Young Justice s04e08 Episode Script

I Know Why the Caged Cat Sings

Argh! Don't move a muscle.
Wow, I am completely at your mercy.
You I suppose now you bring me to justice, let your new friends interrogate me.
I wonder if your position's secure enough to survive them learning everything I know.
Let me make this perfectly clear.
Surrender is your only option.
I will keep my daughter and the two apostate Shadows for, of course, an example must be made of them.
You, Artemis Crock, will be allowed to leave unharmed.
Take it or leave it.
- Supper's ready! - Thanks, Ma.
Pa and I just want to get the tractor up on blocks.
- Then we'll be right - Oh, no.
You two will get to talkin' and we'll be waiting on you for an hour.
Put that thing down and come wash up.
Yes, ma'am.
Gotta learn that trick, Martha.
I've got a feeling you have tricks of your own, Lois.
How does fried chicken and cornbread sound, Jonny? Great! Will Uncle Conner be here? Tigress, listen.
Orphan's working on her chains, but she needs time.
Stall.
Keep the bad guys talking.
There's one thing I need to know.
Were all your confessions just an act? Not the facts.
Those were all true.
My father did kill my sister.
But that was a mercy.
And as for my mother and her family, I'm thankful Vandal Savage saved me from such a mundane life, elevating me to a destiny of greatness at his side.
So these half-truths and the Glamour Charm that faked your injuries? All designed to engender instant sympathy.
So this was never about putting a mole on the team.
Yawn! Been there.
Done that.
No.
This was about my daughter.
Maybe a little.
But I'm guessing the main objective was infiltrating the Justice League's computer system.
Stealing our intel's been a long-term goal of the Light since the day I first joined the Team ten years ago.
A little longer.
I'll send specs to your HUD, so you can give them something to brag about.
The Shadows used the Fog then, too.
But this? This was next level.
Organic Infiltrators.
They had the advantage of being undetectable to your scans.
But the disadvantage of having a short range and brief shelf life, right? Minor inconveniences.
All I required was a distraction to deploy them.
So I was just a distraction? I swear I didn't know they were using me.
It would hardly have worked if you did.
You never developed the proper espionage skills.
You were never truly with the program.
Always unfavorably comparing life here on Santa Prisca with how it was on Infinity Island under Ra's al Ghul and Sensei.
So I approached my sensei with these concerns.
I had similar suspicions and put them to the test.
You let me overhear your plan to place Cassandra as a mole! We gave you every chance to prove us wrong by doing nothing.
Instead, you proved yourself a failure by attempting an escape which we allowed so that you might warn the heroes which also suited our plans.
As your arrival created confusion and prolonged any decision about my future with the team.
Giving you the opportunity to fulfill your mission.
The fight at the Vault was staged to get you close to your target while keeping us distracted.
Not recognized.
Access Denied.
So that you could release your organic fog.
And reclaim it almost as quickly.
Then all I needed was to get back to Santa Prisca to transfer the data to the Light.
Too bad we screwed that last bit up for you.
Betcha Daddy won't like that.
The Light may be disappointed.
But I am not.
I have my daughter back.
Night vision! Now! Shadows, hold the door! You used me! Please.
You're lucky anyone could find a use for you.
Tigress, Orphan's not ready for Shiva.
We can't ask her to fight her own mom.
Right.
Switch dance partners! Ha! Gotcha! No.
No! No! No! Artemis! Generators are back online! Enough is enough! Get those lights back up! Again, surrender is your only option.
What happened? Push them back in! Jonny, we talked about this.
Uncle Conner passed away.
I know.
He can't come to our house 'cause he "passed it away".
But every time we come to Grandma and Grandpa's house Uncle Conner meets us here with Wolf.
Every time.
And Wolf's here.
So Uncle Conner won't pass us away now! Jonny, your uncle has died.
This means that the part of his journey where his body is alive is over.
His body doesn't breathe anymore, it doesn't play anymore.
And, well, we don't get to spend time with him anymore.
