Four Years Ago
At his home, Roderick is helping his brother Jack to breathe. Jack warns that he's out of time and that their mother said that CF would kill him before he reached 40. He tells Roderick to go, insisting that he'll be fine.
Later, Roderick is giving a university lecture about genetics and says that humans are only another species on earth. He talks about how humans stopped Neanderthals from taking over the planets because they worked together and out-communicated the Neanderthals. Now Nature has created mutants but Roderick says that they can harness the power of science for themselves if they stand together as a species.
Now
The mutants gather and the Frost triplets warn that they're allies but they're not friends. They're all worried about the Hound program, and Roderick is preparing to take it national. He's attending a Humanity Today summit in Charlotte, and every major anti-mutant force will be there. Esme says that they have to abduct Roderick and smash the program. When Clarice objects, Esme asks if the underground knows about Clarice's old criminal friends. However, she says that's in the past and they have work to do.
Reed and Caitlin move back into their rooms at the HQ, and John asks if Reed had any luck with his father's research. Reed admits that he hasn't yet, and says that they'll work on it. Clarice approaches John and says that she needs to explain about her past. She admits that she was run out of town by the Purifiers and found some mutants who pushed back. They were part of the Brotherhood, and she bailed when they asked her to do things she didn't want to do. Clarice never told the underground, and John complains that she hid the information from them. She explains that she didn't want to lose feeling safe, and John tells her that he looked for her when he thought she was one of them, and maybe he was wrong.
Roderick flies to Charlotte and gets a call from Mr. Wong. Wong says that some information is missing from Strucker's research papers. Roderick tells him to find it so they can find a way to suppress the X-Gene.
Lorna asks Marcos to cooperate with the Frosts because they have a common enemy. She insists that there's no way the triplets can come between them, and asks Marcos to do it for her rather than them. Marcos agrees.
Lauren finds Andy in the vault looking through the book about Andrea and Andreas. She tells him that Wes went back to Augusta, and Andy insists that Andreas wasn't the psycho that humans claimed. Andreas tried to build a place where mutants could live. Lauren insists that the Underground is saving people and the Strucker siblings were killers. Andy doesn't believe her and points out that the Frost Sisters treat them like adults. Disgusted, Lauren says that the Frosts are liars but Andy suggests that they're the only ones who are telling the truth.
The various anti-mutant factions meet in Charlotte, and Roderick arrives with Wolcott.
At the HQ, Caitlin overhears Fade saying that some people were happy when they left. She says that they're on the same side but Fade doesn't believe her. Reed and Sage are going through the data, and Reed tells Caitlin that they couldn't find much of his father's work on mutants. Sage has discovered that Roderick has been talking to some of Otto's old working partners. Caitlin sees the name of the insurance company where Reed's mother Ellen works.
Lauren and Andy are watering plants, and Andy says that they should be going after Roderick since he used his research on them. Lauren insists that they're a team, just as Reed and Caitlin come over and says that they need to get to Ellen before Trask does.
In Charlotte, the Triplets take John and the others to a safehouse. Lorna reminds Marcos that they're just there to do a job. Esme takes them in and explains that they're fully equipped to break Roderick, and the Brotherhood supplied them with everything they need. She shows Lorna to their room and says that sometimes Lorna seems like the only one who knows what's next to do. Lorna doesn't want to hear it and she smashes the bed with her magnetic powers. Esme says that she can Lorna's father's power in her.
The Struckers arrive at the company, and Caitlin and Reed go to Ellen's office. A man sees the Struckers and starts to recognize them, and the couple claim that they were at the party. Their bluff works and the couple get to the office. Ellen wonders why they're there, and they ask to talk to her privately in her office.
Andy and Lauren wait outside and stand watch, and Andy says that they need to be ready to use their powers if there's trouble. Lauren tells her brother that their power comes with responsibility, but Andy figures the humans should be scared of them.
Ellen says that she hasn't seen Otto in years, and Reed tells her that she needs to come with them. His mother refuses to run away from her entire life, and Reed says that SS killed Otto.
At the summit, Roderick meets Senator Montez. Roderick says that they're on the cusp of victory and he has some exciting developments. He wants to talk to Montez about funding priorities, and Montez overrides his Chief of Staff, Sarah.
The Frost Triplets take the Underground members to a road near a pharmaceutical magnate, Franklin Bennett, who funds anti-mutant efforts. Clarice is with Esme in a car, and they wait for Bennett magnate to run by. Esme says that they learned about Clarice's criminal past from their contacts, and insists that they have a lot in common. Bennett drives up and Clarice and Esme block the road. Lorna takes out the car's tires and John rips the door off of its hinges.
