Threat of Extinction

**threat of eXtinction** is the eighth episode of the first season of *The Gifted*. It is the eighth episode of the series overall.

## Synopsis

**REED DISCOVERS HIS FAMILY'S HIDDEN PAST** - More refugees pour into the Mutant Underground, but the group faces a threat when they discover one of them is a spy working for Sentinel Services. Meanwhile, Reed visits his estranged father and learns that secrets from his family's past could prove useful.

## Plot

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

London, England, 1952, Andreas and Andrea Von Strucker hideout in an apartment building while on the run for their many heinous acts. The phone rings though only "the Organization" is known to have their number. Andreas picks up. Before long, they are surrounded by interpol who've come to place them under arrest. Andrea and Andreas appear to be outmatched, but when they hold hands and combine powers, they unleash a bright yet destructive force.

Present day at Headquarters, Reed gathers Caitlin, Lauren and Andy to inform them of his father's past involvement with Trask Industries, the same independent contractor responsible for the Hound program. Andy recalls Reed telling them that his dad disappeared years ago, and that he ran out on him and his mom. However, this isn't quite true. He lives up in Chattanooga. Which is only 2 hours away. The kids had never met him, which was intentional, Caitlin explains. He was a difficult man that was always working and never close with his family. When Reed was a child, he got sick, and almost died, yet his father didn't even bother coming to visit him at the hospital. Lauren sympathizes with her father, grabbing his hand tightly. They hadn't spoken since before Lauren and Andy were born, but that would have to change if they desire to know more about Trask Industries and their affiliation with Sentinel Services.

Marcos pleads with Lorna to come to bed, but she refuses as she's still upset about his secret arrangement with Carmen. Though, Marcos insists that he only went to Carmen to save Lorna, who isn't interested in his excuse. While part of the deal is working for her, Lorna just wishes that he didn't enjoy it so much. She saw the look on Marcos' face when he torched the truck and Carmen kiss him on the cheek when he was done, which he doesn't bother to refute. Given that they're already at war, Marcos doesn't wish to start another one with the Cartel, especially not with a baby on the way. Speaking of the baby, Lorna questions how they're supposed to protect it when their world is failing apart. Marcos replies that they do it together. Lorna counters that they can barely protect themselves.

Reed tells John that they need to visit his father in Chattanooga. In spite of the risk, he is their only connection to Trask Industries. A station in Perry had just fell, so John is heading out to pick up survivors, but he tells Reed to prepare a car with supplies, and they'd leave once he returns. John then heads upstairs where Marcos informs him that Clarice will be joining them rather than Lorna. John suspects that something is wrong, but Marcos claims that everything is fine. However, a problem between Marcos and Lorna affects everyone since they are both leaders at the station, so John pushes a little harder. When he does, Marcos repeats that Lorna just isn't coming.

Sonya approaches Clarice outside of the station to ensure that there aren't any residual feelings of disdain between the two of them after she placed a memory in Clarice's head without permission. Unfortunately, Clarice still harbores anger towards Sonya, explaining that the only reason she returned was to avenge her foster parents who were slaughtered by Sentinel Services. They're at war, which they just so happened to be on the same side of. It is the only relationship the two of them needs, Clarice states, before heading out with John and Marcos to retrieve the survivors from a fallen station in Perry.

Thunderbird, Eclipse, and Blink arrive at the Eternal Grace Church in Perry to collect the survivors of the fallen station. The pastor informs them that a dozen refugees fled when their station got hit, plus a few stray mutants that came along the way. Upon opening the shed where the survivors are hidden, Blink befriends a young, blue skinned mutant girl. Meanwhile, Esme, a mutant telepath, tells Thunderbird that while she was in the shed, she was getting weird thoughts from one of the others, a sickly-looking woman. Thunderbird approaches the woman, asking to speak with her. When she fails to respond, he grabs her wrist, revealing the very same brand from the Hound program that he had previously seen on Pulse. The woman reacts by delivering a massive kick to Thunderbird, knocking him into the dumpster with great force. Along with her strength comes speed, as she wastes little time in attacking the other refugees, Esme included. Thunderbird manages to get back to his feet and swing at the woman, but she is far too fast, delivering a number of quick strikes before knocking him to the ground yet again. While Eclipse keeps her in one place with his laser beams, Blink opens up a portal, teleporting Thunderbird just over top of the woman, allowing him to deliver a punch from above, before rendering her unconscious.