Why? Inside a living body, there are many little parts that each do an important job to keep a body healthy and alive.
Now if some of these parts stop doing their jobs, the body can stop working and die.
And that's what happened to Uncle Conner.
But even though we don't get to see or spend time with Conner anymore, because his body is dead, your memories of him will always be alive in your head and in your heart.
And these pictures can remind you of those memories.
And we believe that when our journeys end, we will see him and everyone we love again.
Huh.
You dare betray me? I owed Cheshire a debt.
She and I are now even.
Agreed.
Well, we are not even.
No.
Which is why I hereby tender my resignation to the League of Shadows.
From this point forward, the Shade is strictly freelance.
The New Genesphere has you in her sights, Shiva.
Do not move.
Onyx, Orphan.
Get Tigress aboard and dress her wound.
Keep the pressure on.
I admit I cannot prevent your escape.
- Ow! - And I will even cede Cheshire and Onyx's departure despite their crimes against the Shadows.
But I must insist you leave my daughter behind.
Not going to happen.
My shadows are everywhere.
You know this, Cassandra.
They watch your friends, your comrades.
Stay with me, daughter, else my Shadows shall hunt down every one you care about.
That's a poor bluff, Shiva.
And with one word from me, your friend Barbara Gordon will be dead before you return to Gotham.
Orphan, no! Let her finish it, Sis.
It's better for all of us, believe me.
No! We don't turn kids into killers! Orphan, stop.
This isn't what you want.
Please, Cassandra, you're free now.
You don't have to be the weapon your mother tried to create.
I wasn't trying to save Joker I was trying to save you.
Whom do you think you are fooling, child? I saw it in your eyes.
You are still an assassin.
In allowing these people to adopt you, you believe you have rejected me, declared yourself an orphan.
But you are no orphan.
You are Cassandra Wu-San.
Come back to your mother when you are ready to admit who you really are! Didn't think so.
So like the Cheshire Cat, I'll just disappear.
Then she just let me go.
I Hate to say it, but Crush Sportsmaster was right.
She's weak, Sensei.
She is family, Jade.
Recruit her.
I'm telling you, Dad was right about her.
Jade's just like him.
She's family, Artemis.
You did the right thing letting her go.
The justice system won't turn Jade.
Only family can do that.
But Jade's afraid to open her heart and be part of a family.
She doesn't want to take that risk.
Doesn't want the responsibility.
Unfortunately, she got that from me.
When you were both little, I abdicated all responsibility to your father.
He wanted to train you.
I wanted to walk away.
It took this chair, six years in prison and losing my family to teach me these lessons.
I hope Jade is a quicker study.
If you see her again, you must convince her.
There.
You'll be good as new.
Then I'm making the call.
I can't believe I'm letting you talk me into this.
You want me to talk you into this.
Hey, Artemis, What's up? Hi, Will.
Uh, Listen, I wanna ask your permission to bring someone over to the house.
Another stray? You could say that.
Is that Aunty Mouse? Hi! Hi, baby girl.
Aunty Mouse, look what I made It's a Mommy-Mask! Wait! Will, Lian, I'm sorry.
It's a great mask, but I have to call you back.
Jade! Jade Jonny's asleep.
He seems okay.
I'm glad Jonny's okay.
'Cause I'm not.
If I had gotten to Mars five minutes sooner You would have died alongside Conner, leaving your son without a father and me without you.
I know that sounds selfish, but I'm the selfish one.
Ten years ago, I couldn't get over myself.
I had all these excuses, suspicions.
All this misplaced blame.
I couldn't see him for who he was.
I wasted so much time.
But you fixed that.
Conner knew you loved him like a brother.
And he felt the same about you.
Loving each other that's all any of us can do.
I hope you're right.
God, I hope you're right.
How far ahead is she? Her stolen helicopter has about ten minutes on you.
But you're gaining.
And she's still on course for Infinity Island? Still.
Yes.
Why would she go there? I have no idea.
And I can't believe you tagged my sister.
Didn't you trust her? Of course not! But I tagged all of you.
