" Previously on Killjoys..." " I know I butchered my people, and I know the army went in and took back the memories before I was discharged." "That was you, wasn't it?" "Whatever you have done, I promise you I've done worse." " D'avin?" " (grunting)" "Your brother... tried to kill me." "You need to shake this off, D'av." "I know the real you is still in there." " (grunting) - (blade sticking)" " I'm a good soldier." " Johnny!" "♪♪♪" "It has been a long 10 days, and I am parched." "Congrats." "Your doctor has officially given me the green light to serve you poison again." "Looks like you need it." " How's the team?" " Well, that's the problem." "D'avin's barely left the ship," "Dutch is dealing with it in her own way... doesn't look like she's coming up for air any time soon... and this heat wave's..." "it's not helping anybody's mood." "Heat's gotta break sometime." "Exactly." "Mm..." "John Jaqobis, what did you do?" "They just needed a little push." " Hey, how're you feeling?" " You should be resting." "Yeah, I just kind of missed my team." "You know "team"?" "More than one person doing the same thing, like, together?" " John, you said it was important." " Khlyen isn't important?" "The neuro-link is going to lead us to him sooner or later." "If we're going to face him, we need to get our mojo back." " Step one: a low level warrant." " You're in no shape to take a warrant." "Agreed." "I'm on bed rest." "Don't argue," "I've already taken out a warrant on your name." " John..." " Uh, uh, uh... it's done." "Go see Bellus." "Trust me, you'll have fun." "You're right." "He's right, we've got to get past this." "It's fine." ""The warrant is all."" "(door opening)" "Hey... thanks for coming." "Thanks for not dying." "I told you, Jaqobis, anytime you're out of bed, I need to monitor you." "No offense, Doc, but you look worse than I feel." "It's the heat." "Well, cool yourself off and warm up the probes, 'cause this boy's ready to get his rehab on." "Actually, I have a meeting." "Medical supplies." "But, um, go rest, I'll be back as soon as I can." "(sirens blaring)" "Yeah, I don't think that you're meeting anyone today." " Black Rain." " Yup." "This heat is going to break like a son of a bitch." "Come on!" "(crackling and booming)" "♪ Come, come, come uninvited ♪" "♪ Run, run, run 'til I find ya ♪" "♪ I don't care which side that you're fighting ♪" "♪ Gonna get you gone ♪" "_" "Anyone who can't make it home, you have safe haven here." "Safe haven... and cold beer." "It's started falling on the outskirts." "Moving fast." " (Old Time Rock'n'Roll playing)" " Captain Apex, issue 41." "Captain Apex and the Velubian Princess." "OK..." "I, uh... stole John's copy when we were kids." "It was his favorite issue." "I traded it with Shelma Linwood for a... vigorous handshake." "John never forgave me." "Hi, Bellus." " Got your warrant in the back." " What is it?" "Easy transpo." "Bring a package back to Westerley in one piece." "Shouldn't be too hard, even with your team in the shitter." "Jaqobis and I need to have a little chat, first." " I don't know what you heard, Bellus..." " Everything." "Then you know I would never hurt Dutch..." " But you did hurt her." "So let's do this." " Excuse me?" "You hurt my girl, I hurt you." " I'm not going to fight you." " One way or another, we're going to square this." "OK, fine." "One free shot, as hard as you want." "(grunting)" "Dutch... are you sure you're ready to get back into the saddle with this guy?" "If I'm not, I'm going to find out." "You know, nobody actually takes the free shot," " it's kind of more of a gesture." " Here's your warrant." "Enjoy." "Hurry back." "The Rain's coming." "(sighing nervously)" " (grunting)" " Westerlyns!" "For high treason and threats to the public good, these prisoners are hereby brought to this place of execution where they shall be exposed to the elements until dead, by order of the Company, serving the Quad." "And one of these days, Westerlyns are going to get tired of this show." "Not likely... people love seeing justice served." "The bloodier, the better." " Cynic." " Backroom doctor." "Speaking of bloody, your internal injuries are healing nicely." "Thanks to the best backroom doctor on Westerley." "I owe you." "You owe me nothing." "Just kind of doing my job." "D'avin should really have come to see me after the... stubborn idiot." "I'm more worried about Dutch." "The RAC handbook doesn't really cover