“Wasteland” is episode eight of season three of Mutant X.
Brennan and Shalimar are in a cornfield; there’s too much country for Brennan. Lexa asks if they’re in position and Brennan replies that it’s hard to say in a cornfield. Shalimar says they are. According to the Dominion, who Lexa told them about in the previous episode, “The Hand of God”, the whistle-blower has a warning about an upcoming disaster. Brennan finds something he says is a big grasshopper; Shalimar tells him it’s a locust. She seems more concerned, and can hear something. Brennan thinks it’s the wind. It’s not the wind but an entire plague of locusts. They run and then suddenly the locusts all drop from the sky, dead. Lexa states that can’t be good. Brennan replies that it gets worse; he thinks he’s found their informant. Dead.
Jesse quotes a passage about locusts from the Book of Revelations to Lexa. He asks if she thinks those are the disaster. It’s hard to say; the informant isn’t talking. They need to wait to hear what Dr Bellows, the Dominion’s entomologist, has to say.
Bellows says the locust is a genetically modified version of the desert locust, the most aggressive and voracious of the locust family. Nothing this destructive is found in nature. It’s been bred to be resistant to pesticide and can feed on all kind of crops, creating a potential for famine like nothing ever seen before. Shalimar wonders why someone would create them, and why they’d drop dead. The doctor thinks it was part of a very controlled experiment.
Lexa tells Jesse that their informant was killed by two bullets, no locusts. The company he worked for was ZDT, and agri-conglomerate owned by the Keary family. Old family friends of Jesse’s. Lexa says ZDT is either the target or the source. Jesse will go in; the Dominion has set him up with a financial portfolio to allow him to pose as a venture capitalist. The company is run by an Alisha Keary. Looks like Jesse knows that name. The two head to the business; Lexa is posing as Jesse’s counsel. Alisha Keary arrives and suggests she and Jesse have lunch whilst Lexa goes over the figures. Shalimar and Brennan have found where the locusts were released from.
Over lunch, Jesse mentions the locusts; Alisha seems to know nothing about it. Alisha mentions this being incredibly awkward. Jesse wanted to call, but didn’t know what to say. Lexa is looking through material and tries to convince the man, Nate, to let her see some confidential stuff. He won’t. She contacts Brennan and Shalimar when he leaves; the locusts were released from Pacific Bionetics’ property. Shalimar recognises the name Alisha. She was part of Jesse’s old life; high school sweethearts, even engaged at one point. Brennan is sure that’s ancient history. Looking at Jesse and Alisha having lunch, that might not be true.
Shalimar and Brennan head to the place where the locusts were released. There’s some corn that hasn’t been touched. Brennan starts getting a sample then a jeep appears and someone shoots at them. Brennan zaps the shooter and the driver.
Jesse is saying goodbye to Alisha. Afterwards, Lexa appears and pokes a bit of fun. Jesse asks her if anybody has ever told her it’s not polite to eavesdrop. All the time. Lexa asks about the engagement; Jesse is sure Alisha isn’t involved. Meanwhile, Dr Bellows has discovered the locusts have a self-destruct mechanism. And the untouched corn has been genetically modified to be resistant to the locusts. Not terrorism; money.
Lexa has found out that ZDT owns Pacific Bionetics. She wants to head back in to go through ZDT’s records, and for Jesse to go keep Alisha occupied. The others are sure Jesse will think of something. Jesse is sure that Alisha isn’t involved. Lexa thinks Jesse is too trusting. Jesse has trusted Lexa since the day they met. Lexa doesn’t think that’s helping his case.
Alisha and Jesse definitely seem to still have feelings for each other. More and more evidence seems to point to her involvement with the locusts, though. Jesse is still not convinced.