Previously, on Marvel's Runaways...
All I need is an 18-core, 36-thread processor chip.
-What? -We're going back to Atlas Academy.
We can destroy the dig site,
then we can stop California from cracking off into the ocean.
-I need a favor. -Sure.
But I'll need something in return, obvi.
Name it.
I actually came to see if you have any of my anxiety meds here?
It's turning black! Necrosis, yes!
Hold on a second. It's an earthquake!
I don't know what I'm doing.
Just don't stop.
You're not wearing your bracelet.
Yeah, I don't need it anymore.
Are you sick?
I don't know if I can trust you.
I'm going to trust myself.
You're the first person who's had my eyes.
What the...?
You guys, he's not going anywhere.
Who are you?
You're nothing like Molly.
You get high off this stuff, don't you?
When I tell people I grew up in the suburbs,
they always ask what that was like.
And I tell 'em, it was great, if you like coyotes.
'Cause that's how my parents were.
They were predators who traveled in a pack.
-Go on! -And if they spotted any weakness,
-they'd tear you apart. -Get out of my house!
Dad, no, please!
Dad, this is my home, too! I don't want to go!
Never come back!
-Mom... -Go!
It's like they were born mean,
and nothing I said or did could ever make it better.
So one day, I-- I ran.
And never looked back.
I'm so sorry.
Everybody got a story, right?
And that's a good one, but you still haven't answered my question
about what's in here and why it's so important.
Why do you care?
You don't see me asking questions about your magic wand, eh?
Or those metal gloves One Direction here carries in his backpack.
Or the dinosaur?
Anybody want to explain that? 'Cause I'm all ears.
This is about our questions, OK, not yours.
And accusing us of hypocrisy is not gonna get you off the hook.
That is called "Whataboutism," and it's a logical fallacy.
She was on the debate team,
and we're not as trusting as we used to be.
Also, was the One Direction thing an insult or a compliment?
If you want me to go, I'll go but-- I'm taking that with me.
No, that's not what we want.
Well, that's not what I want.
Don't leave. My parents are gone, Graciela's gone.
Just answer the question, please.
OK.
I'm just afraid my answers are gonna let you down.
Try me.
Little while after I left home, I, uh...
I was digging in the trash downtown.
Hungry, cold, just... wondering if I could even survive on my own.
"It was a dark and stormy night," we get it.
Fast-forward to the part about this.
I found one of those... how do you say, um... terrarios.
A terrarium
Exacto. Inside were these rocks.
They were glowing.
I picked them up.
And the second I did, I felt freaking incredible.
Then I saw myself in the glass.
My eyes. They were yellow.
I felt like I could do anything.
That rush. I went from wanting to die to just... never feeling better.
And it wasn't even just me that was fuerte.
Just for a minute, it...
Everything was right with the world.
That sounds like something that should require a prescription.
Except there's nothing like it.
I took those rocks, I ground them up.
I've been stretching them out since then.
But, as you can see, it ain't gonna last forever.
When we first met, you told me you just came into your powers like I did.
Lo siento mucho, hermanita.
I... I wanted you think that I was like you,
not some...
...some dumpster-diving junkie.
Look.
What you're holding is all I have left.
Then I'll stop, en seco.
He means "cold turkey."
But until then...
por favor, what you have
is the only thing that's making my life bearable.
Please. I won't cause any trouble. I swear.
Still, you guys are like each other. Yellow eyes, super strength.
I mean, Topher found rocks, and so did your parents.
Yeah, but the Hernandezes' rocks came from the dig site.
They were only ever there and in the lab.
So how would they have also ended up in a lizard cage in the garbage?
I think Topher gets to stay. Nico's OK with an honest junkie,
and Chase and Alex want to solve a mystery.
What about you, Gert?
I just want to know what happened to the lizard.
One day at a time, right?
My guard dog is watching you.
Alex said the rocks came from a construction site?
It's a long story.
Well, I got nothin' else to do.