Wasn't gonna lose anyone else.
Still like to know whose voice is coming out of that little bat-bug.
There she is! Jade! Please I'm not sure why you came, but you have to see you are following in Dad's footsteps.
You know that's not the way.
I'm nothing like dad! Listen, Mouse, you want this cat to change? Why? So I can join your little playgroup? Kind of pointless when they're gonna kick you out any minute.
They're never gonna trust you.
Not unless you tell them the truth and bring me in.
I'm betting you can't bring yourself to do either, right? Didn't think so.
She's turning! Another assault on my meditation space.
The Great One will not be pleased.
You again.
Did you come back to live or to die? Ah, to die, then.
Artemis, get out of the way.
This needs to end now! What are you talking about? Are you trying to get yourself killed? - Yes, she is.
- No! She knows she has no fight here, save the fight she has with herself.
Artemis, please.
Just go back home.
Ah.
She doesn't want witnesses.
That's not it! I'm I'm just sending her back where she belongs.
Home.
With Will and Lian.
I am only living there because you left.
I had to leave! Because you couldn't be bothered? Because you couldn't handle the responsibility? - No! - Then why? Because I'm too much like Dad! I don't want Lian turning out like me.
We are both children of our parents.
But at some point, we decide who we want to be.
Our parents, our upbringing, none of that has to define us.
Aren't I proof DNA doesn't define destiny? I chose my destiny a long time ago.
It's never too late to change your mind to change who you are.
But changing takes time and work.
You've just got to be willing to put both in.
Maybe with a little help from family, say, a sister who still loves you.
You mean a sister who lives with my ex and my daughter? I can't take you away from them, and I can't be a part of their lives.
Not yet.
Maybe not ever.
- Yes, you can - Don't you get it? I wouldn't be joining them.
I'd be bringing them into my cage with me.
We all build our own cages.
It gives us something to run away from.
See, I was raised by my maternal grandfather.
Will Everett, "The Amazing Man".
He was good to me, but I felt trapped.
Papa Willie was always more Booker T than Malcolm X.
He believed in leading by example, doing the right thing, which sounds great, but it would never be enough.
The world was never going to just catch up and recognize our worth.
Even as a kid, I was I was frustrated and angry.
I wanted more.
Then, Sensei found me, promised I could make a difference, change the world, throw off the old order.
So I ran away.
And here on Infinity Island, the Shadows felt like my new family.
Yeah.
The Shadows did better by me than Sportsmaster ever did.
That was a very low bar.
Certainly by now, you both understand that what you experienced here was not family but manipulation.
Of course, the Shadows kept an eye on the daughters of Sportsmaster and the granddaughter of Amazing Man from the moment each was born.
Thus when we saw opportunities to take you, we did.
My role was to create loyalty.
To create fanatics A job I did too well on Lady Shiva.
But Papa Willie He died a few years later.
I left a man who loved me.
He loved me, and I never saw him again Exactly.
I'm glad you finally understand.
The shadows made you into weapons.
But, per the Master, we are no longer in that business.
I believe we can help the both of you now, but only if you approach your rehabilitation with open eyes.
I can't believe you are even considering this! It merits consideration.
Well, if it isn't the Great One himself.
Artemis Crock.
I understand even respect your skepticism.
But you have my word.
If these two choose to stay, we will strive to help them.
And as a friend of yours is fond of saying, "Ra's al Ghul is many things" "But a liar isn't one of them.
" Jade, what's the end game here? Are you just trading one kind of cage for another? I don't know, Mouse.
But this honestly feels like a step in the right direction.
Doesn't it? I can't believe I'm saying this, but It does.
For me, too.
I wanna stay.
You are both welcome among our family.
Our true family.
I plan on coming back to check on both of them.
Count on it.
We have no objection.
You are welcome here at any time.
You count on it too.
You're not getting away from me that easy.
I think for the first time ever I'm glad of that.
"There's no greater agony "than bearing an untold story inside you.
" Maya Angelou, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings.

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