Mutant X Transcripts: Ep 109 "Crime of the New Century"
Mutant X Episode Transcripts
Mutant X Episode #109 Transcript: " Crime of the New Century"
[Opening Scene: Beneath a busy city highway, mid-day. Brennan runs through a grassy highway underpass, chased by three GS agents. Reaching the middle of the shaded underpass, Brennan slows to a stop and turns to face the agents.]
Brennan (removing his sunglasses): Well, there’s no need to stop the party now, guys. Especially now that you’ve got me exactly where I want you. [The three agents attack him, but he manages to take them out one in a flurry of kicks and punches. As he stands over their bodies, four more agents surround him. They all spin around at Jesse's voice behind them.]
Jesse (coming up behind them): You know, when is Eckhart going to learn? No matter how many guys he sends after us...[He winks at Brennan.]...you're always outnumbered. [Smiling at Jesse, Brennan takes off further down the underpass, followed by two agents. The other two agents, soon joined by a third, attack Jesse, who picks up a lead pipe and knocks them all to the ground. Meanwhile, Brennan has knocked his two agents unconscious, and is running from a third when two more run up to block his path. Grabbing a wooden pole from the ground, Brennan twirls it around, hitting each in the face. He goes to join Jesse, who has just finished taking out another three agents with his lead pipe.]
Brennan (looking at Jesse’s pile of bodies): Huh.
Jesse: Eh?
Brennan: Nice!
Jesse: Well, thank you very much.
Brennan: But where the hell were you?
Jesse: You said you’d be on Fawcett Avenue, near Briggs.
Brennan: No, what I said was, that’s where I figured they’d catch up with me.
Jesse: Yeah, and that’s where I was waiting.
Brennan (starting to walk away): Oh-ho, waiting, huh?
Jesse: Well, who would’ve guessed that you’d have beaten me there?
Brennan (turning back): Coming or what? [Spying a GS agent sneaking up behind Jesse wielding the lead pipe, Brennan zaps him with an electrical arc. Startled, Jesse turns to see the man fall to the ground, then turns back to Brennan.]
Jesse (grinning): 20 bucks.
Brennan: What?
Jesse (walking up to him): We both agreed, the first one to use their powers pays the other one 20 bucks.
Brennan: Yeah, you know, I should have let him crack you in the back of the head.
Jesse (glancing back at the agent’s body): No.
Brennan: Yeah.
Jesse (holding out his hand): 20 bucks.
Brennan (pulling out his wallet): Okay, you know what? You’re just lucky I’m a man of my word.
Jesse: Mm-hm. [As Brennan hands him the money, he shocks Jesse’s hand.] Ow!
Brennan: Oh, gee, I’m sorry. I must have rubbed my feet on the carpet.
Jesse: Yeah, I never would have figured you for a sore loser.
Brennan: Keep it up, I’ll show you what sore really means.
Jesse: Oh, really? That sounds like a threat. [They walk off together.]
Opening Credits. “Crime of the New Century.”
[It's nighttime outside the mansion of the famous astronaut Corbin Valentine. A man dressed in black, Burke, runs through the backyard towards the house and uses an electronic device to open the door. Once in, he dons infra-red goggles, which allow him to see the security laser beams running along the stairs to the second floor. Quietly closing the door behind him, Burke enters a code into his device, shutting off the lasers. He tiptoes up the stairs, past the parent’s bedroom and up to the loft, where their son, Joshua, lies asleep in his bed. As he reaches out to cover the boy’s mouth, Josh awakens and instinctively raises his hands, burning a hole in the Burke’s gloved palm. Biting his lip in pain, Burke sprays gas into Josh’s face to put him to sleep, then slings Josh over his shoulder. Josh’s mother Lisa jerks awake from a sound sleep. In her mind, she hears Josh’s voice calling her and sees flashing images of trees as he’s carried from the house.]
Lisa: Josh? [She dashes up to Josh’s room, closely followed by her husband Corbin.] Josh! [Finding the room empty and the window open, Corbin notices a black rope hanging from the window to the ground below.]
Corbin: Oh my God.
Lisa: He’s gone.
Corbin (dropping the rope): I’m calling the police. [He rushes from the room.]
[In Sanctuary’s main room, Mutant X is gathered in front of the main computer’s holographic screen, watching Proxy Blue’s report of the kidnapping.]
Proxy Blue: Joshua Valentine, 10 year old son of big-time hero Corbin Valentine, was snatched from the family home.
Shalimar (to Emma): See, now you know why I don’t want to be famous.
Emma: Who’s Corbin Valentine?
Jesse (sitting on the dojo steps next to Brennan): You know, the astronaut who saved the shuttle crew?
Brennan (fiddling with an electronic gadget): The one that crashed into the French space station.
Emma: Oh, yeah. Yeah, I vaguely remember that.
Proxy Blue: What good is that congressional medal of honor doing him now, huh? But the real question is, why Joshua Valentine?
Adam (coming downstairs to join them): Off. [The screen blinks off.] Well, Proxy Blue is right on the money. Lisa Valentine’s a new mutant. So is her son.
Jesse (sitting up): You think the GSA’s behind the kidnapping?
Adam: No. I can’t see Eckhart doing something that would attract this kind of attention. He’s more subtle than that.
Emma: Well, what can the boy do?
Adam: Thermal transfer. Although his abilities are, you know, barely developed.
Brennan: Yeah, I know when I was 10, I could barely jump-start a car battery.
Shalimar (sitting behind him): You were boosting cars when you were 10? [They all laugh.]
Brennan: No!
Shalimar: Yeah.
Brennan: I was just, you know, helping people out when they had a dead battery.
Jesse: Ah, a regular Good Samaritan.
Brennan (chuckling): Exactly.
Shalimar: You think this is just a run-of-the-mill kidnapping?
Jesse: With a new mutant twist.
Emma: Which means we need to bring him home safe.
Adam: Right. Now, Corbin Valentine has a kidnap and ransom policy. So, Emma, you and I are going undercover as insurance investigators. See what we can find out, should be fun.
Brennan: Yeah, but what about the real K&R team?
Adam (smiling at Emma): Well, why don’t you find them and throw them a little telempathic diversion? Shalimar, I want you to track all the physical evidence.
Shalimar (getting up): You’ve got it.
Adam (pointing at Jesse and Brennan): You’re in charge of monitoring the wall for tech support. Let’s go. [He leaves with Shalimar and Emma.]
Jesse (getting up): Right. You run a scan of every media item you can turn up on Valentine.
Brennan: Woah, wait, hold it. Adam left me in charge.
Jesse: Oh, is that right?
Brennan: Yeah.
Jesse (grinning): Oh. 'Cause from where I was sitting, it seemed like he was talking to me. [He leaves; Brennan rolls his eyes.]
[Adam and Emma drive the silver Audi up to the Valentine mansion’s front yard, which is swarming with security guards. Dressed in business suits, they walk towards the house, flashing their ID badges for the security officers in the driveway.]
Adam: When Lisa Valentine was contacted, she made it clear that she didn’t want to have anything to do with us.
Emma: But once we get inside, she’s gonna find out I’m a psionic pretty fast.
Adam: Well, we’re here to find her son, she’s just gonna have to deal with it. [Adam heads into the foyer to shake hands with the Special Agent in Charge, Wendy Stone.] Hello. Zolo and DeNono, Barbican K&R.
Wendy: SAC Wendy Stone. [She shakes Emma’s hand, surprised by her youth.] Trainee?
Emma: Trauma counseling intern. [Wendy nods.]
Adam: Any ransom demand yet?
Wendy: No, not yet. But it’s on its way. This place has a highly advanced security system, so whoever pulled this obviously hacked his way in. The guy’s a pro.
Emma: Where’s Mrs. Valentine? [Wendy directs her gaze towards Corbin and Lisa sitting on the living room couch. When Emma reaches out with her mind, Lisa instantly senses the intrusion and erects a brick wall around her mind.]
Wendy: You can counsel the Valentines if you like, but if you compromise my investigation, you’re history.
Adam (smiling behind his fake glasses): Farthest thing from our minds. [He leads Emma up to the Valentines in the next room.] Hello, this is Agent DeNono, I’m Investigator Zolo.
Corbin (rising to shake hands): We're the Valentines. My wife, Lisa.
[Meanwhile, Shalimar’s skulking behind some fir trees in the mansion’s back yard. She sees the rope hanging from Joshua’s window and calls Sanctuary over her comlink.]
Shalimar: It looks like he rappelled down from the kid’s window, then took off in a car. Place is crawling with Feds; I’m gonna come back later, see if I can get a little closer.
Brennan and Jesse (together): We’ll be here.
