Emergence

**eMergence** is the first episode of the second season of *The Gifted*. It is the fourteenth episode of the series overall.

## Synopsis

Reeva Payge purges the Inner Circle of those who disagree with her, leaving her completely in charge. Then, fast-forward six months, when the Mutant Underground saves a girl, but not her family, from a Sentinel raid. Against the group's wishes, Eclipse and Caitlin meet with a criminal hacker to get info on the Inner Circle. Meanwhile, Polaris prepares for the birth of her baby, her contractions magnetizing anything metal and wreaking havoc. She also makes Andy promise to save the baby, no matter what.

## Plot

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

A meeting of the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle is taking place. Reeva Payge, organizer of the meeting and member of the Inner Circle would like to offer an explanation for her recent actions regarding Atlanta. Also in attendance are the Frost Sisters, Esme, Sophie and Phoebe, as well as William. Reeva reminds those of the Inner Circle that they're all fighting for the same cause, peace and freedom. But for that to happen, mutants will require a place of their own. While in Atlanta, they discovered mutants powerful enough to accomplish said dream, though it required them to go against commands. With these new recruits, she would like to push forward to building a better future. Unfortunately, William is unconvinced. He reminds her that the mutant homeland project has been discussed and dismissed due to the risk. However, Reeva refuses to stand down, reminding William that mutants are dying and that she didn't claw her way out of the mutant slums of Chicago just to watch her own people suffer. "You know what they say, William. Well-behaved women rarely make history.", the Frost Sisters add.

Nonetheless, William is very much against the recruitment of Polaris, a mentally unstable, pregnant women and Andy, a child. Reeva reminds William that Polaris is exceptional, a mutant such as herself doesn't come around too often, and Andy is a von Strucker. His family helped build the Hellfire Club. Regardless, as one voice on the council, Reeva had no right to make this decision, acting completely without authorization. However, as pointed out by the Frost Sisters, who acted on Reeva's instructions, waiting on William's authorization would result in nothing being done. The point is, Reeva acted without the blessing of the Inner Circle, William says. While this is true, Reeva always believed that it is better to ask for forgiveness than for permission. She says this before using her mutant powers by generating a high note to subdue the other members of the Inner Circle long enough for the Frost Sisters to shoot and kill each of them, one-by-one, ending the onslaught with William.

Six months later, Washington, D.C., Lorna stares outside the large window of the Inner Circle's base of operations, reminiscing of her relationship with Marcos. Andy joins her, asking if she's ready to go. Where ever she goes, he intends to be there with her. Lorna explains that when she dreamed of having a baby, she imagined she would be surrounded by family. Andy attempts to comfort her, stating that they're her family and that he'll be there for her. Reeva and Esme stand in the doorway, listening, before calling Lorna over.

Elsewhere, Sentinel Services raid Liberty Park Apartments. They've surrounded the building and demand that those inside come out. Mutants scatter as Sentinel Services' presence increases. They begin to force their way into the mutants' home. A father raises his hands in the air, insisting that they didn't do anything, while the mother of the home yells out to her two daughters, telling them to run. Unfortunately for the girls, Cristina and Jazmine, their parents are shot dead in the living room. Hearing the shots go off, Cristina, the older of the two, locks the bedroom door. She tells Jazmine to take cover as she telekinetically launches a wooden chair through the bedroom window, providing them with an escape.

While monitoring the radios, Reed intercepts dispatch's call for the raid at Liberty Park Apartments. He alerts John, Marcos, Lauren and Clarice.

Back at Liberty Park Apartments, Sentinel Services continues their senseless attack. Capturing, mutants with nets, beating them mercilessly with nightsticks and threatening them at gunpoint.

