“Within these Walls” is episode thirteen of season two of Mutant X.
Brennan and Shalimar are following a prison truck; Shalimar thinks their car is a little conspicuous. Brennan thinks no-one would expect the backup to be in a vintage Cutlass. Shalimar thinks that’s so dumb it just might be clever. Inside the truck the guard is telling the prisoner, Maddox (Steve Bacic), who has something covering most of his face, only leaving his mouth exposed, that he isn’t such a big deal. Outside, a black SUV swerves past Brennan and Shalimar so that it’s just behind the truck. Something is fired and attaches itself to the rear doors.
Maddox is smiling and when the guard asks what’s so funny, Maddox tells him to look out the back window. Which he does just as the device attached to the door explodes. A man and woman get out of the SUV; the man shoots at Brennan and Shalimar whilst the woman gets into the truck and removes Maddox’s mask. He looks at the sun, his eyes glow red and fiery blades appear at the end of his fingers. Outside, Brennan zaps the shooter then Shalimar takes him down but Maddox comes out and throws flaming blades at them, one of which wings Brennan. By the time they recover. Maddox and his rescuers are already gone.
At Sanctuary, Adam tells Brennan his wound could have been worse. The wound was cauterised as it happened. Adam didn’t tell them the prisoner was a mutant, because he didn’t know. He doesn’t think the person who brought them in set them up either. They were asked to get involved because of their special abilities. Adam agrees that they are owed an explanation, and he will get one – but he may not share it. Brennan thinks Adam has a responsibility to tell them what he’s sending them in to. Adam disagrees, which doesn’t go down well.
Jesse has found no trace of the mutant in the Genomex and their own databases. He did find something that suggested Genomex was treating people with no sign of mutation at all. One being Nick Maddox. Spent six months there with no record of the treatment, or whop paid for it. They may be more mutants Genomex created that they know nothing about. Adam, meanwhile, has contacted his source. She refuses a face to face – Adam’s own rules – and terminates the connection. Adam is not going to let that stop him.
Maddox is telling the other two, Asia and Harris, that he has unfinished business. Before they do the bank job; there’s always time for revenge. They head into an insurance brokers and Maddox says he wants to talk to Christina. No, he doesn’t want a quote; he used to be one of their insurance agents and knows what they do. He figures she’s already called for backup. Backup does not survive the encounter.
Adam is heading out and, on the way, tells Brennan that some decisions can’t be made as a committee. There’s some information he can’t share. Yes, he trusts them, but other people give him confidences and he keeps them. Even when they don’t deserve it, like the woman in this case. After Adam leaves, Brennan complains about Adam’s secrets. He’s reminded that some of his own have come back to bite them. Jesse thinks Brennan can’t handle not being in control. Emma says Adam’s emotions about the person he’s going to meet included anger, betrayal, fear – and love.
Adam disables the security at the location he was heading to and gets inside. There’s a woman packing away some files; she draws a gun until she sees who it is. She is Christina and he knows that she’s running away from Maddox. Who is currently turning up outside. Maddox and the other two get inside and Adam and Christina end up hiding in a vault. Inside, the phone is dead and the walls are lead lined so Adam’s commlink isn’t working. Maddox’s friends have C4 and a drill for the bank job, which he wants to use to break in.
Back at Sanctuary, some of the others are getting worried because Adam hasn’t checked in. They decide to find out where Adam is. In the vault, Christina and Adam are arguing; it seems she helped him raise the money to put Mutant X together amongst other things.
Lots of discussions on the problems with leadership – both Brennan and Adam end up appreciating the other’s point of view – morality, whether it’s black and white or grey, and the keeping of secrets. And Gabriel Ashlocke is mentioned for the first time since he died in “The Future Revealed”.