I can show you better than tell.
So that's what this is.
Tell me about it.
Don't be afraid. Everything I've worked towards,
everything I've done... is for this.
For what
I don't understand.
Actually, I think you do.
Look at this. What do you think we are?
I don't know.
I've read the Book of Gibborim a thousand times.
Am-- am I an angel?
Or something divine?
In your grandfather's language, yes.
Those were the concepts that he understood,
but there's another answer, and it's a little more simple.
Come here. Come over here.
Check it out.
Stick your hand in that crevasse.
Because that doesn't sound scary at all.
I know it sounds scary, but come on, just give it a try.
It's OK.
Whoa!
Whoa.
That is definitely not just dirt.
What we're standing on is my ship.
How did a ship get all the way down here?
It fell from the sky.
A spaceship?
A spaceship.
I would have heard about that. Everyone would have heard about that.
There would be stories or something, like Area 51.
Trust me, there were no witnesses.
My arrival predates recorded history.
We understand time a little differently than humans,
and you will, too.
Humans?
You wanted answers.
I'm...
I'm an alien?
So are they.
I was fortunate enough to eject right before impact.
They've been trapped here this whole time.
It's taken me so long to reach them.
Soon they'll be free.
You've been trying to save them.
Yes.
Karolina.
I'd like to introduce you to your brother.
Buenos dias, hermana.
I know Molly thinks that you guys might be related, but...
I'm her sister, not yours.
We live in the same house. We eat at the same table.
Out on the streets, that makes you my sister.
Con dientes brillantes.
It's not funny.
I can, like, feel the decay destroying my enamel.
I know it's not funny.
It's more loco.
Nothing crazy about good hygiene.
You're not right in the head, huh?
You know, I can help with that.
How?
I know where you can get the stuff to take the edge off.
Seroquel, Zoloft. Whatever you need.
La farmacia subterránea's got it.
I think that would really help.
You would do that for me?
Claro. The sister of my sister is my sister.
Karolina. Hey.
There you are. What are you doing in Alex's room?
Alex was just about to ask the same thing.
Oh, I um... I couldn't sleep. Just thinking about the mission.
Wanted to see if I could help.
Can you?
I don't need it. This plan's all me.
I mean, al-- also my hacking computer, but still, mostly me.
Great. Then we're all set.
Sorry, I'm just restless. Let's just do this already.
I'm so not deleting that.
Fifteen thousand likes and a repost by Lil Yachty.
I mean, I'm verified now, so forget it.
Who is "Little Yachty," and why is that even important?
No, you can't intimidate me. I brought my lawyers.
You're not under arrest.
We're just looking for our kids.
You're the last one to see 'em. Please. We're asking for help.
Did you see Gert? -Did she-- was she sort of
rashing around the neck? That's her stress indicator.
Yeah, and Chase seemed a little pale. Do you know if that was the lighting,
or do you think that he's... sick?
Are you willing to grant me immunity?
You're not charged with anything. You don't need lawyers, Eiffel.
-Yes, we grant you immunity. -You are immune.
Look, all I know is that they needed my master key
so that Alvin could get his special laptop.
Alex. His name is Alex.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's not.
Anyways, when people start talking about computers,
I like to go imaginary shopping.
OK, are we done here?
Sorry to interrupt, Jonah.
Here's Mr. Dean, as you requested.
I didn't need the escort.
You know, these two have become a real asset to the Church.
Yes.
Yeah, they're great.
But have you ever noticed how you never see one alone?
They're like the girls in The Shining.
It's a-- that's a joke.
It's a movie. It's-- you haven't... seen the movie.
-I'm sorry. -Frances, Aura. Thank you.
I'll take it from here.
-Of course, Jonah. -Journey in brightness.
You know, I've been building up quite a nice relationship with those two.
They understand their place.
Their place is sitting on the roof, scaring the pigeons.
I'm wondering if you understand yours.
I've given you a great deal of power here, Frank.
