Original subtitles

Thank you.

oh

I was always interested in geophysics, but mainly as a hobby.

This is boring lab stuff.

But I think there is a sort of romance to what you do.

No, come on. I mean, you're in the field.

A geological engineer is like an Indiana Jones, but with rocks.

It's really not that romantic.

I'm just studying the effect of climate change on geological structures.

I know it sounds pompous, but I just have this real...

need to make a difference while I'm still on the planet.

No.

That's not pompous at all.

I'm trying to do the same thing.

Yeah, with predictive algorithms.

Uh, yeah. Well, I was doing that, but I'm working on a different project now.

Yeah, you said that you had joined another company, but you never told me

what it was.

Uh, we study alternate power sources.

It's so vague.

How is it that someone like you isn't already

involved with someone?

Oh, it's his job.

It's kind of all-consuming.

Always on call, lots of travel.

I'm really glad you're not involved with someone. I mean...

I'm glad I sat next to you at the lecture at the Geophysics Institute.

Timing is everything.

Well, here's the timing.

It's the best month I've had in a long time.

Is everything okay?

Yeah, I'm just going to go to the bathroom, if that's all right. Yeah.

There it is.

Why would the pendulum send us to an ordinary jewelry store? If the pendulum

sends us, we can assume that something distinctly out of the ordinary is afoot.

Do you think there's some sort of artifact in that store?

A magical gem? A King Solomon's onyx? Or a Walter Gamber?

Or a robbery?

Ho! You footpaths! Out of our way, fool!

I demand to know what diabolical articles you have in your possession.

There.

Yeah. Put it down.

What are you, his guardian angel?

As a matter of fact, I am.

Well, you made a big mistake.

This is none of your business.

It's my business.

Who the hell are you?

I'm Red Rock.

And you're the one that made them a freak.

Shall we?

Guys?

What is going on in here?

Sorry.

Excuse me. Thank you.

Sorry. Had to take a call.

Don't worry.

Is this some sort of... ...assignation?

Hmm?

I am not angry. I am disappointed.

No chaperone, no discussion with the family of his intentions.

I mean, how well do you know this bloke? You are being ridiculous. Oh, it is

ridiculous to be concerned for your safety, for your honor.

Will you listen to yourself?

You sound like some kind of uptight Victorian tyrant. We're in the 21st

century. Chastity belts are no longer in style.

Has it gone that far?

Oh, my God!

As the closest thing you have to a parent, and as someone with more

experience in the world, it is my responsibility to protect you.

There are so many things wrong with that statement, we're going to need to number

them. One, you are not my parent. You're my great, great, great, great

grandparent. And two, I have greater experience in this world than you do.

And three, it is Charlie's responsibility to protect me, not yours.

It is not just my personal and familial feelings towards you, but my experience

as a librarian, which is greater than yours.

Along with all the excitement and satisfaction of this job is the fact we

are not granted a personal life.

Outside romances are forbidden.

What about you and Anya?

Well, if not strictly forbidden, then highly discouraged.

You realize what you're saying?

Of course.

I do not regret all the consequences of my actions.

But I would be lying to you if I told you they had not caused me some very

deep pain.

Look, we all have to make our own choices, don't we?

You chose to be a librarian, Lysa.

And all choices have consequences.

Uh, hey, guys?

What? Hate to interrupt, but, um, I think you two better see something.

All right, so I was able to hack into the Belgrade CCTV system.

Looks like Belgrade has its very own Batman.

Correction, its own Superman.

You guys weren't kidding.

This guy's amazing.

Guess the pendulum knew what it was doing when it sent us there.

Oh, it's a shame he didn't reveal himself.

Uh, yeah, that's what I thought as well, but then, uh, I used your high

-definition enhancement program, and... You did?

Mm-hmm.

Wait for it.

Congratulations.

You're dating a superhero.

Are you okay?

I don't get it. You're involved with a guy who's faster than a speeding bullet,

can leap over tall buildings in a single bound, and you're bummed about it?

It's not all bad. I mean, all superheroes have secret identities.

