Previously on Black Lightning...
Look who's almost the king of Freeland now.
Something's wrong. I don't feel my powers.
TC, something's wrong!
What the hell happened to our powers?
He used me to harness Val's nullifying powers.
Locating and shutting down that emitter
is our only hope of you getting your powers back.
I need more firepower.
Meta-boosters, my friend.
Designed to grant specified power
to whomever you choose.
Tobias has stolen meta-genes from pregnant women,
and he's using your R&D department to do it.
- How can I help? - Well, Looker's a meta.
She got this silver thing in her blood that she can
put into other people and make them do whatever she wants.
Tobias must have paid her to make people set you up.
Let me take care of this for you.
- What did you do to me? - Killed you.
We need her alive to take down Tobias.
You're going to admit to everything you did for him.
And you'll get the rest of the anti-venom.
Ishmael, I have some loose ends I need to tie up.
? I wanna go outside ?
? In the rain ?
Uriah. Oh, my God.
So, you're Lightning, huh?
Don't cry.
Go.
Light up the world.
? I, I... ?
? Think I'm gonna cry ?
Come in.
Hey.
Was just, uh... checkin' to see if you need anything.
I'm not goin' to school today.
Yeah, me neither.
Too soon.
I understand.
You know...
I had my doubts about therapy,
but it helped me and your mother.
So do you wanna talk about it?
Uriah's dead. It's my fault.
There's nothing to talk about.
No, Uriah's death is not your fault.
Tobias knew that I was Lightning and Jennifer Pierce.
He promised me that anytime I go out as Lightning,
someone I love would die.
He made good on his promise.
I'd finally found my rhythm of being Lightning and JJ,
and now, I'll never be Lightning again.
Okay, I know it's difficult...
You don't understand.
Thanks to Tobias, no one but me has their powers.
He could have anyone killed. Anissa, Mom, even you.
Yeah, we don't have our powers,
but we're still a family.
And we will protect each other like we always have.
But in the meantime,
Freeland needs Lightning, more than ever.
I can't watch anyone else die because of me.
It hurts too much.
You know, I never told you
or your sister
the details about my father's murder.
He was about to expose Tobias for the criminal that he is.
But Tobias had other plans.
So he cornered my father at our old house
and he... beat him to death.
While I hid under the bed...
and watched.
You were there the whole time?
Then I locked eyes with my father.
There were no words.
... huh, Uncle Tom?
But I understood.
It's time for you to eat your damn words.
If I made a sound, Tobias would kill me, too.
So, I watched my father die...
while I cowered under the bed.
You can't save everyone, Jen.
And yes...
Yes, it hurts.
But over time, the pain dulls.
But the most important thing is, you have to find a way to use it.
Now, until Gambi finds the emitter that's nullifying our powers,
the only thing that's standing between the people of Freeland
and Tobias...
is Lightning.
Being a superhero sucks.
Yeah.
Yeah, it does.
Just like old times.
Yeah. Secrets and all.
Is there something you wanna talk about, Lauren?
I'm risking everything to help you.
If Monovista knew I was hacking into their server,
I'd be looking at a serious prison sentence.
The least you could do is explain how promethium
and my emitter are connected to the stolen meta-gene.
I mean, come on, Peter. You know I can keep a secret.
If it were up to me, I would read you in,
but it's not my secret to tell.
Grace, honey, wake up, come on.
- Hey. - Hey.
I'm in.
I've hacked into Monovista's hidden servers.
Okay, so did you find where Monovista's
manufacturing its meta-gene harvester?
Because, guys, I'm not allowin' this corporation
to steal anymore meta-genes from unborn babies.
The Monovista servers were cleaned.
But I hacked into the CEO's personal files instead.
The meta-gene harvesting project is called "Event Horizons".
And only one harvester was manufactured.
And after you acquired these harvested genes,
all information associated with Event Horizons
was transferred to this building.
Okay, so, does that include the harvester and the schematics?
Nuking the building won't help if they can just build a new one.
Not only does it contain the schematics,
but also every meta-gene Monovista's stolen.
Hmm. Two birds, one stone.
