Mutant X Transcripts: Ep 213 "Within These Walls"
Mutant X Episode Transcripts
Mutant X Episode #213 Transcript: " Within These Walls"
[Opening Scene: Brennan drives Shalimar down the highway in a bright red convertible, tailing a white prison van.]
Shalimar: You don’t want to get too close, huh?
Brennan: Hey, my ride. I’ll do the driving, all right?
Shalimar: Yeah well, you know what? Speaking of your ride, do you think you could have picked anything a little more conspicuous?
Brennan: Come on, if somebody’s gonna jack that prison truck, the last thing they’re gonna be expecting the backup to be driving is a vintage Cutlass, hm?
Shalimar: You know, that’s so dumb, it might actually be clever.
Brennan: I knew you’d eventually come around. [She laughs.]
[Inside the prison truck, a guard sits across from Nick Maddox, who is dressed in an orange jumpsuit, a leather hood over his head, and chains on his wrists.]
The Guard: Hey, Maddox. I hear that they’ve got a special place for you fixed up in the hole. Down so deep, you've gotta look up to see the bottom. [Nick doesn’t answer.] Think you’re so cool, huh? You got everybody shaking in their boots? Well, me, I don’t see what the big deal is. [Nick cocks his head, listening to the squealing tires of a black truck as it quickly cuts between Brennan and the prison van.]
Brennan: Nice driving.
Shalimar: Brennan, I don’t like the look of that. [A remote controlled device from the black truck's front fender attaches itself to the prison van's back door with a clang. Nick smiles.]
The Guard: What are you smiling at? I asked you a question, tough guy, huh? What’s so funny?
Nick: It’s a visual joke. Look out the back window. [When The Guard reaches the window, the device explodes, blowing the doors open and pitching him into the road. The van skids to a halt. Brennan and Shalimar run up just in time to see Harris and Asia emerge from the black truck. Harris forces them back with a hail of gunfire while Asia rescues Nick from his mask. Drawing power from the sun, Nick's eyes glow red and four daggers of fire extend from his fingertips.] Now that’s more like it.
Brennan (cowering behind a car): You know, this guy’s getting on my nerves. Should we kick some ass?
Shalimar: Let’s do it. [Brennan topples Harris with an electrical arc, allowing Shalimar to kick his gun away and knock him unconscious. Holding hands, Nick and Asia come out of the van.]
Nick: Friends, I don’t know who you are, but you just took on the wrong fight. [He launches four fire daggers out of his fingertips, one of which hits Brennan in the arm. He and Shalimar duck back behind the car.]
Shalimar: Hey, are you okay?
Brennan: Yeah. Don’t worry about me. We’ve gotta take this guy out. [Shalimar searches for Nick, but the black truck has taken off.]
Shalimar: Who was that guy?
Brennan: I don’t know. Another couple of inches, he would’ve been the guy that killed me.
Opening Credits. “Within These Walls”
[In Sanctuary's lab, Adam holds a healing laser to Brennan's burn.]
Adam: Believe it or not, this could have been a lot worse.
Brennan: Ow! Yeah, easy for you to say.
Adam: Well, whatever he hit you with, it cauterized the wound as it went through, you know? some sort of energy source, like a concentrated heat.
Brennan: Well, why didn’t you tell me the person we were covering was a mutant?
Adam: I didn’t know. I thought it was a simple transfer.
Brennan (putting on his shirt): Okay, so the person that brought us in was probably setting us up.
Adam: No, I don’t think so. At least, I don’t want to believe that that’s the case.
Brennan: Okay, you know what? You go ahead and think good thoughts. See, I’m having a hard time doing that, considering I’m the one with the hole in his arm.
Adam: I just don’t want to jump to conclusions, you know, I was asked to get involved in this job because your special abilities were required to handle it. And beyond that, my source required secrecy for certain aspects of the mission.
Brennan: Okay, so someone else’s need for secrecy almost got me killed?
Adam: Well, and there are levels to all this. I don’t even know if my source knew who was in the van.
Brennan: Okay, fine! So now we know, some psychotic mutant killer! You know, Adam, I feel like I’m owed an explanation for this, don’t you?
Adam: Well, I didn’t say I don’t think we’re owed an explanation. I intend to get one.
Brennan: Yeah, which you may not be able to share with me considering it’s need to know. I mean, is it just me or is there something wrong with this picture?
Adam: Okay, so what is it you’re trying to say?
Brennan: Adam, when we go into a situation, we deserve to have some knowledge of the risk. Especially if you’re the one that’s sending us in, then you have a responsibility to tell us!
Adam: Don’t lecture me about my responsibilities, okay? I’m sorry you got hurt. I intend to find out why certain information was withheld from us. But there are decisions that I make and will continue to make that are made for my reasons and at my discretion.
Brennan: Okay, so do it because I said so. Ah, you know what? That, that sounds an awful lot like the reasoning my stepfather used to use. [He stomps out. Adam sighs.]
[Jesse’s searching one of the main room computers as Emma glides around him on roller skates, listening to disco music over her headphones.]
Jesse: Hey, check this out.
Emma: What did you find?
Jesse (spinning in his chair to follow her): I searched both ours and Genomex’s mutant databases, and there is nothing in the record of anybody having the kind of powers the guy in the prison truck had. Could you stop that? Hey. [He grabs her wrist, pulling her to a stop. She turns off the music.] But there is a whole other section of files that documents Genomex’s treatment of people who showed no signs of mutation at all. And that’s where I got lucky. [He pulls up Nick’s profile.] His name is Nick Maddox. He was sent to Genomex for six months ten years ago.
Emma: He was sick?
Jesse: He was supposed to be tested for a hereditary liver problem. But he was never scheduled for a biopsy and there’s not even a suggestion of treatment for that condition.
Emma: So what is on his record?
Jesse: Not much. Except that he was assigned to section 77 for routine observation.
Emma: There’s nothing routine about section 77.
Jesse: Hmm.
Emma: And there’s no way someone would be held for six months of observation with no record of treatment. Okay, does it say who paid for his treatment at Genomex? Maybe we can track him down through his parents.
Jesse: That’s the other thing. There’s no record of who paid for his treatment.
Emma: Meaning it was someone or some organization with something to hide.
Jesse: Yeah. It also means that he might not be the only one. There may be a whole slew of mutants that Genomex created that we know nothing about.
Emma: Well, that’s a comforting thought.
[In the privacy of his office, Adam waits for his contact's fuzzy image to appear on his computer screen.]
Christina: What is it, Adam?
Adam: You know what it is. You must have heard what happened.
Christina: I’ve heard. Other arrangements are being made.
Adam: That’s not good enough. I want to know what’s going on.
Christina: You know better than to ask.
Adam: I want to see you.
Christina: No meetings. Your idea, remember?
Adam: Yeah, but that was before you almost got one of my people killed.
Christina: I’m sorry Adam. Your request is denied. [She cuts the connection.]
Adam: Nah, you’re not getting away that easily. [He types a series of commands into the computer.]
[Meanwhile, the black truck drives up to a nondescript office building labeled 3900. Harris stops Nick as they get out.]
Harris: We could have been 500 miles away from here by now. Why are we doing this?
Nick: Unfinished business.
Harris: Yeah, well we’ve got a bank job waiting for us. That’s fresh business, paying business. We don’t got time for this!
Nick (grabbing him by the shirt): There’s always time for revenge. [Nick lets him go, and they all enter the building together.]
The Receptionist: Can I help you?
Nick (removing his sunglasses): I want to see her. Why don’t you just save us both some trouble and just tell me where she is?
The Receptionist: I’m not sure who you’re talking about, but if you would like an insurance quote, I could call an agent. [Nick looks at Asia, who grabs The Receptionist by the collar and pulls her out of her chair.]
Nick: Maybe I didn’t introduce myself properly. See, I used to be one of the “insurance agents” around here, so I know how this works. I figure you’ve already called for backup. Is this the case? [Two armed guards appear in the hallway. Nick releases fire daggers at them, and they slump to the ground. He holds a fire dagger up to The Receptionist’s face.] Now, somebody’s gonna tell me where I can find Christina. ‘Cause otherwise the bodies are really gonna start piling up around here. [He smiles.]
[Brennan, Shalimar and Emma (still in her skates) are sitting in Sancutary's lounge when Adam emerges from his office, his coat slung over his shoulder.]
Emma: Hey! Adam. So, we haven’t been able to find anything else on Maddox. No friends, no family, no known associates.
Adam: Well, there wouldn’t be. From the time they put him into Genomex, he would have ceased to exist.
Shalimar: Where are you going?
Adam: To try to find some information.
Brennan (getting up): Wait, hold it. So what are you doing, going off on your own agenda again and leave us all in the dark?
Adam: I just don’t want to have this conversation; we’ve been through this already.
Brennan: Yeah, but we haven’t settled anything. If where you’re going has something to do with Maddox, then we all have a right to know about it! [Hearing the ruckus, Jesse comes out of his room.]
Adam: And when the burden of leadership falls on your shoulders, maybe you’ll come to understand that there are some decisions that you cannot make by committee and there is some information that has to stay private.
Brennan: Ah, so then you don’t trust us.
Adam: Yes, I do! But there are other people who trust me with their confidences, and I keep them. Even though they don’t deserve it, like the woman in this case! [He stalks out.]
Brennan: Okay, you know, what is with Adam and all of his secrets?
Shalimar: We all have secrets. In fact, I’ve been around when a few of yours have come back to bite you in the ass.
Brennan: But the difference is, I don’t ask any of you to get involved in anything without knowing what the downside is!
Jesse: Brennan, half of the people Adam uses as contacts don’t even officially exist. What’s the use of knowing who they are, you gonna send them a Christmas card?
