User blog:The Noah Killer/The Screaming Wars (Season 1)

Plot and Setting
Surfack's crusade against Tarvender/LOGS finally begins at the city of Bennington, where Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes has become a crime lord, taking charge of a gang in hopes of restoring LOGS to its former glory. However, when Surfack shows up, led by Luke Cage, Cottonmouth goes to war to destroy his enemies.

Bennington's Paradise
We open on a town called Bennington, and zoom in at the junkyard at night. There, four cars are parked and four men are meeting with each other for an arms deal. Two thugs are approaching the arms dealer and his guard. Thug #1 holds out a briefcase, which the guard takes. He opens it to see tons of money in the case, at least thousands of dollars. The arms dealer says that Cottonmouth appreciates this deal. Thug #2 says that they’ll appreciate right back if the guns are any good. The arm deals opens a box with an assault rifle and tells Thug #2 to try it out, to prove his point.

Thug #2 fires several rounds into the air, and the rifle works just fine. Thug #1 says that this is awesome. Just then, three Ghostfaces appear armed with guns and surround the Cottonmouth’s men, who draw out their guns in return. Ghostface #2 orders them to lower their guns and hand over the money, but they don’t. Ghostface #1, seeing that they aren’t budging, shoots the arms dealer in the head, which kills him and starts a gunfight. The Ghostfaces take cover behind cars, but not before Ghostface #3 gets shot in the arm by Thug #2. The three thugs and Ghostface open fire, some shots missing and some hitting. Ghostface #2 shoots Thug #1 in the head, killing him. Thug #2 goes behind the car that Ghostface #3 is hiding at to shoot him, but Ghostface #3 throws a knife at him. The knife lodges into Thug #2’s throat, killing him. Thug #3 keeps shooting at the Ghostfaces until Ghostface #1 gets behind him and shoots him three times in the chest, killing him. The Ghostfaces win the shootout and proceed to take off their masks. This reveals the Ghostfaces to be three sweaty thugs: CHICO DIAZ (Ghostface #2), SHAMEEK SMITH (Ghostface #1), and DANTE CHAPMAN (Ghostface #3), who works at the Bennington Paradise, a nightclub.

Dante yells at Shameek that they were supposed to just grab the money and escape without killing everyone. Shameek replies that “Shit went left. My bad” and he should be grateful that they got the money. Chico appears disgusted by the bodies and proceeds to vomit, which prompts Shameek to replies “Shut up Chico, before I gag ya with your panties” Shameek sees the money and refers to it as “Hollywood shit” since there is tons. Dante asks what they are going to do, as Cottonmouth is going to know it was him.

He explains that Cottonmouth is always looking for him at Bennington Paradise (A nightclub, which Cottonmouth owns), and that he’ll know he’s gone. Dante also says that he’ll have no way of the bullet in his arm. Shameek says “You’re right” before shooting Dante in the chest. Cisco screams in surprise and demands to know why Shameek did that. Shameek says that Dante would have gotten caught and most likely snitched on them. He also admits he wasn’t planning on “splitting this shit three ways” anyway, before escaping from the scene with Chico and the money.

As they flee, a dying Dante pulls out his phone and tells types in a phone number. Dante tells the person on the other end about what Shameek and Chico have done before succumbing to his gunshot wound. Dante Chapman, a thug, is dead. Meanwhile, at Bennington’s Paradise, we zoom in at the manager’s office, where there is a biggie photo of a black man wearing a crown. We see a tall black man sitting in front of the photo (making it look like he’s wearing the crown) and a man in a white tuxedo drinking with four other people in the room. These people are MARIAH DILLARD (the man’s cousin), assassin HERNAN “SHADES” ALVAREZ, and hitman TONE.

Mariah tells the white tuxedo man, revealed to be THE BLACK MASK, that some pretty good weapons are being taken away in the arms deal. The Black Mask points to a chess board on the table and says that to win “The Game” you have to have resources. He says that if you have money, then you can replace the supplies you lose. The Black Mask also states that they need skilled Rooks (chess piece), pointing at Tone and Shades. The tall black man says that he knew there was a reason why the Black Mask was his “queen” in the game.

The man stands up, and we finally see his identity: CORNELL “COTTONMOUTH” STOKES. Mariah interrupts, saying that she is “the queen” around here. Cottonmouth asks for everyone except Mariah to leave, and they leave the cousins alone. Mariah asks Cottonmouth why he prefers the Black Mask over here. Cottonmouth says that Mariah wanted to play “the corrupt politician”, but that isn’t how LOGS works, and never will be. He says politics are just too complicated and out of control. Cottonmouth also accuses her of not understanding the family’s legacy. Mariah tells Cottonmouth that "I have no illusions about our family's legacy. But you are now turning legitimate money illegal all over again."

Cottonmouth reminds Mariah that “You and grandma made me kill him. Now look where that got us” Mariah asserts that “he” deserved it. Cottonmouth considers protesting that, but doesn’t. Instead, he asserts that this criminal empire is working out as the family wanted, but Mariah pursuing politics could have drawn too much attention. Mariah asserts that he doesn’t give her orders, he’s not boss, and she is the real queen in here, not the Black Mask. Cottonmouth just walks away from his cousin. Just then, Tone bursts in. He says that he just got “a shitty phone call”, getting Cottonmouth’s attention.

We then cut to the kitchen, where we find LUKE CAGE and TURK CASTLE working. Turk is sweeping the floors, while Cage is doing dishwashing. Just then, Cottonmouth bursts in. Turk immediately falls to his knees and starts bowing to Cottonmouth, which confuses Cage. Cottonmouth tells Turk “You really gotta stop doing that” Turk does a salute and sweeps extra hard. Cottonmouth goes to Cage and asks him where Dante is. Cage says that Dante called in sick, so he took over his job for him. Cottonmouth asks if they can have a private chat, and they leave the room.

Cottonmouth asks Cage, whom he trusts since he has worked in Bennington Paradise for over six months “You want a job? I can find something more suitable for a man your size. Better paying, too. You ever carried a gun?” This offer gets Cage’s attention, but he readily refuses. Cage says that he’s good, but thanks him for the offer. After Cottonmouth leave, Cage sends a text to someone, saying “He asked me for a job involving a gun, whatever he’s up to. It’s not good” The person on the other end asks if they can do go down there now. Cage tells him not yet, as he believes there is a small chance of resolving this. Just then, he hears a crash.

Cage turns to find that Turk is slipping on the floor that he’s sweeping. Turk groans in pain and says at least there aren’t any pissed off teenage girls in here. Cage says that there is one right behind him, and she looks pretty pissed off. Turk screams, but then realizes that there isn’t one. Cage chuckles. Turk tells him that one day, he will rise up from his low status and be one of Cottonmouth’s best men. Cage responds “Not anytime soon, Mr. Castle” before walking away. Turk thinks to himself that next time Cottonmouth wants someone dead, he’s on the case.

We cut to the next morning at a barbershop, owned by JOE PETERSON. Cage arrives to come work there and finds that almost nobody is here other than Joe. The only other customer is ABBY BARRETT, the main survivor of the last trilogy. Cage appears to know Abby and asks how she’s doing today. Abby says that Joe would be doing great, if he didn’t hear the news. Joe tells Cage that news of Dante’s death and the arms deal robbery has come out. Joe decides to make a little speech about Dante, telling Cage and Abby that he is just so disappointed in his city that he has to just let it out.

JOE: Dante was one of my kids (not his child, but knew him when he was younger). So was Chico. And Shameek, too. Just like those kids playing over there. You know, that's how you get 'em on your side. Sweepin' up hair. Runnin' errands. Lettin' 'em hang out, play video games. Anything is better than what's waiting for them out there on the street. They want a way out but they have too much pride to ask for help. So you gotta Jedi mind-trick them into something. Thanks for coming here, sweetie (pats Abby’s head).

Abby says that it’s no problem, before asking Cage how long he’s known Joe. Cage admits that Joe has been like a father figure to him throughout the years, and has guided him on how to survive in crime ridden places like this. Abby asks how much Joe knows about Cottonmouth. Joe admits that he and Cottonmouth have “a bit of history between us” but he won’t say what exactly just yet. He tells Abby and Cage that if Cottonmouth’s empire here lasts, then LOGS could have tons of funds. Joe says that he needs to force Cottonmouth into negotiation, hoping to maybe force him to leave the city.

Abby says that from her time dealing with LOGS, she knows they aren’t negotiators. Joe explains that he thinks Cottonmouth could be reasoned with, or at least held back, unlike the other Founding Fathers. He asks Cage and Abby to at least give his plan a chance, then call in Surfack if it fails. Cage says that he admires Joe for trying to make everything good, but being too much of a pacifist could cost him his life. Joe tells Cage his motto: “Move Forward. Always” He says that he’s had his life and moved on from his past, now it’s time for Cage and Abby to do the same. Joe asks they at least give him until tomorrow to think of something. Abby and Cage agree to give him some time.

Later that night, at the nightclub, Cottonmouth is meeting with Tone, and asks Tone to confirm that Chico and Shameek “Jacked up his shit” Tone confirms this and reveals that Shades has Shameek, but they are unable to find Chico. Cottonmouth orders Tone to send out word to the gang that whoever finds and brings him Chico alive gets $500. He adds that if Chico is brought alive, then there is a $1000 reward. After Tone leave, Shades bring in Shameek. Shades says that Shameek was pretty good at hide and seek, but it wasn’t enough, and he caught him trying to flee the city. Cottonmouth stands in front of the biggie photo, with the crown above his head, symbolizing him as the king, and gives a speech.

COTTONMOUTH: You like my Biggie photo? Me, too. You know what draws your eye when you look at that? The crown. Wanna know why? Huh? 'Cause everybody wants to be the king (slaps Shameek, but the camera stays on Cottonmouth’s face), but there can only be one. See, I slapped you like a little bitch, because that’s what you are. I'm not the kind of man to use a closed fist on a woman. Now, where's my money (slaps Shameek several more times)?

Shameek says that he doesn’t know. Cottonmouth then reveals that Dante called Tone in his dying moments, saying that they only thing worse than a thief, is “a goddamn liar” Shameek spits blood on Cottonmouth in response. Cottonmouth just laughs, saying “Yeah. Thank you. Now I can hit you like a man” Cottonmouth drags Shameek to the floor and viciously punches him in the skull over and over, beating Shameek so hard that his face is unrecognizable. Cottonmouth only stops when his own face is splattered with blood. Shameek Smith, a thug, is dead (If you’re curious, use this link to see what this scene is like ). Shades looks on, both impressed and uncomfortable. Cottonmouth then orders Shades to dispose of his body and put out the hit on Chico. Cut to black.

A Turkish Tragedy
We cut to the next morning at the barbershop, where Joe is getting ready to open up the shop. As he does, Cage and Abby are waiting outside for him to open. Cage thanks Abby for agreeing to join Surfack and go to Bennington. Abby says that she has noticed Cage has been eager to partner up with her ever since they joined Surfack. Cage admits to her that this is true, and claims there is “something special” about Abby that appeals to him. When Abby asks what it is, Cage says that he’ll tell her later, since the barbershop is opening.

They go inside to talk to Joe. Joe tells them that he’s been trying to get ahold of Chico and Shameek, but he can’t reach either of them. Abby asks how much he knows about Cottonmouth. Joe explains to her that Mariah and Cottonmouth are cousins, and their grandmother was Mama Mabel. When Abby asks who she is, Joe replies “the devil’s ex-wife” and she helped make Cottonmouth and Mariah who they are now. Cage asks if they ever come at Joe, and Joe compares this barbershop to Switzerland, saying that it’s pretty much the only safe place in Bennington, a crime ridden city. Cottonmouth wouldn't want to cause trouble here. Just then, the bell on the door rings. Abby looks there and says “Oh no”

Cottonmouth enters the barbershop along with Shades and Tone, and with some very threatening music. Abby and Cage look at least slightly worried. Joe doesn’t. Cottonmouth sits on a chair and asks his “old friend (Joe)” for a shave. He requests that Joe use a razor rather than his clippers, as he feels that a razor would prove Joe to be skilled at what he did, and proceed to discuss the luxury of free time as Cottonmouth is being shaved. When Pop says that it’s a lost art, Cottonmouth comments on how incredible it is few people take advantage of it and starts a mini-monologue.

COTTONMOUTH: Exactly. That's the problem with these youngsters. They want it all. But they don't want to put in the work. They'll rob lie, cheat, and steal, just to get what they want. Damn shame if you ask me. If they had just behaved and minded their own business, they could have much better endings.

This whole speech is quite clearly referencing Shameek’s recent robbery and death, and Joe, Cage and Abby all know this, realizing that Shameek is dead. Abby sits down a chair, and Shades proceeds to sit right next to her. Shades tilts his head at her, as if examining Abby. Abby asks “You want something, pervert?” Cottonmouth overhears and laughs at this comment, saying that he likes women with an attitude like that. Just then, Joe notices that Cottonmouth’s knuckles are cut and bruised (from beating Shameek to death).

As Joe continues to shave Cottonmouth, the latter notices he is looking at his hands. Cottonmouth tells him that there was an accident shaving, and he just needed a professional touch like Joe’s. Shades and Abby continue looking at each other. As if to test her, Shades asks if she’s “had a good family” Abby angrily replies “Don’t mention my family” She is starting to glare, but we have no idea what Shades is doing since he’s wearing sunglasses. It’s scary and tense. Eventually, Joe finishes shaving Cottonmouth. He tells Joe to have a nice day, before telling Tone to pay Joe, which he does

After they leave, Joe tells Abby and Cage that Shameek is dead, and only Chico is left. He says that it’s time for his plan: a parlay with Cottonmouth using Chico and the money. Cage says that is crazy. Joe explains that this is place is a safe zone, and if Chico is brought here, a parlay could be possible. Cage asks him why he thinks he can do this, and Joe reveals his history with Cottonmouth: they grew up on the streets together. We then cut to a series of flashbacks, at which point a younger Cottonmouth is hanging around with a younger Joe and a third person, whom Joe’s voiceover reveals is Chico’s father, Fredo Diaz.

Joe reveals that Cottonmouth was encouraged to go tot he streets at a young age by Mabel with him and Fredo (hence his determination to keep Chico alive). They began beating people up to steal cash. Joe says that he’ll tell them how Cottonmouth got his name, and we see a flashback of Cottonmouth fighting a police officer, after robbing a civilian. The police officer, who has a record for being racist, subdues Cottonmouth with a baton and proceeds to brutally beat him, even though Cottonmouth is already down. The racist officer knocks out three of Cottonmouth’s teeth before finally cuffing and arresting him, which gives him the nickname “Cottonmouth”

Back in present day, Joe admits that this is why Cottonmouth hates being called that, and advises Cage to address him as “Cornell” or “Stokes” instead when face to face. He then instructs Abby and Cage to find Chico and bring him to the barbershop. Seeing that they may have a small chance at a parley with Joe involved, Abby and Cage agree to do so. We then have a montage of Abby and Cage looking throughout town for Chico, through crowds, clubs and restraints. During the montage, Abby notices Shades in one of the crowds, and realizes Cottonmouth is already on the hunt for Chico. Eventually, after four hours of searching, Cage finally gets information from a civilian that Chico was seen entering a hotel.

He heads over there and gets a glimpse of him entering a hotel room. Cage goes inside, which surprises Chico, and he points his gun at Cage. Cage tells him that Joe sent him, which calms Chico, but he doesn’t put his gun down. Cage further explains to him that Shameek is dead, and Cottonmouth is hunting him down for the money, which he has in a briefcase next to him. Cage urges Chico to come take shelter at Joe’s barbershop and reveals the plan to force Cottonmouth to parlay. Chico asks how he can trust Cage.

Cage recalls that Chico’s dad was with Joe and Cottonmouth. Chico lowers his gun, but says that he is sick about hearing his dad, since he was “never there for me” He tells Cage that he’ll come, but only because Joe is also like a dad to him. Cage then calls Abby and tells her to reconvene at the barbershop. Abby and Cage escort Chico to the barbershop, where Joe is waiting. Joe advances on Chico like he's going to hit him, but he hugs him instead, as Chico apologizes. Joe calls Chico a dummy, but he did well at least coming here. Just then, Turk appears out of nowhere and asks Joe for the bathroom key. Chico turns away, but Turk manages to notice who he is and is surprised.

Cage, in a failed effort to stop him from recognizing Chico, steps between them and orders Turk to leave, using his intimidating height. Turk says “Gotcha, giant” before skipping out the door. As Turk runs off, he says to himself that he’s “hit the jackpot” and once Chico is dead, he is sure to get a promotion. Back in the barbershop, Joe asks Cage to go face Cornell in person for the parley. When Cage asks why Joe can’t go, Joe says that he needs to stay to watch over Chico with Abby. He pleads, saying “You can't do this kind of thing on the phone. Look, man, Chico’s dad died on these streets. I don't wanna see Chico go out the same way. Can you do this for me?” Cage decides to take the risk and heads for Bennington’s paradise to confront Cottonmouth. Abby wishes him good luck before he leaves.

At the nightclub, Cage heads for the VIP room, where Tone, Mariah, Stokes, Shades and the Black Mask are. Tone pats Cage down before letting him in. Stokes asks Cage what he’s doing here. Cage explains that Joe wants to set up a parley for Chico, not wanting him to end like Shameek. Stokes neither confirms nor denies he killed Shameek, instead listening to Cage. Cage tells him that they all want this violence on the street to end, and Cornell shouldn’t have joined LOGS. At that last remark, Stokes replies “I don't speak Chinese. Cause that's what this conversation is to me” Cage sighs and explains that Joe is trying to make him remember his history.

