Mutant X Transcripts: Ep 102 "I Scream the Body Electric"
Mutant X Episode Transcripts
Mutant X Episode #102 Transcript: " I Scream the Body Electric"
Previously on Mutant X...
[A series of flashbacks from “Shock of the New.” As Shalimar Fox and Jesse Kilmartin rescue Emma deLauro from capture by a posse of Genomex agents, Proxy Blue’s voiceover states, “One thing’s for sure. It’s getting weirder out there every day.” Shalimar’s feral strength behind her kick knocks an agent unconscious, while Jesse masses his body to shield Emma from their bullets. Adam assures Emma, “No need to run anymore, Emma. You’re among friends.” At Genomex headquarters, Mason fits a tight plastic skin over his face. Sitting at his desk, he broadcasts a message to his employees: “I have been mandated to create the Genetic Security Agency to protect the world from this rapacious menace.” Across town, one of those menaces, Brennan Mulwray, uses his electrical abilities to help his crew rob a bank. Proxy Blue, appearing on the television screen inside a crowded bar, reports, “A teenaged girl falls six stories, then walks away unscathed.” Walking through the bar, Brennan bumps into Emma, then recoils when she accents her spoken words, “Help me, ” by projecting images into his mind of herself screaming. Adam, sitting in Sanctuary, warns Shalimar and Jesse, “we can’t let someone with her ability to manipulate the feelings of others become the tool of our worst nightmare.” Searching for Emma, Shalimar soon spots GS agent Frank Thorne chasing Emma and Brennan down the street, and alerts Adam, “She’s headed for the Skycourse.” As Thorne comes down the Skycourse stairs toward them, Emma tells Brennan, “This is not good.” Thorne replies, “No, it’s not, is it?” Thorne electrocutes Brennan, and Shalimar and Jesse race to his rescue when they hear Emma yell his name. Thorne draws his gun, shouting, “Stop!” Adam concedes, “Let them go. This isn’t over yet.” Emma apologizes to Adam, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to cause all this trouble.” Adam answers, “Well, now you understand the danger we’re all in.”]
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[Opening Scene: Two scientists scurry out of the way as Brennan flees along the hallways of Genomex, trying to find the exit. A black-clad GS agent carrying a taser blocks his path; Brennan glances back to see a second agent approaching from the other direction. He punches Agent #1 to the ground and uses his back as a springboard to leap over Agent #2's head. Going too fast to stop, Agent #2 smacks into Agent #1 as he’s getting up, electrocuting him with his taser. Agent #2 spins around and takes a swipe at Brennan’s head, but Brennan knees him in the face. Seeing five more agents coming from behind, Brennan heads forward towards the stairs. Agent #3 tries to prevent him from reaching the stairwell, so Brennan punches him, knocks him over the railing. Halfway down the first flight of stairs, he avoids a blow from Agent #4's taser by swinging over the bannister directly down to the ground level. He ducks under Agent #5's taser, dropping him with a kick. Agents #6 and #7 come up on either side of him, so he runs up the side of the wall and flips behind them, punching them both out at the same time. Racing down the hallway, he’s cornered once again by Agents #8 and #9. He chops them both to the floor, and when Agent #9 gets up again, Brennan spins into the air, delivering a kick to his head. Agents #10 and 11 run up, stopping to help up their fallen comrades. Brennan continues down the maze of corridors. Hearing footsteps coming from one direction, he heads down another, ducking into a darkened room to hide. After Agents #12 and #13 have run past the room, Brennan turns around to see where he is. He stares around in horror at the dozens of new mutants lying entombed in stasis pods. As he stands transfixed, Frank Thorne comes up behind him, dropping him to his knees with a karate chop to the neck. Thorne punches him twice more in the stomach, then holds up a hand as GS agents stream into the room to help him.]
Thorne: Attempting to escape is a waste of time. [Thorne smiles as Brennan attempts to form a tesla coil in vain.] You’re still an hour off your game, Mr. Mulwray. [He signals two GS agents to pick him up.] Now you keep playing hard to get, you’re in for the world's worst nightmare.
Brennan: Wouldn’t be so sure about that. Any nightmare you could dish out would be like a sweet dream to me. [Thorne punches him twice more in the stomach and is drawing back his fist for another blow when Mason Eckhart, looking on from up in his office, stops him.]
Mason: That’s enough, Mr. Thorne. I’d prefer him in one piece. [The GS agents drag Brennan towards the interrogation room.]
Opening Credits. “I Scream the Body Electric”
[Scene: Sanctuary’s interior. Emma’s watching a Proxy Blue newscast on the computer on the second floor when Adam comes up behind her.]
Proxy Blue: You want strange? I’ll give you strange. We get a call on the hotline about a guy who controls electricity.
Emma (arms akimbo): She’s talking about Brennan.
Proxy Blue: Next thing you know, a guy fitting that description runs rampant downtown.
Adam (talking to the screen): Silent record. [The newscast mutes.] This is becoming tiresome, Emma. Why did we have to rescue you again?
Emma: I’ve apologized a dozen times, Adam. What do I have to say to convince you I’m sorry?
Adam: I’m sure that you’re sincere in your regrets, but your actions continue to put us in jeopardy.
Emma (sighing): I'm just...confused and afraid.
Adam: We're all afraid.
Emma: But you don't have to walk around constantly assaulted by other people's feelings and terrors.
Adam: You're right. Maybe it's time you looked at your world from a different perspective. When you take what you see as a problem and turn it into a solution.
Shalimar (walking up with Jesse): It saved my life.
Jesse: Mine too. You know, it’s not like we were thrilled to be so different, you know?
Shalimar: But with a little work, being a new mutant can be fabulous.
Jesse: Or you could end up like Thorne.
Emma: I'll take fabulous any time.
Adam: Breedlove’s death has set events in motion that are gonna change our lives forever. This is only the beginning.
Emma: What about Brennan?
Adam: Well, we’ll do whatever we can to get him out.
Jesse (arms crossed): Assuming he still wants to get out.
[Inside Mason’s Genomex office, Mason sits at his desk, reprimanding Thorne.]
Mason: You let Miss deLauro get away.
Thorne: Yes. That was primarily due to Mr. Mulwray’s interference. However, now we can use Mulwray to entrap her.
Mason (smiling up at him): You always find the positive in the negative, Mr. Thorne. [Thorne returns his smile.] It’s your responsibility to make something of Mr. Mulwray. But rather than expending all our resources in searching for all these lost souls, let’s find one to bring the others to us.
[Ruby Bishop comes through the secret passageway behind his bookstore to join a group of new mutants in the new mutant safehouse, including Allison, Vince, and Shalimar.]
Allison (smiling for Shalimar’s camera): So, what’s this all about?
Shalimar (taking her photograph): With everything that’s been hitting the fan lately, we wanted you to be able to get out at a moment’s notice.
Allison: You know, I'm still not sure why Adam thinks it’s necessary to set up a second safehouse.
Ruby (posing for the camera): Yeah. The one behind my bookstore is fine.
Shalimar (taking his photograph): Absolutely. But it never hurts to be more careful.
[At Genomex, Brennan’s strapped into a metal chair in the interrogation room when Mason and Thorne walk in through the sliding doors.]
Mason (considering the back of Brennan’s head): We’ve been waiting to meet you for a long time, Mr. Mulwary. [He walks around to face Brennan.]
Brennan: Oh yeah, is that right?