Brennan: No! What I’m saying is, I would feel better knowing what the deal is before I walk into something.
Jesse: No, what you’re saying is that you can’t enjoy the ride if you’re not driving the bus.
Shalimar (laughing): Ouch.
Emma: It was strange. When he was talking about the person he was going to meet, I got a hit off his emotions about her.
Shalimar: And?
Emma: I don’t know, there was feelings of anger and betrayal and fear. But as strong as any of them, there was love.
[Adam drives up to Christina’s private headquarters and shuts off the external surveillence camera with his PDA. He slides an ID card into the electronic lock and enters the building, where Christina’s packing files into a carrying case. Hearing footsteps behind her, she whirls around, gun at the ready.]
Christina: What are you doing here?
Adam: I wanted to see where you worked.
Christina (dropping the gun): If you wanted to see where I worked, I could have sent you a picture. You have to go. I have to be somewhere.
Adam: Somewhere where Maddox can’t find you?
Christina: I should have known you’d have it all figured out by now.
Adam: Not everything. I need you to fill me in.
Christina: We know that’s not gonna happen.
Adam: You can’t just run away from another one of your messes.
Christina: Fortunately, I can.
Adam: Because you didn’t tell me what kind of a prisoner he was, one of my people almost got killed.
Christina: I didn’t think Maddox’s people were that good. That wasn’t supposed to happen.
Adam: Yeah, well it did. And because it did, I’m losing my team’s confidence.
Christina: You’ll survive, Adam. You always do.
Adam: So, I’m gonna guess that you’re the one who put Maddox away, right? So with him on the loose, I’d be looking for some help right now, if I were you. [Outside, the black truck pulls up next to Adam’s car.]
Christina: I can take care of myself.
Adam (grabbing her hand): Oh, I see. That’s why you're packing up and running away?
Christina: I have to go. We can talk about this later. [Pushing past him, she starts up the stairs.]
Adam: See, this is how our conversations always end. You run away, nothing gets resolved! [They both look up as the outer door slams. She hurries into the back room to watch Maddox, Asia, and Harris coming down the hallway on her surveillence screen.]
Asia (to Harris): Secure the door.
Christina (pulling out her gun): Damn.
Adam: Hey, what are you doing?
Christina: I’m gonna try and get us out of this. You got a problem with that?
Adam: You can’t shoot your way out. He’s too powerful.
Nick (walking along the balcony): You oughta listen to him, Christina. I know you’re down here. Why don’t you step out into the light where I can see you? [Christina rushes towards Nick, shooting.]
Adam: Christina! [He grabs her waist and pulls her back inside.]
Christina: What are you doing?!
Adam: Saving your life! [He seals the metal doors, just as Nick hurls two handfuls of fire daggers at them.]
Christina: I had him!
Adam: No, you didn’t! If I hadn’t pulled you in, we’d both be dead.
Nick (outside the doors, looking directly into the camera): Big mistake crossing me, Christina. You made me what I am. And then you tried to put me away ‘cause I did what came naturally. You can’t keep me out forever. I’ll get in there, and then I’ll take you apart piece by piece by piece. [He raises his hand and shoots a dagger at the camera.]
******Commercial Break********
[Christina restlessly paces around the small room.]
Christina: He killed the phone.
Adam: My comlink system isn’t working either. Are the walls lead-lined?
Christina: Yeah. Great. We’re stuck in here like rats in a trap. You should have let me shoot him.
Adam: If I hadn’t pulled you in here, he'd have cut you to pieces.
Christina: And what do you think’s gonna happen to us in here?
Adam: Well, we’ve got light. We’ve got ventilation. As long as the doors hold, I think we should be good for days.
Christina: And who’s gonna find us in that time, huh? If they’ve got this far, they’ve already taken out my backup.
Adam: Nah, my people will miss me, they’ll come looking.
Christina: Oh, so you told them where you were going? [Adam smiles, realizing she's right. Standing outside the doors, Nick calls Harris over.]
Nick: Get the drilling rig and the C-4 out of the car. I want this thing open.
Harris: That gear is supposed to be for the bank job!
Nick (menacingly): This is the job now. Get it.
[In Sanctuary's main room, Brennan holds the dummy bag for Shalimar to practice attacking it.]
Brennan: You always push yourself when your worried.
Shalimar: You know me pretty well, huh? [Brennan releases the dummy up to the ceiling; Shalimar flips up to the second floor railing.] I just don’t like it. I mean, Adam told me he was only gonna be gone a little while, but he’s already been gone more than four hours. And his comlink’s down and the GPS on his car is disabled.
Brennan: Well, maybe he shut them off. He was meeting his secret source.
Shalimar: Well, I’m not really worried about his secret source. I’m more worried that he might have run across Maddox. [She flies across the room and grabs the dummy, riding down to the ground with it.]
Brennan: He wouldn’t have gone after Maddox on his own.
Shalimar (picking up a towel): Yeah, well, he might not have had to. I’m guessing that the woman he went to see is probably the one who tried to put Maddox away.
Brennan: So you think she might be the first person Maddox may go looking for.
Shalimar: Well, it makes sense.
Jesse (coming in with Emma): If you ask me, Adam doesn’t want us there.
Shalimar: Look guys, I was the one who supported Adam’s right to privacy in the first place, but I mean, you know the procedure. When you’re on a mission, you call in every four hours. It’s Adam’s own rule.
Jesse: Yeah, it’s his rule, and if he wants to break it, it’s his call. For all we know, he’s at a movie.
Brennan: Shal is right, okay? He might not be in trouble, but what if trouble is headed for him?
Jesse: So we call out the calvary? Look, Adam’ll be pissed if we show up and he’s out on a hot date.
Emma: A hot date?
Jesse: Yeah, a hot date. He said it was a woman, you sensed those feelings...
Brennan: Yeah, I’m willing to take that chance. I don’t know about you guys. [Shalimar nods. Brennan turns to Jesse.] Okay, then check his personal terminal, see if there’s any communications left in the cache. [To Shalimar.] You check the police records see if anything’s turned up on his vehicle.
Jesse (rolling his eyes): Nice. Adam’s only gone a few hours and you’re giving out orders. [He heads off to Adam’s office.]
Brennan: Just do it, okay?
Shalimar (patting Brennan’s chest): Hey. It’s a good call.
Emma (skating up to Brennan): I’m worried about him.
Brennan: Yeah, I know. Me too.
[Christina sits on her upturned case as Adam examines the doors.]
Adam: You ever gonna tell me about Maddox?
Christina: He was an operative who went over the line.
Adam: I didn’t know your agency had a line.
Christina: Everyone has lines! Maddox was trained to carry out clandestine operations.
Adam: Assassinations. Why don’t you just say it?
Christina: Are you gonna let me speak? He forgot who he was working for. Without our knowing, he had set up his own organization to pursue his own goals.
Adam: Yeah, so he’s doing his dirty work instead of yours. I can see how your people would be unhappy about that.
Christina: Before you pick apart other people’s ethics, Adam, remember who it is who runs his own vigilante force. Or is that different because you’re so morally superior?
Adam: Mutant X protects people. You took an orphan kid and you put him into Genomex; you turned him into a high powered killer!
Christina: I knew there was no way to get you to do the work we needed. The rest of Genomex was open for business!
Adam: Right, so the whole time we were together, you used me to get to the people who would get you what you wanted.
Christina: It wasn’t like that.
Adam: No?
Christina: My superiors knew I was with you. I was given orders.
Adam: Oh, orders, right. The classic way to avoid responsibility.
Christina: You got what you needed. The people I set you up with helped finance your exit from Genomex. Without them, you’d never have been able to put Mutant X together. That seemed to be all you cared about back then.
Adam: Right, because I was trying to plug the leak in the dam ‘cause you and your people were busy making monsters like Maddox behind my back.
Christina: You had your mission, I had mine. Don’t blame me for us falling apart.
Adam (hearing Harris drilling outside): It’s started.
Asia (hugging Nick): A few more minutes, then you’ll get everything you came for.
Nick: How long?
Harris: Six bolts! Ten minutes per bolt, another two minutes to pack the explosives.
Adam (listening): And another minute to prime them. So we’ve got...78 minutes before he gets in here.
Christina: And I suppose that number has your usual level of accuracy?
Adam: There’s no room for error. Now we just have to figure out how to turn the tables.
Christina: Turn the tables? Are you crazy? You’re standing here analyzing door thickness and drill ratios like you really believe it’s gonna make a difference. You think our survival is something you can work out by the numbers?
Adam (pulling out his PDA): Why, are you so sure it isn’t?
Christina: See, that is the problem with you. You are so damned blinkered. You think that everything can be solved by science.
Adam: Well, I’ll take science over espionage any day of the week.
Christina: Oh, this coming from the man who sat at the center of the biggest scientific disaster the world has ever seen! [Adam looks up at her, hurt.] I’m sorry, Adam. I’m sorry, okay? I don’t know. It’s just everything with you is so clear-cut, so black and white. Good or evil.
Adam: Well, you know, maybe one of us has to know the difference.
Christina: Whether you want to admit it or not, it’s all about shades of grey.
Adam: I don’t want to get my head around a world like that. Where people, you know, pretend to be lovers. Where people warp the truth to get what they want.
Christina: You are still so pompous. It’s like you have a special relationship with the truth. It’s like you see it so clearly, but no one else has a clue. Well, I wouldn’t want to be on your team, Adam. Because with you, it’s not about teamwork. It’s about ego. And for all your idealism, it’s still a one-man show.
[Jesse’s searching through Adam’s computer logs when he calls Brennan over.]
Jesse: Oh, this is so weird. Come here, check it out. Check this out! [Brennan hands him some CDs.] Thanks.
