Épisode Une vie normale S03E14 - Mutant X Saison 3

                                   A Normal Life


[Opening Scene: The Double Helix is parked on the roof of an abandoned warehouse at night. Jesse waits in the Helix while Shalimar, Lexa, and Brennan enter down a flight of stairs, then contact Jesse via comlink for directions as they search the darkened hallways.]

Brennan: All right, we're in the building, Jess. Which way?
Jesse's voice: I'm only getting one reading besides you guys.
Lexa: Which direction?
Jesse (monitoring their signals on his computer): Uh...end of the corridor, turn left.
Shalimar: It doesn't make sense there's only one person. This guy we're looking for has five of The Dominion Council members.
Brennan: Maybe they're being shielded.
Lexa: Nothing's gonna shield this guy. He's dead meat.
Jesse: Guys, look out. The signal's right around the corner. [As Lexa, Shalimar, and Brennan round the corner, a holographic image of the four Council members appears in the air over their heads. A deep voice echoes through the warehouse.]
The Kidnapper: If you can see this, it means The Dominion has decided to ignore my warnings.
Brennan: Jess, you getting this?
Jesse: Yeah. Can't tell where the image is being beamed from.
The Kidnapper: By choosing not to pay my demands, you've earned your friends a first-hand experience with the process. [In the hologram, the Council members are pacing around a room when a white gas drifts down from the ceiling around them, freezing them in position.]
Lexa: What's he doing to them?
The Kidnapper: You know what the process was designed to do. Their bodies could last a hundred years and still be brought back as if they had just aged a second. [The hologram vanishes to reveal a frozen woman standing in front of Brennan, Shalimar, and Lexa. Shalimar walks over to her, but a mysterious voice sounds in Shalimar's ear.]
The Voice: Don't touch her! [Shalimar watches in horror as a bowling ball drops from the ceiling onto the frozen woman, smashing her into thousands of pieces.]
The Kidnapper: Oh, did I mention they're a bit brittle? [A distorted hologram of his face hovers in the air in front of Shalimar.] Pay what I want, and the others will be revived. Don't, and another one will die every 12 hours. [He disappears. Horrified, Shalimar stares at the broken shards at her feet.]
Brennan (coming over): It's not your fault, Shal. You couldn't have known that was gonna happen.

Opening Credits. "A Normal Life."

[Lexa is sitting in her office at Sanctuary, talking with her Dominion Contact over video link.]
The Contact: Her name was Miranda Dennis. She was a brilliant physicist and a member of The Dominion Council. And that coward killed her without a second thought.
Lexa: Do you have any idea who he is?
The Contact: There's only one man with the motive and the know-how. Until 6 months ago, Keith Burstyn was working in a Dominion-sponsored lab trying to perfect a method of suspended animation.
Lexa: Well, that's what we saw at the warehouse.
The Contact (nodding): All the hostages were people who had contact with Burstyn over the time he worked with The Dominion.
Lexa: You said there was a motive.
The Contact: Burstyn blamed The Dominion for a personal tragedy. He disappeared with his research and we've had no contact with him. Until today, when he sent his demands for the return of our people.
Lexa: Hm. Nice guy.
The Contact: For what he's done, he's a dead man walking. I guarantee you.
Lexa: We'll find him.
The Contact: There's something else we find equally disturbing. There have been untraceable communications coming into Sanctuary over the last week.
Lexa: Huh. I guess Big Brother really is watching. Nothing should surprise me anymore.
The Contact: Sanctuary is funded by The Dominion. We look after our interests. You're saying you don't know the source of these transmissions?
Lexa: No. But I'll ask the others.
The Contact: Do that. The Council is out for blood. Don't let it be yours. [He cuts the communication.]

