Épisode Terres dévastées S03E08 - Mutant X Saison 3

                                       Wasteland


[Opening scene: A bright, sunny day on a farm. Brennan and Shalimar are making their way through a huge cornfield.]

Brennan (pushing corn stalks out of his face): Okay, this is way too much country for me.
Shalimar (laughing): Come on, city boy. A little fresh air never hurt anybody.
Brennan: It's not the air that's bothering me. [Lexa calls them from a computer at Sanctuary.]
Lexa: Shal, Brennan, are you in position yet?
Brennan (looking around sarcastically): Well, it's hard to say. We're in the middle of a cornfield.
Lexa (not laughing): Well, check your coordinates.
Shalimar (smiling): Yeah, don't worry, Lex. We're in the right spot.
Brennan: You know, it's been over an hour, and still no sign of your whistle-blower. I'm beginning to think he bailed.
Lexa: Let's give him ten more.
Brennan: This had better be some whistle.
Lexa: Well, according to The Dominion, he's got proof of an upcoming genetic disaster. Are you sure you don't see anything at all?
Brennan (looking around): Yeah well, a whole lotta corn...[slapping at his neck] And bugs. [Shalimar laughs. Brennan looks at what he slapped off him.] Damn, that's a big grasshopper.
Shalimar (picking it up): It's a locust.
Brennan: Yeah, whatever it is, just keep it away from me.
Shalimar: You hear that?
Lexa: Guys, talk to me. What's going on?
Brennan: Ah, it's nothing it's just the wind.
Shalimar: It's not the wind. [The sky above Shalimar and Brennan blackens as a cloud of locusts descends upon the field.] Let's move!
Lexa: What the hell's that?
Shalimar (running through the corn): Locusts! Thousands of them!
Brennan: They're all over!
Lexa: Guys, what's happening? [As Shalimar and Brennan duck, the entire swarm of locusts suddenly drop from the sky to the ground.]
Shalimar (picking one up): They're dead. Every single one of them.
Lexa: That can't be good.
Brennan (looking around): It gets worse. I think we've found our informant. [He stands over a dead man lying on his back in the cornfield, covered with dead locusts.]

Opening credits. "Wasteland."

[Scene: The main room of Sanctuary. Lexa's sitting at the computers when comes strolling down the balcony above her, holding a Bible and quoting a passage.]
Jesse: 'When he opened the abyss, smoke arose, the smoke of a giant furnace. And from that smoke, locusts came down upon the earth and they gave him powers like that of the scorpions.'
Lexa: Wow. Sounds like somebody did some hard time in Sunday school.
Jesse: It feeds the soul. So, you think the locusts were the disaster your informant was trying to tell us about?
Lexa: It's kind of hard to say, since he's not talking.
Jesse: Hmmm.
Lexa: We'll just have to wait until we hear from Dr. Bellows. The Dominion's entymologist.
Jesse (hopping down the stairs to meet her): Think he's worth his salt?
Lexa: Well, from what I hear, if it flies, crawls or squirms, SHE's the one who can tell us what we're dealing with.
Jesse (taken aback): She.
Lexa: Mmm.
Jesse (grinning): Hmmm. [He holds out the Bible. When she takes it, he chuckles and walks off.]

[Cut to: Shalimar and Brennan in Dr. Bellow's lab. Dr. Bellows is peering at one of the locusts under a microscope.]
Dr. Bellows: I suspect it's a genetically modified version of a shistocerca gregaria, the desert locust.
The most aggressive and voracious of the locust family. They're eating machines.
Shalimar: How do you know it's been genetically modified?
Dr. Bellows: Oh, honey, because there's simply nothing this destructive exists in nature. [She looks over at Brennan.] How much do you weigh? A buck ninety? Two hundred? [Brennan and Shalimar look at each other, then stare at her.] Never mind. The point is, this is not your garden variety locust, okay? [She holds the locust under their noses, Brennan backs away.] These are bred to resist any kind of pesticides.
Shalimar: And from what we saw, pretty healthy appetites too.
Dr. Bellows (putting the locust in a jar): Oh, yeah. They feed on all kinds of crop vegetation, corn, grain, wheat, until there's nothing left. And you know what? If their reproductive system is as advanced as I think it is, these bugs have the potential to create a national famine of a kind we've never seen.
Shalimar: Why would someone even create something like that?
Brennan: Who knows? Maybe an agro-terrorist or random whack job.
Shalimar: But it doesn't make sense. I mean, one minute they're on a feeding frenzy, and then the next, they're dropping from the sky.
Dr. Bellows: I suspect you've walked in on a very controlled experiment.
Brennan: So what you're saying is the best is yet to come?
Dr. Bellows: I pray you find out before we have a disaster on our hands.

