Comlink Rings.
First Appearance: "
Shock of the New."
Details:. These communicator rings, worn by the members of Mutant X, are keyed to the wearer's personal DNA strand. The rings have
mini cameras, audio/video links to other team members and are apparently activated whenever the wearer wants them to be, or by speaking into them. Whenever a team member loses a ring, it seems to be
Jesse Kilmartin's responsibility to
make another.
Adam's thoughts from
Mutant X Lives: The Comlinks are perhaps the last vestige of little boy in me. I remember thrilling to episodics where the space heroes communicated through hi-tech devices that looked liked ordinary watches or rings. I knew it was pure fiction, but my seven-year-old mind secretly vowed that someday I would build and use such slick, convenient appliances in whatever line of work I chose. They were so practical. So camouflaged. So…cool. The current Mutant X rings are vital to every facet of our work: from the smooth operation of our most dangerous missions to the day-to-day routines in Sanctuary. Utilizing a unique satellite beacon, their range is virtually unlimited. They can also send out a homing signal traceable to the most exclusive, remote locations on the globe. Even Genomex cannot block the frequency thus far. The links also serve as a team badge, symbolizing a bond to our cause and each other. Elementals, Moleculars, Psionics, Ferals and human beings are connected and equal wearing them. I would say of all my technical inventions, the Comlink rings are the best designed and most failsafe. They have never required upgrading from the original models (and considering all the hardware we burn through at Stormking Mountain that is saying something). Plus, they’re cool. You’ll always know you are with a trusted, full-fledged champion of Mutant X when you spy that innocent-looking band on their finger. The seven-year-old in me is quite proud.
Trivia & Nitpicks: Communication. Are the comlink rings always on, or only when the wearer wants his or hers to be? They are definitely activated when the wearers talk into them. They can also broadcast sounds and conversations around the wearers to the other Mutant X team members--but apparently selectively so, since you don't hear each member's ring constantly spouting forth noise from the environments of the others. And I'd guess rings can be selectively blocked from picking up conversations as well, since Brennan believes he can talk to Shalimar in "She's Come Undone" without Lexa's overhearing--even though she's wearing a ring (and sitting like three feet away, but that's another matter altogether). We'll ignore for the moment how it is that no non-Mutant X member in the immediate vicinity can hear voices coming from the comlink.
Location fixes. Under what circumstances can Sanctuary's computer get a location fix on a comlink ring? When Shalimar's ring has been taken off in "Reality Check," Jesse tracks it easily from the Double Helix. But when Shalimar's comlink falls off in "Where Evil Dwells," Jesse is unable to find her. Shalimar asserts in "Presumed Guilty" that it's impossible to get a signal from Adam's ring unless it's in contact with his DNA. She and Brennan find it only because it's covered in Adam's blood, thus still receiving a signal from his DNA. Yet in "Hand of God," Jesse can tell that Shalimar's barely alive by her weak signal, but says can't get a fix on her location until she actually responds to his hails. The computer locates her the instant she wakes up, but what should consciousness have to do with it?
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