Trial by Fire
Tests on Kyle, and his seemingly miraculous awakening, are inconclusive; his doctors have no idea how he could've suddenly regained consciousness, but Tom and Linda really don't care, they just want to take their son home. The doctor says Kyle will be disoriented for awhile, and strongly suggests that they should try to make everything as familiar as possible, keep things the way they were when Kyle left, so Tom moves back in to the house, but tells Linda privately he'll try to stay out of her way. They bring Kyle home, but he's wobbly, unsure, knocking things off shelves in a daze, but positive about one thing - it isn't his home.
Jordan tells Barbara Yates during an appearance on her show that whoever leaked the names and addresses of the 4400 committed an illegal act, violated all of their privacy, and should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. She finds his conclusion hard to believe.
At the Farrell home, Shawn is fed up with the gawkers that have been pestering them since the addresses appeared on the net, and yells at Tom to go away when his uncle knocks, believing it to be a nuisance caller. He ushers Tom inside, and they quickly get to the point of Tom's visit, what Shawn did for Kyle. Tom thanks him, and lets him know no one else is aware of Shawn's part in his cousin's abrupt recovery. Tom then says that they, meaning the government, need to know more about it, and sincerely offers his help. Shawn, knowing that would mean more poking, prodding and testing, declines.
Richard and Lily walk home after an afternoon movie; Richard is somewhat impressed with special effects. As they get up to the door, Richard puts the key in, Lily's baby lets her know something is wrong and she doubles over, just as Richard realizes something is wrong as well -we see a string attached to the doorknob- and knocks Lily to the floor, covering her body with his own as a bomb explodes into the hallway.
Tom and Diana search through the rubble of Richard and Lily's home, finding the remains of a pipe bomb - an amateur's work. Apparently there have been several incident, since the addresses and names were made public knowledge, and both agents are worried about their own 4400 connections. Tom has had his sister upgrade her security system, and Diana says she's very worried about Maia. Tom asks if she's thought about having Maia stay at Homeland Security's facilities until things calm down; she had and asked Maia about it, and the girl started to cry. Diana seems amazed to know that Maia really would rather be with her; he tells her he's glad to hear it's working out with them. She asks about Kyle and his progress. Diana also asks about Shawn, and where he was when Kyle woke up. Tom tells her he doesn't know. End of conversation.
At the office, they go over the bombings - there have been three - and all the fittings are the same type. Diana says the plastique used in the bombs is from a recipe you can find on the internet, just like the 4400's addresses, as Tom points out, also voicing that he'd really like to get his hands on the person that leaked them. Dennis points them in the right direction - someone that is "cheap, inflammatory, and dangerously irresponsible." Barbara Yates. Dennis is really not happy with her, and has decided to handle her. He asks them to check on the site addresses that offer the plastique recipes.
Jordan walks through a lovely new suburban development that he happens to own, and offers one home as a gift to Richard and Lily. He says he plans to make sure any 4400 that needs housing gets it. They accept, happily.
Shawn bumps into Nikki, and confronts him with the knowledge that she understands he helped Kyle. She thinks he should tell his brother about his gift so Danny doesn't think he's… "A monster?" Shawn suggests. Nikki doesn't reply to that, but she does say she's decided to break up with Danny. She says it has nothing to do with Shawn, but while Danny's sweet, she only likes Danny, that's all.
Warren Lytell finds Dennis Ryland in his office, and introduces himself. Lytell's been sent by home office in Washington DC, given authorization to poke his nose in where ever he's like, ostensibly to assist in the 4400 efforts, but Dennis quickly sees through the ambitious younger man. First, Ryland tells the man from DC that if he really wanted to help, he should get help him get more agents for the office, as they have over 1000 of the 4400 in their area and only 24 agents - but he knows Lytell isn't there to help. He's going to attempt to take Dennis' job. Warren soon admits he's there to 'clean up' Ryland's mess. Dennis tells him to go ahead and take his command from him - if he can.
Tom goes into Kyle's room, to find his son ripping up pictures at his desk. He says the pictures are lies, he doesn't belong in them. He doesn't know these people. Kyle, visibly upset and frustrated, says he recognizes Tom, knows he's his father, but he's like a stranger. Kyle throws the pictures around, and Tom calms him down, tells Kyle he'll find a way to help him.
Diana and Tom are trying to figure out if this has something to do with the ripple effect they've been seeing with the other incidents - Orson Bailey, Carl Morrissey. Maybe these bombings have something to do with the Friday Harbor Killer, Oliver Knox. They haven't seen any obvious ripple from his killings - perhaps they need to check into his victims.
