"'The year is 1987 and NASA launches the last of America's deep-space probes." "'In a freak mishap, Ranger 3 and its pilot, Captain William "Buck" Rogers, 'are blown out of their trajectory into an orbit which freezes his life-support systems 'and returns Buck Rogers to Earth 500 years later.'" "'In our last episode, Buck Rogers assumed the identity of a killer.'" "Argus." "We know Rafael Argus was about to be initiated into the Legion Of Death." "However, because he operated under a variety of names and appearances, none of the other assassins has any clear idea of what he looks like, which is fortunate for you, as you'll be impersonating him." "Oh." " Get his gun!" " Out!" "Greetings, Mr Argus." "I take it this means I passed." "Anyone who can hold his own against us deserves to be considered one of us." "I'm Kellogg." "Sherese and Quince." "And Varek." "We're being observed." "Kill her!" "Now!" "Rafael Argus." "I should have known." " Is Rafael here yet?" " Joella, it's been a while." "I know we didn't part under the best of terms, but give me a chance, will you?" "You got a deal, Rafe." "Total destruction of the Terran capital, New Chicago." "To destroy a city, you'd need an earthquake or..." "Or an antimatter explosion." "(Laughing)" "Barney?" "I met Rafael Argus two years ago on Sutter's World, and I can tell you for a fact, that ain't him." "You've got to be kidding." "Would you believe someone you met today?" "Or someone we met yesterday?" "And Joella, you should have told us he was an impostor when you could." " Leave her out of this." " Stop him!" "(Shouting)" "The lights!" "Not this time, porky." "Go." "Stop!" " Oh!" "You are something." " We're not out of the woods yet." "Let's split up." "Meet in the terminal of the space port in ten minutes." "Right." "Uh..." "We're just beyond the stargate, Doctor." " 'I'm bringing Markos back with me.'" " Good." "And Buck's all right?" " Buck isn't with me." " What?" "What happened?" "We were to meet at 1500 hours." "I waited as long as I dared." " He's still on Aldebaran?" " I didn't want to leave him there." "No, no, of course not." "I'll explain everything back on Earth." "Deering out." "Now, whoever you are, whom do you work for?" "The Stellar Authorities?" " What's in that thing?" " A chemical, that's all." "It will act upon the thalmic regions of your brain." "But don't worry." "While it will cause a great deal of pain, it won't do any physical damage." "All right, all right." "I'll tell you." "I like my thalmic regions just the way they are, thank you." "Who are you and what did you do with Argus?" "Wist." "Aron Wist." "Aron Wist." "You've heard of him?" "Just stories." "An assassin, out of Alpha Centauri." "Strictly local." "Small-time." "Not so small-time I didn't have all of you fooled." "Mmm." "The question is why?" "I heard you four were getting together." "I thought Argus might be in on something big." "I wanted a cut." "I didn't think I'd end up avenging one of your dead buddies for free." "And Argus?" "He didn't object to you impersonating him?" "Argus was in no condition to object to anything." "Are you trying to tell us you killed Rafael Argus?" "I never said that." "You never heard me say that." "I say we kill him now and get it over with." "Perhaps we should attempt to validate Mr Wist's story." "Varek, bring my transmitter case here." "Quickly." "And how do we validate his story?" "I have this friend who happens to be a cataloguer at the Earth Defense Directorate." "Not only is he keeping Elias Huer busy with pyrotechnical reminders that we do mean to avenge Deneva's death, but he also has access to the Directorate's data banks." "With any luck, we should have positive identification within 30 minutes." "So, Mr Wist, if that is your name, you have nothing to worry about." "If not..." "I think you're lying, Mr Markos." "Take him to the lab." "Have Dr Nolan prepare the mind probes." "Hooking me up to one of your machines isn't going to do you any good." "Shortly, you and the rest of this city are gonna be blown to bits." "In case it hasn't dawned on you, if and when this city is destroyed, you'll be destroyed as well." "I pray he is lying." "Unless we find out exactly how they plan to destroy New Chicago, the best we can do is step up general security." "Still no word from Buck?" "No, none." "Since we lack concrete data, Doctor Huer," "I suggest we analyse all known factors and attempt to develop a theory concerning the assassins' plan." "Twiki, please place me on the desk so that Dr Huer and I can talk." " Bidibidibidi." " Here, let me help you, Twiki." "He's not used to subspace communication." "Maybe he's using the wrong channel." "We've kept all channels open ever since you returned, Colonel." "And we've heard nothing." "He's probably dead." "He's Aron Wist, all right." "I say we kill him anyhow." "Stand by, Mr Hartsteen." "Let's consider his story." "He's here, impersonating