Shalimar (smiling at their competitive tone): Let’s play nice, boys. [She sneaks away.]
[Brennan and Jesse are lounging in front of Sanctuary's 2nd floor television set, munching on pizza. Brennan reaches for the last slice, but Jesse snatches it first and stuffs it whole into his mouth.]
Brennan: You know, you keep chowing down like that, you're gonna be all mass all the time.
Jesse (mouth full): What, Adam put you in charge of the pizza now?
Brennan: I thought rich kids were supposed to be well-mannered.
Jesse (mouth full): I have perfectly fine manners. [He stuffs more pizza into his mouth.]
[In the cabin of a small boat by the docks, Burke sits at a table, putting salve on the hand Josh burned. Josh cautiously walks over to one of the covered windows and peers out through a tear in the paper.]
Burke: Get away from the window! Come on.
Josh (nodding at the equipment on the table): What’s all that stuff?
Burke: That’s none of your damn business.
Josh: I wanna go home. [Bandaging his hand, Burke doesn’t answer him.] When my dad pays you, then can I go home?
Burke: Any more whining, you’re not going anywhere! [He walks over to Josh, holding out his bandaged hand.] How did you do this?
Josh: I don’t know. When I get afraid, it just happens.
Burke: What, you light matches at throw ‘em at people? Huh? Try it again, you’ll find out what trouble really means. Come on. [He locks Josh in a storage cage in the floor.] I’ll be back. Don’t try anything.
[At the Valentine’s mansion, Adam and Emma are questioning Lisa, who is looking at a framed photograph of Josh.]
Adam: Now, I’m gonna need a list of family and friends, acquaintances, anyone who knew your son. [Lisa suddenly drops the picture on the floor as she receives a flash of images from Josh’s mind of the warehouse, the trees outside the window, and the cage he’s locked in. Reaching out with her mind, Emma catches a glimpse of Josh and Lisa, arms outstretched to one another. Emma looks at Adam, who nods.] Why don’t we, uh...why don't we step over here? [Adam catches Corbin's eye and points to Lisa, indicating that his wife needs him.]
Corbin (going to Lisa): Lisa?
[Adam takes Emma down the hall to find out what she sensed.]
Adam: Are you all right?
Emma: When we first arrived, I couldn’t read her. She was a blank wall. But I just intercepted a psychic connection between her and Joshua. He’s calling out to her.
Adam: Good. Maybe she can’t block you because she’s so vulnerable.
Emma: Yeah, maybe.
Adam: All right. See if you can continue to read her, but without revealing who you are.
Emma: Assuming she’ll trust me.
[In his office at Genomex headquarters, Mason’s talking with someone while looking out his office window.]
Mason: Your assignment was simple and straightforward, but as yet your investigation has turned up nothing. It took a great deal of effort to convince the FBI to back off and let us carry the ball. [He turns to face his companion.] The mother is a telepath. She must have some kind of connection with her son. I suggest you use that connection to your advantage. [The camera pans across the desk, revealing Wendy Stone.]
Wendy: Absolutely, sir. We’ll deal with Mrs. Valentine.
Mason: You do what you have to. She is of no interest to me whatsoever. The boy is a priceless commodity. Bring him to me, Miss Stone. And make it soon.
****Commercial Break*****
[Burke returns to the boat’s cabin, carrying a bag of food.]
Burke: Lunchtime! [He opens the cage to let Josh out.] Hope you like cheeseburgers. You’re big news, kid.
Josh: That means everybody’s looking for me. So they’re coming to get me, right?
Burke (tossing him a cheeseburger): They’re scrambling for the ransom money right now. This will all be over before you know it.
Josh (frowning): What does that mean?
Burke (yelling at him): It means what I said! [Josh defensively raises his hands; the paper bag on the table bursts into flames. Burke stomps on it to extinguish the fire.] What did I tell you, you little freak?
Josh: I can’t help it; it’s not my fault!
Burke: How the hell did you do that?
Josh: Let me go! I wanna see my mom!
Burke (pointing at him): Keep your hands where I can see ‘em. Up, up! [Josh holds up his hands.] I already told you, everything’s gonna be fine. You’re going on a trip.
Josh: I don’t wanna go on a trip! I wanna go home!
[Shalimar returns to the mansion and walks up to a tree that’s just behind the police tape surrounding the yard.]
Shalimar: This is odd. I smell sulfur. Maybe the kidnapper brushed by here.
Brennan (pacing Sanctuary’s balcony): Send us a sample, we’ll do an analysis.
Jesse (at his computer): We?
Brennan: Yeah, what do you want me to do it myself?
Jesse: No, I’ll handle it. Your labwork’s still a little sloppy.
Brennan: Oh, kind of like your eating habits?
Shalimar (stripping a piece of bark to smell): It’s petroleum based. [She’s startled when Wendy Stone appears in front of her.]
Wendy: You vultures make me sick. Souvenir hunting in the midst of somebody else’s tragedy? Beat it. [Taking the hint, Shalimar leaves.]
[Inside the mansion, Emma follows Lisa as she carries a small bag down the stairs.]
Lisa: I’m going to go wait for Josh at my sister’s.
Emma: Lisa, we’re wasting time!
Lisa: Look, you’re here for psychological support, right? The support I need is to be left alone.
Emma: I can help you, I know all about your gift! [Lisa whirls around in surprise.] I’m a telempath. I can pick up others’ feelings and emotions. What about you?
Lisa: I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Emma: We both know that you’ve got a psychic link to your son. Somehow you’re serving as a connection between me and Josh. I keep picking up these images from you. Lisa we could find him together.
Lisa: Just let the FBI handle this, okay? [She stops in mid-stride as she gets another flash from Josh’s mind. Emma catches an image of Josh standing in the dark beneath a rain of pennies.]
Adam (coming up): There’s been a ransom demand.
[When Shalimar returns to Sanctuary, Jesse’s working at the computer while Brennan sits in a chair nearby, bouncing a tennis ball off the wall.]
Shalimar: Hey, guys.
Jesse: Hey.
Brennan: Hey, Shal.
Shalimar (leaning on the wall across from Brennan): So I talked to Emma. She got a flash of Joshua in the dark with pennies falling all around him.
Brennan: Maybe it’s the ransom.
Shalimar: Well, she said it's a symbol, not necessarily literal.
Brennan (repeatedly bouncing the ball): Okay, so we got the kid, and we got pennies falling, and we got the oil and sulphur that you got from the tree bark.
Shalimar: Yep, marine oil.
Brennan: Yeah.
Shalimar (pointing to Brennan’s ball): Do you have to do that?
Brennan (glancing at Jesse, who rolls his eyes at Shalimar): What? What, it helps me think. [He starts bouncing the ball again.] So maybe this guy...uh...you know, maybe this guy works at the dock somewhere.
Shalimar: Or...maybe the guy... [She snatches the ball away from Brennan and tosses it to Jesse, who grins at her in gratitude.] ...has some yacht.
Brennan: Hey!
Shalimar: No, I’m serious. Maybe this kidnapper has a boat.
Jesse: So the kid’s on a boat, surrounded by lots and lots of money.
Shalimar: Pennies.
Brennan: Yeah, a kid’s idea of a lot of money.
Jesse: Maybe it’s not even money. Uh, pennies...uh...copper...uh...circles...uh...
Shalimar: Lincoln.
Jesse: Lincoln. [Shalimar and Brennan look over Jesse’s shoulder as he searches the computer database for businesses with the name Lincoln.] Lincoln Fiduciary, Lincoln Motors, Lincoln All American Exporters, Lincoln...
Brennan (pointing): Lincoln Salvage.
Jesse: Hmm. Went bankrupt last year.
Shalimar: And they’ve got a waterfront address.
Brennan: Oh.
Shalimar: Listen, why don’t you guys check it out, let me know when you get there? I think K&R should be the ones to deliver Joshua to his parents, so I’ll let Adam and Emma know.
[In the boat’s cabin, Josh sits on the stairs watching Burke examine his hand at the table.]
Burke: Won’t be long now, kid.
Josh: For what? [Burke looks at him, but doesn’t answer. Behind him, Jesse phases into the cabin and puts a finger to his lips, warning Josh to keep quiet.]
Jesse: Couldn’t you find someplace a little homier? [Burke stares at him and the locked door in confusion. Jesse reaches out as if to shake his hand.] Good to see ya.
Burke (grabbing his gun): Hands up!
Jesse (pointing to himself): You know, that's not gonna help you. Kevlar, head to toe. [He masses as Burke opens fire. Realizing that his bullets aren’t making a dent, Burke runs out the door, only to find Brennan outside waiting for him with a tesla coil. Burke leaps over the railing into the water below and starts swimming towards the shore. Putting out the tesla coil, Brennan comes back to join Jesse and Josh as they emerge from the cabin.]
