Épisode La prophétie S03E20 - Mutant X Saison 3

                                  The Prophecy    


[Opening scene. The shadowy corridors of a creepy mental hospital at night. Some patients can be glimpsed through the windows of their doors: An elderly man gapes stupidly in a drugged haze, an Asian man scratches at his face in a frenzy, and a woman beats on the glass with bloody fists. At the end of the hallway, a doctor writes something in a chart and leaves it outside of a room. Inside the room, John Bishop sits cross-legged at the head of his bed, wearing a straight-jacket and rocking back and forth. Suddenly, he sits bolt upright and gasps.]
John (in a gutteral voice): It Begins!

[Scene: An alleyway, night. A terrified man, Nathan Reynolds, flees down the alley from a monstrous shadowy creature pursuing him. Phasing through a building, he reaches a telephone booth and ducks inside to pick up the phone. Cut to: Brennan's bedroom. He's topless, doing pushups on the floor when the cell phone on his desk rings. He fumbles for the phone and answers it.]
Brennan (panting): Oh man.... Yeah?
Nathan: Brennan Mulwray?
Brennan: Yeah, who's this?
Nathan: Just listen. My name is Nathan Reynolds, okay? I-I'm not on drugs, I'm not crazy, and I'm sure as hell not wrong. The Prophecy has come true! And you and I are a part of it.
Brennan (reaching up to his computer to start tracing the call): Dude, check it out. You'd better slow down and start making some sense or I'm hanging up.
Nathan (spotting the creature running down the street towards him): Oh God! It's too late for me. He's come!
Brennan: Who?
Nathan: Look, he'll be after you next; just save yourself and the others before it's too- [He screams as the hooded creature breaks in through the glass and grabs him by the throat.]
Brennan (watching the trace progressing on his computer): Don't hang up! Hello? Hello?

[A bit later, Brennan and Shalimar head towards the alleyway where Nathan placed his call.]
Shalimar: So, how'd this guy find your number?
Brennan: I don't know. There's been far too much of that happening lately. I think we need an answering service.
Shalimar: What, like, "Mutant X can't come to the phone right now, we're too busy saving the world...again"?
Brennan: Yeah, something like that. [He walks up to the smashed-up telephone booth, which is empty. Behind them, the hooded creature hides behind a dumpster, snarling.] Well, I guess it wasn't a prank call.
Shalimar: Yeah. We've definitely found our phone.
Brennan: Now where's our caller? [Taking a closer look, he notices a slimy substance dripping from the broken metal of the booth.] What is this stuff? Some kind of acid?
Shalimar (hearing the creature approaching): Brennan! [She kicks Brennan's feet out from under him so that the slime that the creature's aimed at him barely misses his head. Brennan zaps the creature, who recovers quickly and turns to attack Shalimar. A woman dressed in leather strides down the alleyway.]
Riley Morgan: Hey! Freak boy! [She hits the creature with a psionic blast, and it squeals and runs away from her. Once she's sure that it's gone, the woman returns to Brennan and Shalimar.]
Brennan: What the hell was that?
Riley: He'll be back. You two should get out of here. Hello? Ken? Barbie? Chop-chop.
Brennan: I'm not going anywhere until I figure out who made that call for help.
Shalimar (staring at the brick wall above the phone booth): Bren? [All three look up at the skeletal remains of Nathan stuck to the wall, mired in slime.]
Riley: I hate to break this to you, hero. But I think you're a little late.

Opening Credits. "The Prophecy."

[Brennan watches from the ground as Shalimar leaps up on top of the phone booth to get a sample of the slime on Nathan's body. Riley starts to leave.]
Brennan: Hey, hey, where do you think you're going?
Riley: What? Can't a girl just take a stroll down an alley anymore?
Brennan: Look, cut the crap, all right? Obviously you know something.
Riley: All right. The guy that jumped you is called The Guardian. I've been on his trail for the last month.
Brennan: Why?
Riley: I'm a bounty hunter. He's been watching a package that I'm after. Your turn. What's your part in this? And don't bother lying. [She touches his forehead with a glowing finger.] I'll know.
Shalimar (leaping down): You an empath?
Riley (surprised): Telepath.
Shalimar (grinning smugly): Good for you.
Brennan: Well, there's not really a whole lot to tell. Got a call from this guy. Said his name was Nathan and that there's some prophecy that I'm a part of.
Riley: Did he say anything else? Details?
Brennan: Mostly, I just heard him screaming. So if I'm involved in this and you're going after that killer, than I'm going with you.
Riley: Oh, really? 'Cause I must have missed the part where I invited you.
Shalimar: Guess we could always go find him ourselves. But then you'd risk us finding him first.
Riley: All right. [To Brennan.] You can tag along. But the feral goes home.
Brennan: Deal. [Shalimar's face falls; it's Riley's turn to look smug. She walks off, and Brennan turns to Shalimar.] 'S cool. [He follows Riley, leaving Shalimar standing alone in shock.]

