- Kara Danvers: And I know, I know, sometimes being the good guy sucks. Especially when you know how easy it would be to get rid of someone so vile and full of hate. But, hey, not doing that... that is what makes us different from them. That's what lets us keep protecting people.
- News Reporter: After a productive dinner with Crown Prince Raakaan el-Farah, philanthropist Lex Luthor announced that Obsidian Platinum's VR lenses will soon be available in Quarac.
- Kara Danvers: [turning the TV off] Gross.
- Alex Danvers: Well, don't book your trip to Bali just yet. We still have to deal with Lex.
- Kara Danvers: And we will. We will stop him and get him out of the DEO and we'll get you back in there where you belong. You miss it, don't you?
- Alex Danvers: Well, I mean, I like to think that the DEO misses me. But, yeah. Yeah, I miss it.
- Kara Danvers: Are you okay? Is... is Yvette? Why didn't you call me last night? I would have been there...
- Nia Nal: Yvette wanted to be alone. She's not just hurt and humiliated, she's heartbroken. She thought this guy really liked her. And he was just targeting her because she was trans. He was trying to use her to get to Dreamer.
- Kara Danvers: What did he want with Dreamer?
- Nia Nal: He wants me to stop being a superhero. He's going after my community to bully me into it.
- Kara Danvers: Listen to me, Nia, listen. We will find this guy.
- Nia Nal: Yeah, we will. And when we do, I'll bury him.
- William Dey: So, you've never played 8-Ball?
- Kara Danvers: What? Are you kidding me? I'm from Midvale. We have pool halls on every corner, okay?
- William Dey: Okay.
- Kara Danvers: Okay, fine.
- [he laughs]
- Kara Danvers: Maybe I've only played it once in my life.
- William Dey: Okay, well, then we'll take it one shot at a time. For you.
- Kara Danvers: Oh, 'cause you're such a pool shark?
- William Dey: Oh, yeah. I'm not that bad.
- Kara Danvers: All right. All right. Let's just take it nice and soft.
- [she breaks and knocks all the balls into the pockets]
- Kara Danvers: [snickering at his look of stunned surprise] Beginner's luck?
- Alex Danvers: Hey. What's the emergency?
- Kara Danvers: [holding up two shirts] Blue or purple?
- Alex Danvers: [realizing] Oh, your date with William is tonight.
- Kara Danvers: Yes. Cancel it for me?
- Alex Danvers: No, I will not. And, blue. Always go with the blue. You know this.
- Kara Danvers: Is that that Martian weapon J'onn gave you? What do you call it, the Hand of the Soldier?
- Alex Danvers: Yeah.
- Kara Danvers: How's training?
- Alex Danvers: You wanna see?
- Kara Danvers: [a little wary] Yeah.
- Alex Danvers: [conjuring her gun] Right?
- Kara Danvers: Mm-hmm.
- Alex Danvers: [trying again, getting stung by electricity] Ow! God, this... this thing is supposed to know what I'm thinking, but it's being very stubborn.
- Kara Danvers: Well, like soldier, like hand.
- Alex Danvers: [flicking her wrist] Bzzt!
- Kara Danvers: [recoiling] Ahh! Don't scare me!
- Kara Danvers: I know this is a personal attack, but you have to trust that when we find the guy, the cops are gonna put him behind bars.
- Nia Nal: Kara, I love you, but do not tell me what I can and can't do right now. There is no catching this guy and redeeming him. There is no hope speech that can make this better.
- Kara Danvers: Nia...
- Nia Nal: No. Look, my community is vulnerable. This happens more than you could possibly know. And there are guys just like this jerk out there who want to hurt us. They want us to hide and to be afraid to be who we are. They want us to disappear, and it happens every day.
- Kara Danvers: I know, and what this guy did is horrible...
- Nia Nal: He's not the first, and he won't be the last. And we haven't exactly been a priority for the cops. So just trust me when I say that I am the one protecting this community. And now this bastard is going after my community, trying to erase me? No. No, this guy is over.
- Kara Danvers: Look, I-I know that you're hurting right now, and that I will never fully understand. But between us and the cops, we will make sure justice is served. Nia, just give us a chance.
- Nia Nal: Fine. A few hours. But then, I'm doing this my way.
- Kara Danvers: It's been two and a half years since I went on a date. What if I... forgot how to do it?
- Alex Danvers: You smile, and you laugh, and you reach for the check.
- Kara Danvers: You make it sound so easy.
