Noah and Quentin move in on Erica Klavid and find themselves closer than ever to uncovering their plan with the captive Evos. Meanwhile, Tommy discovers a secret about his past that could be a key to unlocking his future.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
For the first time, we manage to see Malina and her invisible guide, Farah, engaged with the other characters and becoming part of events. Making it to a local town, Malina expresses her understanding of her destiny, but she's troubled in her apprehension that she'll be as powerful as she needs to be when the final hour approaches. Farah claims she's made arrangements to meet someone nearby who can get them to safety, but before they're able to find them, Harris and a team of thugs find them first using the new EPIC goggles. With Farah unable to evade them using her invisibility, Malina throws around the armed assailants with a gale force wind from out of nowhere, allowing them to get away. Unfortunately, their escape was not withstanding when they're stopped by more armed Renautus agents, as well as the one to which they've been referring as "The Shadow".
For those who caught up with the Heroes: Reborn prologue, Dark Matters, we know this "Shadow" to be Phoebe, the sister Quentin came to Noah to help him find. Phoebe is capable of "puppeteering" her own shadow to move freely, but nothing dangerous to speak of. It seems that in the time since, she's been honed by Renautus, now able to project and harness shadows for offensive capabilities. Unable to out-maneuver Phoebe, they attempt to escape, resulting in Farah taking a gunshot to the back. Telling Malina to escape without her, she hands her a blood-soaked envelope to open when she's safely away.
Tommy has proven himself capable of holding his own under pressure. He's been running from the government since the Odessa Summit and knows nothing can shake his foundation without risking the life of his mother. Unfortunately, the FBI have dug into his past and the information uncovered has truly tested his resolve. As it turns out, the woman sworn to protect Tommy, is not actually his mother! There wasn't much insight into this revelation, but it hearkens back to the relationship between Noah and Claire; the government agent given a child to protect until the day they would call for it's return, except the agent grows attached, and is no longer just a guardian, but a parent. It wasn't clear if his mother is actually an agent like Noah, but the fact of Tommy's ultimate destiny is addressed once again when the mysterious Casper Abraham finally has a face-to-face with Tommy.
After the death of Molly Walker, Noah and Quentin make their way through the Renautus facility with Taylor, when they come across their first real clue as to the forthcoming event that has everyone on edge. They find what appears to be a seed bank big enough to incorporate in the re-population of a planet. This ominous discovery forces Noah to get closer to Erica Kravid. Using Taylor as a patsy, they corner her in her home, but the interrogation is abruptly interrupted when Miko breaks into the house to reclaim the Kensei saber. The truth that they would have discovered, however, is far more tragic than any corporate conspiracy. Renautus has been preparing for an extinction level event. There is a massive solar flare heading straight for the earth and it would seem that Quentin was right in thinking that the rising number of the Evo population means they're here to save us. Renautus is aware of this, but means to become some kind of Umbrella Corporation rip-off and allow the planet to burn so as to recreate it in their own image, hence the systematic genocide of Evos!
The Lion's Den was relatively uneventful throughout and was more centered on building up to the cliffhanger ending and the small revelations throughout. In the grand scheme of things, one would hope Renautus has a much better idea in mind for the impending apocalypse. The plan they seem to have is flimsy at best and almost certain to fail considering their god complex mentality expected to keep them alive when the planet fractures around them. The relevance of everyone's powers and how they play into the event is starting to gain some focus. Malina seems to be able to control the very fabric of life and nature itself, Luke has a similar radioactive power to Ted Sprague, albeit solar triggered, and Tommy has a teleporting power, eerily similar to the teleporting technology Renautus just used to move their seed banks. It's still pretty early into the series. There's plenty of time for some unexpected turns, but the stakes are now known, so we can definitely expect the story to pick up a lot of steam in the coming weeks.
