Previously on "Damien"...
There's always been some thing,
like a dark cloud hanging over me.
When that old woman grabbed me,
it was like it was inside me now, growing.
What brings you to the V.A.?
There's a doc downstairs who deals with PTSD.
I was in the field a long time.
Minute I got back to New York, all went south from there.
Your name is Death.
Hell follows behind you.
I've seen too much death. I've had it all around me.
I can't handle it anymore.
Damien.
How long have I been here?
Since yesterday.
How are you feeling?
You know, it's a good thing they found you when they did.
I know you've had a hard time lately,
but I just want you to know that we're gonna help.
Okay? You're safe.
Am I?
Are you family?
- No. - Then I need to ask you to step out
so we can speak privately.
Of course.
I'll talk to you later.
Look, I don't know what that lady told you,
but I... I wasn't doing anything that was...
You weren't trying to commit suicide?
Ms. Rutledge just explained to me
that you've been treated for substance abuse.
She said this whole thing was probably an accident.
That's true.
I know a suicide when I see one, Mr. Thorn.
We're keeping you for 72-hour observation.
And I believe the police want to speak to you.
There's a Detective Shay on his way.
Yo! Where you been?
Been trying to reach you all night.
I've been busy. What are we doing here?
Come inside.
There's this guy, he keeps asking to talk to you.
He won't tell me what it's about,
but he says you're gonna want to hear this.
Come on. It's right here.
I brought my friend.
What'd you want to tell him?
I don't want trouble, okay?
He's not a cop, all right? You can talk to him.
I don't know. About six months ago,
I'm here all alone, closing up shop.
Two guys walk in.
They ask if I could drop ink on somebody who's passed out.
You know, like a gag.
Only these two guys don't look like they're joking.
What'd you tell them?
That, uh, you know, I got professional standards.
That's frat-house bullshit.
It's not how I do business.
They said, uh...
They said that they would break my arms
if I didn't do it.
Wouldn't be able to wipe my own ass for months.
So much for professional standards.
Well, they popped the trunk.
There was this guy inside.
It was you.
What?
- They told me to do it. - To do what?
That thing on your head, under your hairline.
What thing?
The tattoo.
The number 666.
Damien!
Hey, Damien!
Is it true?
Geez! What the...
- Hey! What are you doing? - Where did find this guy?
- Hey, what... - Where'd you find him?
Hey, no, he found me, okay?
He said he saw you at the V.A. hospital the other day.
He was worried you might recognize him.
He wanted to come clean about something.
So he called the Times,
and he got my number instead of yours.
All right?
Now, you want to tell me what the hell's going on?
I'm not sure.
Why would someone want to put a tattoo on your head?
It doesn't make any sense.
What is it? Hey.
You all right?
I got to talk to someone.
I will... I will call you later,
and I will explain everything, all right?
Mr. Lyons isn't expecting you.
Oh, this won't take up much of his time.
Sorry to bother you, sir.
There's a Mr. Thorn here to see you?
Thank you, Arlene.
I need to talk to you about Ann Rutledge.
Do you have any idea... how much danger you're in?
So you believe me?
Yes, I do.
Ann Rutledge is more than just toxic.
I believe she's a genuine psychopath.
This thing goes much further and deeper than some tattoo.
It goes back decades.
I think this has been happening my entire life.
I mean, she really had me believing
I was the devil or something.
Like, faces showing up in... in photographs,
people knowing my name, saying things to me.
The... the stuff I saw
in the basement of that V.A. hospital
was like something from a nightmare.
That's what psychological warfare is, Damien.
She made you imagine things, or misinterpret things.
No, this was not my imagination.
It was too real. It was like...
The past is like a noose around our necks.
I imagine you don't remember much.
I'd never do anything to hurt you.
It was like a hallucination.
I found trace amounts of Apocynaceae Cetanus
in your blood.
- Apocynaceae...? - Cetanus.
It's a rare but powerful psychoactive derivative
that's found exclusively in plants
growing in the Ecuadorian rainforest.
What exactly does it do?
It's used in religious ceremonies to contact spirits.
It causes intense hallucinations.
It also increases suggestibility.
How many times has Ann Rutledge been in your apartment?
Twice. That I know of.
Is this the same Ann Rutledge that I was speaking with?
She was here?
She seemed very concerned that I call
what looked like a suicide attempt an accident.
Mr. Thorn, if some sort of crime has been committed,
I'm obligated to report it.
We'll handle that.
I hope we can count on your testimony if it's necessary.
Oh... You've been a great help, Dr. Rose.
Thank you.
All that blood test proves
is that there are drugs in your system.
It doesn't prove who put them there.
You and I know exactly who put them there.
We also know who's behind all of this.
We just need to start building our case.
I have to be completely honest with you.
It wasn't just Ann Rutledge.
I played a role, too.
What are you saying?
After your parents died, your legal guardians
just packed you off from one boarding school to another.
You had money. That was never an issue.
But no one seemed to be taking
a true parental interest in you.
Except for Ann Rutledge.
I thought it was coming from a good place.
