People run out of the club as Stryker's men continue shooting at Misty as Luke shields her with his body. Once they stop momentarily, Luke realizes that she's been wounded and grabs a cloth from the bar. He warns her that he can't cover her from every angle and motions to Claire near the door.
Shades comes in and asks what's going on, just as Luke carries Misty to the kitchen door that Claire has opened. Luke then blocks the door with a cabinet while one of Stryker's men grabs Claire. Zip opens fire on the kitchen door but the cabinet blocks the shots. Stryker comes down and Shades warns that the police will be there any minute. Sugar reports that there's no other way out and they've caught Claire, assuming she's a straggler. Stryker has his men line up Claire and the other stragglers, and another thug take Damon upstairs. He also tells Zip to get him a special key. Once they're alone, Shades warns Stryker that they're not going to get out, and Stryker says that if they kill Luke and Misty then they're the heroes. Shades asks how they hold off the cops, and Stryker says that he's going to be Luke.
Luke checks Misty's arm wound and digs the bullet out. He then opens up a Prohibition-era trapdoor leading to a trapdoor.
Sugar and his men get the stragglers facing the wall.
Misty says that she knows Luke is Carl Lucas, and asks who Stryker is. Luke tells her about Diamondback and how Stryker is his half-brother.
Zip brings Stryker his "key": a grenade launcher.
Luke enters the storage area and closes the door just as Stryker fire, blasting the door open.
Outside, the news is covering the incident and Thembi reports that Mariah's security got her away. Ridley is watching from a police van as Thembi says that Luke was seen the anti-Luke rally and that Misty attempted to arrest him. Ridley tells Chang to find out what's going on and get her Misty. She then tells the ESU lieutenant, Mario Green, to stand down, just as the chief calls.
Stryker and his men check the kitchen and Shades warns his boss that they're making way too much noise. Despite his concerns, Stryker figures that they can still blame Luke for everything that's happened. He confirms that Mariah is on it and she'll use the fear of Luke to close the deal.
Damon calls Ridley from Stryker's office and says that Luke has taken them hostage and ordered them to stay away. Stryker is holding a gun to the councilman's head, making Damon say what he wants. Once Stryker hangs up, Damon warns that the police won't bow to terrorism and Stryker says that he's counting on it.
Luke applies a tourniquet to Misty's arm and Misty calls Ridley. However, her phone is too damaged for her to get a message through. She tells Luke to rescue the hostages, but he refuses to leave Misty because she'll bleed out and die. Misty warns that Luke can't negotiate with Stryker, and he says that he won't. Crying, Misty says that she doesn't want to bleed to death on the floor like Scarfe, and Luke assures her that she won't.
Stryker gives Damon a drink and offers him his Bible. He says that he reads it every day and his mother left it to him after she passed. Much of it is scribbled out or highlighted.
Candace is among the hostages, and tells Claire that she twisted her ankle. Claire tells Sugar that Candace is her best friend, and he lets her tend to her. As Claire tends to it, she asks about Candace and the woman says that she's a VIP hostess at the club. Zip comes over and tells Sugar that they haven't found Luke, and insists that there's no way out of the kitchen. Claire overhears them talking, and Candace asks if Luke is her friend. The hostess says that the whole thing is her fault and tells Claire that Mariah paid her to claim that Luke killed Cornell. Claire asks her how Luke could have escaped from the kitchen, and Candace explains about the Prohibition storage room. Once she confirms there's only one way out, Claire tells Candace to fake passing out and she'll get them out of the situation. When Sugar comes over, Claire says that Candace is diabetic and claims that her insulin is in the lockers by the Prohibition entrance. Sugar has one of his men, Lopes, escort Claire to the lockers. As they head down the stairs, Claire trips Lopes and knocks him down the stairs.
Luke brings Misty some water and explains that Stryker framed him. He says that he'll need Misty's help to clear his name once they get out of their situation, and Misty agrees.
Blake Tower with the DA's office arrives and talks to Ridley. The mayor sent him to coordinate the situation, but Ridley isn’t impressed. Chang reports that the explosion came from inside, and Blake says that the mayor is in a closed-door session with Mariah discussing enhanced weapons for law enforcement.
Luke tightens the tourniquet, and Misty admits that she should have trusted him. She tells him not to do anything stupid, just as Claire taps on the wall with a wrench. Luke punches his way through and makes a passage.