Rafael Argus." "Argus is nowhere to be found." "Circumstantial evidence does indicate that he indeed has killed Argus." "And anyone capable of eliminating the legendary Rafael Argus is a formidable ally." "He's an arrogant fool, Kellogg." "Sherese, if arrogance were a capital crime, we'd all be dead long ago." "I say he goes with us." " In my ship." " He goes in mine." "Wait a minute." "Don't I have anything to say about this?" "He goes with Quince." "Mr Hartsteen, thank you for the vid copy." "I have one more request." "'We are about to leave for Earth, 'but before we do, I wanna be absolutely certain 'that Huer suspects nothing.'" "That could be very dangerous." "That's what you are paid for, Hartsteen." "You will get back to me within 20 minutes." "Kellogg out." "You three head for the space port." "Our transportation should be ready momentarily." "And I suggest that if Mr Wist gives us any trouble at all, we eliminate him." " Agreed?" " Most definitely." "Doctor Huer, have you heard from Buck?" "Well, not exactly." "Doctor Theopolis was just informed that information on Aron Wist has been extracted from the central data bank." "Aron Wist?" "I don't understand." "Wist is a nonexistent criminal, invented by the Defense Directorate." "Buck was instructed to use Aron Wist as a secondary cover in the event his primary cover failed." "So the fact that someone was tapping that information means someone's verifying Buck's story." "And that Buck is still alive." " Doctor, request to return to Aldebaran." " Denied." " But, Doctor..." " No." "He must get out of this himself." "You could place him in more jeopardy." "I understand." "Wist is actually an agent." "Are you certain?" "'Positive." "His real name is Buck Rogers.'" "(sighs)" "And Huer, he still has no idea exactly how I plan to destroy New Chicago?" "'No, he doesn't." "Whatever you intend to do, 'it sounds safe for you to go ahead.'" "And if that's the case, I'll be signing off now." "Got a shuttle to catch to New Phoenix." "You've established the credit account there, as we discussed?" "'Yes, yes, of course." "You've earned your money." "Kellogg out.'" "Played for a fool." "Twice... in one day." "(Growls) I'll have Quince tear him to pieces." "'Flight 723 to Alter 5, 'now boarding at gate 20.'" "Wait a minute, you little worm." "Greetings, my dear." "Salutations." "We meet again." "You turned us in for the money." "I needed such heavy bribes for customs." " I was bled dry." " Aw!" "Moreover, I discovered that the credits with which my friend Kellogg paid me off were, shall we call, tainted." "Luckily, I was able to pass them off on a less-discerning fellow for a well-equipped starfighter, which is being readied for flight in hangar bay number nine." "You little creep." "There is a great, wide, potentially lucrative universe waiting out there for an enterprising fellow such as myself." "And a universe, I might add, which could prove equally lucrative to an enterprising young woman." "Ever thought of leaving this primitive mud bowl and entering civilisation?" " Argh!" " That's it." "Don't make a snap decision." "Take some time." "Think about it." "I can wait." "'Arriving passenger Dr Adam Strange from Alpha Centauri, 'please report to the reservations desk.'" "There they are." "Come on, Varek, let's say goodbye to Buck Rogers, shall we?" "We'll get the ID plates and wait for Kellogg at the ships." "Any idea what he wants us to do first?" "What we're gonna do first is get rid of you." "Kellogg, we've been through this before." "He's an agent for the Earth Defense Directorate." "I do the honours." "Put it away, my dear." "You may have what's left." "Aaargh!" "After 'em!" "Varek, go in there and dispose of him." "He'll think that was you." "Why did you do that?" "This is why." "This is who I am." "You can't imagine life on my planet." "The children are afraid to look at their own reflections." "Children with the touch of death." "Children like myself." "Kellogg is condemning your people to the same fate as mine." "There's no hope for my world but there is for Earth." "Stop them." " That's something you can do, isn't it?" " No." "I have never belonged anywhere, except with Kellogg." "That's all I know." "That's all I can do." "That's why I'm freeing you." "You stop them." "Please." "It's done." "That's fine." "Well, our ships must be ready." "Let's retrieve Mr Quince and be on our way to New Chicago." " Er... hello, Dr Huer." " Hello, Hartsteen." "You're making a rather short day of it, aren't you?" "I don't feel very well." "I was on my way to the clinic." "Oh, I see." "If Dr Theopolis hadn't been on to your extracurricular activities, we might not know it was you who tapped the data bank for information on Aron Wist." "What does Kellogg have in mind for New Chicago?" "I don't know." " Bidibidibidibidi." " Take him to detention." "But I do know they're wise to the agent you sent to Aldebaran." "Buck Rogers