Ventrescaholics Anonymous - Captures - Prey - Veil

Tom and Sloan's bid for freedom leads them to the Annex Motel, where Sloan checks them in posing as a battered wife.

Ed attends Kelly's funeral, and whilst paying his respects sees a disturbing sight. Something moving beneath her skin. Telling Attwood of his find he agrees, as long as he gets parental consent he can perform an autopsy to investigate the anomaly.

Tom confesses to Sloan that not all of Lewis' story is made up, he has killed 5 people, and chose to spare Sloan. Tom tells her that she wasn't the first person he spared, a teenage boy with a brilliant mind also escaped when his mother offered her life in exchange for her sons.

Kelly's parents are initially unwilling to put her through a second post mortem, but Ed convinces them that it's the only possible way to find out who and what killed their daughter.

Back in the motel room Sloan and Tom bond over bad jokes unaware that Lewis is hot on their trail. Calling in their location he sits back to watch them be arrested. After all their lingering looks and furtive glances Tom and Sloan finally kiss, but before they can go further they are interrupted by the authorities. Tom escapes, but Sloan is taken into custody.

Unable to find the object Ed saw in her neck, Ed and Attwood take a CAT scan of her skull in the hope of discovering more. What they find is a small, seemingly parasitic object that appears to be looking for a way out of it's dead host.

Meanwhile Sloan is released on bail and returns home, not realising that Lewis is watching her closely. Tom sends a message to Sloan asking to meet, and Ray takes her to the rendezvous point. Followed by police and Lewis, Ray pulls a few tricks out of the bag and looses them. When Sloan arrives for their meeting Tom is nowhere to be found.

From Kelly's body Ed retrieves an apparently harmless tick, but on examination of it's DNA it is revealed to have the same 1.6% DNA differential as the new species. Attwood believes that the tick is secreting some chemical that reacts with human DNA and mutates it, at least in part, to that of the new species. An effective form of gene therapy.

Returning home Sloan finds Tom waiting for her who lured her away to put the police off his tracks. As they are discussing events the phone rings, it's Lewis. After a few words from his mentor Tom changes completely, pushing Sloan out of his way and heading out to meet Lewis in what looks like a hypnotic trance.

Ed isn't surprised at Tom's betrayal, but still Sloan fights his corner valiantly. She is sure that whatever it was that happened wasn't Tom's fault. Attwood takes matters in hand, planning to find a way to capture Tom before he tries to kill them all. In the meantime they need to find out what effect the tick will have on a new host, and after synthesizing the secretions, Attwood injects James, one of the lab monkeys, with the solution. Whilst waiting for the results Ed and Sloan talk about the developing relationship between her and Tom. Ed warns her of the dangers of becoming intimate with one of the new species, even an innocent kiss could be deadly. The tests are complete, and James' DNA has mutated totally, and on top of which he has become homicidal, killing all the other monkeys in the cage.

Lewis begins Tom's retraining, showing him visions of the people he knows and cares about, all telling him he must kill Sloan. As a final test Lewis hands him a gun and orders him to kill the person in the next room. When he opens the door he sees his mother...who he dutifully shoots.

Attwood lets Sloan and Ed in on his plan to trap Tom, knowing that eventually he will attempt to kill Sloan. Having sent packages of information to the media exonerating Tom, Attwood is certain there will be no police interference. Tom approaches the lab, where Ed, Sloan and Attwood have booby trapped the door to their room, hoping to disable him without causing him damage. Their gamble pays off and they are able to restrain him, though he is still under Lewis' control.

Ignoring Attwood's orders, Sloan stays beside Tom's bedside, hoping she can somehow get through to him and bring him back. Eventually her persistence pays off and the trance is broken. Sloan frees him and he returns to Lewis. Attwood takes Lewis into custody, finally ending his games.

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