- [guns firing rapidly] - [screaming] [screaming continues] [groans] [gasps] [screaming] We are ten feet from the door.
Just bust through.
I can't cover you from every angle.
You're the target.
- Oh, sh**.
- Hold this.
Claire.
[mouthing] - [Shades] What's going on here? - Cage.
Behind the bar.
[bullets ricocheting] He's bulletproof, ain't he? She ain't.
Shoot her first.
[breathing heavily] [groans] - [bullets ricocheting faintly] - That's not gonna hold 'em long.
- [banging] - [breathing heavily] No.
They barricaded the door and sh**.
There's no way through.
Forget Cage.
The cops are gonna flood this place in a minute.
No.
We're staying.
Nobody leaves.
Not until we have them.
- What you talking about, Willis? - You got jokes? Right now? You're the one who's joking if you think that we're escaping here without a plan.
Later for that pre-written sh**.
Sometimes you gotta freestyle.
Look, you got one Judas bullet left.
What are you gonna do if Luke Cage takes you head on? Do I look worried? No.
That's the problem.
Place is airtight.
Back is sealed off, too.
[Shades] So there's no other way out? - No.
Ty caught a straggler.
- [Stryker] Good.
Anybody ain't us is a hostage.
Make sure none of them look me in the eye.
Lopes, Sugar, you're babysitting.
Move 'em up there and face them towards the wall.
Anybody resists, blindfold 'em.
Too much lip, shoot 'em in the head.
The rest will get the message.
[men talking indistinctly] Let me go! Take Diet Obama upstairs, Ty.
Keep a gun on him till I get up there.
Take your hands off me! - You can't do this! - [Stryker] Yes, we can.
Zip.
While you're up there, get me my key.
You know the one I'm talking about.
What the hell are you doing calling me out by my first name? [Shades scoffs] You're dreaming if you think we're getting out of here.
You shot a female cop in front of 100 people.
All people will remember is Luke Cage going all King Kong with a b**h and jumping off a balcony.
What they're gonna remember is Luke Cage running from the bullets.
All they know outside is that Cage lost his mind, shots were fired, and it's a standoff.
Confusion is our friend.
We k** Luke and Misty, suddenly, we're the heroes who stopped the Harlem Menace.
For all they know, he k**ed her.
With them dead, we control the story.
That's your plan? That's it? The bigger the stall, the more time we have for other diversions.
Misty will be dead, I'll have another shot at Cage, and there's bound to be another way out of here.
We'll cross that bridge soon enough.
Okay.
How do we hold them off right now? I'm gonna be Luke Cage.
[theme music playing] - [Luke and Misty breathing heavily] - [blood trickling] [weakly] Luke, I'm cold.
- I think you nicked an artery.
- What? [Luke] That's why it's bleeding so fast.
And I ain't gonna lie, Misty.
- You're not gonna like this.
- What do you mean? [screams] - [groans] - Hold that.
[whimpering] We should just go out the back.
- They've already secured it.
- [groans] How do you know? It's what I would do.
The only way he can win at this point is if he can control who comes in and who leaves.
Either way, I gotta get you someplace safe.
[Misty] What the hell? Lucky Luciano used to own this building.
It still has a lot of prohibition nooks and crannies.
[Sugar] Sit down! Turn around.
Face the wall.
[Misty groans] Who's helping me? Hmm? Luke Cage? Or Carl Lucas? Who is Willis Stryker? [breathing heavily] [groans] His street name is Diamondback.
He was the hardware connect for Cottonmouth that you were looking for.
- Mmm.
- He's also my half-brother.
[sighs] [whistling] [Zip] Here's the key you asked for, boss man.
What're you doing? - I love this part.
- What? When the panties drop.
[people screaming] [both breathing heavily] Your family is jacked up.
- [sirens wailing] - [indistinct radio chatter] [Thembi] It's chaos out here, Pat.
Several people are injured, mostly from the stampede to escape the club, but a few have gunshot wounds.
Councilwoman Mariah Dillard was whisked away by her security and most of the injured protesters have been rushed to the hospital.
Less than an hour after an anti-Luke Cage rally began, Luke Cage himself entered the event.