[Mutant X is gathered around the computer, while Jesse pulls up a picture of Keith Burstyn.]
Jesse: Well, I looked into this Keith Burstyn. Until 6 months ago, he was the poster child for success with genetics. Graduated summa cum laude from M.I.T. youngest in his class, received a fellowship from the National Human Genome Research Institute.
Brennan: Hm. Doesn't sound like the kind of guy who gets off from killing innocent people.
Lexa: Well, we're not here to psychoanalyze him, but find him before he kills any more hostages.
Shalimar: Why doesn't the Dominion just pay the ransom?
Lexa: Because they don't respond to demands.
Brennan: Not even for their own people? They're even colder then you are.
Lexa: Well, I'll take that as a compliment.
Jesse: Okay, well, I'm gonna keep looking into Burstyn's history, see if anything comes up that can give us any idea where he's holed up. [Shalimar stalks off to her room. Brennan follows her.]
Brennan: Hey, Shal. You okay?
Shalimar: No.
Brennan: What happened to that woman wasn't your fault. She was booby-trapped. It was him all the way.
Shalimar: Just before I touched that woman, the guy who's been calling me was in my comlink.
Brennan: That's impossible!
Shalimar: He warned me not to touch her. I just wish I knew who the hell this guy is. What he wants.
Brennan: Okay, look. Whatever it is, let's we just have to get him to show himself, okay? It will all make sense after that.
Shalimar: I hope so. [She goes into her room to lie down. Brennan looks after her, worried. A few moments later, Shalimar's computer beeps with an incoming message of unknown ID. She accepts the call.]
Shalimar: What?
The Voice: I can help you find the man who kidnapped The Dominion Council members.
Shalimar: I told you, I'm not talking to you until you tell me who you are.
The Voice: All right. Let's take off the masks.
Adam (appearing behind her as a hologram): We have too little time.
Shalimar (turning slowly): Adam? You're alive? [She reaches out to touch his shoulder, but her fingers pass through him.]
HoloAdam (smiling): It's a hologram. It's too dangerous for me to come here in person.
Shalimar (backing away): How do I even know it's you?
HoloAdam: The day we met, I found you hiding in the alley. You thought I was like the others, that I was there to hurt you. But...you lashed out at me. [He pulls down his shirt collar to show her the scar on his chest.]
Shalimar: But I saw you fall. I tried to save you. When Eckhart said he found your body, he had your ring.
HoloAdam: Well, you should have known not to trust him.
Shalimar (crying): How could you do that to me? You let me believe that you died with Emma.
HoloAdam (sighing): Look, we all suffered when Emma died. But not being able to be with you all made it even worse.
Shalimar (turning away, sobbing): You just can't come back in here and do this to me.
HoloAdam (walking up behind her): Shalimar, my colleagues were disappearing, being killed. My sources told me that I was the next target. The explosion was my way out.
Shalimar (spinning to face him): You could've told us!
HoloAdam: I couldn't! Would've put you in the same danger I was in.
Shalimar: What danger? From who?
HoloAdam: I'm not quite sure yet. But signs of their activity are heating up. They might be the ones responsible for the kidnapping.
Shalimar: You said you could help us find who was responsible.
HoloAdam: I can get you to Burstyn. He's not what he seems to be.
Shalimar (shaking her head): Just take me to the bastard.
HoloAdam: I'll get you his address. But you have to promise me that you will go in after him alone. The others cannot know about this; my life depends upon it.
Shalimar: Don't make me do this, Adam.
HoloAdam: I will tell the others as soon as I can that I'm alive. But this has to be between us.
Shalimar: I can't do this behind their backs!
HoloAdam: Shalimar, if you want his address, you have to.
Shalimar: Can I trust you? Now?
HoloAdam: I promise. No more lies.

[At The Dominion Headquarters, the remaining Council members are sitting around their round table. As Lexa's Contact wheels into the room in his wheelchair, The Council Head is discussing the kidnapping situation with one of the Council members, Anthony Gervais.]
The Council Head: We have the best tacticians in the world in this organization. What do you know that they don't?
Anthony Gervais: I know that Burstyn is insane. He killed Miranda. He'll kill the rest. You want that on your conscience? We have to pay him.
The Council Head: I have five empty chairs at this table. We will not negotiate. [To Lexa's Contact.] Mutant X failed. Why?
The Contact: Burstyn was already gone. Our intel was faulty.
The Head: Our intel was sound! It was their misstep that got Miranda Dennis killed. What have you learned about the secret communications?
The Contact: Lexa Pierce had no idea about the calls.
The Head: Or so she says.
The Contact: There is no reason to doubt her loyalty!
The Head: The same might not be said for the rest of Mutant X. Whoever is communicating with them might be manipulating them against us.
The Contact: To what end?
The Head: These games run deep. For all we know, they may be trying to get to The Creator.
The Contact: That's impossible. No one outside this room even knows he exists.
The Head: We can't take that chance. [Looking at Anthony.] We're not going to pay the ransom. [To Lexa's Contact.] And we will monitor Mutant X even more closely. We will not take the chance of their being led astray by this unknown element. [The Contact nods.]

[Coming out of her office at Sanctuary, Lexa catches up with Brennan.]
Lexa: Hey. We have to talk.
Brennan: I'm all ears.
Lexa: How long have you known about the communications coming into Sanctuary?
Brennan (chuckling): Direct as usual. I have no idea what you're talking about, though.
Lexa: Does it have anything to do with the kidnapping of the Dominion Council members?
Brennan: I told you, I don't know what you're talking about.
Jesse (calling them from the main room): Brennan, Lexa? [He runs up to Lexa.] I logged in another one of those incoming communications.
Lexa (glancing at Brennan): And?
Jesse: It came into Shalimar's terminal.
Lexa: well, did you trace the source?
Jesse: No. But I did manage to retrieve the contents of the communication. It was an address.
Lexa: Okay, where is she now?
Jesse: She left five minutes ago.
Lexa: Okay. Feed the address to the Helix. I'm going after her. [She starts to walk out.]
Brennan: I'm going with you.
Lexa: You know something about this and you're not telling me. I am not the enemy here, Brennan.
Brennan: I guess we should keep reminding ourselves of that.

