Black Lightning

Previously on Black Lightning...

We have the Painkiller operating system firewalled.

Khalil!

You can't keep me here forever.

I still have my mission. Kill the Pierce family.

Dr. Blair? All you have to do is extract the base from Tobias

and follow Dr. Stewart's protocols.

I watched Dr. Stewart work, but I'm not her.

Jace killed my mother.

I came to Freeland to make sure that I put Dr. Jace in the grave,

right alongside her.

I should've killed you 40 years ago, Dr. Jace.

We're fighting on the same side now.

If Markovia wins, everything we know will cease to exist.

The Markovians now have Freeland surrounded.

Gravedigger. The United States is responsible

for starting and funding the Markovian meta research program.

Their experiments activated his dormant meta gene,

giving him superhuman strength, slowing the aging process,

and the power to push his will on to others...

And now he's in charge of the Markovian military.

I left the formula for the meta-boost serum in Markovia.

What happens if Gravedigger can have any meta power he wants?

He'd be unstoppable.

People are gonna wonder why I did what I did.

They'll wonder why I brought all this

death and destruction to Freeland.

They'll wonder why I brought the pain.

I stopped caring about what people think about me a long time ago.

But I do still care about the truth.

And the truth is this.

The US government experimented on me almost 80 years ago,

granting me abilities beyond that of a normal person.

I am officially, unofficially, the first meta.

Stop!

Shoot yourself.

When I first joined the military,

one of the crap jobs I was assigned to was the GRS:

Graves Registration Services.

Over 70 million people died in World War II.

The ones who weren't identified, they could bury.

On the US side, they gave that honor to us Negroes.

The colored troops.

It was backbreaking, soul-draining work, but...

it was an important task.

Because every soldier, every person deserves a proper burial.

So, when I became a meta...

the name Gravedigger fit because of my history,

and because I just don't figuratively bury my enemies,

I literally bury each and every one of them.

No matter what they've done to incur my wrath,

no matter how many of them there are,

I make sure each and every one of my opponents

receives a proper burial.

That is assuming there's enough of them left to bury.

People always thought I was crazy for doing that.

But to me it felt like the honorable thing to do.

It felt right.

What I'm about to do to Freeland feels right, too.

We must assume that Gravedigger is injecting himself

with whatever remains of the meta formula you left in Markovia.

When I gave myself the shot,

the power lasted for an hour because of my genetic makeup.

With Tobias, it was 20 minutes.

According to this model,

Gravedigger's absorption of meta powers

is limited to one power at a time,

lasting approximately two to four weeks per injection.

Your model doesn't account for the fact

that Gravedigger is the original meta.

His genome is different from other metas.

See?

The adjusted projection

suggests that Gravedigger would be able to absorb

and use all of the meta formula he can inject himself with

at the same time,

indefinitely

and without overloading.

Oh, my God.

Gravedigger is en route with a battalion of troops.

His first objective,

liberate the metas that he feels are

being unjustly held here in Freeland.

According to my intel, he's vowed to destroy anyone

or anything that gets in his way, or refuses his offer of freedom.

His second objective is to reacquire Lynn and Dr. Jace, if possible,

so that they can recreate the serum for the sick metas in Markovia.

We're not gonna let either one of those things happen.

The powers that be have decided that...

losing certain municipalities would be acceptable

if things were to go bad.

Wait, what does that mean?

That means that they would rather nuke Freeland...

than let Gravedigger win.

The government is gonna bomb Freeland if we don't beat Gravedigger?

That won't be the official story.

They'll say it was a nuclear accident of some sort.

Freeland could very well become the next Three Mile Island.

Get on the ground, now. On the ground.

You should thank me.

If it wasn't for me, those Markovians would have killed you.

You ruined my life.

Well, I think you got me confused with Tobias.

I've done nothing but get you through the hard times,

whether you realize it or not.

You're a liar.

You can't walk away from the truth, Khalil.

I'll still be here.

So, it looks like the government is not gonna help us.

The ASA are too weakened to help us.

The only people we can count on are in this room.

- Is this supposed to be a pep talk? - This is real talk.

Okay, we're gonna form two lines of defense.

Thunder, Grace and myself will form the front line.

Lightning, Brandon, TC, Erica will form the rear guard.

Dad, why are we in the back?

Keeping you in reserve.

Look, when the timing is right, you will tip the balance in our favor.

- What are you talking about? - Excuse me?

Dr. Jace killed my mother.

And she said she knows who my father is,

but she probably killed him, too.

And you're working with her like everything's cool?

Look, Brandon, I know this must be difficult for you,

- but countless people will die if... - If what?

She killed my mom,

and I don't even know what we're fighting about, anyway.

Gravedigger is coming to Freeland to take every meta back to Markovia.

- Whether they wanna go or not. - Okay, what's wrong with that?

- Brandon, chill out. - No.

You should have the right to choose where you live.

He plans on killing anyone who gets in his way

and any meta who doesn't want to go.

You know what? I don't care about any of that.

I'm not doing this.

Hey, really?

Well, that was a good talk.

We're screwed.

I am sure there will be some

Uncle Toms who will resist my efforts.

My message to them is simple: Join or die.

You see, General Mosin wanted to create

a meta army, but that's not what I want.

My objective is to free all the metas who've been experimented on,

held in pods for decades and are still

being kept against their will in Freeland

by any means necessary.

This oppression, this discrimination,

this hypocrisy by the US government ends now.

What I'm about to do to Freeland is for Freeland,

and even though some people won't understand it while it's happening,

my conscience is clear because my cause is righteous.

Once the dust settles and the dead are buried,

I will be on the right side of history.

Okay, Thunder, Grace and I will attack along here,

probing the Markovians for their strengths and weaknesses.

And then Jennifer and the younger metas will exploit those weaknesses.

- Divide and conquer. - Yeah, exactly.

What if they don't have any weaknesses you can exploit?

They... They will.

Look, if we don't think we can win,

then Jennifer and her crew will lead a retreat from Freeland.

- You okay? - Yeah.

What?

We have been through a lot of battles together, Jeff,

but this one feels different.

Different how?

I don't know, but this Gravedigger,

I'm not saying he's right, but he's not exactly wrong, either.

The government, the ASA, we have done terrible things to metas.

Yeah, but, Gambi, he's not attacking them. He's attacking Freeland.

So, as far as I'm concerned,

he's just as bad as the government or the ASA and he has to be stopped.

Even if you're right, we've never faced anyone quite like this.

Which is exactly why you need me on the front line.

- Jennifer. - I'm the strongest meta.

- Why do you have me on rear guard? - I just told you.

If I wasn't your daughter, would I still be in the back?

Yes.

I feel like you're making me sit at the kids' table.

No, that's not it at all.

I need you to trust me that I know what I'm doing.

Can you do that?

Sure.

I actually agree with her.

It doesn't make sense to keep your most powerful meta

- off the front line, unless... - Unless what?

Unless you don't think you can beat Gravedigger, either.

Anissa and I have some recruiting to do. I'll see you later.

- Be safe, Jeff. - Yeah.

You wouldn't lie to me now, would you?

Never.

He said he was a...

doctor of some kind.

This means a lot to me, you know that?

Uh-uh.

Make sure she get back to the O without Destiny or Lady Eve knowing.

- I got you. - All right.

Come on.

Things must be pretty bad