Brennan: Yeah.
Jesse: Okay. Adam erased the cache memory on his computer, but he left a history file on one of the programs he was running.
Brennan: What program?
Jesse: Oh, it’s kind of a...a net tracking program. It looks as though he was hunting down somebody he was on a scrambled connection with.
Brennan: Does it show the results?
Jesse: No, but I have been reconstructing the search. It looks as if the transmission came from a insurance company server. The name of the insurance company? Chadway Insurance. [Shalimar comes in.]
Brennan: It’s a hell of a time to buy insurance.
Jesse: Yeah.
Brennan: Well, whoever Adam was trying to contact, routed their communication through a third party, so it’s a dead end anyway.
Jesse: Or not.
Brennan: You know, just move on!
Jesse: Look, I mean, maybe, maybe this server had its own transmission history. Maybe it’s what Adam broke into. Either way, I’m pretty sure that I can complete the search from there. Therefore, dead end, not!
Brennan: Whatever! Okay? Let’s just stop wasting time yapping about it and just do it! [He stalks off. Behind him, Jesse mimes choking him.]
Shalimar: Brennan.
Brennan: Yeah.
Shalimar: I know you feel like you have something to prove to Adam here, but --
Brennan: I don’t have anything to prove! I want to find him, plain and simple.
Shalimar: You can’t put the stress you’re feeling on the people who are trying to work with you. You want to take the lead on this one? You’ve got to show some confidence.
Brennan: Oh, what, so I have to keep everything all bottled up, like Adam does?
Shalimar: That’s the job, Brennan. That’s what he was trying to tell you.
Brennan: Yeah. [She goes back to Jesse.]
[An impatient Nick calls over to Harris, who is still drilling.]
Nick: How much longer?
Harris: Three more bolts! Then we blow. Maybe 45 minutes.
Nick: That’s too damn long. [Using the skylight's sunlight, Nick heats up the wall with his hands. Inside, Adam holds a piece of paper to the wall and watches it burst into flames.]
Christina: What is it?
Adam: He’s raising the heat. He’s trying to drive us out.
Christina: He couldn’t produce that much heat, could he?
Adam: Well, assuming that his powers are only limited by the amount of sunlight that he takes in, given room temperature of about 75 degrees, and if he raises it 5 degrees every 15 minutes...
Christina (wearily): Adam, the simple answer, yes or no?
Adam: Unless we figure a way outta here, he’s gonna cook us alive.
*******Commercial Break*******
[Emma and Brennan join Jesse at the computer.]
Jesse: Well, Adam’s car hasn’t turned up on a single police record for a 100 mile radius.
Emma (sitting down across from him): Yeah, I don’t like this. I mean, Adam is brilliant enough if he really wanted to cover his tracks, we may never find him.
Jesse: Yeah, serves him right for never trusting anybody.
Brennan: That’s enough!
Jesse: Excuse me? [To Emma.] Somebody here spent the entire morning in a screaming match with Adam about secrecy issues, right? Now who was that?
Brennan: Yeah, that was before I knew he was in trouble.
Jesse: Trouble. Yeah....right....you see, just so I know, have I changed my opinion, or are we still allowed to think for ourselves in this new regime?
Emma: Jesse, would you just cut him some slack?
Jesse: Why? Who was it that decided that Brennan’s suddenly in charge of this whole operation? And why does he think that I’m not gonna think for myself anymore?
Emma: Just because Adam is gone, doesn’t mean that we can lose focus. If we want to find him, we have to do this together. You know, someone here has to call the shots, and if you don’t have a real problem with it, I suggest that we listen to Brennan.
Jesse: Fine. We’ll see how it goes. [He turns back to the computer.] Oh, hey, Fearless Leader. Here’s something a little bit interesting.
Brennan: What’s that?
Jesse: I’ve been running some checks on that insurance company. You know, the one whose server routed Adam’s message?
Emma: Yeah, but that server’s just a front, right?
Jesse: Not necessarily. I think they exist, they’ve got an office downtown.
Brennan: So?
Jesse: Well, even though I know it’s a dead end...[He glares at Brennan.]...it’s kind of interesting. I can’t seem to find a single policy that this insurance company has underwritten.
Emma: Government?
Brennan: I don’t know. But whoever it is, it’s connected to the person who sent Adam on the mission to cover Maddox, so it’s worth a visit.
Jesse (smiling at Emma): He sounds so commanding when he says that, don’t you think? [He gets up, then turns.] Oh, is the, uh, ‘Fearless Leader’ working for you, sir?
Brennan: Well, you know, just ‘Sir’ would work out all right. [Jesse salutes him. Brennan laughs.] I'll go get the Helix ready.
[Nick shakes with effort as he works to heat up the room.]
Nick: Drill faster!
Harris: I can’t! We 'll burn the drill out, we’ll never get them out!
Nick: All I hear from you are excuses why I can’t get what I want! You shouldn’t be worried about the drill burning out. You should start worrying about your chances of getting out of here!
[Inside the room, Christina pulls off her shirt.]
Christina: Not much left to take off.
Adam: Well, if it gets any hotter, clothes won’t make a difference.
Christina: You’re supposed to be the smart one. Figure it out.
Adam: Oh, so now you’re willing to try the scientific approach?
Christina: I’m willing to try anything that will get me out of here in one piece. Preferably uncooked.
Adam: I have an idea, but it’s fairly radical. You trust me?
Christina: I don’t trust anyone.
Adam: This idea doesn’t have any gray areas, this is black and white. Live or die.
Christina: Just do it!
Adam: Okay. Stand over there. [He uses her metal case to knock the spigot off the water main, releasing a geyser of water into the room.]
Christina (yelling over the noise): What did you do that for?!
Adam: The water will cool us down!
Christina: Guess what? It’s also gonna drown us!
Adam: I’ve calculated the volume of the room and the volume of water from the pipe; under normal water pressure we’re gonna have enough air until he opens the door!
Christina: So he’ll kill us quick!
Adam: No, no, no! When he opens the door, he’s gonna get hit with about 4600 gallons of water! In the tidal wave, we’ll make a break for it!
Christina: That is crazy!
Adam: That’s right! But all we’ve got is crazy!
[Mutant X arrives at Chadway Insurance, but Shalimar slows as they approach the reception area.]
Shalimar: Something’s wrong. I smell blood. [She looks around with her feral vision.] People died here.
Jesse: Well, I guess Maddox took an interest in insurance too, huh?
Emma: I wonder why.
Brennan (picking up the receptionist's notebook): Looks like in terms of Adam, this just became a dead end. [Two armed guards run into the hallway; two more block them in from the other direction.]
Guard: Put your damn hands up where I can see them.
Jesse (to Brennan): Sir? Now might be a good time to say a little somethin’.
Brennan: Look, guys, we’re all on the same side.
Guard: Shut up. I wanna know who you work for.
Shalimar: We don’t work for anybody. We just came looking for our friend.
Guard: You killed five people to find him.
Emma: We didn’t kill anybody.
Guard: Maybe I’m not asking questions that you can understand. [He rushes at Emma, but Jesse quickly protects her with his massed body masses. Shalimar knocks a second guard to the ground, and Brennan takes out the last two with an electrical arc.]
Brennan (picking up Guard #1): Get up. Now you’re gonna answer some questions for us.
Guard: Not likely.
Brennan: Shut up and listen! We figure the guy that did this is called Maddox. [The guard looks scared.] Yeah, I thought that might mean something to you. We were assigned to cover his prison transfer and he almost killed me.
Guard: Look, I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Brennan: No?
Jesse: Well, the woman in charge of this supposed insurance agency set us up for that transfer.
Shalimar: Now Maddox is after her and we think he knows exactly where to find her.
Brennan (shaking the guard): Tell me something. Come on! Come on, tell me something!
Emma (shoving Brennan out of her way): Look, I know you’re not supposed to talk about this kind of information. But there’s a lot of feelings that might make you change your mind. [She shoots a psionic blast at his head.] Grief for your co-workers, concern for your boss’s safety. You know we can help you. So what was that address?
Guard (dazed): Don’t have an address. Just a phone number for her cell. 555-0187.
Emma (smiling): There. Now don’t you feel better? [She blasts him again, and he slumps to the floor.]
Jesse (to Emma as she walks by): Spooky.
Shalimar (patting his chest): Just be glad she’s on our side. [Jesse laughs. They leave.]
[Adam and Christina stand across the room from one another in waist-deep water.]
Christina: How full is this room gonna get before Maddox opens the door?
Adam: At a constant rate of drilling, we’ll have sufficient air.
Christina: Just for the record, what do you call sufficient?
Adam: Oh, about an inch.
Christina: Oh, great.
Adam: Well, we wouldn’t be in this situation if you and your team hadn’t done what you did to Maddox.
Christina: We used the technology that was available. Same thing you were doing. Same thing you’re still doing with Mutant X.
Adam: Yeah, except you used it to create a killer.
Christina: An operative. The killing is something that came to him naturally.
Adam: I’m sure that would make a difference to the families of his victims.
Christina: You can’t talk. You’re the man who created Gabriel Ashlocke.
Adam: I was trying to help him.
Christina: No, you were feeding your ego. You were so wrapped up in patents and new discoveries that you didn’t see what was going on around you.
Adam: Well, I certainly didn’t see what was going on with you. You know, it certainly took me long enough to realize what your so-called government job was all about.
Christina: You didn’t realize, I told you. And instead of working out something between us, you just ended it.
Adam: Well, what do you expect? You lied to me.
Christina: I didn’t lie. I just couldn’t tell you the truth. You know about secrets. About having things you can’t share with anyone else, especially those close to you.
Adam: All right, so we both had secrets, you know, maybe that’s why we...got along.
