Written by COLIN BRAKE
Directed by KEN GRIEVE
First Transmission Date June 3rd, 1995, repeated April 2nd 1998 (UK GOLD)
CAST LIST
Ed: Craig McLachlan
Ros Henderson: Jaye Griffiths
Nick Beckett: Jesse Birdsall
Peter Hunter: Ian McNeice
Conrad Easterhaus: Michael J Jackson
Frances De Freitas: Susannah Morley
Hex: Brett Fancy
Kane: Adam Kanee
Jason Rupta: Nrinder Dhudwar
SYNOPSIS
Ed is invited to teach a Tai Kwon Do Masterclass at the International Sports Academy by its owner, Dr De Freitas. Watching from Gizmos, Ros and Beckett are amazed when his first opponent, Jason Russell begins to give Ed an increasingly difficult time. Ed should easily beat Russell, instead Russell is clearly the superior athlete. De Freitas asks her colleague, Dr Hunter whether the athlete is on his "treatment" or not: although he makes no response, Hunter’s reaction confirms her suspicion. Suddenly Russell loses his composure and Ed knocks him to the floor, where he fails to get up. Hunter has already phoned for "paramedics" who arrive and swiftly whisk Russell’s by now unconscious form away…
Watching a replay of the Bout at Gizmos, De Freitas explains that many of her athletes have suffered a similar fate to Russell’s thanks to Peter Hunter, the Head of Sports Medicine at the Academy. He has been working on "Performance Enhancement" using natural substances and has developed Tri-meserone, which De Freitas believes is responsible for the collapses. She asks the team to establish tri-meserone’s legality, something that is already doubtful as Ros informs her that no emergency services call was taken from the Sports Academy the previous evening. Two men are at the same time bending over the inert form of Russell and decide that more tests are needed. Ed goes back to the Academy to quiz Hunter, who tells him that Russell has been flown home to Miami to recover: Beckett is at the same time planting a bug and a phone tap in Hunter’s office, in the guise of a Health and Safety officer. Hunter enters with another athlete, Kane to whom he gives a mystery injection, and asks Beckett to leave mere moments before one of the two men who were examining Russell arrive. Hunter assures the mystery man that the "adverse reaction" that Russell suffered would not be repeated, and that Tri-meserone would soon be ready. Ros meanwhile has entered Hunter’s lab and quickly finds an encrypted file on Tri-meserone in Hunter’s computer, but is interrupted by Kane. Failing to believe her story that she is Hunter’s new research assistant Ros flees with the encrypted file, with a relentless Kane in hot pursuit. Nothing stops Kane from pursuing Ros: he leaps through a plate glass door and climbs up the building like a monkey. Finally cornering an exhausted Ros on the roof Kane suffers the same fate as Russell and collapses, falling to the ground unconscious.
Back at Gizmos, Ros is amazed at Kane’s relentlessness. Beckett has managed to identify the mysterious man in Hunter’s office as Colonel Conrad Easterhaus: a "warfare junkie" who has been involved in most of the World’s trouble spots at some point in his career. Beckett suspects that Easterhaus wants Tri-meserone to create a troop of "super soldiers": Ros starts the process of decoding Hunters encrypted file as the phone tap on Hunter’s phone activates: it is Easterhaus phoning from a mobile, which Beckett sets to work to trace. Easterhaus is dismayed at Hunter’s failure: Hunter asks for another 48 hours, in which time he can perfect the formula. Easterhaus however is running out of time and gives him 24 hours, and no more. Tracing the Mobile call the team goes off in pursuit, with Ros explaining on the way the secret of Tri-meserone from the decoded file. The drug targets seratonin levels in the brain, giving the user a feeling of confidence in their abilities. Although Tri-meserone doesn’t actually make the user any stronger it does make them FEEL that they are more capable of achieving. However, Hunter’s subjects are experiencing problems once their heart rate reaches 180 beats per minute. Arriving at the location Easterhaus was ‘phoning from they find a seemingly empty building, however seeing Easterhaus leave they decide to investigate. Inside there is no power or lighting, only an unusual addition to the building’s security system. Opening the main lift shaft Ros sees power emanating from a higher floor and the team decide to use the emergency stairs inside the lift to climb up and investigate. Splitting up, Ed climbs up the final few floors to check for information whilst Ros and Beckett check the floor with power. What the pair find is unlike anything Ros has seen before: Ed meanwhile finds a sophisticated computer set up with an elaborate 3D modelling program, of which he takes a copy. This activates a secret alarm, which Easterhaus’ assistant Hex is carrying: the pair turns round and head back to the building. Ros and Beckett find Russell, Kane and a number of other "tri-meserone victims" being kept away from the authorities under sedation. Ed is alerted to Easterhaus and Hex’s return as the main power supply activates, and makes a getaway, unaware that the pair are listening into the Team’s conversations via their headsets. Beckett finds the stairwell and Ed and Ros follow him down to a dead-end, with Easterhaus and HEX in close pursuit: fortunately Ed notices another way out, which when opened leads the Team to the Building’s main Control Centre. They are able to escape down a ventilation chute as shots from Easterhaus narrowly miss them.