[In Sanctuary, Lexa and Jesse are sitting opposite one another, playing chess. Jesse's hand hovers over the board as he tries to decide his next move. Lexa glares at him impatiently.]
Lexa: Oh, for God's sake, make a move already! I'm hearing crickets.
Jesse: Relax. You know, you can tell a lot about a person's romantic style by the way they play games. For some, it's just all about the finish. But for others, well, they take their time, enjoying the moves it takes to get you there. [Smiling, he raises his eyebrows and then finally moves his piece.]
Lexa (smiling): Well, fast, slow. As long as I win. [She moves her piece and knocks over his king.] Checkmate. [Jesse drops his head in defeat.]
Shalimar (walking in): Jess, I need you to analyze this for me.
Jesse (catching the tube of slime she tosses him): Good to see you too.
Lexa: What happened at the meet?
Shalimar: By the time we got there, Brennan's contact was already dead.
Lexa: Well, where is Brennan?
Shalimar: Hell if I know. Ran into a bounty hunter, and he took off with her to follow the killer. I was cordially disinvited.
Jesse (looking at the slime): What is this?
Shalimar: It's the only evidence I could get. It was all over the scene. I'm guessing that's how the guy was killed. [She stomps off to her room.]
Jesse: He was slimed. Cool!
Lexa (shaking her head): You are so weird sometimes.

[Shalimar's in the garage swinging away at a punching bag with all of her might when Lexa comes to find her.]
Lexa: So. How hot is she?
Shalimar (laying into the bag): Who?
Lexa (whistling): That hot, huh? Look, Shal. Speaking as your friend-- [Shalimar snorts.] Okay, speaking as me...You've really got to clear up your Brennan issues.
Shalimar: What are you talking about?
Lexa: I'm talking about every time he gets near another girl your hackles go up.
Shalimar: Okay. First? You're way off. And second? You are WAY off. We're like family.
Lexa: Yeah? Well, I hope you like it that way. [She grabs the bag, forcing Shalimar to stop.] 'Cause until you get honest with yourself and Brennan, that's all you two will ever be. You know what, Shal? He has every right to keep looking. [Lexa walks out, and Shalimar starts laying into the bag again.]

[Meanwhile, Riley and Morgan are sitting in her car outside a crack house.]
Brennan: You mind telling me what we're doing here?
Riley: Well, I'm not sure where to find the guy that jumped you, but I'm pretty sure who he's after next. [She hands him a picture.] She's a feral named Kara Whitely. If we can find her, we can set up a sweet ambush.
Brennan: What, she just hangs out in alleys?
Riley: No, but her dealer does. We just have to shake him down. Understanding people's weaknesses is half of my job.
Brennan: Oh, really? So what's your weakness?
Riley Morgan: Pretty boys that ask too many questions. You?
Brennan: Aggressive chicks with a superiority complex.

[Shalimar and Lexa walk into the lab to meet Jesse, talking about Riley Morgan.]
Lexa: I'm coming up with nothing so far on this bounty hunter so far. I mean, Riley's probably an alias.
Shalimar: Maybe it's her stripper name.
Lexa: Meow! [To Jesse.] Anything?
Jesse (at the computer): Well, it could be the ickiest substance I've ever analyzed, but it's definitely the most intriguing.
Lexa (making a face while examining the slime): What is this stuff?
Jesse: Well, it's a mucus. [Lexa hastily puts it down.] More of a viscous cement, really.
Shalimar: Does it tell us anything about the guy that attacked us?
Jesse: Well, I'm ready to check the database here. [He punches some keys.] Oh, he's called The Guardian. [He shows them a photo.] Catchy name, huh?
Shalimar: What is he? Looks like some kind of feral.
Jesse: Well, he's similar. He's a transgenic hybrid like you; he's arachnid based. I'm guessing they crossed him with a hobo spider and a whip scorpion.
Lexa: That's not a good thing.
Jesse: No, that's a very not good thing. Look, of the four mutations, ferals' personalities are most dependent upon their DNA, right?
Lexa: Yeah, so?
Shalimar: So, a mammalian cross like me, that's one thing but...
Jesse: But an arachnid, that's gonna be a whole other kettle of weirdness. He's not gonna think like us; he's not gonna feel like us. He's gonna be totally unpredictable. He'll be instinct over intellect.