Stokes thinks about this for a few moments, as if actually considering listening to his old childhood friend. As he does, Tone gets a text, saying “I know where Chico is. Meet me” Eventually, Stokes says that he’ll be at the barbershop tomorrow morning, but he is making no more assurances than that. He also tells Cage that Shades recognized Abby at the barbershop earlier, and has deduced that he is working with Surfack. Cottonmouth then tells Cage that he’s fired. Cage replies “No I’m not. I quit before I even came in” After Cage leaves, Mariah tells Stokes that he is throwing away his gifts and the life their family fought for. The Black Mask says that he doesn’t like surprises, but Stokes might have one up his sleeve. Stokes states that he knows parlays, and he won’t let this go to waste.

Later that night, however, Tone and Shades meet up with Turk, who rats out Chico to them and informs them that he is at Joe’s barbershop. Turk then remembers that there is a money reward for giving up Chico, but Tone and Shades walk away from him, to Turk’s dismay. They drive off to get the job done, and Shades notices Tone is loading an SMG (Small Machine Gun). Shades asks Tone if he heard what Cage and Cottonmouth agreed on. Tone states that he is making an “executive decision” by doing this. Shades asks if Tone will at least wait for Chico to come outside, then kill him. Tone doesn’t reply.

Once at the barbershop, where Abby, Joe and Cage are about to close up, taking care of three civilians that are getting their hair done too. Tone and Shades crouch down and wait for Chico to show himself. Joe tells Cage and Abby that he’s proud of their progress, and maybe these street corners will become clean again after all. Just then, Chico goes up to them and says that there is no TV for the room, and holds up his bag of money to buy one. Abby asks “Are you serious right now?” Just then, Tone and Shades pop up, and Tone holds up his SMGs to open fire. Cage notices them and yells.

Tone then shoots up the barbershop, with bullets spaying through the windows. The bullets fly everywhere, hitting all over the shop. Cage rushes over to Abby and tackles her the ground, while his back and chest keeps getting hit with bullets. Chico is also shot in the back and arm in the crossfire, while Joe gets a bullet to his neck and the three civilians are gunned down and killed. Ironically, one of the bullets shoots off a Rook on the black side of the chess board, foreshadowing a loss. Once the bullets finally stop, Tone and Shades enter the remains of the shop, checking to see if anyone survived and took the bag of money. Everyone appears to be dead, and Tone takes back the money that Chico stole and leaves with Shades.

However, Abby survives since Cage shielded her, and Cage gets back up too. When Abby asks how he is alive, Cage lifts up his shirt, revealing a bulletproof vest. He tells her that they can never be too cautious. However, they notice that Joe is not so lucky, and Chico is injured and unconscious. Cage rushes to Joe’s side, and screams for an ambulance. With Joe reaching his final few moments, he asks Cage to swear to "Luke... Forward... Always... Always... Forward... Forward..." Cage tearfully agrees and Joe dies in his arms. Joe Peterson, childhood friend of Cottonmouth and father figure to Luke Cage, is dead. Cage breaks down sobbing, muttering “No! No!” Abby also cries, distraught at the situation.

Shortly after, Shades and Tone return to Bennington’s Paradise to tell Cottonmouth of what has happened. Tone and Shades hold up the bag so that Cottonmouth and the Black Mask can see it from his office. He indicates for them to head to the roof. Mariah notices and decides to come with them. Once the five are on the rooftop, Tone explains to Cottonmouth that he managed to retrieve the money and has seemingly killed Chico. Cottonmouth asks if he waited until Chico left the building, to which Tone gleefully responds “Nah, I lit that shit up like the Fourth of July! It was all some Django Candyland shit for real. Lights, camera, action, baby!” The look on Cottonmouth’s face looks increasingly shocked and worried by this statement.

Shades mentions that he suggested that they wait. Tone tells everyone that his reasons for doing this was because it “needed to be loud, and the niggers gotta know, you don’t rob Cottonmouth” This prompts to Stokes to scream “MY NAME IS NOT COTTONMOUTH!!!” Everyone takes a step back, shocked by Stokes’ sudden outburst. Stokes calms down and decides to anonymously donate money to help Joe rebuild the shop, only to learn from Shades that Joe had been killed in the shooting. The look on Stokes’ face is now complete horror. Just then, Turk appears out of nowhere and asks where his money is. When Stokes asks how he got up here, Turk replies “I’m Turk Castle baby! Not even prison could hold me back” The Black Mask whispers to Mariah “Yeah, they’re (Tone and Turk) dead”

Turk asks for the money promised for bringing in Chico. Stokes responds by grabbing Tone and throwing him off the roof, where he lands on a car, shattering all of its windows and killing him on impact. Tone, hitman of Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes is dead. Stokes turns and yells at Turk that he can collect his money from Tone downstairs. He adds that Turk will not only be denied a promotion and the money, but he is now demoted from janitor to plumber, much to Turk’s horror. Stokes then orders the Black Mask to dispose of Tone, and leaves with Shades, who apologizes for Joe’s death. Stokes chuckles solemnly, saying “You know, there used to be rules to this kind of shit”

Back at the barbershop, Abby and Cage watch as Joe’s body is taken away, and the three civilians, while Chico is taken in critical condition. Abby and Cage hold hands and say that they will remember Joe’s advice to “Move forward, always” Meanwhile, Stokes proceeds to look at a photo of him, Joe and Chico’s dad in their youth on the streets, while playing a piano. Surprisingly, Stokes appears talented at playing the piano, and plays a sad tune while crying over the death of his childhood friend. Nevertheless, Stokes will not give up, and neither will Abby and Cage. With Joe gone, peace dies with him, and the Screaming Wars will begin. Cut to black.

Take it Personal
We open on a funeral home the day after Joe’s death. Cage and Abby are there with the manager, who is showing them coffins to choose for Joe’s upcoming memorial. The manager points out one with a gold inlay on mahogany casket, but it’s too expensive for them to use. Cage asks if they could see the body, but the managers says that it still has to be prepped for viewing. Cage talks about how Joe was like a father to him and would like to wait until he can afford the funeral and pay for the coffin. Abby asks how long Cage knew Joe, and Cage admits Joe helped him grow up. Just then, they hear footsteps.

Stokes walks into the room and informs them that he has paid for the expenses, and mocks Cage and Abby for their lack of money. Cage merely responds that the funeral should match the man's own integrity. Stokes then asks the manager to leave, and he does. Abby calls Stokes “Cottonmouth” and asks how he could do this, saying that all Joe wanted was peace and now he’s dead. Stokes contains his anger and tells her that he and Joe had their differences, but he still cared about him. Cage asks why he’s dead then, and Cornell explains that he didn’t know what Tone was going to do, and Tone, who he calls by his real name, Omar Johnson, is “Not feeling much of anything right now”

Abby mentions to him that Chico has survived the shooting, so Joe’s death, as well as the other civilians dying, was completely for nothing. Cage tells Stokes that if he really cared about Joe, he would end this life of murder and crime and turn himself in. When Stokes declines, Cage replies “Then Joe’s death is still on you, Cottonmouth” Stokes grips Cage by the arm and grimly tells him that he is giving him and Abby one chance. He tells them to leave town after Joe’s memorial, and if they call in Surfack to challenge him, then it’s war. Abby replies “One you won’t win” Stokes lets go of Cage’s arm and tells him that he will soon show them why they will lose this fight. He walks out without another word.

Once he’s outside, Cottonmouth makes a call and says “Sons, it’s time you guys got involved” Later, Abby and Cage sit in the hospital, waiting to visit Chico. Abby asks Cage to go over the plan again with her. Cage says that after Chico recovers, they will get him to leave town, and then they will call in Surfack to deal with Cottonmouth. He asks Abby how tough Pop was as a Founding Father. Abby says that when Pop was in his Sauron armor, he was invincible, and they only beat him by pressing the button and forcing him to drown. She adds that it was ironic, since his twin brother Randall drowned as well.

Cage says that it’s a good thing that he was storing those power gauntlets, and he’s definitely using them when the time comes. Abby says that those things could crush dumpsters at maximum power. Just then, they see what appears to be two doctors walking out of Chico’s room. Cage tries to talk to them, but they ignore him and Abby and walk right past them. Abby says that’s weird, and decides to peek through Chico’s room window. Abby is horrified by what she sees and yells for help. Cage and several other doctors come in to see that Chico’s throat has been slit. Chico Diaz, a thug, is dead.

We then cut to those two doctors that exited his room and are heading for the parking lot. They take off their masks revealing them to be Shades and WALTER STOKES, Cottonmouth’s older son. Shades thanks Walter for keeping Chico quiet while he slit his throat. They then get into a car, where SCOTT STOKES, Cottonmouth’s younger adopted son, is waiting. Walter punches Scott in the arm and tells him to hurry up and drive. Scott tells Walter that was rude, only to get punched again. Not wanting to get hit again, Scott then drives out of the hospital parking lot with Walter and Shades.

The trio proceed to drive out of town and into the woods about a mile out. There, they enter Cottonmouth’s secondary base, his huge mansion. Scott drives up there and goes inside with Walter and Shades. Inside the mansion, the Black Mask, Mariah and Cottonmouth are waiting. The Black Mask asks if Chico is dead, which Walter confirms. The Black Mask goes to his chess board and proceeds to remove a pawn (representing Chico) from the white side of the board. He says that the Game is so far in their favor. Mariah tells Cornell that it’s not going to stay that way, and Surfack will inevitably be coming.

Cottonmouth goes to a biggie photo with the crown on it and stands in front of it. Walter says that Surfack would have to take down the king, the king of LOGS. The Black Mask says that Surfack isn’t an army, but it’s a group of talented people, like a chess game. Scott asks Cottonmouth that he’s been reading a book and asks if he’s ever heard of “Benign Neglect” Cottonmouth asks what that is. Scott explains that it means they should just leave Cage alone, give him “his side of the street” (meaning give Bennington to Cage) and set up base elsewhere. Cottonmouth’s response to pull out a handgun in his pocket and shoot at his adoptive son’s head.

He purposely positions the gun so that the bullet goes through Scott’s hair, but doesn’t kill him. Scott is extremely provoked and shocked by that. Everyone else however, including Shades and the Black Mask, are not shocked by that. Cottonmouth says “Benign Neglect, huh?” before bursting into laughter. Mariah and Walter tell Scott never to go against his father’s goals. Afraid and feeling helpless, Scott agrees. It’s clear that his adoptive family abuses him and doesn’t really love him, but Scott goes along with it.

Cottonmouth pulls out a computer and places a facetime request to WILLIS STRYKER. Mariah asks who he is. Cottonmouth explains that Stryker is Cage’s secret half-brother, who wants to kill Cage for unknown reasons, and he’s been waiting for the right time to use him. He turns the computer over, which reveals Stryker’s face for the first time. Willis says “Hey niggers” The Black Mask replies “Factual Correction: I am NOT a nigger” (meaning that the Black Mask is white). Scott doesn’t bother to correct Stryker about him being white though. Stryker just rolls his eyes and asks if it’s time. Cottonmouth tells Stryker to make his way to Bennington by tonight, and they’ll enact the plan.

Stryker asks to be reminded about their plan again. Cottonmouth says that Stryker, being a master of disguise, will disguise himself as Cage and frame him for murder. He tells Stryker that he doesn’t care how he does it, but he just wants him to do it. Stryker states that he’ll commit that murder by tonight, but he’s gonna grab a bite to eat first, and he won’t spoil how the murder will go. After Stryker signs off, Mariah tells Cottonmouth that they shouldn’t go to direct war. Cottonmouth then asks for the room to be cleared, and everyone leaves except him and Mariah.

Cottonmouth asks what her problem is. Mariah asks if Cottonmouth is crazy for actually resorting to a gang war, saying “Wasn’t killing off your childhood friend enough, Cottonmouth?” The mention of Joe’s death, combined with his nickname being said and her accusation, drives him to flip over a table and yell that Mariah forced him into this life. Stokes says that he would have been a successful musician when growing up if “You didn’t make me kill him” Mariah again asserts that “he” was driving this family apart, and it was a hit that needed to be done.

Stokes tells her that maybe he should have just let “Uncle Pete” do what he did, to which Mariah responds by throwing a glass drink at him (missing) and yelling “You better shut up, or I will cut your color-struck ass” Stokes is so pissed off that he just stomps out of the room again. He goes over the Black Mask and asks if he has the info on where Abby is staying, which the Black Mask confirms. Stokes tells him that he has “a special job” for the Black Mask if he is interested. The Black Mask says that he’s listening.

Later, Abby and Cage hang out at a park, where Cage is requesting a face time chat with somebody. Abby tells Cage that he’s making the right decision, and they have no choice but to go to war now. Soon enough, OLIVER QUEEN, aka the Green Arrow and leader of Surfack, appears on the screen. Cage tells Oliver that it’s time. Oliver tells Cage that they will take down Cottonmouth together, and survivors fight back. Cage smirks at that statement, and asks when they will arrive. Oliver says that they’ll be here by tomorrow morning. He asks how Abby’s doing, and he waves high to her. Abby smiles back to Oliver.

Cage tells Oliver that “Kevin” would be proud of him. Oliver thanks Cage for that, before Abby asks who Kevin is. Oliver says that he thought they told her this, but Abby doesn’t recall. Cage and Oliver explain to her that KEVIN ANDREWS was the old leader of Surfack, before Oliver had to take his place, since an aging Kevin retired to a nursing home. It was around this time when Oliver became an expert with an arrow, wanting to live up to Kevin’s legacy. Abby says that Cheryl must be jealous. Oliver chuckles. He says that he and Cheryl have had a few “archery competitions lately” Cage gets back to the subject and suggests that tells him that they should use “The House of Surfack”

Abby asks what that means, and Cage reminds her that they bought an old church, which they have been using as their HQ. It is their new home and where they will plan their attacks on killers. Oliver agrees with Cage, and asks “So, do you want tell Abby about you know her?” Cage reminds Oliver that Abby is sitting right next to them, and Abby asks what Oliver meant. Cage tells Abby that there is a reason why he’s been cozying up to her lately, and reveals that he was the one who suggested Oliver recruit her and the Harlem survivors to begin with. Abby asks what the reason is, but he asks to give him some time. Abby says that since she trusts Cage, she’ll do it.

Oliver tells Abby that it’s really going to go down tomorrow and bids them both a good night before signing off. Cage asks Abby if she knows any good restaurants. Abby informs him that she is lives an apartment that is right above a restaurant called Papa Ginos, and Cage remembers seeing it when he goes to visit her. Cage decides that he’ll try out that place tonight, and he and Abby depart. However, we then see that Turk was listening to their conversation. Turk calls himself “a master mole” and says that he’ll be redeeming himself for Joe’s death in no time. He sends a text to the Black Mask, telling him that Cage will be eating at the restaurant where Abby lives. However, Turk forgets to text Stryker and tell him too.

Later that night, the Black Mask drives up to a building alongside Papa Ginos in his car, and Scott is with him. The Black Mask tells Scott that he’s going to show him how a hit is done, and carries a large weapon, which Scott assumes is a sniper rifle. The two head up to a rooftop overlooking Papa Ginos and aim for a window, where they see Cage having some pizza. The Black Mask explains that he is going to kill Cage and aims the weapon at him. Scott says that the weapon looks large for a sniper rifle, to which the Black Mask replies “That’s because kid, it’s not a sniper rifle. It’s a fucking RPG (rocket launcher)” Scott is horrified by this, realizing that all other innocent people will be killed along with Cage if the Black Mask launches the rocket.

Scott tells him to stop, since they could use a sniper rifle instead. The Black Mask insists that the rocket launcher leaves less witnesses and is much more guaranteed to get the job done, explaining that to win the game, you must take no chances. Scott says that Stryker is supposed to frame Cage anyway. The Black Mask says that this gets the job done faster anyway, and if they are lucky, Abby is inside too (which she isn't). Scott pleads, but the Black Mask ignores him and fires the rocket launcher. Cage, who is on his phone, sees the rocket coming, says “Motherf-“, before launching out his seat and trying to escape.

However, Cage has absolutely no time to get out and the rocket enters Papa Ginos, causing a massive explosion that destroys the entire restaurant. There is absolutely no way anyone could survive the explosion, meaning that everyone in the restaurant is now dead. Scott is absolutely horrified by this and cannot believe what the Black Mask has just done. The Black Mask chuckles, before saying that “The King is checkmated” and Cottonmouth suggested he do this. Scott says that all this death and destruction was completely unnecessary, but the Black Mask ignores him and, with his job seemingly complete, the two leave the scene. Cut to black.

Step in the Arena
We open 10 minutes before the destruction of Papa Ginos, where Stryker is pulling up just outside. After he parks the car, Stryker takes out a flesh mask of Cage and puts it on, as well as some clothes that resemble Cage’s. Stryker says to himself “Remember, get some pizza, then kill everyone and frame Cage for it” (his plan is to slaughter the people inside Papa Ginos and frame Cage, unaware what the Black Mask is doing). Stryker goes inside, pretends to be Cage, and orders a pizza. Once the pizza is ready, Stryker begins eating and taps his pockets, which has dual handguns inside.

However, as Stryker is eating, he notices two people (Scott and the Black Mask) talking and holding a large weapon. Stryker looks closely and realizes that it’s the Black Mask. He tries to take out his cell phone to text him not to shoot, but the Black Mask fires the rocket launcher, mistaking Stryker for Cage due to his disguise. Stryker launches out of the seat to escape, but it’s too late, and the restaurant explodes, killing everyone inside. Willis Stryker, half-brother of Luke Cage and master of disguise, is dead (In case you still don’t get it, Cage is alive and well, and he was never at Papa Ginos, it was Stryker, who didn’t know what was going to happen since Turk forgot to text him).