is a dead man, Huer, like all the rest of you." "A dead man." "Bidibidibidibidi." "Hard buns, Hartsteen." "All subspace calls require two forms of identification, regardless of what party is billed, especially on this planet." "I have got to make that transmission." "There are thousands in danger." "So go to the police if it's that important." "But the authorities here are as bad as the criminals." "Maybe so, but they do know what to do with loiterers." "If you get my drift, sir." "Yeah, I get your drift." " I'll give you a call when hell freezes over." " Buck!" " Oh, Buck!" " Joelle!" "I've been looking all over for you." "I figured, after what I did to Quince, I'd better lay low." "Thanks for what you did." "You could have been killed." "For the third time today, incidentally." "Ever since I met you, I've been making some very powerful people angry at me." "You know something?" "I haven't had this much fun in months." " You're out of your mind, you know that?" " No more than you." "'Flight 723...'" " Thanks." " For almost getting you killed?" "For letting me help you and for not casting me aside after you'd done with me." "Come on." "I've gotta find a ship and get to Earth as quickly as possible." "Look, the place we're going could be very dangerous." " So if you want me to drop you off..." " Uh-huh." "We've come this far together, we'll go all the way." "OK." "In fact, I think I know where we can find a ship." "Terrific." "Let's go." "(Sherese) Just how do we break into this generating plant?" "By using our combined abilities - under my direction, of course." "None of us could accomplish this task alone." " Really?" " Quince..." "Formidable as your telekinesis can be, you can only concentrate on one thing at a time." "Inside the plant, there will be upwards from 20 barriers." "With my logistical skills, I can analyse security systems in minutes." "You and Varek, with your abilities, can easily circumvent those security devices between you." " And me?" " You, Sherese, will help us with the final key to our task," " Mr Richard Selvan." " Who?" "We do need an Energy Directorate employee to help us gain initial entry to the plant." "Mr Selvan is a respected employee, an engineer and a family man." "Why will he cooperate?" "Show me one family man who can afford to be a hero." "Take a look, my friends." "A long, good look." "Tomorrow, the picture will be different." "'Flight 262...'" "You like?" "She's nice." "I hate to steal some poor schlep's starfighter, though." "I wouldn't worry about that." "Wait till you meet the owner." "As a matter of fact, there he is now." "Thank you." "'Flight 666 to Barba's Planet 'will be leaving from gate six in 30 minutes.'" "Hello, Barney." "Well, my friends." "I am happy to see that you have managed to escape the tendrils of disaster." "No thanks to you." "You were more than happy to sell me out for a few thousand credits." "Oh, my friend, I feel insulted." "Do you think that I would sell you out for a few thousand credits?" "Few hundred thousand." "I see, and with that money, you bought a very nice starfighter." "It's beautiful, isn't it?" "A real beauty." "A steal, if you'll pardon the expression." "She is." "I'm looking forward to flying her." "Actually, it's cosmetic." "The engines are in terrible shape, terrible disrepair." "My friend, you are joking." "You won't let a lapse of judgment on my part affect your sensibilities." "Give me your ID plate, Barney." "Just who are you, anyway?" "Who do you work for?" "If I don't get to Earth, a sizeable chunk of a planet I'm very fond of will be destroyed." "Who cares?" "You could buy a new planet." "My friend, I'm talking heavy credits, here." "Give me your ID plate, Barney." "(Groans)" "There's a law against this, you know." "How do you propose I get off this celestial mudball?" "A word of advice, Barney." "Learn to like mud." "Wait." "Come on." "Hit it back." "Enough, Matt, enough." "I'm tired." "Go and play with your sister Katrina and let me rest." "That's a fine, healthy looking boy you have there." "His name is Mateo, isn't it?" "He was named after your wife's father." "Your wife being Therese, of course." "And the little girl playing next to our friends there, that must be Katrina." "What is this?" "Who are you?" "You have something we want." "But I have no money." "I'm not rich." "I'm just an engineer." "It's not money we want, Mr Selvan." "You have access to the contraterrene generating plant." "We want in to that plant." "It's just that simple." "You're smugglers." "That's it." "You're trying to steal some sort of hardware." " Something like that." " But that place is a fortress." "I'll never get you past the security devices." "Don't flatter yourself, Mr Selvan." "We don't expect you to." "You're a key, nothing more." "Just get us inside and we'll do the rest." "No." "I won't do it." "It would mean my job." "I won't do it!" "That's very noble, Mr Selvan." "Your