MUTANT X'S "AGE OF INNOCENCE"

"Age of Innocence," a new episode of Mutant X, will air in syndication this week. The episode is written by Mark Amato and directed by Bill Corcoran.

Below the photos is a thorough plot synposis, with spoilers. (Click on the thumbnails for larger images).

Peter Hansen (Jeremey Elzinga), a 30-year-old man, is crouched behind a dumpster in an alley when he sees a broken mirror. Picking up a shard, Hansen is deeply shocked by his reflection.

In a nearby car, Shalimar (Victoria Pratt) tells Jesse (Forbes March) she received a tip that someone is trying to resurrect an old military experiment that is somehow connected to him.

Meanwhile, two guards dressed as paramedics drive their ambulance down the alley, but the headlights from the vehicle reflect off the broken mirror, causing the guards to stop. Hansen tries to get away but the men jump out and grab him just as Jesse appears. When they pull their guns and shoot at Jesse, he lunges forward and extends his palms, sending the bullets flying back at the assailants. As Hansen crawls behind the dumpster again, Shalimar drops from above and knocks the guns out of their hands.

As the men run off, Shalimar walks over to Hansen, only to discover he is dead and his body has aged to that of an 80-year-old.

The next morning, Jesse and Lexa (Karen Cliche) learn Hansen was part of the Tomcats, a WWII naval fighter pilot unit. Lexa tells Jesse that the military led a series of anti-aging experiments during the war, but the Dominion had them shut down. Jesse then reveals that his estranged grandfather was a member of the Tomcat unit and decides to find him to learn what's going on.

Meanwhile, Brennan (Victor Webster) and Shalimar watch Dr. Denise Saunders (Heidi Van Palleske) as she performs Hansen's autopsy. She says that while the outside of his body looks like an 80-year-old's, the internal organs are representative of a healthy 30-year-old.

In a lab across town, Henry Burns (David Gardner), a wheelchair-bound old man, berates his associate Dr. Francis Gallant (Patrick Garrow) for Hansen's escape. Gallant explains that Hansen's cell regeneration occurred quicker than expected and they were unprepared when he suddenly woke up a virile young man. Burns points out that although the cell rejuvenating stimulators were successful, they only worked a short time and they must test their final subject.

Lexa's Dominion contact tells her that Burns headed the experiments known as "Operation Immortalis," but he escaped after the Dominion shut it down. He claims the research was destroyed and believes Burns has resurfaced to finish what he began.

Meanwhile, a virtual face appears on Jesse's computer screen and tells him that his grandfather is at a Veterans hospital and is in danger. As Jesse runs out, he passes Brennan and Shalimar and asks for their help.

At the hospital, Gallant inserts a strange liquid into the IV bag of Jesse's grandfather William (Desmond Scott) and then leaves the room. Suddenly hearing a voice behind him, Jesse turns to find a hologram of Adam (John Shea), who insists there's no time to explain, but that Jesse must escape with his grandfather immediately as men are coming for him. Adam disappears and Jesse quickly loads his grandfather into a wheelchair.

He tells Brennan and Shalimar to meet him by the eighth floor window and wheels his grandfather into the hallway. When they pass Patty Paxton (Joan Gregson), she asks where he's taking William. Gallant overhears her and goes after Jesse.

Suddenly, with every step Jesse takes, his grandfather gets younger. Reaching the window, Jesse phases them both safely through and into the Helix.

At Sanctuary, Lexa suggests that Dr. Saunders examine the now 30-year-old William (Sean Clement). As Jesse gets clothes for William, Adam appears to say the "Operation Immortalis" files were not destroyed and then vanishes.

When Brennan walks in, Jesse asks him to find out where the files are. At the doctor's office, Saunders tells Jesse and Lexa that William appears healthy, but his body is still adjusting. Jesse comlinks Brennan, who informs him the files are at an airforce base and William offers to help get them.

A short time later, Jesse and William fly the Helix into the base's airspace, setting off alarms and allowing Lexa to slip inside. When Jesse is unable to shake the jet fighters pursuing him, William takes control, quickly loses the fighters and returns to the base to get Lexa who has the files.

Back at Sanctuary, the team reviews the files and learns that Burns used the Tomcats to find a way to stop the aging process. When William walks in and sees a photo of two victims, he gets dizzy and agrees to let Saunders examine him. Jesse goes to his room and asks Adam to show himself. Adam appears and says he believes the Dominion let Burns get away so he could finish his research.

Meanwhile, Saunders tells Brennan and Shalimar that William has begun to age again, but when they go to tell William this news, they discover he's gone.

At the Veterans hospital, William enters Patty's room, but she becomes frightened of the young man and runs away just as two guards appear and grab William.

At Sanctuary, Shalimar discovers William paid a visit to Patty and Brennan taps into the video camera in the parking structure to see William being put into an ambulance. Using traffic cameras, Brennan follows the vehicle to an old pharmaceutical lab and Jesse heads out.

Meanwhile, William is taken to Burns, where Gallant enters and tells him that in order to stay young, he must get shots of the serum on a regular basis. A short time later, Burns receives the initial injection and grows younger immediately. The young Burns (Howard Hoover) pulls out a gun and aims it at William, but before he can fire, Jesse enters, takes out the two guards and Gallant. William suddenly elbows Burns in the stomach, knocking the gun out of his hand. William grabs it and shoots Burns, who ages rapidly before letting out one last breath.

When Brennan, Shalimar and Lexa arrive, Jesse tells them to destroy everything. That night, an elderly William returns to the Veterans hospital and gives an emotional Jesse the Medal of Honor he received in the war.

Mutant X:Season 11.9 (DVD) Please visit the Things From Another World website for product details.