your partner going all senseless killing machine on you, especially after they had a tumble in the old space bunk." " Oh..." "I'm sorry." " It's... it's old news." " (beeping)" " Oh, thank the Trees!" "Um... great stuff, keep doing what you're doing," " no heavy lifting." " Uh... (sighs)" "Pawter... (groans) Pawter!" "Whoa, whoa!" "Hey, Red, where do you think you're going?" "Medical supplies." "I'm sorry, Pawter." "Well, you'll have to make do with what you have." " Rain's almost here." " I can't." "I'm out." " You OK, Doc?" " It's just a storm headache." "We'll make you a tea for that." "Come on." "Come on!" "(beeping)" "_" "(bolts clunking)" "Rainfall!" " (man):" "Let's move!" " Finish up, rookie." " Sarge?" " Take shelter when you're done." "We'll collect you after the storm." "(under his breath):" "Shit." "Hey, hey!" "Do exactly what I say." "We're in the line of fire." " What?" " It's Company flash." "Those guys, they just hit an immigration centre, shot two guards and made off with a ton of Seventh Generation claim IDs." " Oh, damn!" " See that dude over there?" "He's Company." "Get to cover before he does something stupid." "Too late." "Company security." "Hands on your head." "132 Centre, this is Captain Hector Feraanz." " Come back." " Easy." "Why don't you let me buy you a drink." "Well, we can talk through our differences while we wait out the storm." "Now listen: you killed two Company men and stole papers from 1000 Westerlyns who are owed land on Leith." "What are you going to do, switch their genetic IDs?" "Highest bidder takes his place?" "Whole families have worked their asses off because they were promised a better life." "What kind of a man steals from the future of his own people?" "You tell me, Captain." "That's a Company execution outside." "You're a Westerlyn with boots on your own kind." "Open the bag." "(people murmuring nervously)" "(whispering):" "Oh, shit!" "You're all alone, son." " (firing)" " Get back!" " Shit!" " (grunting)" "Hey!" "You next?" "OK!" "OK!" "OK, listen up!" "Let's all be smart." " Oh, damn it..." " (thunder crashing)" "Kal!" " (rain falling)" " You!" "Hero!" "Lock it up, now!" "(screaming)" "(moaning)" "Everyone, put 'em in here." "I can help your friend." "I'm a doctor." "We need to get him upstairs" " to an operating table, now." " I'll help." "Hey, hey, not you!" "Now, we'll be gone as soon as the Rain stops." "Until then, I got one rule:" "don't be stupid, don't die." "Bad luck pulling a job right before the Rain, huh?" " You trying to be funny?" " No, sir, no, no." "Look, you stole a whack of land ID claims, we heard, and uh, do you got a way to move them?" "Yeah, why?" "Well, speaking for all the other drunks in here, we all just want you happy and gone." "We got a fence lined up." "It's off-world somewhere, OK?" "Somewhere, huh?" "So your friend up there, he, uh, put this job together, huh?" "See, I used to be in the life, I know the drill." ""Top dog only shares the bare bones."" "Well, he's the only one who knows where our ship is and where to fly it, so he has to live." "Then let me help my doctor friend." "How?" "I know my way around gunshots." "You better make sure she saves him." "'Cause if she doesn't," "I'm not gonna be happy." " Pawter, I need my g..." " Looking for this?" "It's all yours." "I'm just here to help the doc." "There goes plan A. How's your headache?" "I'll power through." " Then put me to work." " OK." "So, we just bring back that thing?" "Yup, easy level one." "We should be home and out of each other's hair soon." " I didn't mean it like that." " Yeah." "(beeping)" "Well, emergency system is lighting up..." "something big" " is tearing through Old Town." " It can't be that close already!" "(Lucy):" "A stage four Black Rain event has touched down in Old Town, sector 113 to 150." "Travel and communications will be affected for the duration." "Communications?" "What kind of storm are we talking about?" "Lethal." "Company stripped the Badlands and left a toxic graveyard behind." "All that pollution, it builds up until a heat wave whips it into" " an electro-acid rain storm." " Falling on John's head?" "He'll be fine at The Royale." "Pree knows his business." "Well, if this monster's what we're facing, should we stay on Leith until it passes?" " Dutch has left the cargo hold." " Yeah." "Thanks, Lucy." " (heart monitor beeping)" " His blood pressure's falling, heartrate's up, probably