Season 2, Episode 21 - Freak Nation

Just outside the 12-foot high chain link fence that surrounds Terminal City, a huge wooden X is burning in the night as a mob of shouting vigilantes protest the prescience of the transgenics inside. A news anchor describes the residents of Terminal City as being comprised of rats, stray cats, homeless humans and transgenics. Terminal City was poisoned by a toxic spill a decade ago and entering the 20-block void is now a felony. Max roars towards the Terminal City outskirts on her bike and surveys the situation. The vigilantes are not even worth her contempt. She pops a wheelie, and the mob scatters as she speeds through them. She rams the cross and blasts it into burning shards. Her bike vaults into the air and leaps the fence into Terminal City. A news crew catches all the action on camera.

Max parks in the hanger serving as home to the transgenics. She gives Mole a bullet-riddled briefcase full of money that she lifted from some drug dealers to buy supplies. They are in dire need of funds because more and more of their kind are coming from all over America to Terminal City. They've got X5s, X6s and X7s in the house. This is the one place where they can live their lives freely. They watch on television as members of the unruly mob are interviewed. No one wants the "freaks" in their neighborhood. Dix says maybe it's time to get back to Manticore. Max spots Joshua painting something on a sheet. He's making a flag for their people, symbolizing where they've come from and how they hope to go out into the light. The others make fun of him, but Max understands.

Ames White waits at a train depot. He's talking to Morehead on his cell, arguing that bringing in special forces won't help, no matter what the Conclave thinks. The Phalanx step onto the platform. They're the best; a menacing group who are the elite of the warrior bloodline. White is concerned that they'll compromise his cover at the agency, but their involvement is a direct order from The Conclave. The buff female leader of The Phalanx is Thula. She confirms that Max's death is their highest priority.

Alec arrives at Jam Pony, and Normal gives him a birthday cake. According to his records, it's his birthday. Of course, Alec doesn't have a real birthday.

Meanwhile, Logan examines Max's back. He's wearing surgical gloves so she won't infect him with the virus. He photographs the new runes that have appeared on her skin the night before. Logan is sure that if the runes are in Max's gene code, they must be some part of a larger plan. Their closeness is awkward, and both are melancholy because they can't touch.

On the street, a very pregnant X5 named Janelle is having contractions. She's accompanied by a young X6 named Dalton. As a Hoverdrone scans the area, Mole and Joshua pull up in a van and motion them inside. As they go through an intersection, a truck blows the light and runs into them. The truck's engine dies out and the truck driver is furious, even though he caused the accident. Mole jumps out, armed with a shotgun, shocking the humans that have gathered. He fires into the air and the frightened humans flee. The transgenics abandon the van and run. Joshua calls Max on her cell. She tells them to get to Jam Pony and Alec will transport them back to safety. The chase is on with the police in full pursuit of the small group of transgenics. They catch Alec on his way out of Jam Pony, but several police cars are right on their tails. Guns are drawn. Mole grabs Alec as a willing hostage and they all back into Jam Pony to barricade the doors. An exit out the back is nixed when they realize the cops are everywhere. Before they can get back inside, the cops start shooting and Alec is hit in the shoulder. Inside, Normal confronts them with a gun, but Alec disarms him easily. Normal discovers that Alec is more extraordinary than he thought. Across the street, Max worriedly surveys the scene from a rooftop. Desperate to help her friends, she hops a ride on a Hoverdrone and surfs it through the window of Jam Pony. As the stand off continues, Janelle is having more and more labor pains. There's some tension between Max and Mole, because he doesn't trust the humans. Max addresses everyone -- human and transgenic alike -- saying they can all get through this. Normal attempts to lead the messengers out, but Original Cindy stops them. They owe it to Max and Alec to stick by them and their kind.

Logan sees whole thing going down on TV and arms himself. Across town, the Phalanx are working out, showing off their incredible strength, when Thula's phone rings. It's White, who has found Max. Yet if they're not careful, everyone in town will be a witness to what they're doing because the place is covered with news cameras filming the standoff. Detective Ramone Clemmente tries to take charge of the chaos and confronts White, who is forced to back off for the moment. Inside Jam Pony, Max and her friends watch the vigilantes gather on TV, feeling like the whole world is against them. Clemmente calls Max, and she asks for a van with a full tank of gas. Mole says there's no way out because the humans just want them dead.