As Barbara Yates says the 4400 need to be "put somewhere out of harms way"; somewhere safe for them and for 'us'. We see a workshop; equipment, wires, tubes, news clippings about the 4400, and photographs on the wall. One of two young men turns off the boob tube, and the other, sitting at a bench constructing something, objects. The first guy says he's sick of listening and wants to do something about them, after all Yates' sister wasn't killed by one of them - theirs was. Sure enough, one of the pictures on the wall shows the two young men with a redheaded girl - the girl killed by Charlie, one of Oliver Knox's Friday Harbor killers. They're the ones making the bombs and setting them for the abductees.
Kyle sits, legs out in front of him, in the pouring rain. Staring. Shawn bounds up to him, hugging his cousin hard. Kyle guesses that Shawn's been sent over by the Baldwins, and he's probably right. He tells Shawn he has to read, and walks away from his puzzled cousin.
Lily unpacks in hers and Richard's brand-spanking new home, courtesy Jordan Collier. They're the first ones to move in to the development, but 12 more families are soon to follow. Lily is impressed by Richard as he enters the kitchen in a suit; he's looking quite spiffy, and is happily settling into the new job as part of Jordan's security team.
Barbara Yates walks out of her office building, yapping on the phone about her assistance being out and her schedule crazy, when she's detained by a tall man in a suit who tells her Dennis Ryland would like to speak with her, and she sees a limo waiting. Getting in the back with Dennis, she tells him he's being a bit theatrical. The reporter is handed an envelope, and told by the Homeland Security chief that inside is a story. As Yates opens the manila envelope, she's told it's not about the 4400 as she first guesses, but instead about a TV 'talking head' that was involved in a fatal hit and run accident about a year ago. The pedestrian that was hit, a 40 year-old father of three, died instantly, and the reporter paid a bundle to cover it up. Yates thinks Dennis is simply going to have her leave the abductees alone…but he tells her it's too late for anything like that. He asked her, he gave her a chance, and she ignored it. He lowers the window, and points out a couple of men in suits outside. Dennis tells her one of them is with the district attorney's office, and they're going to charge her with vehicular manslaughter - among other things. She seems somewhat dazed, but remains calm. Yates tells Ryland that shutting her up won't change anything, and that the 4400 will eventually cost him his job. Dennis replies "We'll see. Goodbye, Barbara." She exits the vehicle. Handled.
At the Collier community, Jordan, Richard, and a group of other security personnel are talking with Tom and Diana at the development's entrance. The two agents are trying to advise them that putting all the 4400's in one place could be dangerous, on many levels. They'll be quite a target. Richard says that he was born in 22, in Missouri, and he's had to worry about lynchings, fire bombings, and beatings then. One thing he learned is that eventually, you have to make a stand, and he's making his right there.
Shawn emerges from school, and sees Nikki breaking up with Danny.
At Maia's school, Diana apologizes for being late, and is told by one of administrators there that she can't bring Maia back. Maia's done nothing, but they have to consider the safety of the other children, now that the little girl's name is out as a 4400. When they're in the car, Diana tells Maia she'll figure something out, get her back into school; this type of treatment is wrong. Maia comforts Diana, saying, "Someone's coming who will make everything okay. We just have to wait a little longer."
Mary Deneville, 27, who disappeared 8/1/99, walks to her floral delivery van, holding a pot of mums. Her father owns the shop, and she's probably worked it most of her life. She puts the mums down, and talks to another couple of flowers, who have wilted slightly after getting a little too much heat. They…bloom. She says that's better, and gets into the driver's seat. She turns the key, and BOOM, the van explodes in a huge fireball.
At the site, Tom and Diana find additional bomb makings in the rubble, which they believe will make the job of tracking the bomb-makers a little easier. Diana asks Tom if the 4400 are really so frightening to people? Are the two of them so close that they can't see it? Tom replies that this isn't fear, this is hate, pure and simple. They're summoned by cell phone call back to the office.
Shawn approaches Nikki, and they discuss the breakup. She still says it has nothing to do with Shawn. They decide to go someplace, to hang out, be quiet.