Checking the security camera pictures of the team Easterhaus recognises Beckett from Hunter’s office: Hex knows they have been hired by De Freitas, and checking Hunter’s office later Hex finds Beckett’s line tap. At the same time the team is telling De Freitas about the real use for Tri-meserone: Easterhaus is planning a military coup and will fuel his legions of super-soldiers on the drug. The 3D plan they have found is of the city and the quickest route to the Embassy of the country Easterhaus intends to overthrow. De Freitas is incensed and goes immediately to Hunter with Ros and tells him to stop the tests: Hunter refuses, as he believes he has made the breakthrough he needs to perfect the drug. He also refuses to believe Ros’ claims that Easterhaus has no intention of using the drug for sporting purposes. Easterhaus and Hex arrive to oversee the final Tri-meserone test, with Ros as the unwitting guinea pig: forced to test the drug or De Freitas will be killed. Leaving to take their captives back to their Headquarters with Hunter in tow, Hex sets a trap for Ed and Beckett using the ‘phone tap. The pair are still at Gizmos, where Beckett has discovered that the Leader of the County Easterhaus is leading the coup for is about to visit the City on a State visit. The 3D map now makes sense: Easterhaus is going to use Hex to assassinate the Country’s leader and lead the coup unhindered, and the map has been Hex’s training plan. Ed hears Hex "set up" a meeting with Easterhaus to collect what he says is the perfected Tri-meserone at a local Station…
Easterhaus and his captives arrive at the deserted building and the Colonel uses a device to "activate" the power supplies via the attachment on the Security cameras the team had noticed earlier. Using the now fully powered lift they ascend to the Testing Area, whilst Ed and Beckett arrive at the station rendezvous. Hex uses the pair’s headset frequency to listen into their plan to find a suitable vantagepoint, and as a method of guiding a rocket-launcher’s missiles to destroy his targets. Ros is in a tracksuit and ready to run: as an added incentive Dr De Freitas is pinned to a bench press which is linked to Ros’ treadmill: if Ros’ heartbeat drops below 140 beats per minute De Freitas will be crushed. Hex forces Ed and Beckett into a covered walkway with his missiles, which can turn corners, and it is only Beckett’s realisation that Hex is using their headsets for guidance that allows them to throw the final missile off-course by discarding them. Injected with Tri-meserone, Ros reaches and passes the 180 beats per minute threshold without any ill effects: Easterhaus wants more and pushes Ros almost to the point of exhaustion, but Hunter intervenes. Faking near unconsciousness Ros makes a break for freedom as De Freitas is also released, but a recently arrived Hex stops her with the news that her colleagues are dead. About to hand over all his details on Tri-meserone to Easterhaus Hunter finally realises that the Colonel has no interest in winning Gold medals. He is happy to leave De Freitas and Ros plus all the other Tri-meserone victims to die, as he activates a massive, tamper-proof inflammable bomb with a ball-bearing detonator. Ros again distracts Easterhaus and HEX: although she is unable to make an escape Hunter manages to get away despite being shot twice. De Freitas however is not so lucky, and is shot by Hex.
Ed and Beckett arrive at the building as Easterhaus locks Ros into the bench press. Hex uses the Control Centre to locate Hunter in the lift: he also sees Ed and Beckett at the building’s entrance and activates an ESF field to stop them entering the lift. Ros uses her foot to try and deactivate the bench press program, but only serves to add more weight to her predicament. Hunter arrives on the other side of the ESF field: unable to cross it he goes back up in the lift, as Easterhaus follows in pursuit. Ros’ foot operation is successful and she is able to free herself, and she grabs her headset to contact her colleagues. They tell her of their problem and she suggests they try to override the main power unit, which is attached to the Security Camera. For a few brief seconds Ed deactivates the field giving him and Beckett the chance to slip through the ESF field. Inside the lift Ed elects to go after Hex (as Ros warns him about Hex’s tri-meserone enhancement) whilst Beckett will tackle Hunter and Easterhaus: as the lift doors open HEX cuts the power, and Hunter is located by Easterhaus. Ros uses some useful medical training to revive Russell and then gets him to help her revive the remainder of the sedated Tri-meserone victims. Hunter has made it to the roof, and with a distraction from Beckett he is able to escape Easterhaus’ attention. Ed finally makes it to the Control Room, and has to fight off Hex in an attempt to activate the lift. Beckett wants it to escape from Easterhaus with Hunter, whilst Ros, unable to diffuse the bomb, has decided to send it into the lift shaft to explode. Finally overpowering Hex and killing him by throwing him against the main Power Grid, Ed gets the lift first to Ros who wheels the bomb in. Easterhaus gets to Beckett and Hunter before the lift does, and takes the Tri-meserone data for himself: unknowingly entering the same lift car just moments before the bomb explodes…
Back at Gizmos Beckett is trying to get as fit as his two colleagues…but with limited success. Ed proudly shows off a Gold Medal as a testament to his fitness, then unwraps it to reveal chocolate underneath the gold foil…