[On the roof of Keith Burstyn's apartment building, Keith is doing something with a small bucket when he sees Shalimar approaching him. He looks around, warily.]
Shalimar: Don't even think about it, Burstyn. [Keith runs to the fire escape, but Shalimar pulls him down and pins him against the wall.]
Keith: I'm not going back. You'll have to kill me.
Shalimar: Not a problem. Where are the people you kidnapped?
Keith: I didn't kidnap anybody! [Shalimar shakes him.]
HoloAdam (appearing on the roof): Shalimar! Don't! He's telling the truth.
Shalimar: No more games, Adam!
HoloAdam: I tried to tell you before, he's not what he seems. He's a scientist. He's the guy who discovered the suspended animation process and he got set up.
Shalimar (letting him go): I'll make sure he gets a chance to prove that.
HoloAdam (coming closer): No, we don't have time for that. You're gonna have to work with him. You're gonna have to help him find a counter agent for the process. It's the only way to save those people.
Keith: Adam, you said you were gonna help me.
HoloAdam: Shalimar's all the help you need. [To Shalimar.] Listen. You take him in now, four more people are gonna die. [They look up as the Double Helix flies overhead.] All right, now you're gonna have to hurry. Go. [He disappears.]
Shalimar (to Keith): Do you have a car?
Keith: In the alley.
Shalimar: Okay, go. I'll meet you. [Going to the fire escape, she yanks down the ladder just as Lexa and Brennan run to the roof's edge above her.]
Brennan (looking down at her): Shal, what are you doing?
Shalimar: Burstyn's innocent!
Lexa: No, he's a murderer!
Shalimar: No, he's not! I need time to prove it.
Lexa: We don't have time!
Brennan: Shal, we'll sort all this out, just get him back here!
Shalimar (taking off her comlink ring): Sorry, Brennan. Can't. [She leaps over the edge of the rooftop to the ground.]
Brennan: Shal!
Lexa: Now you wanna tell me how we can trust her? [Brennan just shakes his head.]

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

[Shalimar drives Keith's Jeep to a peaceful manor house. Keith and Shalimar get out, looking around at the rustic setting.]
Keith: This is the place he told me about.
Shalimar: Doesn't look much like a high-tech facility to me.
Keith: That may not be a bad thing for us right now. [Inside, they find a large room filled with technical equipment.]
Shalimar: Well, there you go. Everything a mad scientist could possibly need.
Keith: I don't want to be here any more than you do, Shalimar.
Shalimar: Oh, I doubt that. I've spent years cleaning up the messes that people like you created.
Keith: Hey, I tried to leave all this behind. All I wanted was to be left alone.
Shalimar: I guess we don't always get what we want, do we?
Keith: Ever since we met, I've been on the defensive. If we're gonna solve this thing, that's gotta change. You good with that?
Shalimar (pausing): Yeah. So do you have any idea who's been using your technology?
Keith (sitting at the computer): Well, there's probably ten other people who would have had access to my research.
Shalimar (looking over his shoulder): Someone's been planning this for a while. [Keith looks at her.] Don't worry. We can work it out.

[Back in the main room at Sanctuary, Lexa's working on a computer when her Dominion Contact's face appears on the terminal beside to her.]
The Contact: We need to talk.
Lexa: This isn't a secure terminal.
The Contact: Forget the secure terminal. The council knows Shalimar Fox helped Keith Burstyn escape.
Lexa: We're working to get them back.
The Contact: I want to know how long she's been involved with him.
Lexa: She isn't.
The Contact: Are you just ignorant of what's going on, or are you a part of it? She's been plotting with him right under your nose!
Lexa: Look, we don't even know what really happened, okay? For all we know, he may have kidnapped her.
The Contact: Now we both know that's not true.
Lexa: We'll get her back, okay? Both of them.
The Contact: You do that. There are forces hostile to The Dominion that are trying to turn Mutant X against us. They won't hesitate to rip the team apart in the process. [He cuts off the connection.]
Lexa (turning back to her computer): That may have already happened.

[The four kidnapped Dominion Council members stand frozen in place in the large room of a warehouse. Dominion Council member Anthony Gervais angrily paces around them, stopping to talk to one of the statues.]
Anthony: They didn't take me seriously. I guess they just need a bit more convincing. [He slices through the statue's right hand with a hand-held laser, breaks it off at the wrist, and gives the hand to one of his flunkies.] Maybe this will help them get the message. [He rams his fist into the statue, shattering the man into pieces.] They're losing friends by the minute.