Christina: Got along? I loved you.
Adam: And what about you? Would you have left your agency to be with me?
Christina: We could have found a middle ground, Adam. That’s what people do. [The lights flicker and go out.] Oh, shoot.
Adam: It’s all right.
Christina: Do you really think we’re gonna make it out of this?
Adam: Yes, I do. I believe in the plan; I believe the calculations are right. As long as he keeps drilling, we’ll have enough air.
[Exhausted, Nick tires of heating up the wall and yells at Harris again.]
Nick: Enough! Open the damn door!
Harris: Lay off! I’m moving as fast as I can.
Nick: Brilliant. [He releases a fire dagger into Harris’s stomach. Harris looks at it in surprise, then collapses. Inside, Adam and Christina are floating near the top of the room with a foot of air space.]
Christina: Adam. You said the air would hold out as long as they didn’t stop drilling. I don’t hear a drill.
******Commercial Break********
[Flying in the Double Helix, Brennan and Jesse call Emma at Sanctuary via video link.]
Brennan: All right, so we got a cell phone number.
Emma: Well, that’s not a lot to go on.
Brennan: Yeah, is that number registered in the system right now?
Emma (searching on computer): No, it might be turned off.
Brennan: Or it’s not getting a signal like Adam’s comlink, which means we can’t track him.
Jesse: Hey, you know what? Maybe we can. When a cell phone is left on, it leaves a digital trail as it moves around from cell mode to cell mode.
Brennan: Emma, patch us into the Sanctuary system. Maybe Jesse can use that to locate the last node that number was registered on. [Emma patches them in.]
Jesse: Great, thanks, Emma, it’s coming up. We should be able to narrow it down to a couple block radius with that, and if Adam’s car is parked outside, we can zone in from there. Okay, the last place that cell phone was registered was across town in Forest Heights.
Brennan: It’s about time we caught a break here. Next stop, Forest Heights. [The boys fly off. Shalimar joins Emma at the computer.]
Shalimar: Hey.
Emma: Hey.
Shalimar: How’re you doing?
Emma: Good. Though I was beginning to wonder whether Brennan and Jesse were gonna get through this without killing each other.
Shalimar: Yeah, I guess I never really thought about that whole power struggle thing either.
Emma: Hm. Well, that’s probably a good thing. Means you’re not a control freak.
Shalimar (walking with her over to the couches): I guess. I mean, it’s just so strange being a part of a group. I just never really thought about running one, you know?
Emma: I thought all ferals had pack instincts.
Shalimar: Well, I don’t know what the psychology is, but, you know before Adam brought me in, I was a lone wolf the whole way.
Emma: You must have had friends as a kid.
Shalimar: I scared all my friends. I think it started when I made my ex-boyfriend eat his math textbook.
Emma: Yeah, that would probably do it. [They laugh.]
Shalimar: What about you? Any desire to be the queen of Mutant X?
Emma (shaking her head): No, I’m the same as you. I’m just so grateful that I have these four amazing people in my life now who aren’t scared of me. You know, leadership isn’t really an issue. I’m just glad you guys don’t all think I’m a freak.
Shalimar: Well, I think we’re all in the same boat there. You know, on that whole power thing, I think....I think it has more to do with testosterone than anything else. You know, I don’t think Jesse wants to boss anybody around, but Brennan, he goes all alpha male and Jesse just gets his back up.
Emma: That’s exactly what it felt like.
Shalimar: If Brennan didn’t want to run things, I think Jesse would step up and insist that he did.
Emma: You know, I don’t know what Jesse would do with himself if he wasn’t swimming against the current. If that makes any sense at all.
Shalimar: Honey, it makes as much sense as anything does around here.
[Asia removes Harris’s body as Nick runs the drill on the last bolt. Inside the room, Adam swims up to Christina and checks his watch.]
Adam: They only stopped drilling for two minutes. That shouldn’t throw off my calculations too much.
Christina: We’re gonna die in here, aren’t we?
Adam: No. No, ‘cause this isn’t how I pictured it.
Christina: How did you see your death?
Adam: Well, I always saw myself dying of old age. You know, with lots of friends and colleagues lined up to pay their respects. Of course, as it turns out, I don’t have any friends and colleagues. Except for Mutant X, and the way things are going, I’m not sure that they’d show up. How about you? Did you ever, uh, think about this?
Christina: Gun fight. Foreign agents. Car chase. Pipe bomb under the seat. Something a little more active.
Adam: Drowning in a vault, that’s pretty active.
Christina: Did you miss me, Adam?
Adam: Yeah, I missed you. Missed you every day. I used to think being angry with you would burn it out of me, but it hasn’t.
Christina: Is that why you kept in contact?
Adam: Yeah, maybe.
Christina: But you were too stubborn to say anything.
Adam (floating over to hold her hand): Yeah. And what about you, huh? I mean, did you ever think about what you might do different if you had to do it over again?
Christina: You can’t go back.
Adam: But what if you could?
Christina: I never would have hurt you. [He kisses her.]
[Asia looks up when Nick lowers the drill.]
Asia: Why’d you stop?
Nick: I’m done. That was the last bolt. I just have to pack the explosives and prime them. [He starts to pack explosive into the holes.] I’m coming for you Christina! I’m coming!
[Brennan and Jesse arrive in the woods outside the building, following their tracking device.]
Jesse: The cell node’s within a hundred feet of here.
Brennan: That’s Adam’s car right there.
Jesse: Now we’ve just gotta know where he went from there.
[Nick finishes priming the explosives and walks back to Asia.]
Nick: That’s it. Ready go blow. I have the moment, Chia. I just don’t want to rush it. A couple seconds from now, we’ll be face to face. A second after that, she’ll be dead. [He caresses Asia’s cheek.] I want to savor the moment. [He holds up the detonator; Asia raises her gun.]
[Near the doors, Adam and Christina float in each other’s arms.]
Christina: All that time to find each other.
Adam: Well, you know, timing was never our strong suit. [He looks at the doors.] You ready?
Nick: It’s time to die, Christina! [He activates the detonator. The doors explode open, and a huge tidal wave of water knocks Asia and Nick off their feet. Jesse and Brennan hear the explosion from the parking lot.]
Jesse: There! [They run into the building.]
******Commercial Break******
[Adam and Christina tumble out of the room on a wave of water. Asia reaches for her gun, but Christina knocks her unconscious. Adam grabs her around the waist.]
Adam: Come on. [Adam pulls her towards the door, but are stopped in their tracks by a slew of Nick's fire daggers.]
Nick: Not so fast, Christina. You put me in a hole for six months. Then you tried to put me away forever.
Christina: Did you think they were gonna just let you run wild?
Nick (eyes glowing red): Killing you will let them know not to try again.
Brennan (running in along): Maddox! [Nick hurls a handful of daggers at Brennan, but Jesse deflects them with his massed body. Nick turns back to Christina.]
Nick: I’m gonna finish what I came here to do.
Brennan (to Adam and Christina): Get outta the water, get outta the water! [Adam pulls Christina up out of the water, and Brennan shoots an electrical arc at the water Nick’s standing in, electrocuting him. Adam nods his thanks at Brennan and Jesse.]
Brennan (gesturing to them): Come on.
[Back at Sanctuary, Jesse’s sitting at the computer between Shalimar and Emma. Brennan emerges from his room.]
Jesse: No. I am not going to apologize.
Emma: Come on, Jess. Now’s your chance.
Jesse: No!
Shalimar: Jess.
Jesse: What?
Shalimar: Tell him.
Brennan (turning around): Tell me what?
Emma (shaking Jesse’s shoulder): Come on, Jess. You can do it. Just say the words.
Jesse (standing up, glaring at Shalimar): Okay! Okay. [To Brennan.] I thought you did okay as an interim leader. [Throwing up his hands, he sits back down.]
Shalimar (prompting him): And...?
Jesse (standing up again): And... I am sorry for giving you so much grief before. [He smirks.] Sort of. [He sits back down.]
Brennan (smiling): Thanks. That’s a real vote of confidence.... I think. [Shalimar and Emma hug Jesse, grinning. Brennan goes to find Adam in the lab.]
Brennan: Hey.
Adam: Hey.
Brennan: Ah. I want to apologize. I, uh, I realize now that you can’t always tell us everything.
Adam (smiling at him): Well, that’s funny, because I was just wondering how to apologize to the four of you. I think almost dying in that safe room put some things in perspective for me.
Brennan: Oh yeah? Is that because you were trapped, or who you were trapped with?
Adam: Maybe both. You did a good job holding things together while I was in there.
Brennan: Thank you very much. You know, I’m beginning to realize now how difficult leadership can be.
Adam: And I know it’s not easy working with me sometimes, not getting the whole picture. And I realized something about myself in there. Which is that sometimes I hold back so that I can be the only one who sees all the cards, so that I can stay in control.
Brennan: Well, you gotta do whatcha gotta do, right?
Adam: No, I’m saying that’s wrong. If you guys share in the danger, you should share the information.
Brennan: Glad you think that way, because now you can explain to me who Christina is.
Adam (laughing, shaking his head): Some things remain a mystery. Even to me.
Brennan: Yeah, well, thanks again, huh? [He pats Adam's back and leaves.]
[Back in his office, Adam calls Christina on his computer. Her blurred image appears on the screen.]
Christina: Adam?
Adam: Do we really need to scramble?
Christina (turning it off): What is it?
Adam: I was just thinking about some of the things we said.
Christina: We thought we were gonna die. People say things they don’t normally say.
Adam: Still, sometimes things need to be said.
Christina: We can’t just pick up where we left off. We’re still the same people we were when we went in there.
Adam: Are we?
Christina: You know where to find me. [She cuts off the connection. Adam smiles at the blank screen and sighs.]
