CAST LIST

SYNOPSIS

Three motorcycles pull up outside the Austin Institute: inside Dr Siegel works, unaware that three men are breaking into his establishment. His young assistant, Kim, tells him he’s working too hard and should go home, chides him. She goes to check on "Newton" before returning to drive him home; moments after she leaves the men arrive, demanding Siegel hand over Newton. When he refuses and trips off the alarm, the head intruder orders him killed. The three find Siegel’s assistant in a room with a number of dogs, and try to break in. Kim attacks one of the three with a tranquilizer gun, forcing the three to flee...as they leave they drop an explosive charge. With seconds till the explosion, she takes Newton, a dog, out of a cage and shields him from the explosion…

Kim is explaining the trust of Dr Siegel’s research to the Bugs team: telling them that the Doctor has perfected a complete artificial nervous system: a substitute control and guidance system for the whole body. Beckett doesn’t know where Newton fits in: Kim explains although in the early stages of human testing, they have had a perfect result from Newton…whom Beckett takes an immediate shine to. He is concerned that the dog has simply become a robot, but Kim assures him she is in no pain, and demonstrates her abilities. Beckett wonders why someone wanted Newton, when if they had not killed her creator he could have duplicated the technology…he is convinced that Newton himself is the target of the intruders attentions. There is also a way of tracking the intruders themselves: when they left the lab they were sprayed with a shower of fluorescent agent…Using a tracker, Ros and Ed find their way to an anonymous black building…but they are being watched, by Commander Wence! Arriving at their hideout, the intruders have gone, but have left a computer behind…which Ros sets to work on, quickly finding a file…while Ed discovers a bug…moments before the door explodes and they are cornered by armed guards. Beckett has been running a check on the building’s owners; as he calls Ros to tell her he’s drawn a blank, it is Wence that his only reason for watching the building is to try o catch an International Extortionist, and he knows NOTHING about Newton.

Back at Gizmos Wence demands Ros hand over the data file she’s recovered, so his people can work on it. She reluctantly agrees, and for their trouble he gives them information on the three intruders: the leader is known as Alkmaar, leader of an eco-terrorist group called the Nordic Front. His two associates are Korvig and Tangsen, and all three are responsible, amongst other things, for the destruction of an Arctic Oil Tanker….as Newton forms a part of his next plan, Beckett decides the best way to foil it is to guard the dog. At the Austin Institute Beckett surmises that Alkmaar’s interest in Newton must have something to do with her maneuverability, allowing the dog to gain access to a location that a human being couldn’t. Wence decides to take Newton away to guard her, but Kim prefers Beckett’s obvious liking for Newton, and asks if she can stay with him…Wence reluctantly agrees. Ed suggests using Wence’s preferred method off moving Newton as a decoy, while Beckett takes her on the Rapid Transport System…However Alkmaar is listening in as Beckett boards the train, and the motorbike riders are not far behind…as Beckett leaves the station the bikes come after him. Activating a tracker to inform his colleagues he’s in trouble, he manages to evade one rider and get onto the railway…fighting his way through deserted trains, he continues to evade capture by his pursuers: until a shot breaks Newton’s tether and sends her running. Wence and his men arrive seconds too late, and Newton disappears…

Back at the Austin Institute Kim gives Beckett instruction on using Newton’s control unit. Wence arrives: his conventional methods have failed to find Newton, so Beckett suggests something more unorthodox… Alkmaar is watching the Institute too…and follows Wence as he leaves. Ros uses a GPS unit on Newton’s collar to track the dog…and locates her heading towards a high source of heat. Sending Beckett and Ed after her, Ros is interrupted by the entryphone. Wence wants something: Ros doesn’t think as she opens the door that he might be being used as a hostage…or indeed that Alkmaar will use them both against Ed and Beckett. Gaining entry to the building, Beckett and Ed split up. Ed takes Newton’s remote control, whilst Beckett has an ultrasonic whistle. Ed is confident he will find the dog first…but doesn’t realise that Korvig and Tangsen are already in the building, thanks to Alkmaar’s "use" of Ros’ equipment. Hearing Ed calling the dog, the two terrorists spot Ed but can’t ge a clear shot, so they too split up. It’s not long before Beckett and his whistle find Newton: however, Ed has already been captured, and although Beckett has the dog, Korvig and Tangsen have her "remote control", and it is a simple task to bring Newton to heel. The pair escape with both dog and remote control, leaving Ed and Beckett a bomb to escape from…Ed complains that Ros is sitting safe at home after the blast, but she too has a bomb to contend with, stuck to the back of her chair. But, with Wence’s help the bomb is disabled…but only just.