We cut to the next morning at the House of Surfack that Cage mentioned last episode. Cage is there, pacing around nervously. Just then, Abby knocks rapidly on the door, and Cage lets her in. The two hug, and Abby asks if he heard about the explosion. Cage says that he was just about to arrive at Papa Ginos to eat when he saw the restaurant explode. He concludes that this was an attempt by Cottonmouth on their lives, but he did it too early. Abby says that they are lucky to be alive, and asks if anyone might know about their hideout. Cage says that nobody does except them, and the other Surfacks.

Just then, Cage notices a van pulling up outside, and recognizes it. He and Abby go outside to greet the six people that come out of it: CHERYL BLOSSOM, ELENA DRAKE (Black Canary), Oliver (Green Arrow), VERONICA AND TONI TOPAZ, and NATHAN DORIE. Abby gives Cheryl a hug upon seeing her old friend, and it involves into a group hug now that the Surfack Squad is all finally assembled. Abby and Cage take everyone inside. They say that it’s great to see everyone again, though they don’t recognize Veronica and Toni. Everyone proceeds to sit in a circle.

Oliver explains to Abby and Cage that Veronica and Toni are new people here. Abby says that it’s nice to meet them and asks what made them join Surfack. Veronica says that it was Toni’s idea, but there was no way she was letting her join without her. Basically, it was either both of them, or they didn’t go at all. Toni, who looks kinda nervous, asks to hear everyone else’s stories before she and her mom begin theirs. Oliver says that he’ll go first. He stands up and reveals his backstory to everyone.

OLIVER: When I was kid, my favorite hero was Robin Hood. I loved him so much that I decided to train in archery, pretty much how it got the name “Green Arrow” I loved using a bow and arrow…and that cost me. I was so arrogant that I thought I could do whatever I wanted. I carelessly shot and killed a dog…and that cost me. Turns out that dog belonged to Wilson Fisk, a Founding Father. He sent out a hit squad after my family in revenge. I lost my parents and my sister, Thea, but I managed to escape with my life. I was lost until Kevin found my predicament and gave me a new family and a purpose. Now, I’m here, helping other people escape the wrath of the organization that took my family.

Toni and Veronica are appalled by this story and say that they are sorry for Oliver, who replies that he gets that a lot. He says that he’s learned from his mistakes and now he’s careful about who he shoots. Oliver then asks who will go next, and Abby volunteers. Abby proceeds to recap the events of the Crusade of the Shadow Captains and how her father and grandparents turned out be psychotic murders, and her grandpa a Founding Father. She says that like Oliver, her family was destroyed by LOGS. Abby asserts that Surfack and her fellow Harlem survivors are all the family she has left, and tells Toni and Veronica that they will be here for them. Next, Nathan stands and proceeds to tell his story.

NATHAN: Back in the day, my dad was a Surfack, and I really wanted to follow him. We used to go to the woods and practice using a gun all the time. It was great. Then, my dad was killed in the Tarvender vs Surfack war. I became a police officer after that, and once I heard about Sauron dying, I realized that LOGS was back. I wasn’t about to let my dad’s death be for nothing, so I came here and asked Oliver if I could join, and he accepted me. You guys can call me “the Gunslinger” I can hit targets from about a mile away, trust me. Sometimes, Oliver here gets a little jealous.

Everyone laughs a little at this remark, Oliver just says that if they had an arrow vs gun match, arrows would win. Nathan says that he doubts that considering that bullets are WAY faster than arrows. Cheryl stands up and shares her story. She recounts the events of Crusade of the Shadow Captains and admits she survived together with Abby. Cheryl comments that “I did a lot of owning people” before saying that she joined because of her psychotic mother, Penelope Blossom, escaping, and knowing she would have to face her someday. She also mentions that she regrets letting Penelope live if it meant she was just going to escape and try to kill her again.

Oliver mentions to Cheryl that Penelope hasn’t been sighted in Bennington, so the confrontation won’t be coming just yet. Cheryl says that Penelope can take as much time as she wants, she’ll still lose. Toni whispers to Veronica that she is glad to have someone like her and not Penelope be her mother. Veronica tells Toni that she would never be like Penelope, before kissing her on the cheek. It’s clear that Toni and Veronica are a great mother and daughter to teach other. Elena then stands up and announces her story, and we cut to a flashback montage sequence.

Elena’s voiceover explains that 14 years ago, she once had a younger sister, named Sara Lance. Once she was 18, Elena had to raise Sara, who was a baby at that time, on her own, after her parents died. Eventually, the sisters went bankrupt, and the only thing Elena had left was Sara, so they started living on the streets. Sara was “basically my heart and soul” Eventually, one year earlier, Elena signed up for a game show to earn some money. Elena mentions that the promoter cheated her out of the prize money despite her winning. As she left, Elena reveals that she saw a thief suddenly raiding the promoter’s office, but chose not to intervene as revenge for being cheated out. Elena’s voiceover then says “That’s where karma comes”

In the flashbacks, Elena goes the bathroom and then exits the building. At this point, she hears gunshots and a scream from where Sara is parked. She rushes there to find that the same thief she let get go has carjacked Sara’s car, shot her in the heart, and is in the process of escaping with the money. As the thief escapes, Elena rushes over to her 14 year old sister and says that she’ll get help. However, Sara is already dead, and Elena begs her wake up, which Sara does not. Sara Lance, younger sister of Elena Lance, is dead. Elena is wrecked with guilt and grief over her sister’s death and sobs her eyes out.

Back in present day, Elena reveals that she actually attempted suicide after this, but failed. She says that she could have stopped that thief from killing her sister and she didn’t. Elena also reveals the thief was never caught. She admits that this ultimately inspired her to become the Black Canary (a comic book character that she admired) to help fight against murder, which ultimately led her to Surfack. As she finishes her story, Elena remarks that even the slightest action can have the most unintended of consequences. With all other stories told, Toni and Veronica say that they trust everyone in here and agree to tell their story.

In a flashback to about 6 months ago, Veronica and Toni are chained to a wall, having no idea what is going on. They are soon greeted by their kidnappers: THE BLACK MASK and Walter. Veronica’s voiceover reveals that the Black Mask likes to have two random women kidnapped every six months so that he can rape one of them. This time, Veronica and Toni were selected. In desperation, Veronica tells the Black Mask that he can what he wants long as he doesn’t hurt or touch Toni. The Black Mask smiles and says, “Deal.” And with that, the Black Mask strips Veronica’s clothes off.

Toni cries over this and Veronica tells her to close her eyes. As Toni attempts to close her eyes, Walter forces them to remain open, telling her that it’s fun to watch. Toni cries as she watches her mother being raped by the Black Mask. After finishing up with Veronica, the Black Mask gets up, and says that it’s Toni’s turn now. She and Veronica yell that the Black Mask promised them that they wouldn’t do anything to Toni. The Black mask says that promises are meant to be broken. He then pulls down Toni’s pants and himself on Toni, who cries for her mom to save her. But Veronica is too shocked and broken to break free.

Back in the present, Toni admits that she was disgusted how cruel people could be and felt angry that she and Veronica couldn’t do anything about it. Once she heard of Surfack, Toni decided to join, but Veronica wouldn’t let this happen, unless she came with her. With everyone’s backstories accounted for, Oliver welcomes Toni and Veronica into Surfack and promises that they won’t regret their choice. With everyone’s backstory revealed, the newbies ask Oliver what to do now. He turns to everyone and asks, "What are we?" Everyone turns to Oliver and responds, "We're Surfacks!" Oliver asks, "And what does Surfack stand for?" Everyone responds, "Survivors Fight Back."

He says that they are going to beat Cottonmouth, then Wilson Fisk, and eventually General Akanthus and finally put an end to Tarvender/LOGS once and for all. Oliver asks Cage where they should start. Cage thinks for a moment and suggests that they start by raiding one of Cottonmouth’s arms caches that he keeps hidden in different areas of the city. Elena asks how they would find one. A smiling Cage proceeds to put on Sauron’s power gauntlets and say “I know a little somebody who could help” Cut to black.

Just to Get a Rep
We open on the same night of where the last episode left off. Turk is walking around in the streets on Bennington, calmly. However, his calm is shattered when a big black gauntlet grabs Turk and pulls him into an alleyway. Turk sees his attacker to be Cage, who is pinning him to a wall. A horrified Turk says that Cage should be “dozens of burning pieces” by now since the Black Mask blew up Papa Ginos with him in it. Cage says that he was never in Papa Ginos and asks how the Black Mask knew how and when to blow it up. Turk is forced to admit that he tipped them off, and Cage’s grip on Turk tightens.

Cage furiously reminds Turk that not only is he responsible for the explosion, but he also ratted out Chico and got Joe killed along with those civilians. Turk says that he didn’t know Tone was actually going to light up the barbershop into “a Christmas tree” Cage then demands to know the location of the arms caches. Turk replies “I don’t know” and Cage lifts him up, and Turk starts screaming in terror. Cage proceeds to dump Turk in a dumpster and start crushing and flattening the dumpster using Sauron’s power gauntlets while is Turk still inside, much to Turk’s horror (This is similar to how this would go, if anyone’s interested: ).

Cage asks “You still stalling?” before crushing it further. Turk screams that he’s had enough and says that he’ll tell Cage anything that he wants to know. Cage asks how many weapons caches Cottonmouth has, and Turk reveals that there are four, and he knows the location of 2. He reveals that one is at a shop in the docks called “The Grinning Fishmonger” and the second is at a water filtration plant in the Bennington sewers. Cage asks how to get in the 2nd cache. Turk says that there are tunnels down in the sewers and Cottonmouth’s men guard it daily. He used to guard it before he got demoted to working the bathrooms.

Turk then requests to be let out, since he gave Cage what he wanted, to which Cage responds “Sit tight Mr. Castle, trash pickup is tomorrow. There’s food in there too, and you can breathe just fine” As Cage walks away, Turk begins shaking the dumpster while screaming “You can’t leave me in here! THERE’S BABY DIAPERS IN HERE MAN! BABY DIAPERS!!! AHHH!!!” Cage then calls Oliver to tell him that they’ve a location and suggests that they hit the one in the Grinning Fishmonger first. Oliver asks where the Grinning Fishmonger is, and Cage explains it’s a store on the docks, before telling him to get everyone prepared.

We cut to the docks about an hour later at which point the Surfack Squad (Toni, Veronica, Cheryl, Nathan, Elena, Oliver, Abby and Cage) have arrived. Nathan surveys the surroundings and sees 4 armed thugs, two patrolling and two guarding the door. Nathan and Oliver say that they’ll take care of the two guarding the door, while Elena and Veronica handle the patrolling thugs. As they set out, Cage, Abby, Toni and Cheryl talk. Toni notices that Cheryl is eyeing her and asks what’s up. Cheryl asks Toni if she ever mentioned her deceased girlfriend, Rachel Scarfe.

Toni raises an eyebrow at this, before realizing that Cheryl is bisexual, which she confirms. Cheryl tells her about how Penelope hated her partly for being bisexual, and Rachel’s mom hated her for that as well. Toni says that her mom would absolutely be fine with her being bisexual, and admits that she actually does want to be that way since being raped by the Black Mask (who is a man). Cage tells her that not all men are like the Black Mask. Toni says that she knows that, but would just prefer to date women. Cheryl says that she likes the way Toni thinks.

They eye each other, silently. Abby elbows Cage lightly and whispers “They are so made for each other” Cage chuckles at the remark. He says that they’ll see what happens, and reminds Abby that the girls literally just met. Abby replies “Trust me, I know crushes” when I see it. Meanwhile, Veronica is advancing the first patrolling gunman from behind. She sneaks up on him, grabs him, and covers his nose and mouth until the gunman passes out. Veronica then throws his gun into the river.

Elena is also sneaking up on her patrolling gunman and tries to incapacitate him quietly. However, the gunman hears Elena behind him and tries to shoot her. Elena thinks fast and kicks the gun out of the thug’s hand. The thug goes to punch her, but Elena grabs the thug by the arm and literally FLIPS HIM! Yep, she flips him to the ground. Elena slams her boot against the thug’s face and knocks him out. Meanwhile, the two armed Gunman hear the commotion and go to investigate.

This prompts Oliver to step out, holding his bow and arrow. The Gunmen are shooting at him, and all three take cover. Gunman #1 takes out a walkie talkie and shouts for the thugs inside to lock the door. Just then, he’s shot in the head and killed by Nathan, who has just come out of hiding from behind. Gunman #2 goes to shoot him, but Oliver shoots an arrow into the Gunman’s throat, killing him as well. He signals for the others to come out. He tells them that when they go inside, try to refrain from killing unless any of them is in immediate danger of dying. Everyone nods in agreement.

Toni attempts to open the door, but it’s now locked. A voice from the other side mocks “the Surfack bitch” for thinking she could open that. Cage steps forward and shows off Sauron’s power gauntlets, before telling everyone to step up. He powers up the gauntlets and punches the door, which is sent flying backwards. The thug at the other side of the door is both shocked and horrified by this. Veronica runs up and asks the thug “So, what were you calling my daughter again?” The thug puts his hands up and tells him that the cache is in the basement. Veronica says thanks and prepares to punch the thug out.

However, Cheryl does so first. Veronica tells Cheryl that she wanted to do that. Cheryl shrugs and says that Veronica should have been faster. Toni tilts her head, as if curious why Cheryl wanted to do that so badly. Oliver then leads the group into the basement, where they spy on seven gathered thugs, including a muscular and tall one stronger than the normal thugs, whom we call a “brute” The brute is talking to the Black Mask and Dillard on a large screen on the wall, who ask how it’s going out there. The brute tells them that they have trouble, and Surfack is here. The Black Mask says that if they come anywhere near his guns, all eight thugs are dead.

Just then, Oliver and the others step in. They say that the Black Mask is about to be very disappointed. Dillard asks if Surfack ever quits hounding them, but pauses upon seeing Cage. The Black Mask says that Cage is supposed to be blown to smithereens, adding that he saw him blow up at Papa Ginos. Cage announces that he is alive, and was never even at the explosion. Dillard and the Black Mask say that this doesn’t even make any sense. Dillard suddenly runs off, and the Black Mask tells the brute and the thugs to kill the Surfack Squad. The fight ensues into four different parts (Thugs 1 and 2 vs Cheryl and Toni; Thugs 2 and 3 vs Veronica and Elena; Thugs 4 and 5 vs Abby and Nathan; and the brute vs Oliver and Cage).

Cheryl takes out an arrow and stabs Thug #1 in the knee with it. Thug #2 pulls out a knife slashes at Cheryl, and gets a small cut across her stomach. Infuriated, Toni punches Thug #2 in the face. Thug #2 isn’t effected too much by it, but is knocked out when Cheryl punches him herself. Cheryl tells Toni that she could use some practice, before seeing that Thug #1 is trying to get up. Toni then kicks Thug #2 in the face and knocks him out. Toni asks “Was that practice, Red Arrow?” Cheryl smirks and says that she likes Toni’s style. Toni says that she likes hers too.

Meanwhile, Veronica and Elena fight together against Thugs 2 and 3. Being older than Cheryl and Toni, they progress much faster than them in their fight, and swiftly knock out the thugs with several high kicks. Elena says that Veronica’s not bad for a newbie. Veronica says that she learned some martial arts lessons after she and Toni were raped by the Black Mask, to ward off any further attempts. The Black Mask, still on the screen, recognizes Veronica and tells her that if she thought that was bad, there is more coming. Veronica turns to the screen and says that she won’t let him touch her or her daughter again.

Also, Abby and Nathan fight Thugs 4 and 5. The thugs are landing some hits, but not enough to take them down. Abby asks what Nathan can do other than firing guns, and Nathan replies by pistol whipping both of the thugs. Abby kicks them both in the groin, allowing Nathan to pistol whip them again and knock them out. Abby says that Nathan really likes guns. Nathan says that he’s not called “the Gunslinger” for nothing, but he only shoots when it’s necessary. He prefers to smack his enemies with his dual handguns in close combat.

Finally, we see Oliver and Cage taking on the tough brute. The brute is as tall as them and is using brute force to fight. He’s punching Oliver a few times, knocking him back. Cage and the Brute begin wrestling, struggling to push each other back. The Brute (who is a white man) says that “niggers like you” are weak. Cage replies by increasing the power on the gauntlets, allowing him to punch the Brute, who is sent flying against a wall and knocked out. Oliver comments that would have been harder if Cage didn’t have the gauntlets, and after that, all thugs are defeated.

The Black Mask is still talking to Veronica and telling her that she’s playing a game of chess, and Toni, Abby and Cheryl are pawns. Cheryl steps up and says that there is no way she's a pawn. The Black Mask tells her to just deal with it. Just then, Cottonmouth himself (who was told of Cage’s return by Mariah after she left) appears on the screen and says “And I’m the King” Cage tells Cottonmouth why he thought he was at the dinner, and Cottonmouth asks him if he’s heard of Stryker. Cage steps up and asks how he knows he has a half-brother, which gets Abby’s attention. Cottonmouth says that he tracked him down and offered him to chance to get revenge. Abby asks him to slow down and explain who Stryker is.

Cage turns to his friends and explains that Willis Stryker is his half-brother, who was born due to his mother cheated on his father. Both of his parents wanted nothing to do with Stryker and sent him away. He suspects that Stryker wants revenge for being abandoned and asks Cottonmouth if he’s coming. Cottonmouth says that he’s read a news report about all the victims at the Papa Ginos restaurant being identified, and Stryker was one of them. He recounts his plot to frame Cage for murder and concludes that he targeted Papa GInos, unaware that the Black Mask was going to blow the place up.