Well, Anissa, we're just, uh, normal people.
- Are you sure we can do this alone? - Come on, we've seen worse.
Now, if we just blew these load-bearin' walls,
the whole building, it'll fall, right?
That building is owned by a shell corporation
with ties to Tobias Whale.
And the harvester schematics are protected by their local network.
Meaning that we'll have to have boots on the ground
to gain access and expunge any pertinent files.
All right, so, I think destroyin' the harvester,
the building, is all a piece of cake.
The servers are another story.
I think I might be able to help with that.
Uncle Gambi. So, you sayin'
we throwin' that brick into the servers?
In a manner of speaking.
This is my personal Pandora's Box.
I've been collecting the most harmful computer viruses since the '80s.
I think we can find something that'll do the job.
Alvin Pierce's house is yours once Jefferson signs over the deed.
I can read, thank you.
Just the call I've been expecting.
I've succeeded in my mayoral election.
You're all welcome to congratulate me now.
Your seat on the Shadow Board
was contingent upon securing the election
and establishing control of the meta presence in Freeland.
And yet, we have confirmed reports that Lightning remains active.
An oversight I'll soon correct.
The Shadow Board does not tolerate failure.
Your seat has been rescinded.
Effective immediately.
Hmm.
Am I supposed to be impressed?
No.
But they sure are about to be.
My assassin was rendered invisible
through a meta-power chromatophores.
A power I granted,
and much like the good Lord,
a power I can also take away.
That's right. I now control who has meta powers and who doesn't.
Freeland is just the beginning.
Star City,
Metropolis,
anywhere a meta-freak dares to stand in my way
will meet the same fate as this pixelated pissant.
Now, it's past time you all bow down
and pledge your loyalty to me.
Or...
All hail the king.
What's next, Your Majesty?
Red, don't get cute.
The endgame's upon us.
And while I admit to no uncertain joy toyin' with my prey,
the time has come to finally rid the world of Jefferson Pierce.
Well, I've duplicated your ankle monitor's signal
and placed it on a feedback loop...
... that shows you're obeying your house arrest.
Thank God for small mercies.
Any news on the emitter's location?
I'm loathe to say it, but my family needs its powers back.
Since the emitter's powered by promethium,
it shares an identical radiation signature
with the massive deposit of promethium
that I discovered beneath Freeland.
There's no way to differentiate one from the other.
It's perfect camouflage.
Promethium is one of Earth's rarest elements.
I don't understand how Freeland suddenly acquired so much of it.
My working theory
is that when Gravedigger used Lightning
to take down the ASA's energy shield,
the resulting power surge irradiated the bedrock of Freeland.
Transmuting the minerals into promethium.
And Monovista swooped in to strip-mine it.
It powers their DEGs, the emitter...
Who knows what else?
I have an idea on how we can track the emitter.
Right now, Tobias is using it to blanket Freeland
with Val's nullifying powers,
but what if we expand our parameters
to focus on Val's meta-genic power signature
bypassing the camouflage that's creating the deposits?
That tracks.
And once we destroy the emitter,
every meta in Freeland will regain their powers.
What are we waiting for?
To be honest,
Lauren is better suited for this task than me.
And now that you move about freely,
perhaps it's time I introduced you two.
I think I found a solution to our problems.
I'm listening, and which ones?
Look, everything that Tobias has thrown at us,
the embezzlement scandal, your arrest, Uriah's death,
is tied to the fact that he knows our secret identities.
So, what if we change that? We erase his memory.
Like you did with those cops that tried to arrest you
- when you were helping the violinists. - Yes, exactly.
I hit 'em with a high enough voltage
that it wiped their short-term memory.
Well, you don't have any powers, Jefferson,
how do you expect to do that?
I might be able to build a handheld device
that could accomplish that,
but without your powers,
I'd be hard-pressed to find an energy source to activate it.
Well, what about the promethium you stole from Monovista?
That's a distinct possibility.
Give me some time to run a few simulations.
Close the door, Detective.
Thanks to our new mayor,
there's an energy field around Freeland nullifying all meta powers.
But Lightning...
Is the one exception.
She's the only meta-vigilante unaffected.
