Hey.
What are you doing in here?
He had a bad dream.
Palm City Police are out in force today,
as the mayor announces his new Chief of Police, Tom Ross,
at a noon day press conference at City Hall. Check you later.
This despite recent terrorist threats made against the new Chief
by the masked killer known as Chess.
Now, we'll have much more on this developing story...
Be safe.
Got you.
See you later, Trip. Bye, Dad.
Palm City Police Department, can I help you?
Hey, Billy. Hey, man.
Good morning, Donna.
You sure about that?
Orwell says the threat to the new Chief is coming from inside the department.
What the hell are you doing on Orwell's blog?
Orwell is the only one that seems to know what the hell is going on in this city.
He just put up a new list of corrupt cops.
Jenner and Brooks are on it.
No.
This is our vision of better days ahead.
A day when a police force can execute its most basic purpose,
to fight crime.
Get me a man on that north corner. We're looking a little thin there.
I'm on it.
Together, we can save Palm City with your support.
Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Palm City.
It's a new day ahead.
Let's roll.
Hope that Chess moron had a front row seat.
Backstage pass.
Hey, Bobby. What are you doing, man?
You and Garcia are my bodies on the Chief.
You just called me off.
The hell I did.
Chief!
Hey, buddy.
That's good.
That's really good.
You've got to... You've got to turn your hips.
Boom.
Got to keep your hand up.
I know you'll get him, Dad.
I love you.
ARK Corporation. Come on, man. We've been through this.
It's time, Vince.
We're detectives.
We need to be solving crimes
not worrying about getting shot in the back by one of our own.
Yeah, but ARK? I mean, come on. What is it, some billionaire?
Peter Fleming? I mean, how does that work?
After the Chief's murder, everything has changed.
From what I'm hearing, Peter Fleming, the ARK Corporation,
they're going to take over the police force.
We need guys like you, Vince.
You know what? Talk to Dana.
She seems to be the only one of you two with any sense.
I thought you'd be happy.
I just want to know it's what you want.
I mean, you've always wanted to be a cop.
I'd still be a cop.
A private cop. A corporate cop.
I mean, how am I supposed to do my job
if I can't even trust the guy next to me?
No, I get it.
I get it.
ARK is taking over the force in six months. I get in now,
I get good benefits. Time off.
Time off? What's that?
Hmm. Hmm.
Operating in war theaters in 17 nations,
ARK Corporation is setting a new standard in privatized law enforcement.
Chairman and CEO, Peter Fleming,
now plans to bring ARK's solutions to cities all across America.
Mr. Fleming.
This is Vince Faraday. The detective I told you about?
Right.
There's a shocking amount of police corruption in Palm City, Detective.
I hope you've kept your nose clean.
I don't take bribes. No.
Forgive me. That, uh...
I was rude.
Do you realize that ARK Corporation is paid billions of dollars
to train police officers in Afghanistan,
while American cities are left to crumble in neglect?
I want to change all that.
This can be a great city again, Vince.
Yes, sir. I believe that.
But first, we have to rebuild the trust.
Well, these are good people.
Yeah, of course they are. Well, you're a hometown guy, right?
Yeah. Yeah. Born and raised.
I used to play ball over in Ditmas Park.
My father was a Palm City sheriff.
Wow. Then, you must have mixed feeling about this, a privatized police force.
I just want to be a cop.
Good answer.
These people don't know me, Vince.
I'm a faceless bureaucrat.
They need heroes like Vince Faraday.
Marty will sort you out.
And I want you on the clock first thing Monday morning.
Thank you, sir.
"He propped his glasses on his nose,
"cleared his throat, and read aloud.
"'There amid..."'
He's got to finish his school reading.
We're on it.
Good night, sweetheart.
Good night, Mom.
Do it.
Okay. Now. Where were we?
"The Cape dove off the rooftop,
"barely dodging the jets of fire
"streaming from the gauntlets of The Arsonist.
"'Let's see if that Cape burns, ' The Arsonist sneered.
"'I should have killed you while I had the chance.'
"Beneath the city, beneath the streets,
"the vermin of the city teems and grows and grows unchecked.
"They need a hero."
Hello, Vince. This is Orwell.
I've been watching you. Sorry to hear you're leaving the force.