Cottonmouth glares at the Black Mask for his mistake. He says that Stryker was dumb anyway, but his costume of Cage was pretty accurate. Cottonmouth focuses on the matter at hand and tells them to leave his arms cache. Oliver replies by ordering Elena to plant a remote explosive in the vault where the guns are and closing the vault door to contain the blast. As she does, Cottonmouth tells Cage that he could have avoided this if they tried harder. Cage agrees with this and tells Cottonmouth to hand himself over to the police, so they can avoid more bloodshed.

Cottonmouth refuses, and Cage says “This war in on you then, Cottonmouth” This prompts Stokes to throw a chair at a wall and scream “I DIDN’T WANT THIS! IT WAS FORCED ON ME!” Everyone is taken aback by the outburst, except for the Black Mask. As Stokes calms himself, Cage asks if this has anything to do with Mama Mabel (Stokes’ grandmother) being a crime boss back in the 1900's. Stokes says that his family “has a past with crime” but he’s not mentioning anymore. Elena finishes closing the vault door and prepping the explosives, giving Oliver the detonator. The Black Mask tries to warn him not to press it, but he does. The cache subsequently explodes, with the explosion contained by the vault door.

Cottonmouth states that he will not let the loss of his guns be taken lightly and that Surfack is going to regret screwing with him, LOGS and his operations very, very, soon. Veronica says that they aren’t afraid, and the Black Mask says that he saw otherwise when he raped her and Toni. Veronica tells the Black Mask that was “a lifetime ago” and they’ve changed. Abby steps up and tells him that they aren’t scared of him, or any Founding Father. He says that he’s going to go down, like Sauron. Surfack definitely glares at Cottonmouth and the Black Mask as they both sign off.

At Harlem’s Paradise (where Cottonmouth was talking to the Surfacks), he goes to a room where Walter is wrestling Scott to the ground. Scott cries “Uncle! Uncle!”, but Walter ignores it and just calls his younger brother weak. Cottonmouth makes his presence known and tells Walter and Scott that needs them both to go hit somebody. When Walter asks “Who we hitting?” Cottonmouth tells him that he can choose any Surfacks. Walter looks at Scott and tells him that it’s time for some fun. Cut to black.

Soul Relative
We open on the dumpster where Cage left Turk trapped inside of. We hear snoring inside, indicating that Turk has fallen asleep in there for the night. Just then, trash pickup comes. Two guys go to the dumpster and open it. Suddenly, Turk pops up, and the guys scream “Garbage monster!” and run away. Turk, who is covered in garbage, says “I’ve still got it after all” Just then, he picks up his phone (which was left outside the dumpster last episode) and gets a call from the Black Mask. The Black Mask says that he’s been messaging Turk several times last night, asking why he didn’t pick up.

Turk says that he was “occupied” not daring to mention how he cost Cottonmouth that arms cache. The Black Mask then tells Turk that he’s assigning him to clean the toilets at the water filtration plant cache. Turk, remembering that he told Cage the location of that cache too, asks to remain working at the nightclub. The Black Mask replies “No” and hangs up. He then chuckles, which implies that he knows Turk ratted the arms cache out and is punishing him by transferring him to the other one that he told Cage about. Turk thinks to himself that Cage just got him by surprise, but once he’s at the arms cache, nothing will get past him.

Later, the Surfack Squad are having another meeting at the House of Surfack. Oliver congratulates everyone on destroying the first arms cache and says that they’ll go attack the next one tomorrow night. He tells them to take some time off, but keep in contact in case if any emergencies come up, as Cage finds it very likely that Cottonmouth will retaliate. Elena and Nathan go into a completely empty and small room with white walls and no windows After letting Oliver in, Nathan tells Elena that he’s been impressed by her skills, and asks if she’s up for a little sparing match. Elena smirks and says “You’re on”

They go over to a mat, with Oliver watching them. He wonders who will win: the Gunslinger or the Black Canary. Elena asks how good Nathan is in hand to hand combat, and Nathan asks if she saw him fight at the arms cache. Elena says that she meant without using his dual handguns to pistol whip people. Nathan states that she is about to fight out. Oliver says “1…2…3!” and the brawl begins. Elena throws some kicks at Nathan, some hitting him in the side, and some missing. Nathan elbows and punches her, but is careful not to aim for the face. He tells Elena that she wouldn’t want him to ruin her beauty.

Elena smirks, saying that he’s going to have to if he wants to beat her. Elena throws a punch, but Nathan grabs her arm and flips her over to the ground. Elena then kicks out Nathan’s feet, and he falls on top of her. To Oliver’s surprise, Nathan’s head falls on top of Elena’s, causing them to accidently kiss. Nathan says that felt better than he expected, and Elena pins his shoulders down. Oliver starts counting to five, and Elena will win if Nathan is pinned down for 5 seconds. Nathan doesn’t get up and Oliver gets to five. He tells Elena that he considered head-butting her, but that would be too far.

Nathan and Elena get up, and Elena tells him that the Black Canary could take it. Nathan asks why she likes calling herself that. Elena explains that a Canary is a type of bird, and she chose black since its helps with stealth. She also says that it “reminds me of a thief I know, she’s good like that. Too good” Nathan says that guns are basically just his thing, but he and Elena could make a good duo. Elena says that Nathan does make “such a charming gentleman” Nathan states that he only held back because Elena is his ally, and he would have head-butted a female LOGS member with no problem.

Elena giggles. She looks at Oliver and asks if he can leave the room. Oliver states “I know where this is going” and walks off. Nathan says that his eight months of being in Surfack has been pretty good, and asks how long Elena has been. Elena says that it’s been for several years, and she was a veteran at the old Surfack vs Tarvender war, with Surfack becoming her family after she lost her sister. Nathan tells her that he enjoys having family in Surfack too, since he doesn’t have siblings. They hold hands and smile, as if being attracted to each other.

Just then, Abby and Cage burst in and interrupt the tension. Elena says that she hates romance films that always interrupt the couple when they are about to kiss. Abby comments that romance is just about everywhere that she goes, and she talks about her fellow survivors EUGENE DIXON and ELLA VALENTINE. Abby says that she never thought she would see “A bookworm (Eugene) get with a fairytale princess (Ella)” She mentions that last she heard from Eugene, he and Ella were after “a thief dressed like a cat” who was stealing their stuff. Abby wonders how strange her romance will be if she ever finds love in anyone after losing Mike.

Elena and Nathan look at Cage as if to say “How about now?” Cage tells Abby that he would like to tell her something. Abby asks if this is the big secret he’s been holding. Cage says that she’ll be more shocked to hear it, rather than angry or upset, and Abby prepares to hear it. However, right as Cage is about to tell her, we cut to a local bar, where Veronica, Cheryl and Toni are all hanging out. The bar is surprisingly empty around this time, with the only people there being the three women, the bartender, and someone in the back rooms.

Cheryl and Toni are drinking, with Veronica sitting next to them. Cheryl asks Veronica if she and Toni ever took to drinking before, and they admit they did this after being raped by the Black Mask. She tells them that she took to drinking after Rachel’s death and Sauron’s defeat, but stopped after Abby found out about it and told her not to. Cheryl says that there is no reason “we women can’t have a little fun” Toni asks Cheryl about her bisexuality. Cheryl says that she feels free to be disobey “old hags like my mother” and date whomever she wants. She adds that those who try to physically stop her usually get “an arrow up their ass”

Toni admires Cheryl’s sass and bitchiness, and Veronica says that she’s surprised Cheryl isn’t a bully with all of that in her. Cheryl admits that she did used to be a bully a while back, but stopped when she repeatedly got to detention and in trouble with her parents. Cheryl tells him that her dad, Clifford, was the good parent and Penelope is the bad. She says that it’s so unfair that while Jason and Clifford are dead and gone, Penelope gets to make other people’s lives a living hell, while Cheryl has to live knowing she will come back for her one day. Cheryl admits that this infuriates her, and expresses her wishes to kill her mother so that she can find people to love that won’t betray her and treat her like dirt.

Toni says that she wouldn’t treat Cheryl like dirt, and she would treat her as if she were her lover. Seeing tension, Veronica asks Cheryl why she punched out that thug that insulted Toni before she could. Cheryl says “Because he insulted my girlfr-my friend” Toni and Veronica exchange a glance, knowing what she was going to say. Veronica tells Cheryl and Toni that she would never stand in the way of Toni dating someone she loves, and personally likes bisexual people. Cheryl smiles and says “That is VERY good to hear”

Veronica then notices that the sign on the wall has been switched to close, even though the bar is open. She tells the bartender, who turns around, which reveals that he is actually SCOTT in disguise. The women recognize Scott, who pulls out a crossbow and tells them that he’s sorry to have to do this, but they shouldn’t attacked his dad’s arms cache. The three women attempt to flee, but Walter emerges from the back room with a spear, which he throws towards Toni. However, Veronica pushes Toni out of the way and the spear hits her chest, and pierces her heart.

Toni screams “MOMMY!” as Veronica collapses and weakly breathes before stopping. Veronica Topaz, mother of Toni Topaz, is dead. Toni is devastated and starts to sob. Walter tells Scott to shoot Toni. He aims his crossbow at her, but hesitates. Scott is clearly remorseful and doesn’t want to shoot someone who just lost her mother. This gives Cheryl time to tackle him, and they go into the back room. Walter groans in annoyance and walks over to stab Cheryl with a machete. However, Toni suddenly leaps up and stabs Walter in the back of the shoulder with a small hidden knife.

Walter screams out and throws Toni off of him. He pulls out a handgun from his pocket, but Toni leaps behind a desk. Walter goes there, but finds her gone. Toni is slowly and stealthily crawling through the tables, waiting for another opportunity to stab Walter. Walter says that he will find Toni, kill her, and then give Cheryl “a good butchering, better than I did your mom” Walter starts looking under the tables and desks. It’s a tense scene (For how this would go, I took it from a video game boss, click here to see what this looks like: ).

Eventually, Walter looks at Scott, who is getting repeatedly slapped by Cheryl, and yells at him to fight back. Scott replies that he doesn’t like hitting women, but he’ll do it if he has to. He reluctantly pushes back and starts to fight Cheryl, who is clearly better than him. Walter calls Scott a loser and goes to help him, only to get stabbed in the side by Toni. Now even more furious, Walter proceeds to slash around in a rather blind rage with his machete, yelling “RUN LITTLE RABBIT!” He wrecks a table in the process, and Toni hides again.

As he searches, Cheryl is proceeding to overpower Scott, who says that he doesn’t wanna fight. Cheryl states he and his brother are literally trying to kill them. Scott tells her that he’d like to take her alive, and he’s “seen enough violence” Cheryl says that his dad started it, and she won’t fall for his tricks. She tells him that if he really wants to stop, he’d run away. Scott says that Cottonmouth would beat him if he did that. Cheryl, at this point, stops attacking and asks what Scott is trying to say anyway. Scott replies that Walter and Cottonmouth are making him to do this, but he doesn’t know if he can anymore.

Meanwhile, Walter continues searching for Toni, who is getting ready to jump out and stab him again. Walter proposes that if she comes out, he’ll make her death less painful. Toni thinks to herself “Yeah, go fuck yourself” Walter, to get her to come out, points to Veronica’s body and says that she should have enjoyed the Black Mask’s rape. He says that Toni’s mother was “a stupid bitch” and proceeds to kick her corpse. Quickly, Toni screams “FUCK YOU!” and jumps on Walter’s back and stabs the knife into his chest. Walter screams out and throws Toni off. He removes the knife, but is in huge pain from doing so.

Toni jumps on him and starts clawing at his face. Walter punches her repeatedly, but Toni is too full of adrenaline and anger from her mom’s death to stop. Walter barely gets her off with a headbutt. He tries to grab for the knife, but Toni grabs Walter’s own machete and slams it into his face, before hacking his head in. Walter Stokes, foster brother of Scott Stokes, and son of Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes, is dead. Scott screams in anguish when he sees the machete slam in his brother’s face being hacked in. Toni, who is covered with Walter’s blood, glares silently at Scott. Cheryl is rather surprised by Toni’s ruthlessness and apparent bloodlust.

Scott proceeds to run away in terror and sadness. Toni starts to go after him, but Cheryl holds her back, telling her that they’ve won. Toni resists at first, but gives up and proceeds to cry for her mother. Cheryl helps comfort Toni. As they do so, Scott looks at the girls through a window, brings up his crossbow and considers firing it, knowing that Cottonmouth will be pissed that Walter died with no success. However, Scott decides not to, and resumes his retreat. As Cheryl and Toni hug each other, Scott runs off through an alleyway and wonders how he is going to be able to explain this to his adoptive father. Cut to black.

The Mourning Rage
We open on the Black Mask inside Bennington’s Paradise. He is going to the basement and taking out a key. He rips out a piece of the wall, which is revealed to be fake, and hiding a door. The Black mask unlocks the door and enters the room. Inside, we see that the entire floor is painted to look like a chess board, and there are human sized black and white chess pieces, just like a chess game. Tone is one black piece, and he is a knocked down Rook. The Black Mask remarks that Shades is still ready for the offense, and looks at the 2nd Rook, which has Shades' name on it. The Black Mask then examines the black king and queen, which is Cottonmouth and him. He then spots the Bishops, who are Walter and Mariah.

The Black Mask laments that he did not spend all these years making this chess board just to be overthrown. Just then, Mariah walks in. She notices the name “The Black Mask” is written on the queen and asks why she’s not in it. The Black Mask asks why she deserves to be queen. Mariah says that she was a huge funder for LOGS before she had to shut down her political campaign. The Black Mask states that Mariah isn’t a killer, and that is her problem. Mariah says that at least she doesn’t alienate her allies, unlike “What Cornell just did half an hour ago”

We then flashback to half an hour ago at the Bennington Paradise, where we find Cottonmouth in his office sitting in his desk. Just then, a frantic and horrified Scott runs in and collapses to the floor from running too much. Cottonmouth quickly jumps out of his seat and approaches Scott, before helping him up and asking what went down. Scott falls silent, which makes Cottonmouth, who returns back to his desk, slam his fist on that desk in anger. Scared, Scott quickly blurts out that Walter is dead. Having only caught some of that, Cottonmouth demands that Scott resay what he just said. Scott slowly says the words “It’s Walter… He’s dea-”, but Cottonmouth interrupts him from finishing by exploding into anger.

Cottonmouth jumps from his chair and demands to know how it happened. Scott sobs to Cottonmouth that Walter killed Veronica, and Cheryl and Toni came after him, and killed him. He cries as he admits that he could’ve stopped it happening, but wasn’t strong enough. Cottonmouth screams at Scott, furious at him letting his brother die, before flipping his desk, which makes Scott cry harder as he falls to the floor. Seeing Scott on the floor, Cottonmouth marches up to him and kicks him in the chest, before grabbing him and throwing him across the room. As he does this, Cottonmouth laments that Scott is a useless piece of shit, who has done nothing but cause problems for him.

He marches back over to Scott, who tries to run away. Cottonmouth dives on Scott and punches him several times, before slamming his head on the floor twice, enough to make him be in too much pain to move, but not enough to kill him. Cottonmouth continues to beat him as Scott cries for help. Cottonmouth, seeing that Scott is gonna die if he continues, stops and tells Scott that death’s too good a punishment for him, before adding that he’s going to be punished in a way that will make him (Cottonmouth) very happy. Scott asks how, to which Cottonmouth tells Scott that he’s no longer welcome at LOGs, before grabbing him once more.

He kicks the door to his office open, before marching to the main entrance, which he throws Scott out of. Cottonmouth announces that Scott is unworthy of being anyone’s son, before advising him to go hang himself, saying nobody will accept him. He then shuts the door and walks away, leaving his adoptive son alone forever. Scott lays on the ground at the bottom of the ground; broken and alone. He sobs to himself as he crawls away. Scott no longer has a family with him. He’s lost his foster brother, and his adoptive father blames him for it. In the distance, we see that Mariah was watching all of this. She shows no pity for Scott either, and simply walks away.

Back in present day, The Black Mask kicks a pawn off the chess board, which has Scott’s name written on it. The Black Mask explains to Mariah that Scott was merely a pawn, and Walter’s death and Scott’s banishing might help them in the long run. He tells her that it makes Cottonmouth more ruthless, now that he has less to live for, and it makes him less distracted by his past. Mariah asks what ranking she is at on the board, and the Black Mask shows that she is a Bishop. He tells her that she helped make Cottonmouth who was, by ensuring that he wasn’t respected in his youth.

Just then, Shades comes in. As he does, Mariah states that she doesn’t need lecturing about her role, and maybe she should “get a bit higher” The Black Mask tilts his head in amusement. As he leaves, Shades asks the Black Mask where he’s ranked. The Black Mask shows that he is a Rook, which satisfies Shades. The Black Mask asks how Shades got around to this type of work, adding that he’s curious. Taking off his sunglass, Shades recalls how “I didn’t have shit, and I grew up on the streets” He says that he had no chance of having a good life a few decades ago, since even then Bennington was crime ridden.

However, he talks about Mama Mabel Stokes (Mariah and Cottonmouth’s grandmother), and explains that her gang was thriving even back then. Shades explains that he found a career then and states that his actions are justified in a way. The Black Mask tilts his head, saying “Do tell” Shades says that working as a hitman earned him money, and he does what he does to survive “the Game” Shades says that he rolled up with Cottonmouth around the late 2000’s, though he did get arrested twice for minor incidents. He also tells the Black Mask that once Cottonmouth entered LOGS, Shades researched the survivors in case they reformed Surfack, which is why he was suspicious of Abby back in episode 2.