Mason: You and Miss deLauro are high on my shopping list of anomalies.
Brennan: Hm. You know, it feels so good to be so wanted.
Thorne (backhanding him across the face): Mr. Eckhart does not have time for sarcasm. [Walking across the room, he pulls a device off the shelf which resembles a large staple gun. Two guards bend Brennan’s neck down as Thorne comes up behind him.] Um. This is gonna hurt. [He positions the gun over the nape of Brennan’s neck and pushes the trigger, implanting a short black tube into his skin.]
Mason (peering over his glasses): Now, we’ve just implanted you with a device called a subdermal governor. Something my people created especially for people like you. [He turns to the computer screen next to him, which shows an x-ray image of Brennan’s neck and spine.] It connects us directly with your DNA so that whenever you use your abilities without our approval, the pain is debilitating.
Brennan: Bring it on.
Mason: Well, all right, then, Mr. Mulwray. Let’s see what you’re made of. Release him. [Thorne opens Brennan’s wrist restraints, and Brennan stands up. Grinning smugly, he looks around the room at the guards.]
Thorne: Well, give us your best shot. [Brennan starts to create a tesla coil, but soon staggers backwards, holding his stomach in agony.]
Mason: Well. I gather we all have a better idea of just what you can take. Don’t you think? [He walks towards Brennan.] This is your chance to redeem a misspent life. An opportunity to protect the world from genetic terrorism as an operative of the Genetic Security Agency. Mr. Thorne will give you the details. [He walks out of the room.]
Thorne (nodding at Brennan): You know, I think the two of us should just try and get along.
Brennan: If you believe that, you’re crazier than he is. [Thorne presses a button on his controller, and Brennan collapses to the floor in pain.] You see, there’s a second feature which Mr. Eckhart neglected to mention. I have the ability to turn it both on....and off. [He turns the governor off, and Brennan relaxes, panting.] I’ll give you a little jolt from time to time to keep you in line. [Grunting, Brennan gets to his feet. Smiling, Thorne heads towards the door, then looks back over his shoulder.] You coming?
[On the second floor of Sanctuary, Brennan and Emma sit together on a bench.]
Emma: What do I know about being a hero? I sell Misses and Petites for heaven’s sakes.
Adam (smiling): Hm. And I gather you were unusually good at it, because of your gifts.
Emma: I'll admit it, I did manipulate customers occasionally. [Adam looks at her.] Often....all right, every chance I got. But it didn’t always work.
Adam: Well, when did you first realize that you had these gifts?
Emma: When I as a kid, maybe five, I was at this rock festival with my parents. I got separated from them, totally lost in the crowd. They were both on the flaky side. When I realized they were gone, I closed my eyes and it was like I saw my parents in a dream.
Adam: Wait, so what you’re saying is...you found them?
Emma: Yeah. But they figured they’d found me. They ran off when I was ten and left me in a foster home. By that time, I didn’t care if they found me or not.
Adam (nodding): Hm.
[Frank Thorne walks through the sliding doors into Mason’s office, escorting Ruby Bishop by the neck.]
Thorne: Mr. Eckhart, this is the man you requested for your interview.
Mason (looking up from behind his desk): My name is Mason Eckhart. [Ruby gapes at him.] Ah, you’ve heard of me. I gather you’re a telepath. [Ruby doesn’t answer.] Please, Mr. Bishop, we have no secrets here.
Thorne: Answer the question!
Ruby: I’m an ESPer.
Mason: Fine. [He indicates that Thorne bring Ruby forward. Standing, Mason removes his glasses and leans over the desk.] Now tell me what you see when you read my mind. Unless you’d like me to have Mr. Thorne convince you. [As he reads Mason’s mind, Ruby starts to quake and sweat with fear. Nodding, Mason smiles and dons his glasses.] Now that you know that everything you’ve heard about me is true, I want you to help me bring the rest of your friends to justice. [Ruby nods, terrified. Mason sits back down.]
********Commercial Break***********
[On the first floor of Sanctuary, Emma and Shalimar stroll towards the dojo. Emma glances up to the second floor, where Adam’s working at the computer.]
Emma: I don't think Adam likes me.
Shalimar (glancing up at Adam): It's not in Adam's nature to dislike anyone. He's a remarkable man. He saved me from a lot of same demons that have a hold on you. Trust me. When I first got here I was just as confused as you are. Maybe even more so.
Emma: All I wanted to do was live my life.
Shalimar: Then all of a sudden these guys come after you for no good reason.
Emma: Well...other than the fact that I can work people over emotionally with my mind.
Shalimar (giggling): Well, yes, there is that one thing. We've all had our gifts since birth. And just like we learned to walk and talk, we've had to develop skills with our new mutant abilities too.
Emma: Okay...
Shalimar (leading her up the dojo steps): Adam asked me to teach you some focusing techniques. Help you channel your abilities.
Emma: Adam asked you to do that?
Shalimar: He’s got a lot of faith in you. It’s up to you to justify that faith. [Watching them, Adam turns off his computer and walks away. Standing behind Emma, Shalimar takes Emma’s arms and positions her.] I just want you to follow my lead, and don’t worry if you don’t get it right away. It’s progress we’re after. Not perfection. [Mimicking her movements, Emma follows Shalimar through a relaxing exercise. Adam watches them for a while from behind the stairs, smiling, then nods and walks out of the room.]
[Cut to: Ruby’s screaming mouth as Thorne injects a subdermal governor in the nape of his neck.]
Thorne: Gosh. You're such a hot-shot telepath, you should've saw that coming. This concludes the pain portion of our program, assuming you do as you're told. [He releases Ruby's arms and waits, but Ruby doesn’t get up, so he leans close to his ear.] Get the hell outta the chair! [Ruby jumps out, shivering.] We searched your store, and we found a hidden room behind a secret panel. So now what we’d like you to do is invite all your freaky friends to a little get-together.
Ruby (shaking): There’s another safehouse. [Surprised at his easy cooperation, Thorne turns to smile at him.]
[In the lab at Sanctuary, Adam places EKG leads on Shalimar’s chest as she reclines in the biochair, dressed in a black bra and shorts.]
Adam: Can’t move against Eckhart until we’re ready. And from what I’ve seen of Emma, we’re almost there. Now, I understand your frustration, but taking action prematurely could get us all killed. [He walks over to the computer.]
Shalimar: Thanks, Adam.
Adam: For what?
Shalimar: For listening to me when I said I thought Emma deserved a second chance.
Adam (turning around): Huh. If I didn't believe in second chances, you wouldn't be here. [He calls to the computer.] Start scan.
Shalimar (lying back as the scanner passes over her): Was I really that difficult?
Adam: Well, when I found you, you were holed up in some fleabag motel, hadn't eaten in five days.
Shalimar: I was convinced I was some kinda freak for what was happening with my body and my mind.
Adam: End scan. Well, I'd say you pulled yourself together pretty well, everything considered. [He walks over to her.]
Shalimar (sitting up): Well, I owe it all to you.
Adam: The good and the bad.
Shalimar (shaking her head): You don't need to go there with me, Adam. [They smile at each other.] So. How’m I doing?
Adam (calling to the computer across the room): Visual diagnostic! [He grins at Shalimar.] Perfect.
[At the new safehouse, Jesse’s handing out ID cards to a group of new mutants gathered around him.]
Jesse: These IDs are iron-clad, with an electronic paper trail that is fool-proof. There you go, Allison.