Closing Credits.
Mutant X Episode #213 Transcript: " Within These Walls"
[Opening Scene: Brennan drives Shalimar down the highway in a bright red convertible, tailing a white prison van.]
Shalimar: You don’t want to get too close, huh?
Brennan: Hey, my ride. I’ll do the driving, all right?
Shalimar: Yeah well, you know what? Speaking of your ride, do you think you could have picked anything a little more conspicuous?
Brennan: Come on, if somebody’s gonna jack that prison truck, the last thing they’re gonna be expecting the backup to be driving is a vintage Cutlass, hm?
Shalimar: You know, that’s so dumb, it might actually be clever.
Brennan: I knew you’d eventually come around. [She laughs.]
[Inside the prison truck, a guard sits across from Nick Maddox, who is dressed in an orange jumpsuit, a leather hood over his head, and chains on his wrists.]
The Guard: Hey, Maddox. I hear that they’ve got a special place for you fixed up in the hole. Down so deep, you've gotta look up to see the bottom. [Nick doesn’t answer.] Think you’re so cool, huh? You got everybody shaking in their boots? Well, me, I don’t see what the big deal is. [Nick cocks his head, listening to the squealing tires of a black truck as it quickly cuts between Brennan and the prison van.]
Brennan: Nice driving.
Shalimar: Brennan, I don’t like the look of that. [A remote controlled device from the black truck's front fender attaches itself to the prison van's back door with a clang. Nick smiles.]
The Guard: What are you smiling at? I asked you a question, tough guy, huh? What’s so funny?
Nick: It’s a visual joke. Look out the back window. [When The Guard reaches the window, the device explodes, blowing the doors open and pitching him into the road. The van skids to a halt. Brennan and Shalimar run up just in time to see Harris and Asia emerge from the black truck. Harris forces them back with a hail of gunfire while Asia rescues Nick from his mask. Drawing power from the sun, Nick's eyes glow red and four daggers of fire extend from his fingertips.] Now that’s more like it.
Brennan (cowering behind a car): You know, this guy’s getting on my nerves. Should we kick some ass?
Shalimar: Let’s do it. [Brennan topples Harris with an electrical arc, allowing Shalimar to kick his gun away and knock him unconscious. Holding hands, Nick and Asia come out of the van.]
Nick: Friends, I don’t know who you are, but you just took on the wrong fight. [He launches four fire daggers out of his fingertips, one of which hits Brennan in the arm. He and Shalimar duck back behind the car.]
Shalimar: Hey, are you okay?
Brennan: Yeah. Don’t worry about me. We’ve gotta take this guy out. [Shalimar searches for Nick, but the black truck has taken off.]
Shalimar: Who was that guy?
Brennan: I don’t know. Another couple of inches, he would’ve been the guy that killed me.
Opening Credits. “Within These Walls”
[In Sanctuary's lab, Adam holds a healing laser to Brennan's burn.]
Adam: Believe it or not, this could have been a lot worse.
Brennan: Ow! Yeah, easy for you to say.
Adam: Well, whatever he hit you with, it cauterized the wound as it went through, you know? some sort of energy source, like a concentrated heat.
Brennan: Well, why didn’t you tell me the person we were covering was a mutant?
Adam: I didn’t know. I thought it was a simple transfer.
Brennan (putting on his shirt): Okay, so the person that brought us in was probably setting us up.
Adam: No, I don’t think so. At least, I don’t want to believe that that’s the case.
Brennan: Okay, you know what? You go ahead and think good thoughts. See, I’m having a hard time doing that, considering I’m the one with the hole in his arm.
Adam: I just don’t want to jump to conclusions, you know, I was asked to get involved in this job because your special abilities were required to handle it. And beyond that, my source required secrecy for certain aspects of the mission.
Brennan: Okay, so someone else’s need for secrecy almost got me killed?
Adam: Well, and there are levels to all this. I don’t even know if my source knew who was in the van.
Brennan: Okay, fine! So now we know, some psychotic mutant killer! You know, Adam, I feel like I’m owed an explanation for this, don’t you?
Adam: Well, I didn’t say I don’t think we’re owed an explanation. I intend to get one.
Brennan: Yeah, which you may not be able to share with me considering it’s need to know. I mean, is it just me or is there something wrong with this picture?
Adam: Okay, so what is it you’re trying to say?
Brennan: Adam, when we go into a situation, we deserve to have some knowledge of the risk. Especially if you’re the one that’s sending us in, then you have a responsibility to tell us!
Adam: Don’t lecture me about my responsibilities, okay? I’m sorry you got hurt. I intend to find out why certain information was withheld from us. But there are decisions that I make and will continue to make that are made for my reasons and at my discretion.
Brennan: Okay, so do it because I said so. Ah, you know what? That, that sounds an awful lot like the reasoning my stepfather used to use. [He stomps out. Adam sighs.]
[Jesse’s searching one of the main room computers as Emma glides around him on roller skates, listening to disco music over her headphones.]
Jesse: Hey, check this out.
Emma: What did you find?
Jesse (spinning in his chair to follow her): I searched both ours and Genomex’s mutant databases, and there is nothing in the record of anybody having the kind of powers the guy in the prison truck had. Could you stop that? Hey. [He grabs her wrist, pulling her to a stop. She turns off the music.] But there is a whole other section of files that documents Genomex’s treatment of people who showed no signs of mutation at all. And that’s where I got lucky. [He pulls up Nick’s profile.] His name is Nick Maddox. He was sent to Genomex for six months ten years ago.
Emma: He was sick?
Jesse: He was supposed to be tested for a hereditary liver problem. But he was never scheduled for a biopsy and there’s not even a suggestion of treatment for that condition.
Emma: So what is on his record?
Jesse: Not much. Except that he was assigned to section 77 for routine observation.
Emma: There’s nothing routine about section 77.
Jesse: Hmm.
Emma: And there’s no way someone would be held for six months of observation with no record of treatment. Okay, does it say who paid for his treatment at Genomex? Maybe we can track him down through his parents.
Jesse: That’s the other thing. There’s no record of who paid for his treatment.
Emma: Meaning it was someone or some organization with something to hide.
Jesse: Yeah. It also means that he might not be the only one. There may be a whole slew of mutants that Genomex created that we know nothing about.
Emma: Well, that’s a comforting thought.
[In the privacy of his office, Adam waits for his contact's fuzzy image to appear on his computer screen.]
Christina: What is it, Adam?
Adam: You know what it is. You must have heard what happened.
Christina: I’ve heard. Other arrangements are being made.
Adam: That’s not good enough. I want to know what’s going on.
Christina: You know better than to ask.
Adam: I want to see you.
Christina: No meetings. Your idea, remember?
Adam: Yeah, but that was before you almost got one of my people killed.
Christina: I’m sorry Adam. Your request is denied. [She cuts the connection.]
Adam: Nah, you’re not getting away that easily. [He types a series of commands into the computer.]
[Meanwhile, the black truck drives up to a nondescript office building labeled 3900. Harris stops Nick as they get out.]
Harris: We could have been 500 miles away from here by now. Why are we doing this?
Nick: Unfinished business.
Harris: Yeah, well we’ve got a bank job waiting for us. That’s fresh business, paying business. We don’t got time for this!
Nick (grabbing him by the shirt): There’s always time for revenge. [Nick lets him go, and they all enter the building together.]
The Receptionist: Can I help you?
Nick (removing his sunglasses): I want to see her. Why don’t you just save us both some trouble and just tell me where she is?
The Receptionist: I’m not sure who you’re talking about, but if you would like an insurance quote, I could call an agent. [Nick looks at Asia, who grabs The Receptionist by the collar and pulls her out of her chair.]
Nick: Maybe I didn’t introduce myself properly. See, I used to be one of the “insurance agents” around here, so I know how this works. I figure you’ve already called for backup. Is this the case? [Two armed guards appear in the hallway. Nick releases fire daggers at them, and they slump to the ground. He holds a fire dagger up to The Receptionist’s face.] Now, somebody’s gonna tell me where I can find Christina. ‘Cause otherwise the bodies are really gonna start piling up around here. [He smiles.]
[Brennan, Shalimar and Emma (still in her skates) are sitting in Sancutary's lounge when Adam emerges from his office, his coat slung over his shoulder.]
Emma: Hey! Adam. So, we haven’t been able to find anything else on Maddox. No friends, no family, no known associates.
Adam: Well, there wouldn’t be. From the time they put him into Genomex, he would have ceased to exist.
Shalimar: Where are you going?
Adam: To try to find some information.
Brennan (getting up): Wait, hold it. So what are you doing, going off on your own agenda again and leave us all in the dark?
Adam: I just don’t want to have this conversation; we’ve been through this already.
Brennan: Yeah, but we haven’t settled anything. If where you’re going has something to do with Maddox, then we all have a right to know about it! [Hearing the ruckus, Jesse comes out of his room.]
Adam: And when the burden of leadership falls on your shoulders, maybe you’ll come to understand that there are some decisions that you cannot make by committee and there is some information that has to stay private.
Brennan: Ah, so then you don’t trust us.
Adam: Yes, I do! But there are other people who trust me with their confidences, and I keep them. Even though they don’t deserve it, like the woman in this case! [He stalks out.]
Brennan: Okay, you know, what is with Adam and all of his secrets?
Shalimar: We all have secrets. In fact, I’ve been around when a few of yours have come back to bite you in the ass.
Brennan: But the difference is, I don’t ask any of you to get involved in anything without knowing what the downside is!
Jesse: Brennan, half of the people Adam uses as contacts don’t even officially exist. What’s the use of knowing who they are, you gonna send them a Christmas card?
