Congo, Two Years Ago
Medics bring in an injured boy--Gar-- along with other patients. All of the medics leave, and a barely-conscious Gar stares at them as they go. A man comes in and Gar calls to him. The man runs over, checks Gar's readings, and determines that Gar has a disease. He tells Gar that he can save him, and injects him with a green serum.
Now
Rachel runs into the forest after escaping the convent, and sees a green tiger advancing on her. The tiger circles her and then turns runs off into the brush. After a moment, Gar emerges, putting on his clothing. Gar takes her hand and leads her off.
As the fireman sort through the ruins of the convent, Dick and Kory arrive and Dick figures that Rachel lost control. They talk to Sister Catherine, who tells them that they just wanted to keep Rachel safe from herself and others. She says that there's no stopping it now as the paramedics take her away. Kory wonders why Dick left Rachel there, and complains that he ditched Rachel in DC. Dick refuses to discuss it, but Kory warns that Rachel is getting too powerful.
Gar takes Rachel to an abandoned shack and they start a fire. He says that he's taking her somewhere safe, and Rachel says that she's getting worse. Gar tells her that he lives with a special crew, and Rachel warns that she's dangerous. He says that he's dangerous and asks if she's scared of him, and Rachel admits that he's helped her. They hear gunshots outside and go to investigate.
Two hunters check the deer that they shot, and discover that one of them isn't dead. As they prepare to finish it off, Rachel runs over and tells them to leave it alone. They tell her to go, and Gar walks up in his tiger form. The two hunters trip and one of them shoots the other in the shoulder. They both run off and Gar changes back to human form while Rachel soothes the dying deer. It dies and Rachel cries quietly, and Gar assures her that there's nothing evil about her. As they leave, the deer's wound heals and it comes back to life.
Gar takes Rachel to a manor and they go inside via a cellar entrance. He shows her his basement room filled with videos games, old movie posters, and a bar with soda pop. Gar admits that he doesn't get out that much, and Rachel sees a photo of a younger Gar with his parents. He explains that they died, and Rachel dismisses Dick and Kory as "just people".
Someone yells for Gar, and Gar quickly hides Rachel in a closet. He puts on his head phones and plays his video game. Rachel sees the newcomer from the back, and Gar tells the man--Cliff--that he has been in his room. Cliff figures that Gar went into town again, and Gar admits that he went to get a new controller and that he could get back before the Chief returned. He tells Gar that dinner is in one hour and leaves.... but comes back and grabs Rachel
The robotic Cliff takes Gar and Rachel upstairs and tells Rachel to go home. Gar explains that Robotman was a race car driver and his body was destroyed, and the Chief managed to save brain. He saved all of them, and Robotman reminds Gar that they're supposed to be a secret. Rachel walks off and finds her way to the kitchen. A man wrapped in bandages, Larry Trainor--Negative Man--is making dinner. Rachel goes in, and Robotman and Gar find her. Negative Man turns around and Robotman says that he was just showing Rachel out. He tells Negative Man that Rachel isn't staying, but Negative Man insists that Chief won't be back until the next day and they have plenty of food even with Rita. They take a vote whether Rachel stays, and Robotman is outvoted.
In the nearby town, Dick and Kory go to the police station and Dick tells her to stay in the car. She reluctantly does so and Dick talks to the officer. He says that they got a report from the hunters saying that a green tiger attacked them and was with the girl in the photo. Dick gets the hunter's name.
Gar goes up to Rita's room, knocks on the door, and tells Rita that they have a guest for dinner. When there's no response, Gar says that it's okay if she stays there, picks up a tray of food, and says that he'll bring up dinner later. Inside the room, an undistinguished cellular mass lies on the bed and watches one of Rita's old movies on TV.
The others gather for dinner and Robotman stares at his empty plate as the others eat. Rachel notices and Robotman asks what the food tastes like. He talks about all of the things that he used to do, and says that she would dance with him. Rita comes in, in her human form, and says that she was putting herself together. She introduces herself to Rachel and piles up food on a plate, then sits down and explains that her "condition" requires a high caloric intake. Rita pours a bowl of gravy on her food and eats a bite, and then her features warp. She gets control of herself and reverts to human form, and Rachel touches her hand and sees Rita locked up in an insane asylum after an accident. Rachel assures Rita that she's not afraid of her.