According to protesters and a confidential NYPD source, shots rang out after veteran Harlem police Detective Mercedes Knight attempted to arrest Cage, the dangerous fugitive who attacked two police officers on a widely seen dashcam video.
And moments ago, we heard the sound of what we believe is I wanna know if the explosion came from the inside.
Find out what you can right away.
And somebody get me Misty Knight.
ESU has just arrived.
- We're going tactical in five minutes.
- No, you're not.
- Stand down.
- We're going in.
We got an active shooter and a hostage situation.
They haven't asked for anything and one of ours is in there.
We need to be careful.
This whole thing goes through me.
Inspector, it's the chief.
Yes, sir.
[Zip] No way he went out the back.
[Stryker] Scour this whole place.
Every inch.
Even if it's obvious.
We are making way too much noise.
They're gonna bust in that door any minute.
It's getting messy.
- Why are you so shook? - 'Cause I'm clearheaded.
And I'm not? Look, I'm spitting off the dome.
It's true, but I haven't had a misplaced rhyme yet.
Violence breaks out at an anti-Luke Cage rally when Luke Cage shows up? Come on, this sh** is poetry.
- Is he worth it? - Absolutely.
Did you talk to Mariah? - She's on it.
- Good.
They're scared of Cage now.
They're afraid people will die.
She'll use that to close the deal.
Hmm? [Chang] We got a call.
- Is it her? - No.
It's from inside.
A landline.
This is Inspector Priscilla Ridley from the NYPD.
Who am I speaking with? This is Damon Boone.
I've been instructed to tell you to stay away.
Luke Cage has taken us hostage and he warns that he'll start k**ing people if the police approach.
What does he want? He Unpredictability gives us leverage.
[Damon] All you're doing is scaring them.
Let me help you.
What do you want? Reciprocity.
No one in the department is going to bow to terrorism.
Oh, I'm counting on that.
Is that even clean? Clean enough for a tourniquet.
Who were you, a Boy Scout? Force Recon.
They had to hear that blast outside.
I should call Ridley.
[groans] [softly] Oh, sh**.
[sighs] [cell phone vibrating] - Misty? - [Misty distorted] Inspector? - Inspector? - Misty.
- [distorted] Misty.
- Inspector [groans] Do you have your phone? - I lost mine a long time ago.
- sh**! Look, you gotta go upstairs, okay? Those people, they need you.
I can't leave you.
You'll bleed out.
You'll die.
I need to get you stabilized.
Then I'll think of some way to help Claire and everybody else up there.
[breath trembling] You can't negotiate with him.
I won't.
[voice breaking] I don't wanna I don't wanna bleed to d**h on the floor, like Scarfe.
Not on my watch.
[sniffs] I think you deserve a drink, Councilman.
- I don't drink.
- Yes, you do.
[smacks lips] Ah.
Nothing like an aged Scotch.
You know there was a time you'd cross a Scotsman and he wouldn't think twice about cutting your head off with a sword.
I like a drink that encourages such decisiveness.
I can help you negotiate even more.
I can speak for you.
Get you what you want.
You read the Bible, Damon? Sometimes.
When nothing else makes sense.
I read that every day.
Gift from my father to my mother.
My mother left it to me after she pa**ed.
Please.
Go ahead.
[Damon shuddering] [Candace inhales sharply] [softly] Hey.
What's hurting? I messed up my ankle real bad.
[Sugar] Hey! Sit your fine a** down.
[sighs] She hurt her leg.
It could be broken.
So? She's my best friend, and I'm a nurse.
Don't you have enough to worry about? True.
Just do it quick.
- Don't help, okay? I'll do all the work.
- [exhales deeply] - [gasps] - I'm gonna take your boot off.
- [inhales sharply] - I see.
[Candace gasping] [whimpering] Move your leg like this.
- Your toes? - [groans] Yeah, I don't think it's a break.
- But it's a pretty bad sprain.
- [sighs] [sighs] Were you protesting? I'm a VIP hostess.
And you? Um [sighs] I was helping a friend.
- This is some bullsh**.
- You got Luke Cage? Please.
That n***a's on that bulletproof Houdini sh** for real.
[Sugar] What about downstairs? There's no way downstairs from the kitchen.
Is your friend Luke Cage? - Do you know him? - Hard to forget.
He used to work here.
This whole thing is my fault.