The net tightens around the building as the getaway truck is pulled up to Jam Pony's door. Logan is in the crowd outside, acting as an extra set of eyes for Max and talking to her over his cell. Max tells everyone that the cops will have trouble recognizing who's a transgenic, so they probably won't shoot. O.C. puts Max's arm around her neck and volunteers to be her human shield. Unbeknownst to Clemmente, White orders his snipers to shoot. Logan returns their fire, and a gun battle ensues. When the dust clears, Cece, a transgenic messenger, is dead, and Logan is trapped in Jam Pony.

Everyone is shocked by Cece's death. Mole is enraged, and he gets in Logan's face. Logan reveals that White is the one who's behind everything. Max realizes that White wanted to escalate the situation so he'd have an excuse to kill them. Mole shouts that he's going to start killing hostages, but Max and Logan stand up to him. If they kill people, it'll only make the entire world believe that they're monsters. Max pleads for everyone to stay together, but Mole's ready to explode. Outside, Clemmente challenges White, knowing that he was the one who started the gun battle. White has a letter from the Governor's office, putting him in charge. He sends his tactical team in. Thula checks in with White, who says that when they bring Max out in a body bag, everyone will be cheering. They will never know she was their only hope.

Janelle is in serious labor, and although O.C. helps, she is clueless. Normal steps in because he knows how to deliver babies. Concerned for Janelle and her friends, Max wants to surrender, knowing that White will back off if he has her. Logan won't let her. He has translated the runes, and learned that a terrible disaster is coming down. Max is the only one who can stop it. Mole argues that Max should go out, but only because she's fast enough to get away from White. As Logan and Mole argue, Max kind of blanks out and then shakes it off. She has a news flash: They're coming.

White instructs the Phalanx to take out everyone with no regard for any of the hostages. The soldiers begin climbing up the side of the building. Inside, everyone takes cover. The door blows open and weapons are fired. Max, Alec, Mole and Logan try to protect the others, while Janelle stifles screams as she and the others hide. White and his soldiers lower to the floor silently, still not seeing Max and the guys. They are armed to the teeth and dressed to kill. White's men are almost on top of O.C., Janelle, Normal and Joshua when Max and crew drop down from the ceiling, attacking from above and behind. Some shots are fired, and the trangenics fight fiercely. Max and Thula find themselves face to face. Max kicks a gun out of the way because this is a fight to the death. When it seems Thula is getting the best of Max, Max manages to handcuff her around a large column. The transgenics win the battle. Joshua goes crazy when he sees White, because he was the one who murdered his beloved Annie. Joshua wants to kill White, but Max pleas with him that if he gets his revenge, the humans will only remember that one of their own died. They'll never stop hunting the transgenics. Finally, Janelle's baby is born. Her daughter has no bar code and will be free.

Disguised in the soldier's clothes, Logan, Alec, and some of the others herd Max and several transgenics into a waiting truck and head for Terminal City. Meanwhile, Clemmente finds White and his soldiers tied up. Clemmente goes after the transgenics, leaving White bound and gagged. A dozen squad cars join the chase. The fleeing van drives straight through the gates surrounding Terminal City and into the hanger, pulling to a stop. The cops emerge from the cars and draw their guns. The transgenics throw their weapons out and come out with their hands up. Max keeps walking towards the police. Suddenly the darkness is alive with transgenics, armed and ready. The police retreat, and get outside of the fence. Clemmente says he respects Max for not letting things get out of control, but now she's got to think carefully about what she's going to do next. Her people are depending on her.

Although Mole wants to split, Max wants to stay. But where are they going to go? They've got to make a stand. Joshua says he is with Max, and the others follow his lead. Even Mole admits it's the only way. Three days later, the siege is still on. On a Terminal City rooftop, the transgenics raise Joshua's flag in the darkness. Max and Logan watch, holding gloved hands.

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