Just then, Turk appears out of nowhere and asks what his rank is. The Black Mask says that he really should have closed the door, before saying that Turk is a pawn. Turk is horrified and angered by this. He says that he deserves to be the King, at least. The Black Mask laughs, before adding that he’s lucky Turk is even on this board at all. Turk flexes out his arms and tells them to look at his muscles, and Shades puts on his sunglasses and just smirks, since Turk’s muscles are extremely small. Turk says that he’ll prove himself by thwarting Surfack’s attack on the next arms cache. The Black Mask replies “Good luck, Surfack meat”

As Turk leaves, The Black Mask goes to the white side of the chess board (which represents Surfack). He goes to a Knight with Veronica’s name on it and kicks it off. The Black Mask then says “One down, seven to go” and chuckles. He then tells Shades that he has “a proposal” on how to take care of the next Surfack. Shades says that he’s listening, adding that it’s about time he was given more to do. Meanwhile, Cottonmouth is proceeding to play a sad tune on a piano. He’s actually pretty good at playing it. He says to himself that his family does like abandoning each other, and we cut a flashback several decades ago. We see Stokes as a little baby, in the arms of his mother, Jasmine Stokes.

Jasmine is driving over to a house with Stokes, who is asleep in a baby carriage. She drives up to a house, knocks on a door, and leaves. After Jasmine leaves, Mama Mabel opens it and finds her grandson in the carriage and a note. The note, which is from Jasmine, is asking Mabel to take care of Stokes for her, since she cannot. The note states that Jasmine’s husband (and Stokes’ father), Bobby, recently died and she isn’t able to take care of Stokes. Mama Mabel decides to take in her grandson, and she tells the sleeping baby that one day, he’ll be just like her and the rest of the family. Thus, Cottonmouth lives her, Mariah and his Uncle Pete, setting up the rest of the backstory.

Back in present day, at the House of Surfack, we see a barefoot Elena waiting in the training room for somebody. She is stretching out her legs, getting ready. Just then, Nathan comes in, and Elena asks “Ready for another trashing from a bird?” Nathan says that he held back last time, but this time he won’t. Elena says that the Black Canary likes a challenge, before cracking her knuckles. She tells Nathan to hit her as hard as he can. Nathan says that she asked for it, before punching her in the stomach and kicking her in the side. He throws a few more punches and kicks, most of which Elena skillfully dodges.

Nathan eventually lands a punch on Elena’s forehead hard enough to knock her down. He asks if that was too much. Elena says that was actually a really good punch. She tells Nathan that he did a great job, but now it’s her time. Nathan tells her to do her worst. Elena says “Ok” before punching Nathan in the chest and launching two roundhouse kicks at his head, which he dodges. Elena then kicks out Nathan’s legs and gets on top of him again. Elena gets close to Nathan’s face and says if he has any tricks, now’s the time to use them. Nathan says “I’ll use my head” before head-butting Elena off of him. He does it as softly as possible though.

They both get up, and Elena launches her foot into Nathan's chest, knocking him against the wall. Nathan and Elena block each others attacks, until Elena issues a time out. As they catch their breath, Elena says that Nathan is a great fighter without his guns. Nathan states that Elena is great too, and they’ve been even better whenever they’ve partnered up over their time in Surfack. Elena and Nathan walk closer to each other. She smirks and tells Nathan that there is a third thing she likes to use other than her hands and feet. When Nathan asks what it is, Elena replies “My lips” Nathan says “Me too” before pulling Elena into a kiss. They proceed to laugh.

Just then, Nathan and Elena hear a scream and a cry for help. They rush to the entrance, and are joined by Cage, Abby and Oliver. Once there, they find Cheryl carrying in a bloodied and crying Toni. As they seat Toni down, Cheryl informs everyone that Walter and Scott attacked them, and Veronica and Walter were both killed. Oliver asks what happened to Scott, and Cheryl answers that he ran away. Toni says that she made Walter pay, as she continues to cry. The others are clearly saddened by Veronica’s death, although they are slightly glad that they did manage to get rid of Walter.

Abby and Cage go in another room to talk privately about this. Abby says that she’s never seen Cheryl so depressed, except for when Rachel died. Cage says that this must is because that Cheryl really has started to fall in love with Toni, and is sad at her misery. Abby mentions about how Cheryl wanted someone to love after Rachel died, and Cage admits that it’s similar to his goals to “reconnect” with Abby. Abby says that it’s time that Cage gave her some answers about their close friendship. Cage agrees and asks Abby if Pop ever told her about his long-lost son, aka Claire Temple’s brother. Abby says yes, and Cage reveals that he IS Pop and Sally’s son, meaning that HE IS ABBY’S UNCLE!

Abby is taken aback by this. Cage proceeds to explain that Pop wanted to him to join Tarvender, but he refused and ran away from home. For a time, Cage grew up in the streets, and went to prison a few times. Eventually, he met Joe, who gave him work at the barbershop. He mentions that Joe grew up from living on the streets with Cottonmouth and became a respected figure in the neighborhood, and Cottonmouth refused to target him because of their connection. This is how the barbershop become the “Switzerland” or safe zone of Bennington in its crime ridden days, until now. Cage states that Joe always wanted to bring people out of the worst and give them brighter futures.

He also mentions that this is why Joe was like a father figure to him, and Cage decides to eventually join Surfack. When he heard about Abby and Pop, Cage decided that it was time he met his nieces and try to make what was left of his family good. He apologizes to Abby for not being able to arrive sooner and save Melody from Pop. Abby tells Cage that it’s alright, and she’s glad that he never went evil like Pop and Sally did. She does ask why he waited so long to tell her. Cage admits that he was nervous about her reaction at seeing that one other person in her family was alive.

Abby admits that she is quite surprised, but she understands and will welcome Cage to her side like she did when she first joined Surfack. They proceed to share a hug, and the uncle/niece bond between Abby and Cage is officially established. Back at the main room, Cheryl proceeds to comfort Toni about Veronica’s death, saying that she’s here for her. Toni tells Cheryl that Veronica loved her like nothing else, and she wouldn’t even let her go into Surfack unless she joined too. Just then, they get a knock on the door. Oliver, not wanting to let this interrupt anyone, opens the door himself. He sees an injured and bloody Scott, who proceeds to weakly say “Hi” before collapsing into unconsciousness. Cut to black.

How to Trust
We open on the House of Surfack, where Scott is waking up. He discovers himself to be in the confessional room of the church. Scott goes to leave and finds all 7 Surfacks on the other side of the door. He says “Hi” again and thanks them for not killing him on the spot. Oliver says that they were in the middle of mourning of their own when Scott showed up, so he better have a good reason for coming here. Scott tells them all about Cottonmouth kicking him out of LOGS and shows them his injuries at proof. Cage says that this looks convincing, and Scott was always the merciful one out of the brothers.

Oliver asks why Cottonmouth beat him, and Scott tells him that he was blamed for Walter’s death. He says that he’s always been abused and just wants to get away from it all. Scott insists that he honestly didn’t have anywhere else to go except here. Elena asks what he’s trying to say, and Scott reveals that he wants to join Surfack. Everyone looks at each other in surprise and confusion, unsure what to do. Toni says that she doesn’t trust him, and Nathan agrees. Cheryl disagrees. Elena advises that they keep Scott locked up in the room until they figure out what to with him. Everyone decides that is their best option.

Oliver tells Scott to stay in there for now, and if he doesn’t try to escape, they might trust him. Scott goes back inside and sits on a box, silently. The Surfacks talk about what to do with Scott. Toni and Nathan admit that they don’t trust him, while Cheryl and Abby do. Oliver, Cage and Elena are unsure whether to trust him or not. Abby says that they can’t let this take up their time, since they still have a war to fight. Cage says that Abby is right, and there are still arms caches that need to be taken out. Oliver decides to assign Cage and Abby to take out the one in the water filtration plant. He tells them to call if they need backup.

As Cage and Abby leave, Oliver says that they’ll take a vote on whether to accept Scott or not later. Cheryl talks with Toni about Scott. Toni tells Cheryl that they can’t just accept him into LOGS after what he did yesterday. Cheryl reminds Toni that Walter is the one who killed Veronica, and Toni got her revenge. She admits that she would have done the same thing, if "my mom wasn't such a piece of shit" Toni asks why she is so accepting of Scott. Cheryl says that while “my wrath is infinite” she directs it towards the people responsible. Toni says that Scott was trying to kill them, but Cheryl tells Toni that if Scott really killed Veronica or her, things would be different, but he didn’t.

She tells her that Scott is a victim of abuse, like her, and he wants to be free from it and find a family, like they have. Toni appears to be listening, but asks for more time to think about accepting Scott. Cheryl understands and says that she’s always here if Toni needs her. Toni proceeds to kiss Cheryl when she’s about to leave, saying that she needed that. Cheryl smirks and says that she probably needed it too. She tells her that it’s been so long since Rachel died, and she leaves. Meanwhile, Elena, Oliver and Nathan talk about whether or not to accept Scott.

Nathan brings up the possibility that Cottonmouth could have purposely injured Scott to sell the deception. Elena and Oliver realize that this could be true, but Elena says that Scott looked genuinely like he wanted to join. Oliver asks how he knows. Elena says that they all know what it feels like to lose family and want to be loved again, and she saw that look on Scott. Nathan admits that his loses aren’t as great as the rest of them, so Elena and Oliver would know more than him. He tells them that he just fears Scott potentially being a spy. They wonder about this.

We cut to Abby and Cage, who are entering a sewer tunnel to head for the water filtration plant arms cache. Cage says that he has a map of the sewers, and the tunnel that leads to the filtration plant should be just down the left. As they are about to enter the tunnel, they notice a bright red light, which Cage interprets as the beam of a sniper rifle. Abby listens in carefully and hears a faint voice, saying that “I’m standing guard, no way is anyone getting past me” Abby says that it’s definitely a sniper, and Cage realizes that they need to find a way past him.

They look for a way to get to the other side of the tunnel without being seen, and Abby notices some floor grates. Since only she can fit, Abby goes in and crawls through the floor grates. The grates ultimately lead her to the other side of the tunnel, below the sniper’s position, which is somewhat high up. Abby stealthily climbs up there using a ladder and approaches the sniper to take him out. However, the sniper is able to detect Abby behind him and tries to shoot her. Abby and the sniper start wrestling for the rifle, which ends with Abby shoving the sniper off the balcony. He falls to the floor with a hollow THUMP, meaning that he’s fallen to his death.

Abby climbs down and meets ups with Cage. He tells her that was a good job neutralizing that sniper. They then go through a door, which leads them down a hallway and another set of doors. Hearing voices, Abby and Cage proceed to eavesdrop on what’s happening inside. Inside the arms cache room, Turk is there and is telling the other three black thugs, Zip, Koko, and Amos, in there that he’s finished cleaning the bathrooms. He asks for his pay. Zip proceeds to hand him what he says is a one thousand dollar bill. Turk states that he is rich and dances in glee, unaware that it is actually fake.

Just then, Abby and Cage burst in, much to Turk’s horror and surprise. He says that he’ll let the other thugs handle them. Zip tells Amos to go deal with Cage, since he has a reputation for powerful punches. Amos then goes to punch Cage, only for Cage to block with the power gauntlets. Ultimately, punching the gauntlet so hard causes Amos’ hand to break. Amos screams in unspeakable pain, at which point Cage punches him unconscious. Undeterred, Koko picks up a baseball bat and tries to hit Cage in the head with it. Cage blocks with the gauntlet, causing that bat to break in half, and tosses Koko against the wall.

Zip then pulls out a handgun to shoot Cage. Cage grabs the gun as Zip pulls the trigger, but the bullet lands harmlessly against the gauntlet. Cage then grabs and bends the gun with the gauntlets. Zip says that Cage might be strong, but he bets “the little lady (Abby)” is a wimp. Abby then proceeds to charge at Zip and kick him in the stomach and side. Zip lands a punch across Abby’s face, but she is hardly phased and just tilts her head in amusement. Abby kicks out Zip’s legs, causing him to fall. She then jumps on his chest and punches him in the face several times, which knocks him out. Cage then looks at Turk, who is horrified by the beatdowns, and asks “You want some?”

Turk looks at the thousand dollar bill he got and notices that it’s a fake. He then says “I don’t even like these niggers, man!” and proceeds to stagger out of the room. Abby and Cage high five and unlock the vault door to where the guns are stored. Cage plants a remote explosive inside of it, and closes the vault door to contain the blast. Abby then detonates the remote explosive, destroying the second arms cache. Cage says “Two down, two go” and he and Abby leave. A half hour later, Shades arrives at the scene. He says that Cottonmouth hates failures. Shades proceeds to shoot the unconscious Koko, Amos and Zip in the head, killing them all for failing. Shades then walks away as if nothing happened.

We cut to Bennington’s Paradise, where Cottonmouth is again playing the piano. Then, the screen zooms on the piano, and we are taken back decades earlier in a flashback, with Cottonmouth, who is called Cornell due to his young age, as a teenager, playing the piano for his Uncle Pete Stokes. Pete asks if he ever writes the lyrics down, to which Cornell replies that it’s all in his head. Just then, Mama Mabel comes in, and Pete tells her that Cornell is “a damn prodigy” Mabel replies that “the prodigy” needs to keep it down, since Mariah is studying.

Pete states that all he is saying is that Cornell should be in school, not Mariah. Mabel says that she makes the choices here, not Pete, and she will choose how her grandchildren will grow up. She then states that it’s time to “take out the trash” and tells Pete and Cornell to come to the dinner table. Cornell sighs, not wanting to come, but Mabel forces him to. She takes off a white bag off of a tied up guys’ head. Mabel tells the tied up person, Donnie, that stealing from them is a very bad idea. Just then, Mariah comes back down and says that she’s finished studying.

She notices Donnie tied up, but knows about the family’s life of crime and doesn’t question it. Donnie tells Mabel to “let me go, or your old ass is gonna feel the he-“ Mabel, not letting him finish, grabs his hand and cuts one of his fingers off with the shears she'd been using to trim roses. Donnie screams out in pain as Mabel tells Mariah go back upstairs. Cornell tries to leave too, but Mabel says “Uh-uh, not you. You stay right there, Cornell. It’s time you grew up, take out this trash (Donnie)” Pete disagrees, saying that Cornell isn’t ready. Mabel replies “Well, he needs to learn how to piss standin up”

Pete drags Donnie to the floor and begins beating him while Donnie screams and begs for mercy. Cornell is disturbed, but Mabel pushes him forward and tells him to join his Uncle Pete. Reluctantly, Cornell joins Pete in beating Donnie to death. Cornell comes back into the room after a moment with bloody hands. He sits at his piano. Pete comes up to him and tells him that he’s sorry, and he wanted to introduce him to this later. Cornell asks “Why me?” Pete explains that he wanted Cornell to be the one to graduate from school, be a future politician, and not be a gangster.

Mabel, however, disagreed and made Cornell the future heir of the gang, while Mariah was set to be a behind the scenes worker. Pete tells Cornell that “the bitch (Mariah)” should have taken Cornell’s job and proceeds to hug his nephew. Cornell appears to enjoy it. Clearly, Uncle Pete is the only relative that really cares about young Cornell and simply wants what’s best for him. He even hates Mariah because of jealously for getting the life he wanted Cornell to have. Cornell sees Uncle Pete as his last beacon of hope, and little does he know, it will come crashing down.

A year later, we see Pete being held at gunpoint by Cornell, who is with Mariah and Mabel. Pete asks what exactly is happening here, and Mariah reveals that Pete has been molesting her, which horrifies Cornell. He asks his uncle “Why?” Pete says that Mabel and Mariah have taken the life that Cornell should have gotten, and he’s trying to make Mariah pay. Mabel says that she sent Mariah over to college because of the abuse Pete has been giving her, but that’s not the main reason this is happening. Mabel explains that Pete has been making side deals with gang rivals behind her back, so she orders Cornell to execute Pete for molesting Mariah and betraying her.

Cornell aims his handgun at his uncle, but is extremely distraught at the thought of pulling the trigger. Pete is the only adult in his family left that really loves him. Pete, in an effort to save himself, says “You don't have to do this, Cornell. And all that talent you have? What are you doing? You're not built for this. Why do you think I pay for all those lessons, man? You can be something better than all of us.” Mariah screams at Cornell to do it, and Pete insists that the molesting was “Just a game” Cornell reluctantly shoots his uncle twice in the chest, killing him. Mabel takes the gun out his hands and tells him “You know the rules. Family First. Always” Cornell solemnly replies “Yes ma’am” and turns away, holding back tears.

Back in present day, Cottonmouth is playing the piano when a furious Mariah bursts in. She says that they just lost the 2nd arms cache. Cottonmouth is surprised at that, and Mariah reveals that Shades executed the thugs, instead of rescuing them. Cottonmouth says that failure needs to be punished. Mariah says that maybe Mama Mabel picked the wrong person to lead. Cottonmouth shoves Mariah backwards and asks what she would know of gang life. Mariah yells that since day one, they’ve been losing, and Cottonmouth’s an emotional mess. Cottonmouth proceeds to start a rant.

COTTONMOUTH: Mama Mabel, Mama Mabel! Go on with that shit. All the things I could've did with my life, my music! But who does she send to that uppity-ass boarding school? You. She put you in school and forced me to run the streets, when I could have done SO MUCH MORE! (Mariah mentions Pete molesting her). You know damn well what that woman made me do. I was 14 years old. FUCKING 14! Uncle Pete was the only one who ever had my back. My daddy died and my mama threw me away because she wasn’t ready. Mama Mabel was always sheltering YOU, protecting YOU, and for WHAT? All that education, and you just as shady as me.