Allison: Thank you.
Jesse (looking around): Where’s Ruby? [Allison shrugs. Just then, an explosion rocks the building and GS agents storm into the safehouse.]
Jesse (pushing Allison towards the back door): Get everyone out of here! [Allison leads the mutants towards the exit, but a second wave of GS agents blocks their way. Jesse punches the first two GS agents coming in through the door, then he masses and kicks a third across the room. Turning, he sees a female mutant struggling to escape a GS agent who’s grabbed her shirt. Jesse pushes him in the back, but as he straightens, he’s soon surrounded by five agents wielding tasers.]
********Commercial Break********
[Brennan and Frank Thorne enter the safehouse, and stand in front of Jesse.]
Thorne: Round them up, let’s go!
GS agent: Yes, Mr. Thorne.
Thorne (turning off Brennan’s governor): All right, Mulwray, your powers are back on. Let’s see what you got. [Brennan hesitates.] Or do you require a little jolt for motivation? [Brennan slowly forms a tesla coil, locking eyes with Jesse and giving him enough time to phase. He aims his electrical arc through Jesse’s phased body to hit the two GS agents behind him. Still phased, Jesse nods at Brennan, who gives him a slight nod in return. Jesse then disappears through the floor. Thorne walks over to the spot where Jesse had been, and sighs.] Nice work, Mr. Mulwray.
Brennan (shrugging): Hey, it was an accident. He went ghost on me, what am I supposed to do?
[Back at Sanctuary, Emma listens as Jesse relates the safehouse events to Adam and Shalimar.]
Jesse: He has a perfectly clear shot at me, and he hesitates just long enough for me to phase out, shoots through me, and hits two GS agents.
Shalimar: Could’ve been an accident.
Emma (shaking her head): No way. [Shalimar and Adam frown at her until she looks down, embarrassed.]
Jesse: No, Emma’s right. He threw me a look. He knew exactly what he was doing.
Adam: Good. Then Eckhart hasn’t been able to suborn Brennan yet.
Jesse: He made it possible for me to get out of there. But they got everybody else. Oh, except for Ruby. He wasn’t there.
Adam: Has he checked in?
Shalimar: No. Haven’t been able to find him yet.
Adam (sighing): Well, we have failed the people we pledged to protect.
Shalimar: Well, I say let’s get in there, get them the hell out!
Adam: Fine, get in where? We don’t know where Eckhart’s holding them.
Emma (getting up): Let me find them. I can do it. I have the power.
Adam: Are you willing to work with me to get your gifts under control?
Emma (nodding): I am.
Adam: Then it’s time to take your first step into a whole new life.
[Thorne and Brennan walk into Mason’s Genomex office and stand before his desk.]
Mason: Nicely done, Mr. Thorne. I understand there were problems.
Thorne: Mr. Mulwray took aim at one of Adam’s men. The man went intangible. Mr. Mulwray shot throught him, which in turn allowed the man to escape. [Mason nods reasonably. Then, raising both hands, he turns on both their governors, forcing them to their knees with pain. After a while, he turns them off.]
Mason (standing): Bring me the deLauro girl. And no excuses. [He walks out and the two men slowly get to their feet.]
[Flying over the city in the Double Helix, Emma sits between Jesse and Shalimar as Adam stands in front of them.]
Adam: An analysis of your DNA suggests that you've got an enormous reservoir of untapped power. And the sensitivity that will allow you to tele-empathically contact Allison, Vince and the others. But. [He taps his forehead.] You have to focus.
Jesse: You can do it, Emma.
Shalimar (patting her leg): Just like I taught you. [Emma closes her eyes and reaches out with her mind. She gets an image of Allison and Vince chained together.]
Emma: Oh, God.
Adam: What?
Emma: I can see them! I can see Allison...and Vince.
Adam: Good. Now where are they?
Emma (concentrating, shaking her head): I don’t know.
[Meanwhile, Allison, Vince, and the other mutants stand inside a large metal cage on the rooftop of a Genomex facility. Mason looks down at them from the balcony.]
Mason: Welcome, all of you. The children of Genomex have been away too long. My name Mason Eckhart. It’s time we got to know each other better. [Allison and Vince look at each other.]
*********Commercial Break***********
[Up in the Double Helix, Emma’s apologizing for her failure.]
Emma: I can’t do it, Adam. I’m sorry.
Adam (leaning forward, smiling): Emma, you’re new at this. It’s okay. Now, when you were five, you found your parents, right?
Emma: Yeah, but I knew my parents.
Adam: And you know Brennan. [She nods.] You can do it. One more time. For him. Just focus. [Emma closes her eyes again, and gets an image of Brennan, wearing a collar around his neck.]
Emma: Brennan! I see him. I know where he is. [Adam’s smile widens.]
[In a mall downtown, Thorne and Brennan are walking down a flight of stairs, searching for Emma.]
Thorne: Satellite has her placed between the two safehouses; she’s looking for her freaky little friends.
Brennan: So how does it feel to betray your own kind, huh? Freaks like us?
Thorne: Oh, I think you should speak for yourself, because I'm no freak. See, I've just got a talent and I'm using it the best way I know how.
Brennan: Yeah, like you have a choice?
Thorne: Yeah. 'Cause you see, I volunteered.
Brennan: You must be real proud. [Behind Thorne, Brennan catches a glimpse of Emma outside, walking up to the glass doors. Thorne follows his gaze, and Emma and Thorne see one another at the same time.]
Thorne (waving at her lazily, grinning): Well. Hi. [Emma runs back down the street, closely followed by Thorne and Brennan. Tired of running, Thorne telekinetically pushes a large garbage bin out into the sidewalk, blocking her path. Thorne grabs her as Brennan watches, helpless to do anything.]
[Thorne places Brennan and Emma in the cage on the roof with the rest of the mutants. Mason, followed by two GS agents, walks up to the cage to talk to them.]
Mason: Lovely to finally meet you face to face, Miss deLauro.
Emma: You're Eckhart?
Mason: Mister Eckhart. You'll learn soon enough how to best deal with authority. You'll be given an opportunity to put your abilities to use rescuing others like yourself.
Emma: You call dragging us here rescue?
Mason: I call it protective custody. Who it's intended to protect is open to interpretation. As for you, Mr. Mulwray, I have to say I'm terribly disappointed by Mr. Thorne's report on your behavior.
Brennan: Huh. I've been hearing that since the third grade.
Mason: It’s really too bad. You could have been of enormous service to the cause. Instead, you’ll be put into stasis for future examination. [Emma looks back at Brennan as Mason walks away.]
[Inside the Genomex building, two GS agents patrol the second floor balcony, nodding to a third who’s headed in the opposite direction. When the third turns to smile at their backs, we see it’s really Jesse, dressed as a GS agent.]
Jesse (into this comlink): The alarm reboots in 5 minutes, so whenever you’re ready. [He strolls leisurely away. Across the building, Adam and Shalimar run up a darkened staircase, stopping when they see two GS agents guarding the door to the control room in front of them.]
Adam: We have to find out where they’re hiding Emma and the others. I’ve gotta get into that control room. [Smiling, Shalimar holds him back, flipping her hair.]
