The Alpha Syndrome

"The Alpha Syndrome" is the fourth episode of Season 1 of Men in Black: The Series. It originally aired on November 1, 1997 and the episode was written by Alexx Van Dyne and directed by Michael Goguen.

Synopsis
Investigating the theft of a Sintillian Heart, Kay learns the culprit is Alpha, his former mentor, who stole a Verulian Cosmic Integrator and left Kay for dead years ago. But Jay and Kay discover that Alpha now has multiple alien body parts grafted onto his body, becoming even more dangerous.

Plot
When Zed shows Kay and Jay a new Sintillian, he reveals his heart was stolen right out of his body. Expand.

Criminal Nexvo

Criminal Pinosapian

Summary
Agents Jay and Kay walks with Zed through a series of rooms each one housing an alien that are special cases. And Zed saves the best for his best agents. Opening the doors, they see an alien, a Sintilian. Zed asks the Sinitilain about his situation. According to the latter, he was in his hotel room one night but when he woke up, he was mugged. Kay inquires what of value was stolen. The Sintilian says its his heart. When Jay questions if the alien fell in love with his mugger, the Sintilian show to them what he meant. There's a gap on his chest revealing his innards. A Sintilian has the unusual biology of possessing two hearts and one of them is missing.

Jay and Kay are at the hotel the Sinitiian was staying in, hoping to find any clues that will lead them to the Sintilian's other heart and the one responsible for the theft. However, none can be found which Kay suspects that the mugger is a professional. Kay then gets called by a hotel staff who has a package for him, revealed inside to be a Virtual Selective Memory Projector, a device that allows those meant for them to relive specific parts of their lives.

Meanwhile, Jay encounters new aliens and each one continues to surprise him in unexpected ways. After another surprise, an old agent walks up to him providing him advice that the life of an MIB agent takes getting used to which Jay agrees as he's trying to get along with this new live and Kay. Seeing this, the agent realizes that Jay is Kay's new partner. The agent asks if Kay was his cheerful, optimistic self which Jay thinks is a joke. Having a nice conversation, the agent has to go somewhere but not before introducing himself as A. With that done, Jay looks for his partner and found him using the Projector. But judging by how it looked, it seems Kay was in severe pain as he mentions refusing to reject everything he ever taught him, forcing Jay to remove it.

The two returned to MIB headquarters and Jay worried about his partner ever since just left the hotel, wants to know who taught Kay all what it means to be an agent. Every attempts leads Kay to be silent about it and ignore him. Zed steps in and forbids Jay on talking about Kay's past. Getting nothing from this, a curious Jay decides to investigate on his own. Jay got the worms to spill revealing all of it including about Kay leads back to Alpha. He heads to the computers to get information but the files are heavily sealed. Elle arrives wondering what Jay was doing and with some persuasion from the man, accepted a challenge from him to access the files.

Zed questions if he's back from the dead. Kay feigns by shrugging it off as impossible but his face shows otherwise as stated by Zed. Kay relents and admits that he has returned. Zed warns him that the situation is more dire than realized. Zed access the files in hopes to learn what he wants from the Sintilian heart but learns that someone is accessing the file they're seeking.

The two man interrupted Jay and Elle's hacking and reprimands Jay for accessing classified files without permission. Jay explains he forced himself to do them when Kay refuses to talk about whatever was bothering him and that relationships requires communications. But when all of this remains foreign to Kay, Jay was fed up with him and requests to be reassigned to another partner, as long as he or she has the heart for friendship. When Jay mentioned Agent A as one he likes to partner up, Zed reveals that there is no Agent A. This caused Kay to realized that he, Agent A didn't left the crime scene and that he wanted to be found by him. Despite Zed wanting every agent to return to the hotel, he reluctantly allows Kay to have some time with this due to the personal nature.

Both Kay and Jay returned to the hotel and Jay exchanges information with Kay about A, also known as Alpha. Jay learns that Alpha was the first leader and agent of the Men In Black and Kay confirms that Alpha started it but also almost ended it. The two found Alpha who has the Sintilian heart all along contained in a tank. Alpha greets Kay who remained unresponsive and demands why he stole the heart. He explains that he made some changes to himself. Unrobbing his shirt, Alpha shows that he has mutated himself into a chimera like entity.

