Fairfax, VA: One Year Earlier
Mr. and Mrs. Hoover call Rebecca down to breakfast. She uses her mutant power on the pancakes, turning them inside out to eat the blueberries. Rebecca wonders why her father is there and notes that they're acting weird, just as Sentinel Services arrives and takes Rebecca into custody. She realizes that her parents called them in, and the SS agents grab Rebecca and put a mutant restraint collar on her.
Present Day
At the Inner Circle headquarters, Rebecca is confined within a darkened cell in constant motion. Andy is in the gallery and watches with Sage, who insists that the measures are necessary to negate Rebecca's powers. He points out that Rebecca helped her and doesn't deserve it, but Sage says that Reeva can't risk her trying to escape.
The Frost sisters meet with Reeva and say that they have to move on the information at the bank. When Reeva says that the plan hasn't changed, the sisters point out that they need Andy to get to the target and he's not in a helping mood. Reeva says that she'll talk to Andy.
At the university, Lauren is reading a brochure about Madeline's "cure" for the x-gene. Madeline comes in and asks if she's ready. Once she leaves, Lauren tells Reed and Caitlin that Madeline plans to suppress all mutant powers. Her parents don't believe it, and Lauren says that Madeline's brother helped found the Purifiers. Caitlin notes that Reed needs the cure and they'll make Madeline keep the research confidential. Reed agrees with Lauren and says that they need to destroy the research and go. Madeline returns and says that they're going ahead.
Marcos is looking at a photo of Dawn when John comes in and asks how he's doing. John says that they need to move after Regimen Technologies and find out why the Inner circle is interested in them. Marcos explains that Lorna sent their daughter away and wonders how they fight that. John tells him that they have no choice and the Inner Circle is turning humans against mutants and many of the mutants think war is the only answer. He asks Marcos to help him make a better world for Dawn, and Marcos agrees. However, Marcos says that he wants first shot at Reeva and John agrees.
At the Purifier meeting, Ted tells the audience that people are starting to wake up to the mutant threat and brings Jace up. Jace steps up and says that they need to start calling the "mutant uprising" terrorism and they need to do something. He tells the Purifiers to watch and report, and conduct roving street patrols. Jace says that the cops and SS aren't protecting them so they're starting a citizen militia. He swears to god that the mutants will find out they picked the wrong species to tangle with.
Sage tells Reeva that she's not tolerating confinement well and won't stop screaming. Reeva tells her to let Rebecca continue screaming, and says that Rebecca still has a part to play in their plans.
Andy approaches Lorna in her quarters and asks if she's all right. He then wonders if their goal is worth it, and asks if Lorna misses Dawn. Lorna says that what she's doing is for Dawn, to make the world what it could be. She insists that they will make the Mutant Homeland happen.
John, Marcos, and Clarice go to a parking garage and John says that he located one Regimen systems analyst, Laurence Hayes, who lives across the street. They'll grab Hayes when he leaves for work, take him somewhere, and get some answers. Clarice says that it's crazy, but Marcos interrupts, saying that they should just get it done.
Madeline and the Struckers have breakfast, and Lauren says that she'd rather go to the lab and see the samples. Caitlin and Reed agree, and Madeline figures that they can finally complete the work that Otto started and change the world.
Marcos waits in the car for John and Clarice. Clarice calls and says that things went sideways, and tells Marcus to open the trunk as gunshots echo in the background. He does so and Clarice teleports Hayes in. Marcos closes the trunk, and Clarice and John teleport there and Clarice complains that John still wanted to go through with it despite the security guards.
Caitlin tells Reed that she managed to get what medication she could with no one noticing. Madeline comes in and the Struckers ask why the treatments have to be continuous. She explains that the medicine she and Otto made interrupts the energy buildup in Reed's cells, and comparing Lauren's DNA to Reed's lets them turn off the X-Gene entirely. Madeline apologizes for letting Reed down years ago and assures him that she'll save him now.
Noah takes blood samples from Lauren and says that it could be the breakthrough they need. Lauren asks to see where the blood is stored to get an idea of the whole process, and Noah finally gives in if she'll go to lunch with him. She agrees and they both smile.
At the clinic, Marcos ties up Hayes. Clarice talks to John and says that the cops have their description and orders to shoot to kill. John tries to joke and insists that they're in the clear. Clarice figures that they've set off a major mutant hunt, but John insists that he has to get answers from Hayes before regiment realizes that he's been taken. She complains that John is jumping into things, and John says that the fight is bigger than all of them and it's happening now.
Hayes tells Marcus that Regiment is a boring tech company. Marcos points out all of the security that regimen has, and warns that Inner Circle is coming after Regimen next. John comes in and says that they need to know what Regiment is doing to help them. John snaps at him and Hayes says that Regimen runs control systems for the mutant restraint collars in all of the prisons.