Ellen is shocked to learn that Otto was a mutant. Reed explains about how Otto blocked the X-Gene in him, and SS is looking for the serum Otto used. Caitlin says that they have to go, just as Lauren calls from outside and says that SS is there. Reed and Caitlin lead Ellen to the elevator and they head to the car.
Two SS agents approach the building, and Andy tells Lauren that he's protecting his family and steps out. One agent draws a gun on him, and Andy raises his hands and then blasts them back. When he advances on them, Lauren creates a force field to block him. He throws a blast at her and she blocks it, and the shock knocks them both back. Reed, Caitlin, and Ellen come out and they all get in the car and drive away.
Roderick shows Montez the video of his Hounds and says that he can't do it alone. Montez worries that it doesn't have good optics, and Sarah warns that it may be too violent. Roderick says that they captured 37 mutant terrorists without any SS agents harmed. He wants Montez's support in DC.
At the safehouse, the Frosts handcuff Bennett to a chair and tell him to make a phone call. They use their mind controls to have Bennett tell the summit security that he's making a change to his security detail. Meanwhile, John and Marcos put on guard uniforms and John says that he'll work with the Frosts to get the people who killed Dreamer and Pulse. He tells Marcos that they have to fight the war in front of them.
Lorna and Clarice put on guard uniforms and Clarice notices the shattered bed. She says that the Frosts worked on her, too, and Lorna tells Clarice that Esme talked about the person they think is her father. Clarice insists that DNA doesn't take charge of who they are, and hopes Lorna realizes that sooner than she did.
Once the Frosts release Bennett from their control, he insults them and they mentally command him to stop breathing. As he gags, Esme says that they can feel the hate in his mind. Clarice and the others come in and Clarice tells them to stop. After a moment they do so and Esme glares at Clarice.
The Struckers pull over to dump their car, and Reed calls the Underground to tell them what happened. He asks if Otto used to talk to someone, and Ellen remembers that there was a researcher and she and Otto used to talk together. Ellen thought that Otto was having an affair with her, and he promised that he'd never see her again. The woman was at the house once and came to see Reed. Ellen remembers that her name was Madeline Risman. She apologizes to Reed for not protecting him from Otto, and he assure her that she did the best she could.
Reed makes a call and says that Underground is sending someone to pick them there, and Ellen will have to stay low for a while. She says that she can't go with them because she'll just hold them back, and she'll stay with a friend in Boca Raton. Lauren assures her grandmother that they're still the same people they always were, and Ellen tells her that she's so much more.
At the summit, Montez takes the stage. Outside, the mutants pull up posing as security guards and get in. Bennett is in the back under the Frosts' telepathic control, and nods briefly to the guard.
Montez speaks about how it's time to stop coddling their enemies. He announces that he will introduce new legislation to defeat the mutants. Outside, Lorna says that when the speech is over she'll take out the communications. Clarice works out where she needs to open portals. John tells her that when she stopped the Frosts from torturing Bennett, she did the right thing. He assures her that she's one of them, and Clarice kisses him. Marcos joins them and says to do it, and Clarice opens a portal for John and Marcos to go through.
The Struckers return to the HQ and Reed tells Sage about Madeline. As they go to work trying to find her, Caitlin asks Andy and Lauren what happened. Andy says that it was just a disagreement, and Lauren points out that he attacked the agents. Caitlin says that they need to stick together as a family, and Andy points out that he's the only one proud to be a von Strucker. Once he leaves, Caitlin tells Lauren that she can work things out with Andy. Lauren insists that her brother isn't the same anymore and walks off.
Sophie and Phoebe take Bennett to an alley and leave him there tied up. Lorna uses her powers to short out the security communications, while John, Clarice, and Marcos confirm what she did. John hears Roderick in the elevator coming up with three guards, and hears three more in a suite down the hall. The trio gets to the elevator and Marcos blinds the guards. One of them is a Hound and uses his power to paralyze Marcos with pain, but John knocks him out. The children's choir from the summit comes out of the next elevator, and Roderick grabs one and uses her as a shield. The mutants have no choice but to let him go, and more guards arrive. They open fire and hit John in the back as he shields Clarice. Marcos yells at Clarice to portal them out.
Written by Gadfly on Jan 16, 2018