Thunderbird tracked two groups of mutants from Liberty Park Apartments. He and Eclipse take one trail while Lauren and Blink take another. Fortunately, Thunderbird and Eclipse manage to find the first group of mutants hiding in a closet, unharmed. Eclipse assures them that they'll be safe with them as Thunderbird alerts Blink and Lauren that the second group went into the storm drains on the north side. With that, Blink and Lauren make their way to the second group, hoping that they've reached them in time, though Lauren isn't so sure they have, leaving Blink to question her doubtful attitude. Lauren apologizes, as she's merely stressed at the fact they they're dealing with the third raid of the month. Blink and Lauren find the mutants trapped on the other side of the wall, Cristina happens to be one of them. Blink opens a portal, allowing Lauren to guide the mutants out while simultaneously holding the steel door shut with her shields, preventing Sentinel Services from breaking through.

The rescued mutants are taken to Community of Mercy Clinic, where they can receive treatment for their injuries. Caitlin personally tends to Cristina. It would seem she suffered to deep cut to her right hand. As Caitlin attempts to treat her, Cristina is overwhelmed with pain, causing her powers to forcefully manifest. Caitlin ducks down, pleading with Cristina to control her powers, which she does long enough for Caitlin to treat her. Cristina then asks if they found her sister Jazmine. She's 12 and they got separated after their parents got killed. Caitlin assures her that they'll ask around as soon as she finishes up. Until then, she inquires about Liberty Park Apartments, asking if there were a lot of mutants there, which there was. When Cristina questions why Caitlin is so curious, Caitlin replies that she lost someone as well.

Caitlin finds herself all alone as the clinic shuts down for the afternoon. She enters a closet labeled with a bio-hazard sign. Once inside, she opens a secret door, leading to a secret room, where she finds Reed, forging identification for the mutants that the others had previously rescued. Caitlin begins to wonder what is the point behind all their effort, to which Reed replies that they rescued ten people. A sure victory in his eyes. Caitlin then reveals that she asked someone that she treated about Andy, but no one knew anything because she couldn't use his real name due to the fact that law enforcement was under the impression that they were all dead. They'd searched a number a cities in their attempt to find Andy before John managed to track Andy and Lorna to D.C. Reed understands Caitlin's frustration, comforting her with a hug.

Reeva, Lorna, Andy and the Frost Sisters arrive at the facility in which they intend for Lorna to give birth at. It was initially a munitions warehouse, according to the Frost. All stone and concrete, which they plan to modify for Lorna's comfort as it's the only place strong enough to contain her powers. Just then, Lorna appears to experience stomach pains, causing her to unintentionally move the SUV they arrived in. "Sorry. The baby's just kicking.", Lorna explains.

The next day, John, Marcos, Clarice, Lauren, Reed and Caitlin are held up at the Potomac Salvage junkyard. Reed speaks to the group, as he's very much aware that losing Liberty Park Apartments is difficult to stomach. But it is because of what they did that ten mutants and their families get to start new lives today. So he would like to try and focus on that instead. Furthermore, Reed has organized transportation for the people they took in and got them documents. Shatter's crew in Baltimore are going to get most of them someplace safe. However, Lauren is concerned for Cristina, who doesn't wish to leave without her sister Jazmine. While the trail is a day old, John and Clarice will continue their efforts to find Jazmine, and until then, Cristina will stay with them. Lastly, Marcos had been asking around, and in doing so, got in contact with a group of mutant hackers who can get into computer systems. Marcos spoke to the man in charge, Wire, personally. John and Reed are upset with Marcos' effort to reach out as the hackers are known criminals, however, Caitlin, as desperate as she is, doesn't believe they have too many other options. John reminds everyone that the only thing keeping them safe is that the government thinks they died in Atlanta. So they have to be careful. However, given that his child is about to be born, Marcos is done being careful.

