Under the Cloak of War
Season Two
US Airdate : 17 February 2003
UK Airdate : 13 July 2003
The Mutant X team is mingling at a science seminar cocktail party when a woman named Serena (Laura Catalano) seductively approaches Adam (John Shea). Soon, the two head up to the roof together. They're enjoying the view of the city and flirting when all of the sudden Serena turns sinister. She takes the bracelet off her wrist revealing a Blue Bolt tattoo, converts it into a jagged knife and lunges at Adam. Back inside, Shalimar (Victoria Pratt) senses that Adam is in trouble and darts to the roof where she finds him backed up against the railing. Shalimar hauls Serena off Adam and a brutal fight ensues between the women which ends with Shalimar knocking Serena over the balcony railing just as Brennan (Victor Webster), Jesse (Forbes March), and Emma (Lauren Lee Smith) arrive on the scene. Adam can only assume that that his near assassination had something to do with the speech he's scheduled to make at the conference.
Later, Adam admits to the team that he always thought that the Blue Bolt, an elite assassination ring, was a myth, but his research has now proved otherwise. When Adam insists on still doing his speech, everyone with the exception of Brennan, agrees that Shalimar should go undercover to find out who ordered the hit. Meanwhile, millionaire Benjamin McTeague (Joris Jarsky) yells at Blue Bolt member, Noel (Sebastian Spence), for not completing the job. He insists that Adam be killed before he speaks at the conference. Back at Sanctuary, Brennan expresses concern about sending Shalimar on such a dangerous mission alone, but he is overruled. That night, Shalimar enters Mother's Milk Bar, a hang out of the Blue Bolt. Brennan and Jesse watch her on a monitor, but her comlink suddenly goes down. Just as she approaches the bartender, a thug comes on to her. She effortlessly knocks his head against the bar and sends him flying back into a table and then takes down his two friends. As she catches her breath, Noel, impressed by her fighting skills, comes to her and offers her a job. He then secretly runs a metallic object along her neck and she collapses at his feet.
Brennan again expresses to Adam his concern for Shalimar, but Adam insists that she is smart and careful. Meanwhile, Shalimar awakens in the Blue Bolt headquarters and finds Noel next to her. When he leaves, she sneaks out and listens as Blue Bolt member, Bracko (Philip Shepherd), tells Noel that client Benjamin McTeague is extremely disappointed. Noel promises that the job will be completed. At Sanctuary, Emma is able to make out the name McTeague from Shalimar’s static filled message. Suddenly pale, Adam reveals that McTeague was his best friend for 10 years. Meanwhile, Shalimar pushes Noel to give her a job, but Noel insists she must prove herself first by killing an innocent person.
Later, when Emma presses Adam about McTeague, Adam reveals that they had a falling out when Adam fell in love with his wife, Lucy. Adam knows he must devise a plan fast when Shalimar calls to tell them that she must kill someone.
Brennan hides in a dark alley and signals Jesse when he hears Shalimar and Noel getting close. As Jesse walks towards them, Shalimar takes a knife from Noel, walks up to Jesse and plunges it into his stomach. Jesse phases out, squeezes the blood bag he has under his shirt and drops to the ground. Unaware that it was a set-up, Noel tells Shalimar she’s earned herself a job and kisses her deeply. Emma, can immediately sense Brennan’s feelings for Shalimar and his jealousy. Later, Jesse discovers that McTeague is head of the Phoenix Corp., and the team pays him a visit. Adam enters the office and finds McTeague’s son and confronts him about the hit he’s ordered. McTeague informs him that his father killed himself 5 years earlier when his mother left him and he blames Adam. Saddened by the news, Adam insists that he is still speaking at the conference.
Noel shows Shalimar a photo of her target -- Adam. He then shows her the missile she’ll use which has Adam’s DNA programmed into it and informs her that if she fails, the weapon will self-destruct. The team takes their assigned positions at the conference center while Shalimar tells them about the device that’s strapped to her via her comlink. Certain one of them is going to die, Adam signals Shalimar to pull the trigger as he approached the podium. Frightened, she pulls it and the missle heads straight for him. Jesse wraps himself around Adam and phases out and the missle whizzes right through them. When the missile turns and heads for Adam again, Jesse stands masses out and the missile hits his chest and explodes harmlessly. Enraged, Noel pulls out two guns, but just as he’s about to shoot Brennan zaps him with a tesla coil. He pulls a gun on Shalimar, but she flies into the air and knocks him to the ground and the team escapes. Later that night, Brennan tells Shalimar that he doesn’t know what the team would do without her.