internal bleeding." " (clattering)" " Pawter..." " Damn it!" " Hey, maybe back up a little bit, huh?" "You're freaking the lady out." " Thank you." " (Pawter taking deep breaths)" "You OK?" "Can I get you anything?" "The mesenteric artery has been nicked." "I need to close it." "I need you to do it." " What?" " Your hands are steadier." "It's simple." "Just look where the blood is gushing, point it there, hold it steady three seconds." "That's all I need to cauterize it." "(buzzing)" "OK." "We got it, we're good!" "No, we're not." "There's a hole in his diaphragm." "He can't be moved until it's fixed." " You want to help, get me some alcohol." " Sterilize your tools?" "Steady my nerves." "Pree!" "Something strong." " How's her headache?" " Oh, come on, Pree." "I know withdrawal when I see it." "So what is she on?" "Entering Westerley orbit." "Lucy, hold us above Old Town until the storm clears." "It's beautiful... in a nightmare kind of way." "It usually lasts an hour or two." "We can wait it out." "Dutch... at some point, you're going to have to stop walking out of every single room I walk into." " Let's just do this job." " Guidance and propulsion system" " disengaged. (loud whirring)" " Lucy, what are you doing?" "I'm afraid I cannot answer that, Dutch." "(beeping and whirring)" "What the hell did we pick up?" "You don't understand." "It's not usually a problem." "I've always been able to get Jakk." "You've never gone through withdrawal, have you?" "I use it just to maintain." "Small doses." " Regular hits." "Pure Jakk." " How long?" "Since med school." "I tried it just to get through finals, but..." " you try Jakk once..." " You're hooked for life." "Yeah." "I'm sorry, John." "I thought I could do this, but I'm losing my shit." "We'll fix things... with a fix." "You can't go out there." "If you can score the Jakk," "I can show you a way to beat the Rain." "Bio-imprint required." "(humming)" "Hey, guys." "By now... you're feeling adrift." "Guess what?" "Me too." "See, we've been through a lot, but right now, we're a bit stuck." "On the plus side, we've been through a lot." "And we'll get through this too." "But first, you have to answer the big question:" ""Are we a team?"" "I'm going to kill him." "Sorry!" " Bad choice of words." " So I'm forcing you to do the one thing that you hate: talk." "Every time you both answer honestly, you get to make a move." "Move all the pieces back into place and Lucy starts up again." "D'avin, touch the lie detector and answer your first question:" "what's your best memory growing up?" "Team building." "Great." "Come on, D'avin." "What was your best memory?" "Let's get this over with." "(beeping)" "The time Dad disappeared for a month and it was quiet." "(soft beep)" "Dutch, how did you greet me when we first met?" "(clearing throat)" " (beeping)" " I shot him." " (soft beep)" " Booze?" " Plenty." " Great." "Medical supplies?" "What medical supplies does she need?" "Platelets, antibiotics..." " And where are we getting all this?" " My order has a fully-stocked infirmary." "We do a lot of cutting." "(scoffing)" "You're gonna take off on my man while he's dying?" "He's stable, but you can't move him until he's fixed." "It's your call." "See, that's all well and good, but it's Black Raining out there, bitches." "That's why the gods invented basements..." " ...bitches." " (man chuckling)" "The old mine access routes." " They criss-cross Old Town." " I know the way." "I grew up down there." "Hey!" "Why do they get to go?" "No way they're coming back!" "We'll be back." "Less than an hour." " You have my word." " Good. 'Cause if you're not," "I'll pick one person, then put them out in the Rain." " These are your own people." " My people?" "My people are rats leaving a sinking ship." "Seventh Genners get a pretty little farm on Leith." "I'm Fourth Generation." "I have to make my own way off this rock, and I'll cancel anyone who tries to stop me." "You're going to cut and run!" "Come on, this is crap, man!" " (screaming) - (woman):" "Oh, God!" "(shocked murmuring)" "Starting with this loudmouth." "That's right." "You're all my insurance." "So I really hope he likes you enough to come back." "I pray you know what you're doing, Killjoy." "What's your biggest regret right now?" "Being stupid about D'avin." "(soft beep)" "I usually know better." "Shouldn't have slept with someone I care about." "D'avin, what's your greatest fear?" "(beeping)" " Not