[stuttering] Hey what's happening? What's wrong? [voice breaking] I did something really bad.
Hey.
What's wrong with her? [sighs] She's in a lot of pain.
[whispering] Tell me.
[whispering] I was so scared.
They paid me to say I saw Luke k** Cottonmouth.
Who's they? Mariah Dillard.
You wanna help Luke? Then you tell me how he could have disappeared from that kitchen that no one could've escaped from.
This is a prewar prohibition building.
There's a storage space underneath.
Employees used to go down there to fool around or sleep between shifts when we had to prep a big event.
So it's downstairs in the basement? Where? By the staff lockers.
Would anybody else know about that? Not unless they worked in the kitchen.
I'm the only person from the waitstaff here - except Luke.
- [sighs] The only way in or out of that storage room is through the kitchen.
Luke can make another door.
Okay, I'm gonna need you to pa** out.
- What? - I need you to pa** out.
I'm gonna get us out of this.
- [sighs] - [Claire] Oh Oh, my God! - Help us! - [Sugar] What now? - [Claire] She's diabetic.
- Where's her sh**? [stutters] Uh, it must be in, uh, the staff locker downstairs.
Yo, Lopes.
Escort the night nurse here downstairs.
Thank you.
Will you look after her? - I'll be right back, okay? - Uh-huh.
Okay, baby.
Come on.
Come on, now.
- Just down here.
[grunts] - Just hurry up.
[Lopes groaning] You'll live.
Hey.
[sighs] So, what does this brother of yours want, anyway? Revenge.
He framed me.
He sent me to Seagate.
He's trying to pin this whole hostage thing on you.
Did he set you up for Cottonmouth's murder, too? I wouldn't put it past him.
You're the only one that knows the truth.
I'll need your help when we get out of this.
You'll have it.
[indistinct chatter] [siren wailing] - We need to go in.
- Not until we have a plan.
Cage is super strong and bulletproof.
The longer we sit, the more entrenched this lunatic gets.
We've had exactly one conversation with a hostage, Damon Boone, the politician, and we got cut off.
Now, I am with you on going in, but we need a plan.
We've never faced anything like this before.
Inspector Ridley? Blake Tower, DA's Office.
- Mr.
Tower.
What's going on? - You tell me.
We've been closely following Cage's activities.
The mayor would like me to help coordinate.
- The situation is coordinated.
- Really? - We're on the same side - Hmm.
And I'd like to guide you as how best to achieve an outcome that's beneficial to all parties.
Yeah, the most beneficial outcome is for me to get those hostages and my detective out alive, and Luke Cage in cuffs.
None of which you can give me.
- Inspector? - Yeah.
We have independent confirmation that the explosion came from inside.
- Now can we go in? - We wait.
What if he just shoots all those people dead? That is not Cage's MO.
Every encounter we've ever had with him, he's never used a gun.
He doesn't have to.
- Well, he's using one now, isn't he? - Well, I saw that dashcam video.
He can take out your whole team in mere seconds and not get a scratch.
I agree.
In order to engage this a**hole, we need to bring the heat.
You got any ideas Mr.
, uh, ADA? Look, the mayor is in a closed-door session discussing enhanced weapons for law enforcement.
With who? Mariah Dillard.
[Misty] What's wrong? It needs to be tighter.
Brace yourself.
- One - [yells] [groaning] [Luke breathing heavily] I feel like getting my Crispus Attucks on up there.
Mmm, you gotta be smart about this.
There are too many innocent people up there who could end up dead.
I might not have a choice.
I had a choice.
I should have trusted you.
I know.
[chuckles] [scoffs] You didn't make it easy.
Don't go doing anything stupid.
Like what? Be a hero.
I'm not the hero type.
Are you sure? Looks to me like that's what you've always been.
[faint tapping] You hear that? [tapping continues] [tapping continues] Why the hell didn't you leave the club? When have I ever done as I was told? [Luke] Misty! Misty! Yes, sir.
Absolutely.
What's going on? We might have something to take Luke Cage out.
An experimental weapon that's never been authorized before.
[Tower] Hmm.
- Someone's pulling strings.
Is that you? - No.
Then it's Mariah Dillard.
Did you put her in touch with someone? It's Boone again.