- Alex Danvers: Well...
- Kara Danvers: By the way, you should have seen Nia today. She was on fire.
- Alex Danvers: Yeah, I did. I mean, she was all over YouTube and the news, and every other platform I've never heard of.
- Kara Danvers: I'm just so proud of her. And you know what? It just feels so good to know that if I want to take a night off, there's someone there that can save the day.
- Nia Nal: Are you okay?
- [seeing a cut on Yvette's cheek]
- Nia Nal: Oh, my god, what happened to you?
- Yvette: Angus.
- Nia Nal: Your boyfriend did this to you?
- Yvette: He only pretended to like me. He targeted me so I can give this message to Dreamer.
- Nia Nal: [taking a slip of paper] "The world doesn't want a trans superhero. So crawl back under the rock you came... came from, or I'll keep attacking people like you."
- Kelly Olsen: Why didn't you end simulation?
- Richard Bates: Yeah, I tried. It didn't work.
- Kelly Olsen: And the failsafe button?
- Richard Bates: What, you mean that giant red thing that screams "push me"?
- Kelly Olsen: It's tied to your biometrics. It appears when necessary.
- Richard Bates: Yeah, it disappeared the minute I reached for it.
- Kelly Olsen: What do you mean?
- Richard Bates: I mean your failsafe failed.
- Kelly Olsen: That house is a recent add-on, customized by a user.
- Alex Danvers: Okay, so what does that mean?
- Kelly Olsen: Advanced users can customize the virtual world, but it takes time to catalogue these additions in our system. So I don't know what we can expect.
- Alex Danvers: Well, if Trevor's in there, then I gotta check it out. I'm going in.
- [transition to inside]
- Alex Danvers: I don't like this.
- [seeing large tanks of water with people inside]
- Alex Danvers: Oh, my god. This is just like when Rick Malverne tried to drown me.
- J'onn J'onzz: He said he was meeting with some virtual friends in VR?
- Al Crane: Yeah, but I don't know who they are. I don't even know their avatar name.
- J'onn J'onzz: [sitting down at a desktop computer] Well, let's see what we can find.
- Al Crane: I just don't understand. When Trevor and I first came to this planet together, we were inseparable. But for the last few months, all he does is retreat into VR.
- [the computer beeps]
- Al Crane: What is it?
- J'onn J'onzz: I managed to track down the user names of two of Trevor's virtual friends. We can get these to Kelly at Obsidian North, maybe she can help us find out who they are. That way, maybe we could maybe find Trevor. Look, Al, do you have anything personal of Trevor's? Something with an emotional connection that I could maybe use to psychically trace him.
- Al Crane: [picking up a watch] I gave this to Trevor to mark our first year on Earth. He wore it every day. 'Til he switched to a smartwatch.
- Alex Danvers: I'm in.
- Kelly Olsen: Good. You should see your experience options.
- Alex Danvers: Yeah, I do.
- Kelly Olsen: Did you find Virtual Las Vegas?
- Alex Danvers: Uh... yeah, I... I-I got it. Hang on.
- [spinning the choices around]
- Alex Danvers: There it is. Vegas, baby.
- Kelly Olsen: You did it. Okay, now give me the names and locations, so I can send teams in to eject them.
- Alex Danvers: Tell your teams to hurry.
- Kelly Olsen: On it. I'm gonna figure out why the failsafe didn't trigger.
- J'onn J'onzz: Jennifer, I'm gonna need you to stop lying to me. Right now, Trevor is trapped in a high-level virtual reality experience by a man named Richard. Possibly being tortured.
- Jennifer Bates: But that's not possible.
- J'onn J'onzz: So you do know him?
- Jennifer Bates: Yes. Kind of. We've been spending some time together in VR.
- J'onn J'onzz: Like an affair?
- Jennifer Bates: No. I have never met him in real life. It's just harmless fun.
- J'onn J'onzz: Does your husband know about this... harmless fun?
- Jennifer Bates: My husband can be a little... possessive. So, I do my thing in VR, and he does his. He's a computer engineer in love with all the technical details, and me, I just want to... escape for a few hours.
- J'onn J'onzz: Well, regardless, I need to find Trevor and your husband as soon as possible. Or they could both suffer permanent damage.
- Nia Nal: I wanted to see if there was any update on Yvette's assault.
- Detective Rivers: We're still reviewing surveillance footage from the club and surrounding businesses, and processing the physical evidence.
- Nia Nal: So you're saying you're nowhere?