[In the car outside the crack house, Riley finally spots Kara's dealer.]
Riley: There's our guy. [Brennan opens his door.] Uh, hello? What are you doing?
Brennan: I'm...getting out of the car.
Riley: Look, you aren't used to this kind of subtle interrogation, all right? It takes finesse, style.
Brennan (holding up a tesla coil): Oh, I got your style right here.
Riley: No, you've got voltage. [She gets out of the car, then sticks her head back in the window.] You can't just fry your snitches, all right? They'll never help you again. Informants are like trees for bounty hunters. A renewable resource.
Brennan (getting out of the car): Is there a books-on-tape version of this lecture? 'Cause it's making me kinda sleepy.
Riley Morgan: Stand back and watch, GQ. You might actually learn something. [She calls out to Kara's dealer.] Yo, Dooley! You got a second? [Dooley looks up and runs into the building. Riley chases after him.]
Brennan (running after her): Nice work, Professor.
Riley: You know the rules, Dooley! You make me run, I make you bleed! [Barging into the building, Riley and Brennan finds themselves facing two huge bodyguards standing on either side of Dooley.]
Dooley (grinning): You were sayin'?
Bodyguard: You two got a problem?
Brennan (leaning against the wall): Me? Nah. I'm just here to learn.

[Back at Sanctuary, Jesse and Shalimar walk up to Lexa, who's working at the computer.]
Lexa: Oh, hey. I was checking a little deeper into The Guardian, and guess who he used to party with? Gabriel Ashlocke.
Shalimar (visibly upset): You've gotta be kidding me.
Lexa: Not even a little. The Guardian was part of something called The Links?
Jesse: Yeah, we know about The Links. They were Ashlocke's mutant followers, totally obssessed with him, wanted to help him take over the world. [He glances at Shalimar.] Not happy memories.
Lexa: Oh. Well, do you guys know what happened to them after Ashlocke died? Most of them drifted, but a hard core part of The Links, like our little bug boy here, they splintered off. Including this guy. [She pulls up a picture of John Bishop.] Mr. John Bishop. Their pet psionic. Most powerful precog on the map.
Jesse: Looks like the kind of guy who could be into the prophecy biz, huh?
Lexa: Yeah.
Shalimar: You think he's still in contact with The Guardian?
Lexa: Well, I was thinking Jess and I should pay him a visit, find out. It's just that Bishop's locked up in an asylum, and I know how much they freak you out.
Shalimar: So does anything having to do with Ashlocke. I'll go. [She walks towards the exit.]
Jesse (pointing at her): Let me...uh... [Lexa nods, and he follows Shalimar out.]


[Inside the crack house, one of Dooley's bodyguards has Riley in a headlock. She looks at Brennan, who is calmly watching from his position against the wall.]
Riley Morgan: Are you honestly just gonna stand there posing?!
Brennan: What's that? You need help? [Rolling her eyes, Riley elbows the bodyguard in the stomach and throws him over her shoulder]
Riley (to Brennan): You were saying? [She hits the bodyguard with a psionic blast when he tries to get up. As her attention is distracted, Dooley tries to escape, but Brennan grabs him by the neck and pushes him up against the wall.]
Brennan: You might want to wait a second while the lady has a word with you, huh?
Riley (showing him Kara's picture): Kara. Where's she been crashing lately?
Dooley: How should I know? I don't do house calls. [Brennan zaps him.] All right, all right! Something spooked her. Last I heard, she's on the move, living out of her van. That's it. [Brennan zaps him again.] God, hang up! Jeez. She's hanging out in a bar on Jergen Street. The Red Sky. But that's all I know. [Brennan lets him go.]
Brennan: Well, I've gotta admit, you've got some nice moves.
Riley Morgan: You should see me dance.
Brennan: Although using psionics to win a fight? That's cheating.
Riley Morgan: This from the human cattle prod? [As she walks towards the door; Brennan sends a small electrical arc at her butt.]

[Outside the crack house, Dooley's walking down the street massaging his neck when he's grabbed by the neck again, this time by The Guardian.]
The Guardian (hissing): Where'ssssss Karaaaaa? [As Dooley hangs from The Guardian's arm, the camera pans up to show a mucus-mired body stuck to the wall behind them.]

[Jesse and Shalimar arrive at the mental hospital. Jesse phases them into John's room; they see him curled up in a ball on his bed, whispering nonsense words.]
Shalimar: What's wrong with him? Dementia?
Jesse (flipping through John's medical chart): Oh, no, drugs. He's got enough cc's of Thorazine in him to knock out a cow. A really, really fat cow.
Shalimar (leaning over John's head): Shhh. Listen. What's he saying?
Jesse: He's so tranked out I doubt he knows his own name. [At that, John suddenly goes quiet. He quickly turns his head to grin at Shalimar.]
John (chuckling): Shalimar. [He reaches out to touch her; Jesse pulls her out of his reach.] I told you you'd come back.
Shalimar (confused): We've never met.
John (looking frightened): We're still back there? At the beginning? Moving so slowly... [He groans as if in pain and curls back up, starting to whisper again.]
Jesse: Okay... That was really, really creepy.
Shalimar (holding her comlink next to John's mouth): Lexa? I want you to record audio over my comlink.
Lexa (at the computer in Sanctuary): I'm on it.