Yes. But I'd like to think that you recognized my natural abilities
and found an opportunity that was beneficial for both of us, right?
I suppose that's one way to look at it, yes,
but the time has come that I now need something from you.
What the hell is this?
Frank, as you know, our Church teaches that there is no death.
All the energy that exists, that shall ever exist,
was created with the birth of the universe.
It cannot be destroyed, only converted.
This is supported by science, and of course by religion.
What I'm about to ask of you is going to test your faith.
What are you asking me?
Your wife, Leslie, ran a program for me...
a program that it's no exaggeration to say I owe my life to.
I'm handing you that responsibility.
I'm honored.
But I'm afraid I don't quite understand.
I've told you everything you need to know.
Now, go get me a runaway.
Or don't come back.
Well, I've never been more intimidated by a teenage girl in my life.
You didn't know me in high school.
I wouldn't want to.
What kind of special laptop are they even looking for?
Alex got an "A+" in Ethical Hacking.
He loved that computer.
Apparently it cost a hundred grand.
Our tuition dollars at work.
If he knows how to use it, he could do some real damage.
To us or any of our interests.
Including the dig site, which they've attempted already.
You know, it's interesting that you bring that up, Leslie.
Perhaps you'd like to tell us all what Karolina and Jonah
were doing there together.
What are you talking about?
Please, we saw them when we were testing the poison.
-We did. -Jonah is meeting with one of our kids?
-And you didn't tell us. -I didn't know.
You saw her?
Why didn't you call me? I would have come right there.
We were on a covert mission.
Emphasis on the "covert."
Although he may have seen us.
-Oh, he definitely did. -Well, that doesn't make any sense.
I know. Usually, we're so stealthy.
But now, if he knows what you two are up to, how are you still alive?
Oh, believe me, we've been sleeping with the lights on.
Uh-huh.
Also, uh, we haven't really been, uh, sleeping.
I mean, just a couple hours.
There has to be something else.
Maybe spending time with his daughter has mellowed him.
Yeah, well, I don't want him hanging out with Alex.
And if Jonah knows where our kids are, he needs to tell us.
What makes you think he will?
It's not like we can just make him.
I'll take care of Jonah.
That's... kind of you to offer.
"A" for effort, definitely, but--
Doubt all you want,
but my entire advantage is the fact that people underestimate me.
True.
I can handle this.
Handle him.
I've been working on something.
You gonna tell us what?
No.
Either I'll succeed, or I won't.
But it'll be on me alone.
I'm doing this as Amy's father.
All right.
In the meantime, we're all still at risk for a security breach.
I suggest everyone change their passcodes on their Wizphones
and any other devices you have.
Dale, do not change yours to "Stacey."
What?
Oh, I was-- I wasn't changing it to "Stacey."
-I so wasn't.
I've been looking for him for the past 15 minutes!
Topher's gone! His room's empty.
And he left because of you!
You made him feel like he didn't belong here.
He left because he thought you'd lead him
to enough rocks to refill his vial.
-And you didn't. -That's bullshit!
-Did Molly just curse? -Yep.
PG-13, but definitely a curse word.
-He cares about me! -He cares about getting high.
OK, enough! Let's not jump to any conclusions, all right?
Maybe Topher's just out there
raiding Cheesecake Factory dumpsters for breakfast.
I'd even settle for Islands.
For Molly's sake.
Guys, he could just be out getting things for people
that they need, like toothpaste.
Hey, guys.
I don't think he's coming back here.
Shit, he took the map to the dig site.
And the card about the rocks my parents found.
He asked me a lot of questions last night.
Questions about the dig site?
What? We were trying to figure out our connection.
Oh, no, I'm-- I'm not mad, I'm just--
He's gone to find more rocks.
We gotta do something.
Do you think he would try to get in the hole, because that's not safe.
For him. I mean, because he might get hurt.
Or he gets high and he hurts someone else.
If he gets caught, who knows what they'll do to him?
Which is the same thing that I did to Graciela.
