Max is at her apartment, gathering her things in preparation for leaving, when the telephone rings. She picks it up, and hears Logan whispering and sounding as if he is in pain. Max explains that she was just leaving to take some stuff to Joshua. Cut to Logan looking sweaty and frightened, telling her that he has "a situation," and that "it's an emergency." Off-screen, there is a big crash in Logan's apartment. Logan yells out, "Oh, God! No!" and drops the phone, taking off in the direction of the noise. Max yells out Logan's name, but gets no response.
Max enters Logan's pad, only to find his wheelchair on its side, wheels spinning, and Logan nowhere in sight. She spies Logan's feet sticking out from under a blanket, so that it looks like he is lying unconscious on the floor. She calls his name, and he peeks out from under the blanket and expresses his happiness that she made it over. Max asks what happened, and Logan replies, "Eyes Only met his match." Just then, a blonde moppet sticks her head out from under the blanket and whines, "Uncle Woooogan!" Max introduces herself to the child, Brittany, who's kind of a brat. Logan explains that Max is there to help take care of the child, but the child is having none of it, and neither is Max, so she turns to leave. Logan explains that his cousin Bitsy called and needed him to take care of Brittany. Max makes fun of the fact that his cousin is named Bitsy. Logan says that he doesn't know what to do, because Brittany won't eat or take a nap. Max explains that Brittany doesn't like her, so she's not staying. Logan begs her to stay while holding up a Barbie, and Max smiles and relents.
Max digs into her bag and pulls out a Hostess Cupcake. She unwraps it and takes a big sniff. Brittany sticks her head out from under the blanket and asks if she can have one. Max says it depends on whether Brittany reads a story with her. Brittany agrees, and runs over to sit by Max and eat her cupcake. Max asks Logan for a children's story. Logan supplies her with a copy of The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen. Max opens the book to a picture of the mermaid, which causes Brittany to claim that there is no such thing as mermaids. Max asks how she knows that, and starts reading the story aloud. The camera focuses in on the picture of the mermaid, and we continue to hear Max reading the story aloud as the scene changes to…
A fishing vessel. One of the fishermen asks who left the net in the water, and cuffs another guy on the head for his stupidity. Stupid Guy runs to haul the net in. As the net gets hauled in, we see that it's full of fish and other debris. The head guy notices a human form inside, and yells out, "We snagged a floater!" Stupid Guy goes to touch the body, and the woman turns around and opens her eyes. Head Guy notices that there are slits in her sides (exposed by her conveniently cut bathing suit), and comments, "Looks like some kind of…gills." The guys wonder what she is, and Stupid Guy shows that he's not so stupid when he answers, "A mermaid."
Back at Logan's pad, Bitsy has returned to collect Brittany. She thanks Max for babysitting. Brittany gives Max a kiss on the cheek, then (at the urging of her mother) gives Logan a kiss on the cheek too. Brittany complains that they never got to finish the story, because she fell asleep, and wonders if the mermaid ever got to see her family again. Max assures her that the mermaid lived happily ever after. Brittany smiles. Bitsy thanks them again, and says that it was nice meeting Max before leaving. Logan tells Max that he thinks she screwed up the ending. He thinks that the mermaid fell in love with a prince, but then he blew her off because he "fell in love with a real girl." Max says that just because the mermaid had a tail doesn't mean that she's not real. Wow, it's almost like they're trying to develop a parallel with Max and Logan's relationship. Logan leans on the counter and complains that his exoskeleton feels like it weighs a ton. Max wonders why writers always go for the unhappy ending. Logan asks if it's hot in there, and says that he feels like he has a fever. Max notices a rash on Logan's wrist, similar to the one he had the last time they touched and Logan got the virus. Max wonders if they accidentally touched, and Logan is sure that they didn't. Max points out that they both touched Brittany. Logan says that's not how the virus works. Max says that they don't know that. Max remembers that Brittany kissed both of them, and then notices that the rash has appeared on Logan's face. Logan falls to the floor. Max says that they have to get to a hospital, and asks Logan if he can get to his chair. Logan can't, and Max gets frustrated because she can't touch him to get him into his chair. Max asks Logan whom she should call, and Logan says tiredly, "Speed-dial six." Max makes the call, and finds Asha on the other end. She orders Asha to get over there right away.