[At the Red Sky bar, Brennan's sitting in a booth when a pretty woman walks by and smiles at him. He smiles back. Riley slides in beside him holding two mugs of beer.]
Riley: Save it. She's not interested. Actually... [She looks around the bar.] None of them are. I feel a complete lack of attraction to you in here.Brennan: Please. If you were any hotter for me, I'd get a suntan. [She laughs into her beer.] Ah, so. Drinking on the job?
Riley: First rule of hunting? Blend in with your surroundings. [She scoots over and sits on Brennan's lap.] You've got to make yourself comfortable too.
Brennan: Nice! Nice.
Riley: That okay?
Brennan: That's fine. Yeah, I can handle that.
Riley: Good. Cheers. [They clink mugs.]
Brennan: So how'd you get into this line of work?
Riley: Let's see...make my own rules, kick some bad guy ass. What could be better than that? Plus, it's the perfect gig for a psionic.
Brennan: Well, I guess what explains why you're so cocky. [She stares at him.] What? I meant, knowing when somebody's going to be able to lie to you.
Riley: Somebody actually did, once.
Brennan: And?
Riley: I'll never let anyone get that close again.
Brennan: Well, you can't go through life living like that.
Riley: Maybe. But I'm not the only one with trust issues here. I can feel you have your doubts about me.
Brennan: Well, you don't have to be a psionic to be a good judge of character.
Riley: Really?
Brennan: Yeah.
Riley: So, uh, what are you picking up on me? [Hooking a finger under his chin, she kisses him on the lips.] Hm?
Brennan: Okay, uh. What am I picking up on you? That you've got something to hide and your afraid that I'm gonna figure out what it is. And just for the record, I will.

[Jesse and Shalimar return to Sanctuary to join Lexa at the computer, still trying to decipher John's ramblings.]
Jesse: Anything?
Lexa: Hm. Well, so far, just this. [She plays the recording of nonsense whisperings.] Do we even know if this is English?
Jesse: That's a good point. [Shooing Lexa out of the chair.] Scootch. I'll try putting it through a conversion program, run it through the language processor. Oy, this could take a while.
Shalimar: Wait a minute. This guy's a precog. Unstuck in time? Forward, backward, they're the same to him. Try running it in reverse. [Jesse punches some buttons and John's voice comes out clearly.]
John's voice: From the blood of four will come our son. Once all signs pass if The Links remain, the heart of Ashlocke will live again. [Jesse and Shalimar look at one another, horrified.]

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

[Shalimar returns to the mental hospital. She uses a key to let herself into John's room, where he's fast asleep in bed. She takes his right arm and injects something into his vein. As the drug takes effect, John slowly opens his eyes and smiles.]

[Back at Sanctuary, Lexa's sitting next to Jesse at the computer as they search for more information on Riley.]



Lexa: I'm telling you, there's something going on between them.
Jesse: Between Brennan and Shalimar?
Lexa: Yes!
Jesse: Are you mental? They've always been like that.
Lexa: Please, she has no perspective with him. Every impulse is on a ten.
Jesse: She's a feral. She's just marking her territory.
Lexa: Oh my God, she gets any more territorial with Brennan, she'll have to pee on his leg. [Jesse stares at her; she wrinkles her nose in disgust.] Let's pretend I never said that.
Jesse: Yeah....already trying. [She gets up and sits at a computer across from him; Jesse glances at her.] Still, though, you've got to admit that having a relationship with somebody you work and live with could be tough.
Lexa: Why?
Jesse: Well, it's risky. I mean, what if you're misinterpreting them? What if they're just pretending to like you because they get off on the whole power trip, while the whole time they're just waiting to pull the rug from under you so you can fall flat on your ass, you know what I mean? Hypothetically speaking.
Lexa: Well, there's only ever one way to find out, you know? Somebody's got to make the first move. Hypothetically speaking. The meek shall inherit the earth, Jesse, but they never get the girl.
Jesse (crossing his arms): Who're you calling meek? [Lexa shrugs, about to answer, when Jesse's computer beeps.] Talk about getting the girl... All right, will the real Riley Morgan please stand up?
Lexa (coming back to sit beside him): Okay.
Jesse: Okay. Morgan comma Riley. Born Isabella Eastham, 27 years ago.
Lexa: And what has she been up to in the meantime?
Jesse: Well, becoming a card-carrying member of the Ashlocke's cult.
Lexa: Oh, my God. Riley's a Link.
Jesse: Yeah.
Lexa: This is no coincidence. We have to tell Brennan.
Jesse: Shalimar said not to.
Lexa: Yeah, and she's just been overruled.