[At the manor, Shalimar watches as Keith works at the computer.]
Keith: The big problem with suspended animation is ischemia. That's the damage that happens when the cells are deprived of oxygen at death. I realized that the answer was to step up the production of glycose which feeds the cells through the vitrification process.
Shalimar (laughing): Sorry. I used to cut science class.
Keith: Yeah, I wish I had too sometimes. Anyway, the thing that always frustrated me was the problem of maintaining the cell's integrity as I brought the subject back.
Shalimar (sitting next to him): So you never finished that part of the process before you disappeared. [He shakes his head.] That means whoever suspended those hostages had no intention of bringing them back.
Keith: I was almost there when I gave up.
Shalimar: You know, you don't strike me as the type to give up on anything.
Keith: The reason I started this project was for my wife. She died last year. Two years of treatments and false hopes. I thought, you know, if I could just suspend her until they found a cure. But I was too late. I just didn't want to let her go. But for me, the project was about saving her. The Dominion didn't give a damn, but for me there was nothing left. I had to get out.
Shalimar: Sorry.
Keith: I don't want to be responsible for other people's lives anymore, Shalimar. When this is over, when they have what they want, maybe I can just try to live my life.
Shalimar (rubbing his shoulder): I'll make sure of that. Now, how close are you to solving this thing?
Keith: Well, I can bring the cells back from stasis, but the process is too slow. Too much damage occurs. I need a way to excite the cells as they revive. A microwave accelerator would help the process, but the only one I know of is in a Dominion lab, and there's no way we can get to it.
HoloAdam (appearing in the room): I have another one. At Sanctuary.
Shalimar (getting up): Okay. You don't just expect me to waltz back into Sanctuary?
HoloAdam: We don't have an option, Shalimar. I'll clear the alarms and open the doors to get you in.
Shalimar: Yeah, well, getting in isn't what worries me.

[At Sanctuary, Lexa's still working at her computer when Shalimar leaps over the bannister upstairs. Hearing her land, Lexa turns, but seeeing nothing, she goes back to her work. Shalimar quietly enters the storage room above the lab and looks around. HoloAdam appears at one end of the room.]
HoloAdam: Shalimar. Over here. It's the long black tube. Careful, it's fragile. [She picks it up and is about to leave when she hears footsteps approaching.]
Shalimar (to Adam): Brennan. [HoloAdam nods and vanishes as Brennan walks into the room.]
Brennan (surprised): What are you doing here?
Shalimar: Don't try and stop me, Brennan.
Brennan: We need to talk about this, Shal.
Shalimar: Keith Burstyn's being framed.
Brennan: No, he's got your head all turned around. The Dominion said he's trying to get to them.
Shalimar (starting to leave): That's not it.
Brennan (stopping her): Okay, then, what is it? [Shalimar pushes him away and kicks him to the ground.]
Shalimar (stepping out of the room): It will all make sense soon. [She closes the door and rips off the electronic lock, sealing him inside. An alarm begins to blare overhead as she leaps down to the hangar entrance.]
Brennan (calling Lexa over his comlink): Shal's here in Sanctuary; she's heading for the hangar!
Lexa (running towards Shalimar): You're not going anywhere!
Shalimar: You can't stop me! [Lexa snatches at Shalimar's arm, but she pushes her away roughly.]
Brennan (calling Jesse over his comlink): Jess!
Shalimar: Sorry about this. [She grabs Lexa around the waist and hurls her against the wall, then dashes off towards the Helix. Running in, Jesse sees Lexa on the ground.]
Jesse (helping Lexa up): Hey.
Brennan (pressed against the window, watching Shalimar enter the Helix): Shalimar! [The Helix flies off into the sunset towards the manor.]

