The Previously on segment ends with the knock at Elliot's door on May 12 and transitions into the episode (“eps1.9_zer0-day.avi”). Elliot opens the door and the police barge in to arrest him for hacking and grand larceny. They seize his computers. He is calm throughout the whole process. His lawyer wants him to plead not guilty to have the charges reduced, but Elliot pleads guilty from his holding cell. Mr. Robot yells at him on the webcast, but Elliot is sentenced within 24 hours. Lenny Shannon is in the court room, victorious. (“eps1.0_hellofriend.mov”)
At the prison, Lone Star escorts Elliot through the halls. They pass the Warden's office, where Ray Heyworth asks Lone Star to stop by for a problem with RT. Elliot is strip searched and given his uniform. He meets Leon while going into the yard, who is amazed at how quick he passed through the system. Elliot is silent while Leon gives him an advice: telling him to find his routine, Hot Carla, and to stay away from the Neo Nazis, the group who would later attack Elliot (“eps2.5_h4ndshake.sme”). Elliot asks for a notebook and returns to his cell where he sees his mother. He lets the viewer know that this is all they missed.
Elliot gets his stuff upon his release on August 6, 86 days after his arrest. A guard lets him know he has the Five/Nine Hack to thank, as the prison budget under the economic stress has let go non-violent offenders. He tells Elliot that his credit card is worthless and throws it away upon Elliot's request. He muses on "Init5", the command to return a computer to normal. The world seems gray, as opposed to colorful. Mr. Robot smokes beside him. Darlene is waiting outside the gates with food. She hugs Elliot and whispers in his ear.
Angela retrieves a USB from her closet. Mobley had given it to her before the FBI hack as a means to steal passwords in 15 seconds (“eps2.4_m4ster_s1ave.aes”). She calls Monica, a secretary, during lunch hour and tricks her into coming down to the lobby. Angela uses the distraction to sneak into Joseph Green's office and use the USB. A coworker mistakes her for Monica and sets up a call. Angela returns to her office and logs into Joseph's account. She copies the Washington Township files onto another USB.
Darlene and Elliot ride the subway. She is telling him about Cisco's IRC chat with the Dark Army about Stage 2 and the femtocell, as well as Trenton and Mobley being missing. Elliot believes that the Dark Army to be behind his release. Darlene catches the gaze of a man sitting across from them and opts to keep moving. They enter a nursing home where their mother is living. Elliot wants to see her while Darlene chooses to wait in the stairwell, thinking their detour was simply to lose a tail.
Elliot enters the small room and finds his mother staring motionless by the window. He makes note of the broken clock. He thanks her for helping him survive in a difficult time, before leaving.
The Whiterose, dressed as a woman, is at the grave of Lester Moore, the former CEO of E-Corp until he died in 1995: a "crash" rather than an "accident". The Whiterose stresses. She tells her assistant that he was going to shut down her project after the Washington Township scandal before he died. She says she is in the mood to repeat herself. As her watch beeps and her assistant urges that they'll be late, the Whiterose feels like it is important to urinate on his tombstone.
Elliot is peeing in Cisco's bathroom. Privacy is his normalcy. He hears Darlene and Cisco arguing over how she attacked him last time. Cisco was merely protecting her, he asserts. Mr. Robot's voice tells them to calm down. Elliot exits and sees Mr. Robot, who in turn sees him and is surprised. Mr. Robot glitches back and forth between Elliot before Darlene calls her brother back to Earth. Darlene wants to find Trenton and Mobley, but Cisco wants out. Elliot asks to contact his Dark Army contact, Gao Xun. Elliot receives a phone number and gets to work on the computer. Mr. Robot asks what happened, as Elliot simply stopped talking and Mr. Robot is forced to say something.
Zhang and Phillip Price walk with umbrellas in the rain on a large estate. Zhang laments the state of the United States, which Phillip wonders if it may be intentional. Zhang congratulates Phillip on Angela succeeding. Price addresses the failed bailout, due to the shootout in the shootout, which he blames on Zhang. He explains that on Friday, in two days, the federal government will seize E-Corp facilities, including the Washington Township plant. Zhang reminds the CEO what happened to his predecessor, but Phillip reminds him that his death will not save the plant. Only cash will. He proposes that China lend E-Corp the money at little to no interest. Zhang agrees, but upon making a further threat, Phillip says the next step is World War 3 and he would gladly take Zhang down with him. Phillip later leaves.