Back at the Inner Circle's base, Lorna experiences more pain as she hums a lullaby to her unborn child. When Reeva enters the room to ensure that she is doing fine, Lorna immediately apologizes for the incident at the munitions warehouse, where she moved the car as a result of the pregnancy affecting her powers. However, Reeva isn't concerned with the car. She's worried about Lorna, who explains that she's depressed as she feels alone. Reeva sympathizes. The first thing she ever felt was alone. She was hated for her poverty, then for the color of her skin, then for her powers. But they can change that with each other's help. However, Lorna's hesitant to trust Reeva after hearing rumors of the mutants that were part of the Inner Circle before her. Reeva admits to making sacrifices. But for the sake of what it is that they are building, she would sacrifice anything. Reeva then assures Lorna that she'll be fine as Esme, Sophie and Phoebe are taking care of everything.

Sage and the Frost Sisters pull up to the guard's booth at the munitions warehouse, where the Sisters use their mind control over the patrolling guard in order to gain access to the facility. Once inside, they enter the owner's office and command him to evacuate the property. However, he initially refuses, forcing Sage and the Frost Sisters to bribe him with a suitcase full of money. They instruct him to inform the others that there was a class-one toxic materials spill and that the facility needed to be evacuated. Still, the owner refuses. So, the Frost Sisters make it perfectly clear that they could force him to do what they want, but paying him off is easier. The question isn't whether this place is there's. The question is whether he will give it to them, or they take it. With that, the facility owner agrees to their terms.

While John feeds Zingo dinner scraps, Clarice checks with Cristina, asking if she's sure that she doesn't want anything to eat. Cristina's sure. She can't think about anything other than her sister. Clarice assures Cristina that she shouldn't worry as John's an excellent tracker who can find anyone. She then tells Cristina to get some rest before joining John in the kitchen. He inquires abut Cristina's state in mind, to which Clarice replies that she's fine and that Marcos is the one they should be worried about. The closer they get to the baby's due date, the more irrational he seems to become. John agrees, offering to talk to Marcos. He and Clarice then proceed to kiss, though she abruptly stops, asking if he really wants to get her in the mood, before telling him to finish the dishes. John acknowledges this as being both manipulative and highly effective.

As Caitlin surfs the web for mutant related school incidents and Lauren prepares dinner, Reed returns from his trip to Baltimore, where he dropped off the rescued mutants. They got lucky at the check points, and everyone made it through safe. Reed then asks about the shelter, which Lauren claims is fine, however, she hasn't made any friends there. As Lauren goes into detail, Reed becomes distracted and irritated at a ringing sound that only he can seem to hear. Once the ringing subsides, Reed encourages Lauren to find a job where she can meet people her own age. However, as Caitlin explains, most of the information they have Lauren got through people she met at the shelter. While Reed is aware, he doesn't think her sole focus should be finding Andy, though Caitlin disagrees, arguing that it's a priority. Reed simply wants Lauren to live her life, but Lauren doesn't seem to mind working at the shelter. She then excuses herself, as she wishes to be alone.

In what appears to be the next day, Lauren walks down the street, until entering a parking garage, where she finds Andy on the top level. She calls out to him and rushes over to give him a hug. She's pleased to see him, but shocked by his new appearance i.e. his hair and clothes. She almost wasn't sure it was him. Andy then grabs Lauren's hand to combine powers, but Lauren is against it. He questions why she continues to fight who they are and who they are meant to be. Lauren strongly disagrees, jerking away from Andy and demanding that he let her hand go as it starts to glow, but he refuses, forcing Lauren to pull away even harder. When she can't and their power grows, she wakes up from her sleep screaming in fear. As it turns out, she was simply having a nightmare.

Reed and Caitlin join Lauren in her bedroom after hearing her screams. Lauren claims that it didn't feel like a dream, and Andy looked older and different. Lauren reveals that the dream took place at a parking garage, from where she could see the Capital. When Caitlin pushes for more answers, Reed suggests that she ease up. Caitlin is happy to hear of Lauren's dream, as it could mean they're getting closer to Andy. She recalls Lauren saying that she and Andy can see through each other's eyes, but Reed believes that it may have just been a dream. Furthermore, Lauren back tracks, claiming that she can't fully remember the dream and that it might not have even been Andy at the parking garage.