[Back in Sanctuary, Jesse's sitting on the couch playing chess when Lexa sits down on the arm of his chair.]
Lexa: Got the autopsy results on our dead informant.
Jesse: Let me guess. Death by locust.
Lexa: Try bullets. Two of them. Whoever's breeding these things is willing to kill to protect him.
Jesse: Hmmm.
Lexa (sitting in the chair across from him): The company he worked for is ZDT. It's a huge agro conglomerate run by the Keary family. I understand you're familiar with them.
Jesse: Yeah, we're old family friends. We used to summer together.
Lexa (smirking): What, in between terms of boarding school? You know, only rich people 'summer.'
Jesse (grinning): Yeah. You were making a point; I think you were trying to suggest that the Kearys were involved.
Lexa: ZDT owns the fields destroyed by the bugs. Which makes them either a target or the source. Now, we don't have time to waste here. Jess, you're our in.
Jesse: What, you expect me just to waltz in and ask whether anyone's invented any new agro plagues lately?
Lexa: Actually, I was hoping for a more subtle approach. Here. [She hands him a folder.] The Dominion has set you up with a rather generous financial portfolio. [Looking through it, Jesse smiles, raising his eyebrows.] Don't get too excited, it's just play money.
Jesse: Just enough play money to set up a meet and greet with ZDT as a venture capitalist ready to play ball. Yeah. [He goes back to playing chess.]
Lexa: Anyway, the place is run by an Alisha Keary? [Jesse's hand stops, mid-air. He puts the pawn back on the table.] You two close? [Noticing his sober reaction, Lexa drops her voice.] Is this going to be a problem for you?
Jesse (sadly): No. Not at all. [Spinning the chessboard around, he gets up and walks away. Lexa looks after him.]

[The next day, Lexa and Jesse, dressed as corporate executives, enter the enormous foyer of ZDT's main headquarters.]
Lexa: Why is it that Armani looks a little too good on you?
Jesse: It's actually a Bosch. You know, at one point this was gonna be my life. Ivy League school, corporate job, the whole nine yards.
Lexa: And you gave all that up for Mutant X?
Jesse: No. I gave it up for me. [Nate approaches them.]
Nate: Mr. Kilmartin. Nate Gilmore. [They shake hands.] Good to meet you.
Jesse: Yeah. This is Lexa Pierce, my in-house counsel.
Nate (shaking hands): How do you do? So, Alisha tells me you're looking to invest in agro technologies.
Jesse: Considering it.
Nate: I think you'll be very impressed. This way. [He leads them towards a boardroom. On the balcony above them, Alisha appears and looks down. Feeling himself being watched, Jesse looks up, but she's gone.]
Lexa: Tight security.
Nate: We've set the benchmark in cutting-edge agro science. GMOs, RMFs, can't afford any snooping competitors.
Alisha (walking in): You'll have to excuse Nate. His enthusiasm is second only to my own. Jess.
Jesse: Alisha. It's good to see you again. [Alisha looks inquiringly at Lexa. Lexa clears her throat.] Oh, um... Lexa Pierce.
Lexa (reaching our her hand): Hi.
Alisha (dismissively, barely touching her): Hi. [Turning back to Jesse.] My 12:30 just canceled. So if you would like, I could go over the company's expected earnings with you...over lunch.
Jesse: Great.
Alisha: Good. [When Lexa starts to follow them, Alisha swings around, cutting her off.] Nate, could you please show Miss Pierce the necessary documents?
Nate: Of course.
Alisha: Thank you. [She walks out; Jesse follows her.]

[Back at Sanctuary, Shalimar and Brennan are at the computer.]
Shalimar: Given the area of crop devastation, we should be able to pinpoint where the locusts were released.
Brennan: How? It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
Shalimar: Not necessarily. This is the field where we found the dead locusts. And we can use satellite imaging to track the point of origin. Okay. This is 10:15, the time the locusts died. We reverse the time frame...There.
Brennan: Hm. There's our haystack.
Shalimar: What do you say we go find that needle? [They leave for the Double Helix.]

[Alisha and Jesse enter the upscale dining room.]
Alisha: So when did you decide to return to the family business?
Jesse: I guess that's hard to say. I suppose some things just run in the blood, huh?
Alisha: Well, if you're really serious about, um, ZDT, we're involved in some breakthrough technology.
Jesse (pulling out her chair for her): Hm. Is that why some of your fields were recently attacked by infestation?
Alisha (looking at him): Well, that's news to me. I'm sure if that was a problem, I'd have heard about it, don't you think?
Jesse (sitting down): Well, my people tell me some of your crops were very seriously damaged.
Alisha (raising her eyebrows): Your people? So you've been doing your research? Yeah, well, whatever that was, I'm sure it was nothing to be concerned about.
Jesse: ZDT is a high profile corporation. I'm sure you have your share of corporate enemies.
Alisha: Yeah, comes with the territory, doesn't it, Jess? I mean there's always somebody out there ready to cut your throat before you have a chance to cut theirs.
Jesse: Yeah.
Alisha: How long do we have to do this?
Jesse (smiling): What?
Alisha: Pretend that this isn't incredibly awkward, seeing each other again?
Jesse: You don't know how many times I wanted to call you.
Alisha: So why didn't you?
Jesse: I just didn't know what to say. [She nods.]

