- "I didn't think I'd ever see you guys again."
"We're not leaving anyone behind." - ―Karolina Dean and Chase Stein[src]
The Rescue of Karolina Dean was a successful attempt by the Runaways to release Dean from the Church of Gibborim Executive Offices' room where she was being held captive by Jonah.
Background
- "Last night, Karolina could've saved herself, but she didn't."
"I see what's happening here. I like it."
"Screw it. Me too."
"Okay. We look for her." - ―Molly Hernandez, Gert Yorkes, Chase Stein and Alex Wilder[src]
As they had witnessed their parents perpetrating a ritual sacrifice[1], the children of the members of PRIDE, known as the Runaways, decided to investigate in order to discover what their parents were up to.[2] Karolina Dean revealed everything that she knew to her father Frank, as he was not a member of PRIDE.[3] However, Frank instead informed Jonah of what Karolina had told him, and Jonah in turn alerted PRIDE about the situation.[4]
Karolina Dean faces Jonah
This led to a confrontation between the Runaways and PRIDE on the PRIDE Construction Site. When Jonah joined the fight, Karolina instructed her friends to flee and ended up captured by Jonah, who took her to his room in the Church of Gibborim Executive Offices. However, the Runaways refused to give up on their friend and decided to rescue her. They initially sought the assistance of Church of Gibborim member Vaughn Kaye, but he refused to believe their story.[5]
Rescue
- "This is Leslie's private chamber. If Karolina is anywhere, she's in there. The problem is, only Leslie knows the code."
"No problem. I brought a codebreaker." - ―Vaughn Kaye and Chase Stein[src]
Posing as the typical runaways who were usually welcomed into the Church of Gibborim, Chase Stein and Molly Hernandez were picked up by Aura and Frances, two members of the Church who took them to the Church of Gibborim Executive Offices. The other Runaways also headed to the building, with Alex Wilder successfully stealing a Church's van while Nico Minoru and Gert Yorkeswatched the building from the outside.
Vaughn Kaye helps the Runaways
As they filled in their information form, Stein and Hernandez were approached by Vaughn Kaye, who had reported his previous encounter with the Runaways to Leslie Dean and had secretly been asked to help them. Kaye took Hernandez and Stein with them and although they encountered Frances and Aura, who were surprised to see Kaye in a part of the building where he was not usually found, Kaye managed to convince them that he was taking them to Leslie.
Kaye led Stein and Hernandez in front of Leslie's secret meditation room, claiming that it could be the only place where Karolina Dean could be detained. Kaye told them that he did not know the code, but this was not a problem for Hernandez who used her superhuman strength to break through the door, prompting Kaye to leave and avoid trouble. Stein and Hernandez found a weakened Karolina and took her with them.
The three Runaways encountered Frances and Aura once again. Despite Karolina pretending that she was showing the place around to her friends, the two parishioners did not believe her and called for security. Stein, Hernandez and Karolina fled and hid behind a wall so that Karolina could recover. Stein put on his X-Ray Specs to check whether they were still being chased and spotted Jonah going downstairs, who appeared as a very bright being which momentarily blinded Stein.
Eventually, Stein, Hernandez and Dean were able to leave the Church's offices. They quickly got into the van stolen by Wilder where they were reunited with Yorkes and Minoru. Now together once again, the Runaways swiftly drove away. Back in the Church's offices, Kaye informed Leslie that the Runaways had succeeded, much to Leslie's relief who thanked Kaye for having alerted her.[5]
Aftermath
- "What do we do?"
"We run." - ―Nico Minoru and Alex Wilder[src]
Despite having fully reunited, the Runaways were still in a very vulnerable position, as they were chased by PRIDE and all the wealth and means their parents had at their disposal. While the other Runaways in the bush near Los Angeles, Alex Wilder resorted to find more allies and contacted Darius Davis, the leader of the Crips who was at war with Geoffrey Wilder, and the two of them agreed to collaborate.
The Runaways are forced to flee
Deciding to stick together in order to remain stronger, the Runaways went to the Los Angeles Bus Depot. However, they watched a TV newsflash indicating that they had been framed for the abduction of Molly Hernandez and the assassination of Destiny Gonzalez, forcing them to run away from Los Angeles to escape from their parents who were determined to find them.[5]