Mr.
Boone.
Are you okay? Luke Cage would like to give you his demands.
We're listening.
He wants a chopper on the roof.
As a sign of goodwill, Mr.
Cage is willing to let half the hostages go at the end of this call.
Me and a few others will remain to ensure his escape.
We will get right on that.
Is Detective Knight still alive? Yes.
Yes, she is.
We will need proof of life before we proceed.
[mouthing] No.
He's saying you're not in a position to make demands.
Well, then we have a problem.
He says a few hostages will be coming out now.
- [woman] Got it! - He's stalling.
I know what he's doing.
He could just want a way out.
We should keep on stalling him until the new weapons show up.
I take my orders from the chief.
What's really going on here? Do I want us to use a weapon that can take out a man that's bulletproof? - Absolutely not.
- I don't understand.
Look, any weapon that the police or military has eventually ends up on the street.
You know it's dangerous to even show that kind of power.
Hey, but I don't see we got much of a choice.
- I don't trust Mariah Dillard.
- Yeah, I don't either.
But she has juice with people way above our paygrade.
I just don't want this to turn into the Gunfight at the O.
K.
Corral.
Frank Castle shot the city to hell, and he only had regular bullets.
Now imagine what he or somebody like him can do with these things.
Yeah, I hear you.
Who is the one person you don't see here? Hmm.
A chief.
And what does that tell you? He wants distance.
Deniability.
If this goes wrong, the blood is on my hands, - and mine alone.
- [Chang] Inspector.
There's movement at the door.
- [officer 1] Eyes up.
He's comingout.
- [officer 2] Hold fire.
- [officer 3] Hands! Hands! - [officer 4] Put your hands in the air! Step forward.
Come on, let's go! Let's go! - Move it, come on! - That's right.
This way! Go, go! We're clear.
- Get them out of here.
Come on.
- Follow me.
Well, it went clean through.
- You've lost a lot of blood.
- Mmm.
I handled the situation the best I could under the circumstances, Claire.
[Claire] Yeah, you're lucky she didn't lose her arm.
That is way too close to the wound.
Me, medical sh**.
You, bulletproof sh**.
Y'all sound married.
- [Claire sighs] - That's good.
I'm gonna get some stuff.
[Stryker] Oh, my mama loved blue-eyed soul.
["Son of a Preacher Man" playing] I wish you could have met Dana my mother.
- She's beautiful.
- Yes.
She was a secretary for a big-time preacher.
A bold, charismatic man who loved to talk loud and dress fancy.
- Like you.
- Exactly.
They worked long, stressful hours and Well, they had a lot of laughter in that back office.
Something was bound to happen and it did.
I was born.
But he was married.
And everything was good until the preacher's wife, two years later, had a baby boy.
A miracle child.
And everything changed.
The great Reverend Lucas wasn't man enough to give his first son his last name.
You see, I was still Willis Stryker.
But his real son was Carl Lucas.
But here's the crazy thing.
Nobody said nothing.
And Carl and I we grew up best friends, but there was all this tension.
You could just feel it like a draft coming in from under a door.
I just wanted him to see me.
I was a good boy.
I did well in school.
But he always loved Carl more.
- [indistinct radio chatter] - [sirens wailing] Inspector? A word? I'll be right back.
Some of the hostages' statements are not matching up.
Most are saying that they saw people inside shooting at Cage, not the other way around.
We might have this all wrong.
We might.
We'll have time to get to the bottom of what's going on later.
But right now, we need to get control of this situation, and we are not in control yet.
[man whimpering] You! Stop looking around! - The first of the hostages are gone.
- Good.
You're not worried about what they're gonna say? By the time anyone figures out the truth, Harlem's Menace will be dead or I will.
I ain't testifying.
Are you? [scoffs] Why would I? Would you really want me to confirm that you had no plan? Think about how stupid that would make both of us look.
Have you forgotten who you're talking to? Have you? - What about the helicopter? - Please.
There's no way they'll agree to that.
- I know.
- Hmm.
[Stryker] What happened? - Lopes got pushed down the stairs.
- What? One of the hostages pa**ed out, and another one went to go get her medication.
- Which hostage? - The waitress from VIP.
The West Indian-lookin' chick.
Candace.