Benedict interviews Jace on his show, and Jace says that mutants who want to follow the law are welcome to join the Purifiers. Esme bickers with her sisters about not killing Jace, and Reeva comes in and says that the Purifiers are making the battle lines clear. Sage comes in and reports that someone in DC used a remote log-on to review Regimen's security protocols and could find out what they're doing. Reeva tells her to get the location and send Fade to get rid of them.
At the university, Reed and Caitlin worry that Lauren hasn't returned yet. Madeline comes in and says that they need to talk about Andy. She warns that Lauren's DNA contains two versions of the X-Gene, and she may share two X-Genes with Andy. Reed says that Andy isn't with them and they haven't seen him in months, and Madeline expresses her sympathy.
Noah takes Lauren to the refrigeration chamber and explains that there's years of Madeline's work there. He says that the place means a lot to him because Madeline was the first person who made him feel belonged. Lauren asks if they're working to eliminate the X-Gene in all mutants, and Noah says that he just wants to be normal. As they leave, Lauren secretly blocks the lock with her powers so it doesn't close.
Hayes tells John that there are dozens of facilities that use the collars. John snaps at him to hurry up, and Marcos talks to him outside, telling him to keep his cool. Clarice comes over and says that the cops are nearby looking for them. People are getting arrested because of what they did, and John asks her why she's so concerned about the Underground after she helped Erg. Clarice wonders if he's cheating on he, and John says that he didn't know. Angry, she tells John to go on his crusade while she fixes the mess he made.
Reeva visits Andy in his room and says that they need his help for their next mission. Andy insists that Rebecca made a mistake and is a victim. Reeva agrees, saying it was the humans' fault for turning Rebecca into a killer. However, she tells Andy that they can't turn Rebecca loose and risk her gong to the authorities. Reeva insists that they're trying to make a world where Rebecca can get the treatment she needs, and tells Andy that she knows he'll do the right thing.
Andy packs his things, goes to the chamber where Rebecca is being held, and breaks it open with his power. He helps Rebecca out and assures her that he would come for her. Andy says that the others are meeting upstairs. Rebecca says that they can kill all of them at once and that she meant to kill the humans at Trask. Andy tells her that they can just run, but Rebecca warns that Reeva will track her down again and reimprison her. She says that Andy should stay back or she'll make him, emerges from the elevator, and prepares to kill the others. Andy blasts her dead and yells for help, saying that they need to get a doctor. Reeva tells Andy that she's gone and that he saved them.
At the clinic, John tells Marcos that Clarice left because she didn't want to be part of the fight. Marcos points out that they're helping the people they love. Before John can respond, Hayes reports that he's learned something. John hears a car pull up outside, and the invisible Fade shoots Hayes dead. When he tries to run, John throws a cart at him, disarming him. John then uses his mutant hearing to track John. Fade insists that the Inner Circle has no beef with him, but John and Marcos take Fade out. They hear sirens outside and realize that the police are there.
Ted tells Jace that there's a mutant fight at the clinic they hit earlier. Jace tells his Purifiers to head there and grabs a gun.
Lorna visits Andy in his room and finds him crying. He doesn't want to talk, but invites her to sit with him. Andy wonders why Rebecca made him kill her, and Lorna says that he has to understand that people coming out of asylums are broken and the humans made her the way she was. He doesn't care about the mission, and Lorna tells him that they're going after the facility where they control the collars of every mutant in the country... every mutant like Rebecca. She says that it's Andy's chance to get justice for what happened to Rebecca, and Andy asks when they're going.
Lorna and Esme drive to the facility and take out the guards. They drive in with the rest of their team and Lorna puts on her new headpiece, and then Andy blasts the main door open.
Lauren takes Reed and Caitlin to the storage room and Lauren starts to open the cabinets. Noah and the guards arrive, and Noah tells Lauren to stop. Madeline comes in and says that she was trying to save Reed's life, and wonders why he would destroy her work. Reed tells her that what she's doing is wrong, but Madeline insists that she's saving the human race. Caitlin says that mutants are as God made them, and Madeline tells them that no god would curse people like Noah and Lauren. When Reed objects, Madeline tells him that Lauren should never have been born. She says that Lauren's DNA belongs to the world now. When she tells the guards to take the Struckers into custody, Noah asks if she wants to see a curse and removes his pump. His powers run wide, taking out the guards, and he tells the Struckers to go as Madeline backs away in horror.
Reeva says that the mutant uprising truly begins when they destroy the control facility. When Esme points out that Rebecca almost killed them, Reeva says that it worked out perfectly because it forced Andy to choose and he chose them.
John and Marcos take Fade away, and John hears the Purifiers coming. The men arrive and open fire, and one of them hits Fade in the leg. Jon tells Marcos to get him away while he holds them off, and charges toward the Purifier truck. He grabs it as it drives at him, and holds it in place.
Noah destroys the research and the entire building shake.
Lorna and Andy destroy the control servers.
Across the country, mutants are freed as their collars shut down.
Jace gets out of the truck and tells John that he's got him.
Written by Gadfly on Dec 5, 2018