Palm City needs honest cops like you.
I guess you bought into the hype that ARK Corporation will save us all.
Well, not so fast.
This is L-9, super-expanding chemical explosive.
Officially doesn't exist. But we know better, don't we?
This is what L-9 did to Chief Ross.
How did L-9 reach Palm City?
This man, Dominic Raoul, a.k.a. Scales.
Not just a pretty face,
Scales runs the biggest smuggling operation on the West Coast.
And this is Chess.
My sources tell me Chess and Scales struck a deal,
and a massive shipment of L-9 is moving by train tonight.
Let's see if you're still a cop, Vince.
We'll be in touch.
Vince!
Vince.
You alone? Yeah, I'm alone.
Did you bust this lock?
And you're opening boxes. Vince, this is illegal.
You think that's illegal?
"Pammy Pees. Hours of toilet training fun."
I don't know about you, but I'm thinking recall.
It's a weaponized shell of L-9 chemical explosive.
I checked six boxes. All the same.
That is what killed the new Chief.
So, what the hell is it doing in an ARK freight car?
Vince, it's a billion-dollar corporation.
Lot of moving parts.
Come on, Marty. In this city, those moving parts
seem to include organized crime and WMD.
Look, we're going to get out of here. Okay?
I'm going to make some phone calls, I'm gonna clear this whole thing up.
Wait. No, no, no. I got this!
Marty.
Marty, what did you do?
Do you play chess?
I ask because you have an aggressive opening.
In the game, I'd call it the Latvian Gambit.
You forced me to fine-tune some things.
What's the plan for the L-9?
But we are in the middlegame.
Pawns become crucial.
And out of your inexperience,
you left your king vulnerable.
Your family.
Dana.
Trip.
Don't you dare.
Don't you dare!
My life is like a game of chess.
Chess must pay for his crimes.
ARK will make him pay. And when they do,
the Mayor will turn over the police to me.
And when the coroner's report is released,
it will be your skin they find under Chief Ross' fingernails.
This is check, Vince.
Marty, don't. Don't do this. Don't do this. Please, don't do this.
Tighter.
You have one move left.
Run.
There he is.
News Copter 7 is on the scene now,
and we will continue the live coverage...
Hey, oatmeal okay, hon? ... of this breaking news story.
Sure.
Where's Dad?
I don't know. He must have had to go in to work early.
Hey, Mom. I think they caught Chess.
Is that where Dad is?
Maybe.
We have a very fluid situation developing.
Wait, there's new information coming in right now.
Why don't we turn that off?
Suspect has been identified as former Police Sergeant, Vince Faraday.
Why did he say that?
Say what?
He said Dad was Chess.
They said what?
He said Dad.
That was a mistake. You didn't hear it right.
What? Quiet. Quiet, Trip.
News 7, as we continue to bring you...
Recap. ARKpersonnel are in pursuit of a suspect...
Mom, that's him!
Why are they chasing him?
It's a mistake.
No, Mom! No, no!
Mr. Fleming! How is this going to work?
Is ARK taking over the police department?
Look, Chess is dead.
And today, Palm City is safer because of us.
There is work to be done, there are details to be ironed out.
But, as of today,
I humbly accept the Mayor's offer.
Palm City will have the first fully private
metropolitan police force in the United States.
Thank you.
Wake him up.
Rollo.
No, no, no. Hold on. I'm awake. I'm awake.
One eighty-seven on the nose. Am I right?
Where am I?
Answer him, jerk-face.
He's guessing your weight.
One eighty-seven. Is he right?
Uh, well, 187. Yeah, that's right.
He's never wrong.
I never miss.
So, you're Chess.
No, I'm not, I'm not Chess.
Is there egg on my face?
Whatever gave me that impression? Oh.
Authorities continue to gather evidence after the explosion
that appears to have taken the life of Vince Faraday, a.k.a. Chess.
Whoops! No, I was framed.
Look, you want the truth?
Chess is Peter Fleming.
He is! Look...
Who are you? What do you want?
Money, you poor, slow-thinking man.
We are the Carnival of Crime. We are professional bank robbers.
Now, are you any use to me or not?
Because I'm getting thirsty.
No.
I'm just a cop.
Wrong answer.