What are those?
Meta-boosters.
They grant ordinary human beings
meta powers for a 72-hour period.
I want you to distribute them to the Meta Task Force.
Have them put on these bracelets,
which will allow the powers to work within the nullifying field.
When your team is comfortable with their new powers,
apprehend Lightning.
All due respect,
is that a good idea, Chief?
Feels like we're pourin' gasoline on a fire.
Detective,
I'm held to a higher standard than you can ever imagine.
If I can't neutralize Lightning,
I'll be Freeland's first and last female police chief.
Permission to speak freely?
I'm sorry about what happened to your husband.
Meta powers destroyed him and your family,
but your husband was a good man
before the meta powers poisoned his mind
and made him kill your brothers.
Do you really wanna do that to officers under your command?
You may have a point.
We'll do it your way.
For now.
You and your team have until the end of the month to ground Lightning.
Dismissed.
Can we listen to something other than this jungle jam?
I prefer a little bit more treble to bass,
if you know what I mean.
Do you wanna tell Miss Daisy what I prefer to do to her, Khalil?
You do know that I work for Tobias Whale, right?
And when he finds out what you've done with his most prized possession,
he will rip your spine out and kill you.
Hmm. Been there, done that.
Why can't we kill her?
Look, we're takin' her back to Freeland to testify.
Clear Mr. Pierce's name.
Third person much? What is that, Ebonics?
Okay.
This chick keeps writing checks with her mouth that she can't cash.
Now, we gon' find out if she's a beggar or a screamer, huh?
Looker, you don't need the use of your arms, legs,
or even your pretty eyes to testify.
Am I understood?
Turn my joint back on.
_
Well, if it isn't my favorite super-Negro, Jefferson Pierce.
To what do I owe this pleasure?
You win, Tobias.
My family needs the money,
so I'm ready to sign over the deed to my father's house.
When and where?
Why don't we end this decades-long dance... where it began?
Your daddy's house. One hour.
I'll be there.
Good. Don't be late.
Stop punishing yourself.
- That won't bring him back. - Uriah was innocent.
He had nothin' to do with any of this and Red killed him.
I know the emitter's stopping your powers from working,
but can you track Red old-school?
I mean, Gambi set up a program to monitor
Red's magnetic power signature.
If he uses his abilities, it'll lead us to him. Why?
Tobias had Red murder Uriah, I plan to take Red from him tonight.
Isn't the emitter draining your power, too?
My point exactly.
Red still has his power,
and you can't defeat him in your weakened state. He'll kill you.
Not if I charge up in the ionosphere first.
But I'll need you on comms to help me.
Too risky. I'm not doin' it, Jen.
- Ask Gambi. - This isn't his fight, it's ours.
I know what I'm doing, TC.
The ionosphere will give me enough juice for one fight.
Uriah deserves justice. Don't you think?
Justice or revenge?
- Does it matter? - Yes.
I'll let you know when I find Red.
Lauren Caruso.
I'd like you to meet my close, personal friend and colleague,
Dr. Lynn Stewart.
Your reputation precedes you.
I've been following your work for years.
It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Stewart.
Thank you. And please, call me Lynn.
It's no small treat to meet the mystery woman Peter's been hiding.
- I haven't seen him this happy in years. - Oh.
This isn't awkward at all.
Forgive me, ladies, I have to meet Jefferson on another project.
- I'll leave you two to your work. - Yeah.
Peter's a good man.
Although, his ability to compartmentalize
his life is a bit... frustrating.
You have no idea.
He tells me you have a theory on locating my stolen emitter.
Well, I believe the emitter's energy signature
is being used as a carrier to nullify meta-genes.
I recently worked with a patient
who possessed the power to nullify metas,
rendering them... normal, for lack of a better verbiage.
I'm not following how that ties to my stolen emitter.
With the massive subterranean deposit of promethium beneath Freeland,
it has made it impossible to track its energy signature.
Well, I think we can trace and nullify
its meta-genic sequence instead.
- Hmm. - May I?
Please.
Oh, this could work.
I'll need to create a new algorithm so we can trace it.
