Mutant X Articles: 1/2/03 "Understudy"
Comics Continuum 1/2/03 and 1/14/03
MUTANT X UPDATE
Jeyna Lano is guest-starring in the next new episode of the syndicated Mutant X television series. Lano, whose credits include the Russian woman who is attacked by a vampire at the end of Blade, is appearing in the episode "Understudy," which is scheduled to air the week of Jan. 13.
In the episode, Lano plays Nikki, an old friend of Shalimar who was one of the first mutants Adam found when he was assembling Mutant X. Because Nikki was a feral like Shalimar, Adam decided not to make her part of the team. "Understudy" was written by Darrell Fetty and directed by John Bell.
Following "Understudy" will be new episodes "The Grift" the week of Jan. 20, "At Destiny's End" the week of Jan. 27, "Within These Walls" the week of Feb. 3, "Hard Time" the week of Feb. 10, "Under The Cloak Of War" the week of Feb. 17 and "Once Around" the week of Feb. 24.
Look for more on "Understudy" and other Mutant X news soon here in The Continuum.
NEW MUTANT X EPISODE: "UNDERSTUDY"
A new episode of Mutant X, "Understudy," is scheduled to air in syndication this week. The episode is written by Darrell Fetty and directed by John Bell.
Below the photos is a plot synopsis, complete with spoilers. Click on the thumbnails for larger images.
Brennan (Victor Webster) and Shalimar (Victoria Pratt) chase four bikers, one of which is carrying a high-tech silver case, down a dark street in an old warehouse district. They race around the corner just as Nikki (Jeyna Lano) steps out of her car. As Brennan and Shalimar use their powers to dodge the bikers' bullets, Nikki drops down from a building and kicks two of the men to the ground. Wrestling with one of them, she attempts to knock his gun out of his hand, but a burst of gunfire suddenly explodes in Shalimar's direction. Nikki rushes over to the wounded Shalimar, who is shocked to see her old friend, just as Emma (Lauren Lee Smith) and Jesse (Forbes March) arrive on the scene.
The team and Nikki bring Shalimar back to Sanctuary, where Adam tends to her injured leg. Adam explains to Brennan that Nikki was one of the first mutants he found when he was assembling Mutant X, and she and Shalimar became inseparable, but ultimately he could only choose one of the ferals for the team.
Later, Jesse informs Brennan and Emma that the bikers stole a Particle Decelerator, a device that can freeze electron movement, from Walderson Industries. Desperate to find out the identity of the bikers and what they want with the device, they decide that Nikki is their best and only lead.
Since Nikki claims that she doesn't remember much of the incident, Emma suggests using the Psionic Memory Scan on her. The team agrees and Emma gives Nikki a telempathic boost to trigger her memory. Re-living the fight in the alley, Nikki remembers grabbing the biker's gun. When she suddenly rips the headgear off and begins to shake in fear, Emma tells the team that Nikki was reacting to a man with a teardrop tattoo under his eye.
Meanwhile at an abandoned garage, Dylan Carter (Sava Drayton), the man Nikki saw during the memory scan, listens as his fellow biker, Lucinda Alvarez (Amanda Martinez), informs the "buyer" that the Decelerator is in their possession.
Back at Sanctuary, Emma transports the images Nikki saw to a computer in hopes that Jesse can use the database to identify the man with the teardrop tattoo.
Later, Shalimar and Nikki are catching up on lost time when Adam enters and asks Nikki to help the team out while Shalimar recovers. Nikki agrees and she, Brennan, Jesse head to Dylan's apartment to investigate while Adam talks on the phone with Holcomb (Michael Copeman), who informs him that the "buyer" is most likely the notorious Jurgen Bardo (Kel Gleason).
Ignoring Brennan's orders to wait in the car, Nikki enters the apartment and finding Dylan, grabs him by the throat and pins him against the wall. Terrified for his life, he tells Nikki where she can find Lucinda and the device. Reminding her that she was the one who shot Shalimar, Nikki throws him through the window in order to ensure her secret is not exposed.
Moments later, Jesse and Brennan kick down the apartment door and find Nikki, who tells them she killed Dylan in self-defense.
Back at Sanctuary, Shalimar becomes increasingly jealous by all the attention Nikki is getting. Following up on the lead Dylan had given Nikki, Brennan, Jesse and Nikki arrive at Lucinda's abandoned garage. Using her powers, Nikki begins to move through the garage and finds fresh fingerprints and the impression "Crandall Park. 5:15," on the wall. She excitedly tells the others about her finding, but lies about the location saying that it's Lakeshore Park. Now that she has completed her task, she decides that it's time for her to leave and says her good-byes.
Adam, Emma, Brennan and Jesse stake out Lakeshore Park, but as 5:15 comes and goes, they realize that they have been fooled by Nikki.
Meanwhile, Lucinda arrives at Crandall Park with the Decelerator. Nikki suddenly approaches, knocks Lucinda down and makes off with the device.
Back at Sanctuary, a suspicious and jealous Shalimar is working intently to uncover the real story on Nikki, who suddenly sneaks up and aims the stolen Decelerator at her. Barely escaping the device's deadly beam, Shalimar hides near the media column. Prying open the circuit board, she hits the breaker and Sanctuary goes dark. As Shalimar then fumbles around for a high tech flare, Nikki fires the Decelerator again, but Shalimar covers her eyes and releases the flare, which fires a huge spray of light. Blinded by the brightness, Nikki is unable to fight off Shalimar's attack.
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