Shalimar: I'll handle them. This is woman's work. [She saunters up to the first guard, smiling prettily.] Excuse me, can you tell me where you've got the new mutants locked up? [Ducking under his arm as he tries to grab her, she drops him with a roundhouse kick, then flips backwards to kick the second guard against the wall. A third guard runs up behind her, but she hears him coming and punches him out without looking. As she’s busy with a fourth, a fifth approaches her from behind to clobber her in the head with his club. Adam, emerging from the stairwell, grabs his arm and tosses him to the ground. Shalimar, in the midst of strangling her the fourth guard, glances back at Adam.] I would’ve gotten him.
Adam (smiling): I don’t doubt it. [Grinning at him, Shalimar punches her guard in the face, and he goes down. Shalimar stands guard while Adam heads into the control room to turn off the subdermal governors and download the new mutant database.]
[On the rooftop, the new mutants mill around their cage as two GS agents stand guard outside.]
GS agent #1: Everything seems to check out. Okay with you?
GS agent #2: Yeah.
GS agent #1: I’ll just check the perimeter and then we’ll be on our way. [A third GS agent walks onto the roof, and Allison, Vince, and Brennan look up in surprise as they recognize Jesse. Jesse walks up behind the two GS agents, masses, and brings his fists down upon their backs. They drop to the ground and Jesse phases into the cage.]
Jesse (handing out ID cards): Adam has disengaged all of your subdermal governors. So...it’s time for you guys to hit the road. Here’s your new IDs.
Emma: Took you long enough to track me here.
Brennan (frowning): Hey, you could have let me in on the gag.
Emma: Well, I had to figure the walls have ears.
Jesse (nodding to him): Thanks for the heads-up at the safehouse.
Brennan: What are you talking about? You’re just lucky I missed. [Jesse frowns.]
[Shalimar’s still waiting for Adam when two GS agents come walking down the balcony. To distract them, Shalimar dashes to the railing and leaps over it. As the two agents bend over the railing to search for her, Shalimar flips back up onto the balcony behind them. Grinning, she walks up between them, leaning over the railing as if to see what they’re looking at. When they finally realize she’s standing right beside them, she smiles and knocks the first over the railing, then drops the second with a high kick.]
Adam (emerging from the room): Shalimar?
Mason (standing behind him): Guess again, Adam. [As Adam whirls around to face him, Mason goes to the hallway computer and types in a command.] You never did know when to stop, did you?
Adam: Well, we're both guilty of relentless tenacity, Mason. It’s something we’ve always had in common.
Mason: True. But while you chase your horrific dreams of rescuing these laboratory mistakes, my passion is in the service of humanity.
Adam: A grim and limited vision of humanity, defined by your narrow mind and your pathetic perspective.
[Cut to: The cage on the roof. Two GS agents run towards the cage and begin to open it. Brennan electrifies the metal fence under their hands, electrocuting them and unlocking the cage door.]
Jesse: I suspect that you’ve done that before. [Ignoring him, Brennan walks out of the door.] Hey!
Brennan (calling over his shoulder): I’ve got some unfinished business to attend to.
[Cut back to: Mason and Adam talking on the balcony outside the control room.]
Mason: You and your freaks are threats to everything that I hold dear.
Adam: These so-called freaks are the product of Genomex's recklessness!
Mason: What, am I supposed to be racked by guilt?
Adam: No, I'd never expect guilt from you, Mason. It's too much to ask of a sociopath.
Mason: Now, that's what I've always admired about you, Adam. Your utterly perverse sense of reality.
[Cut to: Brennan, as he finds his target, Frank Thorne, walking down a darkened hallway towards the doors.]
Brennan: Thorne! [They slowly approach on another. Thorne unfolds Brennan’s controller and presses the button, only to find that it’s not working. Brennan smiles.]
[Cut to: Mason and Adam, still talking on the balcony.]
Mason: If I’d known it was this easy to get you here, I'd have invited you sooner.
Adam: I’ll be back.
Mason: Well, that’s wonderful. Then you can visit that cage of freaks I’ve got upstairs.
Adam: Thanks to Mutant X, they should all be on their way out by now. I’ve disengaged all your governors. And our little talk has gone on just long enough for the virus that I uploaded into your database to do its work. [Scoffing, Mason goes to the computer. Adam frowns when all the programs come up perfectly normally.]
Mason: I’d expected better from you than a cheap bluff from you, Adam. [He looks up, but Adam’s already gone. Then the programs on Mason’s computer screen blink out one by one before the entire system crashes.]
[Thorne regains his confidence when he sees a GS agent sneaking up behind Brennan, but Brennan swings around quickly and knocks out the agent with one kick. As Brennan forms a tesla coil, Thorne turns tail and runs down the hallway out the doors. Brennan cuts off the electricity, letting him escape.]
Shalimar (coming up to him): Well, I guess it is true.
Brennan: What's that?
Shalimar: The bigger they are, the faster they run.
Brennan: That's because he knows I can light him up like a Christmas tree. [He blows on his closed fist.]
Shalimar (giggling): What do you say we join the others and get outta here? [Brennan takes her hand to help her walk over the body of the fallen GS agent. Shalimar laughs. Mason rushes up to the cage on the roof, only to find it empty. He sighs. Looking down at the ground, he sees the words “Mutant X Lives” burned into the pavement at his feet.]
*********Commercial Break************
[Jesse leads Emma and Brennan into Sanctuary.]
Brennan (looking around): Nice place. This must be real fun to clean.
Jesse: I get the feeling he’s always like this, huh?
Emma (grinning): Always. [Adam and Shalimar are standing facing them, standing in front of the dojo. Jesse goes to stand at Adam’s left side.]
Adam: Welcome. Emma. When I started this journey, I always knew I needed someone like you. Someone with the gift of inner vision and the strength of character to bear the weight of so powerful a gift. Now, in time you'll come to see yourself as I see you, but for now, you'll just have to take my word for it. You're...an answered prayer. [Emma smiles.] And Brennan, I never wanted to work with someone like you. Someone who would squander his incredible gift on petty crime and an outlaw's live for the moment mentality. Until I realized that I've chosen the path of the outlaw for myself. And who better than a fellow outlaw to help show me the way? [Brennan chuckles.] You've both seen what we're up against and that the odds are against us. [Behind his back, Shalimar passes something to Jesse.] But Emma, I hope this is the chance for you to fulfill the potential that you know is inside you but you’ve never been quite able to reach. And Brennan, for you, it's an opportunity to put the past behind you and to join with us all in helping create a new future. [Adam nods at Shalimar. Smiling, Shalimar walks up to Emma and opens a silver box, which contains a comlink ring.]
Emma (gaping happily at Adam): Thank you! [She takes the ring and hugs Shalimar. Adam looks at Jesse, who walks up to Brennan and gives him a ring too.]
Jesse: What, no hug? [Brennan laughs and takes off his old ring.]
Brennan (looking around at them): All right, I’m in. But as long as there’s no hazing or weird secret handshakes.
Shalimar (laughing): No hazing. No handshakes.
Jesse: But you will be expected to do some basic housekeeping.
Brennan: Yeah. [He puts the ring on his finger, watching as a glowing symbol appears on it.]
Adam: Yes, the rings are keyed to your own personal DNA strand. Yours and yours alone. [Emma puts on her ring and smiles as her own symbol appears. She shakes Adam’s hand.] Welcome to Mutant X. [He shakes Brennan’s hand too.] God help anyone who tries to stand in our way. [Behind them, an alarm sounds on the computer. Adam, Shalimar, and Jesse walk over to check it out; after a brief hesitation, Brennan and Emma follow them. They stand together as a team.]
