At home, Max picks up the phone, then puts it back down. She picks it up again and dials. Cut to Logan's apartment. Logan is in the background, doing crunches, and he lets the answering machine pick up. He stops and turns his head when he hears Max's voice on the machine, but doesn't pick up. Max says sadly that she hasn't heard from him in a while and wanted to see what he was doing. After the message ends, Logan returns to his crunches. Max hangs up the phone.
OC asks Max if things are still weird with Logan. OC posits that Logan is still upset about the whole twelve-hour-window thing. Max agrees. OC asks Max if it's possible that the cure was permanent, and that the virus is gone for good. Max says that testing revealed that her virus is back full blast. OC is at a loss for words, which hardly ever happens. Max says that this is the part where OC is supposed to say that Max and Logan have survived worse. OC changes the subject by saying that it's time for work. Max isn't going -- she wants to get out of town for the day and clear her head. OC understands, and Max says that she just needs to "score some gas" first.
Max waits in a long line behind a gasoline truck. A lady talks to her child. A guy on a motorcycle budges in front of her in line, saying, "You snooze, you lose." Some other guy reads a tabloid with the headline, "Genetic Mutants Walk Among Us." Max looks at the headline with her lips pursed. The gas truck guy announces that the truck is empty. Motorcycle Guy says that he needs the gas to make a run to Portland. Gas Truck Guy says that there are a lot of lonely truckers willing to trade gas for sexual favors. Motorcycle Guy is offended, and says that he's not leaving without his gas. He busts out with a gun, and a struggle ensues. People scream and dive out of the way. The gun fires a few times. The mom dives aside, but the little kid remains standing right out in the open. Max spots him and super-speeds over. The gun goes off again. Cut to Max lying on the ground in a spreading pool of blood. What is wrong with that kid? Not only did he not move when the gun started going off, he just stood there and stared at Max with a completely blank face while she slowly bled onto the pavement. I think he needs to be checked out.
A bunch of people stand around at a really scary-looking hospital. Max is wheeled in on a gurney. The medical personnel get her injury information from the paramedics. Max is clutching a bloody rag to her stomach. She doesn't have a spinal cord injury, but does need surgery.
Logan listens to Max's answering machine message again, then picks up the phone and calls her pager.
In the operating room, the doctors lift Max onto the table. One of the doctors comments that she's lost a lot of blood. Max's pager goes off. Max says that she can't stay, but the doctor tells her she doesn't have a choice. One woman starts to take blood, but Max insists on no tests. The woman persists, and Max grabs her arm and repeats forcefully, "No! Tests!" For a wound that bled so much, Max's shirt barely has a bloodstain. Max is restrained by security and given an injection. She continues grunting and resisting as the lights slowly fade and she goes to sleep.
Logan's phone rings. He's just out of the shower, and he has a cute new haircut. Go, Logan! The caller asks who Logan is, and Logan wants to know who the caller is. The caller is a nurse at the hospital. She explains that Max was brought in without identification, but that they found Logan's number on Max's pager. Logan asks how she is, and the nurse says that Max is just out of surgery and doing fine. Logan wants to see her. The nurse says that she needs to know Logan's name, and Max's name as well.
Logan calls Dr. Carr, the same guy that helped them out with the Zach situation. He gave Max an alias -- Linda Eastman. Wasn't that Linda McCartney's maiden name? I wonder if that's relevant. Anyway, Dr. Carr promises to let Max's doctor know that there should be no blood tests, and agrees to meet Logan at the hospital. Logan keeps saying how they can't let anyone find out that Max is "different," and Dr. Carr is all, "Yeah, I get it! Fine!"
Dr. Carr talks to Max's doctor, and they exchange pleasantries. Max's doctor advises Dr. Carr to keep his distance when Max wakes up, because she has "a grip like a vise." , Dr. Carr goes to the hospital lab and takes Max's blood vial from the lab tech, saying that he's going to have it run in a private lab.
