“Second Skin” is episode four of season two of Continuum.
In the previous episode, “Second Thoughts”, Alec, who hasn’t yet decided definitely whether he wants to work with Kellog, decided to take some of the future drug Flash, so that he could try and remember something his (deceased) father said when he was younger. What he actually seemed to remember was his mother talking to Jason. Valentine has decided to stop working with gangs, or any other such scum, feeling that it undermines their cause; Travis has gone the other way and decided to take overall control over all of the gangs. This is probably why Kagame didn’t want Travis in charge. Julian is now being protected by the gangs controlled by Travis.
This episode as always opens in the future with Kiera and another Protector entering into a building, apparently looking for some thermite detonators. Kiera finds a detonator, but then Travis appears with her son, offering to trade – her son for the detonator. Then the other Protector shoots Travis; it was just a training simulation. Her partner states that she hesitated, that the sim was exploiting a weakness.
Back in 2012, Garza flags down a tanker truck and orders the driver out at gunpoint. She gives the driver propaganda material and then tells them to get lost, then plants an explosive on the tanker. Followed by a fairly large explosion. This isn’t the first tanker, and they are all from the same company. The company is apparently not popular, and public opinion is actually on Liber8’s side.
Alec calls Kiera whilst this is being discussed, but there’s interference on their connection. It seems that’s why Alec called; he’s seen a data spike just like the one he got when Kiera arrived from the future in “A Stitch in Time”. Which, he says, means that another time traveller has come online and tried to access Alec’s network. So Kiera goes looking in the area where Alec says the spike came from. What she actually finds is a garage sale, and the man running it says he saw a suit like Cameron’s, that by the sounds of it was his mother’s, but he sold it earlier. Kiera wants Alec to keep looking for the suit – but he’s busy. Talking to a girl.
The person, Rex, who bought the suit wants to use it to dress up as character from a science fiction show. For a wedding. The mother who had the suit has Alzheimer’s, which is why her son was hesitant about introducing them. She also now has liver failure. When Kiera arrives, the mother calls her partner. And recognises her. It’s her partner from the future. That could be seen coming. She’s a lot older than Kiera and has been in the past a lot longer – 37 years.
At the wedding, the new owner of the suit sets him arm on fire, but doesn’t notice. He is surprised when he takes no damage from the fire. It looks like Lucas may have detected the suit from what happened, which cause problems. Then Rex walks into a Liber8 attack on a petrol station being conducted by Travis’ gangs and monitored by him and got shot twice in the chest. Which doesn’t kill him. So both sections of Liber8 know the suit exists, and both will therefore want it. Which will be unfortunate for Rex. Kiera goes to investigate, and Gardener turns up on the scene as well. Of course, he’s seen Kiera’s suit in operation. So he is also after the suit as well as Kiera and both Liber8 factions. Rex may be thinking the suit makes him a superhero. Things have the potential to get really messy.