Closing Credits.
Mutant X Episode #102 Transcript: " I Scream the Body Electric"
Previously on Mutant X...
[A series of flashbacks from “Shock of the New.” As Shalimar Fox and Jesse Kilmartin rescue Emma deLauro from capture by a posse of Genomex agents, Proxy Blue’s voiceover states, “One thing’s for sure. It’s getting weirder out there every day.” Shalimar’s feral strength behind her kick knocks an agent unconscious, while Jesse masses his body to shield Emma from their bullets. Adam assures Emma, “No need to run anymore, Emma. You’re among friends.” At Genomex headquarters, Mason fits a tight plastic skin over his face. Sitting at his desk, he broadcasts a message to his employees: “I have been mandated to create the Genetic Security Agency to protect the world from this rapacious menace.” Across town, one of those menaces, Brennan Mulwray, uses his electrical abilities to help his crew rob a bank. Proxy Blue, appearing on the television screen inside a crowded bar, reports, “A teenaged girl falls six stories, then walks away unscathed.” Walking through the bar, Brennan bumps into Emma, then recoils when she accents her spoken words, “Help me, ” by projecting images into his mind of herself screaming. Adam, sitting in Sanctuary, warns Shalimar and Jesse, “we can’t let someone with her ability to manipulate the feelings of others become the tool of our worst nightmare.” Searching for Emma, Shalimar soon spots GS agent Frank Thorne chasing Emma and Brennan down the street, and alerts Adam, “She’s headed for the Skycourse.” As Thorne comes down the Skycourse stairs toward them, Emma tells Brennan, “This is not good.” Thorne replies, “No, it’s not, is it?” Thorne electrocutes Brennan, and Shalimar and Jesse race to his rescue when they hear Emma yell his name. Thorne draws his gun, shouting, “Stop!” Adam concedes, “Let them go. This isn’t over yet.” Emma apologizes to Adam, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to cause all this trouble.” Adam answers, “Well, now you understand the danger we’re all in.”]
****************
[Opening Scene: Two scientists scurry out of the way as Brennan flees along the hallways of Genomex, trying to find the exit. A black-clad GS agent carrying a taser blocks his path; Brennan glances back to see a second agent approaching from the other direction. He punches Agent #1 to the ground and uses his back as a springboard to leap over Agent #2's head. Going too fast to stop, Agent #2 smacks into Agent #1 as he’s getting up, electrocuting him with his taser. Agent #2 spins around and takes a swipe at Brennan’s head, but Brennan knees him in the face. Seeing five more agents coming from behind, Brennan heads forward towards the stairs. Agent #3 tries to prevent him from reaching the stairwell, so Brennan punches him, knocks him over the railing. Halfway down the first flight of stairs, he avoids a blow from Agent #4's taser by swinging over the bannister directly down to the ground level. He ducks under Agent #5's taser, dropping him with a kick. Agents #6 and #7 come up on either side of him, so he runs up the side of the wall and flips behind them, punching them both out at the same time. Racing down the hallway, he’s cornered once again by Agents #8 and #9. He chops them both to the floor, and when Agent #9 gets up again, Brennan spins into the air, delivering a kick to his head. Agents #10 and 11 run up, stopping to help up their fallen comrades. Brennan continues down the maze of corridors. Hearing footsteps coming from one direction, he heads down another, ducking into a darkened room to hide. After Agents #12 and #13 have run past the room, Brennan turns around to see where he is. He stares around in horror at the dozens of new mutants lying entombed in stasis pods. As he stands transfixed, Frank Thorne comes up behind him, dropping him to his knees with a karate chop to the neck. Thorne punches him twice more in the stomach, then holds up a hand as GS agents stream into the room to help him.]
Thorne: Attempting to escape is a waste of time. [Thorne smiles as Brennan attempts to form a tesla coil in vain.] You’re still an hour off your game, Mr. Mulwray. [He signals two GS agents to pick him up.] Now you keep playing hard to get, you’re in for the world's worst nightmare.
Brennan: Wouldn’t be so sure about that. Any nightmare you could dish out would be like a sweet dream to me. [Thorne punches him twice more in the stomach and is drawing back his fist for another blow when Mason Eckhart, looking on from up in his office, stops him.]
Mason: That’s enough, Mr. Thorne. I’d prefer him in one piece. [The GS agents drag Brennan towards the interrogation room.]
Opening Credits. “I Scream the Body Electric”
[Scene: Sanctuary’s interior. Emma’s watching a Proxy Blue newscast on the computer on the second floor when Adam comes up behind her.]
Proxy Blue: You want strange? I’ll give you strange. We get a call on the hotline about a guy who controls electricity.
Emma (arms akimbo): She’s talking about Brennan.
Proxy Blue: Next thing you know, a guy fitting that description runs rampant downtown.
Adam (talking to the screen): Silent record. [The newscast mutes.] This is becoming tiresome, Emma. Why did we have to rescue you again?
Emma: I’ve apologized a dozen times, Adam. What do I have to say to convince you I’m sorry?
Adam: I’m sure that you’re sincere in your regrets, but your actions continue to put us in jeopardy.
Emma (sighing): I'm just...confused and afraid.
Adam: We're all afraid.
Emma: But you don't have to walk around constantly assaulted by other people's feelings and terrors.
Adam: You're right. Maybe it's time you looked at your world from a different perspective. When you take what you see as a problem and turn it into a solution.
Shalimar (walking up with Jesse): It saved my life.
Jesse: Mine too. You know, it’s not like we were thrilled to be so different, you know?
Shalimar: But with a little work, being a new mutant can be fabulous.
Jesse: Or you could end up like Thorne.
Emma: I'll take fabulous any time.
Adam: Breedlove’s death has set events in motion that are gonna change our lives forever. This is only the beginning.
Emma: What about Brennan?
Adam: Well, we’ll do whatever we can to get him out.
Jesse (arms crossed): Assuming he still wants to get out.
[Inside Mason’s Genomex office, Mason sits at his desk, reprimanding Thorne.]
Mason: You let Miss deLauro get away.
Thorne: Yes. That was primarily due to Mr. Mulwray’s interference. However, now we can use Mulwray to entrap her.
Mason (smiling up at him): You always find the positive in the negative, Mr. Thorne. [Thorne returns his smile.] It’s your responsibility to make something of Mr. Mulwray. But rather than expending all our resources in searching for all these lost souls, let’s find one to bring the others to us.
[Ruby Bishop comes through the secret passageway behind his bookstore to join a group of new mutants in the new mutant safehouse, including Allison, Vince, and Shalimar.]
Allison (smiling for Shalimar’s camera): So, what’s this all about?
Shalimar (taking her photograph): With everything that’s been hitting the fan lately, we wanted you to be able to get out at a moment’s notice.
Allison: You know, I'm still not sure why Adam thinks it’s necessary to set up a second safehouse.
Ruby (posing for the camera): Yeah. The one behind my bookstore is fine.
Shalimar (taking his photograph): Absolutely. But it never hurts to be more careful.
[At Genomex, Brennan’s strapped into a metal chair in the interrogation room when Mason and Thorne walk in through the sliding doors.]
Mason (considering the back of Brennan’s head): We’ve been waiting to meet you for a long time, Mr. Mulwary. [He walks around to face Brennan.]
Brennan: Oh yeah, is that right?
Mason: You and Miss deLauro are high on my shopping list of anomalies.
