister whooshing]

Are you okay?

[Nicole] Yeah. Yeah, I think so.

Get the ladder!

[sighs] Ladder.

[suspenseful music plays]

[eerie jingling]

[eerie thrumming]

[suspenseful music continues]

[Gary growls]

[Nicole gasps]

[ominous music plays]

[electronic warbling]

Get Nicole out of that hole now!

[Nicole panting]

[Nicole grunts]

- [Nicole yells]
- [Gary growls]

[Nicole grunts]

[jingling echoes]

[Nicole] No! [groans]

[Nicole grunts]

[dramatic music continues]

[man] Here.

[Nicole groans]

[Gary growls]

[Nicole] Look out!

- [Nicole whimpers]
- [Gary growls]

- [man grunts]
- [Nicole whimpers]

[Nicole grunts]

- [Nicole grunts]
- [Gary grunts]

[Nicole grunts]

[Gary growls]

[woman gasps]

[Gary snarls]

[Nicole breathing heavily]

We got a monster problem.

["Get It" by Stella Mwangi plays]

♪ Uh, hit the corner drift ♪

♪ Back wheel's spinnin'
And it's time to split ♪

♪ Uh, drop a gear and dip
Get away, boy, yeah, I got the gift ♪

♪ Now work, come on, work, yeah ♪

♪ I'm about to get it
I'm about to get it ♪

♪ Now work, come on, work, yeah ♪

♪ I'm about to get it
I'm about to get it ♪

♪ Now work, come on, work, yeah ♪

♪ I'm about to get it
I'm about to get it ♪

♪ Now work, come on, work, yeah ♪

♪ And you know we don't stop
When it starts to hurt, yeah ♪

♪ Takin' off like a bombardier
Ice piled up like a chandelier, uh ♪

♪ Now we gotta disappear ♪

♪ Duck down
Lay low till the coast is clear, like ♪

♪ I'm sticky like a candy cane
Too tricky, call me David Blaine ♪

♪ Uh, now I'm switching lanes ♪

♪ 23, baby, yeah, I changed the game
Now work, come on, work, yeah ♪

♪ I'm about to get it
I'm about to get it ♪

♪ Now work, come on, work, yeah ♪

♪ I'm about to get it
I'm about to get it ♪

♪ Now work, come on, work, yeah ♪

♪ I'm about to get it
I'm about to get it ♪

♪ Now work, come on, work, yeah ♪

♪ And you know we don't stop
When it starts to hurt ♪

♪ Go ♪

♪ Go, go, go, go ♪

♪ Go, go, go, go ♪

♪ Go, go, go, go ♪