John, Marcos and Clarice return to HQ with the refugees and the spy. They locked the woman in a cell after discovering a beacon in her back that she could've activated to lead Sentinel Services to the station. Marcos describes her as being a cross between a spy and a suicide bomber. She also has weapons, leaving Lorna to conclude that the station in Perry must've been hit by another Hound like her. With Sentinel Services planting Hounds, Sage suggests that they stop taking in refugees for the time being. However, John refuses to turn his back on desperate people just because one of them might be dangerous. He then tells Reed that it is time for them to head up to Chattanooga, where they hope to get answers from Reed's father in regards to Trask. As for the woman, they need to get what they can out of her. John instructs Marcos and Lorna to figure out who she is though he wonders if the two of them can handle it due to the obvious tension being displayed.

Reed says goodbye to his family before leaving for Chattanooga. Caitlin wants to go with him since seeing his father for the first time in so long will certainly bring up all the disappointments and bad memories, but she's better off with the kids. Reed can cross examine a murder suspect, but he's shaken by the thought of talking to his father after 20 years. Regardless, if talking to him helps protect them from their latest threat then it is a small price to pay. Caitlin then gives him and hug and says that she loves him before sending him off.

While heading up the stairs, Clarice spots the blue skinned girl from the Perry station sitting alone. She approaches the girl who introduces herself as Norah. Clarice asks if Norah wants to talk about the fight back at the Church, but she doesn't. In case she changes her mind, Clarice gives Norah an open invitation to come see her by her bunk. She then gives Norah a blanket in case she got cold.

Caitlin and Lauren pop back in the arm of one of the newest mutant refugees at the station after he was injured during the fight between the unknown woman and John, Marcos, and Clarice. Andy then steps in to assist Lauren with putting on the refugee's sling.

While Andy and Lauren do that, Caitlin tends to Esme's injuries. She had suffered a terrible gash on her arm that will require stitches. Caitlin had heard of her heroic actions back at the Church. She deduces that Esme is a Psychic. Sort of, Esme replies. She can feel the thoughts of those within close proximity. Caitlin asks if Esme can read her thoughts. Esme's eyes glow bright blue while using her ability. She can tell that Caitlin is concerned about the war between mutants and humans, and she didn't want her and Reed to end up on opposite sides of their kids. Esme apologizes for prying, as she can tell that Caitlin is growing uncomfortable. Caitlin brushes it off, joking that Esme shouldn't go looking into her college experimentation days. Just for the record, Esme tells Caitlin that she is valued around the Underground.

With the prisoner refusing to communicate, Lorna brings in Sonya to "smoke her", so to speak. While, Sonya agrees to give it a try, she isn't convinced that she will be of much use. Sonya exhales her pink smoke towards the prisoner, but the woman relies on her speed to avoid the smoke. Sonya isn't equipped to hit moving targets. Furthermore, had the prisoner even breathed in the smoke, her metabolism is likely too fast for Sonya to gather any information of use from her memories. This forces Lorna to resort to more violent means in gathering the information they require by holding the prisoner at knife point. Just as Sonya begins to show concern, Marcos arrives to bring an end to Lorna's brutish interrogation tactic.

John and Reed arrive in Chattanooga, where much to John's surprise, Reed's father is an antique dealer. Given that he worked for Trask, John was under the impression that he was a scientist. Reed explains that he took it over when he retired, as he was big on living in the past. John and Reed enter the antique shop, where Reed reunites with his father after twenty years. Otto is taken back by Reed's unexpected arrival as he never expected to see him again.

Lorna wonders why Marcos is so opposed to her methods of interrogation. They're running out of time, but Marcos possess the capability to make the prisoner talk. He explains that it's not that simple though from what Lorna heard about what he used to do with the Cartel, it was just that simple. One of the reasons Marcos came to the Underground was so that he didn't have to do that kind of work anymore. While she may have tried to kill them, Marcos has enough nightmares and knows exactly what lies at the end of that road should they torture the woman for answers. Lorna fears that what was done to the woman will be done to all of them by Sentinel Services eventually should they fail. Marcos looks over to the prisoner as she chews on her nails in the cell. Classic withdrawal symptom. One thing Marcos saw a lot of with the Cartel was drug addicts.