Okay, but since there are no actual superheroes, he must be using magic.

Which is why the pendulum sent you there.

So, this superhero notion, is it a modern invention?

Not really.

It's been a thing for almost a century now. It started out in comic books for

kids, and now it's taken over the culture.

Superheroes fill the public's need to believe in someone with extraordinary

powers, protecting them from evildoers.

Well, someone like me.

Except you don't actually have superpowers.

He's got the costume, though. And I kind of think if anyone fits the bill, it's

probably me.

In any event, if Lysa is correct, and this fellow is in possession of a

magical artifact, then we must retrieve it.

Do we, though?

If he's just, you know, fighting crime and protecting the city?

He may seem like a perfectly admirable chap when trying to impress a young

lady.

But we know how this goes.

Magic corrupts all those who employ it.

So we must find this artifact if we are to save this young man.

So, what's our plan?

You and Charlie find out what you can about the thieves.

After all, the pendulum did send us to the jewelry store before our...

superhero arrived.

You must reconnect with your young man and draw him out. Of what?

Now you're okay with me seeing him? On a strictly professional basis.

No.

No, I don't feel comfortable contacting him under false pretenses.

Oh, I saw the way he was looking at you. I'm pretty sure you won't have to do the

contacting. I think you're overestimating my...

The truth is, my life's kind of boring.

I think a woman like you is used to a more exciting type.

Again, I think you're being too modest.

To do what you do, explore caves, climb mountains, all in the name of saving the

planet.

I think it's really heroic.

Heroic? Me?

No, that's not me. I think I'm just obsessed with rocks.

Yeah, well, I think there's more to you than you're willing to admit.

Hey, you.

This area is for authorized personnel only.

What are you two doing here?

I'm the librarian.

Of course you are. We're looking for the suspects arrested in the jewelry store

robbery last night.

They're in holding cell D, down the hall and to the left.

Oh, right.

Really getting the hang of that one.

Right?

So maybe we used to shoplift now and then, but we've never done anything like

that in our life.

Where'd you get the shotgun?

Boki's mother is a duck hunter.

That gun was her favorite.

She's going to kill me if I don't get it back to her straightened out.

How did that guy do that?

You said you were hanging around on the street corner trying to figure out how

to get free beer.

Yeah. Then what happened?

I just heard a voice in my head saying, think bigger, go for a big score.

Before I could even tell the other guys, they seemed to get the same idea.

Didn't that seem strange to you?

It does now.

But at the time, it was like something possessed us.

Yeah. Yeah?

Darwin called it the imperfection of the geologic record because there's a

disproportionate amount of younger rocks available for study.

Due to the erosion of rocks from the Precambrian period?

That's exactly it. That's exactly right.

You have a beautiful mind.

You know, I think I would be more interesting if I didn't spend all of my

time measuring neutrino flux and ice albedo feedback.

All of your time?

Really?

All right. Well, what about you?

He told me that you'd abandoned your work in predictive modeling for a new

project, and then you avoided the subject. I want to know what your secret

is. It's difficult to describe.

We'll take your voice in your phone.

Give me the knife. No, leave me alone or I'll stick her.

Why? What do you want to gain from this?

I don't know.

Hello.

Were you following me?

Good thing I was.

Ah, it's high time we met. I am Vikram Chamberlain, fellow superhero and

guardian to this young woman's honor.

Robert, I can explain.

Was there something I said?

I don't understand. Why are you so upset?

Let's try sexism, anachronistic, Victoria Morey, toxic masculinity.

Masculinity? Toxic? How on earth can masculinity be toxic, you silly girl?

How did it go?

We gained valuable information.

We? No, I gained information.

Vikram scared him off just as I was earning his trust. Which, by the way, is

something we have nothing of, apparently.

Guardian of my honor?

Really? What about you? What did you learn?

Oh, I found some of Robert's articles and research papers.

His early work is mostly about using the geological record to find patterns

related to climate change. Pretty straightforward stuff.

Then... About a year ago, he became interested in folklore about geodes and

covalent crystals.