knowing what's next." " (buzzer)" "The next warrant is what's next." "And the warrant after that." "That's what got me through when I was first on the run from Khlyen." "Take it day by day, warrant by warrant, and one day, you've... you've moved on." " To what?" " That's up to you." "(sighing)" "All my life, all I ever wanted to be was a hero." "Probably because I never had the bones to stand up to our shitty dad." "So I got a uniform and a weapon and I learned how to kill bad guys." "Except one day I wake up and I find out I'm not a hero." "I am the bad guy." "(beeping)" "My biggest fear is that I'll never be good enough." "(soft beep)" "Attago, team!" "You're almost on your way." "Just one final question:" "Dutch, do you trust D'avin?" "(John):" "So you really grew up down here?" "Yup, that's me." "Alvis the Penitent, born of rats." "Ah... fitting." "Which part of me offends you, Jaqobis?" " You give people false hope." " You don't respect faith." "Oh, I'd respect you if you actually believed what you were selling." "But you use religion to play politics." "You can believe in more than one thing at once." " I believe in a free Westerley." " (chuckling)" "Good luck with that." "Might as well believe in monsters and level-six Killjoys." "The Company owns Westerley, Alvis, and they are not letting go." " Neither are we." " Enjoy your tug of war, then, but I prefer fixating on things that can be, you know, fixed." "I've noticed." "Who nominated you to fix them all, Jaqobis?" "What is that supposed to mean, "Who nominated me?"" "Alvis... what brings you?" "Twick, we have a friend in need of some bliss." "Jakk?" "Oh, man, it's tight out there, Alvis, supply just about dried up." "We don't need much, just one hit." " Is this one of your pet Killjoys?" " "Pet"?" " The meet-up had a hitch." " What meet-up?" "He's helping to set things right." "We need the Jakk." "One hit." "For the cause." "Thanks..." "It's my last one." "The gods love sacrifice." "Let me repay you with a blessing." "And the roots grew from the Mother Tree to connect us all." "(others):" "And the roots grew." "And the roots grew." "Please, Uncle, a blessing?" "My pain, your redemption." "My suffering, your salvation." "(murmuring)" "Those people back there..." "they all resistance?" "1 out of every 10 down here." "Eager for independence, looking to die for a cause..." " like you." " Me?" "You don't have to go back to the bar, you could save yourself... but here you are." " That's just basic humanity." " Not much place for that on Westerley." "Makes you either a masochist or a martyr..." " and an odd choice for a Killjoy." " Honestly," "I just wanted to build spaceships, but life had other plans." "Well, D'avin had other plans, and I accommodated." "Do that a lot, huh?" "Lucky for him you're so good at cleaning up after everyone." "(woman):" "Hold!" " Where you heading?" " The Royale." "Oh, really?" "Looks like we got here one monk" " and one..." " Reclamation agent." "No shit!" "Well, I got a man upstairs with an emergency beacon ringing loud and clear." "You're going to want to stay down here." "An extraction team is on the way." "Wait!" "If they see uniforms, they'll start killing hostages." " Not your warrant, not your problem." " I gave my word." "Let me go back in there for you." "I have a better shot at ending this without any more bloodshed." "He's really good at fixing things." "OK, Killjoy." "Bring us the crew, the claims, and our guy alive." "It's on you now. 30 minutes, or we storm the place." "(Alvin):" "How are you going to deliver all that?" "(John):" "Quickly." "(sighing)" " What's wrong?" " It's dirty." " Well, can you do the surgery without it?" " No." "We don't have a choice." "Make sure I get through this." "Like I said, I owe you." "(needle firing)" "(sound distorting)" "Let's save this asshole." " (beeping)" " Yes, I trust D'avin." "(buzzer)" "No," "I absolutely do not trust D'avin." " (buzzer)" " It must be broken." "We're never gonna get Lucy started again." "I get it." "It bothers you." "You can't be completely sure that someone can't switch me on again." "D'avin, talking about it doesn't help, I need to feel it." "OK, then let's get you there." "Let's go back:" "how did you become a Killjoy... after you ran away from Khlyen?" "I, um..." "I learned three specialties from my harem:" "killing, dancing, and marrying into royalty, and the last two weren't hiring." "I bet you were