02x02 - ISSUE #202: Sankofa

[bunniefuu]

[somber music plays]

- [Dion] Dad?
- [Mark grunting]

[Nicole] No!

[screaming]

- [grunting]
- [lightning crackling]

[straining]

Die!

[Crooked Energy groans]

[Dion grunts and yells]

[heartbeat thumping]

[Crooked Energy groans]

[Crooked Energy groans]

[electricity crackling]

[lightning fizzles]

[Pat] When Dion's power
struck that lightning rod,

I could feel every molecule
of my body being torn apart.

And then I was floating.

[lightning crackles]

[dramatic music plays]

[electricity zapping]

[electric whooshing]

[crackling]

[gasps]

[yells]

[shouts, grunts]

[Pat] I didn't understand what happened.

All I knew was one minute I was dead,

and the next, I wasn't.

It took a whole day
for my body to completely reform.

[Pat grunting softly]

[Pat] And another day
to walk to the nearest town.

It was a quiet place off the beaten path.

I didn't know anyone, but,
um, they didn't know me either,

so I figured I could

make a fresh start, put...

[inhales shakily]

...everything that happened behind me.

[Suzanne] So you spend two years
in this quaint little town, and then what?

[fluorescent lights buzzing]

You realize you want your old life back?
Is that why you're here?

I told you.

I saw the Crooked Man.

You are the Crooked Man, Pat.

No. No.

I'm not.

I have lived two years
without that horror show inside me.

I'm not him.

Or... Or "it."

That wasn't me. And it's...
And it's gone now. I swear.

Except you just saw it.

Yes, same electricity, same power,

but someone else has it now.

[Suzanne] That's impossible.

Powers derive from mutated DNA.
They're not transferable.

Well, I don't have powers anymore

and I saw a video
of the Crooked Man on the news.

It k*lled a guy in a parking lot.

They said it was a freak lightning strike,
but I know what I saw.

[Suzanne] The guards are carrying
ionic charge suppressors.

Either you tell me why you're really here,

or they pull the trigger and drop
your core temperature 250 degrees.

[Pat] Suzanne, I'm telling you the truth.
We don't have time for this.

The Crooked Man k*lled someone,

and you can check for yourself!

- [electronic buzzing]
- [Pat yells]

[Pat shudders]

- [shivers] That's really cold.
- Thank you.

We developed the g*n
to shut down your electrical form.

Which would work
if I had an electrical charge,

but I don't,

because I already told you, I'm normal.

You say you don't have powers.

We're gonna run every test we have
to make sure that's true.

Let's keep this quiet.

I don't want a riot on my hands
from all the people whose lives he ruined.

[Pat sighs]

Suzanne?

[tense music plays]

Suzanne, you have to believe me.

There's another Crooked Man out there!

Suzanne, please!

- [door clangs]
- [electronic whirring]

[dramatic music plays]

- [instruments warbling]
- [radio chatter]

[man] Readings are normal.

Whatever they were seeing
on the monitors last night, it's gone now.

This is some weird stuff.

Did you guys see these roots growing here?

[woman] No.

That's new.

[man] Oh, man, what is this?

Someone's been down here.

Maybe it was the security guard?

Gary? I didn't see him last night.

Let me give him a call.

[cell phone buzzing]

[foreboding music plays]

[Gary snorts]

[eerie squelching]

[Gary snorts]

[squelching continues]

[recording] This is Gary.
I can't make it to the phone...

- [man] Where are you, Gary?
- [line ringing]

[man] Looks like we had
a visitor inside the sinkhole.

- [woman] Mm-hmm.
- Security guard is nowhere to be found.

So we need to get somebody up here ASAP.

- [woman] Okay.
- [man] Can't have school kids falling in.

- [woman] Copy that.
- [man] Okay.

[vehicle approaching]

What do you think
they're doing down there?

[Nicole] I think they're just testing.

I don't know.
Maybe you should ask Ms. Suzanne.

Suzanne said it was nothing,
so don't worry about it.

- Have your backpack?
- Is Ms. Suzanne your friend?

Well, I mean, at first she wasn't.

But now, yeah, we're friends.