Marcos and Lorna go to Caitlin with their suspicion that the prisoner is suffering from withdrawal. Caitlin confirms that the woman has all the symptoms. Marcos asks if they've ever seen a mutant on Kick. A mutant drug that temporarily boosts their powers, making them feel invincible. But it's incredibly addictive. And if that's the case, they might be able to treat her. Lorna thinks treating her will only allow the prisoner to get stronger and provide her with the opportunity to kill them while Marcos believes that treatment may lead to their questions getting answered. As they argue, Caitlin reminds them that them that they're fighting for a word where people can live together.

Clarice finds Norah sitting with Zingo. She remarks that Zingo is particular about the people she likes. Clarice and Norah are lucky enough to be two of them, which Clarice states is due to the fact that they are special. Most of the mutants walking around the station are unidentifiable from humans, unlike them. Clarice has pointed ears and green eyes while Norah has blue skin. And even Zingo has fur. On a more serious note, Clarice asks how Norah ended up at the Church. Norah explains that she and Mama D were making dinner when Sentinel Services arrived. It is then that Clarice realized that Norah is from the same foster home as her. Norah wanted to fight, but she was of no use against Sentinel Services. Now, every time she goes to bed, she sees them at night. Hearing this from Norah strikes anger in Clarice given that she not only used to live there, but that she feels responsible for the attack.

Otto tells Reed that he shouldn't have wasted his time by coming. When he learns that Thunderbird is part of the Mutant Underground, he calls them criminals and mocks the fact that they call themselves freedom fighters. But they aren't there for a political debate, rather to talk about his work with Trask Industries. Otto had heard about the incident involving Andy and Lauren at their school. Sentinel Services had come to him after the incident but he told them that he hadn't spoken to his son in years and never even met his grandchildren. He then tells Reed that his work with Trask is classified and can't help him. Reed is upset as his father had told him for years that Trask was just a defense contractor. When Otto says that Trask no longer exists, Reed informs him that it is back and they are now doing anti-mutant research. Otto worked there for 30 years and now it turns out his grandchildren are mutants which Reed doesn't believe to be a coincidence. John goes on to say that they are experimenting on mutants. They've even managed to turn his best friend, Pulse. Having said that, Otto calls Reed upstairs.

Otto takes Reed upstairs and asks if his estranged wife Ellen is okay. Reed tells him that they used to see her every couple weeks. He had seen her last when she was brought in for questioning by Sentinel Services. Otto asks how old the children are. Andy is 15. Lauren just turned 17. Reed gives him a family photo of them all from last summer. Reed wonders if his father can tell him anything about Trask but Otto's work was peaceful research and had nothing to do with turning mutants against other mutants. Reed begs Otto to tell him anything. While Reed presumes that he didn't mean much to his dad, Reed says that his children mean everything to him. Otto becomes defensive. He claims that Reed meant everything to him and he did what he did all for him. Otto then asks what powers Andy and Lauren possess. Reed informs him of Lauren's shields and Andy's destructive power. Otto becomes distressed at the realization that he failed. "It came back", he utters.

Dr. Campbell learns that the woman taken by the Underground, his mutant asset, is gone. And her surveillance beacon is inactive. With her mental conditioning, she can't tell them anything, though they may not have to given their abilities. They have to assume they've been compromised. So he contacts HQ for an additional asset.

Lauren and Andy volunteer to restrain the prisoner in order for Caitlin to be able to properly treat her, which will hopefully result in them getting answers from her. Andy will push her back towards the bars while Lauren holds her back with a shield long enough for their mother to inject with her the "sleep juice". However, Caitlin is merely guessing on the dosage in which she would inject into the prisoner. So if something goes wrong, she will look for Marcos and Lorna to step in, who are on standby. Just as planned, Andy pushes the prisoner back against the rails, which allows Lauren to hold her still with a shield while their mother comes up from behind to inject her with an unknown substance that renders her unconscious almost immediately.

After removing her from the cell, Marcos and Lorna lock her down onto the table. Lauren, Andy, Lorna, and Marcos watch as Caitlin injects the woman with medication to help with her withdrawals, though it won't matter given that she is dying from the massive amounts of drugs that Sentinel Services had given her. This is reason for concern as Marcos suspects that she won't tell them anything if she is already dying. Caitlin isn't so sure, however. She once treated a gang member with a fatal gunshot wound. As he was dying, he told the cops everything he'd done just to get it off his chest.