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

[Lexa and Brennan stand behind Jesse at the computer.]
Jesse: Okay. I'm gonna try to override the Helix's controls. I should be able to deliver her right back to us.
Lexa (nursing her head): Should?
Jesse: Hey, if you can do better, the keyboard is yours.
Brennan: Shalimar just needs to take a step back.
Jesse (getting up to face Brennan): Brennan, something else is going on here, and even I'm outside of it. [They glance over at Lexa, who's watching them closely.] Come on. You know Shalimar. Tell me, what's going on?
Brennan: Okay, she's been getting calls from somebody. I didn't know that it was Burstyn, okay?
Jesse: You'd better hope that I can get her back. [Sitting back down.] The Dominion's looking for blood, and right now I don't think they care whose it is. [He types some commands.] Okay, I think I'm in.
Shalimar (up in the Helix, frowning as the controls freeze up): The hell?
Adam's voice (over her comlink): They're engaging the remote system. [Cut to: Jesse at the computer. The screen flashes: "Remote override activated."]
Jesse: I got it. [Cut to: Shalimar in the Helix, pulling on the pilot's stick in vain. The Helix begins to shake as it changes course, back to Sanctuary.]
Shalimar: I've lost control. Got any ideas?
Adam (appearing on her screen): Drop to the subsystem. Hit command 5505. It'll cut off Sanctuary's access. [Cut to: Jesse at the computer.]
Jesse: Docking sequence initiated. [Cut to: The Stormking Mountain landing bay's door opens as the Helix approaches. Inside the Helix, Shalimar's punched in the code Adam gave her.]
Shalimar (jerking the stick hard): Here goes nothing. [The Helix banks right and flies away from the landing bay. Jesse, Lexa and Brennan watch the screen in shock.]
Brennan: What happened?
Jesse: That can't have happened; I don't understand it. She's overridden my access, somehow she's blocked all external access! But I don't understand, she doesn't have the codes to get that deep into our system.
Brennan: Somebody's gotta be helping her.
Jesse: Yeah, but...but who could've...who could've gotten into our system? [He looks at Lexa.] The Dominion?
Lexa: Oh, please. They wouldn't jeopardize their own operation.
Brennan: How would you know that? You only know about the little tidbits that they throw at you.
Lexa (suspiciously): Well, maybe she got a little help from the inside.
Jesse: Hey! We want her back as badly as you do.
Brennan: Okay, you know what? She did say something. She said that Burstyn was being framed.
Lexa (rolling her eyes): So far today, she helped a murderer escape, she stole classified equipment and kicked my ass! So forgive me if I don't take everything she says as gospel.
Brennan: Hey, this is Shalimar that we're talking about, all right? We need to have a little faith here.
Lexa: I'm trying, Brennan.
Jesse (looking up at her): Maybe I can help you with that. I'm go gonna take another look at the kidnapper's tape, see if I can come up with something. [Getting up, he hurries from the room.]
Brennan: Okay. I'm gonna see if I can find out what it was she took. [He follows Jesse out. Lexa looks after them, shaking her head.]

[Meanwhile, Shalimar's returned to the manor. Keith's setting up the microwave accelerator.]
Shalimar: What do you think?
Keith: I don't know if I can do this. Can you hand me the wire cutters?
Shalimar (handing them to him): Yeah.
Keith (going to his sample): Thanks. So, how long have you worked with Adam?
Shalimar (walking over to him): About ten years. Found me living on the streets, took me in. Helped me come to terms with who I am.
Keith: He's a good guy. Honorable.
Shalimar: I always thought so.
Keith: You don't anymore?
Shalimar: Mmm. I don't know what to think anymore. Until a few hours ago, I thought he was dead. Everything's so complicated now. You know, we used to have a clear mission: Help other people like us, other mutants. Clean up the genetic mess they made at Genomex.
Keith: And now?
Shalimar: I guess I'm where you were when you left. Not knowing the people I work for, not knowing who to trust, not really having an option.
Keith: Yeah. That's the way I felt. I did everything they asked me to do and it cost me everything. That's when I left.
Shalimar (smiling): It's not that easy for me. I'm a little different.
Keith (laughing): Yeah, I noticed. That's what I like about you.
Shalimar (sitting next to him): I'm a feral. And when I sense anything that threatens my family, I fight. I'll fight to the death. And right now, it feels like we're up against something that's so big, you know? Something we might not be able to walk away from. They need me right now.
Keith: Hey, you know, it's good to care about your family. But you have to know what you need too.
Shalimar: Not that easy to just disappear.
Keith: It is. Your life can be anything you want. With anybody you want it to be with. [He kisses her lips.] Shalimar, if there's one thing I've learned, it's that you owe yourself the chance to find out what makes you happy and you go out and grab it. You just think about that. [He gets up.]

[Back at Sanctuary, Jesse shows Lexa and Brennan what he's discovered about the kidnapper's images.]
Jesse: Our kidnapper tried to hide his face by digitizing. Now, that works fine for single frames. What he forgot, is that once in a while, these squares give away specific points that I could use as references. So what I've been doing is interpolating the clues to figure out exactly what he looks like. And what he looks like is.. [He types a command, and the image clears to reveal Anthony Gervais's face.] Anthony Gervais. Yeah, he's a top flight geneticist with his fingers in every cutting edge project but officially attached to none.
Brennan: Sounds like a Dominion player.
Lexa: That's probably how he knew about Burstyn's suspended animation research.
Jesse: Yeah. I'll see what I can do about tracking him down, huh?
Lexa: Call me if you find anything. [She starts to leave.]
Brennan (walking over to her): You know, another person would've said something right about now, like...I was wrong, Shal was right?
Lexa: She didn't have to play it the way she did.
Brennan: Why? Because you would have given her the benefit of the doubt?
Lexa: Hey, you think I haven't? I've been lying to The Dominion since this whole thing started to cover her ass.
Brennan: Yeah. That's the right thing to do.
Lexa: Look, another one of the hostages died about an hour ago. The Dominion got his hand back in a box. Do you even understand how dangerous our situation is right now? I've put my head in a noose for you and you're still holding out on me!
Brennan: All right, Lex. The communications that you're interested in? Now Shal's only told me about this, but she has been getting calls from somebody.
Lexa: Who?
Brennan: We don't know, but the guy's been giving her information about our missions. This thing's got her all freaked out and I've been helping her through it.
Lexa: And you couldn't tell me that?
Brennan: No, we didn't know if we could trust the guy. Oh, and futhermore, I didn't know if we told you, if I could trust the information wouldn't get back to The Dominion.
Lexa: Yeah, well, you're right. Thanks for telling me now. [She leaves.]
Jesse (calling from the computer): Brennan! I've just tracked the Helix's homing signal. Shalimar's dumped it in a field just outside of town.
Brennan: All right. Okay, I'm gonna go get it. Just give me the information on the way.
Jesse (nodding): Yeah.