[Back in the ZDT boardroom, Nate is going over documents with Lexa.]
Nate: To be perfectly frank, up until now, Alisha's been weary of outside investors.
Lexa: Ah, so you're doing just fine on your own, is that it? You know, I would love to get a look at some of the farming technologies you have in development.
Nate: Oh, I'm afraid that's impossible. All R&D is confidential.
Lexa: Nate. We both know how much Mr. Kilmartin is prepared to invest here. Throw me a bone.
Nate: I'm sorry. Alisha wouldn't have it any other way.
Lexa: She seems surprisingly young to be the head of a company.
Nate: She's a classic Type A personality. Just don't get in her way.
Lexa: Ooh. Sounds like a loaded statement. [They laugh.]
Nate: Let's just say she knows what she wants, and she knows how to get it.
Lexa (smiling): At all costs?
Nate: We're in a competitive field, Miss Pierce. Alisha knows how to maintain the edge. [Smiling, Lexa opens one of the documents, preparing to look through it.] Well, then. Whenever you're finished here, my secretary will see you out.
Lexa: Great. [Nate walks out. Lexa rolls her eyes and calls Shalimar and Brennan over her comlink.] Guys, any luck on your end?
Brennan: Well, I think we've found out where the bugs were released. It's a barn on a parcel of land owned by a company called Pacific Bionetics.
Shalimar: Maybe ZDT's been a target all along.

Lexa: It's too soon to tell. Anyway, Jesse's feeling things out with Alisha Keary right now.
Shalimar (grinning): Alisha. That's a name I haven't heard in a long time.
Lexa: What do you mean?
Shalimar: She was a part of his old life. His first real love.
Lexa: Oh. How real?
Shalimar: High school sweethearts. I think at one point they were even engaged.
Lexa (surprised): Really? How nice of him to have told me. Guess it just slipped his mind.
Brennan: Ah, relax, Lex. It was 10 years ago. I'm sure she's ancient history.
Lexa: Well, you know what? I hope so. [She returns to her file.]

[In the restaurant, Jesse's still asking Alisha questions about ZDT.]
Jesse: So how involved are you in day-to-day operations.
Alisha: I'm a control freak, you know that. I like to micromanage things. Used to bug you, didn't it?
Jesse: Nah, not really. [Alisha laughs.] Maybe a little, yeah.
Alisha: Yeah, a little. [The cell-phone in her handbag rings.] Sorry. [Into the phone.] Hello? No, you know what? If you're not gonna handle that, then I will. Yeah. Okay. [She hangs up.] Sorry about that.
Jesse: Everything okay?
Alisha: Yeah. Yeah. It will be.

[Brennan and Shalimar walk through another corn field.]
Brennan: Okay, what's wrong with this picture? If this is where the swarm started, then why didn't they eat this corn?
Shalimar (indicating the ("Keep Out Private Property" signs): Maybe they read the signs. [Brennan laughs.] What is this corn made out of, anyway? Gold?
Brennan (sighing): I don't know. I guess I should grab a sample for Dr. Bellows. [As he grabs an ear of corn, a jeep comes driving down the road next to them the field.]
Shalimar: We've got company. [A man leans out of the jeep, shooting at them. Brennan and Shalimar take cover, running into the corn.]

*********Commercial Break********

[Shalimar and Brennan are running through the corn, away from the man shooting at them. Brennan tackles Shalimar to the ground, then runs back to the road. He sends an electrical arc at the shooter, who falls from the jeep. He sends another arc at the jeep itself, causing the driver to crash. Brennan goes back and picks Shalimar up.]
Brennan: Come on, let's get out of here.
Shalimar: Thought you'd never ask.

[In the restaurant, Jesse and Alisha are still sitting at the table talking.]
Jesse (playing with his ring): Look, Lish. Um, I know you're really swamped right now, but I'd really like to see you again.
Alisha (getting up): Just tell me you're not here to stir things up, right? [Jesse stands up and touches her hand. Leaning down, he kisses her lips, but she pulls away.] Yeah.
Jesse: I'm not...here stir things up. Could you meet for drinks later? [Alisha's phone rings again.]
Alisha: Yeah, I...I don't know...um...[She walks away, pulling out her phone. Turning back, she looks at him.] I have to work late. [She walks off, leaving Jesse staring after her, hands in his pockets.]
Lexa (coming up behind him): Awww. There is nothing that touches me more then the look of two corporate executives in love.
Jesse: Has anybody ever told you it is really not...polite...to eavesdrop?
Lexa: All the time.
Jesse: Hmmmm.
Lexa: So tell me. When were you planning on telling me you two used to be engaged?
Jesse: It's not an issue. I grilled her at lunch. She is not involved.
Lexa: Well, then. Let's just hope you're better at picking out liars than she is.