God - Did you find the other one? - No.
Diamondback and I aren't finished speaking, Sugar.
So I'm gonna need y'all to fall back.
My bad.
[Shades sighs] What? Candace is the one that Mariah used to pin Cottonmouth's murder on Luke Cage.
The other one Is probably the one who stabbed me at the clinic.
Damn it.
I knew she looked familiar.
She probably came in with Cage.
- Candace knows what Cage looks like.
- Hmm.
The other chick with him, if she escapes Either one of them could blow our cover story.
- They all got to go.
- Take care of it then.
You and me, we get out of this we're gonna have a long talk.
Best believe that.
Hmm.
[Shades] Let's go.
Downstairs.
Carl, Carl, Carl.
[over PA] Here you go again.
Bobbing and weaving because you're too scared to take a hit.
It's just like I taught you in the ring.
No matter how much you duck, eventually, you're gonna have to knuck and buck.
If you don't surrender yourself and Misty Knight I'm gonna k** a hostage every ten minutes - starting with Damon Boone.
- [gasps] He's not bluffing.
- I gotta take him out.
- You're walking into a trap.
- You know that.
- I'm counting on it.
You don't always have to fight to win.
Look, if things go south, we are surrounded by cops.
I'll make sure that they know you're innocent.
They'll know the truth, I promise.
Don't go dying on me, Misty.
- Not on my watch.
- Hmm.
That's usually his line.
[sighs] They used that waitress, Candace, to frame you.
[Misty scoffs] Lyin' a**.
Where is she? [Claire] Upstairs with the others.
Hey.
What if he has more of those special bullets? That's a chance I'll have to take.
If I don't walk away from this, you need to lay in the cut until you hear from me, Bobby Fish or Misty.
No one else.
- You know how well I follow orders.
- I'm serious.
Willis plays for keeps especially with people I care about the most.
Promise me.
I will.
- You have a place in mind? - Yeah.
Be careful.
Always.
You're so corny.
[inhales sharply] [groaning] Keep that right there, okay? Arm turned up.
- sh**! [groans] - Shh! You could've warned me.
Yeah, I could've.
Talk me through what you're about to do.
Okay.
I am gonna use this dental floss to tie off your - hosing vein.
- I think I'm gonna throw up.
[inhales sharply] - [groans] - [Claire softly] There.
This is gonna cut the blood supply to your hand and your forearm.
[Misty breathing heavily] The longer this stays in the higher the chances of losing your arm.
Look, I want to apologize.
I shouldn't have lost my cool with you.
Ah, you can't be to blame with this kind of crazy.
Well, you're in pretty deep.
Yeah, well, trouble stalks me like a crazy ex-boyfriend.
[chuckles] I hear you.
You and Luke go out for coffee yet? Uh, we haven't had time.
He doesn't like coffee.
I know.
[inhales deeply] All done.
Damn, you're good.
You're good at your job, I'm good at mine.
[man] Mariah talked to the mayor.
The guns are a go.
Good luck, brother.
Councilwoman Dillard never ceases to amaze me.
Pressure brings the best out of certain people.
So where was I? Together we were bold.
We stole a red Corvette, just like the song just for a joyride.
You see, I was a Prince fan, and Carl was all about Michael.
We were so busy arguing, we didn't even see the cop.
But Carl was a Lucas.
I was a Stryker.
It was over before it even began.
[over PA] When it came time for sentencing, the preacher convinced the judge to let his golden boy join the Marines.
Me? Juvie.
Got jumped two days in.
Boy drew a shank and [grunting] I k**ed him in self-defense.
[grunting continues] So I got sent away to hard time.
And sweet Dana? Oh, her cancer ate her alive and she died alone in a shelter without a friend in the world.
You see, the good Reverend Lucas well, he stopped caring for her after I was gone.
He was free of her and I was powerless.
But she, oh Oh, she still loved him and well, she wanted me to have something of my father's.
God had me at hello with Genesis.
The story of Cain and Abel.
When God asked Cain where Abel was after he k**ed him Cain asked, "Am I my brother's keeper?" See I thought that was some cool sh** Wesley Snipes made up in New Jack City.
[grunts] Turns out it's real.
So after I k** Luke Cage I'm gonna stand over him and say, "Yes, I am.