Brennan: Hm. You know, it feels so good to be so wanted.
Thorne (backhanding him across the face): Mr. Eckhart does not have time for sarcasm. [Walking across the room, he pulls a device off the shelf which resembles a large staple gun. Two guards bend Brennan’s neck down as Thorne comes up behind him.] Um. This is gonna hurt. [He positions the gun over the nape of Brennan’s neck and pushes the trigger, implanting a short black tube into his skin.]
Mason (peering over his glasses): Now, we’ve just implanted you with a device called a subdermal governor. Something my people created especially for people like you. [He turns to the computer screen next to him, which shows an x-ray image of Brennan’s neck and spine.] It connects us directly with your DNA so that whenever you use your abilities without our approval, the pain is debilitating.
Brennan: Bring it on.
Mason: Well, all right, then, Mr. Mulwray. Let’s see what you’re made of. Release him. [Thorne opens Brennan’s wrist restraints, and Brennan stands up. Grinning smugly, he looks around the room at the guards.]
Thorne: Well, give us your best shot. [Brennan starts to create a tesla coil, but soon staggers backwards, holding his stomach in agony.]
Mason: Well. I gather we all have a better idea of just what you can take. Don’t you think? [He walks towards Brennan.] This is your chance to redeem a misspent life. An opportunity to protect the world from genetic terrorism as an operative of the Genetic Security Agency. Mr. Thorne will give you the details. [He walks out of the room.]
Thorne (nodding at Brennan): You know, I think the two of us should just try and get along.
Brennan: If you believe that, you’re crazier than he is. [Thorne presses a button on his controller, and Brennan collapses to the floor in pain.] You see, there’s a second feature which Mr. Eckhart neglected to mention. I have the ability to turn it both on....and off. [He turns the governor off, and Brennan relaxes, panting.] I’ll give you a little jolt from time to time to keep you in line. [Grunting, Brennan gets to his feet. Smiling, Thorne heads towards the door, then looks back over his shoulder.] You coming?
[On the second floor of Sanctuary, Brennan and Emma sit together on a bench.]
Emma: What do I know about being a hero? I sell Misses and Petites for heaven’s sakes.
Adam (smiling): Hm. And I gather you were unusually good at it, because of your gifts.
Emma: I'll admit it, I did manipulate customers occasionally. [Adam looks at her.] Often....all right, every chance I got. But it didn’t always work.
Adam: Well, when did you first realize that you had these gifts?
Emma: When I as a kid, maybe five, I was at this rock festival with my parents. I got separated from them, totally lost in the crowd. They were both on the flaky side. When I realized they were gone, I closed my eyes and it was like I saw my parents in a dream.
Adam: Wait, so what you’re saying is...you found them?
Emma: Yeah. But they figured they’d found me. They ran off when I was ten and left me in a foster home. By that time, I didn’t care if they found me or not.
Adam (nodding): Hm.
[Frank Thorne walks through the sliding doors into Mason’s office, escorting Ruby Bishop by the neck.]
Thorne: Mr. Eckhart, this is the man you requested for your interview.
Mason (looking up from behind his desk): My name is Mason Eckhart. [Ruby gapes at him.] Ah, you’ve heard of me. I gather you’re a telepath. [Ruby doesn’t answer.] Please, Mr. Bishop, we have no secrets here.
Thorne: Answer the question!
Ruby: I’m an ESPer.
Mason: Fine. [He indicates that Thorne bring Ruby forward. Standing, Mason removes his glasses and leans over the desk.] Now tell me what you see when you read my mind. Unless you’d like me to have Mr. Thorne convince you. [As he reads Mason’s mind, Ruby starts to quake and sweat with fear. Nodding, Mason smiles and dons his glasses.] Now that you know that everything you’ve heard about me is true, I want you to help me bring the rest of your friends to justice. [Ruby nods, terrified. Mason sits back down.]
********Commercial Break***********
[On the first floor of Sanctuary, Emma and Shalimar stroll towards the dojo. Emma glances up to the second floor, where Adam’s working at the computer.]
Emma: I don't think Adam likes me.
Shalimar (glancing up at Adam): It's not in Adam's nature to dislike anyone. He's a remarkable man. He saved me from a lot of same demons that have a hold on you. Trust me. When I first got here I was just as confused as you are. Maybe even more so.
Emma: All I wanted to do was live my life.
Shalimar: Then all of a sudden these guys come after you for no good reason.
Emma: Well...other than the fact that I can work people over emotionally with my mind.
Shalimar (giggling): Well, yes, there is that one thing. We've all had our gifts since birth. And just like we learned to walk and talk, we've had to develop skills with our new mutant abilities too.
Emma: Okay...
Shalimar (leading her up the dojo steps): Adam asked me to teach you some focusing techniques. Help you channel your abilities.
Emma: Adam asked you to do that?
Shalimar: He’s got a lot of faith in you. It’s up to you to justify that faith. [Watching them, Adam turns off his computer and walks away. Standing behind Emma, Shalimar takes Emma’s arms and positions her.] I just want you to follow my lead, and don’t worry if you don’t get it right away. It’s progress we’re after. Not perfection. [Mimicking her movements, Emma follows Shalimar through a relaxing exercise. Adam watches them for a while from behind the stairs, smiling, then nods and walks out of the room.]
[Cut to: Ruby’s screaming mouth as Thorne injects a subdermal governor in the nape of his neck.]
Thorne: Gosh. You're such a hot-shot telepath, you should've saw that coming. This concludes the pain portion of our program, assuming you do as you're told. [He releases Ruby's arms and waits, but Ruby doesn’t get up, so he leans close to his ear.] Get the hell outta the chair! [Ruby jumps out, shivering.] We searched your store, and we found a hidden room behind a secret panel. So now what we’d like you to do is invite all your freaky friends to a little get-together.
Ruby (shaking): There’s another safehouse. [Surprised at his easy cooperation, Thorne turns to smile at him.]
[In the lab at Sanctuary, Adam places EKG leads on Shalimar’s chest as she reclines in the biochair, dressed in a black bra and shorts.]
Adam: Can’t move against Eckhart until we’re ready. And from what I’ve seen of Emma, we’re almost there. Now, I understand your frustration, but taking action prematurely could get us all killed. [He walks over to the computer.]
Shalimar: Thanks, Adam.
Adam: For what?
Shalimar: For listening to me when I said I thought Emma deserved a second chance.
Adam (turning around): Huh. If I didn't believe in second chances, you wouldn't be here. [He calls to the computer.] Start scan.
Shalimar (lying back as the scanner passes over her): Was I really that difficult?
Adam: Well, when I found you, you were holed up in some fleabag motel, hadn't eaten in five days.
Shalimar: I was convinced I was some kinda freak for what was happening with my body and my mind.
Adam: End scan. Well, I'd say you pulled yourself together pretty well, everything considered. [He walks over to her.]
Shalimar (sitting up): Well, I owe it all to you.
Adam: The good and the bad.
Shalimar (shaking her head): You don't need to go there with me, Adam. [They smile at each other.] So. How’m I doing?
Adam (calling to the computer across the room): Visual diagnostic! [He grins at Shalimar.] Perfect.
[At the new safehouse, Jesse’s handing out ID cards to a group of new mutants gathered around him.]
Jesse: These IDs are iron-clad, with an electronic paper trail that is fool-proof. There you go, Allison.
Allison: Thank you.