[Back at the manor, Shalimar leans in the doorway watching Keith work. She jumps when HoloAdam suddenly appears next to her.]
HoloAdam: You're starting to feel for him.
Shalimar: Thanks for the privacy. Man, I thought you were controlling when you were with us. You're even worse as a hologram.
HoloAdam: Both of your lives depend on what he accomplishes here in the next few hours. Don't lose your focus.
Shalimar: Think if he does this, they'll really let him walk? [Adam shakes his head.] No. What he knows is too important.
HoloAdam: Look, The Dominion isn't the only player who wants his research. And if the other players can't control him, they're gonna want his knowledge eradicated.
Shalimar: They want him dead?
HoloAdam: Yeah.
Shalimar: I'm not gonna let that happen.
HoloAdam: I'm gonna do everything I can to protect him.
Shalimar: Why'd you have to come back, Adam?
HoloAdam: Shalimar...
Shalimar: Breeze back into my life and turn everything upside down again.
HoloAdam: Shalimar, we've got to find out who's behind this. We've got to figure out if they're the same people who are trying to kill me, and then your life is gonna be your own again.
Shalimar: Was it ever my own? I can't help wondering if my life was all planned out for me before I was even born. You know, Genomex wrote it into my genes along with all that other stuff, you know? And everything that I say and do, it's just acting out what some scientist wanted to happen.
HoloAdam: No, no. Your destiny has always been in your own hands. We're going to make sure that it stays that way.

[Having just brought the Helix back to Sanctuary, Brennan's still standing inside when Jesse and Lexa run in to join him.]
Jesse: Hey.
Brennan: What's going on?
Jesse (going to the co-pilot's seat): Possible location of Gervais, a research facility he's tied to.
Brennan (sitting in the pilot's seat): Okay, possible location is as good as we're gonna get right now. Let's do it.

[Landing the cloaked Helix on the rooftop of the building, Brennan and Lexa enter the warehouse, leaving Jesse at the computer to monitor their signals.]
Jesse: Okay, guys, I think we hit pay dirt. I've got six readings, three of them moving and three of them still.
Brennan: Where are the hostages?
Jesse: Yeah, they're right in front of you, but I don't know which way is faster.
Lexa: Okay, then, let's split up. Whoever gets there first waits for the other one before making a move, all right?
Brennan: All right. You got that, Jess?
Jesse: Yeah. Uh, I'll keep feeding you anything I see. [Lexa turns invisible and the two turn down separate corridors. Brennan is walking down his hallway when a clear door slides shut behind him, blocking his exit. He turns the other way, but a second door slides shut in front of him as well.]
Brennan (pushing against the doors in vain): It's a trap!
Lexa (turning visible in her corridor): I'm on my way. [Brennan throws an electrical arc at the door, but it doesn't open. He's forming another tesla coil when white gas fills the chamber and he's frozen in place. Lexa runs up to the glass door in front of Brennan just as Anthony Gervais approaches the door behind him, holding a gun.]
Anthony: That's far enough. [Lexa holds up a ball of light in her hand.] Nice trick, but I wouldn't try anything. It wouldn't take more than a touch to turn him to powder.
Lexa (lowering her hand): He dies, you die.
Anthony (shaking his head): I have nothing left to lose, here. If you're here, the Council knows I'm the one who did it by now. There's no going back. Walk away. Get me my money.
Lexa: This isn't the end.
Anthony: No. But it's close. [Lexa backs away and hurries down the corridor.]