Jesse: Why didn’t you zap him?
Brennan: Because the boat is metal. Now, if I would’ve hit him with an arc, then we’d all be toast.
Jesse: All right, we’ll take care of him later. Let’s get the kid outta here.
Josh (smiling up at them): You’re like me! Both of you.
Brennan (exchanging a smile with Jesse): What, water affects your powers too, kid? [He notices Jesse’s carrying a file folder.] What’s that?
Jesse (showing him the money in the folder): It’s a little something the kidnapper left behind. [They stop in their tracks when a black car pulls up to the docks.] Hey.
Brennan (heading away): Josh, come on. [When Burke pulls himself out of the water, he’s immediately cut off by two GSA cars, then tackled by two of Wendy’s GS agents and tossed into the backseat of her car. Wendy looks on in dismay as Jesse, Brennan, and Josh drive off in Mutant X’s silver Audi.]
*****Commercial Break*****
[At the Valentine’s mansion, Lisa sits on the couch with a protective arm around Josh while Corbin shakes Emma and Adam’s hands.]
Corbin: I can’t begin to express our gratitude. Thank you.
Adam: Yeah, well, we’re very happy that your son’s safe, but we’re still concerned--
Lisa (irritably): Joshua needs some rest. Come on, honey.
Corbin: My wife’s been through a lot. If you could see yourselves out. [Adam nods, and Corbin follows Lisa and Josh upstairs. Josh looks over his shoulder at Emma, who gets a flash from his mind of Joshua struggling to get away from someone’s grasp. Then he turns away and goes with his parents.]
Emma (to Adam): I keep getting the same vision.
Adam (picking up his suitcase): What?
Emma: Someone’s trying to grab Joshua, but I can’t see their face.
Adam: The kidnapper?
Emma: No, it’s someone else. [They leave the house.]
[Back at Sanctuary, Adam walks up to Jesse, who’s standing at the main computer with the items from the kidnapper’s folder.]
Adam: What’s this?
Jesse (holding up a card): Well, this is an itinerary for a trip for two to Switzerland, leaving tonight in the name of Pinrose. [He pulls up the ticket details on the computer’s flat screen.]
Adam: And they’ve ordered a kid’s meal.
Jesse: Oh, I didn’t notice that. One of the tickets must be for Josh.
Adam: Hm. Traveling with a woman. [Jesse nods.]
Shalimar (walking in with Emma): Hey guys, check out Proxy Blue.
Adam (commanding the computer): Proxy Blue.
Proxy Blue: An American hero and his wife’s terror is at an end. Joshua Valentine is home again, thanks to the FBI, who also nabbed the kidnapper. [She shows a picture of Wendy Stone, then a picture of Burke’s boat.] But the special agent in charge declined to speak to the press.
Emma: That’s weird.
Shalimar: Yeah, who ever heard of a Fed who didn’t want a piece of the spotlight?
Adam: I couldn’t agree more. Mute. [He turns to Jesse, who is already typing commands into the keyboard.] All right, hack into the FBI’s database to...
Jesse (interrupting him): I’m way ahead of you.
Adam (grinning): ...check out...Agent Stone. [Shalimar and Emma laugh.]
Jesse: Oh. There’s a shocker. The FBI’s got no record of her.
Adam (pulling up Wendy’s profile): Well, we should have checked our own database. We would have found out she’s a new mutant. With the special power to increase the molecular density of organic matter.
Jesse (smirking): Heavy.
Brennan (walking in): Stone was working undercover for Eckhart, huh?
Shalimar: Yeah, but why was the GSA trying to get Joshua back with his parents?
Brennan: Yeah, I mean, they’ve gotta know as much about his abilities as we do.
Jesse: That’s what I don’t understand.
Shalimar: And who’s the woman flying off with Josh?
Brennan: Who knows? All I know is, I wouldn’t wanna be his kidnapper right now.
[In Mason’s office, Burke lies on his stomach, his face pressed against the glass floor. Mason interrogates him as Wendy places a foot on Burke’s back and crushes him into the floor.]
Mason: Who hired you?
Burke (wheezing): Please stop. [Wendy raises her leg, allowing him to gasp for breath.]
Mason: There's only so much G force the human body can take, Mr. Burke. Before it simply explodes like a crushed grape. [Replacing her foot, Wendy crushes him again.]
Burke (squeezing out the words): Lisa Valentine hired me. [Raising her leg again, Wendy looks at Mason in surprise.]
Mason (kneeling behind Burke): She had her own son kidnapped?
Wendy: Should I bring her in?
Mason: There’s no need. Why would Mrs. Valentine do that?
Burke: To keep him away from someone. I don’t know who.
Mason (standing): I think we’re finished here. [He goes behind his desk to watch as Wendy crushes Burke to death.]
[Emma’s meditating in the darkened dojo, when Lisa, asleep on the couch in the mansion, reaches out to contact her mind. Emma gasps when she sees that it’s Corbin who has been trying to grab Joshua.]
Emma: Adam! [Adam, leaving the main computer, runs up the stairs to crouch in front of Emma.] The connection was so powerful. Lisa, she wanted me to know.
Adam: What?
Emma: Corbin just took Joshua.
Adam: So she had him kidnapped to protect him from his own father. [Emma nods.]
[Corbin and Joshua walk up to Mason’s office, escorted by two guards.]
Josh: What is this place, Dad?
Corbin: Trust me, Josh. Your mom and I want to give you the best. We want--
Josh: You want me not to be a freak.
Corbin (squatting beside him): Please, Josh. You need help, buddy.
Josh: Mom was trying to help me. You just want to get rid of me. [The sliding door to Mason’s office opens, revealing Wendy Stone.]
Wendy: Right on time. [Corbin stands slowly, gaping at her.] You’re goggling, Mr. Valentine. I would have assumed someone with your reputation could handle any surprise that came along.
Corbin: Why didn’t you tell me that you-
Wendy (interrupting him): We maintain a firm need-to-know policy here at the GSA. [Smiling down at Josh, she holds one hand behind her back and reaches out the other hand to him.] Now, do you prefer Josh, or Joshua?
Josh (reluctantly reaching up to take her hand): Josh. [Grabbing him against her, she whips out her other hand, which holds a subdermal governor implantation device.]
Corbin: Hey! [The two guards hold him back.] What the hell is that thing?
Wendy: A necessary precaution, Mr. Valentine. He’s not in full control of his abilities yet; we don’t want any unfortunate accidents. [She inserts a governor in his neck.]
Josh: Ow!
Corbin (regretfully): Josh... [Rubbing his neck, Josh backs fearfully away from her and his father, and runs right into Mason. Smiling, Mason leans down to talk to him.]
Mason: So this must be Joshua. Have you any idea what a special little boy you are? [When Josh doesn’t answer, Mason looks up at Corbin.] Not very talkative is he? [He turns back to Josh.] What do you think of my world?
Josh: I think it sucks.
Mason (chuckling): It’s a credit to the gene pool when a father’s heroic nature finds itself in his son. But it can be terribly disturbing when these...genetic anomalies create such a turmoil in a family.
Corbin: I’ve tried to explain that to Joshua. He’s got a little glitch in his genetic makeup that we can fix. That’s why we’re here, right? [Beat.]
Mason: Right. [He walks away.]
*******Commercial Break********
[Adam and Emma have rescued the unconscious Lisa and brought her to Sanctuary's lab in the Double Helix.]
Adam: So this whole ransom demand was a charade, a distraction.
Lisa (waking up): Where am I?
Adam: It’s all right. You’re safe.
Lisa: My son.
Emma: He’s gone.
Lisa (sitting up): Corbin!
Adam: Corbin... Look, Corbin gave you a sleeping pill. It’ll be out of your system in about an hour.
Emma: Lisa, do you have any idea where your husband might have taken Josh?
Lisa: He wants what’s best for his son.
Adam (handing her some water): So did Corbin ever talk about whatever plans he might have had for Josh?
Lisa: He mentioned this place that he could take Josh where they’d make him normal. Some sort of a secret genetic bioengineering facility. [She watches Emma and Adam exchange dreading glances.] You know where he’s taken him.
Adam: Yeah. We’ve got a pretty good idea.
[Wendy leads Josh and Corbin down the hallway past the new mutants in stasis pods.]
Wendy: We’ll have to transfer Joshua to another facility in order to get a full reading on the extent of his abilities.
Corbin: But I thought you were gonna neutralize them.
Wendy: Well, it’s a little more complex than that. When someone as special as Joshua is handed over to us, signed, sealed and delivered, well, how can we say no? [She takes his chin in her hand; Josh jerks his head away.]