Max wakes up in the hospital bed and checks out her wound. She stands slowly, clearly in some pain, and starts reading her chart. A nurse walks in and tells "Mrs. Eastman" that she should be in bed, and then informs Max that she has a visitor. Her husband. Logan. Max is happy to see him. The nurse says that visiting hours are over soon, and leaves them alone. Max says that if she knew this was all it took to get a visit from Logan, she would have gotten shot a long time ago. Logan brought her some clothes. Max thanks him. Awkward pause. Logan really does look cute with a decent haircut and a close shave. He cleans up good. Logan asks how she's feeling, and Max says that she wants to get out of there. Logan explains that Dr. Carr is taking over her case, so no one will find out about Max's DNA. He tells her to get some rest. Max lies back down, in a great deal of pain. Logan asks how she managed to get shot. Max tells him about the kid in the crossfire. The nurse knocks on the door and signals that visiting hours are over. Awkward pause. Logan says that he's going to come by the day and check on her. Max smiles and says that she would like that. Logan smiles too, and leaves.
The lab tech from earlier notices his computer beeping. He immediately drops everything and makes a phone call. Max's doctor shows up and says that these results are not good. They've found a virus in one of the blood samples. The doctor asks who the patient is. The lab tech checks his files and reports that it's L. Eastwood. The doctor doesn't think that's possible, and figures out that it's really L. Eastman, and the lab tech mixed them up. She picks up the phone to call the Centers for Disease Control, or CDC.
White is hitting golf balls into the water when his phone rings. It's Otto, and he tells White about the virus detected in a patient at the hospital. White continues to hit golf balls, each one going over two hundred and fifty yards. White wonders why he should care. Otto says that the patient had a bar code tattoo on her neck, and that it's 452. White tells Otto to assemble a team and they will meet in twenty minutes.
Max wakes up in the hospital to see a CDC doctor in an orange safety suit standing over her. He tells her that his name is Dr. George and that she's being quarantined because they found a virus in her bloodstream. Max says that she's not contagious. Dr. George wants to be sure. Max says that she's going home. Dr. George wants to run some tests first. Another guy in a safety suit says that they are ready to decontaminate the area. Dr. George says that he needs to give Max an exam and check for lesions or other symptoms. Max isn't having it, and prepares to leave. Dr. George threatens to put her in restraints. Max threatens in turn to crack some skulls, but she's too weak from her surgery and blood loss to do anything. She faints. Dr. George places her back in bed.
Logan takes a really long time to carefully park the Asstek, and then walks into the hospital carrying a bouquet of flowers. White pulls up in the back of his car, and comments that this is going to be a pissing contest. Otto doesn't understand. White explains that the CDC won't want to release Max into his custody if they consider her a biohazard. Otto wonders what they do now. White says sarcastically that they go home and pray really hard that Max doesn't "expose a massive government conspiracy that [they've] been assigned to cover up." Otto recognizes this as sarcasm. White grabs an official-looking FBI photo identification card with his picture on it.
Logan walks into the hospital, but is told that there are no visitors allowed inside, and that he needs to check in. An official explains that the hospital has been quarantined because a patient has a virus and the CDC is checking it out. White walks in and is stopped. He flashes his ID and says that he's there for Linda Eastman. Logan recognizes his voice and freezes. The official tells White to talk to the CDC. White says that he's FBI and doesn't need to talk to anybody. Then he calls the security guard "bub," which kind of cracked me up. Dr. George exits the elevator while yelling at one of his assistants. White asks if Dr. George is in charge, which he is. White flashes the badge and asks if Dr. George is treating Linda Eastman. Dr. George wants to know why the FBI is involved. White says that Linda Eastman tops the Most Wanted list. Dr. George wants to know what crime she committed, and White responds that the information is classified. I've got to start using that excuse more often. Dr. George refuses to release Max. White says, "I don't think you understand, Doctor. I'm not asking you. I'm telling you." White is such a blowhard. They whip out their dicks and start measuring, but then the media shows up and starts asking questions. Dr. George tells White that he will tell the media that White wants to override the quarantine and expose the public. White has no response. Logan hides behind his bouquet of flowers as he watches White walk away, then follows him.
White walks outside and tells Otto that the CDC won't turn Max over willingly. Otto asks if they know the truth about Max's genetic makeup yet. White says that they don't. Otto points out that if Max decides that she has nothing to lose, she could "blow this whole thing wide open." Logan sneaks around an ambulance just in time to hear White say that they need to "terminate" Max before she talks.