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

[In the lab at the manor, Keith aims the microwave accelerator at some cells in a glass jar.]
Keith: Okay. The speed of the reverse vitrification is ramped up to almost where it needs to be. The trick now is to prevent cell damage introduced by the free radicals when the cell was shut down. [The jar fills with white gas.] It's a fast-moving scavanger virus that bonds with the free radicals, stabilizing them. If this works, it should treat the whole system in seconds. [Shalimar presses a button, activating the microwave accelerator beam.]
Shalimar (walking over to him at the computer): What's happening?
Keith: It's not pervasive enough. Too much cell damage is happening before the whole organism would be viable.
Shalimar: Well, some of the cells lived.
Keith: Yeah, but we have to reanimate the entire organism at the same time: lipid, cell structure, even the DNA has to be protected.
Shalimar: Are you saying you can't do it?
Keith: The answer is right in front of me, I just can't see it. There's gotta be a way to make this work faster.
Shalimar (rubbing his back): You're gonna get it.
HoloAdam (appearing in the room): Well, whatever you do, you have to make it work faster. They've got Brennan. He's one of the hostages now. [Shalimar looks disturbed.]

[At Dominion Headquarters, Lexa's Contact is admonishing the Council Head in the Council Room.]
The Contact: I should have been informed of Gervais's connection to Burstyn's work.
The Head: There was no reason to suspect a Council member.
The Contact: Miss Pierce suggests paying the ransom. We can take him at our leisure.
The Head: We will not pay the ransom. If Burstyn hasn't created a reversal process, our people are already dead.
The Contact: Shalimar Fox is working with him as we speak. Mutant X will implement the cure as soon as it's ready.
The Head: We move on Gervais's location in one hour. And do whatever you have to do to find Burstyn.
The Contact: It's already been proven Burstyn's innocent.
The Head: Innocent has nothing to do with it. We need him. That's all you have to know. [The Contact nods and leaves the room.]

[In the lab at the manor, Keith places a frog into the receiving jar as Shalimar watches from her chair.]
Keith: Okay. Hit the projector on my signal. [The jar fills with white gas.] Okay, now. [Shalimar turns on the microwave accelerator beam; Keith goes back to the computer to monitor the progress.]
It's working. Less than .001 percent cell loss. We did it. I should be able to fabricate enough of the compressed solution to revive the hostages in less than an hour.
Shalimar: What about the microwave projector?
Keith: I can program the settings. All you'll have to do is pull the trigger. In just a few hours, they'll have their members back and they'll get out of my life forever. [He turns to look at her; she looks back sadly.] They don't intend to let me go, do they? That's okay. I got away before. I can do it again. It would be easier with two of us, though.
Shalimar: Keith...
Keith: I know how you're feeling. There's a way out. Just think about it, okay?
Shalimar: I'll think about it.
Keith: Okay. Let's get back. Finish this.

[Jesse's sitting at the computer in Sanctuary when an anonymous incoming call appears on his screen.]
Jesse: Who is this?
Shalimar's voice: Jess, it's me.
Jesse: Shalimar, where are you?
Shalimar (in the manor, on a cell phone): I'm on my way to where they've got Brennan. I've got a way to reverse the process.
Jesse: No-no-no, that is not a good idea. Look, come back to Sanctuary, we'll work this out.
Shalimar (shaking her head): Can't do it. Meet me there if you want a piece of this. [She hangs up. Jesse gets up from the computer and heads towards the door just as Lexa walks into the room.]
Lexa: Where are you going?
Jesse (beckoning her over): We're going. Shalimar's on her way to Gervais's lab; she says she's got the reversal process. [Lexa follows him out.]

[Shalimar's preparing to leave the manor, strapping on the microwave accelerator case. Keith hands her a metal container with the gas.]
Keith: Remember, you've got to give the gas time to activate before hitting them with the microwaves.
Shalimar: Okay.
Keith: I'm going to go back to my place to get my stuff. When this is over, you meet me there. Tell me what you've decided.
Shalimar (playing with his collar): Okay. I'm not gonna let them take you.
Keith (kissing her): See you. [She leaves.]