[At the hospital, Shalimar watches John as he begins to cackle loudly.]
Shalimar: I want the truth. All of it.
John (getting out of bed, walking around her): People don't want the truth from me. They want fairy tales, happy endings.
Shalimar: Just tell me about the prophecy.
John: Oh, you mean The Child.
Shalimar: What child?
John: Son of four bloods, come to raise The Links above all others. Ashlocke died before he could fulfill his promise. With this Child, The Links will shape a new world.
Shalimar: How can we stop it?
John (hopping onto his bed): If it is meant to be stopped, it will be. If it's not, it won't. [He jokingly waves his arms mystically.] Time will tell...
Shalimar (grabbing his wrist): I want specifics!
John (eyes turning black): A child will be born. But for our hold to last, all four signs must come to pass. The moon will fall. Two bloods will be dashed. The Child will choose. And the mountain will crash. So I have seen, so it shall be. [He blinks and his eyes clear.]Shalimar: You're crazy.
John (petulantly lying down and pulling the covers up over his head): Then I'm in the right place.
Shalimar (leaning over him): What does this child have to do with Brennan?
John (pulling the covers back down, cackling at her): Haven't you guessed yet? [Still laughing, he pulls the covers back over his head.]

[In the Red Sky bar, Brennan and Riley are slow-dancing near the bar.]
Brennan: All right, so what if Kara doesn't show?
Riley: Damn, you're impatient. Are you in this much of a hurry for everything?
Brennan: Not everything.
Riley (touching a glowing finger to his forehead): Really? Well, let me see...
Brennan (pulling away): Hey! No, stay outta my head.
Riley (laughing): Oh, please. I'd die of boredom in there.
Brennan: Oh, is that so? Oh, I see how it is. [Acting hurt, he sits down at the bar.]
Riley (coming over to him): Okay, okay. Maybe I took it too far. Forgive me.
Brennan: Maybe. If you ask me really really nicely.
Riley: Pretty please?
Brennan: Nicer.
Riley (sitting on his lap): With me on top?
Brennan: Aw, c'mon, this isn't fair. You're playing dirty.
Riley: This isn't playing.
Jesse (over his comlink): Brennan? You there?
Brennan (to Riley): Um. You know, when this is all over, maybe you and I should...
Riley: You and I should...what?
Brennan: You're the psionic, why don't you tell me? [She reads his mind.]
Riley (getting up): Why don't you get us another beer...and maybe some ice? [She walks away.]
Brennan: Damn it, Jess, what's going on? I'm working here, man! [The screen splits two ways to show Jesse and Lexa at Sanctuary.]
Jesse: Actually, we think you're being worked.
Brennan: Why, what's going on?
Jesse: Oh, just your basic attempt at new world order.
Lexa: Look, we don't know everything yet; Shal's getting us more as we speak. But what we do know is that this prophecy that supposedly involves you was begun by The Links, and Miss Riley is one of them.
Brennan: You sure?
Jesse: I've got the proof right in front of me, man. Look, just watch your back until we know what game she's playing, all right?[Coming back to the bar, Riley senses that Brennan's found out her secret.]
Brennan: Yeah. Just keep me posted.
Riley: I guess we need to talk. [Just then, she spots Kara entering the bar.] Kara! [Kara sees her and runs out. Brennan and Riley chase her into the alley behind the bar.] Don't do this, Kara! I don't want to hurt you.
Kara: Liar! You've already hurt me.
Brennan: We're here to help you. You're in danger.
Kara (pointing at Riley): I know who you are. And I know what you've taken from me. And I know what you want. [She screams and grabs her throat as slime drips down on her shoulder. Brennan looks up in time to see The Guardian leap from the rooftop onto Kara. Brennan fights him off with electrical arc after arc as Kara crawls back to her van. Riley, seeing that The Guardian is weakening, shoots a psionic blast at Brennan to get him to stop.]
Riley (hitting him): No! You can't kill him yet! He's our only path to The Child.
Brennan: What child? What's going on here?
Riley (looking around): Kara! [She runs to Kara's van and opens the front door. Kara's resting in the front seat, but when Riley tries to connect with her psionically, she gets no response. She looks up to Brennan.] She's dead.
Brennan (seeing dozens of drawings of a little boy in Kara's van): This child? [Riley nods.] Who is he?
Riley: According to The Prophecy, he's Ashlocke's second coming. According to biology, he's our son. [She goes back to the bar. Brennan stares after her, stunned.]