No, she was a sweet, innocent lady, not some shady rock molester.
Look, what happens to Topher is on him at this point, OK?
But no way can he screw up our plan.
We gotta get down there. Fast.
You OK?
Yeah, I'm OK, I think...
Are you? You seem a little spun out.
I'm fine. Let's go.
Leslie, this is unexpected.
How could you?
How could you be in contact with her,
know how she's doing, and not tell me?
I come home every night to an empty house
wondering i-if she's OK, if she's even alive!
I'm sorry. Truly.
She's mine, Jonah.
I never assumed otherwise. I just--
I just couldn't get your hopes up and have everything fall apart.
But I've been opening up to her, and it's... it's going rather well.
Opening up about what?
-Everything.
She shouldn't be going through this alone.
She's not. She's with me.
Well, maybe I wanted to be the one to tell her.
Maybe I wanted to be the one to make her feel safe and loved
and-- and not a freak.
I never should have put that goddamn bracelet on her in the first place.
My dear, you shouldn't punish yourself.
I'm the one who should be leading her on this journey.
And she wouldn't have understood before now, anyway.
I still don't understand. So will you tell me, finally?
And not just the divine being bullshit that my father believed,
but the actual truth?
Who are you?
And what are your plans for my daughter?
Holy shit. -NICO: We're too late.
Oh, my God, what is wrong with him?
Oh, Topher, what did you do?
Is he gonna be OK?
Look!
Guess he found what he was looking for.
Oh, my God, he's carjacking that guy!
Hey, what are you doing?!
Or maybe we let him go,
worry about what's happening at the dig site.
Dig site appears to be a little occupied at the moment.
How far into the hole do you think he got?
I'm not sure that's the most pressing issue here.
Well, if he gets caught, he kinda knows everything, including where we live.
Follow him!
I-I only agreed to drive 'cause you said I could stay in the car!
There's no time to switch seats. Gert, you can do this.
-Gert, let's go! -Come on.
Come on.
Gravitational waves?
Jonah's ship has an antigravity engine?
You've gotta be kidding me.
-He's driving like a maniac! -Stay on him!
He's not using a turn signal! -He's gonna kill somebody!
Nico, you're not wearing a seat belt!
Because Alex is wearing two of 'em!
Because I've ridden with Gert before, that's why!
Can I just say right now, that being the driver was supposed to be the easy job!
Does this look easy, what I'm doing right now? No!
This is illegal and unsafe, and you're really undermining my self-esteem.
That was totally an illegal left.
This is L. A.! Two cars turn left after the light turns red!
Just go faster!
I think we lost him.
No, there's his car.
Yeah, this looks like the place.
I'm-- I'm thinking I'm gonna just stay here and keep the engine running.
Good idea.
Please, just let me come home! Please!
Why
Look at what you're doing! Look at what you did to Daddy!
He can't walk, Topher!
I'm sorry! I'm sorry!
I'll be different this time, I swear!
Who the hell are you?
-We're friends. -Go away! I didn't ask you to be here!
Topher, maybe you can come outside for a minute.
No! This is my house!
Wait, what? This isn't what you described.
Are those your parents?
Not if you ask them, no!
Topher. We're so sorry,
but you've just never been the same since the accident.
It was the explosion at the lab. It turned him into some kind of monster.
I am not a monster!
What lab?
-It doesn't matter. -It does to me.
At Goodman University. Two people died. He worked there.
Oh, my God!
Those were my parents. You were there?
Tell me, Topher, now!
Help me!
So I left out a few details.
What difference does it make, huh?
What difference does it make? You lied to me!
After we stayed up all night talking, trying to figure out the truth!
He lies about everything.
Including his age. Molly's parents died ten years ago.
What, Topher worked at the lab when he was eight?
The explosion. It changed him.
OK, just stop! Stop!
You're my family! You're supposed to forgive me!
You've had too many chances. You lie. You steal.
You hurt people! You are no longer a part of this family.
