Flicker
Chapter 4It's the night of the Spring Festival, and things are looking good for Alex Chen.
As Steph tells the town about the Haven Springs tradition of offering someone you love a rose before signing off from the radio station, our heroine is speaking to Pike, telling him about the contents of the flash drive implicating Typhon and planning to hand it over to him after the festival. For now, however, it's time to relax and enjoy some peace after all the effort to nail the MegaCorp.
Alex meets Steph and Ryan at the stage built in the park checking the audio equipment (which goes into feedback when Steph shrieks in delight when she sees Alex in a skirt for the first time), apologising to them if her outburst drove them out in the last episode. Alex can then roam around the festival for a bit, where she can do several things, including:
- She can offer a rose to the partner of her choice, Steph or Ryan; whoever receives said rose will happily accept it and ask to meet her on the rooftop of the Black Lantern after the festival.
- She can talk to Mac if he is still in town, where he wishes her luck for her crusade against Typhon.
- She can meet Eleanor and ask about Riley. If Riley found out about Eleanor's condition, she says that she isn't feeling up to it, as tonight was the night she was supposed to leave for college; if she didn't, she simply says that Riley has a lot going on, but reading her emotions afterwards reveals that Riley is waiting for the bus to take her to college.
- She can meet Riley at the bus stop whether or not she is leaving. If she is staying, she says that, while she feels sad about not going to college, Eleanor needs her. If she is leaving, she is nervous about leaving her life in Haven Springs and Eleanor behind, revealing that she is worried about her. Alex is then faced with a choice: she can tell Riley about Eleanor's Alzheimer's diagnosis, in which case Riley will immediately leave to talk to her, presumably withdrawing from college right then and there; or she can keep Eleanor's secret, in which case the girls will bid each other farewell.
- She can meet Duckie in the Black Lantern, very much not his usual jovial self, sitting alone at a table drowning his sorrows. Reading Duckie reveals that he is missing his late wife Tabitha, and Alex can tap into his sorrow to reveal the memories of their time together. To help him, Alex turns on the jukebox and plays Duckie and Tabitha's favourite song, before dancing with an overwhelmed Duckie. This helps Duckie feel much better, and he thanks Alex for being there for him.
Once Ryan texts Alex that the sound equipment has been set up, Alex can return to the stage, excited to see who will be performing at the festival. Steph reveals that she is going to be playing the drums...but, asks an excited Alex, who else is going to be performing? Who indeed?
It's Alex, after some encouragement. Thankfully, after some initial audio feedback issues, the two perform to general enjoyment.
Amid everyone's plaudits, Alex finds Charlotte, standing alone near the lake. If Alex took Charlotte's anger last episode, Charlotte mentions that she is feeling emotionally hollow; if she didn't, Charlotte apologises for her behaviour and regrets that their relationship started so poorly. After taking a moment at the docks, Charlotte returns home.
If Alex offered one of her partners a rose, they will text her to meet on the rooftop of the Lantern. Alex can roam around a bit again before returning home.
- Steph announces that she will be leaving Haven Springs soon to play music again, excitedly asking Alex to choose her next destination: Berlin, Salem, or the ocean. No matter what, Alex seems happy for her, if melancholic about her leaving...till Steph asks her to come with her. Steph confesses her love for Alex, and the two can hug...or, as is far more likely, kiss. Steph mentally begs Alex to kiss her, and Alex obliges; this event releases an explosion of joy so strong it lights up the stars and galaxies in the sky. Steph promises that she is willing to wait for an answer, and leaves.
- Ryan has brought Alex a tree. When she arrives, he commends her for her great performance and comments about how she's going to have to do it next year as well. When he sees that Alex is nervous about what the future even looks like, he asks her to imagine "Alex's Future in Haven Springs"; no matter what, he says that he will be there for her, confessing his love. Like before, Alex can hug him...or, as is far more likely, kiss him. Ryan mentally tries to pump himself up to kiss her, before Alex does it herself; this releases an explosion of joy so strong it causes the flowers on the tree to bloom. Ryan promises to save Alex some cake, and leaves.
After Steph or Ryan leave, or immediately after coming home if she didn't give either of them a rose, Alex picks up Diane's USB drive and stands on the roof, reflecting about what life looks like after she has avenged Gabe's death. As she steps out of the Black Lantern, she sees Pike, who asks her if she has the drive; when she replies that she does, he asks her to come with him to the station.
In an interrogation room, Alex is sitting alone till Pike shows up, revealing that Diane is charging Alex with stealing the drive, as well as that the case regarding Gabe's death has been closed at the order of his superiors stating that nothing can be done; however, Diane is willing to not press any charges if Alex signs an affidavit agreeing to stop her investigation of Typhon. Alex is enraged, telling Pike about the second explosion, but Pike refuses to investigate; he hasn't even looked at the drive. After Alex angrily refuses to sign, Pike tells her that not signing is not an option, and a purple aura surrounds him; when Alex asks what he is afraid of, he reveals an envelope which contains surveillance data concerning not only Alex, but also Steph and Ryan. Pike states that, as much as he would love to take Typhon down, he has learnt that they are simply "too big, too connected, too ruthless"; he doesn't want to lose Alex as well.
Alex now has a choice: she can either take away Pike's fear, or she can sign the affidavit promising to not press charges against Typhon. If she signs the affidavit, Pike thanks her and allows her to leave. If she takes away Pike's fear, she reassures him that Typhon are not invincible and asks him to look at the USB drive; he says he'll think about it and tells her to leave.
Alex returns home, finding a note near her door from Jed asking her to meet him. If she took Pike's fear, she goes into a minor panic about the photos, before calming herself; if she signed the affidavit, she wonders how everything went so wrong. After changing her clothes, she goes to meet Jed downstairs at the bar.
Jed offers Alex a drink, and reveals that he saw Pike arrest her; he also says that he had noticed Alex, Steph and Ryan's activities around Diane earlier, asking her to tell him what's going on. Alex tells Jed about Typhon being responsible for Gabe's death, about the second explosion, and potentially about them threatening herself, Steph and Ryan; regardless of whether she signed the affidavit, Alex says that she will not give up no matter what. This causes Jed to tell her that he knows what Typhon are hiding, saying that he has hidden their secrets for long enough; when Alex asks him to tell her, he says he can show her.
In the light of the full moon, Jed leads Alex to an out-of-the-way mining ventilation shaft relatively close to the mining site where Gabe died, saying that what she is looking for is within it. As Alex shines her flashlight into the shaft, she senses extreme sadness coming from Jed.
When she asks him why he is sad, she hears the sound of a gun cocking.
Jed, gun in hand, tells her that he had hoped that the pictures of Steph and Ryan would dissuade Alex from pursuing Typhon, but she was too persistent. Pointing the gun at her, he tells her that he had made a mistake twelve years ago, but made a deal with Typhon to save his reputation. As Alex tells him to go to hell, he fires; the bullet only grazes her, but she loses her balance, falling into the mining shaft in the moonlight.