Elliot hacks Xun's phone and eavesdrops through the microphone. Mr. Robot claims to be overheating. Elliot tells Cisco to set up a meeting so he can ask about Stage 2. When Cisco describes the Dark Army as killers, Elliot says they will be meeting Mr. Robot, which catches Darlene's attention before Elliot affirms that he is going. Mr. Robot voices his concern that something is wrong with them.
At the US Nuclear Regulation Commission, Angela presents the stolen files to an agent, Jeff Gunther. He says this revelation is big, as the radiation levels are still above normal. Jeff suggests Angela to get a lawyer as a whistleblower, but she wants the case to move as fast as possible. He asks her to wait in the office while he shows the files to the deputy director.
Elliot rides the subway alone. The car is empty except for a disabled man playing an electric piano. Elliot tries to go into a another car, but the door is locked. He sees Cisco talking to Mr. Robot and starts yelling and pounding on the door. The subway arrives at their destination and Elliot finds himself in his own body. Cisco asks if Elliot is nervous as they exit.
Darlene is using her computer to translate the audio picked up from Xun's phone. They are talking about a woman. She watches Nancy Grace's rant against Berenstain as the fsociety video is played on the TV. Darlene realizes something and goes looking through her stuff.
At the library, Cisco and Elliot wait as Xun emerges from the backroom with two devil mask henchmen. Gao Xun is angry at this meeting and tries to leave. Elliot yells for Xun to look at him and tell the Whiterose that he wants to know about Stage 2.
Angela is still at the Nuclear Commission office. Hours have passed. She notices a security camera as the power surges. Deputy Director Phelps comes in and says the surges have been happening all night. As she leads Angela down the hall, she starts poking into Angela's history: her job at E-Corp and if she is New Jersey based. Angela starts seeing more security cameras and realizes she didn't say anything about herself to the people here. She asks for her files back, claiming to need to catch the last train home. Phelps insists on meeting her colleagues down a dim hallway, but Angela leaves.
Elliot and Cisco return to his apartment. The brownouts are happening across the city. Darlene tells Cisco that she left the busted VHS tape with her face on it at the smart house (“eps2.6_succ3ss0r.p12”). Cisco gets mad, annoyed that they used VHS to be cool instead of filters, and agrees to look for it alone. She thanks him. Elliot and Darlene relax on the couch. She insists that he sleeps on the couch, but Mr. Robot wants to go home. Elliot watches them talk from another chair. Darlene says his apartment is probably bugged. Elliot stands up in his own body and leaves.
Angela is at her apartment when Dominique knocks on the door, bringing Angela's favorite food. Dominique slides her way in and starts eating, complimenting the place. Angela asks if she's working for "them", but Dominique asks who. But Angela wants her to leave. Dom replies with one of her rare dreams; she is with a sexy woman who quickly starts drowning her. She reveals that Ollie told them about the infected mixtape immediately when the FBI interviewed him 2 months ago. They have been tailing her ever since, even her trip to the Nuclear Commission. She tells Angela that the next person who will connect the dots won't bring food but will simply grab her off the street. She says that she is Angela's last hand to play as she leaves her card. Dominique concludes saying that when she stopped struggling in her dream is how she survived.
Cisco is in the smart house. He finds the VHS tape, but notices something over by the couches.
Darlene is monitoring Xun's phone. He is with the Whiterose when the meeting with Elliot comes up. The Whiterose finds it odd, given that Stage 2 is his plan. She asks if Elliot asked about "the man and the girl" before the Whiterose insists on breaking Xun's phone, considering Elliot's skills. As the audio goes dead, someone knocks on the door. Darlene answers.
Elliot is walking home. He believes he has no normalcy. He is shocked the find the SUV of the man he murdered sitting outside his apartment. Joanna rolls down the window, saying "Hello, Ollie". (Elliot had said his name was Ollie when the first met.) (“eps1.9_zer0-day.avi”)