At a more secluded place, the thugs arrive back, as Charlie is working on a device that will cause an electronic wave to knock out any form of communication within a twenty-mile radius. Chris is there to help in any way that he can.
Charlie Cooper: What do you think? More color?
Chris Reid: What is that?
Charlie Cooper: An EVP on steroids, my friend. Strong enough to wipe out the entire space station if I wanted it to. Hey, that's not a bad idea. Writing it down for future chaos.
Hearing the thugs making a lot of commotion, Chris goes to handle them as he demands to know where Smitty is when one of them tells him he was killed by a man. Overhearing this, Charlie knows exactly who they are talking about and now realizes this has become more personal. Continuing to work on the device, Charlie throws the tool he is using across the room in a fit of rage as he presses his hands on the table, breathing with anger. Throwing heavy punches and kicks, Michael breathes in rhythm with each combo. Steading the bag, he continues his workout while Brooke watches from afar.
Michael Monroe: Care to join me, or are you going to keep staring at me?
Brooke Cade: How did you know I was here?
Michael Monroe: Just a feeling.
Putting on a pair of gloves, she walks over as Michael stands aside. Brooke throws a very weak punch to the bag. Michael stands there, arms crossed, watching her a few times.
Michael Monroe: You're holding back.
Brooke Cade: I'm hitting as hard as I can.
Michael Monroe: No, you're not.
Michael holds the bag and instructs her to hit it again, and she throws another weak punch that does not even move him. Letting go of the bag, he stands in front of it and tells her to hit him instead.
Brooke Cade: What? I'm not hitting you, Michael.
Michael Monroe: I'm not asking. I want you to hit me.
Brooke Cade: I'm not going to hit you. What the hell is wrong with you?
Michael Monroe: You said once before you wanted to learn, so I'm teaching you. Hit me. Right in the face, come on.
Brooke still refuses as Michael starts yelling for her to hit him, and with each yelling, he gets louder and louder when she pops him in the face. Her punch draws a little blood, but Michael wipes it away and demands she do it again. She takes the gloves off and throws them at him.
Brooke Cade: I don't know what the hell has gotten into you, but I am not going to train this way. Have me beat up on a punching bag or a dummy, but I will not hit you. I need to take a walk.
Picking up the gloves, he watches her leave as he tosses them aside, cursing and berating himself for acting stupid. Upset, Brooke steps outside and tries to recollect herself when Rebecca joins her.
Rebecca Butler: Everything okay?
Brooke Cade: Yeah, yeah, I just needed to step outside. Fresh air.
Rebecca Butler: What's really going on? I know when someone is upset. You two had a fight?
Brooke Cade: No. Not really. He was downstairs training, and I don't know where the attitude change came from, but he wanted me to hit him. I don't understand.
Rebecca Butler: I've known Michael for a long time. Before I became an officer, I was assaulted by my ex, and at the time, I was not a very good fighter. Michael taught me self-defense, and well, let's just say the last time I saw my ex, he learned to never take advantage of a woman again. The point is, yes, he can be a dick sometimes and get a little aggressive, but it only shows he deeply cares for you, and with this killer running around, he wants you to be prepared.
Brooke Cade: Be prepared by hitting him.
Rebecca Butler: He did the same with me. The amount of times I popped him and the way he took it, I don't know; he just stood there and took it.
Brooke Cade: He had it rough before he met me. He told me the things he saw in Afghanistan and that no matter the amount of pain he endures, it is nothing compared to what he went through over there.
Rebecca Butler: He may be right. If I am being honest, though, we have to be prepared. No matter what. This psycho is targeting mostly women, and you saw what he did to Samantha. We have to stick together and be ready at any time.
Standing right next to the door and hearing the conversation, Michael hangs his head in shame.
Michael Monroe: What the hell is wrong with you, Michael? Get it together. She needs you.
Roy Wheeler: Are you talking to yourself or an imaginary friend?
Michael Monroe: Myself. Brooke is-
Roy Wheeler: I know. Sound travels in this place.
Michael Monroe: Great.
Roy Wheeler: I understand what you are doing here, man. You want her to be able to defend herself, but doing it the way you want her to is not going to cut it.
Michael Monroe: I just fuck, man. I feel like all the hard work we did to clean this city up was for nothing. I feel like now we are back to square one and have gone nowhere.
Roy Wheeler: It's like I said before, brother. Crystal City will never be cleaned up. It's beyond saving.
Michael Monroe: No. No. I don't believe that. Not for a second, I don't. There are good people here; they just need to see it, and they need to be shown there are.
Roy Wheeler: You've seen what Roman did. He got this city so messed up, it's opened the door for new bad guys to take a stand. I mean, we are just two people against an army in there. We can only do so much.
Michael Monroe: Yeah. You're right. And it's three. You, Yuri, and myself
Roy Wheeler: What about Clint?
Michael Monroe: He helps in many ways by navigating us through the city. Speaking of, where is Clint?
Roy Wheeler: Last I was told, he was heading back to the labs to check on the test results. That was earlier this afternoon.
Michael Monroe: Fuck, why hasn't he called any of us?
Michael checks his phone and finds he has nine missed calls and ten text messages from Clint. Cursing himself again, he calls Clint, who picks up on the first ring and fusses about Michael not answering his calls or texts.
Michael Monroe: Where are you?
Clint Gallows: I'm still at the lab with Elizabeth. She was attacked.
Arming himself up, Roy volunteers to stay behind to watch over Rebecca and Samantha while Brooke goes with Michael to the lab.