[The Double Helix flies over the city, as Adam, Emma, and Lisa search for Joshua and Corbin. Adam calls Sanctuary over his comlink.]
Adam: Jesse.
Jesse: I’m here, Adam.
Adam: Yeah, it looks like Valentine’s taking Josh over to Genomex. I want you to track the car and keep tabs on him. We’re heading over there now.
Jesse: You’re covered.
Adam (to the computer): Double Helix, activate stealth cloak. [The Double Helix turns invisible.]
Brennan (joining Jesse at his computer): Hey! What’re you doing?
Jesse: Well, Adam thinks Valentine’s taken the kid to Genomex.
Brennan: Yeah, they’re on their way there now.
Jesse: Just making sure that is where they’re going.
Brennan: Hey, you hacked into the NuJack satellite system?
Jesse: Figured a guy like Valentine would have an expensive car; he’d want that kind of security.
Brennan: Makes sense.
Jesse: Well, we find Valentine’s car, we find the kid.
Brennan: How’d you learn how to do that?
Jesse: Heh-heh.
Shalimar (coming up, smiling at Jesse): I taught him. [Brennan stares.] You don’t have a problem with that, do ya?
Brennan (recovering): I don’t know what you're talking about. [He leans over Jesse.] Hey, let me do that. I know the NuJack system inside and out.
Jesse: You know what? You never admit you’re a criminal, but you pull this criminal rank on me all the time!
Shalimar: Hey! Out! [She shoos Jesse out of the seat.] You guys can work this out in the dojo. [She sits down and searches the database.] Got it. Adam, we’ve got a bead on Corbin’s car.
Adam (searching the Helix's screen): Good. All right, based on his route, he’s heading for GSA Clinic 6.
Shalimar: That’s what I thought. Brennan and Jesse are already on their way.
[Brennan and Jesse drive up to Clinic 6 in the silver Audi and get out.]
Jesse (calling Adam over his comlink): We’ll need some help finding Josh. This place is huge.
Adam: All right. Hang in there; we’ll get back to you.
Emma: Lisa, you need to link to Josh, and I’ll connect through you.
Lisa (shaking her head): I haven’t been able to find him. He doesn’t seem to be there!
Adam: We’re a lot closer now.
Lisa (to Emma): You’re asking me to do something I don’t know if I can do.
Emma: Just try.
Lisa: I’m not strong. I’ve spent my whole life denying I have any power. I’m not like you, Emma.
Emma (smiling): Yes, you are. Lisa, you reached me from your unconscious. And we can find him together. He’ll hear us, I promise. [She holds out her hands. Lisa glances at Adam.]
Adam: Take her hand. Try it, please. [Lisa takes Emma’s hands and concentrates until she gets a hit from Josh’s mind.]
Lisa: He’s in a room...with white walls.
Emma: Okay. Is there a window?
Lisa: I don’t know. [Emma projects an image of a merry-go-round through Lisa into Josh’s mind. Josh, following the horses with his eyes, turns around until he’s looking out the window behind him.]
Emma: There are four towers outside of his window.
Adam: What kind of towers?
Emma: I don’t know. It could be a building.
Adam: A building. [He turns on the computer’s holographic screen again, searching the area.] Got it. There are four apartment buildings. All right. [He calls Jesse and Brennan.] Compound 4. Compound 4. Go there now.
[Josh is sitting in his room, picking at his subdermal governor when he sees electricity start to play around the door handle across the room. The electrical wave grows around the entire door frame until the door smashes down, revealing Jesse and Brennan standing in the doorway.]
Josh: You guys came for me!
Jesse: Oh, like we’d ever leave you hanging.
Brennan: Hey, come here.
Josh (giggling as Brennan zaps his governor): Hey, no fair, that tickles!
Brennan (noticing Jesse’s stare): Oh, yeah, you know. Adam showed me how to disengage those.
Jesse: Cool. [When they reach the door, Brennan holds Joshua while Jesse runs up to the guard in the hallway. Avoiding his fist by back-flipping over his head, Jesse shoves the guard down the hall with one massed hand.]
Jesse (brushing his hair back into place): You see, kid? Being a freak definitely has its good points, huh? [Josh nods, smiling. They head towards the exit.]
******Commercial Break******
[Up in the Double Helix, Lisa waits anxiously with Adam and Emma.]
Lisa: Did they find Joshua?
Emma: Brennan and Jesse are with him now.
Adam (over his comlink): So, where do we stand?
Brennan (standing at the exit, holding Josh): I’ve got Josh right here, and Jesse’s getting the car.
Adam (to Lisa): He’ll be fine.
Josh (to Brennan): Am I gonna see my mom again?
Brennan: Yeah, buddy. Count on it. [The door of the building across from them opens, and Wendy Stone steps out, holding Corbin at gunpoint.]
Adam (following the action on the computer screen): Oh, wait. You’ve got company!
Brennan (to Josh): You stay here till I tell you to come out, all right?
Josh: Okay.
Wendy (holding Corbin): Joshua? Joshua? Josh!
Brennan (whistling to get her attention): Where’s your backup, Miss Stone?
Wendy: Hell with my backup. Where’s the boy?
Corbin: Don’t tell her anything. [Josh and Wendy watch as Brennan creates a tesla coil.]
Wendy (standing behind Corbin): Way I see it, you’ve gotta go through him to hit me. Now where’s the boy? [Emerging from the doorway, Josh copies Brennan’s hand movements and creates a fireball, which he throws at Wendy’s gun to make it too hot to hold. Wendy drops the gun, releasing Corbin, who runs to Josh’s side. Jesse pulls up in the Audi just as two armed GS agents come running down the stairs towards them, shooting.]
Corbin (pushing him towards the Audi): Come on, Josh.
Wendy: Stop them! [Brennan zaps the railing the two GS agents are holding onto, electrocuting them. Then Brennan hops into the Audi, and Jesse speeds away, leaving Wendy high and dry.]
[Back at Sanctuary, Josh walks with Jesse and Brennan down the dojo stairs.]
Josh: So this is Freak Central, huh?
Jesse: Yep.
Josh: Can I stay here with you guys?
Jesse: Maybe. When you're old enough. And we’ve got a height requirement too.
Brennan: You know, by the way, good job with your hands back there.
Josh: I saw the way you did it, and it worked.
Jesse: Like a charm.
Josh (stopping, looking up at Brennan): My dad thinks something's wrong with me.
Brennan (glancing at Jesse): You know what? Come here, sit down. [They all sit down on the bench.] Now, if you ask me, I think he's just afraid.
Josh: Afraid?
Brennan: Yeah.
Josh: Of me? But I'm just a kid.
Jesse: You know, a lot of people are afraid of what they don't understand.
Josh: But my dad said he thought he was helping me.
Brennan: Take it from me. He’s totally wrong.
Josh (smiling): I never thought my dad could be wrong about anything.
Jesse: He’s human.
Brennan: Just like us.
Josh: Well...not just like us. [Brennan and Jesse laugh.]
Lisa (coming in): Josh!
Josh (running to her): Mom!
Lisa: Come here!
Josh: Mom!
Lisa (giving him a big bear hug): Oh, I was so worried about you.
Josh: It’s okay, Mom. [He turns to look at Jesse and Brennan.] These guys are cool. They came and saved me.
Lisa: That’s great.
Corbin (walking in): Lisa? [Lisa and Josh’s smiles fade. Brennan takes Josh's shoulders.]
Brennan: Hey, you know what? Let me show you the rest of this place.
Lisa: Thanks. [Jesse and Brennan take Josh away as Corbin slowly approaches Lisa.]
Corbin: I thought it was the right thing to do.
Lisa: You didn’t listen, Corbin.
Corbin: If anything had happened to Joshua...believe me, Lisa. I’m so sorry. [She hugs him. Josh, coming back into the room, peers around the corner at them.] Where’s Josh?
Lisa: He's here. [They walk over to Joshua together. Mutant X watches the scene from the balcony.]
Shalimar: If you ask me, I can't believe she's taking him back.
Emma: If you ask me, I'd say the Valentines have got a lot of issues before they're home free.
Got Adam: Yeah, but that's what relationships are all about, confronting challenges every day, right? Well, if anything good has came out of all this, we’ve got Corbin Valentine on our side.
Brennan: Yeah, and the GSA gets to keep Miss Wendy Stone.
Adam (giving high-fives to each of them): Hm. I’d say we came out ahead. Plus, Corbin gets to be a real hero to Lisa and Josh. Hm?
Shalimar: Yeah, I guess so.
Adam: Well, I’d say we won.
[In Genomex headquarters, Mason stands alone in his office, arms crossed, gazing through his window at the mutants in their stasis pods.]