a great dancer." "It's the one part I still miss." "Well, come on, you have a captive audience of one." "No way." "No chance." "No." " Come on, Dutch." " Absolutely not." "Feel something." "At least trust me enough for this." "You first." "Impress me." "(chuckling)" "OK, um... the service did teach us one dance for formal occasions." " But it requires a partner." " Gee, sir." "Lucy, if you please... (melancholy pop song playing)" "♪ Everybody's going 'round ♪" "♪ In circles 'til I hit the ground ♪" "♪ Hanging all together like a pack of wolves ♪" "♪ They're coming for me ♪" "♪ Coming to take me out ♪" "♪ Can you save me ♪" "♪ Staring at a shadow walking through the sand ♪" "♪ They're dusting off the memories ♪" "♪ Of a holy land ♪" "♪ Reaching for your shoulders never felt so hard ♪" "♪ When you're coming for me, coming for me ♪" "♪ From the dark ♪" " I can't..." " Shit." "Dutch, you need to stop being so polite!" "Yell at me!" "It's OK to be angry, to hate me." "It's normal!" "Normal won't work here..." "that's why I'm angry!" "If anyone, if the real you hurt me and Johnny," "I'd know exactly what to do." "I'd kill you, I'd mourn you, and I'd move on." "But this is so much messier than that." "You're as much a victim as we are, D'avin." "So I don't get to hurt you." "I don't' get to hate you." "And I don't know how to move on." "Suction." " Suction." " (sucking sound)" "Avoiding the phrenic nerve, careful..." "What did I hit?" "He's crashing!" "No, no, look, he's fine, he's not." "You're doing great." "I heard..." "I..." "I'm hearing things." " This was a mistake." "I can't do this." " No, no, hey!" "You can do this." "No." "The last time I did this, I killed my patient." "OK, look, you're feeling paranoid..." "No." "Back on Qresh," "I operated high once and I killed him." "I should have gone to jail, I should have lost my licence, but my family hushed it up and I was shipped here instead." "That's why I work out of the back of a bar, John." "I'm not some do-gooder." "I'm a failure with rich parents." "And Mommy and Daddy keep you supplied with pure Jakk." "Hey." "Illenore Pawter Simms." "You're going through a bad high, but this guy, he needs you." "And junkie or not, you are the best doctor on this shitty moon." " It's a pretty low bar." " It is a pretty low bar." "But I'm down there with you, depending on you like all those people downstairs." "Now fix him." " What is this?" " Lucy, the projection." "Lovely." " A giant picture of you." " No, that's not me." "That's bad D'avin." "What am I supposed to do with him?" "Hate him, hurt him..." "(pounding) move on." "You first." "You can't avoid knives forever." "Why, they gonna stop making guns?" "I'm being serious." "I'm not the only one you hurt." "You won't even talk about stabbing John." "Come on, soldier boy." "You just gonna stand there, or are you gonna kill something?" "OK, I get it." "You want me to face my demons." "So face them." " Hit the target." "He's right behind me." " Dutch, this isn't funny." "We can't be a team unless you can trust yourself again." "If there's a warrant on my ass and you've got the shot," "I need to know you can take the shot." "If Khlyen is behind me, I need to know you can take the shot." "Take the shot." "Fine." "(exhaling)" "Wait, don't!" "Don't." " I'm sorry." " Don't be." "It's OK." "I think we just got our answer." "You don't trust me." " I'll tell John." " (alarm sounding)" "Warning: we seem to be caught in the Rain's magnetic flux." "Which means?" "We are being pulled into the event itself." " Calculating our orbital decay." " Orbital decay?" "We're being pulled into the storm." "(thunder rumbling)" "It's done." " He's alive." " Finally, some good news." "Can he move?" "She's closing him up." "Says he'll be good to go when the Rain stops." " He won't be walking." " Then how the hell are we" " supposed to get to our ship?" " I'm working on it!" "Can I have" " two minutes to catch my breath?" " I don't care about your breathing, so figure out something or I will put this guy down right now!" "What is that?" "Who you talking to?" "The Company, and there's a squad waiting to end you if you touch a hair on me, or any of these people." "The Company don't give a shit about Westies, but they'll care about you, won't they?" " Open the door!" " No, no," " you don't want to do this." " Move!" "(John):" "Don't do it, we'll work something out!" " (screaming)" " Crawl, Company