Brennan: No! What I’m saying is, I would feel better knowing what the deal is before I walk into something.
Jesse: No, what you’re saying is that you can’t enjoy the ride if you’re not driving the bus.
Shalimar (laughing): Ouch.
Emma: It was strange. When he was talking about the person he was going to meet, I got a hit off his emotions about her.
Shalimar: And?
Emma: I don’t know, there was feelings of anger and betrayal and fear. But as strong as any of them, there was love.
[Adam drives up to Christina’s private headquarters and shuts off the external surveillence camera with his PDA. He slides an ID card into the electronic lock and enters the building, where Christina’s packing files into a carrying case. Hearing footsteps behind her, she whirls around, gun at the ready.]
Christina: What are you doing here?
Adam: I wanted to see where you worked.
Christina (dropping the gun): If you wanted to see where I worked, I could have sent you a picture. You have to go. I have to be somewhere.
Adam: Somewhere where Maddox can’t find you?
Christina: I should have known you’d have it all figured out by now.
Adam: Not everything. I need you to fill me in.
Christina: We know that’s not gonna happen.
Adam: You can’t just run away from another one of your messes.
Christina: Fortunately, I can.
Adam: Because you didn’t tell me what kind of a prisoner he was, one of my people almost got killed.
Christina: I didn’t think Maddox’s people were that good. That wasn’t supposed to happen.
Adam: Yeah, well it did. And because it did, I’m losing my team’s confidence.
Christina: You’ll survive, Adam. You always do.
Adam: So, I’m gonna guess that you’re the one who put Maddox away, right? So with him on the loose, I’d be looking for some help right now, if I were you. [Outside, the black truck pulls up next to Adam’s car.]
Christina: I can take care of myself.
Adam (grabbing her hand): Oh, I see. That’s why you're packing up and running away?
Christina: I have to go. We can talk about this later. [Pushing past him, she starts up the stairs.]
Adam: See, this is how our conversations always end. You run away, nothing gets resolved! [They both look up as the outer door slams. She hurries into the back room to watch Maddox, Asia, and Harris coming down the hallway on her surveillence screen.]
Asia (to Harris): Secure the door.
Christina (pulling out her gun): Damn.
Adam: Hey, what are you doing?
Christina: I’m gonna try and get us out of this. You got a problem with that?
Adam: You can’t shoot your way out. He’s too powerful.
Nick (walking along the balcony): You oughta listen to him, Christina. I know you’re down here. Why don’t you step out into the light where I can see you? [Christina rushes towards Nick, shooting.]
Adam: Christina! [He grabs her waist and pulls her back inside.]
Christina: What are you doing?!
Adam: Saving your life! [He seals the metal doors, just as Nick hurls two handfuls of fire daggers at them.]
Christina: I had him!
Adam: No, you didn’t! If I hadn’t pulled you in, we’d both be dead.
Nick (outside the doors, looking directly into the camera): Big mistake crossing me, Christina. You made me what I am. And then you tried to put me away ‘cause I did what came naturally. You can’t keep me out forever. I’ll get in there, and then I’ll take you apart piece by piece by piece. [He raises his hand and shoots a dagger at the camera.]
******Commercial Break********
[Christina restlessly paces around the small room.]
Christina: He killed the phone.
Adam: My comlink system isn’t working either. Are the walls lead-lined?
Christina: Yeah. Great. We’re stuck in here like rats in a trap. You should have let me shoot him.
Adam: If I hadn’t pulled you in here, he'd have cut you to pieces.
Christina: And what do you think’s gonna happen to us in here?
Adam: Well, we’ve got light. We’ve got ventilation. As long as the doors hold, I think we should be good for days.
Christina: And who’s gonna find us in that time, huh? If they’ve got this far, they’ve already taken out my backup.
Adam: Nah, my people will miss me, they’ll come looking.
Christina: Oh, so you told them where you were going? [Adam smiles, realizing she's right. Standing outside the doors, Nick calls Harris over.]
Nick: Get the drilling rig and the C-4 out of the car. I want this thing open.
Harris: That gear is supposed to be for the bank job!
Nick (menacingly): This is the job now. Get it.
[In Sanctuary's main room, Brennan holds the dummy bag for Shalimar to practice attacking it.]
Brennan: You always push yourself when your worried.
Shalimar: You know me pretty well, huh? [Brennan releases the dummy up to the ceiling; Shalimar flips up to the second floor railing.] I just don’t like it. I mean, Adam told me he was only gonna be gone a little while, but he’s already been gone more than four hours. And his comlink’s down and the GPS on his car is disabled.
Brennan: Well, maybe he shut them off. He was meeting his secret source.
Shalimar: Well, I’m not really worried about his secret source. I’m more worried that he might have run across Maddox. [She flies across the room and grabs the dummy, riding down to the ground with it.]
Brennan: He wouldn’t have gone after Maddox on his own.
Shalimar (picking up a towel): Yeah, well, he might not have had to. I’m guessing that the woman he went to see is probably the one who tried to put Maddox away.
Brennan: So you think she might be the first person Maddox may go looking for.
Shalimar: Well, it makes sense.
Jesse (coming in with Emma): If you ask me, Adam doesn’t want us there.
Shalimar: Look guys, I was the one who supported Adam’s right to privacy in the first place, but I mean, you know the procedure. When you’re on a mission, you call in every four hours. It’s Adam’s own rule.
Jesse: Yeah, it’s his rule, and if he wants to break it, it’s his call. For all we know, he’s at a movie.
Brennan: Shal is right, okay? He might not be in trouble, but what if trouble is headed for him?
Jesse: So we call out the calvary? Look, Adam’ll be pissed if we show up and he’s out on a hot date.
Emma: A hot date?
Jesse: Yeah, a hot date. He said it was a woman, you sensed those feelings...
Brennan: Yeah, I’m willing to take that chance. I don’t know about you guys. [Shalimar nods. Brennan turns to Jesse.] Okay, then check his personal terminal, see if there’s any communications left in the cache. [To Shalimar.] You check the police records see if anything’s turned up on his vehicle.
Jesse (rolling his eyes): Nice. Adam’s only gone a few hours and you’re giving out orders. [He heads off to Adam’s office.]
Brennan: Just do it, okay?
Shalimar (patting Brennan’s chest): Hey. It’s a good call.
Emma (skating up to Brennan): I’m worried about him.
Brennan: Yeah, I know. Me too.
[Christina sits on her upturned case as Adam examines the doors.]
Adam: You ever gonna tell me about Maddox?
Christina: He was an operative who went over the line.
Adam: I didn’t know your agency had a line.
Christina: Everyone has lines! Maddox was trained to carry out clandestine operations.
Adam: Assassinations. Why don’t you just say it?
Christina: Are you gonna let me speak? He forgot who he was working for. Without our knowing, he had set up his own organization to pursue his own goals.
Adam: Yeah, so he’s doing his dirty work instead of yours. I can see how your people would be unhappy about that.
Christina: Before you pick apart other people’s ethics, Adam, remember who it is who runs his own vigilante force. Or is that different because you’re so morally superior?
Adam: Mutant X protects people. You took an orphan kid and you put him into Genomex; you turned him into a high powered killer!
Christina: I knew there was no way to get you to do the work we needed. The rest of Genomex was open for business!
Adam: Right, so the whole time we were together, you used me to get to the people who would get you what you wanted.
Christina: It wasn’t like that.
Adam: No?
Christina: My superiors knew I was with you. I was given orders.
Adam: Oh, orders, right. The classic way to avoid responsibility.
Christina: You got what you needed. The people I set you up with helped finance your exit from Genomex. Without them, you’d never have been able to put Mutant X together. That seemed to be all you cared about back then.
Adam: Right, because I was trying to plug the leak in the dam ‘cause you and your people were busy making monsters like Maddox behind my back.
Christina: You had your mission, I had mine. Don’t blame me for us falling apart.
Adam (hearing Harris drilling outside): It’s started.
Asia (hugging Nick): A few more minutes, then you’ll get everything you came for.
Nick: How long?
Harris: Six bolts! Ten minutes per bolt, another two minutes to pack the explosives.
Adam (listening): And another minute to prime them. So we’ve got...78 minutes before he gets in here.
Christina: And I suppose that number has your usual level of accuracy?
Adam: There’s no room for error. Now we just have to figure out how to turn the tables.
Christina: Turn the tables? Are you crazy? You’re standing here analyzing door thickness and drill ratios like you really believe it’s gonna make a difference. You think our survival is something you can work out by the numbers?
Adam (pulling out his PDA): Why, are you so sure it isn’t?
Christina: See, that is the problem with you. You are so damned blinkered. You think that everything can be solved by science.
Adam: Well, I’ll take science over espionage any day of the week.
Christina: Oh, this coming from the man who sat at the center of the biggest scientific disaster the world has ever seen! [Adam looks up at her, hurt.] I’m sorry, Adam. I’m sorry, okay? I don’t know. It’s just everything with you is so clear-cut, so black and white. Good or evil.
Adam: Well, you know, maybe one of us has to know the difference.
Christina: Whether you want to admit it or not, it’s all about shades of grey.
Adam: I don’t want to get my head around a world like that. Where people, you know, pretend to be lovers. Where people warp the truth to get what they want.
Christina: You are still so pompous. It’s like you have a special relationship with the truth. It’s like you see it so clearly, but no one else has a clue. Well, I wouldn’t want to be on your team, Adam. Because with you, it’s not about teamwork. It’s about ego. And for all your idealism, it’s still a one-man show.
[Jesse’s searching through Adam’s computer logs when he calls Brennan over.]
Jesse: Oh, this is so weird. Come here, check it out. Check this out! [Brennan hands him some CDs.] Thanks.
Brennan: Yeah.