Chief comes in and says that he has a new patient. The group accompanies him to his laboratory basement and explains that the woman, Shyleen Lao, was engulfed in liquid nitrogen when a tanker exploded. He administers his serum to stabilize her body temperature. Shyleen's body reacts to the serum and the temperature in the room drops. Rachel takes Shyleen's hand and soothes the woman's pain, and Shyleen calms down as her body temperature stabilizes.
Later, Chief talks to Gar and says that he's risking their family. He tells the teenager that he's disappointed in him and if they get discovered then the entire group will be locked away like Rita was. Chief orders Gar to never disobey him again, and Gar agrees. The older man apologizes for being stern and asks what else Rachel is capable of. When Gar hesitates, Chief says that he can help Rachel and Gar talks about the explosion at the convent.
Dick and Kory drive to the hunter's home and Dick asks about Rachel. When the hunter tells him to fuck off and goes for his gun, Dick easily knocks him down, demands to know if the hunter hurt Rachel, and starts beating the man. Kory stops him just as the hunter's son comes in. He runs to his father, and Dick walks out. The hunter insists that he would never hurt a girl and says that the only place out there is the old Calder house but there's no one there. Kory gives him money for the damages and leaves.
Rachel tells Chief that she didn't mean to be any trouble, and Chief says that the keep what they're doing there secret. He explains that he goes beyond medical science and helps people that otherwise can't be helped. Chief says that Rita was in an institute for decades after a toxic gas left her cells unstable. Negative Man was a pilot who crashed and was exposed to negative energy... over 50 years ago. Gar was dying from a disease that he was infected with from a primate bite, and his treatment saved him but had unforeseen side effects. Chief says that the work he's done will push medical research ahead by decades and will eventually save millions of lives. He tells Rachel that he can save her, and Rachel says that he can't. Chief points out that people said the same about his four "doomed" people, and assures Rachel that she's not alone.
As they drive to the Calder house, Kory tells Dick that she didn't know he had it in him to attack a man. She advises him to get control of himself, and she's not so sure if he's a nice guy. Dick says that he's been through something when he was a kid and doesn't want Rachel to trust the wrong people like he did. Kory tells him that she knows that no one manages alone.
Cliff looks at photos of him and his friends before their accidents.
Dick and Kory pull up to the gates and Dick pries them open.
Chief straps Rachel down and prepares to analyze her nervous system, while Gar looks on. He tells Gar to bring him his case, and says that it's for Rachel. Gar brings the case over and Chief takes out a syringe. When Rachel says that she doesn't want to do it, Chief insists that it's for her own good. Rachel asks Gar for his help, and when he comes over Chief tells him to sit down. Gar refuses, saying that Rachel doesn't want to do it, and Chief orders him out. He starts to transform into his tiger form, and Chief shoots him with a tranq dart.
Rachel's eyes turn black and her demon form starts to emerge as the lights flicker.
Dick and Kory drive up to the house and see the lights flicker.
Rachel's soul self emerges from her body and spins into the air. Chief stares at it, fascinated. The black energy grabs him and throws him around the room.
Rita confronts Dick and Kory and yells at them to get out. Negative Man and Robotman enter the room.
The soul self knocks Chief unconscious and frees Rachel.
Dick hears Rachel scream and goes to get her while Kory confronts the other three. He finds Rachel in the lab and grabs her, and Rachel tells him to get out before it's too late. Dick assures her that he's not going anywhere, and says that he was wrong about her being on her own. He tells her that Rachel has him and he's not going anywhere, and hugs her. The others arrive as the soul self reenters Rachel's body.
Later, Dick and Kory take Rachel out to their car. Robotman tells Gar to go with them and have his life. Rita and Negative Man tell Gar that Chief's back is broken again but they'll tend to him, and they owe it to him. Gar says that they don't have to hide, but Robotman says that it is is what it is. Gar says goodbye to them and joins the other three.
The next day at the manor, Chief sits in his wheelchair and looks out the window.
Written by Gadfly on Nov 3, 2018