The Best Defense is the fifth episode of gen:LOCK. It premiered on February 16th, 2019 for Rooster Teeth FIRST members.
Summary[]
The gen:LOCK team continues training despite Cameron MacCloud's trauma from the attack in Dallas and Julian Chase's concerns about her, as well as the fact that they do not know what the Union mech was. Cammie's frustration with her lack of improvement leads her to alter her own confidence and aggression settings during a training session, leading her to have a psychotic episode during a sparring match with Kazu Iida. The team tries to cheer her up, revealing that they all have a shared nightmare of themselves in place of their Holons in battle and assuring Cammie that they will support her in their next fight.
Later, Raquel Marin briefs the gen:LOCK team and the Vanguard about a mission to a Union manufacturing base in Atlanta, their first offensive operation in some time, despite Rufus Weller's concerns about dispatching the team so quickly. Chase and Miranda Worth discuss his return to the Vanguard, which he shows reluctance to do. Doctor Weller gives the team additional upgrades - a sword for Kazu, a new rifle for Valentina Romanyszyn, wrist-mounted lasers for Yasamin Madrani and targeting drones for Cammie - while Miguel Garza reveals to Chase that he upgraded his Holon to include wings for aerial combat, much to Chase's delight.
The mission is briefly complicated by the arrival of several Polity scientists who have been taken hostage by the Union. The gen:LOCK team successfully rescues the scientists and destroys the base, but their exit is blocked by the return of the Union holon from Dallas, who strangely recognizes Miranda and speaks in Julian's voice before targeting him specifically. After a vicious fight that leaves the mech with two arms forcibly removed, the black Holon escapes, leaving Chase confused.
Characters[]
- Julian Chase
- Kazu Iida
- Valentina Romanyszyn
- Yasamin Madrani
- Cameron MacCloud
- Rufus Weller
- Caliban
- Raquel Marin
- Able
- Miranda Worth
- Leon August
- Jodie Brennan
- Miguel Garza
- Nemesis
- Heng Li Wu (First Appearance)
Trivia[]
- The title of the episode refers to the adage "The best defense is a good offense".
- One of the deleted scenes in the episode involves Yaz saying "pew pew" as she shoots her wrist lasers.[1]