According to Slavic mythology, there are stones called alatirs, believed to be

the mother of all stones and nestled in the navel of the earth.

Slavic mythology. That would explain what brought him to Belgrade.

The alatir are referred to in both ancient Russian and Balkan poetry as a

mighty force that has no end.

He, uh, made a sketch of it.

It's not too large. He could be carrying that on his purse.

When he sensed danger, I saw something on his arm. It was under the skin. It

glowed, but it was smaller than this.

What did you glean at the police station?

There was something odd about our jewel thieves.

They weren't hardened criminals.

They said something just came over them.

Couldn't explain their behavior.

They said they felt possessed.

It sounds like our case with the cut purse is at the park, but what is the

connection?

There's only one way to find out.

You must lure him into another liaison.

Lure him?

Like I'm some kind of femme fatale?

Exactly. But you'll be operating strictly in your capacity as a

librarian. Why would he even want to see me again after what happened?

What happened?

It was revealed you have a protective relative, whereas you found out he has

superpowers. Who has more explaining to do?

It is our best shot.

Okay.

Connor, you continue the research on Robert and the Altair.

Myself and Charlie shall accompany Miss Patel. No.

No.

If I do this, I'm doing it on my own.

I didn't know if you'd come.

No, I didn't either.

Don't worry.

I'm alone, I promise.

You sure about that?

I'm so sorry about what happened. The Vikram can be all over protective, but I

felt terrible when you ran off like that.

I ran off because you couldn't possibly understand what's happening with me.

Try me.

You might be surprised at what I can understand.

What do you do when you've spent your entire life studying science and then

you find out there are more powerful forces at play in the universe?

Like what?

in your arm.

Is it what glows when you become Red Rock?

It's a part of it. It's a shard.

It embedded itself in my arm when I accidentally activated the main stone.

And where is that?

It's still where I found it. I'm studying it.

I think you're messing with things beyond your control.

Why don't you let me try and take out the shard?

Take out the shard?

Have you seen the strength it gives me? Can you imagine the power if I could

harness the main stone?

But there's always a price to pay for using magic.

The difference I could make in the world. You are making a difference. As a

scientist. If science is the be-all and end-all, then why did you give up on

your work?

What's the mystery project? And who is this guy, Chamberlain?

He's a relative. A distant relative. There is nothing for you to be jealous

about.

Lysa, this isn't about being jealous.

This is about me telling you my deepest secrets.

And you're still hiding something from me.

Look, in case you hadn't realized, I care about you deeply.

We can be honest with each other.

I'm sorry.

You're right. I am keeping things from you. It's this project.

I have to go.

No, you don't.

Robert! Robert!

We now know two very important things.

Red Rock is deriving his power from a larger Alatea stone, and not just from

the shard in his arm. Great work, Lysa. I'm glad you think it's great. I feel a

bit shady.

But didn't he also say that he was still studying it where he found it?

Yeah. And Connor said that the stones were nestled in the navel of the Earth.

Well, we also know that Belgrade has an extensive network of underground

caverns, so we can assume this is where the Alatea can be found.

Which cavern?

I mean, you go on for miles.

Ah, Robert had white clay on his shoes.

This would indicate an area by the Sava River.

Ah.

I think I have an idea where it may be.

Excellent. We go tonight.

Almost ready.

Lysa, you alright?

How can you tell when the corruptive effects of magic have taken hold over a

person?

Well, it usually begins, innocently enough, a fascination with some

previously unimaginable phenomenon.

Then the magic is used.

A feeling of exceptionalism sets in, followed by a sense of omnipotence.

Then print, though.

You have a monster on your hands.

Okay.

You really care for this fellow, don't you? I didn't think I had it in me to

feel this way.

It just happened.

I thought we were just going to be friends.

But he was so smart and so... So...

handsome.

We met at a lecture.

We had coffee. We exchanged books.

These things have a way of taking on a life of their own. Nobody realized how

good of a person he was.

So decent.

You know, before he was going to be a geologist, he was a divinity student.

He thought about becoming a priest.

