On the new year, Victor walks down the streets of Hollywood and gets a call from his father Silas. Victor is furious that Silas has ignored his wishes, tells his father not to call back, and hangs up. Clutching at his head, Victor ducks into an alley and screams. Forager finds him and takes him back to the base, yelling that Victor needs help. Victor says that he's okay and reveals that Father Box is transforming Victor's body into more of a machine.
Helga examines Victor and confirms that his body is stable for the time being, and Connor arrives with Dreamer of the Forever People. She examines Victor with her Mother Box and says that his only hope is if he's placed in Metron's Mobius Chair. Metron invented the Boxes and boom tubes, and his Mobius Chair is the only thing powerful enough to purge Father Box from Victor's body.
Forager discovers Violet is gone, and Tara shows Artemis Violet's note. Byron overhears Artemis reading the note, saying that no one should try to contact her. Tara explains that Violet said that Gabrielle accepted a bribe to let Jaculi into the Markovian palace to kill her and Byron's parents. She admits that neither she nor her brother took the news well, and Artemis says that she'll bring Violet back. Forager insists on staying with Victor, and Tara wants to help Artemis find Violet. Artemis reluctantly agrees.
Dreamer tells Victor to do nothing because his resistance is low and stress could allow Father Box to advance. She leaves her Mother Box with the others so that they can travel to Metron, while she returns to New Genesis. Once Dreamer leaves, Connor has Mother Box open a boom tube to Metron. Jefferson, and Forager go with Connor, and Helga kisses Jefferson before he goes.
The trio arrive on a planet and see Metron down a tunnel. They call to him but he continues on, and they realize that they're on the face of one of petrified gods on the Source Wall.
In Happy Harbor, Megan meets with Harper. Harper covers up a bruise on her shoulder and claims that she and her brother were roughhousing. Megan asks Harper if she knows where Violet is, and sadly says that it must be nice to have people worried about them.
Artemis and Tara ask Sphere to help them find Violet, and it flies them to Qurac and the city of Dhabar
In Dhabar, Violet visits her cousin Samad and mother Madia. They're relieved to see her alive.
At STAR Labs in Taos, Aquaman talks to the unnamed Meta-Teen A-Four-One, who is confined to a water-filled tank since she can only breathe water. He asks if she's certain she wants to go. and she nods that she does, and Aquaman says that she's very brave. Aquaman takes A-Four-One to Poseidonis and releases her from the tank, He casts a translation spell and A-Four-One realizes that she can speak Atlantean. Happy, she hugs Aquaman.
Silas arrives at the Outsiders HQ and Victor, realizing his father is there, tries to get up. Silas says that he had to see Victor and realizes that the Father Box tech has spread. Victor collapses in pain as the tech spreads further.
The trio spot Metron as he departs via a boom tube. Connor and the others follow via Mother Box and find themselves in the Minosyss Asteroid Ring as parademons fight around them. Superman is busy fighting them, and Connor recognizes his brother.
Silas tells Victor that his emotions are affecting his conditions, and suggests that they put Victor in a medically induced coma. He asks Victor to trust him, and Victor reluctantly agrees. Silas assures Victor that he'll bring him back and injects him with the necessary drug. Helga gets a call and excuses herself.
The parademons bring Superman down with their combined energy blasts, and Connor throws Forager at them, then attacks them along with Jefferson. Superman recovers and flies up to help them, and explains that the parademons attacked local miners and the Female Furies boom tubed away with stolen minerals. Metron hovers down and says that the mineral taken was the final element Desaad and Granny require for their device. Connor asks Superman to be his best man, and Forager asks Metron to come back with him to help Victor. Metron refuses until Jefferson says that Victor is being consumed by Father Box tech. The group returns to Earth via a boom tube, leaving Superman behind to clean up.
Megan says that Harper's brother had a black eye, and Harper insists that she and Colin were roughhousing. She points out that if she says anything more than she and Colin could end up in foster care.