Mutant X Episode #109 Transcript: " Crime of the New Century"
[Opening Scene: Beneath a busy city highway, mid-day. Brennan runs through a grassy highway underpass, chased by three GS agents. Reaching the middle of the shaded underpass, Brennan slows to a stop and turns to face the agents.]
Brennan (removing his sunglasses): Well, there’s no need to stop the party now, guys. Especially now that you’ve got me exactly where I want you. [The three agents attack him, but he manages to take them out one in a flurry of kicks and punches. As he stands over their bodies, four more agents surround him. They all spin around at Jesse's voice behind them.]
Jesse (coming up behind them): You know, when is Eckhart going to learn? No matter how many guys he sends after us...[He winks at Brennan.]...you're always outnumbered. [Smiling at Jesse, Brennan takes off further down the underpass, followed by two agents. The other two agents, soon joined by a third, attack Jesse, who picks up a lead pipe and knocks them all to the ground. Meanwhile, Brennan has knocked his two agents unconscious, and is running from a third when two more run up to block his path. Grabbing a wooden pole from the ground, Brennan twirls it around, hitting each in the face. He goes to join Jesse, who has just finished taking out another three agents with his lead pipe.]
Brennan (looking at Jesse’s pile of bodies): Huh.
Jesse: Eh?
Brennan: Nice!
Jesse: Well, thank you very much.
Brennan: But where the hell were you?
Jesse: You said you’d be on Fawcett Avenue, near Briggs.
Brennan: No, what I said was, that’s where I figured they’d catch up with me.
Jesse: Yeah, and that’s where I was waiting.
Brennan (starting to walk away): Oh-ho, waiting, huh?
Jesse: Well, who would’ve guessed that you’d have beaten me there?
Brennan (turning back): Coming or what? [Spying a GS agent sneaking up behind Jesse wielding the lead pipe, Brennan zaps him with an electrical arc. Startled, Jesse turns to see the man fall to the ground, then turns back to Brennan.]
Jesse (grinning): 20 bucks.
Brennan: What?
Jesse (walking up to him): We both agreed, the first one to use their powers pays the other one 20 bucks.
Brennan: Yeah, you know, I should have let him crack you in the back of the head.
Jesse (glancing back at the agent’s body): No.
Brennan: Yeah.
Jesse (holding out his hand): 20 bucks.
Brennan (pulling out his wallet): Okay, you know what? You’re just lucky I’m a man of my word.
Jesse: Mm-hm. [As Brennan hands him the money, he shocks Jesse’s hand.] Ow!
Brennan: Oh, gee, I’m sorry. I must have rubbed my feet on the carpet.
Jesse: Yeah, I never would have figured you for a sore loser.
Brennan: Keep it up, I’ll show you what sore really means.
Jesse: Oh, really? That sounds like a threat. [They walk off together.]
Opening Credits. “Crime of the New Century.”
[It's nighttime outside the mansion of the famous astronaut Corbin Valentine. A man dressed in black, Burke, runs through the backyard towards the house and uses an electronic device to open the door. Once in, he dons infra-red goggles, which allow him to see the security laser beams running along the stairs to the second floor. Quietly closing the door behind him, Burke enters a code into his device, shutting off the lasers. He tiptoes up the stairs, past the parent’s bedroom and up to the loft, where their son, Joshua, lies asleep in his bed. As he reaches out to cover the boy’s mouth, Josh awakens and instinctively raises his hands, burning a hole in the Burke’s gloved palm. Biting his lip in pain, Burke sprays gas into Josh’s face to put him to sleep, then slings Josh over his shoulder. Josh’s mother Lisa jerks awake from a sound sleep. In her mind, she hears Josh’s voice calling her and sees flashing images of trees as he’s carried from the house.]
Lisa: Josh? [She dashes up to Josh’s room, closely followed by her husband Corbin.] Josh! [Finding the room empty and the window open, Corbin notices a black rope hanging from the window to the ground below.]
Corbin: Oh my God.
Lisa: He’s gone.
Corbin (dropping the rope): I’m calling the police. [He rushes from the room.]
[In Sanctuary’s main room, Mutant X is gathered in front of the main computer’s holographic screen, watching Proxy Blue’s report of the kidnapping.]
Proxy Blue: Joshua Valentine, 10 year old son of big-time hero Corbin Valentine, was snatched from the family home.
Shalimar (to Emma): See, now you know why I don’t want to be famous.
Emma: Who’s Corbin Valentine?
Jesse (sitting on the dojo steps next to Brennan): You know, the astronaut who saved the shuttle crew?
Brennan (fiddling with an electronic gadget): The one that crashed into the French space station.
Emma: Oh, yeah. Yeah, I vaguely remember that.
Proxy Blue: What good is that congressional medal of honor doing him now, huh? But the real question is, why Joshua Valentine?
Adam (coming downstairs to join them): Off. [The screen blinks off.] Well, Proxy Blue is right on the money. Lisa Valentine’s a new mutant. So is her son.
Jesse (sitting up): You think the GSA’s behind the kidnapping?
Adam: No. I can’t see Eckhart doing something that would attract this kind of attention. He’s more subtle than that.
Emma: Well, what can the boy do?
Adam: Thermal transfer. Although his abilities are, you know, barely developed.
Brennan: Yeah, I know when I was 10, I could barely jump-start a car battery.
Shalimar (sitting behind him): You were boosting cars when you were 10? [They all laugh.]
Brennan: No!
Shalimar: Yeah.
Brennan: I was just, you know, helping people out when they had a dead battery.
Jesse: Ah, a regular Good Samaritan.
Brennan (chuckling): Exactly.
Shalimar: You think this is just a run-of-the-mill kidnapping?
Jesse: With a new mutant twist.
Emma: Which means we need to bring him home safe.
Adam: Right. Now, Corbin Valentine has a kidnap and ransom policy. So, Emma, you and I are going undercover as insurance investigators. See what we can find out, should be fun.
Brennan: Yeah, but what about the real K&R team?
Adam (smiling at Emma): Well, why don’t you find them and throw them a little telempathic diversion? Shalimar, I want you to track all the physical evidence.
Shalimar (getting up): You’ve got it.
Adam (pointing at Jesse and Brennan): You’re in charge of monitoring the wall for tech support. Let’s go. [He leaves with Shalimar and Emma.]
Jesse (getting up): Right. You run a scan of every media item you can turn up on Valentine.
Brennan: Woah, wait, hold it. Adam left me in charge.
Jesse: Oh, is that right?
Brennan: Yeah.
Jesse (grinning): Oh. 'Cause from where I was sitting, it seemed like he was talking to me. [He leaves; Brennan rolls his eyes.]
[Adam and Emma drive the silver Audi up to the Valentine mansion’s front yard, which is swarming with security guards. Dressed in business suits, they walk towards the house, flashing their ID badges for the security officers in the driveway.]
Adam: When Lisa Valentine was contacted, she made it clear that she didn’t want to have anything to do with us.
Emma: But once we get inside, she’s gonna find out I’m a psionic pretty fast.
Adam: Well, we’re here to find her son, she’s just gonna have to deal with it. [Adam heads into the foyer to shake hands with the Special Agent in Charge, Wendy Stone.] Hello. Zolo and DeNono, Barbican K&R.
Wendy: SAC Wendy Stone. [She shakes Emma’s hand, surprised by her youth.] Trainee?
Emma: Trauma counseling intern. [Wendy nods.]
Adam: Any ransom demand yet?
Wendy: No, not yet. But it’s on its way. This place has a highly advanced security system, so whoever pulled this obviously hacked his way in. The guy’s a pro.
Emma: Where’s Mrs. Valentine? [Wendy directs her gaze towards Corbin and Lisa sitting on the living room couch. When Emma reaches out with her mind, Lisa instantly senses the intrusion and erects a brick wall around her mind.]
Wendy: You can counsel the Valentines if you like, but if you compromise my investigation, you’re history.
Adam (smiling behind his fake glasses): Farthest thing from our minds. [He leads Emma up to the Valentines in the next room.] Hello, this is Agent DeNono, I’m Investigator Zolo.
Corbin (rising to shake hands): We're the Valentines. My wife, Lisa.
[Meanwhile, Shalimar’s skulking behind some fir trees in the mansion’s back yard. She sees the rope hanging from Joshua’s window and calls Sanctuary over her comlink.]
Shalimar: It looks like he rappelled down from the kid’s window, then took off in a car. Place is crawling with Feds; I’m gonna come back later, see if I can get a little closer.
Brennan and Jesse (together): We’ll be here.
Shalimar (smiling at their competitive tone): Let’s play nice, boys. [She sneaks away.]