Back at SSD Ros is able to decode the file that no-one at SSD could fathom: using colour recognition as a code a picture of a field of sunflowers transforms into a schematic of Secure Storage Facility 47…a top secret automated plant for the storage of Warheads. It is exactly the kind of place a dog could enter, and a human couldn’t. As Wence speaks Newton is doing just that, with a bomb in her mouth and a two-hour timer. Using the camera strapped to her Alkmaar is able to see where Newton is going and direct her with the remote unit. Alkmaar makes his demands: twenty-five million or he blows up the store, and there is less than two hours before the deadline. The team wants to know more about Facility 47: the place is filled with weaponry that shouldn’t actually exist, and Wence can’t raid the building without compromising it’s location. It is up to our trio to work on their own. It is only when they are on the road that Wence mentions that the building was never meant to have a manned staff, and is filled with lethal intruder devices… Alkmaar meanwhile is steering Newton to her destination…and is confident he will be paid in full. Entering the Facility the team discover it’s main control room and it’s not long before Newton appears on the monitors. According to Wence, there is a particularly vulnerable area where even the smallest amount of explosive would be catastrophic: Sector 6, which is packed with an alarming assortment of weaponry. Unable to block the signal to Newton from inside the building, Ros heads outside to find Alkmaar’s control centre…whilst Beckett takes on the dangerous task of heading into the building to find Newton…but the three terrorists are aware of their presence and go after them.

Beckett is inside the building, with Ed deactivating intruder defenses as he goes. Alkmaar, however, is getting impatient for his money. Ros finds a tanker with a transmitter fitted, and believes she’s discovered Alkmaar’s whereabouts. Beckett finally reaches Sector 6, and realises that there is a huge problem…there are enough warheads to decimate the whole city and probably beyond. Finding Newton is easy, but with Alkmaar still holding the remote control, the dog is moved away…Ros attacks the truck, but in turn is attacked by Tangsen, who she disables by dropping a spare tyre on him. Disconnecting the aerial, Newton immediately drops the bomb, and Alkmaar leaves the tanker to investigate. Retrieving the dog is easy, the bomb proves more problematic. Fortunately there is lifting gear present, which Ed is able to activate…and whilst Alkmaar is outside the tanker reconnecting the aerial Ros sneaks in and locks him out. The electro-magnetic grab does it’s job, but activating it plays havoc with the timer. Beckett has less than 7 minuets to escape from the Facility, and Ed can no longer help him as he is visited by Korvig. Ros suggests giving the bomb back to Newton, and she will guide the dog out using her control…as Newton leaves, Ed struggles with his terrorist, pointing his own weapon at him to kill him. Newton exits the building while Beckett is struggling his way back…a blast from Korvig’s weapon has scrambled the main computer system. Concerned that the lasers in Sector 4 may be on or off, Beckett takes a chance and jumps through successfully. Alkmaar attaches a bomb to the outside of the trailer: if he had waited he could have used Newton’s, as she approaches the tanker herself. However, the bomb on the trailer goes off first, and Alkmaar blasts the control unit. With 34 seconds to go, Newton drops the bomb and barks…under the trailer! Ros is about to be shot, but Ed and Beckett’s timely arrival saves both her and Newton, before the bomb explodes, taking the trailer with it.

Wence presents Ros with flowers for saving his life. Beckett is cooking as Wence leaves: but for four. Neither Ros or Ed can work out who the fourth guest is, until Beckett whistles. The guest of honour for the meal…Newton.