So, who the hell is she? Where's she from?
That's just it... I have no idea.
Her government clearances go very high.
But I've never been able to verify
a single thing about her history.
For all intents and purposes, she's a ghost.
But she isn't. She's just a person, which means I can bring her down.
She's covered her tracks too well.
The feds couldn't pin a thing on her.
So, what, we just stand here and do nothing?
We don't bring in outsiders to clean up our messes.
We'll handle this in-house.
I'll take care of Ann Rutledge...
personally.
Hey, Amani. It's me.
I need you to do me a favor.
I've been so worried about you.
I'm fine.
I'm so glad.
When I heard what happened... what you did...
I couldn't believe it.
I feel like my life's been given back to me.
Huh.
Well, maybe it was part of the larger process.
You're maturing.
Finally accepting who you really are.
Who is that, exactly?
I'd like to hear it from you.
Is this a game?
You tell me.
You're the second of only two prophets
whose coming is foretold in the Bible.
In Isaiah 14:12, God calls you "Son of the Morning."
You bring the beginning of an era of enlightenment.
The Light Bringer.
That describes you perfectly.
You're lying.
I met Ed Bone.
Tattoo artist that gave me the 666.
That wasn't a tattoo.
You've been poisoning me.
Making me think things,
believe things that simply aren't true.
I can explain.
You did this to me.
You had people killed. You killed Kelly.
Everything I did was for you.
I'm done listening to you.
I'm done talking to you. I'm done... with you.
- Forever. - You're not done. Sit down.
You really think you're my mother, don't you,
you crazy, murderous bitch?
You're not.
She's dead.
Maybe you'll have something in common with her soon.
Goodbye, Ann.
It's open.
- Hey. - Hey.
How you doing?
I am fantastic.
Really, really fantastic.
Really? 'Cause it looks like
you're throwing away all your food.
It might be poisoned.
Damien, should I call someone?
'Cause this all looks really manic.
No, it's all good. I swear.
Want a beer?
Damien, you're scaring me.
Uh, I know what this looks like, but...
I'm just really happy.
You're happy? That's... that's great.
Happy's good.
The cloud of doom that was hanging over me
has finally lifted, and... I don't know.
I-I feel like my life is...
Maybe my life is... Is just a normal life.
So, that's what this is? You're happy?
I got to be honest,
I've never seen you like this before.
You seem different. You even look different.
- Is that good? - That's great.
Yo, man. You left your door open.
Am I interrupting something?
So, listen, I did what you asked.
- Got the meeting with Rutledge covered. - Great.
And then after she left, I followed her.
Now, you need to see this.
All right.
So, there she is leaving the restaurant, right?
And I followed her towards Central Park.
And then she meets up with this guy.
Did you hear what they were saying?
Are you kidding me? I could barely get these shots.
What's going on?
I think the cloud might be coming back.
This doesn't feel right.
If they're both playing me, they're working together.
I just don't know why.
- I think we should call the cops. - No.
If there's one thing that Lyons told me
that I completely believe it's that the cops
can't do anything against a company like Armitage.
Whatever their plan is,
they clearly think it's working.
They don't know that I'm onto them.
That buys me time.
No. Dude, even if we had 100 years,
we'd never have access to what we need
to try to figure out what they're doing.
I lost my phone.
I think I may have left it here this morning.
Well, he's just at a lunch meeting.
I mean, he should be back soon.
May I?
Uh... I could call it for you.
That's what I do with mine when I can't find it.
You can just ask for my number if you want it.
Uh... I leave my phone on silent.
Um... okay.
So, any luck?
Found it.
I'll, uh, show myself out.
Hello?
Uh, hello. My name is Damien Thorn.
What did you say?
Who... who is this?
Damien Thorn.
That's impossible.
Damien?
It really is you.
Oh...
It's me, mom.
I can't believe it.
You're here. You're alive.
When I think what this must have been like for you...
God...
I should've been stronger.
I should've come back. Maybe if I had...
Why didn't you?
I was still bedridden in the clinic in Fribourg
when they told me that you and your father were dead.
They said that
he had gone crazy and... stabbed you,
and that then the police had arrived and shot him.
It was like a nightmare.
It wasn't until months later, when I saw your graves,
that I realized it was all really true.
Or so I thought.
And I was so ashamed.
Of what?
They put ideas in my head,
Mrs. Baylock and the others...
The way they looked at you, and the things they said...
I realize now that they were doing
whatever they could to make me fear you,
to make me think that there was something wrong with you.
Maybe there was.
I had these impulses.
I mean, when you fell over the banister,
when I ran into you with my bike...
No.
There was never anything wrong with you.
And there's nothing wrong with you now.
They drugged me... This Rutledge woman.
She poisoned my food. Tattooed my head.
Kelly, they... They... killed her.
They've been at it my whole life.
I have no one.
Whenever I got close to anybody...
These are very sick, dangerous people.
Why?
Because there is nothing more truly terrifying
than somebody who really believes
that their actions are divinely justified.
By heaven or by hell.
It's over now.
They don't know you're here.