Rollo?
We hate cops. They arrest people like us.
You're... Max, you're screaming.
What?
I'm using my stage voice.
When you were Chess, you were interesting.
Now, you're boring.
Dump him in the desert and cut the fingers off.
Head, too, I guess. But he's cute.
No, no. Wait, wait! Wait.
I'm a cop who had authority over every security procedure,
code schedule, and personnel shift
for the Palm City branch of ARK Security Corporation.
Get Tattoo here to check my pocket.
Rollo?
Outside pocket, cue ball.
That is a master key.
It talks to alarm keypads. Bypasses security codes.
Now, you probably already know that ARK alarms and security troops
are taking over every bank in Palm City.
So, now, you tell me.
How much is my life worth?
Ladies and gentlemen, this is a hold-up.
Get down!
On your faces!
Come on! We're leaving.
Gentlemen? We have a winner.
Go. Go, go, go!
This next video is from the South Palm City branch.
Do we think the raccoon acted alone?
Probably not, sir.
You have a beautiful family.
Thank you.
Search the forests.
Find these comedians.
Yes, sir.
Hello?
Hello.
It's time to move on, Vincent.
I can't let my son think that I did those things.
Go on. Explain to them that you're not dead.
But the moment Vince Faraday pops up, Chess will kill them.
Believe me.
They're safer with you gone.
Then, I'll kill Chess.
ARK is bigger than just one man.
No, I can find evidence. I can prove that I'm innocent.
And give it to who?
He is the cops.
Then, what?
You take his damn money. That's how you take down ARK.
And who better than me to take it?
That is not enough.
Look. Here's the deal, Vincent.
You help me rob Peter Fleming,
and I'll help you get your family back.
Trip.
Sweetie, are you hungry?
Will you eat something a little later for Mommy?
Okay.
I haven't seen this old rag in years.
That would be quite an act.
But I can't help you.
Why not?
Look, we've got a good thing going here.
You've got a good thing going. Well, what are you...
What are you afraid of?
You're dreaming.
I'm still his father, Max.
I have to show him that he isn't alone.
I have to send him a message.
What message?
That his dad's lost his mind?
It's not all corrupt. That one man can still make a difference.
Now, Max, you made me a promise.
I kept my end of it. Now, you tell me.
Have you got anything left in the tank? Were you ever anything?
You watch it, punk.
I don't see it.
Now, you're just a broken-down old loser.
I'm Max Malini.
Is it possible?
I've broken 92 bones in pursuit of the perfect illusion.
Trained a generation of escapists, acrobats, magicians.
I specialize in impossible.
But this,
this won't cut it. You need something special.
But I do nothing halfway.
This will cost you.
You'll learn just how much the human body can withstand.
And the mind.
You give me your soul, Vince Faraday,
and I'll make you the greatest circus act that ever lived.
When do we start?
It was one of a kind.
Had varied elements.
Like a weighted hem for throws.
It was designed for Kozmo, the Russian escapist.
They called him un-killable.
Voilą!
It's made entirely of spider silk.
Stronger than Kevlar,
but thinner than filament.
Retract!
And snap.
Again.
Spin. Spin. Spin. Snap it.
The cape must retract.
Free you up to fight with a fighting form that embraces the cape.
British Bartitsu.
Kodokan Judo.
The warrior dancers of the Tang Dynasty used their robes as weapons.
Again.
And so will you.
One day.
There are 37 vanishing illusions that use a cape.
You will master them all.
All right, little man.
Let's see how tough you are when I'm not tied to a chair.
Bring it, bitch boy.
In mentalism, the point is not to let the sucker know
he is being hypnotized. Right?
So, you talk about the weather.
Or my wife. She give me a hard time.
You move his eye.
Slowly, you're working your way into his mind.
Into his very soul.
What was that?
I just hypnotized you, sucker.
You... Yeah, right.
Then, why are you wearing the girlie panties, Vincent?
The girl... What?
That is not cool. That is not cool, Ruvi.
Come on, Vince. Do it.
Come on.
Yeah!
Show me what you've got.
There you go.
Hmm.
You wish, sucker.
Oh, you give me 100 bucks, I won't tell the crew.
You...
Don't get cocky.
I think you're ready.
