Blood In, Blood Out/Synopsis

## Blood In, Blood Out

Looking at a satellite image of a road map from Google Earth, a location is circled in green highlight and bears the address 999 Blair Drive. Phoebe, sitting at her computer with the rest of the band arrayed behind her, grimly declares this is it. The rat on her shoulder stares at the screen and asks if she's sure. She retorts she's not keen on having a rat on her shoulder to begin with, and knowing he's a creepy old man isn't exactly helping. Corkindale relents and asks her to explain.

She starts with whatever these "devourers" did to them, interrupting herself to say she's going to have a long discussion with someone about that, an angry Charlotte chipping in, then she continues, saying that to get all of their DNA — now the rat interjects they didn't need DNA, they need a sympathetic conn- — but Phoebe simply talks over him, finishing off that they were probably in school with them. Eleanor Karnas was the only new kid other than herself , and when Phoebe looked her up … nothing. Zero social media presence at all, or any other record. Paulo offers that he's seen her around, and that she seems to look at Joe a lot, drawing an outraged cry from Charlotte. Judging from his face, that was just the reaction he was trolling for. Fletcher emotionlessly tells the group he heard a rumor she was a klepto. Phoebe says she did some digging and got her address and declares again this is it, urging the others to look at an image of the house. It's a Victorian mansion with a corner turret and a double-pot chimney on a fenced in property.

Satisfied, Fletcher remarks the group knows where they are, with Paulo timidly asking do they want to. Influenced by the spell on her, Charlotte growls that they can't have her Jogo. Phoebe, also under the influence, starts to snap Joe is not hers, but she catches herself, grumbling about the damn magic hormones. Corkindale looks to Fletcher and asks if Joe isn't home. Fletcher answers that Joe's still not responding to texts or the phone, so he thinks they can safely assume they have Joe, too. Taking the blame, Corkindale says he played right into their hands. He tells them they have to rescue Joe, adding he can't do it by himself. With a subdued but determined look, Fletcher assures him he won't have to. Charlotte zealously adds they're in. Looking up from her computer, Phoebe assures them with absolute certainty they *know* she's going. The silence is deafening as the three teens look to Paulo for his answer. Stressed, he reluctantly agrees to go along. Charlotte, excited at the prospect of a rescue adventure, declares *Baby-* oh … *Urban Animal* to the rescue. The three standing teens look down at the rat, and Fletcher announces they're doing this, and he wants to know *how* they are doing this. Phoebe looks on wide-eyed as the ferociously grinning rat tells them he's got an idea.─────────────────────

Jaeger and his two packmates are in the alley behind Sean's apartment building in the city of Walker's Point, at the site where Sean and Sienna encountered the devourers. The White Wolf wearing the elephant mask is squatting, looking for tracks, but Jaeger determines that "the weak one" is gone, having found no other traces of her beyond the fire escape. Corkindale startles the Wolves, causing their heads to whip around to see him leaning against the corner of the building. He tells them it's not so much that she's gone, and more that for 'alpha predators' they're just terrible at tracking. With narrowed eyes, Jaeger recognizes that he's not N'Daigoshii, that he's the other, the heretic. As he speaks, the others spread out and flank Corkindale. Tauntingly, he tells them he prefers Corkindale. Jaeger says it doesn't matter, he's a weak one. Then he says they didn't come for him, but they will take their chance to make him strong. Corkindale of course doesn't wait for the sword to arrive, and he turns into a pack of rats, easily generating a miss for Jaeger and chiding his rhetoric. The rats swarm over the White Wolves, getting the upper hand for the moment based on experience. Winning this fight is not his goal, so Corkindale — now naked — coalesces atop the fencing surrounding the back lot of the building and mocks the Wolves for not being able to catch one feeble old man. He leaps off the fence and runs down the alley with the resentful Wolves in hot pursuit.─────────────────────

With sweat dripping down off his face, Joe admits that he might have made a mistake. He's hanging facedown above the magic circle drawn on the floor of the basement in the witches' mansion, his wrists and ankles tied separately with ropes hanging from the ceiling, and a massive chain, also suspended from the ceiling, wrapped firmly around his waist. And of course, he's naked. The robed and hooded devourers are positioned around the circle. Looking up at Joe, Ellie tells him that, by the way, throwing her had hurt. Joe's eyes light up yellow, and he says not as much as…

A tearing bolt of green lightning reaches up from the circle, shocking Joe and sapping his energy, causing him to cry out in pain. Sean watches helplessly, crying out for his friend, while Sienna simple whimpers no at the torture. Each of the witches speaks their parts of the ritual with crescent blades gripped in their hands. Each of them swings at Joe with their weapons, drawing blood with each stroke. Joe's blood drips onto the magic circle as the witches declare the price is paid. His blood traces out the circle and it begins to glow red as the witches declare the power is endless. A final symbol begins to glow as the witches declare the power is theirs.