They don't know we know.
I can't give you back
the years that they took from us.
But I promise you, I won't let them hurt you ever again.
Your father kept his papers in the library.
Journals, datebooks, personal correspondence.
We might be able to find some information
that we can use in there.
There are things that you need to know.
I'm afraid that everything you've learned so far
is just the tip of the iceberg.
What the hell are you doing here?
I need to explain things.
You knew, didn't you?
Yes, I knew.
I've never lied to you.
You've been lying to me since the day we met.
You knew all these years that my child was still alive,
and you kept us apart?
There's a greater need to be served.
You stole years of our lives, and for what?
Every night, I went to sleep begging God to forgive me
for not being here to protect him.
From your husband?
He knew the truth.
You took my child away from me,
and I am going to see to it
that you pay for that every day for the rest of your life.
I protected him from people like you.
The blind. The weak.
I am his mother.
Enough lies.
Don't you think it's time you told him
who you really are?
Ha!
No!
Mom! Mom!
I'll never tell anyone what you did.
It'll be our little secret.
No, don't! Stop!
What are you doing here?
I thought you were with your mom?
- She's dead. - What?
My mother, she's dead.
Oh, my God. What happened?
I don't know.
Rutledge was there, but...
It was an accident.
I am so, so sorry.
This does... this doesn't make any sense.
None of this makes any sense.
Maybe it's for the best.
What?
Well, the sad fact is
that she's been dead to you for 25 years.
You've already grieved.
Like with Kelly.
When she died, I was devastated.
But...
now that she's gone,
I can finally step out of her shadow.
I mean, I-I love Kelly. I always will.
But now...
I'm getting all the things I really want in life.
I-I... They're probably looking for me.
I-I got to go.
No, don't go.
You should stay.
Hey, what's up?
Heard about your mother.
Another accident?
No, uh, Ann Rutledge is... We're not going down that road.
Wait, wait, wait. She's just right in this café right...
Yeah, didn't think so.
I ca... I can prove it.
I can prove she's actively trying to control my life.
She has these bodyguards, right, these... these mercenaries.
Whatever you want to call them.
They attacked me. Uh, the guy!
The... the... The tattoo artist.
Ed Bone on 116th.
He can back up everything that I'm saying.
I'm not taking the bait.
No, please. Okay?
All we have to do is go down there,
and you will see that I am telling you the truth.
Get in the car.
I don't like this.
Come on, we're here. Let's talk to him.
Take five minutes, I swear.
Oh, no.
Down on the ground. Get down. Now!
- Hey. I didn't do this. - The hell you didn't.
No, I know you think I did, but I'm telling you
right now that I...
Telling me what? What?
That your friend Rutledge did it?
She is not my friend.
Whatever she is.
She told me you had mental problems.
- That's a lie. - Yeah?
Not long ago, you told me you were going crazy.
And then you insisted
that I come down here and I see something.
No, I said talk to someone.
Obviously I thought he was still alive.
You led me right here, walked through that door,
no hesitation, and you showed me a dead body.
Why would I do that if I killed someone?
That's insane.
Exactly my point.
Okay. Call Ann Rutledge.
Call... call John Lyons. Call him and ask him...
Uh... D-Dr. Rose.
Dr. Rose at St. Simon's Hospital.
I... call her.
She has a copy of my blood-test result.
- What blood test? - From when I tried...
- Tried to kill yourself? - Yeah.
Yeah, I know all about that, too.
Right. There were signs of hallucinogens in my blood.
That's not gonna help your argument.
She was poisoning me.
She... she had me believing I was the Antichrist,
that people were dying all around me,
that it was my fault.
I happen to agree with her.
I didn't kill anybody.
Then why is there blood on your shirt?
You're under arrest.
Please! Ann Rutledge is behind all of this!
She knew! She knew he could confirm my story,
that's why she had him killed!
Yeah? Well, I'll tell you what.
Plead insanity.
You'll have no trouble convincing a jury.
If you're lucky, you just might get life in prison.
Hey. Where are we?
What's going on?
You just couldn't leave it alone, could you?
You were almost free and clear.
Now look what you've done.
I didn't do anything. You and Rutledge,
you've been working together this entire time!
Now we'll have to deal with you in-house.
Aah!
Come on! Come on! Open the door!
Open the door!
Run!
Watch it! Sedate him.
Sedate him!
Ambulance six, two miles out.
We have a young male, attempted suicide.
Hey. BP is 150/90.
Hold him down. Hold his arms down.
I'm trying.
Sir, you're gonna be okay.
- Just relax. - Get him down.
Got it. Let him go.
That's good. Okay?
I got it. He's good, he's good.
Mom...
Mom, are you okay?
I'm here, Damien.
It's all right.
What are you doing here?
I came as soon as I heard.
No...
The doctor says you're going to be okay.
The carbon monoxide's almost out of your body.
It was a dream.
A dream?
Tell me, what did you see?
My hands around your throat.
I'm so sorry.
I pushed you too hard.
I wish it was real.
I wish I had killed you.
Get. Out.
Go away.