No! -Come on!
Nico!
No, don't hurt him! Let me try.
Topher, you have to leave right now,
before you do something you can't take back.
We know what's in the backpack, and it's making you crazy.
-You need help. -You don't know me!
They don't know me! No one knows me!
No one knows what I can do!
And you can't make me leave.
Actually...
I think I can.
Please don't make me find out.
No, Molly!
Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, shit, shit!
Hey, you OK?
Are you hurt
Yeah. We just need to calm him down.
Forget it, Molly. He'll hurt you.
You couldn't hold me before, you can't now!
No! Nico, don't do it. It's not him, it's the rocks!
It might not be the best place to do this.
Go ahead, watch!
I don't care!
Chase, blast him!
No, I can't get an open shot. I might hit Molly.
Stop it, Topher, please! You're one of us!
Nico, now!
No!
No! No, no!
No! Help! Help me!
Get it off of him. -Is he OK?
Karolina, help him out.
I got him.
Call 9-1-1! -Somebody already did.
Molly we can't stay here.
We can't leave him!
Yes, you can. You can't help. I'll stay.
No!
Go bury those rocks somewhere no one will find them.
That's... that's mine...
That's my... backpack...
-No... -Molly, I'm sorry, but we have to go.
Molly, let's go!
Those were my rocks.
Welcome to the Gibborim Center.
There are warm showers inside.
There's plenty of food for everyone.
Please see our representative for shelter assignment.
Frank.
You all right?
Yeah. I'm sorry, but I just...
I have to choose someone.
Jonah sent you down here?
Why would he need another sacrifice
How did you do it, Leslie?
For all those years, how did you do it?
I'll explain it to you the way that he explained it to me.
All life consumes other life in order to survive.
But we don't eat our own kind.
It's brutal, but...
necessary for his survival.
Jonah's been seeing Karolina behind my back.
Bonding with her.
Let's hope she sees through his manipulation better than you did.
I doubt it. We-- we raised her to be a completely open and free spirit.
-We were terrible parents, right? -Mm.
You were a great parent, Frank.
Are. A great parent.
I have faith in her.
Hm.
And I'm not doing this.
Jonah can find his own sacrifice.
Victor.
What kind of asshole makes a Philly cheesesteak with real cheese?
I don't know.
Everybody, I mean everybody, knows it's made with Cheez Whiz.
The Whiz is the whole thing.
OK, I'm gonna forget you said that last part.
-Why is Jonah torturing me like this? -Because he's an asshole.
Can you just stop talking about processed cheese
for one minute, and listen to me?
If I told you that a gravitational wave engine actually existed,
could you design a way to destroy it?
Why would I want to destroy something that I just found out existed?
It's an innovation that would change the way we understand space travel,
the way we understand the universe.
Because it's gonna be used to destroy California.
Which is where you and I and our son reside at the moment.
Huh.
God, I love that woman.
Well, that was a really quiet car ride home.
Home?
This isn't our home.
I'm so sorry, Molly.
We all are.
Really
Of course I am.
This is what I wanted to protect you from,
from seeing some messed-up shit you can never unsee. Again.
From losing someone you care about. Again!
From getting your heart broken.
Those are just words. You hated him the minute he showed up.
I didn't trust him, and I was right.
You were wrong!
I begged you not to use that staff on him! He was scared and out of control.
-He needed help! -Mols, I think he was beyond help.
He sacrificed his life to save Gert. There's good in him.
Of course there is.
No one's saying that there isn't good in him.
We're the ones hurting people now.
He was suffering!
Topher may have been suffering, but he was also dangerous.
And you are my family, not him!
Do you know who you sound exactly like right now?
Your mom.
Please tell me you didn't just pour my Macallan over ice.
Well, you know, I like to go my own way.
How'd you get in here?
The Deans used Wizard tech for all their security needs.
And that includes your hand scanner outside.
A little bold for a man who puts spiders outside when he finds them in his house.