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

[Back inside the Red Sky, Brennan sits down next to Riley at the bar.]
Brennan: What do you mean, he's our son?
Riley: Not just ours. I mean, our DNA helped create him.
Brennan: What?
Riley: Look, Kara, Nathan, yours, mine. One from each mutant type.
Brennan: Okay, how'd they get my DNA?
Riley: Well, I'm sure you've been leaving it all over town. [He's not amused.] Most of The Links were Genomex'ers. It couldn't have been all that hard.
Brennan: So you've been after this kid from the beginning? Why didn't you just tell me that from the start, when we met in the alley?
Riley: I know, I know. Remember that guy I said I wish I hadn't trusted?
Brennan: Oh, no. Wait, don't tell me. Let me guess. Gabriel Ashlocke.
Riley: You know, I remember having this feeling ever since I was a real young kid that I was meant to do something with my life, something that mattered. And for a while, I thought that was protecting Ashlocke.
Brennan: You fell for the whole, "I'm the mutant savior" crap?
Riley: When he died, I stayed with The Links. When Bishop spoke his prophecy and named me one of the chosen four, I actually felt blessed. But if Bishop's correct, The Links will warp that child and make him darker and deadlier than any mutant we've seen, including Ashlocke.
Brennan: Well, there's got to be some way that we can stop them.
Riley: There are four signs that herald the transformation of The Child. The moon will fall, two bloods will be dashed, The Child will choose, and the mountain will crash. If we can stop the signs, we stop The Prophecy. Now, the moon falling, that was the eclipse. Two bloods will be dashed...
Brennan: Wait, that...that's Nathan and Kara. [She nods.] So we missed two signs. That means there's only two left.

[Meanwhile, Shalimar sits beside John on his bed in the hospital.]
John: I knew you would come. I knew it. Before you were even born. Did you know that? Are we in the present?
Shalimar: Yeah. I need to know what the lat two signs mean, Bishop. The mountain will crash, what is the mountain?
John: The Child's home and fortress. His castle underground. The last of The Links have spent these two years since his birth readying it for him.Shalimar: While The Guardian watched over him.
John: The time is ready for The Child to descend now to rule where no ill hand could reach him.
Shalimar: Where is he?
John (getting up and hiding his face against the wall): You are railing against that which cannot be stopped!
Shalimar: If it can't be stopped, then there's no danger in telling. Unless you aren't as sure of your predictions as you pretend.
John (turning and roaring at her): You try holding it all inside your head, girl! All the possible futures in all the world, getting a fresh glimpse with every hand you touch. See how easy it is for you to find the one true way! [He calms down.] I'll prove I'm right. Tell the last of the bloods that they will find The Guardian where tracks meet waters under destiny. But it will do them no good. So I have seen, so it shall be. [He curls up on the floor in the corner. Shalimar starts toward the door; he looks up at her.] Shalimar. Do you want to know how you will die?
Shalimar: I prefer the suspense, thanks.
John (getting up and walking to her): And what of Brennan? Would you not like to know how it ends for him if there's a chance you could save him from it?
Shalimar: I don't want to hear another word from you.
John: You will. [She closes the door in his face and leaves. He calls after her.] You will! You will, you will, you will, you will! [Softly, to himself.] You will.

[The screen splits in two to show Jesse and Lexa at the computer in Sanctuary, and Brennan and Riley coming out of the Red Sky bar.]
Jesse: Brennan?
Brennan (taking Riley's car keys): Yeah, Jess.
Jesse: Shalimar just got the last clue from Bishop. He said you'll find The Guardian where the tracks meet the water by destiny.
Brennan (opening the car door for Riley): Sounds like a fortune cookie.
Jesse: Yeah, except that there's an old railway line that ends near that docks, and there's a boat in Pier 17 named Destiny. We figure that's where The Guardian's keeping the kid until it's time to move him.
Lexa: Yeah, and which according to Bishop, is right about now.
Brennan: We're on it.
Lexa: I tell you, I don't know what those Link heads were thinking. Two mutants having kids is stupid enough, but mixing four--
Jesse: Whoa. Back that up. Just back that up. Two mutants having kids is stupid? Since when?
Lexa: Since eighty percent of the time they're biological disasters.
Jesse: What about the other twenty?
Lexa: Selfish impulse.
Jesse: I'm sorry, last time I checked procreation was a basic human right.
Lexa: Hmm... And the last time I checked we weren't basic humans. Oh, stop looking at me like I just killed your puppy. You know I'm right. Jess, our very existence is screwing with the natural order of things. The only way to make it right again is to let us mutants die out. That's it.

