In her apartment, Fernando Vera tells Krista a story about a bully and a "little bitch." The bully picked on him every day, taking his money and beating him up. But one Christmas, the little bitch received a baseball bat. Kristai is tied to a chair and gagged as Vera and his two goons Peanuts and Javi watch. The boy in the story plays with his bat outside when the bully comes up to him. The little bitch hits the bully with the bat, brutalizing his teeth and eyeball. The bat's purpose was changed and all people are in search of a purpose. Krista's purpose is to be the bat with which Vera breaks Elliot.
Elliot sits in a coffee shop on the phone with Darlene. He is going to see Olivia. Darlene is packing her clothes in a bag in Angela's apartment. They talk about hacking Cyprus and where the Deus meeting is happening. Darlene notices Angela's ballet shoes and pauses. Elliot apologizes for what he said to her before about not wanting her in his life. Darlene asks if he still has the signal locator on his phone. yeah. She tells him to be careful as she doesn't want to lose him again. Elliot hangs up as Leon enter the coffee shop. As Darlene leaves the bedroom, Dom is there pointing a gun at her. Elliot asks if he brought it. Leon hands him something under the table. Elliot goes to leave, but Leon wants to chat. He assures Elliot that he is freelance, only loyal to money. After an awkward fistbump, Leon leaves. Elliot gets in line for coffee. Mr. Robot talks with him about convincing Olivia to help their plan, wanting to take another route. Elliot insists this is the only way, they can't just ask her. Mr. Robot narrates about Elliot losing his code and wondering if he can bring back their boundaries.
Dom holds Darlene at gunpoint in Angela's apartment. She asks Darlene why she was upstate. Darlene asks her not to call the FBI as the Dark Army will send someone for her. Dom confirms they already have. She calls Janice, who is working on a dog taxidermy. Dom has Darlene, but is missing Elliot. Janice tells her to sit tight. Elliot knocks on the door to Olivia's apartment with two coffees. She invites him in, taking the coffee cup and drinking from it. Elliot says that what he is about to say sounds crazy. He explains that her clients at Cyprus National Bank funnel money for the Deus Group. Deus runs the world, responsible for international warfare and the Cyber Bombings, among other atrocities. Olivia is scared. Elliot explains that he hacked her and needs Olivia to call her boss to log in so he can steal his credentials. Elliot tells her that they're using her and he can stop them. Olicia tells him to get out. He walks to the door, but warns her about failing her drug test. He knows about her custody battle for her son. She is 8 years clean. But he drugged her coffee cup. Olivia, upset, asks why he's doing this to her. He's running out of time.
In a darkened meeting room, Zhang stands before a whiteboard covered in math equations and scientific writings. His assistant approaches and shows him the red light camera's picture of Elliot and Darlene, taken near the burnt van. They have Darlene in custody, she reports. She insists it is time to get rid of Elliot. Zhang refuses. He wants to bring in Elliot to the meeting and show him that they are on the same side.
Dom holds the gun at Darlene sitting across the table. Janice calls. Dom says everything is fine. Janice says the higher-ups want Elliot. Dom says they can use Darlene's phone to find him. Janice tells her to kill Darlene, reminding her to keep it 100 and finish the job or else her family dies. Janice and her people are coming to retrieve the phone. Dom is stunned and Darlene asks what happened. Dom forcefully forces Darlene into the bathtub and puts the gun to her head. Darlene begs for her life. Dom says she ruined her life. Darlene apologizes and pleads that she can get Dom out as they are taking down the Dark Army tonight. Dom emphasizes that when Janice arrives and if Darlene isn't dead, her family will die. As Darlene cries, Dom struggles to do it and pistol whips Darlene unconscious.
Olivia is making the call. She can't get through to her boss, but is assured he will call back. Hanging up, Olivia expresses her hatred for Elliot. He assures her nothing will be traced back. She is concerned about relapsing from the drugged coffee. It will destroy her. Elliot blames her for working for Cyprus National Bank. She could have suspected an offshore bank of criminal activity, but she needed the money. That's what they do, he explains, find people backed into a corner and get them to compromise themselves. This is why he needs to take them down. Olivia asks how many people he was hurt. She asks to go to the bathroom and asks if having sex was part of his plan. He says it wasn't. Elliot tells Mr. Robot they're almost done here, again blaming her for being in denial about Cyprus. Mr. Robot narrates about the overwhelming sense of dread. They hear a thud in the bathroom. Elliot finds that Olivia has slit her wrists with a razor.
Krista is telling Vera that Elliot has insomnia. He's not buying her generic answers, he wants the real dirt. Krista says she knows nothing. Vera insists she and Elliot had a special relationship. Krista says he hacked her and threatened her then-boyfriend: he scares her. Vera insists he saw the look on her face, she loves him. Krista says that he was bullied as a kid and learned to hurt people back, but it won't work on her. Vera confirms with his goons Peanuts and Javi that Krista is calling him a little bitch. He finds it amusing. There's a knock on the door. Vera puts back her mouth gag and discerns from her that it is her boyfriend Jason. Vera considers bringing him in to make her talk.
Elliot has taped Olivia's wrists and stopped the bleeding. He tells her she's going to be okay and says he's sorry. He puts the phone in her hand, showing missed calls from her boss. She asks about one of the atrocities he attributed to Deus, a paramilitary massacre in Colombia. He confirms it was Deus who killed her mom. Elliot tells her that he can stop them. Olivia calls her boss and asks about a money transfer. Elliot uses his phone to hack Cyprus and steal the password. Olivia hangs up. Elliot says he'll wipe any involvement of her and her boss. Olivia tells him that though she works for monsters, he is the worst kind: The kind who doesn't even know it. Elliot walks away. Mr. Robot watches her. Olivia cries.
Jason is waiting outside Krista's apartment. Vera watches, amused, from the window. Jason goes away. Vera returns to the little bitch conversation, expanding on his story. The bully wakes up in the hospital. The boy walks in and the bully starts crying. The boy holds his hand tenderly, like Vera is doing to Krista. This is how you own someone, he explains: Breaking them, and building them back up. Vera wants to own Elliot, as they are linked on a spiritual plane. He knows Jason's address. Krista knows what he wants, Vera insists, and he can let her go once she tells him. He wants eye contact and her trust. Krista reveals where Elliot's folder is. Inside, is the information about Mr. Robot: how to break Elliot.
It's 3:25 pm. Dom waits as Darlene wakes up with a bloody head. Dom wants her to unlock the phone. Darlene won't, asking what if it was your family. Dom confirms that this is all to protect her family. Darlene brings up the night they spent together, but Dom doesn't want to hear it. Darlene says it was nice, the last time she felt good. Dom declares that she's out of time. She takes Darlene into the hallway and puts the gun into her hands, pointing it at her chest. Dom insists she kill her and escape. Killing herself will save her family, and though she's thought about it every day for these past two months, she can't do it herself. Darlene refuses. Janice and her goons enter. She is stunned. She won't kill Dom, but will make things very painful for her. Janice wants the phone from Darlene, but Darlene has wiped it.
Elliot and Mr. Robot are leaving the subway, rising to the street. Mr. Robot wants to talk about Olivia, but Elliot is focused on the plan to rob Cyprus. Krista calls, telling Elliot about Vera kidnapping her. She went to the police, but doesn't feel safe going home. They arrange to meet. Elliot tells Mr. Robot that there's no way Vera let her go. As Elliot walks off, Mr. Robot narrates about Elliot playing hero after he destroyed someone's life. He wonders if pressure changes people or reveals who they really are. Vera's thugs suddenly abduct Elliot in the trunk of a car and drive off.