Cut to the hospital, where doctors spout a lot of jargon that basically means, "Logan isn't doing so well." The doctor working on him is the same one who treated Zack in the last episode. They wheel Logan into an exam room. The doctor stops to get the details on the virus from Max. The doctor explains that there's nothing Max can do to help right now, and orders her outside. Max watches sadly as they treat Logan, who is non-responsive. All of the music drops out, and the only sound is Logan's heart monitor beeping. Max turns and dashes out of the room, and Asha follows her.
In some warehouse, White is jumping rope when he is interrupted by a goon named Otto. White is annoyed, as usual, but Otto explains that they have "a lead on a possible Code Red." White stops dead and stares real hard at Otto. Moments later, Otto explains that some fishermen came into dock and started showing off their catch. White asks why that qualifies as a Code Red, and Otto explains that their catch was "a girl with gills." You know, Otto could have just said that in the first place instead of being all dramatic about it. White asks what the fisherman did with the potential mermaid, and Otto says that they are still trying to find out. White points out that they could be "dealing with a bunch of drunks telling fish stories," and Otto promises to tell him as soon as they find anything solid.
Max wanders down the hall at the hospital and passes a nun coming out of a doorway. She looks up and sees that the doorway leads to the chapel, so she enters. Once Max is inside, some old lady wearing a babushka nods to her. Because only old ladies wearing babushkas actually pray in a chapel, I guess. Max sits down and prays out loud for a miracle for Logan. I'm surprised Babushka Lady doesn't shush her. Max says that she knows she hasn't been much of a believer, but she'll do anything if Logan can live, then breaks down in tears. Asha walks in and tells Max that Logan is going to be okay, and explains that he just has the chicken pox. The doctors couldn't figure it out, because Logan already had it. Max smiles. Asha leaves. Max looks over at Babushka Lady, who has disappeared. Like an angel!
Alec and Sketchy walk through Jam Pony HQ, discussing how ready they are to get off work and go out. Normal yells at Sketchy that he has one last delivery to do. Sketchy protests that it's closing time, but Normal explains that there are actually seven seconds until closing time. Sketchy complains that if he does the delivery, he'll miss "two-fers." Normal tells him to cram it and do his job, or he'll be fired. He incorporates the word "bip" into the speech -- I know some people like to keep track of how often Normal says "bip," so I thought I'd include that. Alec, who is finally wearing a turtleneck, explains that a two-fer means either two songs by the same dancer, or two dancers for one song length. Normal figures out that they are going to a strip club, and Alec invites him along, to Sketchy's dismay. Normal agrees to go, and says that they can wait and deliver the package the day.
Sketchy, Alec, and Normal arrive at the club. There are a lot of gratuitous shots of scantily clad women. One of the dancers walks up and licks Alec's face. Yuck. Sketchy spots something across the room and leads the other two over. Turns out the mermaid is in a tank, and has drawn quite a crowd. The guys think it must be a trick, and that she must have a breathing tube somewhere. Alec uses his super-vision to see that the mermaid has a bar code on the back of her neck, and agrees with Sketchy that the mermaid is his type. See what they did there? She's his type, because she's a transgenic. Yeah.
Back at the hospital, the doctor explains to Max that little Brittany just got over the chicken pox. Logan should be feeling fine by morning. Max seems distracted. The doctor tells Max to be careful, because if it had been the Manticore virus, Logan probably wouldn't have survived. Max promises to be careful, and the doctor walks away. Asha pushes Logan's wheelchair up, and Max and Logan greet each other cautiously. Asha notices the vibe and offers to bring the car around and meet them downstairs. Logan smiles and wheels closer to Max, who backs away. Logan tells her that it was a false alarm, but Max thinks they just got lucky. Max says she needs to go, but Logan reminds her that they came in the same car. Max says she'll walk, because she needs to clear her head. Logan looks after her, upset. Max walks away, but she keeps turning back to look at him.