The only spider that ever made it into the Minoru house
is standing right in front of me.
What can I do for you, Robert?
Couldn't stop you from killing my daughter.
Not feeling well?
I'm fine.
You don't look fine, Jonah.
You know, when I looked into the tech you put into Karolina's bracelet,
I discovered that it was basically an inhibitor.
And, if I increased the intensity and radius,
it might make you really, really ill.
It looks like I was right.
Don't do this.
I'm flooding the room right now.
And if you don't tell me where the kids are,
I'll turn the dial up a notch.
Maybe two.
That was for Amy.
Now it's time to finish this.
-We saw the door was open. -Was that OK?
It's more than OK.
And you both just went Ultra.
She's 14. You remember what that's like.
Don't remind me.
She's also not completely wrong.
I think she's just upset because she wanted a connection.
She wanted to be like Topher so she would feel less...
...different.
Less alone.
And then Topher turned out to be scary,
so she worries if she's scary, too.
You know a little bit about this dynamic.
Maybe a little.
You know you're... I already told you, you're-- you're not scary.
Not to me.
Not ever.
Hey.
No, your light.
I-- I don't mean, like, your literal light,
though that's pretty cool, too, but...
the light inside of you...
that warmth, that openness,
that's everything that I like about you.
That's what makes you who you are.
Is this OK?
It's more than OK.
Is that a new phone?
No, it's Merlin. It's like an early version of a visual sequencer.
Looks like they're having a good time.
Yeah, that's, uh...
that's good for them.
Love seems to be in the air tonight,
which is... weird, considering everything.
Guess it's just one of those days.
To be fair, haven't they all been those kinds of days since we ran?
I don't know. I think there was one Thursday in there
that was pretty normal.
I've forgotten what "normal" is.
Hey, is everything all right with you and Gert?
Yeah, she doesn't seem any more annoyed with me than usual,
so that's good.
Or else it's bad, 'cause it means she's stopped caring.
Maybe she's just so used to my level of annoyance
that it doesn't register anymore and she kind of just tunes me out.
Or-- or... maybe you're in a relationship.
Yeah. Probably that.
Do you ever wish you were in one?
With Nico, or the girl you met in Compton?
Mm, nah. This is my girlfriend now.
Let me tell ya, I am a lucky man.
I mean, she is beautiful and smart.
Yes, I know I'm talking about a computer.
No, I get it. Kinda how I felt about my first lacrosse stick.
I spent hours just taping the shaft.
I even strung the pocket myself.
Stringing the pocket is very personal.
Well, not to take anything away from your... taped shaft,
but my lady here is gonna help me
take down that construction site once and for all.
Crack this open for me?
It really is called a shaft.
Yeah.
Hey.
Did Nico send you?
'Cause I'm not gonna take back what I said to her.
You don't have to.
You know, in fact...
In fact, I...
I just wanted to tell you how proud I was of you today.
Proud of me
'Cause you saw Topher as a human being.
You looked at him...
and-- and you saw one of us, just another kid.
And you stood by him, stood up for him.
And Nico blasted him with the Staff.
And I don't even know if he's dead or alive right now--
This isn't about what Nico said or did.
It isn't even about Topher. This is about you.
You're not a kid anymore.
You're growing into an amazing young woman
with strength and integrity
and a fierce sense of right and wrong.
I just want to say I admire that, that's all.
I know that thinking that Topher was my brother was stupid.
Hey.
It's OK.
Listen.
You have a family...
who will take you back no matter what.
They're all in this house right now.
Any mistake you make, any crazy thing that you might do,
they will love you unconditionally.
That's how you know who your family is.
They love beyond reason.
Today sucked.
I got you, Mols.
I got you.
Hey, it's OK, girl.
I love you.
I'll explain later.
I believe this belongs to you.
Mom.
Before I turn my back on everyone and everything I've ever cared about,
I need to know the truth about my father.
Feeling a little better?
Yeah, thank you.
Your parents should be here to pick you up in a little while.