What if she kept a secret from you?

That would go against our agreement.

We said if we were
gonna work together at BIONA,

we'd be completely honest
with each other. No secrets.

Why? What's this about?

Something going on
with you and your friends?

- Are you keeping a secret from somebody?
- No.

- Is this about the musical?
- No, but I'm way too busy to do a musical.

- With what?
- I have a trainer with superpowers!

Why would I want to do anything else?

- So you like Tevin?
- He has a force field power.

Yeah, I've seen it.

[Dion] And he's really fast.

He's a runner.
Maybe I should start running.

Well, I'm glad you like Tevin.

And Esperanza asked you to do the musical.

She's always been there for you,
so don't let her down, okay?

All right, scoot.

- I love you.
- [Dion] I love you too, Mom.

[school bell ringing]

[students chattering]

[Jonathan] Are those abs?

No, they're s-special... power stabilizers
that help him go faster

[chuckling] Okay.

[tapping]

Can we please get back to business?

Dion, did you tell your mom
about the sinkhole secret?

I couldn't, 'cause then she'd know
I snuck out to get my phone.

How are we going to find out
what the big mystery is?

We could sneak down there
after school before pick-up.

- I'm in.
- Excellent.

I'll be the lookout.
Any other Triangle of Justice business?

- Well...
- Great.

I know you're both really worried
about your auditions, so...

- "Oh, Susanna"?
- What the... What is this?

Songs. For your auditions.

Oh, I don't need this.
I already know what I'm gonna do.

You picked a song?

My audition is gonna be awesome.
Trust me, I'm gonna nail it.

- [school bell rings]
- Oh!

[Ms. B] Michela, sit down, please.

Everyone, settle.

Okay, class,

I need everyone's attention
up here, please.

[Esperanza] Ms. B,
I want to hear more about the battle.

[Ms. B] Well, you're in luck, Esperanza,

because today's lesson is all about that.

[ominous music playing]

[R & B music plays]

So I have a stomach ache,
I just call you? Text you?

[Kat] You hop on the app
and request an appointment.

We video chat if we need to,

you get quick, affordable healthcare,
and I get to wear yoga pants.

Girl, where is the coffee and cream, and...?

Sweet'N Low? Girl, why are you
buying this fake-a*s sugar?

[growls] Nothing in here
is where it's supposed to be.

[Nicole] I didn't organize my kitchen
the way you would?

I'm saying there's a certain logic
to the way things should be set up.

Haven't you read Marie Kondo?

I have a video conference call
in a few minutes, I have no place to sit.

Ooh, Cherry Garcia.

- Yes, girl. Thank you, God.
- I should have gone to med school.

Oh, honey, there's still time.
Mom and Dad would love that.

You getting in right when I'm getting out.

You're still a doctor.

[Kat] Maybe not for long.

My old life, it was k*lling me, Nic.

I wasn't happy
long before it all fell apart.

Sometimes I can't even remember
why I wanted to be a doctor.

But of course,
Mom and Dad wanted me to do it, so...

- You were always the good daughter.
- [Kat sighs]

There's this Ghanaian word, "sankofa."
It means go back and get it.

I know what sankofa means.
I listen to The Roots.

[chuckles]

While I was away,
I decided to go back and find

whatever it was that I left behind.

Figure out what I was missing,

so I could finally live the life
that I was meant to.

Maybe you should try it.

What am I missing?

I don't know.

Maybe Kevin? Mmm.

You mean Tevin?

Well, if it's worth correcting the name,
it's worth getting them digits.

I wanna see you having fun again.

Ooh, you're gonna see him today
when you drop off Dion, right?

You gotta wear my lucky dress.

- Seriously?
- [Kat] Oh, yes, seriously, honey.

This is a proven commodity.

You know how many bracelets
I racked up wearing this dress? [chuckles]

[Nicole] Hm.

It's beautiful.

Just like you.

Put that hair back,
let him see your pretty face.

Hit him with that razzle-dazzle.

- Maybe.
- No, no. Not maybe. You're wearing it.

You're definitely wearing it.

[school bell ringing]

- [kid 1] I'm starving.
- [kid 2] I gotta go.