Otto shows Reed pictures of his father (Andreas) and aunt (Andrea) who were terrorists, as well as mutants, who did unspeakable things. He proceeds to shows Reed newspaper clipping of their terror. Apart, they had the same abilities as Andy and Lauren, but together they were an unstoppable force known as Fenris — the Wolf. Andy and Lauren's mutation are inherited as Otto is also a mutant. His father and aunt tried to raise him to be like them but he ran away. He had hidden his powers from everyone, including Reed's mother. Their family's abilities set them apart even from other mutants, which is why Otto had to stop it. This led him to Trask, where he worked on a project to eliminate the X-Gene and create a serum that worked on all mutants. Otto couldn't quite do it but managed to make a version of a serum that worked on one mutant and gave it to Reed. Reed realizes that his sickness as a child was due to the serum. It had to be done before any powers manifested. Reed was in such pain and Otto hated himself for it. So much so that he had become distant with Reed because he couldn't look him in the eyes after being responsible for putting him through that. He now realizes that all of it was for nothing.

While Caitlin treats the woman, Lauren is approached by one of the new refugees, a larger man, who is quite intimidating in size. He is upset that they have taken the prisoner out of the cell despite what she is capable of. While Lauren understands his frustration, she asks that he stay back because they need to figure out who she is and where she came from. In doing that, they'd be keeping everyone safe, but the man doesn't seem to care much for what she has to say, forcing Andy to step in. He warns the larger man to back off, making the station shake as he does so, which works as an effective form of intimidation. The larger man's attitude quickly downsizes and he backs off. Lauren thanks Andy for coming to her aid. He tells her that she is his sister and that only he can talk to her like that.

After looking through the hard drives from Baton Rouge, Sage returnd with the prisoner's identity. Her name is Chloe Tan. She used to live in a trailer park outside of Jasper. Her kid got sick, but the pediatrician wouldn't treat mutants, so Chloe destroyed the doctor's office and was subsequently apprehended by Sentinel services. As she wakes up, Caitlin attempts to speak to her. They know she was arrested by the Sentinel Services, but they need to know what happened to her while she was in their custody. Chloe attempts to speak, but Caitlin determines that she can't speak and she has not the slightest clue whether it is mental or physical. Caitlin suggests that they use Esme to read Chloe's mind.

Otto was simply trying to give Reed a normal life. So he never told him. Reed is his son. He had no choice. Andreas and Andrea were monsters. He couldn't allow the same to come of Reed even if it wasn't guaranteed that he would. As for how much Ellen knew, all she really knew is that he had secrets. That's what destroyed their relationship. Otto asks if Andy and Lauren have used their powers together, which they have a few times. He then asks if they ever held hands since they both discovered their powers. But before Reed can answer, Thunderbird comes in to tell them that Sentinel Services is outside.

Just outside, an agent tells Dr. Campbell that they had Otto Strucker under surveillance for weeks but they didn't get anything. However, at this point, they have to assume that the Underground is aware of Trask and therefore have every reason to visit Otto as it's the only move they have left to make. The mutant asset that Campbell had earlier spoke of is Pulse. Dr. Campbell then injects Pulse with Kick before telling him to lock down the area. Pulse does as commanded of him. His eyes glow yellow, signaling the disruption of any mutant abilities in the nearby area.

Thunderbird, Reed and Otto watch from the window as Sentinel Services move in. Instantly, Thunderbird and Otto feel the hindering of their abilities. Unfortunately, there is no other way out. Without his powers, they won't stand a chance against the agents. They'll cut Thunderbird down the same as anyone else. Hearing this, Otto volunteers to go down there. First, he apologizes to Reed for his actions, then he tells him to not only protect Andy and Lauren, but to protect the world from them. Otto then gives Reed a hug before heading down to speak with Campbell and the agents.

Dr. Campbell greets Otto, claiming that it's an honor to meet him and that he is an admirer of his work at Trask. He dug up Otto's old research when the company was reestablished. Otto's work on suppressing the X-gene is brilliant. It led directly to his enhancing of it. Dr. Campbell has come in search of Reed, but Otto claims to not have spoken to him in years. While Otto had told the investigators that came before them that he was out of touch with his family, Dr. Campbell needs verification. So he orders his men to search the place. Despite Pulse suppressing mutant abilities, Otto is able to generate an orb of heat based energy. Frightened, Campbell orders his men to shoot Otto. He is hit with two bullets, but that doesn't stop him from unleashing the energy as a blast that sends Campbell and his men wounded and running.