Well, since promethium remains a carrier
I think we could modify the original algorithm
instead of starting from scratch.
Who knew my emitter would be stolen for this?
All I wanted to do was provide people with clean energy.
All I wanted to do was save lives,
and then I was accused of being a mass murderer.
No good deed.
I performed the due diligence.
You've saved countless lives, Dr. Stewart.
I mean, you're being railroaded.
May I ask what this is about?
What...
Peter didn't tell you?
He claims it wasn't his secret to tell.
But with Monovista harvesting meta-genes from unborn babies,
your daughter and her wife trying to stop that,
and my emitter now nullifying meta powers...
I can't quite connect all the dots.
I trust Peter Gambi with my life.
If he trusts you, so do I.
My family are metas.
And I'm trying to track down the emitter that took away their powers
so they can protect this city from a delusional, villainous mayor.
But you deduced that already.
Well, most of it.
And like I told Peter, I know how to keep a secret.
Thank you.
Now, should we get to work?
Okay.
I told you he'd kill you.
Actually, I've been trackin' you, Looker.
But Tobias contracted me to kill you both.
All right.
Look, I ain't got time for this, so you handle that.
Yeah.
You dangerous?
- Let's dance. - Let's.
Too bad you wasn't good enough to touch me with your poison.
I never had to touch you.
Check the hilt.
You cheated.
This should fit in the palm of your hand for easy concealment.
Try it on.
All right, now, you'll have to target
Tobias's lateral parietal cortex here.
- Here? - Right.
All right. You sure it'll work?
Lynn assured me that that spot will allow the electricity
to penetrate Tobias's hippocampus,
disrupting his brain's ability to access long-term memories.
The promethium will burn up on contact.
You get one shot. Make it count.
Where are we doing this?
There's no "we".
Jefferson, this is no time for bravado.
- I'm going with you. - No. This is between him and me.
Win, lose, or draw, it ends tonight.
Hey, babe, pass me those explosives.
What if these mothers
wanted to splice the meta-genes back into their babies?
Could we do that?
No. That procedure is irreversible.
But I'll promise you this, when we're done,
we'll reach out to every mother
and let them know what happened, okay?
We can't do that. It'd destroy them, Anissa.
I sure as hell would wanna know.
Those mothers did everything they could to protect their babies,
only to have a corporation lie to them
and steal their very essence.
That's exactly why I think we should tell them.
Well, if there is nothing we can do to fix it,
why let them live the rest of their lives with this trauma?
This is the kinda pain I carry with me every day.
Anissa, you come from a happy family.
You're strong, proud, and bulletproof.
You don't know what it's like
to be completely powerless and at the mercy of other people.
No one should be forced to live this way.
If we keep this secret for these mothers,
at least they can live their "happily ever after".
All right, I hear you.
And I think you're right. Sometimes, I can be very stupid.
And I'm sorry.
- I love you. - I love you, too.
Now, pass me those explosives.
Yep.
Thank you.
Hey, Lynn.
Got a sec?
Yeah, of course.
- What is that? - It's my updated will.
I wanted to make sure that things were in order
before I go see Tobias.
Well, this is a little melodramatic.
Even for you, Jeff.
Yeah, I mean, with everything that's been goin' on,
it's got me thinkin', you know, about us and... our family...
What is it, Jeff?
I'm sorry, Lynn. Yeah, I'm...
so sorry about all the crazy things our family's been through.
I never wanted this for us.
Before I go see Tobias, I just wanted to make sure you heard that.
I'm sorry, too.
I've put you through a lot as well.
But now we have three gifted daughters.
We saved the world several times, and the multiverse, apparently.
And even though it's been difficult, we're still standing.
No one really gets the fairy tale they imagined,
but I really love the one that I made with you.
I love you, Lynn.
I love you, too.
Now go do what you do best.
All right, TC, how much time do we have?
The building is empty. I triggered the fire alarm,
but the fire department is seven minutes out.
Hey, that's plenty of time.
All right, charges are set.
We got two minutes to get outta Dodge.
What's your ETA?
The computer virus is chewing through the mainframe.
All information has been wiped. Let's go.
All right, you wanna do the honors?