For many years traveling throughout the Galaxy and beyond, Alpha has selected alien anatomy and grafted them into his body, even if many of them were unwilling victims. Because of this, he has become the most powerful being, superior over alien and human. He came back to Earth to get a Sintilian as Sintilians with their hearts make them practically immortal unless dropped a piano on them. Disgusted at the sight, Kay points his gun ready to shoot the rogue agent until Alpha lashes back. While Kay kept Alpha busy, Jay heads to rescue the heart who ran away in fear. But Alpha recaptures the heart and proceeds to eliminate it instead to Jay and Kay's horror before disappearing.

As Elle attempts to revive the heart, Zed has the heart's owner under protection until Alpha is dealt with. Jay approaches Kay who seated in front of the Twins' work station. Seeing him distraught, Jay asks if Kay and Alpha were close. Kay lowered his head and just responds that his former mentor died long ago. A flashback to the past was shown where Alpha kindly greets the MIB's latest agent, Kay into the fold and will teach him everything he needs to know. Zed arrives to tell the agents about the Sintilian and that he had the Twins tracked down more Sintilian to ensure their safety. Suddenly, the monitor is haywiring confirmed by Zed that Alpha is here. In the room where the Sintilian is, he heard fighting and witness many agents taken down before Alpha showed himself and kidnaps the alien before reinforcements arrives.

Zed prepares to have the agents track down Alpha until noticing that Kay is heading out. Zed demands what he is doing but receives no response. After angry calls for him to stop, Zed had the agents detain him, unwilling to let Kay fight Alpha on his own. Unfortunately, Kay had already left and Zed and later Jay realizes that he left Quick Clones to cover his escape. Kay arrives at Alpha's hideout and the former teacher and student prepare to fight.

Elle and Jay try to find out where Kay might be but that will be tough as Kay never lets anyone inside his head. However, Jay remembers that the projector Kay had did. Retrieving the projector, Jay puts it on and has Elle activate it allowing him to see what Kay saw, the day where Alpha and Kay parted ways. Alpha and Kay were on a case with some Verulian criminals. Alpha caught them but when Kay arrives, he saw another side to Alpha.

The once proud leader of MIB has begun to show signs of greed and obsession on what he possesses. Alpha found a Cosmic Integrator and its fully charged. He intends to use it but Kay stops him as he reminds Alpha that technology of that level is not yet ready for humanity but Alpha chose to ignore his previous teaching and forgo everything else. After Alpha begs Kay to join alongside him to experience the ultimate thrill ride, Kay declines the offer, refusing to reject everything Alpha taught him. In retaliation, Alpha shot down his student. The vision ends and Jay learns where they were.

Alpha offers Kay a partnership like once before, willing to get another Sintilian heart for him in hopes to let his former student to experience what he's going through. Kay thought he did until Alpha left him for dead. As for the Sintilian, Kay had the Twins look into it. The Sintilians breath gas that make human lungs dissolve and Kay prepared tha particular gas held in a container, ready to see how much imhuman Alpha is. Before he could carry out the threat, Jay and Elle arrives. Alpha smugly wonders if Kay is willing to sacrifice them to finish him off. Kay stand down and is unhappy that the two agents arrive at the wrong time. When Jay orders Alpha to surrender, the rogue agent decides to take him.

With Jay as a hostage, Alpha gloats in front of Kay that he will enjoy breaking the agent. Alpha looks to Kay and challenges him to save Jay. Before an enraged Kay was about to attack Alpha, Elle stops him and tells him to walk away. Suddenly, Kay expresses shock and for the first reveals his emotions, unwilling to abandon his partner due to this personal vendetta. When Elle states that Jay knew the risk when he signed up as a MIB Agent, Kay grabs her and demanding why he has to take this course of action. Elle leans in and explains that Jay is expendable. It was then Kay realizes the hint and moves in to save the Sintilian and escapes with Elle much to Alpha's surprise. Suddenly, Jay starts to babble and his body starts to change slowly melting away till showing that this Jay is a Quick Clone and is armed with a bomb.

Kay and Elle took cover as the building explodes with Alpha in it. The real Jay arrives and explains to Kay that he anticipated such a situation so he had Elle create a Quick Clone that would solve the problem. Elle wonders if Alpha survived with Jay find it hard to believe since they dropped a very big piano on him.

With the day saved, Elle helps to reinsert the revived heart into the Sintilian. As for Kay, he sat in front of the Twins once more sadly anticipating the departure of Jay. In Zed's office, Zed thanks Jay for deciding to stay beside Kay as it meants a lot to the older agent. Jay agrees because as much Kay won't admit it, Kay needs him.