Jesse: Okay. Adam erased the cache memory on his computer, but he left a history file on one of the programs he was running.
Brennan: What program?
Jesse: Oh, it’s kind of a...a net tracking program. It looks as though he was hunting down somebody he was on a scrambled connection with.
Brennan: Does it show the results?
Jesse: No, but I have been reconstructing the search. It looks as if the transmission came from a insurance company server. The name of the insurance company? Chadway Insurance. [Shalimar comes in.]
Brennan: It’s a hell of a time to buy insurance.
Jesse: Yeah.
Brennan: Well, whoever Adam was trying to contact, routed their communication through a third party, so it’s a dead end anyway.
Jesse: Or not.
Brennan: You know, just move on!
Jesse: Look, I mean, maybe, maybe this server had its own transmission history. Maybe it’s what Adam broke into. Either way, I’m pretty sure that I can complete the search from there. Therefore, dead end, not!
Brennan: Whatever! Okay? Let’s just stop wasting time yapping about it and just do it! [He stalks off. Behind him, Jesse mimes choking him.]
Shalimar: Brennan.
Brennan: Yeah.
Shalimar: I know you feel like you have something to prove to Adam here, but --
Brennan: I don’t have anything to prove! I want to find him, plain and simple.
Shalimar: You can’t put the stress you’re feeling on the people who are trying to work with you. You want to take the lead on this one? You’ve got to show some confidence.
Brennan: Oh, what, so I have to keep everything all bottled up, like Adam does?
Shalimar: That’s the job, Brennan. That’s what he was trying to tell you.
Brennan: Yeah. [She goes back to Jesse.]
[An impatient Nick calls over to Harris, who is still drilling.]
Nick: How much longer?
Harris: Three more bolts! Then we blow. Maybe 45 minutes.
Nick: That’s too damn long. [Using the skylight's sunlight, Nick heats up the wall with his hands. Inside, Adam holds a piece of paper to the wall and watches it burst into flames.]
Christina: What is it?
Adam: He’s raising the heat. He’s trying to drive us out.
Christina: He couldn’t produce that much heat, could he?
Adam: Well, assuming that his powers are only limited by the amount of sunlight that he takes in, given room temperature of about 75 degrees, and if he raises it 5 degrees every 15 minutes...
Christina (wearily): Adam, the simple answer, yes or no?
Adam: Unless we figure a way outta here, he’s gonna cook us alive.
*******Commercial Break*******
[Emma and Brennan join Jesse at the computer.]
Jesse: Well, Adam’s car hasn’t turned up on a single police record for a 100 mile radius.
Emma (sitting down across from him): Yeah, I don’t like this. I mean, Adam is brilliant enough if he really wanted to cover his tracks, we may never find him.
Jesse: Yeah, serves him right for never trusting anybody.
Brennan: That’s enough!
Jesse: Excuse me? [To Emma.] Somebody here spent the entire morning in a screaming match with Adam about secrecy issues, right? Now who was that?
Brennan: Yeah, that was before I knew he was in trouble.
Jesse: Trouble. Yeah....right....you see, just so I know, have I changed my opinion, or are we still allowed to think for ourselves in this new regime?
Emma: Jesse, would you just cut him some slack?
Jesse: Why? Who was it that decided that Brennan’s suddenly in charge of this whole operation? And why does he think that I’m not gonna think for myself anymore?
Emma: Just because Adam is gone, doesn’t mean that we can lose focus. If we want to find him, we have to do this together. You know, someone here has to call the shots, and if you don’t have a real problem with it, I suggest that we listen to Brennan.
Jesse: Fine. We’ll see how it goes. [He turns back to the computer.] Oh, hey, Fearless Leader. Here’s something a little bit interesting.
Brennan: What’s that?
Jesse: I’ve been running some checks on that insurance company. You know, the one whose server routed Adam’s message?
Emma: Yeah, but that server’s just a front, right?
Jesse: Not necessarily. I think they exist, they’ve got an office downtown.
Brennan: So?
Jesse: Well, even though I know it’s a dead end...[He glares at Brennan.]...it’s kind of interesting. I can’t seem to find a single policy that this insurance company has underwritten.
Emma: Government?
Brennan: I don’t know. But whoever it is, it’s connected to the person who sent Adam on the mission to cover Maddox, so it’s worth a visit.
Jesse (smiling at Emma): He sounds so commanding when he says that, don’t you think? [He gets up, then turns.] Oh, is the, uh, ‘Fearless Leader’ working for you, sir?
Brennan: Well, you know, just ‘Sir’ would work out all right. [Jesse salutes him. Brennan laughs.] I'll go get the Helix ready.
[Nick shakes with effort as he works to heat up the room.]
Nick: Drill faster!
Harris: I can’t! We 'll burn the drill out, we’ll never get them out!
Nick: All I hear from you are excuses why I can’t get what I want! You shouldn’t be worried about the drill burning out. You should start worrying about your chances of getting out of here!
[Inside the room, Christina pulls off her shirt.]
Christina: Not much left to take off.
Adam: Well, if it gets any hotter, clothes won’t make a difference.
Christina: You’re supposed to be the smart one. Figure it out.
Adam: Oh, so now you’re willing to try the scientific approach?
Christina: I’m willing to try anything that will get me out of here in one piece. Preferably uncooked.
Adam: I have an idea, but it’s fairly radical. You trust me?
Christina: I don’t trust anyone.
Adam: This idea doesn’t have any gray areas, this is black and white. Live or die.
Christina: Just do it!
Adam: Okay. Stand over there. [He uses her metal case to knock the spigot off the water main, releasing a geyser of water into the room.]
Christina (yelling over the noise): What did you do that for?!
Adam: The water will cool us down!
Christina: Guess what? It’s also gonna drown us!
Adam: I’ve calculated the volume of the room and the volume of water from the pipe; under normal water pressure we’re gonna have enough air until he opens the door!
Christina: So he’ll kill us quick!
Adam: No, no, no! When he opens the door, he’s gonna get hit with about 4600 gallons of water! In the tidal wave, we’ll make a break for it!
Christina: That is crazy!
Adam: That’s right! But all we’ve got is crazy!
[Mutant X arrives at Chadway Insurance, but Shalimar slows as they approach the reception area.]
Shalimar: Something’s wrong. I smell blood. [She looks around with her feral vision.] People died here.
Jesse: Well, I guess Maddox took an interest in insurance too, huh?
Emma: I wonder why.
Brennan (picking up the receptionist's notebook): Looks like in terms of Adam, this just became a dead end. [Two armed guards run into the hallway; two more block them in from the other direction.]
Guard: Put your damn hands up where I can see them.
Jesse (to Brennan): Sir? Now might be a good time to say a little somethin’.
Brennan: Look, guys, we’re all on the same side.
Guard: Shut up. I wanna know who you work for.
Shalimar: We don’t work for anybody. We just came looking for our friend.
Guard: You killed five people to find him.
Emma: We didn’t kill anybody.
Guard: Maybe I’m not asking questions that you can understand. [He rushes at Emma, but Jesse quickly protects her with his massed body masses. Shalimar knocks a second guard to the ground, and Brennan takes out the last two with an electrical arc.]
Brennan (picking up Guard #1): Get up. Now you’re gonna answer some questions for us.
Guard: Not likely.
Brennan: Shut up and listen! We figure the guy that did this is called Maddox. [The guard looks scared.] Yeah, I thought that might mean something to you. We were assigned to cover his prison transfer and he almost killed me.
Guard: Look, I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Brennan: No?
Jesse: Well, the woman in charge of this supposed insurance agency set us up for that transfer.
Shalimar: Now Maddox is after her and we think he knows exactly where to find her.
Brennan (shaking the guard): Tell me something. Come on! Come on, tell me something!
Emma (shoving Brennan out of her way): Look, I know you’re not supposed to talk about this kind of information. But there’s a lot of feelings that might make you change your mind. [She shoots a psionic blast at his head.] Grief for your co-workers, concern for your boss’s safety. You know we can help you. So what was that address?
Guard (dazed): Don’t have an address. Just a phone number for her cell. 555-0187.
Emma (smiling): There. Now don’t you feel better? [She blasts him again, and he slumps to the floor.]
Jesse (to Emma as she walks by): Spooky.
Shalimar (patting his chest): Just be glad she’s on our side. [Jesse laughs. They leave.]
[Adam and Christina stand across the room from one another in waist-deep water.]
Christina: How full is this room gonna get before Maddox opens the door?
Adam: At a constant rate of drilling, we’ll have sufficient air.
Christina: Just for the record, what do you call sufficient?
Adam: Oh, about an inch.
Christina: Oh, great.
Adam: Well, we wouldn’t be in this situation if you and your team hadn’t done what you did to Maddox.
Christina: We used the technology that was available. Same thing you were doing. Same thing you’re still doing with Mutant X.
Adam: Yeah, except you used it to create a killer.
Christina: An operative. The killing is something that came to him naturally.
Adam: I’m sure that would make a difference to the families of his victims.
Christina: You can’t talk. You’re the man who created Gabriel Ashlocke.
Adam: I was trying to help him.
Christina: No, you were feeding your ego. You were so wrapped up in patents and new discoveries that you didn’t see what was going on around you.
Adam: Well, I certainly didn’t see what was going on with you. You know, it certainly took me long enough to realize what your so-called government job was all about.
Christina: You didn’t realize, I told you. And instead of working out something between us, you just ended it.
Adam: Well, what do you expect? You lied to me.
Christina: I didn’t lie. I just couldn’t tell you the truth. You know about secrets. About having things you can’t share with anyone else, especially those close to you.
Adam: All right, so we both had secrets, you know, maybe that’s why we...got along.
Christina: Got along? I loved you.