It's him. It's Scales.
Isn't he, like, deformed?
Just don't stare, man.
Whatever you do, don't stare.
Hurry up, you slugs!
Let's get this stuff on the ship.
Wait a minute. Let me see that thing.
Nice.
Move it!
Sweet threads.
Come on!
It's going to be cold.
I know you'll get him, Dad.
I love you.
The escapist controls his fear.
He focuses the mind.
Trusts his training.
Come on, you slugs! Let's get a move on.
Come on. Chop, chop. Hurry up.
That's what we want. Load up.
Unload it. You've got 30 minutes.
Wait. You're Orwell?
Get up!
What are you, like 12?
You're the one wearing long underwear and a cape.
Fair enough.
Who do you work for? I don't work for anyone.
Please.
You're just another mind game to squirm out of Peter Fleming's twisted brain.
What are you doing?
Running the fingerprints you gave me when you pushed the button in the car.
I'll find you.
Turn that off. Don't. Stop. Stop.
Vince Faraday.
Vince Faraday is dead.
You put this on your blog, you put my family in danger, and I swear to God...
We're on the same side, Vince.
How many cops did you rat out? I lost count.
Dirty cops.
I wasn't.
You ruined my life.
I just thought you might want to know who it is you're working for.
Thank you.
I found out, all right.
So, this is for real?
You're fighting back?
Do I have a choice?
Why the get-up?
I have my reasons.
It's an unconventional war.
I want to help you, Vince.
I'm The Cape.
Cape. Fine.
I'm invisible to them, and I have to stay that way.
But you,
you could be a symbol.
And trust me, I could help you hit Peter Fleming where he's weakest.
Together, we could scare him.
Together, we could take this city back.
Sir, it's Marty.
We've got a hit on a grifter-type bank robber named Max Malini.
He surrounds himself with a bunch of circus types.
We've got a team heading over to the hideout now.
Yes. That's, uh...
That's good.
Bring him to me at the Lady Luck.
Everything okay, Mr. Fleming?
Oh.
Oh, yeah.
I'm wonderful.
Don't die, Max. I need names.
Die?
I'm just getting warmed up, sweetheart.
Mr. Raoul, tear his arms off.
Damn. Look at you, son.
I could make you a star.
Whatever he's paying you, I'll double it.
I don't think so.
Doesn't anyone value showmanship anymore?
Find him.
He's one old man.
Vince? Yeah.
They got Max.
ARK troops took him.
I think they've got him on some ship down by the pier.
I'm on my way.
I've got your back.
So, you're Scales, huh?
Yeah.
And the yellow brick road is that way.
Not impressed.
Let's party.
Say hello to Dorothy, bitch.
Abracadabra, pops.
Presto.
I've got you, Max. Okay. Try not to talk.
I'm the one dying here.
I'd like to talk.
What you said about your boy,
about showing him one man can make a difference,
that stayed with me.
You take it from a man who never knew his father
and never had a son.
That bond,
it's what makes heroes.
Want to say something profound.
Last words and all.
But, God, I need a drink.
Max?
Max.
Damn it, I thought that was it.
And I wasted that great speech.
Let me get you up.
Set the charges. Blow the shipment.
Whoa. You have two tons of L-9 down here.
That will take out half of Palm City.
And after, the people will be so afraid,
the fear will never leave them.
ARK can pursue its goals while they cheer for us.
Checkmate.
When I press send, it blows the chargers.
You might want to bring that submarine around.
Palm City's air quality is about to take a hit.
Stay and set the damn charges!
Orwell, I need you to jam all cell phone activity within 500 feet.
Got it.
Chess!
I'll find out who you are.
I'll find out who you love.
I will make them scream.
No bars?
You did good out there, Vince.
Yeah, you, too, Orwell.
But now, you're the mystery.
Who are you, anyway?
No one special.
You're Trip Faraday?
You read my comic?
I knew your father.
He was a good cop.
And he was framed for those crimes.
But I know the guilty, and I will not stop until they know justice.
Your father asked me to give you a message.
He said, "Don't lose hope. Don't ever lose hope.
"And be good to your mother.
"And study your math. You need to work on your math."
And he said to tell you
that he loves you more than anything.
And someday,
someday, you'll see each other again.