- [kid 1] Pizza looks like brains today.
- [kid 3] Brayden. Pssh, what a creep.

- [kid 4] That kid smells funny.
- [kid 5] What's wrong with him?

- [kid 6] He looks scary.
- Hey.

- You're Brayden, right?
- Yeah.

I'm Esperanza, that's Jonathan,
and that's Dion.

I remember being the new kid.
It was super hard to make friends.

[Esperanza] Besides me.

Dion and I were best friends
the first day.

- So we thought we'd help you out.
- Can you sing?

Why?

There's a musical revue coming up,
and we're all gonna be in it.

They're still trying
to figure out their auditions.

[Esperanza] You can audition with us
if you want.

I don't know. I'm still trying
to figure out where everything is.

[Crooked Man] Get him.

Get him alone.

Maybe you could show me around the school?

Sure.

- [Brayden] Now?
- No, we were gonna plan our auditions.

[high-pitched ringing]

It's better if he shows me around.

[eerie whooshing]

Actually, yeah, it's probably better
if Dion shows you around.

We're still gonna do
that thing after school, right?

I got you. Come on.
I know everything about this place.

[man on PA] Attention, students.

Until further notice,
no one is allowed near the sinkhole.

Over there's Mr. Fry's classroom.
He's a really good science teacher.

So why are you just starting school now?

I just got to Atlanta.

- Well, where did you come from?
- [Brayden] Alabama.

- Lived there a long time?
- My whole life, until three months ago.

Why'd you come here?

To find you.

[laughs nervously]
Science lab's down this hall.

[sinister whooshing]

- Oh, yeah. And one...
- [under breath] What are you doing?

[Crooked Man] He's mine.

[Dion chattering]

- [Crooked Man strains]
- [air rushes]

No!

[lightning crackles]

[Dion yelps]

What was that?

- What just happened?!
- I-I-I don't know.

[sighs] Wanna see the gym?

- Yeah.
- [door opens]

["Panda" by Desiigner playing]

♪ I got broads in Atlanta
Twistin' dope, lean, and the Fanta ♪

♪ Credit cards and the scammers
Hittin' off licks in the bando ♪

♪ Black X6, Phantom
White X6, looks like a panda ♪

♪ Going out like I'm Montana ♪

♪ Hundred killas, hundred hammers ♪

♪ Black X6, Phantom... ♪

[cell phone] Locating Dion.

[singsong] Hi.

Mrs. Warren, hi.

Hey, sweetie, have you seen Di?

He and Jonathan are working
on some extra credit work.

After school, like, as in now.

- And you look amazing.
- [Nicole] Well, thank you.

- I wish he'd told me he was gonna be late.
- But this gives us a chance to catch up.

- So, what you been up to, girl?
- [Nicole chuckles]

[man on radio chatting indistinctly]

[woman on radio chatting indistinctly]

[man continues chatting on radio]

How are we gonna get down there
to see what's inside?

Hey, excuse me.

You're not supposed to be here.

Uh...

- What are you doing here all by yourself?
- W-would you believe science stuff?

[eerie music plays]

[Dion] What?

Huh?

Hmm.

[eerie jingling]

- [Dion] Whoa!
- [eerie jingling continues]

- [eerie jingling]
- [Dion chuckles]

[whooshing]

[Jonathan] I tried to eat
an entire bunch of bananas, you see? Um...

Anyway, th-thanks for listening.

Good luck with the, with the science.

So, have you been helping Dion
with his audition?

I think he's a little lost.

He'll get there, I'll make sure.
What about you? What song are you doing?

I think I'm gonna do "Beautiful Dreamer."

It was the last song Stephen Foster wrote
before he died in 1862.

And instead of it being up here, like...

[high pitched] ♪ Ah ♪

It's down here like...

[low pitched] ♪ Ah ♪

And I can do that way better.

Okay.

- [whooshing]
- [gasps]

I gotta go. Bye.

Sorry I'm late.

Dion, you cannot
use your powers in public.

It's not public.
It's our private car that you own.

Lease. And that's besides the point.
Someone could see you.

The only people that saw me
were you and Esperanza,

and you guys already know I have powers.