[Dr. Bellows is sitting in her office looking through a microscope when Shalimar and Brennan walk with cups of coffee.]
Dr. Bellows: Hey, hi, okay. I've just figured out what kills these insects, all right? They were designed with a self-destruct mechanism.
Shalimar: They were ruptured from the inside?
Dr. Bellows: It's ingenious, really. And when I determine what the trigger is, we'll be able to destroy these things.
Shalimar: So what about the corn? Why didn't they touch it?
Dr. Bellows (picking up the ear of corn): Aha! Because these have been genetically modified to be the one crop that is resistant to these insects.
Shalimar: So we're not dealing with an agro-terrorist. This is a simple case of supply and demand.
Dr. Bellows: Wake up, people. Welcome to the age of Franken-foods. You know, there's no telling what kind of repercussions these hybrid crops could have on the environment.
Shalimar: Well, someone's planning on profiting from this.
Brennan: Looks like that corn is made of gold after all.

[Back at Sanctuary, Lexa and Jesse are sitting at the computers.]
Lexa: I hate to break it to you, Jess, but your ex-fiancee is involved. Pacific Bionetics is owned by ZDT.
Jesse: What?
Lexa: I had to trace through dummy corporations and overseas trust funds to find the link to Alisha.
Jesse: That can't be.
Brennan (walking in with Shalimar): I don't know, Jess. You've gotta admit, it does look pretty suspicious.
Jesse: Look, I have known this woman over half my life. Trust me, she's not involved in this.
Shalimar: You sure that's not your heart talking?
Brennan (smiling): Or some other part.
Jesse: It's not like that.
Lexa: Well, we're going to have to go back to ZDT to find the answers in the back of the book.
Shalimar: How?
Lexa (checking her watch): Well, I'm sure Alisha's still working. [She throws Jesse a sidelong glance.]
Brennan: That means all you gotta do is go over there and...keep her company while Lexa looks around.
Jesse: And how exactly am I supposed to do that?
Lexa (rubbing his back): Oh, I'm sure you'll figure something out. [Brennan and Shalimar laugh, but Jesse scoffs and walks out, shaking his head.]

[Scene: Outside ZDT headquarters. Jesse's striding through the front courtyard; Lexa rushes to keep up.]
Lexa: Jess, I just want you to know. This isn't anything personal.
Jesse (whirling on her, pointing his finger in her face): Doesn't matter. The only reason I am doing this is to prove that you are wrong.
Lexa: Look, I know you can't see it. But I can tell this Alisha, she eats guys like you for lunch.
Jesse: Really.
Lexa: The problem is, you're too trusting, Jess. [He starts to walks away, then stops and looks at her.]
Jesse: I've trusted you since the day we met.
Lexa (smiling): That isn't exactly helping your argument. [She turns invisible and follows him into the building.]

[Jesse walks up to Alisha's office; Alisha comes to the door and opens it for him.]
Alisha: Jess, what are you doing here?
Jesse (holding the door open an extra second for the invisible Lexa): Well, thanks for meeting me. [Lexa heads off towards the offices.]
Alisha: It's a little late, don't you think, for a business meeting?
Jesse: You know that's not why I'm here.
Alisha: My office. [He follows her in.] Do you still like gin and tonic?
Jesse: Yeah.
Alisha: Yeah?
Jesse: I can't remember the last time I had one.
Alisha (fixing his drink): Yeah? I can. It was at Spidini's We were talking about wedding plans. Remember?
Jesse: Yeah.
Alisha: Well, your mind wasn't really there. Well, I figured you just had a case of cold feet. [He walks to the couch and takes off his coat.] But I guess I had no idea how cold your feet were, did I? [She hands him his drink.] You know, I made a promise to myself that the next time I saw you, I would tell you exactly what I thought about you.
Jesse (sitting down): Probably the least I deserve.
Alisha: Yeah. The funny thing is, though, I'm looking at you here right now, and...And I don't know. I don't really feel like saying it anymore.

[In the next room, Lexa's on a computer, searching through ZDT's corporate records. Brennan and Shalimar call her from Dr. Bellows' office.]
Brennan: Are you in yet?
Lexa: Yeah, but unfortunately I haven't found very much. I'm trying to see what I can dig up in their interoffice VOIP system.
Brennan: VOIP?
Lexa: Yeah, it's a computerized log of all in and outgoing telecommunications. These guys are anal about corporate espionage leaks, so all calls are recorded. Especially R&D guys.