Mariah says that Uncle Pete betrayed them, and all Cottonmouth does is whine and whine. Cottonmouth, now truly furious, says that Pete’s death was pointless and states “I saw the way you used to look at him when you were little” Mariah slaps Cottonmouth, but he continues on, and he accuses her of actually wanting the sex from Pete and enjoyed being molested by him. Disgusted at such an accusation being made against her regarding her abuse, Mariah grabs a bottle and hits her cousin with it on the head.

She starts pushing and shoving him, hoping to force him out the window of his own club, completely driven by blind anger, at being accused of wanting the sexual abuse she had suffered as a child. However, Cottonmouth, being a strong man, fights back and shoves Mariah out the window instead. Cottonmouth goes down to where the injured Mariah is desperately attempting to crawl away, although she still screams that she didn’t want it. Cottonmouth yells that he doesn’t care anymore, and she and his family ruined any chance that he had for a good life.

Looking down at Mariah, the woman who got the life he wanted and the cousin that always belittles him, Cottonmouth then proceeds to beat her to death with a microphone stand. Cottonmouth hits his cousin in the face and body until he crushes her bones and renders her as a bloody corpse on the stage. Mariah Dillard, cousin of Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes, and granddaughter of Mama Mabel Stokes, is dead. Cottonmouth tosses the microphone stand aside and looks at his cousin’s corpse. Suddenly, hears someone entering the room and clapping, and turns to find the Black Mask standing there.

He tells Cottonmouth that he made the right decision by killing Mariah. When Cottonmouth asks why he likes this, the Black Mask reveals that he pushed Mariah to this confrontation, so that Cottonmouth would kill her. He asserts that Cottonmouth has finally embraced his desire on revenge on those who ruined his life, but he cannot do anything to reverse it now. Cottonmouth replies “Sad, but true” The Black Mask states that now that Cottonmouth has cut off all emotional connections, it’s time for him to unleash his true ruthlessness, and he has a plan for that. Cottonmouth asks what his plan is, and the Black Mask proceeds to chuckle.

Just then, we have a flashfoward of most of the Surfacks mourning for someone in episode 10, staging a memorial in the House of Surfack. However, there is one Surfack missing, and we realize that the person they are mourning is a dead Surfack. Oliver proceeds to lay down flowers on the memorial and say that no matter what happens, they will keep fighting for them. Whomever this Surfack is, they were clearly very loved. Cut to black.

An Honorable Exit
We open on the House of Surfack the next morning, where Oliver is talking privately to Scott in the confessional booth. Scott thanks Oliver for giving him a mattress to sleep on last night. Oliver asks Scott how he was adopted into Cottonmouth’s family. Scott says that his biological parents didn’t want him, but Cottonmouth brought him up. Scott tells Oliver that Cottonmouth’s reason for him was because Walter wanted a partner when he was out killing, as well as other things. He then admits that Walter never really bonded with him and the family came abusive towards him very fast. Scott recounts being blamed for a lot of things, including Walter’s death. Oliver asks if Scott ever killed anyone.

Scott says that there was only time he killed someone, and that was one year ago. He explains that LOGS chief chemist, Gasface, tested out a temporary mind control drug on him and commanded him to go kill someone. Oliver asks if he knows who, and Scott tells him the name, but it’s censored out with a "BLEEP" for spoilers. Oliver’s eyes go wide when he hears it. Seeing Oliver’s concern, Scott makes an apology for that, trying to kill Cheryl and Toni with Walter, and for anything else he’s done. Scott asks for a second chance. Oliver tells Scott that they can’t mention that he killed "BLEEP" to anyone else, as they would instantly vote to kill Scott if that happened.

Scott asks how his victim is related to the others, and Oliver says that they’ll talk about later. Scott then pleads with Oliver to convince the others to let him prove himself, and also reveals that he knows the location of the other two arms caches. Oliver asks to know them. Scott tells them that the 3rd is in an apartment complex called Fort Knox, owned by Cottonmouth. He adds that the fourth is in Cottonmouth’s mansion, recommending that they save that for last since it could be the final battle. Oliver asks what Fort Knox is like.

Scott explains that "Fort Knox is like a fortress. I mean, they got concrete walls, cats with machine guns, machetes, dark hallways. One entrance, one exit. It's like a beehive of misery." Oliver asks how LOGS got that much security, and Scott explains that it’s NOT exactly LOGS itself they are dealing with. Scott says that Cottonmouth’s faction is more like a crime gag, rather than a league of murderers, which is why he has seen more thugs than masked killers. Oliver asks where the final arms cache is, and Scott reveals that it’s in Cottonmouth’s mansion outside of town, along with his remaining money. He says that they should save that for last, since that could be the final battle. Oliver agrees and thanks Scott for telling him, saying that they are going to vote now.

Scott and Oliver come up and arrange a meeting with all of the other Surfacks. Oliver says that he is going to ask them all one by one if they accept Scott, and if everyone says yes, Scott is in. He starts with his own vote, which is yes, then asks Cheryl and Toni, both of whom say yes. Oliver then asks Cage and Abby, both of whom say yes, which leaves only Elena and Nathan. Oliver asks them for their vote. Elena says that she trusts Scott, so she’s voting yes, and everyone looks at Nathan. Nathan says that he’s tempted to vote no, but because everyone else seems to believe Scott can be trusted, he’ll respect their opinion and vote yes. Oliver announces that Scott is a Surfack then.

A very happy Scott proceeds to hug Oliver very tightly and thank him repeatedly for accepting him. Oliver somewhat sarcastically says "Need…air…" and Scott stops hugging him so tightly so he can breathe. Elena asks what their next move will be, and Oliver and Scott tell everyone about Fort Knox. Nathan says that they are going to need everything they’ve got when they go in there. Scott tells them that Fort Knox is divided into two defensive sections: the lower floor thugs are all armed with guns, and the upper floor thugs are armed with machetes, clubs, and other melee weapons. Cage says that they are all going to need to bring firearms if they have any chance of getting past the lower floor thugs, which they agree.

Abby asks when they will be doing this, and Oliver says that the raid begins tomorrow night. He then disperses the group and says that they’ll talk more about strategy tomorrow. As everyone walks off, Toni and Cheryl leave together. Toni tells Cheryl if she’s sure that they could handle Fort Knox. Cheryl states "I didn’t survive all this shit just to get gunned down by hobos" Toni says that Cheryl’s sassiness never leaves her, even in the most serious of situations. Cheryl tells her that she can serious sometimes, but sassiness is just what Cheryl Blossom is. Toni says that she likes that about Cheryl. They kiss again.

As they walk back to Cheryl’s apartment, Cheryl says that to be honest, she didn’t think she would find anyone else to love after Rachel died. Once they are inside, Toni admits that she didn’t think anyone would accept her bisexuality other than her mother, then she met Surfack. Cheryl and Toni agree that they’ve found a new family, one that loves and cares about each other. They hold hands. Cheryl asks Toni if she would like to have some fun. Toni smirks and tells Cheryl to bring it. They take off their clothes and go on Cheryl’s bed. They start having sex, kissing each other a lot. Toni and Cheryl look very happy while doing this. It’s obvious that by now, they really do love each other.

Meanwhile, Cottonmouth is in a meeting in his office with Shades and the Black Mask, who gets a text from General Akanthus. The text says that Scott has just agreed to join Surfack, which Akanthus saw. The Black Mask tells Cottonmouth and Shades. Shades realizes that this means they are going into Fort Knox, but Cottonmouth is confident that if they try to swarm the place, they will be gunned down. The Black Mask recommends that a sentry gun be installed in the entrance just in case, which Cottonmouth agrees. They then talk about Scott’s betrayal and what to do about it.

Cottonmouth says that he probably should have killed Scott when he was beating him, but he doubts Scott will be of much use to Surfack. He authorizes the Black Mask to begin his plan, and he calls someone. Cottonmouth asks Shades if he’s ready to do some killing. Shades says that he hasn’t had a challenge like this one in a long time. He does warn Cottonmouth about how Cage will feel when this is done. Cottonmouth states that it will be his downfall. Shades takes a look at his boss, and sees that he’s becoming less emotional now.

Cottonmouth says that he took the Black Mask’s advice to heart. He tells Shades that Walter’s dead, Scott’s defected, Pete’s long dead, and now Mariah is gone. So, he doesn’t have nothing to care about other than his success, and that’s what he’s focusing on. Shades looks impressed by the display, seeing that Cottonmouth is becoming as cold and unremorseful as any other killer would now after killing Mariah. Cottonmouth tells him no more weakness. He gets up and stands in front of the biggie photo, symbolizing him as king again.

We cut to Abby and Cage, who are hanging out in the latter’s house that night. Cage is getting ready to go to bed, and so is Abby (She’s staying at Cage’s house since the Black Mask blew up her apartment). Cage tells Abby that when they raid Fort knox, she should stay behind him. Abby tells Cage that she has handle herself. Cage says that he’s just worried. Abby tells Cage that they only have each other as a family, so she understands. She asks Cage to promise her something if she doesn’t survive. Cage asks what. Abby tells Cage to keep fighting, and she’ll do the same if Cage dies.

She says that she would have done it had Cage actually did in the Papa Ginos explosion, and Cage says that he would do the same, but he doesn’t want her to go either way. Abby and Cage hug each other, saying that they are family. Cage says that they may have not been able to have peace like Joe wanted, but they can still obtain it by defeating LOGS. Abby tells Cage that they’ll do it, and decides it’s time to sleep. Cage tells her that there is a bed in the other room that she can use. Abby thanks Cage and leaves the room. However, when she goes inside her room, she finds Akanthus standing inside. He quickly jumps on Abby and injects her with a sedative before she has a chance to react. Akanthus then puts Abby on his shoulders, and runs off with her.

At around midnight, Abby wakes up on the Bennington’s Paradise roof, where she is greeted by Cottonmouth, Shades, the Black Mask, Akanthus, and ELEKTRA NATCHIOS, who is slightly older than last we saw her in Crusade of the Shadow Captains. Elektra tells her dad (Akanthus) that the bloodlust is killing her right now. Akanthus tells her to just give him a moment. Abby asks what’s happening here. Cottonmouth and Akanthus tell her that they’ve kidnapped her, and she’s going to die on this rooftop. Abby says "Easier said than done" The Black Mask states that he is quite aware of that.

He tells her that this is why he asked Akanthus and Elektra to come down, and points out a weapons rack beside Abby, who proceeds to grab a machete. Since Akanthus is closest to her, Abby slams the machete into Akanthus’ chest. However, the machete gets lodged in the armor and Akanthus appears completely unhurt. He then chuckles, saying that it’s not him Abby will fight. Akanthus then gives a nod, causing Elektra to punch Abby in the face. Akanthus pulls the machete out of his armor and gives Elektra a three minute time limit to killing Abby, just to make this interesting. Elektra says that she’ll have it done in two. Abby says that they’ll see about that. Elektra and Abby take off their shoes and jump at each other.

Elektra lets Abby hit her a few times, wanting to see what she’s got. Abby punches Elektra repeatedly in the face and kicks her in the stomach. Elektra compliments Abby for being talented, but she’s better. Elektra and Abby repeatedly punch each other, then start kicking. Abby gets a solid hit on Elektra’s nose. As she clutches it, Abby spins around and does a hard kick across Elektra’s face. She stands over Elektra and asks how that felt. Elektra feels blood coming out of her nose, and bursts into laughter, as if she likes the pain. Elektra then says "My turn" and launches her foot up, hitting Abby in the face. Elektra jumps back up and asks Akanthus how much time she has. He says that it’s halfway done.

Elektra dodges a kick from Abby and kicks her in the chest. Abby ducks under a roundhouse kick from Elektra and gives her a hard uppercut to the chin. Abby points out that its been two minutes now. Elektra laughs again, and Abby asks "what in fuck’s name is wrong with you?" Elektra says that it’s just so much fun to murder, and feel pain, and inflict it. It’s obvious that Elektra is an extreme sadist, enjoying pain in all of its forms, even when she gets it. Abby says that if she wants pain, she’ll get it. Abby tackles Elektra and begins ripping her hair. Elektra screams and starts doing the same to Abby, saying that nobody touches her hair.

The girls rip out a large portion of each other’s hair, leading Elektra to whine about her bald spot. Abby punches her again while she does. Elektra punches Abby back, and this time it’s hard enough to break her nose. Abby sucks up the pain and Elektra and Abby continue punching each other, very angrily and brutally. Elektra is now finally starting to take this more seriously. Just then, Akanthus announces that time is up. Not wanting the fight to end, and having way too much fun, Elektra screams and begs for another minute to kill "this bitch"

Akanthus says 45 seconds, but no more. Elektra then dodges a spin kick from Abby and tackles her the ground. She repeatedly punches Abby in the face, and Abby does the same to Elektra. When Elektra won’t get off, Abby starts sinking her fingernails into Elektra’s face, which makes her come off. Elektra says that now she’s really ticked off. She kicks Abby hard in the jaw, and does a spin-kick across her face. Blood comes pouring out of Abby’s mouth. Elektra goes for another hit, but Abby elbows Elektra in the face, knocking her down. She goes to stamp on her face, but Elektra grabs her foot and shoves her back.

They take some time to catch their breath, exhausted. Abby and Elektra are just about continue their fight when Akanthus announces that time is up. Elektra screams that she isn’t stopping until Abby’s dead, only for Cottonmouth to shoot her with a tranquilizer. Akanthus says that Elektra will be pissed when she wakes up, but he’ll deal with it. He proceeds to lift Elektra onto his shoulders and says that he’ll let Cottonmouth take over from here.

Once Akanthus and Elektra leave, Shades steps forward and picks up a sword from the weapons rack. Abby picks one up too. Cottonmouth asks her why she decided to accept someone as weak and pathetic as Scott into Surfack. Abby first asks how he knew about that, and he reveals Akanthus saw it. Cottonmouth says "Let’s just say that Akanthus is closer than you think" He then tells her that since Elektra failed, Shades will engage her now.

The Black Mask states that a Rook outranks a pawn, so Abby is dead. Abby says that she isn’t a pawn. After removing his sunglasses, Shades draws his sword and says that if it were up to him, he wouldn't have fought Abby while she was injured, just better that way. Abby appreciates that, but still swings her sword at Shades. The two proceed to swordfight. Abby is exhausted and bloody from her hand to hand combat with Elektra, so she’s trying her hardest, but it’s not enough. Shades slices her arm and Abby screams out. She starts blindly swinging her weapon at Shades, who easily parries her strikes.

Eventually, Shades disarms her, holds his sword at Abby’s throat, and gives her a chance to disarm him, just to be fair. Abby swipes back the blade and elbows Shades in the face, before trying to stab him. However, Shades grabs the sword by the sharp side, which makes his hand bleed. Nevertheless, Shades yanks the sword from Abby and slices her left side open. Abby screams out again. Shades is clearly very skilled with a blade and has done this before (being a professional hitman). Cottonmouth and the Black Mask look on, impressed. Abby tries to punch Shades, but suddenly gasps and a noise is heard. Abby looks down to find that something is in her chest…and then she realizes…

SHADES HAS COMPLETELY IMPALED ABBY THROUGH THE CHEST WITH HIS BLADE!

Shades removes the sword, causing Abby to cough up blood. Abby has lost the swordfight. Shades, Cottonmouth and the Black Mask look at the dying final girl. Cottonmouth says that the Black Mask really is expert in chess, and the Black Mask tells him that another pawn is down. Shades doesn’t finish off Abby just yet, instead opting to give her a few moments to suck it up. Abby proceeds to think back to her past and seek comfort in her final moments.

MONTAGE:

-Abby is meeting and talking with her friends in the 2nd episode of Crusade of the Shadow Captains Season 1. They joke about Garrett’s rice obsession.

-Abby has her first kiss with MIKE DILLARD (her old boyfriend) back in season 1. She still loves him to this day, knowing him being the Black Hand wasn’t his fault.

-Abby is having her dock scene where she faces her fears in season 2. Mike and her sister, MELODY BARRETT, look proud of her.

-Melody is giving Abby her speech about how strong they are in season 3. They hug each other, with Abby crying under her shoulder.

-Abby is having fun with all of her Surfack friends, before the events of the season. She really does feel like she’s found a family she loves.

-Abby and Cage have their hug after Cage reveals himself to be Abby’s uncle. Abby absolutely loves Cage and accepts him as her uncle.

At this point, Abby gets comfortable, accepts her fate, and just shuts her eyes. Shades then kicks her off the roof of Bennington’s Paradise, where she slowly falls below and lands on a car, dying in a similar way that Tone did. Abby Barrett, sister of Melody Barrett, daughter of Claire Temple and Logan Barrett, granddaughter of Pop Temple and Sally Mckeena, and niece of Luke Cage, and final girl of the Crusade of the Shadow Captains trilogy, is dead. Shades turns to Cottonmouth and the Black Mask, who tells Shades this was a job well done. Cottonmouth says that he has officially proven himself better than Sauron, and the Black Mask says that the endgame is here. Smash to black.

Fort Knox
We open right where the last episode left off, with Abby's body falling from the roof of Bennington's Paradise. At this point, Turk is walking out of the building towards his car. He is trying to use it to pick up some pizza that he ordered, only for Abby's falling body to land on top of Turk's car, destroying it. Turk screams to the sky in despair and horror. We then cut to Cage's house the next morning, where he is waking up from bed. Cage goes to Abby's room to wake her up, but finds Cottonmouth sitting on her bed instead. Cottonmouth tells Cage that this will be their last civilized conversation.