Adam: And what about you? Would you have left your agency to be with me?
Christina: We could have found a middle ground, Adam. That’s what people do. [The lights flicker and go out.] Oh, shoot.
Adam: It’s all right.
Christina: Do you really think we’re gonna make it out of this?
Adam: Yes, I do. I believe in the plan; I believe the calculations are right. As long as he keeps drilling, we’ll have enough air.
[Exhausted, Nick tires of heating up the wall and yells at Harris again.]
Nick: Enough! Open the damn door!
Harris: Lay off! I’m moving as fast as I can.
Nick: Brilliant. [He releases a fire dagger into Harris’s stomach. Harris looks at it in surprise, then collapses. Inside, Adam and Christina are floating near the top of the room with a foot of air space.]
Christina: Adam. You said the air would hold out as long as they didn’t stop drilling. I don’t hear a drill.
******Commercial Break********
[Flying in the Double Helix, Brennan and Jesse call Emma at Sanctuary via video link.]
Brennan: All right, so we got a cell phone number.
Emma: Well, that’s not a lot to go on.
Brennan: Yeah, is that number registered in the system right now?
Emma (searching on computer): No, it might be turned off.
Brennan: Or it’s not getting a signal like Adam’s comlink, which means we can’t track him.
Jesse: Hey, you know what? Maybe we can. When a cell phone is left on, it leaves a digital trail as it moves around from cell mode to cell mode.
Brennan: Emma, patch us into the Sanctuary system. Maybe Jesse can use that to locate the last node that number was registered on. [Emma patches them in.]
Jesse: Great, thanks, Emma, it’s coming up. We should be able to narrow it down to a couple block radius with that, and if Adam’s car is parked outside, we can zone in from there. Okay, the last place that cell phone was registered was across town in Forest Heights.
Brennan: It’s about time we caught a break here. Next stop, Forest Heights. [The boys fly off. Shalimar joins Emma at the computer.]
Shalimar: Hey.
Emma: Hey.
Shalimar: How’re you doing?
Emma: Good. Though I was beginning to wonder whether Brennan and Jesse were gonna get through this without killing each other.
Shalimar: Yeah, I guess I never really thought about that whole power struggle thing either.
Emma: Hm. Well, that’s probably a good thing. Means you’re not a control freak.
Shalimar (walking with her over to the couches): I guess. I mean, it’s just so strange being a part of a group. I just never really thought about running one, you know?
Emma: I thought all ferals had pack instincts.
Shalimar: Well, I don’t know what the psychology is, but, you know before Adam brought me in, I was a lone wolf the whole way.
Emma: You must have had friends as a kid.
Shalimar: I scared all my friends. I think it started when I made my ex-boyfriend eat his math textbook.
Emma: Yeah, that would probably do it. [They laugh.]
Shalimar: What about you? Any desire to be the queen of Mutant X?
Emma (shaking her head): No, I’m the same as you. I’m just so grateful that I have these four amazing people in my life now who aren’t scared of me. You know, leadership isn’t really an issue. I’m just glad you guys don’t all think I’m a freak.
Shalimar: Well, I think we’re all in the same boat there. You know, on that whole power thing, I think....I think it has more to do with testosterone than anything else. You know, I don’t think Jesse wants to boss anybody around, but Brennan, he goes all alpha male and Jesse just gets his back up.
Emma: That’s exactly what it felt like.
Shalimar: If Brennan didn’t want to run things, I think Jesse would step up and insist that he did.
Emma: You know, I don’t know what Jesse would do with himself if he wasn’t swimming against the current. If that makes any sense at all.
Shalimar: Honey, it makes as much sense as anything does around here.
[Asia removes Harris’s body as Nick runs the drill on the last bolt. Inside the room, Adam swims up to Christina and checks his watch.]
Adam: They only stopped drilling for two minutes. That shouldn’t throw off my calculations too much.
Christina: We’re gonna die in here, aren’t we?
Adam: No. No, ‘cause this isn’t how I pictured it.
Christina: How did you see your death?
Adam: Well, I always saw myself dying of old age. You know, with lots of friends and colleagues lined up to pay their respects. Of course, as it turns out, I don’t have any friends and colleagues. Except for Mutant X, and the way things are going, I’m not sure that they’d show up. How about you? Did you ever, uh, think about this?
Christina: Gun fight. Foreign agents. Car chase. Pipe bomb under the seat. Something a little more active.
Adam: Drowning in a vault, that’s pretty active.
Christina: Did you miss me, Adam?
Adam: Yeah, I missed you. Missed you every day. I used to think being angry with you would burn it out of me, but it hasn’t.
Christina: Is that why you kept in contact?
Adam: Yeah, maybe.
Christina: But you were too stubborn to say anything.
Adam (floating over to hold her hand): Yeah. And what about you, huh? I mean, did you ever think about what you might do different if you had to do it over again?
Christina: You can’t go back.
Adam: But what if you could?
Christina: I never would have hurt you. [He kisses her.]
[Asia looks up when Nick lowers the drill.]
Asia: Why’d you stop?
Nick: I’m done. That was the last bolt. I just have to pack the explosives and prime them. [He starts to pack explosive into the holes.] I’m coming for you Christina! I’m coming!
[Brennan and Jesse arrive in the woods outside the building, following their tracking device.]
Jesse: The cell node’s within a hundred feet of here.
Brennan: That’s Adam’s car right there.
Jesse: Now we’ve just gotta know where he went from there.
[Nick finishes priming the explosives and walks back to Asia.]
Nick: That’s it. Ready go blow. I have the moment, Chia. I just don’t want to rush it. A couple seconds from now, we’ll be face to face. A second after that, she’ll be dead. [He caresses Asia’s cheek.] I want to savor the moment. [He holds up the detonator; Asia raises her gun.]
[Near the doors, Adam and Christina float in each other’s arms.]
Christina: All that time to find each other.
Adam: Well, you know, timing was never our strong suit. [He looks at the doors.] You ready?
Nick: It’s time to die, Christina! [He activates the detonator. The doors explode open, and a huge tidal wave of water knocks Asia and Nick off their feet. Jesse and Brennan hear the explosion from the parking lot.]
Jesse: There! [They run into the building.]
******Commercial Break******
[Adam and Christina tumble out of the room on a wave of water. Asia reaches for her gun, but Christina knocks her unconscious. Adam grabs her around the waist.]
Adam: Come on. [Adam pulls her towards the door, but are stopped in their tracks by a slew of Nick's fire daggers.]
Nick: Not so fast, Christina. You put me in a hole for six months. Then you tried to put me away forever.
Christina: Did you think they were gonna just let you run wild?
Nick (eyes glowing red): Killing you will let them know not to try again.
Brennan (running in along): Maddox! [Nick hurls a handful of daggers at Brennan, but Jesse deflects them with his massed body. Nick turns back to Christina.]
Nick: I’m gonna finish what I came here to do.
Brennan (to Adam and Christina): Get outta the water, get outta the water! [Adam pulls Christina up out of the water, and Brennan shoots an electrical arc at the water Nick’s standing in, electrocuting him. Adam nods his thanks at Brennan and Jesse.]
Brennan (gesturing to them): Come on.
[Back at Sanctuary, Jesse’s sitting at the computer between Shalimar and Emma. Brennan emerges from his room.]
Jesse: No. I am not going to apologize.
Emma: Come on, Jess. Now’s your chance.
Jesse: No!
Shalimar: Jess.
Jesse: What?
Shalimar: Tell him.
Brennan (turning around): Tell me what?
Emma (shaking Jesse’s shoulder): Come on, Jess. You can do it. Just say the words.
Jesse (standing up, glaring at Shalimar): Okay! Okay. [To Brennan.] I thought you did okay as an interim leader. [Throwing up his hands, he sits back down.]
Shalimar (prompting him): And...?
Jesse (standing up again): And... I am sorry for giving you so much grief before. [He smirks.] Sort of. [He sits back down.]
Brennan (smiling): Thanks. That’s a real vote of confidence.... I think. [Shalimar and Emma hug Jesse, grinning. Brennan goes to find Adam in the lab.]
Brennan: Hey.
Adam: Hey.
Brennan: Ah. I want to apologize. I, uh, I realize now that you can’t always tell us everything.
Adam (smiling at him): Well, that’s funny, because I was just wondering how to apologize to the four of you. I think almost dying in that safe room put some things in perspective for me.
Brennan: Oh yeah? Is that because you were trapped, or who you were trapped with?
Adam: Maybe both. You did a good job holding things together while I was in there.
Brennan: Thank you very much. You know, I’m beginning to realize now how difficult leadership can be.
Adam: And I know it’s not easy working with me sometimes, not getting the whole picture. And I realized something about myself in there. Which is that sometimes I hold back so that I can be the only one who sees all the cards, so that I can stay in control.
Brennan: Well, you gotta do whatcha gotta do, right?
Adam: No, I’m saying that’s wrong. If you guys share in the danger, you should share the information.
Brennan: Glad you think that way, because now you can explain to me who Christina is.
Adam (laughing, shaking his head): Some things remain a mystery. Even to me.
Brennan: Yeah, well, thanks again, huh? [He pats Adam's back and leaves.]
[Back in his office, Adam calls Christina on his computer. Her blurred image appears on the screen.]
Christina: Adam?
Adam: Do we really need to scramble?
Christina (turning it off): What is it?
Adam: I was just thinking about some of the things we said.
Christina: We thought we were gonna die. People say things they don’t normally say.
Adam: Still, sometimes things need to be said.
Christina: We can’t just pick up where we left off. We’re still the same people we were when we went in there.
Adam: Are we?
Christina: You know where to find me. [She cuts off the connection. Adam smiles at the blank screen and sighs.]
Closing Credits.