[Back in Alisha's office, she's sitting next to him on the couch.]
Alisha: So...what was it? Did I, uh...did I do something, or....?
Jesse: Alisha, I was messed up. I had things going on that you couldn't understand.
Alisha Keary: So you felt like you couldn't turn to me, then.
Jesse: No, it wasn't that simple. I didn't feel that it was fair for me to start a life with you where I didn't fit.
Alisha Keary: Shouldn't I have been able to choose that?

[Lexa's still searching at the computer.]
Lexa: I'm into operational level. Searching through Michael Porter's account.
Shalimar: Who is that?
Lexa: The informant found dead in the cornfield. Okay. Patching into this final call in his log.

[On the couch, Alisha sets Jesse's drink on the table in front of them and scoots closer to him. She plays with his hair and they kiss.]
Jesse (pulling back): Alisha...
Alisha: Shhh.
Jesse: I don't want to hurt you again.
Alisha: Shhhh. No, I'm not gonna let you.

[Cut back to Lexa, who is playing Michael Porter's final call over her comlink for Brennan and Shalimar to hear.]
Michael Porter's voice on the recording: Look, I'm tired of being jerked around here. I know all about Project Redstock, and if you don't come through by 8 pm, I am taking this wide.
Brennan: Well, sounds like a threat.
Shalimar: And a motive. Who was he calling?
Lexa (sighing): Alisha Keary.
Shalimar: Looks like she was willing to kill for the bottom line.
Lexa: I'll say this for Jess. He sure knows how to pick 'em. [In the next room, Jesse and Alisha are undressing each other on the couch.]

********Commercial Break*********

[Jesse's lying bare-chested on the floor next to the couch. Alisha sits up and puts on his shirt. They laugh, and he joins her on the couch. ]
Alisha: Hi.
Jesse: Hi. [He puts his arm around her and starts caressing her knees.]
Alisha (cradling his cheek in her hand): Reminds me of the time that my father caught us. Do you remember that? We were in the pool cabana and there was that fireworks display?
Jesse (kissing her knee): Yeah. He never seemed looked at me the same way after that.
Alisha: Neither did I.
Jesse: Really?
Alisha: Yeah.
Jesse: You know, I've changed, Alisha.
Alisha (playing with his ear): Everybody changes. That's okay. [He stares at her.] Look, relax, Jess, you know, it's... I have zero expectations here, really. Whatever that was...it's just...what it was, you know?
Jesse: That's not what I mean.
Alisha: What do you mean, then?
Jesse: I just...I keep running a series of what-ifs. I mean what if I hadn't run away? What if, what if...what if I'd been straight up with you from the beginning?
Alisha: What if we can just start again? How about that, what if we could just start again, huh? [She kisses him.] What do you think of that? [They start kissing again.]

[In the next room, Lexa's searching for more information about Project Redstock.]
Lexa: Okay, I've cross-referenced Project Redstock, but I'm coming up empty.
Shalimar: ZDT's planning a world-wide devastation. I can't imagine those bugs are that easy to hide.
Lexa: Alisha's not stupid, Shal. I'm sure she figured out a way to cover her tracks.
Brennan (going over to Dr. Bellows): All right, Doc. We really need your help. Can you pull a rabbit out of your hat right about now?
Dr. Bellows: Okay. How about this? I found residue of nitrogen-rich protein in the system of the specimen you brought. [Brennan gives her a blank look.] Okay, okay. It's like this. Locusts begin as eggs, which eventually hatch and become wingless nymphs. [She pauses, but Brennan still doesn't get it.] A nitrogen-rich diet speeds along their growth. [She waits, but that blank stare remains.] Okay... I'm losing you. All right, okay. Right now, they're feeding on a dry spore mix which is commonly sold as Fer-loment. And by the projected size of the swarm, they're gonna need a lot of it.
Brennan: Did you get that, Lex?
Lexa: Fer-loment, I'm on it. [She types Fer-loment into the search engine.] I'm looking at purchase orders for almost a ton of this stuff. Delivered to a farm outside of the town of Decatur.
Shalimar: That's gotta be our source.