[Brennan and Jesse are lounging in front of Sanctuary's 2nd floor television set, munching on pizza. Brennan reaches for the last slice, but Jesse snatches it first and stuffs it whole into his mouth.]
Brennan: You know, you keep chowing down like that, you're gonna be all mass all the time.
Jesse (mouth full): What, Adam put you in charge of the pizza now?
Brennan: I thought rich kids were supposed to be well-mannered.
Jesse (mouth full): I have perfectly fine manners. [He stuffs more pizza into his mouth.]
[In the cabin of a small boat by the docks, Burke sits at a table, putting salve on the hand Josh burned. Josh cautiously walks over to one of the covered windows and peers out through a tear in the paper.]
Burke: Get away from the window! Come on.
Josh (nodding at the equipment on the table): What’s all that stuff?
Burke: That’s none of your damn business.
Josh: I wanna go home. [Bandaging his hand, Burke doesn’t answer him.] When my dad pays you, then can I go home?
Burke: Any more whining, you’re not going anywhere! [He walks over to Josh, holding out his bandaged hand.] How did you do this?
Josh: I don’t know. When I get afraid, it just happens.
Burke: What, you light matches at throw ‘em at people? Huh? Try it again, you’ll find out what trouble really means. Come on. [He locks Josh in a storage cage in the floor.] I’ll be back. Don’t try anything.
[At the Valentine’s mansion, Adam and Emma are questioning Lisa, who is looking at a framed photograph of Josh.]
Adam: Now, I’m gonna need a list of family and friends, acquaintances, anyone who knew your son. [Lisa suddenly drops the picture on the floor as she receives a flash of images from Josh’s mind of the warehouse, the trees outside the window, and the cage he’s locked in. Reaching out with her mind, Emma catches a glimpse of Josh and Lisa, arms outstretched to one another. Emma looks at Adam, who nods.] Why don’t we, uh...why don't we step over here? [Adam catches Corbin's eye and points to Lisa, indicating that his wife needs him.]
Corbin (going to Lisa): Lisa?
[Adam takes Emma down the hall to find out what she sensed.]
Adam: Are you all right?
Emma: When we first arrived, I couldn’t read her. She was a blank wall. But I just intercepted a psychic connection between her and Joshua. He’s calling out to her.
Adam: Good. Maybe she can’t block you because she’s so vulnerable.
Emma: Yeah, maybe.
Adam: All right. See if you can continue to read her, but without revealing who you are.
Emma: Assuming she’ll trust me.
[In his office at Genomex headquarters, Mason’s talking with someone while looking out his office window.]
Mason: Your assignment was simple and straightforward, but as yet your investigation has turned up nothing. It took a great deal of effort to convince the FBI to back off and let us carry the ball. [He turns to face his companion.] The mother is a telepath. She must have some kind of connection with her son. I suggest you use that connection to your advantage. [The camera pans across the desk, revealing Wendy Stone.]
Wendy: Absolutely, sir. We’ll deal with Mrs. Valentine.
Mason: You do what you have to. She is of no interest to me whatsoever. The boy is a priceless commodity. Bring him to me, Miss Stone. And make it soon.
****Commercial Break*****
[Burke returns to the boat’s cabin, carrying a bag of food.]
Burke: Lunchtime! [He opens the cage to let Josh out.] Hope you like cheeseburgers. You’re big news, kid.
Josh: That means everybody’s looking for me. So they’re coming to get me, right?
Burke (tossing him a cheeseburger): They’re scrambling for the ransom money right now. This will all be over before you know it.
Josh (frowning): What does that mean?
Burke (yelling at him): It means what I said! [Josh defensively raises his hands; the paper bag on the table bursts into flames. Burke stomps on it to extinguish the fire.] What did I tell you, you little freak?
Josh: I can’t help it; it’s not my fault!
Burke: How the hell did you do that?
Josh: Let me go! I wanna see my mom!
Burke (pointing at him): Keep your hands where I can see ‘em. Up, up! [Josh holds up his hands.] I already told you, everything’s gonna be fine. You’re going on a trip.
Josh: I don’t wanna go on a trip! I wanna go home!
[Shalimar returns to the mansion and walks up to a tree that’s just behind the police tape surrounding the yard.]
Shalimar: This is odd. I smell sulfur. Maybe the kidnapper brushed by here.
Brennan (pacing Sanctuary’s balcony): Send us a sample, we’ll do an analysis.
Jesse (at his computer): We?
Brennan: Yeah, what do you want me to do it myself?
Jesse: No, I’ll handle it. Your labwork’s still a little sloppy.
Brennan: Oh, kind of like your eating habits?
Shalimar (stripping a piece of bark to smell): It’s petroleum based. [She’s startled when Wendy Stone appears in front of her.]
Wendy: You vultures make me sick. Souvenir hunting in the midst of somebody else’s tragedy? Beat it. [Taking the hint, Shalimar leaves.]
[Inside the mansion, Emma follows Lisa as she carries a small bag down the stairs.]
Lisa: I’m going to go wait for Josh at my sister’s.
Emma: Lisa, we’re wasting time!
Lisa: Look, you’re here for psychological support, right? The support I need is to be left alone.
Emma: I can help you, I know all about your gift! [Lisa whirls around in surprise.] I’m a telempath. I can pick up others’ feelings and emotions. What about you?
Lisa: I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Emma: We both know that you’ve got a psychic link to your son. Somehow you’re serving as a connection between me and Josh. I keep picking up these images from you. Lisa we could find him together.
Lisa: Just let the FBI handle this, okay? [She stops in mid-stride as she gets another flash from Josh’s mind. Emma catches an image of Josh standing in the dark beneath a rain of pennies.]
Adam (coming up): There’s been a ransom demand.
[When Shalimar returns to Sanctuary, Jesse’s working at the computer while Brennan sits in a chair nearby, bouncing a tennis ball off the wall.]
Shalimar: Hey, guys.
Jesse: Hey.
Brennan: Hey, Shal.
Shalimar (leaning on the wall across from Brennan): So I talked to Emma. She got a flash of Joshua in the dark with pennies falling all around him.
Brennan: Maybe it’s the ransom.
Shalimar: Well, she said it's a symbol, not necessarily literal.
Brennan (repeatedly bouncing the ball): Okay, so we got the kid, and we got pennies falling, and we got the oil and sulphur that you got from the tree bark.
Shalimar: Yep, marine oil.
Brennan: Yeah.
Shalimar (pointing to Brennan’s ball): Do you have to do that?
Brennan (glancing at Jesse, who rolls his eyes at Shalimar): What? What, it helps me think. [He starts bouncing the ball again.] So maybe this guy...uh...you know, maybe this guy works at the dock somewhere.
Shalimar: Or...maybe the guy... [She snatches the ball away from Brennan and tosses it to Jesse, who grins at her in gratitude.] ...has some yacht.
Brennan: Hey!
Shalimar: No, I’m serious. Maybe this kidnapper has a boat.
Jesse: So the kid’s on a boat, surrounded by lots and lots of money.
Shalimar: Pennies.
Brennan: Yeah, a kid’s idea of a lot of money.
Jesse: Maybe it’s not even money. Uh, pennies...uh...copper...uh...circles...uh...
Shalimar: Lincoln.
Jesse: Lincoln. [Shalimar and Brennan look over Jesse’s shoulder as he searches the computer database for businesses with the name Lincoln.] Lincoln Fiduciary, Lincoln Motors, Lincoln All American Exporters, Lincoln...
Brennan (pointing): Lincoln Salvage.
Jesse: Hmm. Went bankrupt last year.
Shalimar: And they’ve got a waterfront address.
Brennan: Oh.
Shalimar: Listen, why don’t you guys check it out, let me know when you get there? I think K&R should be the ones to deliver Joshua to his parents, so I’ll let Adam and Emma know.
[In the boat’s cabin, Josh sits on the stairs watching Burke examine his hand at the table.]
Burke: Won’t be long now, kid.
Josh: For what? [Burke looks at him, but doesn’t answer. Behind him, Jesse phases into the cabin and puts a finger to his lips, warning Josh to keep quiet.]
Jesse: Couldn’t you find someplace a little homier? [Burke stares at him and the locked door in confusion. Jesse reaches out as if to shake his hand.] Good to see ya.
Burke (grabbing his gun): Hands up!
Jesse (pointing to himself): You know, that's not gonna help you. Kevlar, head to toe. [He masses as Burke opens fire. Realizing that his bullets aren’t making a dent, Burke runs out the door, only to find Brennan outside waiting for him with a tesla coil. Burke leaps over the railing into the water below and starts swimming towards the shore. Putting out the tesla coil, Brennan comes back to join Jesse and Josh as they emerge from the cabin.]