Jesse (looking around): Where’s Ruby? [Allison shrugs. Just then, an explosion rocks the building and GS agents storm into the safehouse.]
Jesse (pushing Allison towards the back door): Get everyone out of here! [Allison leads the mutants towards the exit, but a second wave of GS agents blocks their way. Jesse punches the first two GS agents coming in through the door, then he masses and kicks a third across the room. Turning, he sees a female mutant struggling to escape a GS agent who’s grabbed her shirt. Jesse pushes him in the back, but as he straightens, he’s soon surrounded by five agents wielding tasers.]
********Commercial Break********
[Brennan and Frank Thorne enter the safehouse, and stand in front of Jesse.]
Thorne: Round them up, let’s go!
GS agent: Yes, Mr. Thorne.
Thorne (turning off Brennan’s governor): All right, Mulwray, your powers are back on. Let’s see what you got. [Brennan hesitates.] Or do you require a little jolt for motivation? [Brennan slowly forms a tesla coil, locking eyes with Jesse and giving him enough time to phase. He aims his electrical arc through Jesse’s phased body to hit the two GS agents behind him. Still phased, Jesse nods at Brennan, who gives him a slight nod in return. Jesse then disappears through the floor. Thorne walks over to the spot where Jesse had been, and sighs.] Nice work, Mr. Mulwray.
Brennan (shrugging): Hey, it was an accident. He went ghost on me, what am I supposed to do?
[Back at Sanctuary, Emma listens as Jesse relates the safehouse events to Adam and Shalimar.]
Jesse: He has a perfectly clear shot at me, and he hesitates just long enough for me to phase out, shoots through me, and hits two GS agents.
Shalimar: Could’ve been an accident.
Emma (shaking her head): No way. [Shalimar and Adam frown at her until she looks down, embarrassed.]
Jesse: No, Emma’s right. He threw me a look. He knew exactly what he was doing.
Adam: Good. Then Eckhart hasn’t been able to suborn Brennan yet.
Jesse: He made it possible for me to get out of there. But they got everybody else. Oh, except for Ruby. He wasn’t there.
Adam: Has he checked in?
Shalimar: No. Haven’t been able to find him yet.
Adam (sighing): Well, we have failed the people we pledged to protect.
Shalimar: Well, I say let’s get in there, get them the hell out!
Adam: Fine, get in where? We don’t know where Eckhart’s holding them.
Emma (getting up): Let me find them. I can do it. I have the power.
Adam: Are you willing to work with me to get your gifts under control?
Emma (nodding): I am.
Adam: Then it’s time to take your first step into a whole new life.
[Thorne and Brennan walk into Mason’s Genomex office and stand before his desk.]
Mason: Nicely done, Mr. Thorne. I understand there were problems.
Thorne: Mr. Mulwray took aim at one of Adam’s men. The man went intangible. Mr. Mulwray shot throught him, which in turn allowed the man to escape. [Mason nods reasonably. Then, raising both hands, he turns on both their governors, forcing them to their knees with pain. After a while, he turns them off.]
Mason (standing): Bring me the deLauro girl. And no excuses. [He walks out and the two men slowly get to their feet.]
[Flying over the city in the Double Helix, Emma sits between Jesse and Shalimar as Adam stands in front of them.]
Adam: An analysis of your DNA suggests that you've got an enormous reservoir of untapped power. And the sensitivity that will allow you to tele-empathically contact Allison, Vince and the others. But. [He taps his forehead.] You have to focus.
Jesse: You can do it, Emma.
Shalimar (patting her leg): Just like I taught you. [Emma closes her eyes and reaches out with her mind. She gets an image of Allison and Vince chained together.]
Emma: Oh, God.
Adam: What?
Emma: I can see them! I can see Allison...and Vince.
Adam: Good. Now where are they?
Emma (concentrating, shaking her head): I don’t know.
[Meanwhile, Allison, Vince, and the other mutants stand inside a large metal cage on the rooftop of a Genomex facility. Mason looks down at them from the balcony.]
Mason: Welcome, all of you. The children of Genomex have been away too long. My name Mason Eckhart. It’s time we got to know each other better. [Allison and Vince look at each other.]
*********Commercial Break***********
[Up in the Double Helix, Emma’s apologizing for her failure.]
Emma: I can’t do it, Adam. I’m sorry.
Adam (leaning forward, smiling): Emma, you’re new at this. It’s okay. Now, when you were five, you found your parents, right?
Emma: Yeah, but I knew my parents.
Adam: And you know Brennan. [She nods.] You can do it. One more time. For him. Just focus. [Emma closes her eyes again, and gets an image of Brennan, wearing a collar around his neck.]
Emma: Brennan! I see him. I know where he is. [Adam’s smile widens.]
[In a mall downtown, Thorne and Brennan are walking down a flight of stairs, searching for Emma.]
Thorne: Satellite has her placed between the two safehouses; she’s looking for her freaky little friends.
Brennan: So how does it feel to betray your own kind, huh? Freaks like us?
Thorne: Oh, I think you should speak for yourself, because I'm no freak. See, I've just got a talent and I'm using it the best way I know how.
Brennan: Yeah, like you have a choice?
Thorne: Yeah. 'Cause you see, I volunteered.
Brennan: You must be real proud. [Behind Thorne, Brennan catches a glimpse of Emma outside, walking up to the glass doors. Thorne follows his gaze, and Emma and Thorne see one another at the same time.]
Thorne (waving at her lazily, grinning): Well. Hi. [Emma runs back down the street, closely followed by Thorne and Brennan. Tired of running, Thorne telekinetically pushes a large garbage bin out into the sidewalk, blocking her path. Thorne grabs her as Brennan watches, helpless to do anything.]
[Thorne places Brennan and Emma in the cage on the roof with the rest of the mutants. Mason, followed by two GS agents, walks up to the cage to talk to them.]
Mason: Lovely to finally meet you face to face, Miss deLauro.
Emma: You're Eckhart?
Mason: Mister Eckhart. You'll learn soon enough how to best deal with authority. You'll be given an opportunity to put your abilities to use rescuing others like yourself.
Emma: You call dragging us here rescue?
Mason: I call it protective custody. Who it's intended to protect is open to interpretation. As for you, Mr. Mulwray, I have to say I'm terribly disappointed by Mr. Thorne's report on your behavior.
Brennan: Huh. I've been hearing that since the third grade.
Mason: It’s really too bad. You could have been of enormous service to the cause. Instead, you’ll be put into stasis for future examination. [Emma looks back at Brennan as Mason walks away.]
[Inside the Genomex building, two GS agents patrol the second floor balcony, nodding to a third who’s headed in the opposite direction. When the third turns to smile at their backs, we see it’s really Jesse, dressed as a GS agent.]
Jesse (into this comlink): The alarm reboots in 5 minutes, so whenever you’re ready. [He strolls leisurely away. Across the building, Adam and Shalimar run up a darkened staircase, stopping when they see two GS agents guarding the door to the control room in front of them.]
Adam: We have to find out where they’re hiding Emma and the others. I’ve gotta get into that control room. [Smiling, Shalimar holds him back, flipping her hair.]