Leading up the the blast, just upstairs, Thunderbird and Reed debate over whether or not they should go downstairs to help. Reed wants to head down, but Thunderbird convinces him otherwise as they have people back at the station who are counting on them. Following the blast, Thunderbird and Reed head downstairs, where they find Otto's lifeless body lying on the floor. Just outside the shop, Thunderbird finds Pulse, wounded and barely conscious. Before dying, Pulse utters that he is sorry, as is John, who swears that he'll make Sentinel Services pay for what they did to him. Pulse then passes on.

Back at HQ, Caitlin returns with Esme. Lorna asks if she is capable of reading Chloe's thoughts as Caitlin had said she could. Esme replies maybe, which doesn't exude confidence in her ability, which concerns Lorna, so she felt it necessary to remind Esme what they are fighting for. However, Esme needs no reminder. Sentinel Services has her family, meaning she is more than willing to fight. Just as before, Esme eyes glow while reading Chloe's thoughts. She senses need and pain. A deeper dig reveals that Trask Industries, which is North of the Underground, had killed her husband and took her daughter. Unfortunately, Chloe dies on the table soon thereafter.

Clarice approaches Sonya outside Headquarters to apologize for her earlier behavior. She then explains that she had discovered the reason behind her out of control portals when she became sick. They had been trying to take her to the foster home that she was raised at. Norah, a new refugee, had come from that home as well, but it had been discovered by Sentinel Services due to Clarice's portals attracting their attention. The foster parents were killed and Norah had witnessed it. Since then, she can't stop dreaming about the incident. While Clarice can't take the memories away, Sonya could, and so Clarice asks if she can, to which Sonya agrees. She goes to Norah and removes the awful memories of the foster parents' death from her mind.

Meanwhile, Thunderbird and Reed bury Pulse and Otto off road in shallow graves later that night. Thunderbird throws a handful of dirt on Pulse' grave. On Otto's grave, Reed leaves the family photo of him, Caitlin, Andy and Lauren from last summer.

As the day comes to a close, Lorna finally forgives Marcos and joins him in their bedroom. Reed and John return to the station soon thereafter where Reed reveals to Caitlin, Andy and Lauren the death of his father. Learning this, Lauren and Andy hold hands while Caitlin comforts Reed.

## Cast

* Amy Acker as Caitlin Strucker
* Sean Teale as Eclipse/Marcos Diaz
* Natalie Alyn Lind as Lauren Strucker
* Percy Hynes White as Andy Strucker
* Coby Bell as Jace Turner (credit only)
* Jamie Chung as Blink/Clarice Fong aka Clarice Ferguson
* Blair Redford as Thunderbird/John Proudstar
* Emma Dumont as Polaris/Lorna Dane

Special Guest Star* Garret Dillahunt as Dr. Roderick Campbell
* Skyler Samuels as Esme
* Raymond J. Barry as Otto Strucker
* Zach Roerig as Pulse
* Michelle Kim as Chloe Tan
* Paul Cooper as Andreas Von Strucker
* Caitlin Mehner as Andrea Von Strucker

Co-Starring* Steve Alderfer as SS Agent
* Jim Dougherty as Pastor
* Liza Fagin as Norah
* Hayley Lovitt as Sage
* Renes Rivera as Hulking Mutant
* Jermaine Rivers as Shatter
* Marco Schittone as Young Boy
* Ilan Srulovicz as Interpol Officer

## Trivia

* Guest star Raymond J. Barry also appeared with Jamie Chung, Natalie Alyn Lind and Michelle Veintimilla on the DC Comics inspired, FOX TV series, *Gotham*.
* In the comics, Andrea and Andreas Von Strucker are the children of HYDRA leader Baron von Strucker, who made an appearance in *Captain America: The Winter Soldier* and *Avengers: Age of Ultron*.
* This is the first episode of the series to not feature a main cast member i.e. Coby Bell does not appear.

## Multimedia

* Promotional
* Screencaps
* Behind the Scenes
* Videos

### Videos

Preview They Are More Powerful Than You Can Imagine Season 1 Ep. 8 THE GIFTEDEclipse, Blink, & Thunderbird Help A Group Of Mutants Season 1 Ep. 8 THE GIFTEDLorna Confronts Eclipse About His Ex Season 1 Ep. 8 THE GIFTEDBlink Explains Why She Is Fighting The War Season 1 Ep. 8 THE GIFTED

## References

1. ↑ Final Adjusted TV Ratings for Monday 20th November 2017
2. ↑ Twitter Confirmation via Derek Hoffman (@brghtidea)
3. ↑ The Gifted - Episode 1.08 - threat of eXtinction - Promo, Promotional Photos & Press Release