While getting Lauren a glass of water from the kitchen, Caitlin calls Marcos to ask him to reach out to Wire, the mutant hacker. Caitlin suspects that Andy may be close, so she's done waiting.

The next day, at the munitions warehouse, Lorna insists that they make sure the cell she will be giving birth in is sealed, and Andy insists that they double check. After chatting with the doctor, Reeva informs Lorna that she shouldn't be exerting herself. Given that she had a pre-term contraction that moved a 6,000-pound car, she should be on bed rest immediately. Lorna reluctantly agrees to the doctor's orders. As Andy heads out to help the Frost Sisters outside, Lorna tells him that she has a bad feeling. She thinks the birth may not go well. If something does go wrong, and it it comes down to her or the baby, Lorna fears that Reeva will choose her. With that being said, Lorna makes Andy promise to protect the baby at all costs. She reminds him of his Von Strucker heritage and tells him to stop them should the time come.

Before Blink and Thunderbird continue on the trail for Cristina's sister, Blink puts in eye contacts and puts on make up to hide her green eyes and cover her purple mark. With Sentinel Services potentially still around, they need to take precautions. Nonetheless, Blink isn't happy about it, claiming that she feels exposed and basic. To make matters worse, she can't portal while wearing the contacts because she can't see the portal energy. When Thunderbird suggests that she practice portalling with eye contacts, Blink retorts that it's like asking someone to practice darts blindfolded while in a hurricane. She then asks if he has talked to Marcos yet, which he hasn't. Blink suspects that he's afraid to.

Elsewhere, Marcos and Caitlin proceed with the meet up with Wire, the mutant hacker. Marcos informs Caitlin to tread carefully because Wire is erratic, mostly due to his Kick addiction. Caitlin doesn't care what drug he's on, as long as he knows something. When they get inside, Marcos wants to do all the talking. If things go side ways, he'll handle it. Caitlin reminds Marcos of her training with John at the scrap yard, but Marcos isn't convinced it will be enough, much to Caitlin's dissatisfaction. Marcos and Caitlin then arrive at Wire's place. They are greeted at the door buy Graph, who directs them to Wire. Wire is upset that Marcos broke the rules by bringing Caitlin, but he assures Wire that Caitlin is just a friend who is interested in the same thing as he is, which is a bad thing as far as Wire is concerned. Nevertheless, Wire did some digging, as promised. He discovered that the Hellfire Club is into some heavy stuff, which Marcos failed to mentioned during their arrangement, causing Wire to demand more money, as he pulls a gun out on Caitlin and Marcos.

The Hellfire Club has a lot of money, so if Marcos can't pay for them, maybe they can pay for him, Wire says. When presented with the opportunity, Caitlin rushes Wire, quickly disarming him, but she got grazed by a bullet in the process. As she holds him at gunpoint, Marcos keeps his goons at bay, lighting up his hands as a means of intimidation. Caitlin demands that he sends his goons away and give them what they came for, or else she'll kill him. Wire agrees to her terms and calls off his people. Wire explains that the Hellfire Club spun off something called the Inner Circle. He suspects there was a management change. The Inner Circle is well hidden and very wealthy. They have multiple accounts with millions in each. However, Wire has no idea where they are. Caitlin explains that they don't care about the money. They want to find the people. However, Wire tells them that this is the opposite of what they want because one thing is very, very clear. If you mess with the Inner Circle, you disappear. That's why he wanted more money, because he's scared of them. All he knows for sure is they got big plans and that he wants no involvement with them.