Ridley receives word that they have an experimental weapon that could take Luke out, and wonders who is pulling strings. She figures that it's Mariah, just as Damon calls again. At gunpoint, Damon relays "Luke's" list of demands. He wants a chopper in return for releasing half of the hostages, while Damon and the others receive. Ridley asks about Misty, and Stryker has Damon says that she's still alive. Once Stryker cuts off the call, Blake tells Ridley that they should stall until the new weapons arrive. He warns that any weapons that the police and military use will end up on the streets, but figures that they don’t have a choice. He and Ridley both agree that they don’t trust Mariah, and figure that the chief isn't there because he wants deniability. Stryker releases four hostages and the ESU gets them clear.
Claire checks Misty and says that she'll deal with her wound.
Stryker puts on a soul record and shows Damon a photo of his mother Dana. He explains that Dana was a secretary for a preacher, James, and had an affair with him, and Stryker was the result. Then the preacher's wife had a son two years later and the preacher gave Luke his name. Nobody said anything and Stryker and Luke grew up together, but James always loved Luke more.
Chang tells Ridley that the hostages are saying that they saw people shooting at Luke. Ridley says that they'll get to the bottom of it later when they get control of the situation.
Stryker tells Shades that by the time anyone figures out the truth, he or Luke will be dead. Shades says that Stryker has no plan, and they both agree that Ridley will never okay a helicopter. Sugar and Lopes come up and Sugar tells them what Claire did to Lopes, and that she was working with Candace. Shades tells them to fall back, and then he and Stryker realize that Claire was the woman with Luke at the clinic. Stryker agrees that they both have to die and tells Shades to take care of it, but warns Shade that they're going to have a long talk if they get out of the club.
Back in the office, Stryker calls Luke on the loudspeaker and says that he's too scared to fight. He takes out his last Judas bullet and says that if Luke and Misty don’t surrender themselves then he'll kill a hostage every ten minutes starting with Damon. Luke tells Misty that he has to take Stryker out, ignoring Misty's objections that he's going into a trap. Claire comes back with some water and tells Luke that they used Candace to frame him. He tells Claire to lay low if he doesn't survive, and Claire promises that she will.
Once Luke leaves, Claire cleans Misty's wound and uses dental floss to tie off the vein. She warns that the longer it stays in, the greater the chances that Misty will lose her arm. Misty apologizes for losing her cool with Claire at the station, and Claire admits that she hasn't "had coffee" with Luke yet.
Stryker receives word that the mayor has approved the use of the guns, and he continues talking over the intercom. He says that he and Luke stole a Corvette and got arrested. Luke got off because James convinced the judge to let him off so he'd join the Marines. Stryker ended up in juvie and killed a man in self-defense two days later.
Luke fights his way up to the main room.
Stryker got sentenced to hard time, and Dana died of cancer in a shelter. James stopped caring for her after Stryker was gone, but Dana still loved him and gave him James' Bible. Stryker takes out the power glove and Damon wonders why he's telling him everything. His captor says that Damon is going to meet Dana and to tell her that he loves her, and then smashes Damon's chest in. Stryker then tells Shades to toss Damon out. Luke, hearing the entire thing, smashes a wall in anger.
Shades shoves Damon's corpse out and the EMTs take it away. Ridley tells Mario to take his men and move in. Meanwhile, Shades goes to the kitchen to wash Damon's blood off of his hands. He hears the trapdoor creak under his feet and goes down.
Luke takes out the power and the backup lights kick in. Shades finds Misty and Claire clubs him from behind. They fight and with Misty's help, they take Shades down and handcuff him. Misty and Claire then compare notes on who taught them to fight.
The ESU arm themselves and Blake tells Ridley that they won't shoot unless absolutely necessary. Ridley tells Mario that Luke might not be behind the situation, but Mario isn't impressed.
On the dance floor, Sugar tries to spot someone in the darkness. Luke knocks him out and then leads the hostages to the door. Once they're out, Stryker calls down to Luke --holding Candace hostage--and asks how it's going. He threatens to toss Candace over the edge and says that Luke's mother was a bitch.
The ESU call out that they have guns that can hurt Luke, and Stryker says that he's going. He asks if Luke is going to run or save Candace, and shoves her off. Luke catches her and Stryker fires... missing. The ESU bust in and Candace apologizes to Luke as the police surround Luke.
Stryker goes to his office and Zip comes in. He shows him a way out and they go.
Luke raises his hands and the ESU takes him and the thugs out. The EMTs bring Misty out and she tells Ridley that Luke is innocent. She says that Stryker is the one who shot her, and Ridley says that the hostages confirm her story. However, Luke is wanted for the other crimes. Ridley tells Misty that they have to verify Luke's innocence and walks off. Misty tells the EMTs that she isn't going anywhere.
Zip takes Stryker out the back.
An officer leads Shades out and Claire, seeing him, crushes his sunglasses with her boot. The police then bring Luke out and he looks back at Claire. He nods to her and she walks away.
Written by Gadfly on Oct 16, 2016