Shalimar: I'll handle them. This is woman's work. [She saunters up to the first guard, smiling prettily.] Excuse me, can you tell me where you've got the new mutants locked up? [Ducking under his arm as he tries to grab her, she drops him with a roundhouse kick, then flips backwards to kick the second guard against the wall. A third guard runs up behind her, but she hears him coming and punches him out without looking. As she’s busy with a fourth, a fifth approaches her from behind to clobber her in the head with his club. Adam, emerging from the stairwell, grabs his arm and tosses him to the ground. Shalimar, in the midst of strangling her the fourth guard, glances back at Adam.] I would’ve gotten him.
Adam (smiling): I don’t doubt it. [Grinning at him, Shalimar punches her guard in the face, and he goes down. Shalimar stands guard while Adam heads into the control room to turn off the subdermal governors and download the new mutant database.]
[On the rooftop, the new mutants mill around their cage as two GS agents stand guard outside.]
GS agent #1: Everything seems to check out. Okay with you?
GS agent #2: Yeah.
GS agent #1: I’ll just check the perimeter and then we’ll be on our way. [A third GS agent walks onto the roof, and Allison, Vince, and Brennan look up in surprise as they recognize Jesse. Jesse walks up behind the two GS agents, masses, and brings his fists down upon their backs. They drop to the ground and Jesse phases into the cage.]
Jesse (handing out ID cards): Adam has disengaged all of your subdermal governors. So...it’s time for you guys to hit the road. Here’s your new IDs.
Emma: Took you long enough to track me here.
Brennan (frowning): Hey, you could have let me in on the gag.
Emma: Well, I had to figure the walls have ears.
Jesse (nodding to him): Thanks for the heads-up at the safehouse.
Brennan: What are you talking about? You’re just lucky I missed. [Jesse frowns.]
[Shalimar’s still waiting for Adam when two GS agents come walking down the balcony. To distract them, Shalimar dashes to the railing and leaps over it. As the two agents bend over the railing to search for her, Shalimar flips back up onto the balcony behind them. Grinning, she walks up between them, leaning over the railing as if to see what they’re looking at. When they finally realize she’s standing right beside them, she smiles and knocks the first over the railing, then drops the second with a high kick.]
Adam (emerging from the room): Shalimar?
Mason (standing behind him): Guess again, Adam. [As Adam whirls around to face him, Mason goes to the hallway computer and types in a command.] You never did know when to stop, did you?
Adam: Well, we're both guilty of relentless tenacity, Mason. It’s something we’ve always had in common.
Mason: True. But while you chase your horrific dreams of rescuing these laboratory mistakes, my passion is in the service of humanity.
Adam: A grim and limited vision of humanity, defined by your narrow mind and your pathetic perspective.
[Cut to: The cage on the roof. Two GS agents run towards the cage and begin to open it. Brennan electrifies the metal fence under their hands, electrocuting them and unlocking the cage door.]
Jesse: I suspect that you’ve done that before. [Ignoring him, Brennan walks out of the door.] Hey!
Brennan (calling over his shoulder): I’ve got some unfinished business to attend to.
[Cut back to: Mason and Adam talking on the balcony outside the control room.]
Mason: You and your freaks are threats to everything that I hold dear.
Adam: These so-called freaks are the product of Genomex's recklessness!
Mason: What, am I supposed to be racked by guilt?
Adam: No, I'd never expect guilt from you, Mason. It's too much to ask of a sociopath.
Mason: Now, that's what I've always admired about you, Adam. Your utterly perverse sense of reality.
[Cut to: Brennan, as he finds his target, Frank Thorne, walking down a darkened hallway towards the doors.]
Brennan: Thorne! [They slowly approach on another. Thorne unfolds Brennan’s controller and presses the button, only to find that it’s not working. Brennan smiles.]
[Cut to: Mason and Adam, still talking on the balcony.]
Mason: If I’d known it was this easy to get you here, I'd have invited you sooner.
Adam: I’ll be back.
Mason: Well, that’s wonderful. Then you can visit that cage of freaks I’ve got upstairs.
Adam: Thanks to Mutant X, they should all be on their way out by now. I’ve disengaged all your governors. And our little talk has gone on just long enough for the virus that I uploaded into your database to do its work. [Scoffing, Mason goes to the computer. Adam frowns when all the programs come up perfectly normally.]
Mason: I’d expected better from you than a cheap bluff from you, Adam. [He looks up, but Adam’s already gone. Then the programs on Mason’s computer screen blink out one by one before the entire system crashes.]
[Thorne regains his confidence when he sees a GS agent sneaking up behind Brennan, but Brennan swings around quickly and knocks out the agent with one kick. As Brennan forms a tesla coil, Thorne turns tail and runs down the hallway out the doors. Brennan cuts off the electricity, letting him escape.]
Shalimar (coming up to him): Well, I guess it is true.
Brennan: What's that?
Shalimar: The bigger they are, the faster they run.
Brennan: That's because he knows I can light him up like a Christmas tree. [He blows on his closed fist.]
Shalimar (giggling): What do you say we join the others and get outta here? [Brennan takes her hand to help her walk over the body of the fallen GS agent. Shalimar laughs. Mason rushes up to the cage on the roof, only to find it empty. He sighs. Looking down at the ground, he sees the words “Mutant X Lives” burned into the pavement at his feet.]
*********Commercial Break************
[Jesse leads Emma and Brennan into Sanctuary.]
Brennan (looking around): Nice place. This must be real fun to clean.
Jesse: I get the feeling he’s always like this, huh?
Emma (grinning): Always. [Adam and Shalimar are standing facing them, standing in front of the dojo. Jesse goes to stand at Adam’s left side.]
Adam: Welcome. Emma. When I started this journey, I always knew I needed someone like you. Someone with the gift of inner vision and the strength of character to bear the weight of so powerful a gift. Now, in time you'll come to see yourself as I see you, but for now, you'll just have to take my word for it. You're...an answered prayer. [Emma smiles.] And Brennan, I never wanted to work with someone like you. Someone who would squander his incredible gift on petty crime and an outlaw's live for the moment mentality. Until I realized that I've chosen the path of the outlaw for myself. And who better than a fellow outlaw to help show me the way? [Brennan chuckles.] You've both seen what we're up against and that the odds are against us. [Behind his back, Shalimar passes something to Jesse.] But Emma, I hope this is the chance for you to fulfill the potential that you know is inside you but you’ve never been quite able to reach. And Brennan, for you, it's an opportunity to put the past behind you and to join with us all in helping create a new future. [Adam nods at Shalimar. Smiling, Shalimar walks up to Emma and opens a silver box, which contains a comlink ring.]
Emma (gaping happily at Adam): Thank you! [She takes the ring and hugs Shalimar. Adam looks at Jesse, who walks up to Brennan and gives him a ring too.]
Jesse: What, no hug? [Brennan laughs and takes off his old ring.]
Brennan (looking around at them): All right, I’m in. But as long as there’s no hazing or weird secret handshakes.
Shalimar (laughing): No hazing. No handshakes.
Jesse: But you will be expected to do some basic housekeeping.
Brennan: Yeah. [He puts the ring on his finger, watching as a glowing symbol appears on it.]
Adam: Yes, the rings are keyed to your own personal DNA strand. Yours and yours alone. [Emma puts on her ring and smiles as her own symbol appears. She shakes Adam’s hand.] Welcome to Mutant X. [He shakes Brennan’s hand too.] God help anyone who tries to stand in our way. [Behind them, an alarm sounds on the computer. Adam, Shalimar, and Jesse walk over to check it out; after a brief hesitation, Brennan and Emma follow them. They stand together as a team.]
Closing Credits.