Double Vision
Season One
US Airdate : 2 February 2002
UK Airdate : 27 February 2002
Brennan (Victor Webster) is conned by his friend, Matty Conlan (Joanne Vannicola), who lures him and Emma (Lauren Lee Smith) into the hands of GSA agents. In the ensuing brawl, Emma is suddenly split in two by a synergetic energy blast caused by the collision of two powerful energy sources. Unaware that there are now two Emmas, Brennan escapes with Emma A to the Sanctuary lab, while Conlan and Emma B are captured by the GSA agents and taken back to Genomex.
At Sanctuary, Adam (John Shea) performs tests indicating that Emma's molecular makeup was somehow altered by the attack, explaining why her personality has clearly changed. Meanwhile, Brennan looks for clues into Conlan's uncharacteristic betrayal and her newly developed powers.
At Genomex, Emma B learns that Conlan defected to the GSA in exchange for Eckhart's promises of a better life. Conlan has also fulfilled her promise to deliver a member of the Mutant X team, but now has serious qualms about her decision to join ranks with the evil Eckhart (Tom McCamus), and sneaks off to her hideout in the bar. When Emma B realizes she's about to become Eckhart's latest "guinea pig," she tricks him and Dr. Harrison (Andrew Gillies), into believing she'll come to work for them. To prove it, she promises to find Conlan and return her to them.
Back at Sanctuary, further tests on Emma A lead Adam to reason that Conlan's discharges destabilized her sub-molecular organic structure. Meanwhile, Jesse (Forbes March) and Shalimar (Victoria Pratt) decide to go in search of Brennan, but Emma A's telempathic powers have already revealed that he's gone to the bar to find her. Brennan has indeed found Conlan, who lies curled up in pain as the result of experimental operations by Dr. Harrison. Suddenly, Emma B bursts in on Brennan and Conlan. She disables Brennan while Conlan is grabbed by GSA agents who haul her back to Genomex. Brennan staggers to his feet to pursue them as Emma A arrives. Everyone gasps at the sight of the two Emmas. Brennan returns to Sanctuary to relate the shocking discovery to the rest of his team. Adam figures it's a case of instantaneous cloning, caused when Brennan supercharged Conlan's electromagnetic charge, unwittingly creating a force capable of cutting through cellular material at a genetic level. If they can't figure out a way to integrate the two Emmas back into one person, it could be fatal for both of them.
Meanwhile back at Genomex, Emma B tells Conlan about her scheme to bring down Eckhart and the GSA once and for all. She believes that by turning Genomex into one giant stasis pod, they will lower the temperature of the inhabitants' metabolisms to the point that none of them will ever wake up again. Despite the fact that her plan will also result in the death of innocent mutants within the building, Emma B is determined to carry out her plan. When Adam gets wind of Emma B's plan, he tracks her down at the bar where she and Conlan are devising their next move. Despite his pleas, Emma B won't be swayed from her mission, even when Adam informs her that both Emmas will die within hours if they are not reunited.
After Emma A sends word to Adam that Emma B and Conlan have returned to Genomex, Shalimar and Jesse are dispatched to find Emma B and bring her back to Sanctuary before she can do any harm. Conlan, however, has already set Emma B's plan in motion. Via comlink, Adam orders Jesse to hit the building with a microwave blast to neutralize Conlan's electrical charge before anyone's metabolism drops too low. That done, Jesse and Shalimar go after Emma B, who has escaped back to the bar with Conlan. When Emma B resists capture, Jesse knocks her out and carries her back to Sanctuary. Meanwhile, Conlan, feeling guilty about the ambush on Genomex, is relieved to hear that no one died in the incident. Knowing full well that Eckhart will come after Conlan again, Brennan promises to find a safe haven for her.
Back at Sanctuary, Adam decides to repeat the incident that split her in the first place. Emma finally returns, but with no memory of what happened. On hearing the story, she tries to apologize for all the trouble she caused, but Adam assures her, "In this case, the whole is far greater than the sum of its parts."