Thursday, April 25, 2002

MUTANT X'S "EX MARKS THE SPOT"

"Ex Marks the Spot," a new episode of Mutant X, will air in syndication this week.

The episode was written by Howard Chaykin, David L. Newman and Mark Amato. It was directed by Jorge Montesi.

Below the photos is a complete synopsis of "Ex Marks the Spot," with spoilers.

At an abandoned safehouse, mutant Zack Lockhart (Callum Keith Rennie) meets with GSA agent Artie Hill (Michael Anthony Rawlins) to go over plans to break into a highly secure vault. After assessing the risks involved, Zack, who has the power to penetrate solid objects and reveal their contents holographically, refuses to participate and heads for the stairs.

Just as Hill's cronies whip out their taser truncheons, Brennan (Victor Webster) and Jesse (Forbes March) arrive and overpower the agents. They escape with Zack and call Shalimar (Victoria Pratt) to inform her they are bringing a mutant named Zack to Safehouse 6.

Shalimar is furious when she realizes that Zack is her former boyfriend, who brought her nothing but trouble in the past. She warns Adam (John Shea) that Zack is a dangerous liar and thief, but Adam contends that Zack may have changed since she knew him, and his extraordinary powers might prove very useful to them.

At Genomex, Eckhart (Tom McCamus) is incensed that Artie has let Zack escape, since his powers are needed to break into the vault. Artie promises Eckhart he will find a way to get Zack to cooperate.

Meanwhile at Sanctuary, Adam and Emma (Lauren Lee Smith) begin researching the vault. They discover that the safe, located at Dombey & Sons Security, contains a precious collection of Fabergè Eggs that are to be sold by Segal's Fine Auctions the following day. When Adam learns that one of the eggs belonged to Eckhart's arch rival in Russia, a biogeneticist working on the manipulation of the DNA strand controlling free will, the Mutant X team deduces that the egg contains a data chip with the secret genetic code. If Eckhart gets hold of the chip, he will have control over all mutants. Adam realizes he must get to the egg before Eckhart, and the only person who can help him is Zack. However, Zack is painfully aware of how much Shalimar detests him, and decides to leave Mutant X.

At Adam's urging, Shalimar reluctantly sets out to find Zack. After persuading him to rejoin the mission, she lets down her guard, and the two enjoy a passionate reunion. Their tryst is soon interrupted by Artie and his men, and the two fight them off before heading to a safehouse.

In the meantime, Adam has dispatched the rest of his team to case the Dombey & Sons facility. As Brennan and Emma conduct surveillance from inside the Double Helix, Jesse phases out, enters the building and infiltrates the security system.

To everyone's surprise, the GSA suddenly begins its break-in. Mutant X secretly monitors their operation and triggers the security alarm, just as Artie is about to break through the vault's electronic lock. Security guards burst in and arrest Artie and his men.

An angry Eckhart then takes matters into his own hands, placing an absentee bid for the egg under an alias name. Adam soon discovers that Eckhart is the absentee bidder, and realizes that unless Mutant X acts immediately, the egg will be in Eckhart's hands by morning.

Now, with the help of Shalimar and Zack, Mutant X prepares for its mission - to break into the vault, steal the data chip and replace the egg with no one the wiser. Dressed in full security guard gear, the team infiltrates Dombey & Sons. Emma, using her telempathic powers, immediately puts two security guards to sleep and grabs the special keycard that is able to wipe out the lethal laser beams surrounding the vault. Jesse phases out, passes through the laser gauntlet and swipes the keycard through the electronic lock slot, extinguishing the lasers. Zack is able to create a holographic image of the inner workings of the vault's security system, which Brennan then blasts with a tesla coil, clearing the way for Jesse to reach inside for the Fabergè Egg. Suddenly, Zack grabs for the egg, causing Jesse to lose his grip and sending the egg flying. Shalimar reacts quickly, catching the egg and opening it up to remove the hidden data chip before the team returns the egg and exits the facility.

The next morning, Shalimar finds Zack in a rush to leave town. Unconvinced about his change of heart from the beginning, Shalimar reaches up to Zack's ear with a sleight of hand move, produces the data chip and reveals she was aware all along that he would try to steal it.

Back at Genomex, Eckhart opens up his egg. Finding he has been scammed, he smashes the delicate masterpiece in a fit of rage. At Sanctuary, Adam, Jesse and Brennan destroy the data chip, knowing it's too dangerous to be left intact.