dog!" " (groaning)" " Your people made the Rain." "Let's see how you like it now!" "(groaning and grunting)" "Now unless you want somebody else going out there, give me your plan on how to get out of here!" " He was the plan, you idiot!" " Where are you going?" "Hey!" "(Hector):" "Man, get back inside!" "What are you, crazy?" "Little bit, but I didn't come out just for you." "I do not trust D'avin." "If he was the last man in the" " universe, I wouldn't trust him." " (buzzer)" "Our proximity to the storm is interfering with the device." " Its components are finely..." " Shut up!" "Lucy, you have to start the engine!" " The device won't let me." " OK, override it!" "I cannot." "Storm impact in 30 seconds." "What if it just stopped?" "Why the hell not?" " (beeping and crackling)" " Thank you." "Engines online." " I'm on drive." " I'm on guidance." "(engines whirring)" "Jaqobis!" "Like I said, masochist or martyr." " I just need to pick something up." " (soldier groaning)" "(moaning)" "He'll live." "Alvis?" "Black Rain scars?" "The brothers will be jealous." "OK, we got him." "How do we use him?" " Don't know, don't care." " (banging)" " We got movement down here!" " It's the Company!" "Get everyone up!" "We'll use 'em as human shields!" "Move, move!" "What are you doing?" "You need to fix this!" "In the last 10 days," "I've been attacked by face-hugging biotech, stabbed by my brother, had major surgery, helped perform major surgery, been beaten, bullied, and burned." "I am done fixing things!" "You said you had a plan." "Oh, I have a plan." "(bolts firing)" " But you wouldn't like it." " (louder banging)" "Pree, better let the Company in before they blast through your floor." "Hold your fire down there!" "I'm opening up." "Thanks for patching me up... again." "You're coming down pretty hard." "You're going to get the chills." " You're good at this." " Hmm." "Who was the addict?" "You're not the first woman I've had to score drugs for." "Go home, Johnny." "Doctor's orders." "You're ready." " (Alvis):" "Still question my faith?" " (John):" "Your sanity, maybe." "Uncle." "Please... may I have your blessing?" "Well, this meet-up was certainly more eventful than we planned." "A lot of trouble to go through to deliver a message." " What do you have for me?" " We're stockpiling weapons and troops all across Old Town." "We're prepping for something big but they haven't told us what." "But it's coming." "Specs on all the storage depots." "And even better, blueprints for the bunkers." "I'll pray for your quick recovery." "You're right, John." "We're broken." "But now we know, and we want to figure out what's next." "So until then," "I'm off the ship." " (laser sounds)" " Consolation prize?" "Issue 41." "John, I'm sorry I hurt you." " So you bought me a comic?" " It's Captain Apex, the one I..." "I lost." "You bought me a comic to apologize for stabbing me." "No." "No, John, look, I-I..." "I know I've messed up in so many different ways..." "No, you have no idea where you even began to mess up." "OK, I didn't talk to you for nine years." " And?" " And I left you to deal with" " the crap of Mom and Dad alone." " Yeah." "OK, thanks for playing, but you failed to provide a complete answer." "How about what it cost me?" "Taking care of Mom, I couldn't go away to school." "Taking care of Dad's debts, I can never, ever go home." "And then what, hmm?" "You slept with the one person that I asked you not to." "And what did that cost me, huh?" " Our team..." "D'av." " I get it." "I wrecked everything you liked." "Just tell me how to make it better." "No, I'm done." "I am done cleaning up for you." "You want to fix this?" "Then you figure it out." "♪ Power's in the picture ♪" "♪ War is in the victor ♪" "♪ Movement of the waters ♪" " (loud beep)" " Come in." "Can't sleep." "Long day?" "Shit weather." "Hmm." "Don't be mad I couldn't make it work." "I'm mad that you'd even think that I'd be mad." "Bedtime story?" " Why not?" " (clearing throat)" ""After valiantly dispatching the admiral's hordes," "Captain Apex received a distress call from the Velubian Princess."" " She's quite "Velubian"." " Shh!" " I see why you like this." " Come on!" "(clearing throat)" ""As we return to our heroes, they are once again trapped" ""on Laguna 37." "Suddenly:" "'Captain Apex, watch out!" "'" ""'I'll handle this, Your Highness.'" ""Meanwhile, in a galaxy far, far away," ""unimaginable evil was quietly afoot...""