It seems that Tom and Diana were summoned by Lytell, not Ryland. They quickly learn that the reason why he's picked them to be the lucky first team to be the focus of his attention is because of their personal connections to the abductees -Shawn, Kyle, and Maia. He asks Diana about the accounts of Maia's clairvoyance, and points out that since Maia has been staying with Diana, the agent has made no reports about Maia's behavior. Diana says this should all be irrelevant, since Dennis approved Maia's placement with her. Lytell ignores that, and points out how thin Shawn's file is. Tom says just accuse them of whatever he's getting at, and be done, so they can get back to work. He tells them he believes they're too close to be effective in the 4400 investigations; they say they're uniquely able to be effective because they're so close. Lytell brings up Ryland, and Tom quickly makes the observation that Dennis is Lytell's target. Lytell tells them Dennis got this office, considered a 'backwater' as a way to serve his last few years quietly, as a reward, but once the 4400 landed in his backyard, the free ride was over. He tells them things are going to change, and they can either cooperate or be swept away.
Lily goes to Jordan Collier's office, to thank him for catering the lunch -very extravagantly- for a 4400 support group she's organized, after she'd just asked for permission to use the common room. He points out that people have to eat, and why not feed them well. She asks, nicely, if he's ever been told he's 'a bit of a control-freak", and he smiles, saying a few times. She then asks if he understands that the way he spends money might make people question what he wants in return. Lily apparently thinks Jordan's hitting on her, and reminds him she's in love with Richard. He quashes her fears, telling her he knows better than to try to steal her away from Richard, but doesn't really answer her questions, so she leaves his office still wondering about his motives.
Diana's at home, and tells Tom, who is also at home, that she's tracked the blasting caps used with the bombs, and she's going to coordinate that company's contacts with those from the Friday Harbor killings, and she'll let him know if she figures out the next ripple. Tom hangs up, and Linda brings him into Kyle's room. Their son is sitting on the floor, with something that looks like a topographical map in front of him, and he's drawn figures, squiggles, lines on it. They ask what he's doing, and he says looking for himself.
Shawn and Nikki are at the lake at Mount Rainier. Talking. Why was he returned to this place? They tussle a little after making a joke, and Shawn takes her hand, looking at the place he healed. Holding hands leads to kissing. Kissing leads to horizontal making out. Which leads to…
Diana's found her connection. They raid the workshop, finding a lot of bomb stuff - the two young men have made a truck bomb. They also discover the connection, the ripple. Gail Keating, the Friday Harbor victim. Dean Keating, Gail's older brother, works for the phone company, and has access to panel trucks. Glenn, her younger brother, works in construction, with access to explosives - and 2 dozen blasting caps are missing from his last job. Tom, Diana and Dennis discuss the significance of all this, and think the ripple effect may be that the 4400 go from being monsters to victims. Dennis tells them to get an APB out for Dean Keating's truck - they must stop the brothers. Tom calls Richard Tyler, tells him to be on the lookout for a truck bomb; Richard understands, and makes ready. Diana uses satellite cameras to track down the truck, which is heading in the direction of the Farrell home. Tom and Diana take a chopper to get to the house quickly, while Tom tries to call, but he keeps getting the answering machine - the only one home is Danny, who is lifting weights and listening to music with headphones on. They land the helicopter in front of the van, number 85, and stop it, pull the driver out and lay him out on the ground, only to find the driver is not Keating. The driver tells them Keating called in.
They search again by satellite, Tom and Diana take to the sky, and find the target van right by Collier's housing development. Richard is at the gate, and seals up the development. Lily and the baby react to the possible danger, while Richard and the other security men stand at the gate, guns drawn and ready. The Keatings, inside the van, are oblivious and commence their preparations until Tom starts shooting at them from the chopper. They then wedge a pole between the van wall and the gas pedal, one of them is shot, and the other leaps from it, as it propels towards the community. Richard and his men join Tom in firing on the van, until Richard hits a tire, the van flips over, then explodes.
The Keatings are injured, but not fatally, and Diana and Tom arrest them; Tom tells one as he cuffs him, that he is being arrested as a terrorist, that he'll be treated as an enemy combatant, that he does not have the right to remain silent, he does not have the right to an attorney, and anything he says will 'damn-sure be used' against him. Lily runs to Richard, and hugs him to her.
Warren Lytell shows up at Kyle's hospital and flashes his badge at Kyle's doctor, telling him he has a few questions. Mean while, as Tom arrives home, he's greeted by a frantic Linda, who drags him to the backyard to see Kyle. Their son is sitting, back straight, legs in front of him, naked on the grass, amidst the sprinklers. He tells tom he knows what's wrong with him. There's only one explanation. Why he remembers everyone, but can't feel anything. Why they all seem to be strangers. But they aren't the strangers - he is. To his stunned parents he pronounces, "I'm not Kyle Baldwin."
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