[More or less dressed in their own clothes, Alisha's lying back on the couch next to Jesse. He plays with her lips.]
Alisha: You never did tell me where you've been all these years. [Lexa calls Jesse over his comlink.]
Lexa: Hey, Loverboy. [Jesse sits up, pretending to cough.] Hello, is this thing on? Cat got your tongue? I hope that's all she's got.
Alisha: You okay?
Jesse (getting up): Yeah, I just gotta...get another drink.
Alisha: Okay.
Lexa: Jess, Alisha's been behind this whole thing from the very start. She's the one who ordered the killing of the informant. It's time to smarten up. It's called Project Redstock, and hopefully it's not too late to shut them down, but you need to get out of there, now, do you understand?
Jesse (pretend-coughing as Alisha comes up and puts her arms around him): Okay. (To Alisha) Hi. Um...I've gotta go. Excuse me. [He breaks out of her arms and goes to get his coat on the couch.]
Alisha: You've gotta go? Why do you have to go? [She blocks his path as he heads for the door.] Why do you have to go? Wait, wait, wait! I don't want any secrets here, so just talk to me.
Jesse: I know about Project Redstock.
Alisha: Is this like a joke? Cause I have no idea what you're talking about.
Jesse: You've gotta be straight with me, okay? You are way over your head, and the only way that I can help you is if you tell me the truth.
Alisha: The truth?
Jesse: The truth.
Alisha: Okay, who's the liar here? What did you come back for?
Jesse: I had to investigate.
Alisha: You had to investigate. Oh, I see. So you really didn't come back here to invest in ZDT, right? And you obviously didn't come back here to get me.
Jesse: I had no idea I'd feel this way.
Alisha: Mm-hmm. Get out.
Jesse: Alisha, please.
Alisha: I said, get out. I never want to see you again, get out! Go! [Jesse leaves. She picks up the phone.] Nate, yeah, I need to see you in here. Yeah, ‘cause we have a problem! [She looks after Jesse.]

[Up in the Double Helix, Brennan and Shalimar are headed for the location of the locust farm.]
Brennan: All right, if these bugs are here, how're we supposed to destroy them?
Shalimar: Dr. Bellows is going to contact us when she knows how to activate the self-destruct system. Hopefully, they're still contained in the barn. Worse comes to worse, we can always burn it down.
Brennan: Nice. Let's turn them grasshoppers into fireflies.

[Jesse walks slowly into Sanctuary, where Lexa's waiting at the computer.]
Lexa: Where have you been? You took your sweet time.
Jesse: I'm sorry, I just had to clear my head a little. Any word from Shalimar and Brennan?
Lexa: Not yet. [She looks over at him.] Sorry, Jess. If it means anything, I was hoping I was wrong about her.
Jesse: Whatcha gonna to do?
Shalimar: Okay, guys, we're here.
Lexa: You see anything?
Shalimar (standing outside the barnyard): Looks like someone took off from here in a hurry.
Brennan: Ah, let's take a look inside. [They walk into the farmhouse] The place is cleared. We're too late. Damn. [He leans down to pick up the only locust left in the place.] Well, they're grown. Looks like they were in the process of releasing them. [Shalimar notices that a gas tank near the wall is shaking. She goes over to look and realizes it's about to explode.]
Shalimar: Brennan, it's a bomb! [She grabs his arm and the two run out of the building as it explodes. They land on the ground outside and stare at the locust he picked up in his hand.]

***********Commercial Break**********

[Back at Sanctuary, Lexa's sitting at the computer when she hears what happened. She gets up and starts up the stairs. Jesse follows, slowly.]
Lexa: This was no coincidence. We were set up. Somebody must have tipped them off. [Suddenly realizing exactly who tipped them off, she stops mid-step and turns slowly to look at Jesse. He avoids her eyes.] You told her, didn't you?
Jesse: I had to level with her, Lexa. There's too much at stake.
Lexa: Yeah, that's exactly why you should have kept your mouth shut! What did you think, her love for you would suddenly spur a burst of honesty?
Jesse: Well, I gave it a shot.
Lexa: Well, you were wrong!
Jesse: Yeah, I got that.
Lexa: Well, that's great. Now, thanks to you, we have no idea where those bugs are being released. Good. [She stomps up the stairs, leaving him looking guilty.]

[Shalimar and Brennan, sooty but okay, are up in the Helix again.]
Shalimar: Now it's anybody's game. There's no telling how many truckloads of those bugs made it out.
Brennan: Yeah, or where they were headed.
Shalimar (smiling): Well, maybe your little friend can tell us. [They look at the dashboard, where Brennan's put his locust in a clear box.]
Brennan: Yeah. I think I'll name him Chester. [He puts the box back on the dashboard] Stay.

[Jesse's changing his clothes in his room when his computer inbox beeps. Going over, he sees it's Alisha calling. He hesitantly answers the page.]
Jesse: Alisha.
Alisha (on her cellphone): Listen, don't hang up, okay? Everything that you said was right. Look, I've been pouring over these R&D files and...I can't believe it.
Jesse: You can't believe what?
Alisha: Everything that you said was true. Pacific Bionetics, the crop research. Someone's been funneling money from ZDT to fund all this.
Jesse: Why are you telling me this?
Alisha: Because my name is all over everything. There's money trails. There's, there's requisition forms. Listen, I need you. I need you to come here and I need you to help me.
Jesse: Alisha, the last time I trusted you, two of my friends almost got killed.
Alisha: Jess, I had no idea! Okay? You just have to believe me.
Jesse: Okay, look, just stay in your office. I'll be right there.
Alisha: Okay. [Nate enters the room behind her.] Nate, why didn't you tell me about Project Redstock?
Nate: Because I was trying to protect you. That's why I've been covering your back from the start, destroying memos, deleting voicemails. Do you have any idea the size of the players involved here? The amount of money we stand to make? Billions.
Alisha: By creating a plague?
Nate: No, it would never get to that level. Look, a few farms would be destroyed; the press would have a field day. Then ZDT come out as heroes when we release the first insect-resistant corn. Nobody gets hurt here, Alisha. It's a win-win all around. [He puts his hands on her shoulders.] Look, we can't give up now.