John and Clarice are unsuccessful in finding Jazmine. They relay this information to Cristina. They tracked Jazmine across the city. Seems she was trying to get out of town. She got to the bus station, but it looked like she got picked up, but there was no sign of a struggle. So they're still hoping that one of their people took her in, and so they're reaching out now. Lauren explains to Cristina that this is good news because if Sentinel Services found her, there definitely would have been a struggle. Clarice promises to find Jazmine, but it's going to take a little while. They're going to follow up with their contacts and Christina is going to stay with them. Then, Marcos and a hurt Caitlin enter the room. They reveal that they arranged a meeting with Wire, which went south. While they still don't know where Andy and Lorna are, it is a step in the right direction.

Meanwhile, Reed doesn't appear to be feeling well, so he pops a few pills while at the clinic. He then gets a call from John, who tells him that Caitlin was grazed by a bullet. Although, she'll be fine, they need for him to hurry home with a suture kit and some bandages. Hearing this news seems to trigger something in Reed; his mutant powers, which were supposedly suppressed so many years ago, appear to manifest as his arm glows red with energy and his vein darken and pulsate. This transformation appears to cause Reed a great amount of pain.

At the Inner Circle's headquarters, Lorna tells Andy he can go to bed, but he has no problem with keeping her company. He offers to pitch more baby names, but Lorna declines the offer, claiming he should be naming porn stars rather than babies given the names he has come up with. Lorna then goes into labor, disrupting the magnetic field for miles. So she tells Andy to inform the others.

The Frost Sisters barge into the labor room with Andy and Lorna, requesting that everything metal is locked down. Realizing that Lorna is going into labor, Reeva removes her ear rings. As Andy guides Lorna to her cell, her contractions worsen, causing her powers to violently manifest.

Back at the apartment, Caitlin stitches herself up. Reed is upset that Caitlin put her life at risk by meeting with Wire. But Caitlin didn't have many options. Reed wonders what they're even going to do with the new found information, as it isn't worth much but Caitlin argues that it's better than nothing. However, Reed isn't sure how much longer they can continue. They searched for six months and it got them nowhere. But Caitlin refuses to just give up. She sees it as Andy being taken, but Lauren disagrees. She states that he left. As did Lorna. And they can't just keep acting like Andy was kidnapped when in actuality, he knew what he was doing. Reed agrees. This war came to Andy. And this is what he chose to do about it. Caitlin reminds Lauren that Andy is her brother, but it is because of this that Lauren knows Andy better than anyone else can possibly imagine, which is why she's so adamant about Andy leaving them.

Meanwhile, Marcos looks through the files given to him by Wire, in hope of finding something that'll help him locate Lorna. As he does so, the lights begin to surge throughout the entire city.

At the munitions warehouse, Lorna screams out in agony. With Andy at her side, he tells her that'll be okay as long as she breathes. As Lorna pushes, the magnetic fields only worsen, causing objects even outside the building to move dramatically.

Caitlin understands that Lauren's hurt, but she can't dismiss her own brother. Reed doesn't believe that this is what she's doing. Sometimes they get so focused on this search that they ignore other issues. It's not just Lauren. Just as it seems that Reed is about to reveal to Caitlin that his powers have manifested, Marcos knocks on the door, telling them both to come to the roof. Marcos, Caitlin, Reed and Lauren make it to the roof, where they see the surging of lights throughout the entire city. Marcos is certain that this is Lorna's doing. Reed argues that they don't know this for sure, but Marcos knows what her powers look and feel like. Given the circumstances, Caitlin concludes that the disruption in the magnetic fields is due to Lorna's contractions, meaning she's in labor.

Elsewhere, the doctor urges Lorna to keep pushing, though in doing so, metal object continue to pull towards the building. Unfortunately, just as Lorna fear, something has gone wrong. She's not dilating. Her blood pressure is off the charts, and she won't be able to take this much longer, but Reeva refuses to lose her. It's not a medical issue, the doctor explains. It's a mental block of some kind, and if they don't do something soon, she could die. This forces Reeva and the Frost Sisters to regroup and come up with a plan.