[Brennan and Riley find the pier, and walk towards the boat Destiny.]
Brennan: I wish you'd have let me whack that Guardian thing when I had the chance.
Riley: Don't be so sure you could have. Sometimes I think he's indestructible.
Brennan: Well, I look forward to proving you wrong.
Riley (looking up at the boat): Destiny. [Turning, she sees The Guardian closing in on them. A little blond boy in a golden cape stands behind The Guardian.] Brennan! [Riley and Brennan fight off The Guardian with electricity and psionic blasts until The Child has seen enough. Holding up his hands, he creates a force-field that propels Brennan and Riley backwards through the air. Then he and The Guardian vanish into thin air.]
Brennan (helping Riley up): Did you see that?
Riley: He chose.
Brennan: What?
Riley: "The Child will choose." He chose to protect The Guardian. We just watched the third sign.

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

[Back at Sanctuary, Jesse's staring forlornly into his computer while Lexa searches for possible "mountains" from The Prophecy.]
Lexa: I've narrowed down three large rock formations near where Brennan and Riley last saw The Guardian. Do you want to come take a look?
Jesse (looking up at her): You're ashamed of your mutation.
Lexa: Oh my God. What are you talking about?
Jesse (walking over to her): I can't believe that I never noticed it before. But admit it! Deep down, you're a self-loathing mutant.
Lexa: Do you hear how stupid you're sounding right now or is it just me?
Jesse: I mean, you're not exactly the poster child for the picture perfect family, so why would it surprise me that you're an anti-breeder?
Lexa: Okay, well, I'm also right. Tell me, Jess, how many times have we had to step in to avert mutant-caused disasters just with the few of us that exist so far?
Jesse (sitting down at his computer): That is such a cheap argument.
Lexa: No, it's not.
Jesse: Oh, come on. Like there's not criminals out there in the normal society as well.
Lexa: None that are their own personal biological weapons, no!
Jesse (groaning in frustration): Oh...
Lexa: It's evolution, Jess. Survival of the fittest? That's us. We'll live and we'll thrive, but you know what? The rest of humanity is going to die, and that's not supposed to happen.
Jesse: What if it is?
Lexa: What?
Jesse: What if there are no cosmic accidents? What if Adam was suppose to create us? And we're the beginning of...I don't know....the beginning of a new phase of humanity?
Lexa: Whatever helps you sleep. I guess we are going to have to agree to disagree, that's all.
Jesse: Fine.
Lexa: Fine.
Jesse: Lexa, please look. All I'm saying is, if there were a hundred little baby Lexas running around out there in the world that were all going to grow up to be just like you, I happen to think the world would be a better place. Yep. A frustrating....pigheaded.....beautiful place. [He looks up to see her staring at him.] What?
Lexa (smiling): Sometimes-you know, for a moron-you say exactly the right things. [She almost touches his face, thinks better of it, and grabs his arm to pull him over to the computer.] Now, come help me find my mountain.
Jesse (looking through Lexa's three choices): Let's take a tighter look. Nope. Uh-uh. Oh, Daddy likes. [Over his comlink] Okay, kids, I think we've got our last destination. It's a grouping of caves under the sewers near to you. It's an old mine.

[Riley and Brennan climb down an old ladder into the mines.]
Brennan: Okay, so how many of the Links are left?
Riley: Only a handful of hard-core believers. But nothings more dangerous in the wrong hands than faith.
Brennan: Yeah. Trust me, I don't want to run into any of them. [Into his comlink.] Shal, where you at?
Shalimar (up in the Helix): The Helix, not far from you.
Brennan: All right. I have a feeling we're gonna be very outnumbered, so you got my back?
Shalimar (smiling): Always.
Riley: So it's her.
Brennan: Who?
Riley: The woman whose fingerprints I feel all over your heart.
Brennan: I have no idea what you're talking about. Besides, didn't I tell you to stay out of my head?
Riley: Oh, that wasn't psionics, honey. That was just female intuition.
Brennan (chuckling): Female intuition.
Riley: Well, I hope she's not in as much denial as you are.
Brennan: Wait, hold up. Hold on one second. Let me ask you a question.
Riley: Yeah.
Brennan: If you're a telepath, then how the hell did Ashlocke manage to fool you?
Riley: Well, he didn't use his powers to convert me, if that's what you're asking. In the end, all he had to use was his charm. I fell in love with the bastard. Pathetic, isn't it?
Brennan: Uh, yeah. Face it, one of these days you're gonna have to trust someone again.
Riley: No. What I have to do is make sure that noone like that ever exists again. Whatever it takes.
Brennan: Okay, so how do you know where we're going.
Riley: By tracking. Can't you feel him?
Brennan: Who, The Child?
Riley: And not just him. [Two links come running down the passageway towards them.]
Link #1 (throwing an energy ball at Riley): You're too late, betrayer! [Brennan zaps him back. Shalimar, leaping into the fray, knocks the other Link to the ground. Suddenly, the ceiling above Riley caves in, burying her.]
Brennan (sifting through the debris): Riley! [Finding that she's not underneath, he looks around in confusion.] Where'd she go?
Shalimar (standing behind him): The mountain will crash. That was the last sign.
Brennan: I think she's...I think she's going after the kid. She's gonna kill him.