Back at her apartment, Max boils water for her bath. Original Cindy says that she thought chicken pox "went out with Starbucks and Madonna." OC notices that Max is quiet, so she tells her to cheer up. Max says she'll tell OC something if OC won't laugh. OC promises not to, so Max talks about the chapel, and the praying and the miracle. OC points out that it was just chicken pox. Max thinks that it could have been the Manticore virus, but then something happened, like a miracle. Max says that second chances don't come along too often, and she doesn't want to risk hurting Logan, even if that means never seeing him again. OC walks over and gives Max a hug. Alec arrives and asks if it's a bad time. He announces that he needs Max to come with him. Max complains that she was about to take a bath, and Alec says that women and water seems to be the theme of his evening.
Otto informs White that the Code Red has been confirmed, because the mermaid has a bar code. White asks where the mermaid is now, and Otto explains that the fishermen sold her to a bar, where she is on display. White says that they need to get the mermaid, and the operation needs to be "clean, surgical." Otto assures him that they already have someone in place.
A mysterious young man rips a flyer advertising "The Real Mermaid" from a wall, and then enters the bar where the mermaid is being displayed. Nearby, Alec tells Max that with all the flyers around, White probably already knows about the mermaid, lending urgency to their mission. They reach the entrance to the club, and Alec tells Max that no women are allowed inside unless they are working, and that there is a line out back where the managers pick "the good ones." Max isn't interested, and Alec doesn't help matters by telling her that she has a decent shot. Alec reminds her that if she doesn't do it, White will get the mermaid first. Max angrily unzips her jacket and hands it to Alec, then storms off. Alec shakes his head and enters the club.
Out back, there's a whole slow-motion sequence featuring Max working it for the bouncer that I really just can't recap. Suffice it to say, Max gets in.
Once inside, Max finds the mermaid in her tank and looks on sadly. She notices another dancer coming through a doorway that presumably leads to the backstage area. Max heads back there, and finds the back of the tank. She knocks on the glass to get the mermaid's attention. The mermaid communicates by high-pitched squeals, similar to a dolphin. They could have used this opportunity to give Mariah Carey a guest-starring role. Max shows the mermaid her bar code, and then uses military hand signals to let the mermaid know what's going on.
Max goes back into the club area and looks around for Alec. She finds him enjoying a dance from the girl who licked his face earlier. Alec dismisses the dancer. Max walks over angrily, and Alec pulls her into his lap to avoid arousing suspicion. I can't believe I just used the word "arouse" in that sentence. Anyway, Alec explains that White already has someone in the club, and points out the mysterious guy we saw entering the club earlier, who has no drink and no dancers. Max agrees that it looks shady. Alec tells Max to make it look like she's giving him a dance, and she starts messing with his hair. Alec jokes that she must have done this before. Max continues to stare at the mermaid and distractedly play with Alec's hair while they discuss their options. Max wants to get the mermaid back to the ocean, but Alec thinks that she could get captured again. Max is sure that won't happen, and Alec says that it's a shame to let "a beautiful girl like that" live alone in the ocean. Max and Alec bicker some more over whether or not he is thinking or talking.
Then there's a montage of Normal getting dances from various ladies and giving them all tips. Max is still sitting on Alec's lap, and Alec is still talking about what a shame it is that the mermaid has to be alone in the ocean. Max tells him to give it up, and Alec points out that he always goes for the ones that he can't have. Max tells him that it figures, and Alec brings up Max's love for Logan as being similar. Max tells him to shut up just as Sketchy and Normal approach. They are surprised to see Max there. Sketchy explains that they ran out of money, or rather, that Normal did. Sketchy seems amused to see Max and Alec together as he walks away.
Alec notices that something is going on. Some guy is heckling the mermaid near the tank. While Max and Alec are distracted by that, the mysterious guy walks through the club. Max tells Alec that the guy is making his move, and she takes off to stop him. She bumps into him and then yells out that the guy touched her ass. The bouncer promptly arrives to kick the mysterious guy out.