- Detective Rivers: I can assure you, I will do everything in my power to catch him.
- Nia Nal: [feigning sincerity] I appreciate that.
- [hanging up]
- Nia Nal: I gave you your chance.
- [glancing at a picture of her and Kara on her laptop]
- Nia Nal: Sorry, Kara.
- [creating an Upswipz profile]
- Nia Nal: Now it's time to do everything in my power. Come and get me.
- Kelly Olsen: So, the last thing that Al knows is that his brother checked himself into some hotel who knows where, and that he met up with some friends at a place called the Escape Palace?
- Alex Danvers: Yeah, located somewhere in Virtual Las Vegas. We figured that Trevor must have paid cash for his room, because there's no paper trail of him anywhere. So, I was thinking maybe I could got into Virtual Las Vegas, and just see what I could find.
- Kelly Olsen: Okay.
- [giving her a pair of VR lenses]
- Kelly Olsen: Now, these lenses are very different than the original. Okay? Obsidian Platinum doesn't just utilize a brain link, it connects to your biology.
- Alex Danvers: Which means what, exactly?
- Kelly Olsen: So, in this version, you're not just seeing virtual reality, you're feeling it. Cold will feel cold, hot will feel hot, everything will feel real. So, once you're in, you'll be in what looks like a lobby. There, you will select your desired experience. You will see a panel of virtual options, mined from your own thoughts and desires. Virtual Las Vegas is one of these.
- Alex Danvers: Okay, so what happens when I get inside? What are the rules?
- Kelly Olsen: That's the difference between reality and virtual reality. Inside Obsidian Platinum, there are no rules.
- Alex Danvers: Great. Sounds easy.
- Kelly Olsen: You'll get the hang of it. I promise. Just remember, if you need to come out, say "end simulation." And if, for some reason, it gets too intense in there and you can't say that, the program will launch your failsafe button. You can't miss it. Just touch it, and you will be pulled out.
- Alex Danvers: And I'll be able to communicate with you?
- Kelly Olsen: The whole time.
- Alex Danvers: [entering Virtual Las Vegas] Well, I know where I can go to find the Siegfried and Roy interactive experience; no thank you, but where am I gonna find this Escape House?
- Kelly Olsen: Talk to the users inside. Someone must know where it is. But stay away from the people with three lines on their necks; those are NPCs.
- Alex Danvers: What are NPCs?
- Kelly Olsen: Non-player characters. AIs who populate the world, not actual users. They won't know much.
- Alex Danvers: Listen, I'm gonna get you guys out of here. But we're looking for a man named Trevor Crane. Have you seen him in here?
- Henry: Trevor's done a bunch of escape rooms with us. He and the new guy, Richard, solved the puzzle quickly and made it through, but that door slammed shut. We were about to follow when spiders suddenly started crawling all over me. And I hate spiders.
- Alex Danvers: Whose idea was it to come to this escape experience?
- Henry: It was Richard's.
- Alex Danvers: How well do you know him?
- Henry: He's new to the group.
- Alex Danvers: I need to get to him before it's too late.
- Querl Dox: I hope this is important. I'm very busy.
- Kara Danvers: It is. It's about...
- [clearing her throat]
- Kara Danvers: Dreamer.
- Querl Dox: Yes. I just saw the coverage of her victory over the Dominator.
- Kara Danvers: No, it's not that. She needs our help. There's an attacker targeting the trans community trying to get Dreamer to take her cape off.
- Querl Dox: That... that's awful. I mean, it... it is only logical that violence begets concern.
- Kara Danvers: Listen, I know this guy's human, but can you help me track him?
- Querl Dox: Consider it done.
- Alex Danvers: You wouldn't happen to know where I can find a place called the Escape Palace, do you?
- Casino Goer: Escape Palace? You mean that spooky-looking joint up on the hill? Ridiculous add-on, if you ask me. They don't even have hills like that in the desert.
- Kelly Olsen: Okay, the user who created this palace designed it to tap into a player's worst fears. That makes the experience different for everyone. And harder to escape. But this isn't real; there's nothing to be afraid of.
- Man in Tank: Help. We've been trapped for days.
- Alex Danvers: Wait, you can talk? End your simulation.
- Man in Tank: I can't. It's part of the game. Then the failsafe disappeared.
- Kelly Olsen: I reported that glitch months ago. Somebody must have hacked it. Alex, you need to get them out of there. If they've been tortured for days, there could be serious repercussions.
- Alex Danvers: I thought you said this wasn't real.