Cage ignores what he just said and pins him to a wall, demanding to know where Abby is. Cottonmouth reminds Cage that he told him and Abby to leave, and he didn't. So, he retaliated. Cage again demands to know where Abby is, and Cottonmouth tells him that she's at the front door. Cage lets Cottonmouth go and tells him that whether or not Abby is dead or alive, Joe would be disgusted with him. Cottonmouth doesn't reply, and Cage rushes to the front door. Cottonmouth leaves through the back while he does.

Cage opens the front door to find Abby's body. He stares in shock at first, but brings the body inside and lays in the couch. Cage says that this can't be happening and tells his niece to wake up. She doesn't move, and Cage even resorts to shaking her body, even though Abby's corpse has blood all over it. Eventually, Cage accepts that Abby is dead and cries over her body. After a couple of minutes, Cage is forced to pick up his phone to tell the other Surfacks about this. About three days later, we see the seven Surfacks (including Scott) gathered up in the House of Surfack as a sort of memorial for Abby.

We recognize this to be the flashforward shown in episode 8. They also plan to go attack Fort Knox tonight after they say their goodbyes to her. Oliver proceeds to lay down flowers on the memorial and tells Abby that no matter what, they'll keep fighting for her. He tells everyone if they have any final speeches to make, make them now. Scott, Elena, Toni and Nathan pay their respects for Abby, praising her as a hardened survivor who always helped others and deserved a happy ending. Cheryl and Cage's speeches are a bit longer.

CHERYL: Before I met you, Abby Barrett, I always thought myself as the Queen Bee, and nobody could be better than me. Then I met you. I'm Cheryl Bombshell, but you were a far better final girl then I could ever be. You were awesome, sweet, and didn't take shit from everybody, not from your dad or your grandparents. You helped me when I needed it, and were a sister to me. I love you Abby Barrett, we all do, and you will be missed.

CAGE: When I ran away from home that day, I didn't think I would see any family. Then, I met Joe, and eventually, I met you. You and Melody rebelled against our family to make your own lives and enjoy it. You could have have just lived your life in peace after you beat Sauron, but you chose to keep yourself in danger to help others. We have to strive on a daily basis to do the same for each other. And sometimes, that's gonna mean standing up to a bully. Despite you being gone, we won't give up. That's a promise I intend to keep. Rest in peace Abby Barrett.

After everyone finishes their speeches, they all sit together at a table. Cage tells Oliver that they need to end this before anyone else dies, to which he agrees. Oliver tells everyone to prepare to attack Fort Knox tonight, and Scott will guide them through. After everyone leaves, Cheryl and Toni walk together. Toni says that she's sorry about Abby's loss. Cheryl is silent initally, but says that Abby dying reminds her of Jason dying. She tells Toni that she loved Abby. Toni says she understands, but Cheryl says "No. You don't"

Toni raises an eyebrow before realizing what Cheryl is trying to say: she was actually in love with Abby. Cheryl admits that after Rachel died, Abby was always there for her. She says that one time, they were drunk while hanging out in a bar together and they ended up kissing. Cheryl fell in love with Abby, but Abby wasn't a lesbian. She tells Toni about how Abby wouldn't let their relationship go any farther than that, but Abby insisted that one day, Cheryl would find love.

Toni says that Abby wasn't wrong about that. She tells Cheryl that not all relationships work out, but she insists that this will. Cheryl holds Toni's hands and asks her promise her that she won't die in Fort Knox. Toni promises her this, and the girls kiss. They then walk back to Cheryl's apartment to get ready for the attack. We cut to Fort Knox, where the Surfacks are gathering outside. Once everyone arrives, Scott tells everyone to stand back and let him check for any traps. He says that he'll let them know when it's safe to go in.

After going inside, Scott finds himself in front of an active automatic sentry gun. However, although Scott is in it's bright red light, it doesn't fire. Scott interprets that it won't fire because the sentry gun doesn't see him as an enemy, which allows him to rip some wires, disabling it. The other Surfacks come in. Meanwhile, a thug notices the Surfacks coming on a security camera and runs off to alert the others. Oliver, Elena, Nathan and Cage lead the way inside, with the teens staying behind them.

Just then, seven thugs come out armed with guns and open fire in a hallway. The adults take cover behind some corners and fire back. The adults tells the teens to stay back until they've cleared them out. Nathan, being a gunslinger, is able to gun down and kill three gunmen. Oliver also shoots a fourth with the throat with his arrows and kills him. Cheryl, against their orders, joins in because she's the Red Arrow. She shoots the fifth gunman in both of his knees, incapacitating him.

The last two are able to graze Cheryl's shoulder with a bullet, which prompts Toni to pull her away. Cage then proceeds to punch a hole in the wall, where he reaches for a steel pipe and throws it at the gunmen. The steel pipe hits them both in the face, knocking them out. Oliver tells the teens to head upstairs with Cage while they clear out anyone else that could be down here. Scott, Cheryl, Toni head upstairs with Cage. The five are then confronted by four thugs, four of whom are armed with baseball bats and machetes, and the fourth is a brute.

Scott, having brought a baseball bat of his own, engages in a baseball bat fight with Thug #1. It's kinda similar to a lightsaber duel, but not really. It becomes clear that Scott isn't very good in combat, and he gets disarmed pretty quickly. Thug #1 starts beating Scott, until Cage steps him and headbutts Thug #1 in the face, knocking him out. He then takes on the brute, who is able to land some hits on Cage, due to be strong and tougher than normal thugs. But, since Cage has the gauntlets on, he is able to overpower the Brute.

He lands a hard punch on the Brute's chest, sending him flying against a wall and knocking him out. Meanwhile, Toni and Cheryl are fighting Thugs #2 and #3. Cheryl overpowers Thug #2 after kicking him hard in the groin and elbows him in the face, knocking him out. Toni, however, gets less lucky with Thug #3. Toni isn't as strong as Cheryl and hasn't been in Surfack as long. Thug #3 kicks Toni in the knee and stabs her in the stomach with his stomach. Cheryl freaks out and picks up Thug #2's machete, which she slams into Thug #3's face, killing him.

She then finds that the machete went deep into Toni's stomach and she is significantly injured. Cage, seeing that Toni is hurt, orders Cheryl to leave and take her to a hospital now. Scott tells her that they will handle it from here, and Toni living is top priority. Cheryl quickly picks up Toni and runs downstairs. She gets Toni into a car and drives her to the hospital. Meanwhile, Elena, Nathan and Oliver are taking out anymore thugs they find.

Just then, they are confronted by another brute, who is wielding a M134 Minigun. He rapidly fires at the three adults, who take cover around a corner. Oliver says that there is no way in hell they are taking him head on, so they need a plan. Elena notices an air duct above her and gets an idea, telling Nathan and Oliver to lift her up. As they do, Nathan asks to her to try not to get gunned down. Elena crawls through the air duct and exits right behind the minigunner.

She grabs the minigunner from behind and restrains him, allowing Nathan and Oliver to wrestle him for the minigun, which goes off and starts spraying bullets everywhere until Oliver finally knocks him out. However, Nathan then spots that Elena has been shot twice by the stray bullets. Oliver says that they need to get her to a hospital, and Nathan picks her up and gets her out. Elena says "I hate it when i'm a damsel in distress" and Nathan tells her to get used it, saying this is probably gonna happen again. Elena says "Not on my watch" even as she's in pain.

Meanwhile, Scott directs Cage to where the last arms cache is. Cage goes into cache, plants a remote explosive, and seals the vault door to contain the blast. After detonating the explosive and destroying the third arms cache, Cage thanks Scott for not staying on Cottonmouth's side. Scott says that he just couldn't do it, and thanks Cage for accepting him. He tells him that they'll make a good team together. Cage says that Scott is more entuastic than he thought he would be, kinda like Abby was.

Scott says that he's just relishing his new family and is enjoying his friends. Just then, Oliver comes up to Cage and Scott and sees that the arms cache is destroying. He asks where Cheryl and Toni are. Scott tells him Toni is injured so Cheryl took her away, and Oliver tells them about Elena. Scott asks if they will be ok, and Oliver and Cage say that they are pretty tough women, but at least they did accomplish their objective. Oliver says that soon, it will all be over, and the three Surfacks leave Fort Knox. Cut to black.

Playing the Game
We cut to the next morning at the hospital, where Nathan, Oliver and Cheryl are waiting for news about Elena (who doesn't have her Black Canary costume on now) and Toni. Soon, a doctor comes up and tells them that Elena and Toni survived surgery, but they are going to need to remain in the hospital for a while. Oliver says that he understands and asks if they can go. The doctor says yes and directs them to Nathan and Cheryl's rooms. We first see Nathan and Oliver visiting Elena. Nathan says "Hey there, princess" Elena says that's usually their greeting for Ella, before adding "Couldn't keep away for a second, huh?"

Nathan chuckles at the joke. He says that it's hard to keep away from the Black Canary, except when you are a thug, then you'd want to get as far away as possible. Oliver asks Nathan and Elena if he can make a request, then he'll leave them alone. When they ask what it is, Oliver says that Nathan and Elena are experienced adults, about as good as him. He asks them to take over Surfack from him should Oliver die. Nathan and Elena say they won't allow that to happen, but if he does die by any chance, they will do it.

Oliver says that he admires the two of them, and asks if they ever thought of them having a relationship name. He suggests calling them "Natlena" Nathan and Elena are amused by the nickname and decide to use it. After Oliver leaves, Nathan tells Elena that they successfully took destroyed Fort Knox, which makes her happy. They hold hands, and Nathan asks Elena not to crush his fingers. Elena says that those fingers are far too important of a part of her sexual happiness. They chuckle and proceed to kiss.

Elena tells Nathan to take down Cottonmouth and says "If you die, I swear I am bringing you back as a zombie or something" Nathan guesses that she's getting this sassiness from Cheryl. Elena says that she won't spill the beans, but in all seriousness, she does tell Nathan not to die. Nathan promises to stay alive for her. Meanwhile, Oliver has gone to visit Cheryl and Toni, who are already kissing and don't notice him. Oliver shouts "Boo!" to make them notice him. Cheryl gives him a "You Jerk!" glare for interrupting their kissing. Oliver and Toni just smile.

Oliver then asks how Toni's doing. Toni says she's gonna have to be in her for a few days. He asks if they ever thought of a relationship name, and Cheryl and Toni inform him that they've already thought of "Choni" as their nickname. Oliver says that he was thinking "Teryl" but he agrees that Choni is better. Toni says that her and "Cherry Bombshell" like Choni better too. Oliver grins at the nickname and suggests they make one for Toni too. Cheryl says that she'll think about it, and asks him to leave "Choni" to their work. Oliver grins and walks out. Afterwards, Cheryl says that she's glad Toni's ok, to which Toni calls her an "obvious ostrich"

Cheryl says that if Toni keeps this up, she might be able to rival her one day in terms of sassiness. She adds that she finds it pretty weird that there is so much sass, considering that two of their own just got injured last night. Toni says that it's probably because they did win the battle, and the war against Cottonmouth is almost over. Cheryl says that she doesn't know if she could finish it without Toni. Toni assures Cheryl that she's a strong girl, and she's certainly stronger than her. She says that she's had much more experience in surviving.

Cheryl says that it's not that. She explains to her that since her dad and brother died, and her mother left her, she's had nothing in her life. Cheryl says that changed when Rachel and her started their relationship, then she died and Cheryl fell in love with Abby. Then, Abby rejected her and she met Toni. She tells Toni that she's sick of her life always being turned upside down everywhere she goes and just wants a happy ending and live in peace. Cheryl admits that she admits that one day, Penelope will return and try to ruin things for her.

She says that the old Cheryl (the one before she met Rachel) wouldn't have believed in friendship because everyone left her at that point. The new Cheryl, however, has Toni, and had Abby. Toni tells Cheryl not to let her worries dominate her life. She assures her that she won't die and their love is inseparable regardless of what anyone else thinks. Toni and Cheryl kiss again, with both of them admitting that they do love each other.

At this point, we cut to the House of Surfack, where Cage and Scott are hanging out by themselves. Cage says that he got a text from Oliver that Toni and Elena will be fine, which relieves Scott. Scott says that he's gonna go use the bathroom. Once he enters, Scott finds Akanthus and the Black Mask waiting for him. The Black Mask says that if Scott screams, they kill him instantly before he even finishing yelling out his first word. Scott, knowing what they are capable of doing just that, backs into a corner. He asks what they want.

Akanthus says that since coming over here, he's decided to help Cottonmouth take out a target of his choosing, and he picked Scott to stop him from leaking anymore intel. He also mentions that he’s slightly angry, since Elektra received brutal injuries during her fight with Abby and needs time to recover. Scott, trying to stall them, asks if he can have a final request. The Black Mask asks to make it quick, and Scott asks the Black Mask to reveal himself. The Black Mask then removes his mask, revealing a very old and fragile face, and says that his name is Roman Sionis, before adding that his name doesn't matter, but his backstory kinda does.

He tells Scott that during his child, his parents were abusive and neglecting of him, and they locked him up in a small white room. Sionis’ only comfort at that time was a chess board, and he would play with himself all the time. Overtime, Sionis became so obsessed with chess to the point that he started remaking the room and constructing it as a chess board, painting it white and black. Sionis then recalls about how, when he was a teenager, he snapped when his parents tried to take away the chess board.

At that point, he beat them to death with the chess board (which was made of metal) and ran away, which lead to him joining LOGS. Sionis explains that after he joined LOGS, he was assigned to Cottonmouth’s unit, and has been working with them until he discovered something unfortunate was happening to him. When Scott asks what it is, Sionis reveals that he has cancer, and is dying. Therefore, Sionis plans to have endgame soon and wipe out Surfack.

Scott is interested by Sionis’ backstory until he notices something to his right, behind Akanthus and Sionis. He shakes his head slightly, as if making a signal towards the unknown objective that’s there. Akanthus, not noticing this, asks Sionis if he can kill Scott now, since he’s getting bored. Sionis grants him permission, and tells Scott that it’s a pity he will not live to see the endgame. Scott tells him that there is one problem with his plan. When Sionis asks what, Scott says “We have a black Arnold Schwarzenegger”, confusing Akanthus.

This remark signals Cage to pop out of hiding and ambush the LOGS general, tackling him to the ground. Sionis does not appear surprised by Cage’s entrance. Cage repeatedly punches Akanthus and pins him to a wall. Sionis replies that Cage may have escaped his checkmate once, but Akanthus will make sure he does not. Akanthus then grabs Cage’s arms and is able to overpower Cage, forcing him off of him. Sionis then departs, letting Akanthus have his fun. Akanthus and Cage begin wrestling, resulting in them crashing into the main room.

Akanthus and Cage grab wooden chairs and hurl them at each other. Most of them miss, but a couple of them manage to hit their target. Since Akanthus is wearing armor, he is more durable and powerful than Cage despite him wearing Sauron’s power gauntlets. Akanthus and Cage resume hand to hand combat, with Scott trying to help. Akanthus quickly sends Scott flying against a wall, before turning his attention to Cage. Cage continues punching Akanthus, to the point that his helmet is damaged.

Akanthus then decides that he’s had enough and rapidly and swiftly punches Cage. Since Cage is not covered by a suit, Akanthus has an easier time wearing him down. He dodges Cage’s strikes and keeps hitting him until he’s worn down. Akanthus then picks up Cage and brutally slams to the ground, defeating him. Scott is quite clearly surprised by Akanthus defeated Cage all by himself. Akanthus says that Scott is nexe. He picks up Scott when he tries to run away and prepares to strangle him to death.

However, Cheryl and Oliver come in, having just returned from the hospital, and see Akanthus. The two notch their arrows and aim at him. Akanthus, still continuing to strangle Scott asks if they are blind, before reminding them that he is wearing a mechanized suit, so the arrows won’t have any effect. However, Cheryl notices a small gap in the side of Akanthus’ suit and shoots it, making him scream in pain and let go Scott. Akanthus curses, saying that Wilson Fisk assured him that this suit had no weak spot when he made it. He then runs off, saying that they will settle this another time.

After Akanthus leaves, Cheryl and Oliver tend to Scott and Cage. Scott says that he’s fine, but Cage is pretty bruised up. The injured Cage says that they need to end this before Cottonmouth launches another attack, since the Black Mask just revealed himself. Oliver and Cheryl look at each other with worried looks on their faces. Meanwhile, Sionis heads back to Cottonmouth’s mansion and meets up with him and Turk, who are in the middle of an argument, with Shades watching.

Sionis asks what happening, and Turk says that Cottonmouth owes him a new car. Cottonmouth explains that Abby’s falling body destroyed Turk’s car, but he’s not giving him a second one. He tells Turk that he’s being transferred over to Fisk’s territory anyway. When Turk asks why, Cottonmouth says that he’s not dealing with him anymore, since he doesn’t like him. Turk asks “What’s there not to like about Turk Castle?” Cottonmouth replies “Are you kidding me, nigger?” Sionis says that he is not risking Turk ruining his plans somehow, and tells him to go.

Turk says that he will go steal a car, and it will be easy. After he leaves, Sionis says “How much you wanna bet that he gets beat up by the car owner?” Cottonmouth bets a hundred bucks, before asking Sionis if Scott is dead. Sionis, although he left, says that it most likely has happened. Cottonmouth then tells Shades to get everything in position and check if “it” is ready in the basement. After Shades leaves, Sionis tells Cottonmouth the endgame is near and assures him the destruction of Surfack is at hand. Cottonmouth laughs in satisfaction. Cut to black.