Sounds almost too good to be true. Well, yeah, then he found magic and power

and... I think he's becoming obsessed with both of them.

It's only a matter of time, Liza.

Magic, power, corruption.

It's the devil's equation.

Vikram, I'm worried about what's going to happen to him.

What makes you so sure this is the way?

I'm following your hunch.

I had a feeling that he was looking for this place.

In a cult history circle, this is something people whisper about.

Hang on.

That's what I was afraid of.

What is this place?

Remember everything I told you?

About Germany under Hitler?

Of course I did.

A much terrific and dark period of history.

When this area was occupied during the Second World War, the Germans maintained

bunkers underground to avoid Allied bombers.

This doesn't look like a bomb shelter.

Robert discovered that some of these places weren't just for hiding. There

was something else entirely.

Like what?

Like hidden laboratories for unleashing the power of the magical artifacts.

So where is this done?

What is it?

Looks like a primitive magnetic susceptibility detector.

It's used in geology to measure the electromagnetic field intensity in

rocks.

These screws have fresh grasses on them.

Yeah.

Nothing here. No, wait.

Ah, see that?

Tiny crystallized fragments.

Yeah. The stone was here.

It must have moved out.

Then we must find it before he's completely corrupted by its power.

You sure he said he was down here?

He said it was still where he found it.

We've looked everywhere.

We must decant before Red Road returns.

We need to understand what we're dealing with.

Okay, here's what we know.

I had to dig into some dark corners of the library's collection, but I found

the archive of the Ahnenerbe.

The what?

The Annenerbe were a pseudoscientific organization within the German army.

They were tasked with creating false historical narratives to support

Hitler's racist theories, heavy on occult beliefs.

Apparently, when they tried to tap into the power of the Elektir, they unleashed

unwanted contrary forces.

Contrary forces?

Yeah, for every power that it granted them, the stone created more antagonists

who rose up against them.

Partisans, guerrilla fighters.

Oh, so they can't sell each other out. Created so many problems for them that

they scuttled the program.

It's Newton's third law.

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

But this is magic.

Yeah, but even magic has to be subject to the laws of physics.

So Newton believed that forces come in action-reaction force pairs. So in this

instance, the force pair is the superhero and... And the super criminal.

Or super crime.

in the form of the current crime wave. It's a feedback loop. So this rock, this

Alateer, is giving Robert his powers and turning ordinary people into felons.

When I tapped into the local crime database, it showed that 90% of recent

incidences are committed by first-time offenders.

And the numbers are increasing rapidly.

So, the Red Rock continues using the power of the stone. The entire city will

descend into knavery and chaos.

Robert will become more and more corrupted by magic.

We need to find that Alateer.

A-P-S-A.

P-S-A-P.

Right. And at the very least, we need to remove that shard from his arm.

Voluntarily or involuntarily, hmm?

Charlie. I have some training removing bullets in the field.

I can get that shard out.

One way or another.

If you don't want to get involved, you can sit this one out.

No, I'm a librarian.

I'll find him and deliver him.

Robert.

How'd you know where I was staying?

I've had my ways. I know that sounds stalkerish, but I needed to find you.

This is not something you can control.

I can control it. You think you can, but you're dealing with forces greater than

you are. How do you know?

This project I'm working on, it has to do with thaumaturgy.

You mean magic?

Yes. and the artifacts that possess it. And the friends of yours?

Part of the same organization.

But they don't know that I'm here. They wouldn't like it if they did.

So what's been happening between us is a part of your job?

No, no. I only realized what was happening after we became involved.

Robert. Why are you here?

Because I care about you. And I know what happens when people abuse magic.

I'm not abusing anything.

I was chosen for this. Listen to yourself. It's already happening.

Oh, you're not the same guy that I first met. You used to talk about doing good

for society.

I'm Red Rock. Without me, society would fall apart.

What you're doing is causing society to fall apart.

There's a feedback loop.

The stone doesn't just give you your power. It creates a purpose for your

power by turning other people to crime.

You're wrong. I'm not.

Listen to me.

I am part of an ancient and secret institution, and they have access to

tools more powerful than your ality. And one way or another, my colleagues will

get it from you.