Dr. George (who looks more and more like a Nazi scientist in each scene) walks into Max's room. Max asks where his "body condom" is. Dr. George explains that Max isn't contagious, but they needed to take every precaution until they knew that for sure. Max asks for the restraints to be removed. Dr. George says they can't do that yet. Max threatens to sue him for malpractice, but she says it in a sassy way. Dr. George reveals that they "made some very interesting discoveries about [Max's] DNA." Max isn't surprised. Dr. George says that there is nothing wrong with Max's DNA, and that she has no junk DNA. Which we already knew. Dr. George wonders if that's what led to her fast recuperative powers. Max says that now they're keeping her in the hospital because she's too healthy. Dr. George tells Max that a guy from the FBI was looking for her because she's a threat to national security, and wants the doctor to turn her over. Max asks if he's going to do that, and Dr. George says that he won't, because he's taking her to CDC headquarters to "figure out the mystery of Linda Eastman." Max looks sad. Dr. George promises her that Atlanta is very beautiful this time of year, but he seems pretty shady. He leaves, and Max pouts some more.
Otto and another goon stand outside the limo in the rain while White talks on the phone in the back seat. Logan is parked in the Asstek nearby, trying to intercept the phone call. He hacks in just in time to hear someone say, "From our ancestors. For our children's children." White responds, "From my father before me. For my sons." White says that he needs to know if there is "a familiar" at the hospital, and is given the name of a nurse. White promises to reciprocate, whatever that means, and hangs up. He dials the phone again. Logan loses his connection. He tries to hack back in. The phone rings at a nurse's station inside the hospital, and a nurse named Betty picks up the call. She and White exchange the same catchphrases as were said earlier. White says that "a familiar needs [her] help." Logan hacks in just in time to hear Nurse Betty asking if White wants her to kill someone. White confirms this, and Nurse Betty says that she could never turn down a familiar. White says to contact him when it's done. Nurse Betty hangs up and asks another nurse to cover for her. Logan plays around with his computer some more. Nurse Betty gathers some materials from a medicine chest, including a small vial -- of something lethal, I'm sure. She walks down the hall towards Max's room. Logan continues doing something on the computer. The name Linda Eastman is on his screen.
Max is in her room, trying to get out of the restraints. Nurse Betty walks in and says she's just checking on Max. Logan looks at a 3D map of the hospital on his computer, and appears to be happy with whatever he found out. Nurse Betty busts out a syringe and says she's going to give Max something to help her sleep. Max sasses her right back. Logan is still tapping computer keys, like, how exciting is it to watch Logan use his laptop? Not at all. Anyway, he uses his laptop to make Max's monitor screw up. Max suggests that Nurse Betty check out the monitor problems. Logan uses the monitor beeps to communicate to Max in Morse code (I assume) that White has someone inside. Nurse Betty is about to give Max her shot. Logan tells Max that she's in deep trouble. Nurse Betty picks up Max's IV tube. Max tears off her restraints and says she's feeling a whole lot better. She kicks Nurse Betty back. Nurse Betty calls Max "transgenic filth." They fight. Max calls Nurse Betty "one of White's breeding-cult psychos." They fight some more. Max tells Nurse Betty that you'd think that after ten generations of breeding, Nurse Betty wouldn't have such a fat ass. Except that Nurse Betty isn't at all fat, and Max is wafer-thin. Nurse Betty manages to wrap Max up in some plastic and start suffocating her. They fight some more. Max manages to stick Nurse Betty with the needle. Nurse Betty pulls it out and comes after Max, who tosses her out the window. Nurse Betty lands on the ground below. White and his goons come out to check on her. Otto is shocked that she's still alive. White says that he's going to see if Dr. George is ready for some help. White runs over, makes sure that no one is looking, and does a super-leap up to the second floor of the hospital.
Dr. George is talking to Dr. Carr. Dr. George can't believe Carr never noticed that Max had such unusual DNA. Carr says that he never had any need to do blood work on her. Carr picks up a tabloid with a mutant story on the cover (the same one that the dude in line at the gas truck was reading) and scoffs that Dr. George thinks Max is a mutant. Dr. George tells Carr all about Manticore. Carr tells Dr. George that he's seen too many science-fiction movies. Some lackey hollers over that Linda Eastman has escaped.
Max creeps through the hospital hallways, clutching her bullet wound. She steals a gauze pad to press against the bloody wound, and grimaces in pain. A sign above her tells us that she is near the morgue.
Two security guys in full riot gear follow Max's bloody footprints into the morgue. They start pulling sheets off stiffs. Max hides on the lower shelf of a gurney, and waits until the security guys to pass by her before exiting the room.