Jesse: Why didn’t you zap him?
Brennan: Because the boat is metal. Now, if I would’ve hit him with an arc, then we’d all be toast.
Jesse: All right, we’ll take care of him later. Let’s get the kid outta here.
Josh (smiling up at them): You’re like me! Both of you.
Brennan (exchanging a smile with Jesse): What, water affects your powers too, kid? [He notices Jesse’s carrying a file folder.] What’s that?
Jesse (showing him the money in the folder): It’s a little something the kidnapper left behind. [They stop in their tracks when a black car pulls up to the docks.] Hey.
Brennan (heading away): Josh, come on. [When Burke pulls himself out of the water, he’s immediately cut off by two GSA cars, then tackled by two of Wendy’s GS agents and tossed into the backseat of her car. Wendy looks on in dismay as Jesse, Brennan, and Josh drive off in Mutant X’s silver Audi.]
*****Commercial Break*****
[At the Valentine’s mansion, Lisa sits on the couch with a protective arm around Josh while Corbin shakes Emma and Adam’s hands.]
Corbin: I can’t begin to express our gratitude. Thank you.
Adam: Yeah, well, we’re very happy that your son’s safe, but we’re still concerned--
Lisa (irritably): Joshua needs some rest. Come on, honey.
Corbin: My wife’s been through a lot. If you could see yourselves out. [Adam nods, and Corbin follows Lisa and Josh upstairs. Josh looks over his shoulder at Emma, who gets a flash from his mind of Joshua struggling to get away from someone’s grasp. Then he turns away and goes with his parents.]
Emma (to Adam): I keep getting the same vision.
Adam (picking up his suitcase): What?
Emma: Someone’s trying to grab Joshua, but I can’t see their face.
Adam: The kidnapper?
Emma: No, it’s someone else. [They leave the house.]
[Back at Sanctuary, Adam walks up to Jesse, who’s standing at the main computer with the items from the kidnapper’s folder.]
Adam: What’s this?
Jesse (holding up a card): Well, this is an itinerary for a trip for two to Switzerland, leaving tonight in the name of Pinrose. [He pulls up the ticket details on the computer’s flat screen.]
Adam: And they’ve ordered a kid’s meal.
Jesse: Oh, I didn’t notice that. One of the tickets must be for Josh.
Adam: Hm. Traveling with a woman. [Jesse nods.]
Shalimar (walking in with Emma): Hey guys, check out Proxy Blue.
Adam (commanding the computer): Proxy Blue.
Proxy Blue: An American hero and his wife’s terror is at an end. Joshua Valentine is home again, thanks to the FBI, who also nabbed the kidnapper. [She shows a picture of Wendy Stone, then a picture of Burke’s boat.] But the special agent in charge declined to speak to the press.
Emma: That’s weird.
Shalimar: Yeah, who ever heard of a Fed who didn’t want a piece of the spotlight?
Adam: I couldn’t agree more. Mute. [He turns to Jesse, who is already typing commands into the keyboard.] All right, hack into the FBI’s database to...
Jesse (interrupting him): I’m way ahead of you.
Adam (grinning): ...check out...Agent Stone. [Shalimar and Emma laugh.]
Jesse: Oh. There’s a shocker. The FBI’s got no record of her.
Adam (pulling up Wendy’s profile): Well, we should have checked our own database. We would have found out she’s a new mutant. With the special power to increase the molecular density of organic matter.
Jesse (smirking): Heavy.
Brennan (walking in): Stone was working undercover for Eckhart, huh?
Shalimar: Yeah, but why was the GSA trying to get Joshua back with his parents?
Brennan: Yeah, I mean, they’ve gotta know as much about his abilities as we do.
Jesse: That’s what I don’t understand.
Shalimar: And who’s the woman flying off with Josh?
Brennan: Who knows? All I know is, I wouldn’t wanna be his kidnapper right now.
[In Mason’s office, Burke lies on his stomach, his face pressed against the glass floor. Mason interrogates him as Wendy places a foot on Burke’s back and crushes him into the floor.]
Mason: Who hired you?
Burke (wheezing): Please stop. [Wendy raises her leg, allowing him to gasp for breath.]
Mason: There's only so much G force the human body can take, Mr. Burke. Before it simply explodes like a crushed grape. [Replacing her foot, Wendy crushes him again.]
Burke (squeezing out the words): Lisa Valentine hired me. [Raising her leg again, Wendy looks at Mason in surprise.]
Mason (kneeling behind Burke): She had her own son kidnapped?
Wendy: Should I bring her in?
Mason: There’s no need. Why would Mrs. Valentine do that?
Burke: To keep him away from someone. I don’t know who.
Mason (standing): I think we’re finished here. [He goes behind his desk to watch as Wendy crushes Burke to death.]
[Emma’s meditating in the darkened dojo, when Lisa, asleep on the couch in the mansion, reaches out to contact her mind. Emma gasps when she sees that it’s Corbin who has been trying to grab Joshua.]
Emma: Adam! [Adam, leaving the main computer, runs up the stairs to crouch in front of Emma.] The connection was so powerful. Lisa, she wanted me to know.
Adam: What?
Emma: Corbin just took Joshua.
Adam: So she had him kidnapped to protect him from his own father. [Emma nods.]
[Corbin and Joshua walk up to Mason’s office, escorted by two guards.]
Josh: What is this place, Dad?
Corbin: Trust me, Josh. Your mom and I want to give you the best. We want--
Josh: You want me not to be a freak.
Corbin (squatting beside him): Please, Josh. You need help, buddy.
Josh: Mom was trying to help me. You just want to get rid of me. [The sliding door to Mason’s office opens, revealing Wendy Stone.]
Wendy: Right on time. [Corbin stands slowly, gaping at her.] You’re goggling, Mr. Valentine. I would have assumed someone with your reputation could handle any surprise that came along.
Corbin: Why didn’t you tell me that you-
Wendy (interrupting him): We maintain a firm need-to-know policy here at the GSA. [Smiling down at Josh, she holds one hand behind her back and reaches out the other hand to him.] Now, do you prefer Josh, or Joshua?
Josh (reluctantly reaching up to take her hand): Josh. [Grabbing him against her, she whips out her other hand, which holds a subdermal governor implantation device.]
Corbin: Hey! [The two guards hold him back.] What the hell is that thing?
Wendy: A necessary precaution, Mr. Valentine. He’s not in full control of his abilities yet; we don’t want any unfortunate accidents. [She inserts a governor in his neck.]
Josh: Ow!
Corbin (regretfully): Josh... [Rubbing his neck, Josh backs fearfully away from her and his father, and runs right into Mason. Smiling, Mason leans down to talk to him.]
Mason: So this must be Joshua. Have you any idea what a special little boy you are? [When Josh doesn’t answer, Mason looks up at Corbin.] Not very talkative is he? [He turns back to Josh.] What do you think of my world?
Josh: I think it sucks.
Mason (chuckling): It’s a credit to the gene pool when a father’s heroic nature finds itself in his son. But it can be terribly disturbing when these...genetic anomalies create such a turmoil in a family.
Corbin: I’ve tried to explain that to Joshua. He’s got a little glitch in his genetic makeup that we can fix. That’s why we’re here, right? [Beat.]
Mason: Right. [He walks away.]
*******Commercial Break********
[Adam and Emma have rescued the unconscious Lisa and brought her to Sanctuary's lab in the Double Helix.]
Adam: So this whole ransom demand was a charade, a distraction.
Lisa (waking up): Where am I?
Adam: It’s all right. You’re safe.
Lisa: My son.
Emma: He’s gone.
Lisa (sitting up): Corbin!
Adam: Corbin... Look, Corbin gave you a sleeping pill. It’ll be out of your system in about an hour.
Emma: Lisa, do you have any idea where your husband might have taken Josh?
Lisa: He wants what’s best for his son.
Adam (handing her some water): So did Corbin ever talk about whatever plans he might have had for Josh?
Lisa: He mentioned this place that he could take Josh where they’d make him normal. Some sort of a secret genetic bioengineering facility. [She watches Emma and Adam exchange dreading glances.] You know where he’s taken him.
Adam: Yeah. We’ve got a pretty good idea.
[Wendy leads Josh and Corbin down the hallway past the new mutants in stasis pods.]
Wendy: We’ll have to transfer Joshua to another facility in order to get a full reading on the extent of his abilities.
Corbin: But I thought you were gonna neutralize them.
Wendy: Well, it’s a little more complex than that. When someone as special as Joshua is handed over to us, signed, sealed and delivered, well, how can we say no? [She takes his chin in her hand; Josh jerks his head away.]