Don't walk away from me again.

I care about you. I am on your side.

So sorry, but I must demand that you hand that sacred stone over to her.

Demand?

All right.

Request. A refusal is not an option.

Well, I'll give you this. You certainly have a massive pair of friends.

Give that back.

We need to put this where it can do no harm.

The idea.

Now she's got the power.

It appears that we have the advantage.

We are taking the Alatea with us.

But before we do, we have to remove that fragment from your arm.

Never. She knows what she's doing. It won't hurt.

Much.

Stop.

There's got to be another way.

Stand back or I'll snap her neck.

What are you doing? You don't want to do this.

You led them here so they could find the stone. You betrayed me.

Don't come any closer. I demand you unhand her.

Get back!

Give me the stone or I will crush her.

Give me the stone and I'll let her go.

Do not harm her.

Charlie, give it to him.

No. We're librarians. We don't give up artifacts.

It's mine. I found it. Give me the stone, and I will leave this city, and

you can go about your business. Don't listen to him. It's just the stone

talking. He won't hurt me.

Yes, I will.

Give it to him.

No. Charlie, no.

No! No!

Robert, stop!

This isn't you.

What happened to the man I first met?

There was no one.

I was an anonymous scientist working on a problem that will never be solved in

my lifetime.

Maybe not.

But another scientist will stand on your shoulders and it will be solved.

It may not be as glamorous as being Red Rock, but it is real. It matters.

What matters is this. The power that I get from this. With this, I can fight

injustice every day.

What you're doing is creating injustice.

You are turning innocent people into criminals every time you use the stone.

I'm telling you, it is Newton's third law.

It is... You and I both know this is outside the realm of science. This is

about spirits.

Okay, fine, then. Forget science.

What about the Gospel of Matthew?

Violence begets violence.

You just threatened to kill me.

Peace.

Okay. You're okay.

Write to me when you get to California.

You should come and visit.

Faculty housing at Caltech is like a five-star hotel.

You mean bunk together?

I have mighty presumptuous.

Thought it was worth a try.

Maybe our paths will cross again one day.

But not now.

A lot has happened in the last couple of weeks.

I've had a chance to think about things, about my life and about all the

commitments I've made.

And I'm not one of them.

Hey, you need to do your work and I need to do mine.

Yeah, your work, the organization that you work for, you never really told me

what it was.

Believe it or not, I'm just a librarian.

I guess it's goodbye.

Goodbye,

Robert.

Man, they feel pretty awesome to have that sort of power, even for a moment.

You don't think this debris has any more juice left in it, do you?

Don't even think about it.

This is going into storage in the library.

I'll just stop wondering.

Now, Connor, it isn't necessary to employ supernatural hoodwinking to

become a superhero.

It merely requires that one have an extraordinary intelligence and a

superior physical dexterity.

It's true.

Bannon doesn't have any superpowers. In my day, a Batman was a personal servant

to a military officer.

Oh, well, now he's a billion-dollar franchise.

Did the departure proceed without incident?

This idea that a librarian can't have a personal life...

I don't think I really understood what I was getting into.

We all face that realization at some point.

But you are a remarkably wise person.

You will find the proper balance.

That is a change of tune.

No more, I am the guardian of this young woman's honor.

Yes, I may possess a finely honed intellect and encyclopedic knowledge.

But I can still learn a few things.

The library tells us to avoid romantic entanglements.

But we are human.

We have human emotions.

It is up to each of us to sort that out for ourselves.

Did you know that when you were with Anya? Or did you only realize that now?

I only know that the heart wants what the heart wants.

Does the heart ever want to be alone?

For oft when on my couch I lie, in vacant or in pensive mood,

they flash upon that inward eye, which is the bliss of solitude, and then my

heart with pleasure fills.

And dances with the daffodils.

William Wordsworth.

We were pals, Wordsworth and I.

We used to lark about the Lake District together.

Larking about.

Sounds good.

Anyone up for a walk?

Come in.

Me too.

Always up for a good lark.

Let's go.