- Kelly Olsen: But they think it is, and with Obsidian Platinum, it feels real. This is why we have a failsafe. It's encoded with a biometric...
- Alex Danvers: Okay, Kelly, just in English. What are... what are you saying?
- Kelly Olsen: If you don't break through those tanks right now, they could suffer brain damage.
- J'onn J'onzz: I know things have been difficult for you since leaving the DEO. Life can be challenging when there's no clear path.
- Alex Danvers: Oh, no. No, no, no, I have a clear path. Okay? It's stop Lex Luthor from traipsing around the world just cashing in on the goodwill that he never earned, and get my life back.
- J'onn J'onzz: So, you're saying this Richard person intentionally trapped Trevor in VR?
- Kelly Olsen: It looks that way. He's figured out a glitch in the system that prevents people from safely ejecting.
- J'onn J'onzz: Well, I followed the psychic trail from Trevor's watch to a house outside Opal City. I'll let you know what I find out.
- [hanging up, he approaches a woman leaving her house]
- J'onn J'onzz: Excuse me.
- Jennifer Bates: Can I help you?
- J'onn J'onzz: I hope you can.
- J'onn J'onzz: Alex, the Martian DNA in your weapon will code itself to your bioelectric pulses, allowing you to morph it with a single thought. But you have to let it in.
- Alex Danvers: Yeah. Okay, Ollivander. Is there any kind of instruction manual for this thing?
- J'onn J'onzz: I'm afraid not. It's instinctual. Trust the weapon, and it will trust you.
- Alex Danvers: How am I supposed to trust this if it keeps changing on me?
- Al Crane: J'onn, Alex, thanks for seeing me this late.
- J'onn J'onzz: No problem, Al.
- Al Crane: My brother Trevor's missing. He lives in my basement, but I haven't seen him for about a week.
- Alex Danvers: Did you file a police report?
- Al Crane: I did, but then the cops found this on his computer.
- J'onn J'onzz: [showing Alex] An invitation to a weekend escape experience at Obsidian Platinum's Virtual Las Vegas.
- Al Crane: Invite says to get a hotel room. So no disturbances could pull the players away from their virtual experience.
- Alex Danvers: So, the cops don't think that he's missing. They think that he's in some VR party binge.
- Al Crane: Right. But that was a week ago. Look, I'm telling you, this is not like Trevor at all.
- J'onn J'onzz: Al, do you mind taking me to your house? I'd like to take a look around, see what I can find.
- Alex Danvers: And Kelly works for Obsidian North, so she can get me into Virtual Vegas. And if there's a chance that Trevor is in there, then I will find him, and he can tell me where he is in the real world.
- J'onn J'onzz: Mrs. Bates, are you sure you don't know Trevor Crane? A number of leads have led me to this address. Perhaps he's using an alias?
- Jennifer Bates: No. Sorry.
- J'onn J'onzz: Could he be a friend of your spouse's?
- Jennifer Bates: No, I don't think I've ever heard Richard mention him.
- J'onn J'onzz: Your husband's name is Richard?
- Yvette: You are not spending another Friday night on this couch in sweats housing Rocky Road.
- Nia Nal: I like ice cream.
- Yvette: Nia. Sweet little Nia, you are becoming a... what's the word? Loser. I mean, you're young, you're vibrant, but if you sit on this couch, crying over that weird little man for one more minute, you gonna develop permanent mope face.
- Nia Nal: I am not moping over... Barney. I just had a long day.
- Yvette: So, you need an even longer night. Come on. You're going out with me. I'm meeting my boyfriend at the club, and I want you to meet him, too.
- Nia Nal: Wait. I didn't even know you were seeing anyone. Where'd you meet him?
- Yvette: We've been together for three weeks. And we met on Upswipz.
- Nia Nal: [reading her profile] "Yvette. Loves sunsets, yachting, and hanging out with my BFF Dreamer"? How often *do* you hang out with your "BFF Dreamer"?
- Yvette: She waved at me once. That counts as a hang. Besides, everybody embellishes on those things.
- Yvette: You leaving early tonight?
- Angus: Yeah. That place is way too crowded. Did you find your boyfriend?
- Yvette: No, he'll be here in a minute.
- Angus: Oh. He should have suggested that you meet at sunset.
- Yvette: What?
- Angus: Your favorite time of day... is on a yacht at sunset. At least that's what you told me in our first Upswipz chat. And I don't think you'd lie to me. Would you do that?