Logan listens in on the security guy's conversation via his Magic Laptop. They says that they can't find Linda Eastman. Logan's phone rings. It's Max. Logan asks if she's all right. Max asks if he was the one sending her messages on her monitor. Max is getting dressed into regular clothes as she talks to Logan, and asks him to find her another exit. Logan is working on it, but hospital security has all the exits blocked. The phone starts squealing and gets all staticky, and Logan's laptop freezes up. Logan explains that every time the news media starts broadcasting, it interferes with the signal. Max can hardly hear him. Logan stares at the news van and tells Max to get to the roof as fast as she can. Max can't really understand him, because he's breaking up. The call disconnects. Max stands and hears security guards closing in on her. She sneaks into a duct of some sort.
Logan walks up to the news van and knocks on the window. He tells the driver that he needs to get in touch with the station's traffic guy. The driver is so not interested in helping. Logan grabs the guy by the lapels and says, "It's an emergency." Ooh, Logan. You're so tough with your lapel-grabbing! It must be the new hairstyle.
Max exits the duct and finds herself…somewhere. She looks as confused as I feel. She walks around, presumably looking for an exit or a way to the roof. She sees a window and heads for it. It's in a door, labeled "roof access." Just then two security guards show up and says that they're under strict orders to keep her confined to the facility. One of them orders Max to put her hands up. Just then, both of them are shot by White. Max runs away. White yells out that he's on Max's side, and he killed the guards to protect both of them. Then White asks what would happen if the CDC found out what Max really was. Max wonders what would happen if they found out about White's "little breeding program." White says again that he's trying to help her. Max points out that he sent Nurse Betty to kill her. White couldn't take the risk that Max might decide to talk. Max tries to hide as White stalks around, looking for her. White says that the only way to keep the CDC from discovering who Max really is would be for him to help her escape. Max isn't buying it. White says that someone might have heard the gunshots, and will be there any minute. Max picks up a screw or bolt or something and tosses it aside to try to divert White's attention. He doesn't go for it, and runs over to where Max is hiding. Or was. By the time he gets there, she's gone. White tells Max that the CDC is her enemy, and his enemy too, so they should work together. Max hides some more. White promises to put his gun down, and says that Max should come out. He starts reciting some Latin for no apparent reason, and then says that he went to law school. What is this, group therapy? He takes the clip out of his gun and sets the clip and the gun on the ground. Max hops out of her hiding spot. White waits for her to come out with one hand on the secondary gun in his holster. Max sneaks up behind White and cuffs him with a metal pipe, then takes off for the roof. White follows close behind.
White walks around the roof, looking for Max. She sneaks up on him again. They fight. He keeps kicking her in the stomach, where her bullet wound is. Finally, he picks up his gun and delivers the bad-guy speech to allow more time for Logan's daring rescue. Which happens…now. Logan got his traffic friend to loan him a helicopter, which comes roaring up over the building. Max takes advantage of White's momentary distraction to kick the gun out of his hand and knock him down. She runs over to the helicopter. White belly-crawls after her, which is very funny-looking. Logan yells to Max to take his hand. She hesitates because, you know, the virus and all. But he has gloves on, so I guess it's okay. The helicopter takes off. White empties his clip in the helicopter's general direction. In the helicopter, Max sits on Logan's lap, which seems like it would transmit the virus or something. Oh well.
OC nurses Max in their apartment. OC gives Logan shit for bringing Max back in such terrible condition, then takes off to heat Max up some soup. Logan says that it looks like Max is in good hands, so he's going to be on his way. Max calls him back and thanks him for rescuing her. Jessica Alba looks cute with her hair pulled back instead of hanging in her face. I am turning into my mother. Logan tells Max to take care of herself, which sounds an awful lot like a goodbye, and then leaves. OC walks over and notes that things are still weird between Max and Logan. OC thinks that Logan still loves her, since he risked his ass to save her life. Max says that the CDC still has a lot of questions, and won't stop until they get answers. Max feels like sooner or later, they'll run out of luck.
Someone flips through a binder with tons of information about Max and her disease. It's some big bald guy. Dr. George is giving him the binder. They're seated on the conspiracy bench, put to great use in The X-Files and JFK. You know -- the one with the Washington Monument visible in the background? Anyway, Dr. George has given Max's information to someone in Washington DC, and it was a clandestine meeting. I have no idea what that means.