" - Why are you telling me all this? - [glove powering up] [grunts] Because you're about to meet my mother, Damon.
Tell her I love her.
- [grunts] - [screams] [gla** shattering] [Stryker] Shades, show Councilman Boone to the door.
[yells] [indistinct chatter] - Door! - [officer 1] Opening door! [officer 2] Put your hands in the air! Go, go, go.
Let's go.
Let's spread in.
Move in.
Let's go, guys.
Get him up.
Get him up.
Someone grab his feet.
[indistinct chatter] He's dead.
Chest is caved in.
Move in now.
It has been confirmed that the body thrown from the entrance was indeed Harlem's own, Damon Boone.
At this time, we still have no clear idea what Luke Cage wants.
[floor creaks] [creaking continues] - [woman] What's going on? - [Sugar] Turn around.
I see Luke Cage was here.
[Misty screams] [Claire grunts] [both grunting] [shouts] [both panting] - [Claire] Let me help you.
- [handcuffs clicking] [Misty] Okay.
[Misty groaning] [Misty groans] You got sk**s.
[panting] Likewise.
My father.
My uncle.
[both chuckling] [indistinct radio chatter] [officer 1] All right.
Still waiting on word.
I hope they know what they're authorizing.
Our main focus should be freeing the hostages.
They shouldn't shoot unless absolutely necessary.
My men know the job.
Stop meddling and let us get to work.
Hey Luke Cage might not be behind this.
I'll ask him when I see him.
[Sugar] Nobody move.
I ain't playing.
[grunts] [whispers] This way.
[indistinct chatter] Wave this.
Keep your hands raised.
[Stryker] Hey, Carl.
What's happening, brother? We have what looks like more hostages being released.
And ESU Officers are approaching the building entrance to allegedly confront Luke Cage.
- Let her go.
- Oh, we'll get to that.
Couldn't we have made amends a long time ago? Couldn't you have died during childbirth? Easy there.
[Candace whimpering] [gasps] I was sorry to hear about Dana.
I always liked her.
I couldn't stand Etta.
What a b**h! - [Banging on door] - [officer 1] We have lethal rounds, Cage - We will use them.
- [Stryker] Gotta go.
With that hostage you k**ed, they're gonna shoot first and ask questions later.
Mariah supplied the force with some Judas 2.
0s, so they won't bounce off of you.
- They'll stick.
- [Candace whimpers] You gonna run, Miracle Whip? Or you gonna save the damsel? Willis.
Bye, Carl.
Bye, Felicia.
[Candace screaming] - [officer 1] Go, go! - [officer 2] Get in there! - [banging] - [indistinct chatter] I'm sorry, Luke.
- [officer 1] Move in! - [officer 2] We have visual.
[officer 1] Hands in the air! [officer 2] You heard him.
Don't move.
[officer 1] In the air! - Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! - What are you doing? - You want to get out of here, right? - Yeah.
Okay.
This way.
This way.
[officer] I said in the air, now! [indistinct radio chatter] - Hey, you got a ride? - Cottonmouth had three.
[indistinct chatter] [Ridley] It worked.
They got him.
Didn't even have to fire.
That's all that matters.
Those weapons are a game changer.
- Hope we never have to use them.
- [Misty] Inspector.
[Ridley] Are you okay? Listen, Luke Cage is innocent.
What you think you saw is not what happened.
Why don't you focus on getting fixed up? Let us clean up this mess.
This mess is Willis Stryker's doing.
He's the one who shot me.
Listen, his name is Diamondback.
I believe you, Misty.
There are dozens of other people to talk to.
And Luke is still wanted for Albini's murder, Cottonmouth's murder, - and attacking those cops.
- You are not listening to me.
Luke Cage is innocent of everything.
And after we have him in custody, we'll verify it.
Look I trust you.
I do.
But we have to verify.
The only thing that matters is the truth.
We got you, Detective.
Let me look at your arm.
Listen, whatever you need to do, you need to do it right here.
Okay? I'm not going anywhere.
Not yet.
[siren wails] [softly] Let's go.
[man] Yo! That's Luke Cage! - Check him out, man! - [woman] That's him! Yo, B! There go Luke! [man] We know you innocent, Luke! [mouthing] Go.
[funk music playing]