[Back in Sanctuary, Jesse nods to Lexa as he rushes toward the door.]
Lexa: Where are you going?
Jesse (over his shoulder): Alisha called. She needs my help.
Lexa: Of course she does.
Jesse (stopping dead in his tracks and coming back): Look, I'm not gonna say that I believe her. But if she is telling the truth, then she's our only lead as to where those locusts are going to be released.
Lexa: And if she isn't, you're just giving her another change toplay you again!
Jesse: I'll take that chance.
Lexa: Then I'm coming with you. [She follows him out.]

[Jesse parks the car in front of the ZDT building and gets out.]
Jesse: Stay here.
Lexa (scoffs): Yeah, right. [She starts to get out of the car.]
Jesse: Lexa. Just give me two minutes with her.
Lexa (pointing a finger at him): Two minutes! [Jesse trots towards the building just in time to see Alisha being walked out by two men with a gun at her back. Jesse hides behind a wall and watches her being shoved into a van. He runs after the van and phases, jumping right through the wall into the van. Watching from the car, Lexa gets into the driver's seat and follows them.]
Alisha (screaming in shock at seeing Jesse appear out of thin air): Oh my God! Oh my God!

*********Commercial Break*********

[The van heads down the highway, with Lexa in hot pursuit. Inside the van, Alisha's still very frightened.]
Alisha (backing away from Jesse): Oh my God! How did you do that?!
Jesse: Look. There are some things in this world you can understand. And there're some things you can't.
Alisha: Oh God. And you fall into the latter?
Jesse: Yeah.
Alisha (crying): Oh my God.
Jesse: It's okay. It's gonna be okay. Trust me, I'm getting you out of here. Okay?
Alisha: Oh God. [Getting over her initial shock, she goes to hug him.]
Jesse: Okay. It's all right.

[Brennan and Shalimar, still in the Helix, are waiting for Dr. Bellows to call them.]
Brennan: Tell me you have good news.
Dr. Bellows: I have discovered the key on how to kill the locusts. [She holds up a cage of dead locusts to the video screen.] Sound waves! The right frequency shatters the destruct organ, killing them instantly.
Shalimar: Well, I can upload it to the Helix so we can pump it out through the external speakers.
Brennan: Yeah, but the Helix's sonic range is only 100 meters.
Dr. Bellows: Oh, would you stop complaining! That gives you two minutes to neutralize these things after they've been released!
Shalimar: If we can find them.
Dr. Bellows: Well, you'd better. These things reproduce at an alarming rate, and once they spread, they will devour anything in their path.
Brennan: Any chance you might be able to narrow down the field for us?
Dr. Bellows: I'm going to say that you're gonna have to go low-tech.
Shalimar: What, you mean sweep over the fields like a crop-duster?
Dr. Bellows: Well, unless you've got a better idea...

[Following the van in their car, Lexa calls Jesse.]
Lexa: I'm right behind you guys. Jess, what's going on? Is Alisha okay?
Jesse (grinning in Alisha's embrace): You could say she's a little confused.
Lexa: Well, see if she knows where the locusts are going to be released.
Alisha (letting him go): Who are you talking to?
Jesse: I'm talking to a friend. She's trying to help. Now do you have any idea where they might be trying to release the locusts?
Alisha: No.
Jesse: Come on, think! Think!
Alisha: I don't, I don't know! I just found out about this! You have to believe I just found out about this!

[Up in the Helix, Shalimar and Brennan are getting worried.]
Shalimar: It's impossible to cover this much ground. These fields go on for hundreds of miles.
Brennan: Yeah, but if we don't find these locusts in time, Chester and his little buddies are gonna cut through these fields like a machete.

[Lexa calls Jesse again as they head onto a new highway.]
Lexa: Hey, kids. The just turned onto the freeway. You're heading north on the I-80.
Jesse: We just turned onto a freeway.
Alisha: A freeway? What--which direction are we going in?
Jesse: We're heading north. North on the I-80.
Alisha: North on the I-80...You know what? We, uh...I remember seeing paperwork. We leased a farm.
Jesse: Where?
Alisha: South, south of Gilroy!
Lexa (to Shalimar and Brennan): You got that, guys?
Shalimar: We are about 40 miles north of there.
Brennan (checking the computer screen): According to this, there's only two farms outside the town. Looks like we've got a 50-50 chance.
Shalimar: Tell you what? Why don't we just stop at the one where we hear the locusts buzzing?