Max walks out of the club and into a nearby alley, where she finds Alec fighting the mysterious guy. Max manages to throw mysterious guy off of Alec, and she ends up with some sort of device in her hand. She notices that mysterious guy has gills, and realizes that the device was meant to help him breathe out of water. He wasn't one of White's guys at all. Shots ring out inside the club, and women scream. Max tells Alec to help the mysterious merman guy, and she runs back into the club. The mermaid's tank is empty. Oops.
Logan sits at his computer in his apartment. Asha walks in with a mug of something and comments that the welts are gone. Logan says that he's feeling better, and that he's hungry. Asha offers to make him something to eat, and takes off. Logan picks up the phone and dials a number. Just then, Alec and Max crash through his front door, carrying the merman.
The merman sits in Logan's shower with water running on him. Max asks him if he can last like that for a little while, and apparently he can. Max assures him that it's going to be okay. She tells Alec to keep an eye on the merman and walks away, followed by Logan and Asha. Alec asks the merman if the girl in the tank is just a friend, and the merman squeals in response.
Max tells Logan how they thought the merman was one of White's men, and that they let White's men get away with the mermaid. Logan says that Max couldn't have known. Max thinks that White couldn't have taken the mermaid far, and that they can track down his base of operations. Logan says that White is trying to kill all the transgenics, so they don't know that the mermaid is still alive. Max thinks White will want to study the mermaid before taking her back to headquarters for analysis. They don't know where headquarters are, but they do know that a mermaid would require special transport. Logan says that will buy them some time, but not much, and asks what sector the bar is in. Max tells him. Logan explains that he can look at the sector police mainframe and see if there was a military convoy in the area. Asha walks in and says that she may have an idea how to fix the tear in the special get-up that helps the merman breathe.
In his warehouse, White talks to (presumably) his wife and child. He has a wife and child? Interesting. Anyway, while talking to them, he checks out the mermaid, who is sitting out of water, in a cage, and looking pretty bad. Once his call if finished, he asks Otto how long the mermaid can stay alive out of water. They aren't sure, but they're shipping the mermaid out that night. White tells Otto to keep her alive as long as possible, because forensics will want to study her alive and dead. White says, "I wonder what they were smoking when they cooked this up?" Otto explains that the mermaid was probably meant for "amphibious sabotage, laying mines, that kind of thing." White wonders how they got out of the Manticore fire and down to the ocean. Otto explains that there is a stream near the former HQ that leads to the ocean. The mermaid squeals at them, and White yells at her, "English!" Otto says that Manticore probably used a computer to communicate with her. White really doesn't care. I know White is pretty one-note, but he kind of cracks me up sometimes. The mermaid continues to squeal. Otto pours a bucket of water over her.
Asha uses an iron to mend the tear in the merman's suit. Max walks up and tells her that it was a good idea, and thanks Asha for helping them out the day before. Asha is just glad she was there to take the call. Alec walks in and complains that he's getting bored. Asha picks up the suit and tells Alec to help her put it on the merman. Max stares lovingly at Logan while he works at his computer. She walks over to him, and picks up his copy of The Little Mermaid. She leafs through it and then asks if he found anything. He found three identical vans near the bar, and they ended up in Sector Twelve. Logan guesses that White set up his operation in a warehouse there, but he needs more time to narrow it down. Max says that they don't have much time. Logan says testily that he's doing the best that he can, but he doesn't know if the rescue operation is a good idea. Max snaps that she's not letting White have the mermaid. Logan points out that White could end up with all of them. Max says that it's a risk she's willing to take, and asks Logan to help her. She puts the book down to him, and says, "I want this story to have a happy ending." Ugh. How cheesy.
Alec interrupts the moment by yelling out, "You're welcome!" Now that the merman has his breathing apparatus back, he wants to leave. Max asks what's going on, and Alec guesses that the merman wants to get back to the ocean, where he can breathe and no one wants him dead. The merman grabs Max and pulls her out the door. Max says that the merman must know where White has the mermaid, and tells Alec to follow her.
