Jennifer PierceHi.
Jennifer
YOLO.
Jennifer
You only live once. [pulls a bottle of alcohol out of her bag and starts drinking]
What, so you're drinking now? At school? [takes the bottle from her] It's not cool, J. [throws the bottle away]
Jennifer
Khalil, calm down. I just wanted to ask you something.
Look, I'm not going to calm down. Look, you saw and went through some craziness, I get it. But that is not the way to deal with it. I've seen it all, J. Brother shot and killed, father in jail, momma working her damn ass off, just to provide. Yeah, I live the life that rappers talk about, and ain't none of it cute. None of it. But you know what? God gave me a gift. I can run fast. So I'm gonna run my black ass straight up outta here, and I ain't looking back. But I want you to come with me. But not like this. No, that is going backwards, and I can't do that.
Jennifer
I just see the world completely different now.
Oh, I got'chu. Really, I do. That's just growing up. Come here, J.
Jennifer
Then that means you can go to the march with me. Because I've never been to one, and you're the pro here.
Hmm, I don't think I want to go to the Reverend's march.
Jennifer
The girl with the marching shoes? And the frequent marches card doesn't want to go to the march? What's going on with 'chu?
I'm just tired of walking around with a sign, trying to change people's hearts. I want to do more.
Jennifer
Fine, well don't think of it as marching. Think of it as being with your sister, something you've forgotten how to do.
LLana
Uh, you gonna need a lot more than lip gloss to help that face.
Jennifer
Lana. Damn, girl, you still mad I dusted you on your track in front of the entire school?
TTeala
You really think you all that?
Jennifer
Oh, honey, I know I'm all that.
LLana
Oh, okay. Well, I guess Khalil and his days of dusting fools are over, though, with his crippled ass.
Jennifer
Oh, okay. You still pissed he dumped you? [stands up] Well, maybe, instead of worrying about Khalil, you should worry about putting some lotion on those dusty-ass knees. [attempts to walk away, but Teala shoves her]
LLana
Oh, you know what? I've been wanting to knock you out since the sixth grade.
[Both Lana and Teala take a swing at Jennifer, who dodges both. Lana then tears the sleeve on the jacket Jennifer is wearing. Jennifer blocks a punch from Lana, sweeps Teala off her feet, then twists Lana's arm back, forcing her to her knees. Then Jennifer breaks Lana's wrist]
Jennifer, how do you expect us to feel when someone shows up to tell us you were involved in a fight, that we didn't know about?
Jennifer
There were two girls. They both wanted to book my teeth.
Two girls? Lana didn't tell us that part. You... and you weren't hurt at all?
Jennifer
No, you taught us how to defend ourselves.
Jeff! This is not a good thing!
Right, right. Yeah, that's no excuse for hurting someone.
Jennifer
I barely touched them.
Jennifer, her wrist is broken! And since grounding seems to have no effect on you...
Jennifer
Wait, so I'm not being grounded?
Jennifer
Why am I getting in trouble for defending myself?
You're grounded for lying!
Jennifer
I didn't lie. I just didn't tell you guys about it.
Do you really want to play with me right now, little girl?
Exactly! And you need to figure out how to resolve conflict without fighting or losing your temper. And as your father taught you how to fight, he can be a big help, because, believe it or not, not everyone solves their problems with their fists! [storms off]
Jennifer
Two.
I know exactly what you're going through.
Jennifer
Well, not unless you came in here to tell me you're Vixen. You didn't right?
Busted. [off Jennifer's look] No, I'm kidding.
Jennifer
It's not funny.
I'm sorry. No, I'm not Vixen, or Supergirl. Just mom. And you're right, I can't go what you're going through, but I can be here for you, and I am. So when you're ready to talk, you know where to find me, okay? [leaves the room and turns around at the door] Hey, I love you.
Jennifer
This is all just too much, being like this has already ruined my life!
Woah, you need to calm down, seriously.
Jennifer
Why's nobody listening to me? I don't want to have powers, I don't want to save the world, okay?
Okay, I hear you. But you're rejecting something you don't fully understand, Jen. Like I told you, this is a gift, a blessing from God.
Jennifer
In your opinion. It doesn't make it the truth. What if this is a curse from the devil?
You don't even know what you can do. I mean you could be–
Jennifer
You know what? I don't want to know. I don't want to know.
Oh, so you're just gonna walk away?
Jennifer
Yes.
That's what you do when things get tough, you walk away. Go ahead, quit.
Jennifer
Girl, bye.
Jennifer, look at me. This is real. It's real. People are out there dying. And we have powers, powers that we have a responsibility to help save people.