We have rules.

Well, I think one of the rules
should be that I get to be the judge

of when I use my own powers.

I think you're forgetting the rules
of how to speak to your mother.

[sighs] I'm sorry.

Why are you dressed up?
Are you going somewhere?

I, uh... I had a meeting.

Put your seat belt on and let's go.

[ominous music plays]

[tablet beeping]

[Tevin] Hey.

What's up, little man?

- Go get changed so we can get started.
- Okay.

That kid is something else.

They told me he was powerful,
but I had no idea.

- Are you worried?
- [Tevin] Not at all.

Honestly, I can't wait
to get in here and work with him.

His imagination is incredible.

He created a whole power
in front of me last time.

- He could do that?
- [Tevin] Yeah. Y... Yeah.

I saw it with my own eyes.

So I'm gonna incorporate that
into our training curriculum.

It's kind of nice to hear someone
talk about it in a positive way

and not something to be scared of.

I'm not scared.

I would love to know what that feels like.

Maybe it's something
we should talk about, you and me.

We're gonna be in this together,
so maybe we could find time.

Maybe over...

Don't say coffee. [chuckles]

- [Tevin] Lunch?
- [Nicole laughs]

Is this you being subtle?

- It's kind of weak, isn't it?
- [Tevin] What?

If you want to ask me out,
you should just ask me out.

- Okay, it's like that.
- [Nicole laughs]

All right, fine.

You look amazing.

And I'm not assuming it's because of me,

although I kind of hope it is.

[chuckles]

Okay.

Cool. Then,

dinner?

[Dion] I'm ready.

- [Tevin] What are you wearing?
- My superhero costume.

I'm Mind Mover.
I move things with my mind.

That's very literal.

Okay, yeah, um, we just gotta
work on the costume a little bit.

- I think he looks cute.
- No, it's fine. It's functional.

Right? Like the Curry 4s.

But we also want to find something with
a little bit of style like the Kyrie 5s.

Neither of you is a sneakerhead?

Okay, got it. Seriously?

Uh-uh.

- Still waiting on that answer.
- You'll find out after class.

♪ So I'mma leave it on the floor ♪

[man] Now one more time. Great job. Yes.

[trainer] Remember,
it's all about the focus.

- [glass shattering]
- [Dion] Whoa!

- [trainer] Janelle!
- [PA] Code red, DR2.

- [trainer] Are you okay?
- [PA] Code red, DR2.

- [Nicole] What happened?
- I just walked up and the glass shattered.

- [Janelle] Sorry.
- [woman] Why is this happening?

She's having a bad day.

Okay, just take a step back.
We will handle this.

I don't understand what you're doing.

You were supposed
to help her stop all this.

Why are we here if you're not helping her?

- [trainer] There are setbacks.
- [Nicole] You okay?

[trainer] It's a process.

[Nicole] Alonso, everything's fine,
just take care of her.

- [Janelle] I'm fine.
- Hey, I'm Nicole, my son trains here.

Simone.

I've never seen
another mother here before.

What's your daughter's power?

[Simone] She

destroys things.

I don't know how else to say it.

One minute, there's a book on the table,

and the next moment it's just dust.

Yeah. It sounds like a lot.

Yeah, well, these BIONA folks
said they could help,

but we've been here a week
and she's still destroying things.

[Nicole] I know what that feels like.

I still have a scar on my shoulder
from when my seven-year-old

created a toy-nado out of Legos.

Seven.

How did you handle
a seven-year-old with superpowers?

Eh, I'm not sure that I did.

[softly] Yeah.

I know this place can seem weird,
but the people here, they do good work.

And I'm on the advisory board,
so if you ever need anything,

even just to talk, hit me up.

Nicole?

- It's gonna be okay, I promise.
- [Simone] Thank you.

[Nicole] What's up?

I need to show you something.

Why are you showing me a video of Pat?

It's a live feed.

That's not possible.

[Suzanne] He arrived last night.

We locked him away
and we are taking every precaution

until we can verify he is not a threat.

- I want to see him.
- No.

Where is he at, L5?

Hey, this is a bad idea.

Noted. Now, take me to him.