[At the farm south of Gilroy, Nate watches trucks of locusts move into the corn fields.]
Nate (on his walkie talkie): Release them, then get those trucks out of here. [Men in suits release the swarms locusts from the trucks. Alisha and Jesse's van pulls up, and Lexa pulls up a short distance behind and gets out of the car. Inside the van, Alisha grabs hold of Jesse again.]
Jesse: It's okay.
Alisha: I'm scared.
Jesse: It's okay. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you.
Nate (outside on his walkie-talkie): Do it. And bury her in the field.
The Van Driver (getting out of the van): Got it. [He walks towards the back of the van.]
Jesse: Okay. Now go over there, get behind me.
Alisha (grabbing his shirt): No! No, no, no!
Jesse (pulling her hands off): Yes. Get over there! [He pushes her back. When two men open the van door, Jesse comes rushing out, yelling. He bowls the two men over, and punches them out. Another jeep pulls up, and Jesse goes back to pull Alisha out of the van.]
Jesse: Come on! [The driver of the jeep gets out and starts shooting at them. Jesse masses to protect Alisha, and Lexa runs up behind the shooter and knocks him out with one punch and a kick.]
Jesse (pulling Alisha into the cornfield): Good. Come on! [Lexa follows them. The sky darkens and all three look up.]
Lexa: Isn't it a little too early for sunset? [It's the locust swarming overhead. Lexa, Jesse, and Alisha dash through the corn, trying to avoid the locusts.]
Jesse: Come on, let's go, go, go!

[Flying in the Helix, Shalimar and Brennan are on their way.]
Shalimar: Okay, I've got the wave pattern locked and loaded. We're good to go.
Brennan: Will we need ear plugs for this thing?
Shaliar: Relax. The frequency is well out of your hearing range, but I'm probably going to end up with a migraine.
Brennan: Aw, then I'll have to get you a couple of aspirin.

[Jesse, Lexa, and Alisha are running through the corn when Alisha trips in her heels.]
Jesse (pulling her up): You okay? Let's go! [He looks up to see Nate's gun pointed in his face.]
Nate: You may be bullet proof, but she isn't. Don't move!
Lexa (behind Nate): What, like this? [He turns, and Lexa creates a starburst of bright light in front of his face, blinding him. [Jesse punches him, and Nate falls to the ground, unconscious.]
Lexa: Hey, Brennan, Shalimar, what's going on? [The Helix finally arrives overhead.]
Brennan: Someone call for an exterminator?
Shalimar: Now, Brennan. 40 more seconds and the bugs will be out of range.
Brennan (looking at his pet and sighing): See ya, Chester. [They broadcast the signal, and the locusts plummet to the ground.]
Lexa (shaking dead locusts out of her hair): Well, it worked.
Shalimar (seeing dead Chester on the dashboard): Yeah, no kidding.

[Back at Sanctuary, Shalimar and Brennan enter on the second floor and walk down the stairs towards Lexa, sitting at the computers.]
Brennan: Well, the good news is, the bugs are destroyed. The bad news is, the windshield of the Helix is a mess.
Shalimar (laughing): Yeah. And I'm not cleaning it.
Lexa: Well, guys. Apparently, The Dominion destroyed all of ZDT's research.
Shalimar: Well, I guess that leaves Alisha to rebuild the company from the ground up.
Lexa: Yeah. Something tells me she won't have a problem.

[Alisha and Jesse are sitting at a table in Parnell's Bar. A short distance away, Lexa stands by the wall.]
Alisha: Were you always like this?
Jesse: It started in high school.
Alisha: So all the time we were together, you were just hiding it from me? You know, you could have told me that. I would have accepted it, right?
Jesse: Yeah, but at the time, I couldn't accept it in myself.
Alisha So this, uh, this new life that you have. Makes you happy?
Jesse: Yeah. Yeah, it does.
Alisha: Then there's no room for a wife, white picket fence...
Jesse: I wish it was that simple. As much as I would like to, I can't change who I am.
Alisha (nodding): Why does it seem like all the good men are either gay, or married, or mutants? [Jesse laughs. Alisha looks over at Lexa, who smiles at her.] So I take it there are others like you? Like her?
Jesse: Yeah.
Alisha: Next time a woman comes along that fits into your life, promise me something. Don't let her go.
Jesse: Okay.
Alisha (kissing his cheek): Bye.[She gets up and leaves.]
Jesse (looking after her): Bye. [Lexa comes over and slides into Alisha's chair.]
Lexa: Hey. [She reaches out and rubs his shoulder.] Listen. Happens to the best of us. She'll be fine.
Jesse (smiling sadly): Yeah, whatever.