Noah tortures Harris by partially drowning him in Erica's pool, and demands to know where Hiro is. He figures that Erica has his friend.
In the El Vengador lair, Carlos beats Dearing for information on his nephew. When the crooked police officer refuses to talk, Carlos takes out a bag filled with Dearing's money and explains that he stole it from Dearing's home.
Noah promises to drown Harris if he doesn't take him to Erica, and Harris promises that they'll never find Phoebe or Francis if he dies.
Dearing tells Carlos that "they" put out the word they'd pay $10,000 a head for Evos. The captain and the others have been delivering them to Sunstone Manor, a day's drive from LA.
Harris finally tells Noah, Taylor, and Quintin that Francis is being moved to one of Renautas' southern facilities within the hour. Phoebe is on her way back from Canada, and Harris offers to take them pat security to Erica. Taylor says that she's leaving to find Francis, and gives them a neural device to restrain Harris.
Miko reenters the virtual Bandit City and Ren monitors her from his laptop while sitting in a Colorado coffee shop. She finds the tower where they took Hachiro and encounters a masked warrior. He explains that he's Hachiro's creation, there to guide her, and points out the Eternal Fortress in the distance. The warrior says that she has to save who is trapped there, and warns that the Fortress is the only place that can hold the Master of Time and Space.
In the real world, Erica and Richard monitor Renautas' Evernow game and find Miko. Richard insists that Miko isn't Hachiro's daughter, and says that his team is reprogramming Evernow. They've created a new guard as an additional precaution, and figures Miko can't break out the Master if she can't find the prison. Richard creates a cloaking system to hide the Fortress, and the warrior tells her that she must continue her quest alone.
Luke goes to the docks and leaves a message on Joanne's voicemail. He says that he sold the practice and burned down their house, and then throws the cellphone in the water. A local yacht salesman, Bob Berman, comes over and Luke asks for a boat like the model one that his son Dennis made.
Malina gets off the lumber truck and sees the nearby docks.
Miko emerges back into the real world and joins Ren. She says that her mission is to save the Master, not her father, and Ren suggests that they find the Fortress' real-world counterpart. Miko sketches the symbol she saw on it and Ren discovers that it matches the Renautas logo. There's a photo of Erica and he recognizes her as the woman who took Hachiro's sword. They figure the Fortress' counterpart is the Renautas HQ in Midian.
Harris drives Noah and Quentin into the Renautas facility and removes the neuralizer. Meanwhile, Ren and Miko sneak up and confirm that the building is a match for the Fortress. Miko draws the sword and enters Evernow, and finds herself as Katana Girl confronting a giant Kaiju Bandit.
Inside the facility, Harris takes Noah and Quentin past the guards.
Miko returns to the real world and tells Ren what she's found. Ren warns that no one has ever defeated the Bandit, and logs on to help Miko take the warrior down. She reenters the game and Ren joins her with his warrior avatar, and the two of them flank the Bandit. Katana Girl lands on his back and stabs him in the neck, and Ren's avatar disappears as his laptop battery runs down. He climbs over the fence and hides in a crate.
Taylor sneaks into the pod room and discovers that all of the Evos are gone. She breaks into tears when she realizes that her lover is gone.
Emily is in her room when Tommy teleports in. She hugs him and assures him that it's okay if he's adopted. Tommy looks around and notices a model of the Eiffel Tower, and says that he needs to get out for a while. Emily agrees and Tommy teleports them both to Paris.
Malina walks to the docks and uses her powers to get snacks out of a vending machine. Luke comes by and realizes that she's an Evo, and demonstrates his own power before going on his way.
Luke loads Dearing into his car and drives to Sunstone Manor. Dearing continues to taunt him, and warns that they swab for powers. Since Carlos has no powers, he can't get in. Dearing says that there's a way in, but Carlos would have to be crazy to use it.
Tommy and Emily get in line to go up in the Tower. The guards are scanning for Evos, but Tommy insists on going through. A soldier warns him that he can't go up, and when Tommy insists, they call in more soldiers. Tommy teleports to a boat on the river and Emily tells him that he was being stupid. He says that Caspar told him that his destiny is to save the world, but he's not the hero they want him to be. Emily hesitates and then says that she wants to show him something.
Taylor breaks into her mother's office and breaks into her computer. She downloads the files on the captive Evos and while she waits, finds a binder titled "Evaluating Evaluation." Once the download is complete, Taylor leaves.
As Harris takes Noah and Quentin through the complex, Miko materializes in front of them. She attacks and, seeing Noah's gun, disarms him as Harris runs off. Noah recognizes the sword and says that it belongs to his friend, and Miko explains that it was stolen from Hachiro. They realize that Erica is their common enemy, and Noah realizes that the Master is Hiro. They introduce themselves and Miko reenters Evernow to clear a path for them.
Luke sits on his new yacht and checks his backpack full of concrete blocks.
On the docks, Malina sits and looks at the blood-splattered envelope that Farah gave her. She sees Luke jump overboard with the backpack on and uses her powers despite nearby witnesses to raise Luke out of the water and onto the shore.