Jennifer
No! You have a responsibility to help save people! I don't have a responsibility to do anything.
Okay, yup, you're right, you don't. And you know what? It's probably best that you don't find out what you can do because you just might quit. Just like you quit track, you'll probably quit on me, Mom, and Dad when we need you the most, and let's not forget that you quit on Khalil too. [off Jennifer's look] Yup, I said it.
[Jennifer's powers activate]
Anissa told me what happened. Are you okay?
Jennifer
Yeah. [pause] No.
Look, I promise you, you will be, okay? You will live the life that you want to live. Not the one Anissa, or me, or... or your mother, or anyone else wants you to live. The life you want. But you have to learn to control your powers. Someone could get hurt.
Jennifer
I didn't ask for this.
I know. Believe me, I know. But you still have to deal with it.
Jennifer
[regarding Jefferson's arrest] Why can't he just Black Lightning his way out?
You know, you're gonna have to learn that you can't punch or superpower your way out of every problem. I know you're scared. It's okay to be scared.
Jennifer
I'm not. Dad told me to be strong for you.
It's okay to be strong and scared at the same time. It's called "having sense".
Having enhanced abilities doesn't have to change anything.
Jennifer
Oh really? So I should join a team, but not try to hard because the competition might light me on fire.
Jennifer
Well, what about debate? There's nothing more calming than alternative views on abortion and social services.
Well, there's always needlepoint.
Jennifer
Hey, right. I can make a pillow that says "my parents had sex and all I got was superpowers" [Lynn chuckles] It's not funny.
It's a little bit funny. Look, we just need to figure out how to help you to control them. And if it makes you feel any better, I have made a little progress in isolating the gene that I think is responsible for your enhanced abilities. Suppressing it is the first step.
Jennifer
Thank God I was born to such a smart woman, and not some slacker who would just try and make me feel better by making me a cake.
Do you want me to bake you a cake?
Jennifer
Yes, please. Chocolate, with cream frost.
Jennifer
So tell me about this procedure you're developing.
Did you tell your father I was trying to fix you?
Jennifer
Isn't that what you're trying to do?
No! Because there's nothing wrong with you. I just want to understand what's happening and give you the options. The procedures and the treatments I've been talking about, they're all theory and hypothesis. [starts frosting the cake] There's no telling how long it'll take to develop them or even if they'd be safe.
Jennifer
Mum, you can stop frosting. Could you please just cut me a piece? Because all my options are horrible.
[Jennifer is alone on the front porch. Gambi comes out]
Jennifer
Sure. I'm a freak from a family of freaks and my Dad's got one foot in the grave. I'm fine.
Oh. When you say it like that. All right, not funny. I'm sorry.
Jennifer
Who were those people with Khalil? Are they like us? Metahumans?
Not exactly. Metahumans have organic powers, which means they come from within. Theirs are artificial. That albino man? He's their leader. His name is Tobias Whale. He takes a kind of a serum which is like a super-steroid. It makes him age slower and get stronger over time. At this point, he's got the strength of three men. My guess is he's the one who turned your ex-boyfriend.
Jennifer
Why?
That's what he does. That man has a gift for seeing the worst in people and bringing it out. That spooky looking woman with him? She's called Syonide. She was found in a dumpster as an infant with her umbilical cord wrapped around her neck.
Jennifer
Oh, my God.
Tobias pulled her out of an orphanage when she was eight years old. She was malnourished and abused. He clothed her, he fed her and he trained her to become an assassin. When she was fully grown, he had carbon fiber body armor implanted under her skin and, if she wasn't crazy before the procedure, the pain did the rest.
Jennifer
What did they do to Khalil?
I'm not altogether sure, but it looks like he's gotten an implant with a synthetic liquid metal. It's bracing his spine, but it's also causing Khalil's body to produce a neurotoxin like a snake's venom. Causes instant paralysis, so they weaponized him by giving him darts as a delivery method.
Jennifer
They made him into a weapon, but he's not like that.
Yes, he is. That young man had a choice and he made it. He is with Tobias Whale, the worst of the worst. Sweetheart, whatever you may remember, he is not your Khalil, anymore. If you want to stay out here for a while, okay. I'm going back in.
Jeff, even if you win, the ASA isn't gonna disappear. If they think there's some kind of meta-human arms race, they are gonna keep coming after you. Your best option would be to take off, make a life somewhere with your family.
Whoa, and turn our back on the people? On Freeland?
Jennifer
Let them make us leave? Nuh-uh, they don't know us.
I'll help in any way I can.
So that's it, then. High-low tactics.
Black Lightning · 65 quotes