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

[Shalimar and Brennan are picking their way through the debris from the cave-in so that they can follow Riley. Jesse calls them from the lab in Sanctuary.]
Jesse: All right, I'm still sure there's about a half a dozen Links around, so keep your heads up.
Shalimar: Well, I'd feel a lot better down here if we knew how to kill The Guardian.
Jesse (pulling up a 3-D image of The Guardian): Well, I'll see what we can do about that. All right, I'm looking for weaknesses in his arachnid structure.
Lexa: Yeah, but without Riley as a psionic, how're you guys gonna track down The Child?
Shalimar: Come on, she'll follow the boy; I'll follow her.

[Further down inside the tunnels, Riley comes upon The Child, kneeling on a pillow in the midst of a small shrine surrounded by candles. She sends a psionic blast at his head, which he easily deflects with his mind. Then he connects with her psionically, smiling at her. Riley slowly smiles back and walks towards him. Shalimar and Brennan rush in. Brennan runs up to Riley and grabs her arm.]
Brennan: Riley, no!
Riley: It's not what you think, Brennan. I was wrong. He isn't evil. He's just a boy.
Shalimar: He's tricking her, just like Ashlocke.
Riley (to Shalimar): He's nothing like Ashlocke! [To Brennan.] I've looked inside his mind, Brennan. And he's beautiful. The opposite of everything I thought. I trust him.
Brennan: What about The Prophecy?
Riley: The third sign was, The Child shall choose.
Brennan: Yeah, he chose The Guardian.
Riley: No, he chose to let us live. [Riley takes The Child's hand and pulls him close.] He freed himself from The Prophecy by choosing that path, by following the good inside. Let me take him.
Brennan: No.
Riley: We can run from The Links.
Brennan: You'd spend the rest of your life running.
Riley: I told you I would spend the rest of my life making up for Ashlocke. This is how I was meant to do it. Please don't take that from me. [She looks down at The Child.] He wants you to come with us.
Brennan (glancing back at Shalimar): Can't.
Riley: They'll kill him before they'll let us have him, you know that. [Brennan kneels in front of The Child, who connects with him telepathically.]
Shalimar (hearing The Guardian approaching): Bren?
Brennan (to Riley): Go. [Riley kisses him and runs off with The Child. As they leave, The Guardian attacks Shalimar and Brennan.]
Brennan (zapping The Guardian): Jess, a little help? How the hell do we kill this thing?
Jesse (examining The Guardian's 3-D structure in front of him): He might have a weakness in his exoskeleton. Small of his back, where the plates overlap.
Shalimar (crossing behind Brennan to grab a shovel): Keep him busy.
Brennan (releasing all he's got into The Guardian): Come on... [Shalimar creeps up behind The Guardian and digs the shovel into his back as hard as she can. The Guardian collapses and melts into a pile of goo.]
Brennan: So much for Bishop's Prophecy.

[Shalimar returns to the mental institution to find Bishop. As she walks towards his room, she sees the bodies of the medical staff lying along the hallway floors. John appears in a doorway behind her, wearing a white coat and swinging a stethoscope.]
John: Sorry. I grew restless waiting for you.
Shalimar (indicating the bodies on the floor): What have you done?
John: Hm? Oh. Sleeping. I thought we should talk alone. [He pushes his face into hers.] You did want to talk...didn't you?
Shalimar: Your prophecy was false. We let The Child go. There was nothing evil about him.
John: There's something evil about all of us. It's our choice which face we show. Ask me a question, my little feral.
Shalimar: Tell me how it ends. What happens to me and my friends?
John: The final battle is upon you all. [He begins to walk away; Shalimar grabs his hand. His eyes turn black.] Four will begin, true love will call. One will betray, and one will fall. [She drops his hand, and his eyes slowly clear.]
Shalimar: Fall, fall, what do you mean fall? Do you mean die? [John backs away, laughing. She grabs him by the collar and pushes him up against the wall.]
Shalimar: Tell me!
John (dropping her to the ground with a psionic blast): Don't fight it. You and your friends can't hide from fate, Shalimar! [He leans over her.] It's already found you. [Standing, begins to walk away.]
Shalimar (sitting up): Can we stop it?
John: So I have seen, so it shall be. [He closes the door behind him, locking her in the room, and walks away.]
Shalimar (running up to the window): Tell me! [Alone in the darkened room, she hears only the sound of John's laughter.]