[The Double Helix flies over the city, as Adam, Emma, and Lisa search for Joshua and Corbin. Adam calls Sanctuary over his comlink.]
Adam: Jesse.
Jesse: I’m here, Adam.
Adam: Yeah, it looks like Valentine’s taking Josh over to Genomex. I want you to track the car and keep tabs on him. We’re heading over there now.
Jesse: You’re covered.
Adam (to the computer): Double Helix, activate stealth cloak. [The Double Helix turns invisible.]
Brennan (joining Jesse at his computer): Hey! What’re you doing?
Jesse: Well, Adam thinks Valentine’s taken the kid to Genomex.
Brennan: Yeah, they’re on their way there now.
Jesse: Just making sure that is where they’re going.
Brennan: Hey, you hacked into the NuJack satellite system?
Jesse: Figured a guy like Valentine would have an expensive car; he’d want that kind of security.
Brennan: Makes sense.
Jesse: Well, we find Valentine’s car, we find the kid.
Brennan: How’d you learn how to do that?
Jesse: Heh-heh.
Shalimar (coming up, smiling at Jesse): I taught him. [Brennan stares.] You don’t have a problem with that, do ya?
Brennan (recovering): I don’t know what you're talking about. [He leans over Jesse.] Hey, let me do that. I know the NuJack system inside and out.
Jesse: You know what? You never admit you’re a criminal, but you pull this criminal rank on me all the time!
Shalimar: Hey! Out! [She shoos Jesse out of the seat.] You guys can work this out in the dojo. [She sits down and searches the database.] Got it. Adam, we’ve got a bead on Corbin’s car.
Adam (searching the Helix's screen): Good. All right, based on his route, he’s heading for GSA Clinic 6.
Shalimar: That’s what I thought. Brennan and Jesse are already on their way.
[Brennan and Jesse drive up to Clinic 6 in the silver Audi and get out.]
Jesse (calling Adam over his comlink): We’ll need some help finding Josh. This place is huge.
Adam: All right. Hang in there; we’ll get back to you.
Emma: Lisa, you need to link to Josh, and I’ll connect through you.
Lisa (shaking her head): I haven’t been able to find him. He doesn’t seem to be there!
Adam: We’re a lot closer now.
Lisa (to Emma): You’re asking me to do something I don’t know if I can do.
Emma: Just try.
Lisa: I’m not strong. I’ve spent my whole life denying I have any power. I’m not like you, Emma.
Emma (smiling): Yes, you are. Lisa, you reached me from your unconscious. And we can find him together. He’ll hear us, I promise. [She holds out her hands. Lisa glances at Adam.]
Adam: Take her hand. Try it, please. [Lisa takes Emma’s hands and concentrates until she gets a hit from Josh’s mind.]
Lisa: He’s in a room...with white walls.
Emma: Okay. Is there a window?
Lisa: I don’t know. [Emma projects an image of a merry-go-round through Lisa into Josh’s mind. Josh, following the horses with his eyes, turns around until he’s looking out the window behind him.]
Emma: There are four towers outside of his window.
Adam: What kind of towers?
Emma: I don’t know. It could be a building.
Adam: A building. [He turns on the computer’s holographic screen again, searching the area.] Got it. There are four apartment buildings. All right. [He calls Jesse and Brennan.] Compound 4. Compound 4. Go there now.
[Josh is sitting in his room, picking at his subdermal governor when he sees electricity start to play around the door handle across the room. The electrical wave grows around the entire door frame until the door smashes down, revealing Jesse and Brennan standing in the doorway.]
Josh: You guys came for me!
Jesse: Oh, like we’d ever leave you hanging.
Brennan: Hey, come here.
Josh (giggling as Brennan zaps his governor): Hey, no fair, that tickles!
Brennan (noticing Jesse’s stare): Oh, yeah, you know. Adam showed me how to disengage those.
Jesse: Cool. [When they reach the door, Brennan holds Joshua while Jesse runs up to the guard in the hallway. Avoiding his fist by back-flipping over his head, Jesse shoves the guard down the hall with one massed hand.]
Jesse (brushing his hair back into place): You see, kid? Being a freak definitely has its good points, huh? [Josh nods, smiling. They head towards the exit.]
******Commercial Break******
[Up in the Double Helix, Lisa waits anxiously with Adam and Emma.]
Lisa: Did they find Joshua?
Emma: Brennan and Jesse are with him now.
Adam (over his comlink): So, where do we stand?
Brennan (standing at the exit, holding Josh): I’ve got Josh right here, and Jesse’s getting the car.
Adam (to Lisa): He’ll be fine.
Josh (to Brennan): Am I gonna see my mom again?
Brennan: Yeah, buddy. Count on it. [The door of the building across from them opens, and Wendy Stone steps out, holding Corbin at gunpoint.]
Adam (following the action on the computer screen): Oh, wait. You’ve got company!
Brennan (to Josh): You stay here till I tell you to come out, all right?
Josh: Okay.
Wendy (holding Corbin): Joshua? Joshua? Josh!
Brennan (whistling to get her attention): Where’s your backup, Miss Stone?
Wendy: Hell with my backup. Where’s the boy?
Corbin: Don’t tell her anything. [Josh and Wendy watch as Brennan creates a tesla coil.]
Wendy (standing behind Corbin): Way I see it, you’ve gotta go through him to hit me. Now where’s the boy? [Emerging from the doorway, Josh copies Brennan’s hand movements and creates a fireball, which he throws at Wendy’s gun to make it too hot to hold. Wendy drops the gun, releasing Corbin, who runs to Josh’s side. Jesse pulls up in the Audi just as two armed GS agents come running down the stairs towards them, shooting.]
Corbin (pushing him towards the Audi): Come on, Josh.
Wendy: Stop them! [Brennan zaps the railing the two GS agents are holding onto, electrocuting them. Then Brennan hops into the Audi, and Jesse speeds away, leaving Wendy high and dry.]
[Back at Sanctuary, Josh walks with Jesse and Brennan down the dojo stairs.]
Josh: So this is Freak Central, huh?
Jesse: Yep.
Josh: Can I stay here with you guys?
Jesse: Maybe. When you're old enough. And we’ve got a height requirement too.
Brennan: You know, by the way, good job with your hands back there.
Josh: I saw the way you did it, and it worked.
Jesse: Like a charm.
Josh (stopping, looking up at Brennan): My dad thinks something's wrong with me.
Brennan (glancing at Jesse): You know what? Come here, sit down. [They all sit down on the bench.] Now, if you ask me, I think he's just afraid.
Josh: Afraid?
Brennan: Yeah.
Josh: Of me? But I'm just a kid.
Jesse: You know, a lot of people are afraid of what they don't understand.
Josh: But my dad said he thought he was helping me.
Brennan: Take it from me. He’s totally wrong.
Josh (smiling): I never thought my dad could be wrong about anything.
Jesse: He’s human.
Brennan: Just like us.
Josh: Well...not just like us. [Brennan and Jesse laugh.]
Lisa (coming in): Josh!
Josh (running to her): Mom!
Lisa: Come here!
Josh: Mom!
Lisa (giving him a big bear hug): Oh, I was so worried about you.
Josh: It’s okay, Mom. [He turns to look at Jesse and Brennan.] These guys are cool. They came and saved me.
Lisa: That’s great.
Corbin (walking in): Lisa? [Lisa and Josh’s smiles fade. Brennan takes Josh's shoulders.]
Brennan: Hey, you know what? Let me show you the rest of this place.
Lisa: Thanks. [Jesse and Brennan take Josh away as Corbin slowly approaches Lisa.]
Corbin: I thought it was the right thing to do.
Lisa: You didn’t listen, Corbin.
Corbin: If anything had happened to Joshua...believe me, Lisa. I’m so sorry. [She hugs him. Josh, coming back into the room, peers around the corner at them.] Where’s Josh?
Lisa: He's here. [They walk over to Joshua together. Mutant X watches the scene from the balcony.]
Shalimar: If you ask me, I can't believe she's taking him back.
Emma: If you ask me, I'd say the Valentines have got a lot of issues before they're home free.
Got Adam: Yeah, but that's what relationships are all about, confronting challenges every day, right? Well, if anything good has came out of all this, we’ve got Corbin Valentine on our side.
Brennan: Yeah, and the GSA gets to keep Miss Wendy Stone.
Adam (giving high-fives to each of them): Hm. I’d say we came out ahead. Plus, Corbin gets to be a real hero to Lisa and Josh. Hm?
Shalimar: Yeah, I guess so.
Adam: Well, I’d say we won.
[In Genomex headquarters, Mason stands alone in his office, arms crossed, gazing through his window at the mutants in their stasis pods.]