[Suzanne sighs]

[buzzing]

[door whirring]

Nicole, I...

[sighs] I-I didn't know
that you were here, or coming to visit me.

Um...

Hi.

I-I want you to know, I am so sorry
for everything that... that happened.

You... You were totally right to, uh,

stab me with that lightning rod. Um...

And I want you to know that I'm...
I'm not that guy anymore.

[sighs] I-I-I can't really explain it,
but it's like

all of the things that messed me up
b-before I got powers,

the-the, uh, jealousy, and the...
Whatever, all that stuff is gone.

And once I realized
I wasn't sick anymore, I...

[sighs]

I... I'm so sorry for,

for what I did to you,

and to Dion.

H... How is he?

No.

No, you don't get to... miss him.

You don't get to think about him
and talk about him.

[Pat] Sure, I understand.

No, you don't understand.
I'm not your friend, Pat.

I'm here to look at the room
where they keep you,

so that I can make certain
that you are never getting out.

Well, I mean, I... I'll get out eventually.

Once they confirm I'm not a threat,

they're gonna let me out
so that I can help.

With what?

I saw the Crooked Man on the news.

I... I know it's... it's weird,

but somebody else has that dark energy
and is... is doing bad things,

and I wanna... I-I wanna help stop them.

You're the Crooked Man, Pat.

You're the one
with the darkness inside of you.

You're the one that wanted to be Mark,

right up until the moment
where you k*lled him.

With or without powers,

that is never going to change.

- You cannot let him out of that cell.
- [Suzanne] I won't.

And Dion will never,
ever know that he's here?

- [Suzanne] He won't.
- Promise me.

Nicole, I promise.

I don't understand.

Neither do we,
but we are running the tests now...

[Nicole] No.
No, th-that's not what I mean.

Of all the people that we lost,
why is he the one that gets to come back?

I've never known anyone
who had more than one power,

much less someone
who can make up their own.

The new ones happen
when I really want something.

- Also when I'm trying to help somebody.
- Yeah? How does that work?

Well, once, when my mom was sad, I made
a light show to make her feel better.

A light show?

You know, twinkle lights
floating in the air.

Can you show me that right now?

I don't do that anymore. It's babyish.

Making someone feel better,
particularly your mom,

is the most grown-up thing you can do.

[footsteps approaching]

- Hey, we were just taking a break.
- Dion, grab your things. We need to go.

- [Dion] But I wasn't finished talking to...
- Dion, now!

Is, uh, everything okay?
I thought we were gonna talk.

[Nicole] I'm sorry, I just...

We just have to go.

- [Dion] My lesson wasn't done!
- [Nicole] Dion, please stop talking.

Why are we leaving?
I wasn't finished talking to Tevin.

I have to leave,
and when I need to leave, you need to go.

- But why?
- Because I said so.

But when do I get to say so?
I'm not a little kid anymore.

One of these days,
you can do whatever you want

and you won't have to listen to me, okay?
But today is not that day. Now, let's go.

[door buzzes and opens]

[door closes]

[footsteps approaching]

You should have stayed dead.

It would've been easier for everyone,
especially Nicole.

Or did you come back because you thought
you could repair things with her?

Well, I never stopped caring about her.

Even when you tried to k*ll her?

But I didn't come back for her.

Did you find the Crooked Man video yet?

[scoffs] Still not letting that one go.

[Pat scoffs]

Something bad is coming, Suzanne.

Whether you like it or not,
you're gonna need my help.

[eerie whooshing]

[dishes clinking]

Do you have any more homework?

Hey.

Come here.

Can we talk about today?

- Why'd you do that?
- [Nicole] I was upset.

About what?

- Do you ever think about the Crooked Man?
- [Dion] You mean Pat?

[Nicole] You do? When?

I used to have bad dreams
about Thanos or Voldemort,

but now if I have a bad dream,
it's the Crooked Man.

Does that happen a lot?

- Why didn't you say anything?
- [Dion] Because, you know...

You're scared.

I'm scared?

[Dion] That's why
you started boxing, right?

But you don't have to worry.
If anything happens, I'll protect you.

Oh, sweetie.