On the road, John, Marcos, Clarice, Caitlin, Reed and Lauren attempt to track the power waves to Lorna. John uses his tracking abilities, telling Marcos to follow the power lines. However, Marcos is angered with how slow they're going, looking to Clarice to portal them, but as Clarice explains, they don't know where they're going and they're miles from it.

When Andy notices Reeva and the Frost Sisters plotting in the corner, he blocks their path to Lorna. They claim that they're going to help the baby and Lorna by reminding her what they are all fighting for. They explain to Andy that Lorna needs them as the pregnancy is killing her. With no other choice, Andy steps out of their way, allowing them to save Lorna and the child. Reeva speaks to Lorna, telling her to listen closely.

Back on the street, Reed, Caitlin and Lauren track the surge, which gets stronger as they get closer. Caitlin looks back to Lauren, telling her than her dream was right and that Andy is in D.C.

Reeva tells Lorna that she needs to be strong. They're going to show her the dawn of a new age. The Frost Sisters use their abilities to plant a telepathic vision in Lorna's head of a future, where mutants have secured a safe world for themselves. Reeva tells Lorna that this world could be for her daughter, but only if she shows that she wants it. Seeing this, Lorna says that she wants it more than anything, and so she gives another big push that nearly brings the entire building down as a forklift slams through the wall. This last push also kills the entire grid, shutting down all the lights and preventing John from tracking it any further. Marcos questions what this means, if Lorna or the baby are dead. Unfortunately, no one has the answers for him. In an emotional state, Marcos drops down to his knees in agony as his hands glow. As it turns out, Lorna survived the birthing process, as did the baby, whom she named Dawn.

## 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
* Skyler Samuels as Frost Sisters/Esme, Sophie and Phoebe
* Grace Byers as Reeva Payge

Guest Starring* Ray Campbell as William
* Danube Hermosillo as Cristina
* Brad Carter as Wire
* Adam David Thompson as Graph
* Demi Castro as Father
* Mia Clyburn as Jazmine
* Mahdi Cocci as Security Guard
* Rick Espaillat as Indignant Mutant
* Paden Fallis as Doctor (Lorna's specialist)
* Leonie M. Hanson as Frightened Mutant
* Hayley Lovitt as Sage
* Diesel Madkins as Sentinel Services Officer
* Jeff Daniel Phillips as Fade
* Vince Pisani as Dr. Kelsey
* Matthew Rimmer as Furious Mutant
* Renes Rivera as Bulk
* Mark Rowe as Facility Owner
* Bianca Berry Tarantino as Dawn

## Quotes

**Caitlin**: "*We can't just give up. Our son was taken, Reed.*"
**Lauren**: "*No, he wasn't, mom. He left. So did Lorna. We can't just keep acting like Andy was kidnapped. He knew what he was doing.*"
―Lauren to her parents about Andy**[src]**

## Trivia

* This episode picks up six months after the Season 1 finale *X-roads*.
* This episode makes Marvel history as the first live action mutant labor.
* The "don't do drugs!" line was ad-libbed by Amy Acker.

## Multimedia

* Promotional
* Screencaps
* Behind the Scenes
* Videos

### Videos

The Gifted Season 2 Premiere Check Out Polaris' Surprising Maternity WardMarcos Comes Up With A Risky Plan Season 2 Ep. 1 THE GIFTEDReed Finds Out Caitlin Was Shot Season 2 Ep. 1 THE GIFTEDReeva Shows Lorna Where She Will Have Her Baby Season 2 Ep. 1 THE GIFTEDCaitlin Wants To Find Andy Season 2 Ep. 1 THE GIFTED

## References

1. ↑ Final Adjusted TV Ratings for Tuesday 25th September 2018 - SpoilerTV
2. ↑ Twitter Confirmation via Derek Hoffman (@brghtidea)
3. ↑ The Gifted - Episode 2.01 - eMergence - Press Release - SpoilerTV