They end up at the shoreline. Alec gripes that he doesn't think they're anywhere near White's hideout. The merman walks over to a tire on the shoreline. Alec makes wisecracks while Max walks over to see what's going on. The merman has crouched down near the tire, and is touching some eggs that are floating in water inside the tire. Max realizes that they are the mermaid's eggs, and that the merman and the mermaid are mates. Max promises him that they'll find her. Alec's phone rings. He answers it, tells Logan that he has good timing, and hangs up. Max asks if Logan found White's place. Alec confirms that that is the case, and Max tells the merman to come with them to "get [his] girl."
Alec sneaks through a chain-link fence and approaches White's hideout, followed by Alec and the merman. She uses Alec's phone to call Logan and ask if he's sure it's the place. Logan explains that it's an old steam-generating plant that's still operational. Max asks how they can get in. Logan says that even if they can get past the gate, White probably has more guards on the inside. Max suggests that they try the roof, but Logan says the only doors on the roof are fire doors that open from the inside. Logan looks at the image on his monitor and tells Max to turn around. There's a storm drain behind her, and the pipe leads up into the building. Max spots it, and tells the merman that it's "time to get wet."
White and Otto prepare to seal the mermaid up to put her into a freezer car for transport. Meanwhile, the merman swims through the drainpipe, and Max and Alec sneak up to the roof of the building. Underwater, the merman looks disturbingly like Jimmy Fallon. Alec nearly gets taken out by a guard, but manages to knock out the guard and steal his gun. Max and Alec discover that they have to shimmy up a pipe in order to get to the roof, so they do. It takes a really long time, and they don't fall, so I'm not sure what the point of that was. Once on the roof, Max and Alec race over to the aforementioned fire doors. Max worries that the merman should be there by now. Alec is all ready to abort the mission. Just then, the merman opens the fire doors and lets them in.
Max, Alec, and the merman case the joint. Alec notes that the place is huge, and the mermaid could be anywhere. Then they hear some squealing from the mermaid, and the merman leads the way.
One of White's goons calls to the security guard that Alec got knocked out on the roof, and gets no response. White orders the goon to "call up his eye-cam feed." They watch the footage of the security guard putting a gun to Alec's head. White recognizes Alec, and says that he's supposed to be dead. The footage switches to Max, and White recognizes her as well.
Max, Alec, and the merman find the crate containing the mermaid on a forklift. Before they can get her out, an alarm sounds. They fight off the approaching security guards. Max gets the crate down from the forklift, and helps the merman open it. The merman grabs the mermaid and carries her off. Alec uses his gun to hold more security guards (on a catwalk above them) at bay. Bullets are flying everywhere. Max and Alec take cover behind one steam tank, and the mermaid and the merman take cover behind another. Alec thinks that he and Max need to leave, but Max won't leave without her aquatic friends. Alec doesn't think they have a chance. Max eyes the forklift and tells Alec to cover her, because she's "going for the Disney version." While Alec shoots at the guards above them, Max runs over to the forklift and drives it towards a tank. She bails out before the forklift reaches the steam tank. Alec takes a bullet in the shoulder. White walks out and starts firing at our heroes just as the forklift reaches the steam tank, puncturing it and burning White and his goons. Max and Alec tell the merman and mermaid to follow them. White is pissed that they are getting away, and fires some more bullets in their general direction. You'd think that he'd be more severely burned from the steam. Hmm.
Max tells the merpeople that she'll "meet [them] there." Max and Alec take off the same way that they entered, via the roof. The merman and mermaid go through the drainpipe.
Later, at the shoreline, Asha takes a look at Alec's shoulder. Max thanks Alec for helping out, and Alec nods in response. Max asks if Alec wants to say goodbye to the merpeople. Alec says that he needs to get his wound cleaned, and Asha leads him off. Max walks over to watch the merpeople, who are looking at their eggs in the tire. I'm not sure why the merpeople have bathing suits on, but whatever. Logan watches as the merpeople wave goodbye to Max and take off. Logan comments that Max got the ending that she wanted. Max says that the merpeople are together, "and that's the way it should be." Logan agrees that it's the way it should be. They smile at each other.
week: Max unearths a two-thousand-year-old secret involving bones and the Manticore symbol. She fights off a bunch of bad guys who don't have bar codes. She smacks White with a huge beam, and it barely affects him.