Everything's gonna be okay.

All right?

I'm sorry I said anything, okay?

Get ready for bed.

[dog barking in distance]

What was that about?

Pat's alive.

What the hell? What are you talking about?

Lower your voice.

He's in a cell at BIONA,
and it's a long story,

but Dion can't know about it.

- So you're just gonna lie to him?
- [Nicole] Did you hear him?

I'm trying to keep him
from having any more nightmares.

He's a smart kid, Nic.
You can talk to him.

He thinks he's supposed to be
taking care of me.

That's messed up.

I need to be more protective of him.

Honey, I don't think
you can be more protective.

Pat's in a cell,
and he's never getting out,

and Dion will never know about it.

I'm gonna put him to bed.

[sighs]

[beeping and whirring]

[knock at door]

- [David] Hey.
- Hi.

[David] I heard there was a problem
with Dion Warren's mother

and our new guest, Pat Rollins.

They have history.

I read the file.

This is Pat Rollins
in his Crooked Man form two years ago.

He said someone else
is the Crooked Man now,

and it's on its way here.

It took some searching,
but I found a news clip he mentioned.

[ominous music plays]

The two creatures look different,
but somehow

they're both forms
of Pat's Crooked Man energy.

Okay, but you said it yourself,
the Crooked Man is Pat.

- It's his DNA.
- [Suzanne] I know it doesn't make sense.

But somehow, someone else
has all that power, and for some reason,

they just brought it back to Atlanta.

[clock chiming]

[Brayden] Why did you do that?

Why did you try and attack him
if you couldn't do it?

[Crooked Man] He was so close.

[electricity crackling]

I thought you were getting stronger.

[Crooked Man] You're making me stronger
every day.

Our army is growing.

Why do you need an army to fight Dion?

[Crooked Man] He defeated me once,

sent me into exile in pieces.

But you will help me destroy him.

- [Brayden] Then what happens?
- [Crooked Man] Solidarity.

[Brayden] And then, you'll keep me
with you and I won't be alone?

[Crooked Man] Yes.

[sighs] What can I do?

[Crooked Man] Take him down

from the inside.

[sinister music plays]

[eerie music plays]

[Brayden] Dion.

What the heck are you doing here?
Did you break into my room?

Uh, that wasn't what it looked like.
I was startled, that's all.

I'm not in your room.

I'm staring right at you.

I'm in your head.

What do you mean?

- [whooshing]
- [Dion] What?

I'm in your head.

How are you doing this?

I have a secret, Dion.

I have powers.

Just like you.

♪ Can you feel it? ♪

I think we're going to be best friends.

♪ Can you feel the power? ♪

♪ Know the people go insane ♪

♪ It's the power ♪

♪ We can hear them scream the name ♪

♪ It's the power ♪

♪ We can feel it in our veins ♪

♪ It's the power ♪

♪ I'm comin' in hard
I'm makin' it swift ♪

♪ Don't wanna be playin' with y'all ♪

♪ I'm killin' 'em all
And makin' it quick ♪

♪ Nobody can do what we do
We makin' the moves, we gettin' it in ♪

♪ We never even seen an L
We only excel, we in it for wins ♪

♪ It come with the power ♪

♪ It's coming with living deadly
By the hour ♪

♪ Making these haters always gotta cower ♪

♪ We know we squeeze 'em
All we taste is sour ♪

♪ Power ♪

♪ They ain't built like us
Ain't real like us ♪

♪ We comin' in here, can't move like us ♪

♪ Ain't cool like us
We love it, we all need the ♪

♪ Got it flowing through the veins
It's the ♪

♪ Power, power, power ♪

♪ Know the people go insane
They feel the ♪

♪ Power, power, power ♪

♪ We don't give it up, we relish in the ♪

♪ Power, power, power ♪

♪ Can you feel it? ♪

♪ Can you feel it? ♪

♪ Whoo! ♪

♪ Power ♪

♪ Know the people go insane, it's the ♪

♪ Power ♪

♪ We can hear them scream the name
It's the ♪

♪ Power ♪

♪ We can feel it in our veins, it's the ♪

♪ Power ♪

♪ Yeah ♪