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

[Lexa and Jesse hurry down the alley outside of Gervais's laboratory warehouse.]
Jesse (pointing to the wall): Okay. This is the quickest route to the hostages.
Lexa (looking around): Where is she? She said she'd be here.
Jesse: Well, you're not the only one who can be invisible.
Shalimar (jumping down from the roof to join them): Let's do this. [Jesse phases the wall, allowing them to walk through. Peering around the corner, Shalimar sees a man standing in the hallway. She whispers a warning to the other two behind her.] There's a guard. It's gonna be hard to get to him before he calls an alarm.
Lexa: Not really. [Looking around the corner, she aims a laser at the guard, who falls silently to the ground. Shalimar and Jesse follow Lexa down the corridor towards the frozen Brennan.]
Shalimar: I'll take care of Brennan; you guys go for Gervais.
Lexa (taking Jesse's arm): Come on. [They run off down the hallway. Shalimar opens the gas container and tosses it to the ground. As the corridor fills with white smoke, she points the microwave accelerator at Brennan and fires it.] Please work. [She catches him as he unfreezes and falls against the wall.] Hey. You okay?
Brennan (smiling at her): You came back!
Shalimar (kissing his cheek): Of course I did. Don't move too much, all right? I'm gonna go find the hostages. Okay?
Brennan (slumped against the wall): Yeah. [She leaves. Finding the other hostages, she once again opens the gas container and rolls it toward them. In the next room, Anthony hears an alarm go off on his computer and runs to his control board. Looking on his video monitor, he sees Shalimar standing in front of the hostages.]
Anthony (smirking): You're too late. All you'll have to work with is dust.
Brennan (appearing in the doorway): You done twirling your moustache? You're pretty good with helpless hostages. You wanna try me? [Anthony reaches for his gun; Brennan zaps him unconscious just as Lexa and Jesse run into the room. He picks Anthony up and marches him out of the room, followed by Jesse and Lexa. Shalimar walks up to them, leading the three remaining Dominion Council members.]
Lexa (on her cell phone, winking at Shalimar): We've recovered the hostages.
The Contact's voice (on the other line): That's good. A medical team will be there shortly to pick them up.
Lexa: It was Keith Burstyn's discovery that saved them. It confirms his innocence. [Jesse guides the three Council members to the exit. Shalimar stops to listen over Lexa's shoulder.]
The Contact: Another team is being dispatched to take Burstyn into custody.
Lexa: What?! [Hearing this, Shalimar runs out of the building.]
The Contact: We worked out his location from a transmission a few minutes ago.
Lexa: Yeah, but I found out about the communications. They were from Burstyn. And we know he's innocent. There's no reason to take him in.
The Contact: Stay out of it, Lexa. For your own good. [He hangs up.]
Lexa (to herself): Oh, boy. [She walks back to Brennan and Jesse, who are waiting for her, holding Gervais. She looks around for Shalimar.]

[Up in the Helix, Shalimar hears Brennan's voice over her comlink.]
Brennan: Shalimar, you need to stop running out on us.
Shalimar: The Dominion's sending a team after Keith. There's probably not much time.
Brennan: All right. When are you coming back?
Shalimar: I don't know, Bren. I'll call you.

*The Weather Network with 99% Accuracy

[Shalimar arrives at Keith's apartment complex and runs across the rooftop, searching for him.]
Shalimar: Keith! Keith!
Keith (coming out to join her): Shalimar! It worked?
Shalimar: Yeah. Grab your stuff, they're coming.
Keith: I'm not going back.
Shalimar: I won't let them take you.
Keith (looking up): It's too late. [Shalimar turns as loud pounding begins on the doors below them.]
Shalimar: Get inside.
Keith (running back inside): Goodbye, Shalimar. [Three armed men barge onto the roof, their guns trained on Keith's back. Shalimar steps in front of them, arms out to block their aim until Keith makes it inside.]
Shalimar: You're not taking him! [Suddenly, behind her, an enormous explosion tears through the building Keith just entered. Shalimar screams as the building goes up in flames.] Keith! [Furious with grief, she spins around and attacks the men in front of her.]

[Scene: Several hours later, Shalimar returns to the darkened Sanctuary. She's headed for her room when Brennan hears her and comes out of his room.]
Brennan: Hey. Are you okay?
Shalimar (going to him): Not really. [She rests her fists on his stomach.] He just wanted to be free, you know?
Brennan (taking her hands and kissing the top of her head): Yeah. Look, I'm here if you need to talk about anything, okay? [She smiles at him and goes into her room. She's lighting some candles when she hears Adam's voice behind her.]
Adam: Shalimar. [She looks into the mirror beside her to see HoloAdam standing there smiling, arms folded. Next to him is HoloKeith.]
Shalimar (turning to face them, chuckling): I can't believe you did it again.
HoloAdam: Well, I guess I'm good at making people disappear.
Shalimar: How could you let me believe he died?
HoloAdam: Shalimar, I'm sorry. It was the only way. It had to be like this. Your believing he was dead was the thing that convinced The Dominion.
Shalimar (rolling her eyes): I've got too many ghosts in my life.
HoloKeith (walking up to her): Adam's sending me into the new mutant underground.
Shalimar: You're gonna finally get what you were looking for.
HoloKeith: There's still time. You can come with me.Shalimar (smiling): You don't know how good that sounds right about now, but I can't leave. Not yet, anyway.
HoloKeith (nodding): Well, there'll always be a way to find me. [He smiles and disappears.]
HoloAdam: Well, thanks for making the right choices. ‘Cause you know your destiny isn't something you're running away from. It's something you're running toward. You were right to trust your instincts.
Shalimar: Trust you. I don't know if that's the same thing. But it scares me that I don't know the difference.
HoloAdam (nodding): Yeah. Well, if I'm successful, none of us will have to be scared anymore.
Shalimar: Am I gonna see you again?
HoloAdam (smiling): You never know. [He disappears, leaving Shalimar to her thoughts.]