Come on. Let's go.
You really should have told me Tobias was tracking you.
Yes, well, he did try to kill us both.
Lesson learned.
He's not gonna stop until he succeeds.
You're the linchpin of Tobias's whole plan.
Testify. Clear Mr. Pierce's name.
He's the kind of man who will move heaven and earth to protect you.
Lucky for him, it appears I have little choice.
Relax. I called them.
Looker. As promised.
She agreed to testify?
I'm right here, Officer.
And yes. I agreed to testify that I falsely implicated the Pierces.
And clear the names of the people you helped
manipulate for Tobias Whale?
We'll see how you like being controlled.
Here. I gave Looker a non-lethal dose
of my venom to neutralize her powers.
Half a milliliter dose every 12 hours
should keep her sedated and harmless.
Freeland is just down the road.
We have unfinished business.
Jennifer is better off without us.
? Hey there, you ?
? Shattered in a thousand pieces... ?
Lightning, I got Red's 20.
Sending coordinates now.
Time for some payback.
? Hey there, you ?
? Try to stand up on your own two feet... ?
Mr. Whale, the perimeter is secure.
As are the additional arrangements.
You can't take a hint.
You enjoy watching your loved ones die?
You're gonna pay for killing Uriah.
I'll enjoy that.
Oh, my God, the recharge didn't work.
Has anyone ever told you you fight like a girl?
Time to join your friend.
You were playing possum. I knew you had this.
Time to finish this.
I surrender, all right? Don't kill me.
After what you've done, you ask for mercy?
You win.
Lightning, what are you gonna do?
Don't. It's done.
That man is directly responsible for the murder of Uriah Coleman.
The evidence is on the flash drive around his neck.
I'm gonna hunt you down.
You and the other meta filth deserve to be wiped
from the face of the Earth.
Live feed, Chief Lopez.
The world's watching.
Do you wanna be a hero or a villain?
I know which one I am.
Do you?
You and the other meta filth deserve to be wiped
from the face of the Earth.
- Look, look! - Is that real?
Oh, this is...
- How... - Shh. Shh!
Shut up. Shut up.
Show me.
I'm gonna hunt you down.
You and the other meta filth deserve to be wiped
from the face of the Earth.
You and the other meta filth deserve to be wiped
from the face of the Earth.
Where are the rest of your lackeys?
Forgive me. I mean your family.
It's just me.
Let's get this over with.
Everything is here.
Just sign the deed.
House is yours.
Is that it? I was expecting some grandiose last stand.
All I see is a toothless dog waiting to be put down.
You took everything.
My family, my reputation, my powers.
Even Freeland. Just sign the damn deed.
You know, I've been waiting a decade to hear you cry like that.
It was well worth the wait.
What do you got there?
Huh?
Not so toothless after all, eh?
But I never thought you actually had the stones to kill me.
That was to wipe your memory. I'm not a monster like you.
If you were the better man, you'd do what's actually necessary.
Not this Tinker Tailor Soldier...
You know, I would've never admitted this.
But seein' as that you're gonna die tonight,
I might as well tell you,
I killed your daddy... right over there!
Get up.
I was there.
I saw what you did from under the bed.
And I dedicated my life...
to bringing you to justice.
You were there? You mean to tell me you've been trying your whole life
to crawl out from under that bed and avenge your dead daddy?
Damn!
You know what? Take your best shot.
I made you, Jefferson Pierce.
Forged you in pain and anger, and look what you do with my gift!
Oh, Jeff.
You really are your father's son.
And you're gonna die like him, too.
Hey, Dad, you are gonna be proud of what I did tonight.
Oh, for what?
Turning Red in to Chief Lopez?
I'm sure your daddy isn't too proud now.
Tobias?
Mr. Whale to you.
Didn't Jefferson teach you better manners? Lethal Lightning?
What do you want? I'm not playing games.
Oh, no game, sweetheart.
My city, my rules.
I warned you.
You made me do it.
What did you do?
And why do you have Dad's phone?
See for yourself.
Jefferson Pierce is dead.
- Synced and corrected by Firefly - - www.addic7ed.com -