Violet tells Madia that she is dying, Samad notes that health care is hard to come by in Qurac, and Violet notes that she's already been to the best doctor and Helga determined that nothing could be done. Violet came there to say goodbye.
Aquaman introduces A-Four-One to King Orin, who says that she can choose a new name in Atlantis to go with her new life. A-Four-One asks Orin why he stopped being Aquaman, and Orin tells her that ruling Atlantis is more than enough responsibility for any one person. News of the Outsiders has reached Poseidonis, particularly they're defeat of Ivo. A-Four-One notices Aquaman hesitating before saying that the Outsiders did admirable work. He then excuses himself to take A-Four-One to a promised rendezvous.
Helga tells the caller that there's not much they can do if they don't find Violet before it's too late. After she hangs up, she approaches Brion on the balcony and says that she understands the truth about Gabrielle and Brion's parents is difficult to process. Helga assures Brion that his parents would be proud of him, and his people in Markovia are remembering their love for him.
Connor and the others return to the medlab and Metron says that he's there to watch Victor die. He has never seen a Father Box override an organic system, and it's worthy of study. Silas angrily tells Metron that he has to stop the Father Box's spread, but Metron tells him that death is commonplace. Jefferson points out to Connor that they just need Metron's chair, and Connor throws Metron out of the chair. Metron blasts Connor across the medlab, and Jefferson fires enough electricity to weaken Metron. Brion and Helga come in, and Jefferson tells them to put Victor in the chair.
Aquaman introduces A-Four-One to his parents, Sha'Lain'A and Calvin Durham. Calvin tells A-Four-One that he can help her adjust since he's from the surface world, and A-Four-One talks to Aquaman privately. She knows that Aquaman lied to Orin and assures him that he's not a bad man. A-Four-One assures Aquaman that he's a good man, kisses him on the cheek, and swims away.
Megan asks Harper about the gun she and Violet were shooting. Harper claims that it's Violet's gun, and Megan asks why Harper thinks she had it. The girl says that maybe Violet wanted to get it out of the house so the alcoholic that lives there didn't hurt anyone with it. Megan points out that Harper was drinking and shooting, and Harper starts to leave. Interrupting, Megan says that she hasn't seen any bruises on Colin until now. She figures that Harper wasn't there to protect Colin because she was in jail, and she's cracking under the pressure. Megan asks her who her silence is shielding: Colin or her father. She says that she'll be there for Harper, and whatever happens will be better than what Harper and Colin have now. Harper admits that their father hits them.
Violet speaks in English, saying she came there to reassure them. They notice that she sounds different than Gabrielle, and Violet talks about Gabrielle in the third person. Violet agrees to tell them the full story but warns that they won't like it.
While Jefferson immobilizes Metron, the group puts Victor in the Mobius Chair and Connor has the Mother Box tell the Chair to save Victor. The Chair activates, inserting energy tendrils into his body, Much of the technology leaves Victor's body along with a glowing ball of energy, which the Chair absorbs. Jefferson releases Metron, and Forager explains that the soul of the Father Box returned to the Source.
Metron says that Victor is Mobius tech now, and regrets the missed opportunity for study. As Metron prepares to depart, Jefferson asks if Granny is the same as Gretchen. Metron says no... and yes. Smiling, he departs. Silas tells Victor that he's all right and he can go, and Victor gets up and hugs him.
Samad says that Violet is a demon that killed Gabrielle, and Violet insists that she didn't take Gabrielle's body until after she was dead. Madia realizes that Violet came there to give them a gift, and thanks her giving her closure. She kisses Violet on the forehead and hopes that she finds peace among her family. Artemis and Tara arrive, and Tara hugs Violet.
Megan takes Harper and Colin to a foster home.
A-Four-One swims through the ocean with Sha'Lain'A
Aquaman meets with his lover and they kiss.
Connor and Forager watch as Silas and Victor talk.
Helga and Jefferson sit together, and Helga hugs Violet when she returns. Brion looks at Violet.
Once she's alone, Tara calls Deathstroke and says that she has nothing to report because it's been quiet there.
Written by Gadfly on Aug 3, 2019