Endgame
We open on about 18 hours after the ending of last episode at the House of Surfack, where Cage is recovering from his wounds, and he, Cheryl, Oliver, Scott and Nathan are plotting for the final assault on Cottonmouth. Oliver asks Cage if he is sure he can join them. Cage refuses to let a few bruises stop him from helping his friends defeat Cottonmouth. Scott admires Cage’s determination to help and tells everyone that he’ll guide them to the mansion, but they should approach on foot, since cars would give them away instantly. Oliver says that Scott will be their guide then.

Later that night, Cage, Cheryl, Oliver, Scott and Nathan arrive at Cottonmouth’s mansion and take cover behind some bushes. Scott spots two snipers on a balcony and advices the others to take them out before they get spotted. However, one of the snipers manages to notice them. Before either sniper can attack, Cheryl and Oliver shoot their arrows at them. The two snipers gets shot, fall to the ground, and die. Scott then guides the others to a side door, and they go inside, finding nobody so far.

Oliver suggests that they split up to cover more ground. He splits the party to two: him, Cheryl and Scott, while group 2 is Nathan and Cage. Nathan ensures everyone that despite only being accompanied by Cage, he won’t fail. As they split up, Scott says that this is odd because Cottonmouth usually has men guarding that door. Oliver theorizes that by taking out the large number of thugs that they have, Cottonmouth is finally running out of henchmen. Just then, they are confronted by three thugs. Cheryl tells Oliver “Stop jinxing us” before loading her bow.

She shoots Thug #1 in the knee, incapacitating him, while Scott and Oliver fight the other two thugs. Oliver succeeds in knocking Thug #2 out, but Scott has a harder time with Thug #3. Cheryl steps in and elbows Thug #3 in the face, knocking him out. Scott admits to Oliver and Cheryl that his combat skills are lacking, as he isn’t really a veteran like the rest. Oliver says that when this is over, he’ll have Elena train him, which Scott thanks him for. He then tells Oliver and Cheryl that the Black Mask’s lair is in the basement, and guides them there so they can confront Sionis.

Meanwhile, Cage and Nathan are making their way through the mansion, with Nathan having his guns drawn in case anyone comes out. However, nobody does. Upon entering the big dining room, where the last arms cache is behind a vault door, Cage says that there should be tons more resistance than this, and a voice says “Then let me give you some” Cage then barely dodges a bullet, which was fired from Shades. Nathan quickly opens fire on him, and the two engage in a gunfight. As Cage takes cover, Nathan tells him to destroy the arms cache.

Cage says that he doesn’t want to leave Nathan alone, but Nathan points out Cage is vulnerable to gunshots despite his gauntlets and insists he destroy the cache. Knowing Nathan is an expert with guns himself, Cage leaves the room, and Nathan and Shades continue shooting at each other. They end up destroying several glasses of water and plates, as well as some wall paintings. Nathan eventually picks up a piece of pie and throws it at Shades, hitting him in the face. Shades wipes the pie off of his face and, with irritation, says “How. Annoying” before resuming the gunfight.

Cage goes inside the vault door where the arms cache is, places a remote explosive, closes the vault door to contain the blast, and detonates the explosive, destroying it. After he does this, Cage notices Cottonmouth making eye contact with from a window above. Cottonmouth turns away, and Cage rushes to pursue the Founding Father. Cottonmouth locks a door behind him, but Cage effortlessly punches through it with the gauntlet. During the chase, Cage finds a gun in Cottonmouth’s desk and takes it. Cottonmouth makes his way to the garage, hoping to escape in his car.

However, he finds that his car is mysteriously missing. Cottonmouth goes to a security camera and plays it back to when his car was last seen. The recording takes place a couple of hours ago, with Turk in the garage. Turk notices the keys to Cottonmouth’s car on the counter and concludes that he probably has other cars to use. Thinking this is completely ok like the idiot he is, Turk goes into Cottonmouth’s car, steals it, and drives out of the mansion. Cottonmouth is enraged, as not only did Turk steal his car, but he foiled his escape plan.

Right after this, Cage comes in, saying “Going somewhere?” Cottonmouth pulls out a handgun on Cage, who pulls out the handgun that he found. The two end up in an armed standoff. Meanwhile, Scott directs Oliver and Cheryl to the Sionis’ lair. Oliver instructs Cheryl to stay outside and deal with anyone that comes here. Cheryl says that nobody is getting past the Bombshell. Oliver and Scott enter the room to find Sionis, who has his mask off, leaning against the black queen chess piece. He greets Oliver and Scott happily.

Oliver says that he heard about Sionis’ backstory from Scott, so he can skip the monologue. As Oliver aims his bow and arrow at him, Sionis states that he does not care whether Oliver kills him, saying that the endgame is already in effect and he’s already dying of cancer. Scott asks what this endgame of his is. Sionis says as they speak, Cottonmouth is escaping the mansion in his car (unaware of Turk ruining the plan). He walks around the chess board and proceeds to knock over all the pieces that represent all of the Surfacks. Oliver and Scott look worried, as Sionis is extremely confident and calm.

Sionis proceeds to reveal that he has explosives stored in the basement. He then goes to his king piece and retrieves a remote detonator, explaining that the resulting explosion from him detonating the charges will kill everyone in the building, including himself. Clearly, Sionis doesn’t mind if he dies, just so as long as he wins. As Sionis is about to press the button, Oliver shoots him in the chest with an arrow, causing him to fall to his knees. Sionis just smiles, saying “You should have gone for the head” and successfully presses the button, much to Oliver and Scott’s horror.

Sionis’ plan succeeds with the entire mansion exploding and everyone inside dying, including Shades, Nathan, Cage, Cottonmouth, Cheryl, Oliver, Scott and finally a smiling Sionis. As we zoom out of the wreckage of Cottonmouth’s mansion, a voice yells “HOLD IT!” and time stops. We then see the voice belongs to THE NOAH KILLER, who reveals to the audience that Sionis hacked his script, being the master chess player that he is. The Noah Killer assures the audience that the explosion will now be undone, and says “You’ll never guess who saves the day. No, really, you won’t” He then rewinds time to when Oliver and Scott are confronting Sionis.

Around this time, a masked figure, dressed in a black robe, white mask, and a sort of medieval outfit, enters the mansion. The masked figure enters the dining room and encounters Shades and Nathan, who pause their gunfight upon seeing him. When Shades asks who he is, the masked figure walks towards him. Shades shoots him twice, but the bullets are harmless against him. The masked figure grabs Shades and says “You may call me the Baptist. My real name is unknown for now. All you need to know is that your sin is Gluttony, for killing people you did not need to. This is your punishment”

The Baptist then proceeds to violently twist/snap Shades’ neck. Hernan “Shades” Alvarez, hitman of Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes, is dead. The Baptist turns to Nathan and tells him that he is normally not supposed to do what he just did, but he makes acceptions. He then walks over to Nathan, who is in shock of seeing what he just did, grabs him by the throat, and bashes him against the wall repeatedly until he is unconscious. The Baptist opts not to kill Nathan, instead walking by his unconscious body.

He then heads through the hallways and goes into the basement, which is seen by Cheryl. Curious, she goes to investigate. She goes to find the Baptist tampering with the explosives that Sionis sets up, and watches he cuts some wires and disables them. The Baptist then reveals that he knows Cheryl is behind him, and Cheryl aims her bow at him and fires. The arrow deflects harmlessly off the Baptist’s bulletproof costume, and the Baptist states that God will not allow Cheryl to kill him.

Cheryl asks “What kind of sick religious fucko are you supposed to be?” The Baptist states that he is no fucko, and he’s the real deal. He claims that “The Collapse” is coming and sinners will be punished. The Baptist tells Cheryl that her sin is Pride and she is now “Marked” He says that eventually, Cheryl will face cleansing, then confess her sins, and face atonement. Cheryl says that isn’t happening. The Baptist ignores the remark and says that he may have defused the bomb so Surfack could defeat Cottonmouth, but they are not friends. He walks off without another word.

Meanwhile, Sionis makes his remark to Oliver about not aiming for his head and presses the detonator, but nothing happens. Sionis presses it several more times, and the bombs do not go off since the Baptist defused them. Sionis says that this isn’t possible. Oliver tells Sionis that the Queen has been “checkmated” and shoots another arrow into his head as Sionis remarked. Roman Sionis, right hand man of Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes, and the Black Mask, is dead. Oliver and Scott exit the room and find Cheryl, who says “I’m so glad I don’t do religion” They raise their eyebrows in confusion.

In the garage, Cottonmouth and Cage continue their standoff, until Cottonmouth tells Cage to settle this like men and put down the gun. Cage tells him to do it first. They both slowly put down their guns at the same time. Cottonmouth crosses his arms and says that it’s all been building up to this. As he removes his gauntlets to make it a fair fight, Cage says that this could have been avoided. Cottonmouth says that he still remembers the good times they had with Joe, and agrees they could have had a better future than this. He tells Cage to “just end it”

Cage realizes that Cottonmouth, knowing that his plans are foiled, actually wants Cage to defeat him, but he won’t go down without a fight. Cage gives Cottonmouth a nod, and they engage in their final battle. They throw some very hard punches at each other. Considering how Cottonmouth killed Shameek in episode 1, it’s clear that he’s very strong, but so is Cage. The fight is like two angry gorillas battling to the death. Cottonmouth pushes Cage backwards and spin-kicks him in the face.

Cage says Cottonmouth kicks like a bitch, before punching him in the face with all of his strength, causing his nose to break. Cottonmouth sucks up the pain and kicks Cage in the groin, before punching him in the face. He jokes that he’s now “Cottonnose” and intentionally gives Cage time to recover. Cage sees that Cottonmouth’s sanity is slipping away now, but presses his attack. Cage and Cottonmouth tackle each other. Cage knocks Cottonmouth back to the floor and starts punching him in the face again.

Cottonmouth repeatedly punches Cage back and they roll around on the floor. He grabs a nearby wrench and hits Cage with it, knocking him off. Cage grabs a nearby hammer and he and Cottonmouth whack each other with the tools. Cage eventually headbutts Cottonmouth in the face and pokes his eye, making him yell “Cottoneye!” Cage starts bashing Cottonmouth’s head with the wrench, knocking him to the floor and beating him brutally. He stops when he sees that Cottonmouth is severely injured.

Cottonmouth coughs up blood and asks Cage what he is waiting for. Just then, the other Surfacks come in the room and see that Cage has defeated Cottonmouth. Cottonmouth asks if Sionis and Shades are both dead, which Oliver confirms. Cottonmouth then tells Cage to just do it. Cage tells Scott to come over, which he does. He tells Scott to decide whether or not his adoptive father lives. Scott looks into Cottonmouth’s eyes. There’s nothing in them, and he knows Cottonmouth is beyond helping now.

He chooses to let Cottonmouth live, saying that he is beaten and there is no point killing him now. Cage smiles slightly, as if he preferred this result. Nathan says that he’ll call the police to pick him up right now. As he does, Cottonmouth tells Cage that this might bite him in the ass one day. Cage replies that this will bite Cottonmouth in the ass every day. Cottonmouth proceeds to laugh at the joke, then turns to Scott and tells him that joining Surfack will bite him in the ass everyday too. Scott just turns away without a word, ignoring Cottonmouth’s taunting.

About a couple days later, we see a guarded and armored police van transporting Cottonmouth to Iron Heights prison, maximum five star security prison. It has tons of security, such as watchtowers and guards with sniper rifles, and a gate. The van comes through and Cottonmouth is escorted inside by four armed guards. After they get him to his cell, one of the guards asks for the prisoners name, to which another guard responds “Cornell Stokes” Cottonmouth proceeds to softly laugh at this, saying “Nah man. It’s Cottonmouth” and embracing the nickname he once despised. It turns into maniacal laughter as we zoom out of the prison.

Later, Wilson Fisk and General Akanthus are talking in Mount Massive Asylum, where they discuss Cottonmouth’s arrest. Fisk says that the prison is far too heavy with security for them to break Cottonmouth out, so he’s lost. Akanthus slams his fist on the table and says that they need a new plan. Fisk reveals that he already has one, and asks if he’s heard of the town “Midvale” He explains to him that one of their killers, JOSIE HATCHET (Ghostface), is planning a killing spree in Midvale targeting the Danvers family.

Fisk says that he has also received reports of a copycat killer calling himself “The Punisher” He explains that he plans to recruit him, saying that in order to survive, you have to “adapt” Akanthus says that he likes Fisk’s idea, and he will send out his stepdaughter, JILL ROBERTS (Zombie Ghostface), to help Josie out. Fisk states that he will not let Surfack ruin LOGS reputation anymore, and Akanthus agrees that they will fall. The credits then roll.

In a mid credit scene, which takes place in 2019, Fisk is lifting weights in Mount Massive when he is approached by the Punisher (Daniel Rollins) and Kirby Reed (Reign), whom Akanthus and Jill have recruited. Upon seeing Fisk, the Punisher says “Well, well, well, look who it is” Fisk turns to the Punisher and says “I see that you got my message. Welcome back” They talk about the potential of recruiting Tyler Danvers, before sending them out on training courses, eventually taking them to )| a torture chamber, where a captured survivor is waiting.

Fisk tells them that he wants to see how well they do in torturing people and takes them to a cell, where there is an unknown man strapped to a torture table (the same person Punisher and Fisk killed in the Screamgirl Season 3 premiere). The Punisher asks who this guy is. Akanthus tells them that this survivor is a main leader of Surfack, and is a highly valued target. Akanthus explains that this survivor has parted ways from the others, making him the easiest to abduct. Fisk orders the Punisher and Kirby to torture the survivor to death by their cruelest means, and they will be watching. Akanthus and Fisk then leave the room. The Punisher and Kirby take some torture tools from tables surrounding the survivor. They discover the person to be…

LUKE CAGE. Akanthus and Fisk managed to capture him and are setting him up to be tortured as revenge for Cottonmouth’s fall. The Punisher asks Cage what he is so special for. Cage says that he’s survived a lot worse than the Punisher, which makes him chuckle. He tells Cage that he has experienced nothing like him, before taking out a pair of pliers. The Punisher uses the pliers to yank out of Cage’s fingernails, one by one, which is extremely painful. Cage resists screaming for two of the fingernails, but gives in for the rest.

In the security room, Fisk and Akanthus lean back in chairs, with Zombie beside them. Akanthus says that the Punisher really hasn’t lost his touch after all. Zombie says that they haven’t seen Kirby yet. As the last fingernail is ripped off, Kirby asks Cage if he is still feeling tough. Cage tells Kirby and the Punisher to go fuck themselves. Kirby says “sure” and kisses the Punisher on the lips, which gets Fisk and Zombie to laugh slightly. The Punisher stops the kiss and explains that it was meant as an insult, not to have sex. Kirby tells Cage that it’s very rude to insult a lady, before repeatedly smacking and slapping the survivor. Fisk says that he’s seen better. Kirby then bites Cage on the arm, hard enough to draw blood.

Akanthus says “She’s a feisty girl, I like it” Fisk and Zombie nod in agreement. The Punisher and Kirby then take out axes and proceed to dismember the Cage’s arms, legs and finally the head. Luke Cage, top member of Surfack, uncle of Abby and Melody Barrett, son of Pop Temple and Sally Mckeena, is dead. Fisk, Zombie and Akanthus all clap. Zombie says that Akanthus was wise to make him go down to Midvale and recruit them. Fisk takes credit for it, and is confident that once the Punisher deals with the survivors, LOGS’ reputation will be restored once for all.

In a post credit scene, GASFACE, LOGS’ chief chemist, is sitting on a red box while watching slideshows of people. These people are test subjects of Gasface, being brutally tortured and/or murdered for his experiments, which usually involve gas and poison. Inside the box, an unknown woman’s voice is heard screaming that she will murder Gasface when she gets out of here. Gasface replies by kicking the box to shut the woman up. Cut to black.

Confirmed Facts

 * There will be 12 episodes.
 * Each story in the trilogy will focus on a Founding Father.
 * This season focuses on Cottonmouth.
 * Season 2 focuses on Wilson Fisk
 * Season 3 focuses on General Akanthus.
 * Cage carries Sauron's power Gauntlets and will use it to fight LOGS.
 * Eugene, Ella and Mon-el won't return for this story.
 * However, they will all be back for season 2.
 * Surfack will not officially arrive until episode 4.
 * Scott will have a huge arc about whether or not to leave Cottonmouth.
 * Cottonmouth's past will be slowly explored, and revealed piece by piece.
 * We will know the full details of his past by episode 10.
 * There will be multiple surprise deaths, including one I was VERY reluctant to do.
 * Walter and Scott will not be return until episode 4.
 * This story will be rather outlandish from the traditional Scream story.
 * It is more like the Walking Dead season 8, with all-out War and not as much mystery, but still with some.
 * Dante Chapman doesn't have a character bio since he's a minor character.
 * Only villains with a significant amount of kills are in the killers section.
 * Some of the storyline, especially the beginning, is taken from the show, Luke Cage.
 * Some episode titles are also taken from the show.

What Would Have Happened

 * The Black Hood was going to turn up in this story, but I decided to save him for season 2.
 * Eugene, Ella and Mon-el were going to be in this story, but I figured I had more than enough characters.
 * Dillard was going to have a romance with Shades, but there wasn't any room to add that in.
 * Abby was supposed to survive the story and by extension the trilogy, but I didn't feel comfortable about having such a low amount of Surfacks being killed. I also wasn't sure if I could keep her story up for that long.
 * Cage was going to survive the season and have a father-son relationship with Scott next season.
 * I killed him off when I remembered the victim in Screamgirl and knew I had Scott's secret to deal with anyway.
 * I considered having Cottonmouth die and having Sionis survive instead, but I decided that it would be better if Cottonmouth survived.