At Renautas, technicians continue teleporting crates out. Ren's crate is brought in next.
Noah and Quentin take the elevator down and Noah gives Quentin a gun. They find Richard in the control room and Noah fires a shot into the ceiling. The technicians grab the teleport machine and leave to warn the others, and finally tells Noah that they're sending supplies into the future. Noah shoots him in the foot and realizes that they're using Hiro's power, and Richard says that Erica is starting over building a better world for a select few. They imprisoned Hiro somewhere without time or space to negate his powers: in the Evernow game. Richard warns that no one can get Hiro out, just as Ren breaks out of the crate and says that Miko can.
On the Renautas game screens, Katana Girl breaks into the Fortress and finds herself in a hall of mirror. A woman's voice says that Miko isn't Hachiro's daughter, and a black-and-white mirror image of Katana Girl steps out. They fight and the attacker says that Miko is just a character pulled from Evernow. Miko doesn't believe it, and her attacker disarms her and prepares to strike a fatal blow.
Watching, Richard explains that the real Miko died in a car crash. Hachiro created Katana Girl and programmed her to undertake a quest that will ultimately fail. To free Hiro, Miko must sacrifice herself.
Katana Girl breaks free and runs up the stairs. She comes to a door and her attacker warns that if she frees Hiro then the game ends. Miko teleports out into the control room and hugs Ren, and says that to free Hiro she must overcome one final obstacle: herself. The elevator doors open and three Harris clones come out, guns drawn. Phoebe is with them, and Quentin recognizes his sister. She generates tendrils of shadow and the clones open fire, and everyone ducks for cover as Richard limps away. The group gets into the next room and closes the bulletproof doors, and Noah smashes the controls.
Emily takes Tommy to a bookseller along the Seine and explains that the world wanted superheroes until Evos came along. She says that the powers come with responsibility and Tommy has to answer the call, and shows him a copy of 9th Wonder. Tommy wonders if he's not good enough, and Emily assures him that he will be.
Miko draws the sword but nothing happens, and Quentin explains that Phoebe's powers dampen abilities. He refuses to let Quentin kill his sister, and says that he'll talk to her while the others keep the clones occupied. The group lures the clones into the storage area and Noah shoots one while Miko cuts another in half.
Quentin confronts Miko and says that she can come with him. When she ignores him, Quentin tackles her and the lights come back up. As Miko prepares to reenter Evernow, Ren asks her if she may die if she frees Hiro. Miko says that she has to complete her mission, and Ren says that he loves her no matter who or what she is. She disappears and Noah tells Ren to get out.
Phoebe resummons her shadows and tells Quentin that Erica gave her a purpose and something to live for. She warns that if Miko frees Hiro then they're all dead. Phoebe sends her shadows down Quentin's throat, and Noah knocks her unconscious. Dying, Quentin asks if he did good and Noah assures him that he did. More clones come in and aim their guns at Noah.
In Evernow Katana Girl fights her counterpart and finally manages to decapitate her. Katana Girl then thrusts the sword into the door and dissipates into electric bits. The Fortress disappears and the game ends. Meanwhile, Noah warns Harris that Erica will eventually betray him like she's betrayed all Evos. Harris shoots... and time stops, the bullets inches from Noah. Hiro appears and Noah greets his friend. The Evo says that he can't change the past, and Noah warns that Erica has killed thousands and will kill billions more unless Hiro helps him stop her. Hiro agrees that he must correct Erica's wrong using his powers, and agrees to take Noah back to June 13. They teleport away and time restarts.
Taylor goes to her apartment and tries to contact HeroTruther. She warns them that Renautas isn't what they claim and sends her mother's videos. In the bathroom, Taylor's positive pregnancy test stick sits on the counter.
Dearing tells Carlos to pass over so he can switch places with him and take him in. Carlos reluctantly frees him and Dearing explains that Sunstone Manor has no guards or fences. However, no one wants to leave. As for the swab, Dearing offers Carlos a vial of red fluid and explains that when drunk, it will give the user a false-positive for powers. Since Carlos has Dearing's money hidden away, he agrees and drinks the liquid. His nose starts bleeding and he writhes in pain, and Dearing removes the nullifier tube. Carlos collapses and Dearing admits that he left one part out.
Malina gets Luke some coffee and a snack, and asks why he tried to kill himself. Luke explains that he used to believe in something and had a purpose, and now he doesn't. He was looking for a sign, and Malina says that she's looking for someone. She shows Luke a photo of Tommy, and Luke recognizes him from their encounter in Carbondale. Malina figures that it's a sign and she has to find Tommy so together they can save the world. Luke chuckles and says that they'd better get going.
Emily cuts the tracker chip out of Tommy's arm. He teleports it to Antarctica and thanks Emily for her support. Emily kisses him and then draws back, and Tommy kisses her.
Erica is watching Taylor's broadcast about Renautas' secret plans. Harris reports that Hiro has escaped.
Hiro and Noah arrive on June 13 at the Odessa Summit, and Noah says that he has a plan.
Written by Gadfly on Oct 23, 2015