job." "Hmm." "Are you as brave when it comes to the lives of your family?" "Mister, why are you wearing that mask?" "It's sort of a game." "Do you like magic?" "Give me your hand." "Take these pebbles and drop them into my hand." "Take them back and do it again." "Oh!" "Do it again!" "Do it again!" "OK." "I'll get you in, but just don't harm my family." "Don't harm my family." "Don't worry, Mr Selvan, you do your job and they'll be fine." "Sure." "We may be smugglers but we do know the value of a contract." "'You can't imagine life on my planet." "'Children are afraid to look at their own reflections." "'Children with the touch of death, children like myself.'" "Buck, you OK?" "Boy, do I hate to go through those things." "Earth Directorate, this is Buck Rogers." "Do you read?" "Yes." "Buck." "Where are you?" "40 minutes from Earth." "The assassins are on their way there now." "Kellogg plans to sabotage the reactor outside New Chicago." "That's impossible." "The security at that reactor is impregnable." "Doc, do you think anything is impregnable to these people?" "You're right." "Of course." "Very well." "I'll lead a ground squad to the reactor myself." "Colonel Deering will meet you on the flight deck." "Huer out." "You're taking me to a city that may be wiped off the map at any minute?" " I told you it might be dangerous." " You've a gift for understatement." "Why do all the good-looking ones have to be crazy?" "The plant is only a few kilometres away." "We'll land behind the rock formations at its northern perimeter." "Won't be long now." "(Kellogg) Clever, very clever." "Even the identifying sensors are hidden, but you know where they are, do you not?" "(Quince) Send Varek in ahead and let him open the doors from the inside." "No, Quince, the portal can only be opened from the outside." "Not without the correct identity code." "Mr Selvan here is our only key." "This is insane." "There are literally dozens of security baffles inside this plant." "Besides, you'll never make it beyond the maintenance androids." "After we enter, the sensors will pick up five heartbeats, not just one." "An alarm will go off, so be prepared." "If you will, Mr Selvan." " (Alarm sounding) - 'Halt." "There is no trespassing.'" "'You are in violation of statute zero, six, zero, five.'" "Androids, as you can see." "Shall we continue?" " Buck!" " Wilma!" "You're all right!" "Oh!" "Yeah." "I was caught between a rock and a hard place, but I'm OK." "I don't understand you but it feels good not understanding you again." " Joella, Wilma, Wilma, Joella." " Hi." " How are we doing?" " Dr Huer's on his way with the ground forces and three starfighters are ready." "Terrific." "Joella, I'll leave you in two of the most capable hands in New Chicago." " Theo, Twiki, this is Joella." " Bidibidi." "You'll see to sights you never dreamed existed." " Bidibidibidi." " I thought you'd feel that way." " Let's go." " Bidi bidi!" " What a fox." " (Theopolis) Now wait a minute, Twiki." " I have a great deal to do in my office." " I'll drop you off." "That is a neutronium vault door." "You will never be able to make it past it." "(Pulsing)" "One more step and we activate the defence laser." "The sensor web picks up any changes in air density." "The sensor switch is on that far wall." "Varek will turn it off." "Don't you hear me?" "Put that grotesque body of yours to some use and turn it off." "(Beeping)" "(Beeping stops)" " It's done." " We're not handing out medals, Varek." "If I'm not mistaken, this should be the final obstacle." "Was that correct, Mr Selvan?" " I wouldn't know." " Of course you would." "One button gives us direct access to the main control room." "The other, should we press it, releases a potent nerve gas that will paralyse all of us instantly." "Yes?" "So, you see, Mr Selvan, it's up to you." "Choose the wrong button and I'm afraid our associate in New Chicago will have to eliminate your family." "Despite his growing fondness for your lovely wife." "The top one." "(Whispers) The top one." "Well?" "He's lying." "Thank you, Mr Selvan." "You did exactly as I expected." "Took a chance that we couldn't notify our associate before the nerve gas took effect." "For whatever it's worth, you would have been right." "The Energy Directorate has been receiving automated distress signals from the contraterrene plant for 20 minutes." "How far are Dr Huer and his people from the plant?" "He should close in in 10 minutes." " Have the people at the plant been alerted?" " There aren't any, only a few maintenance androids that also double as guards." "The plant's controlled by technicians at the Energy Directorate." " Almost everything else is..." " Computerised." "And this must be the vacuum chamber." "Correct." "The antimatter is held in an electromagnetic bottle, which is invisible to us." "What are you doing?" "If you keep that up, the magnetic bottles containing the antimatter will erode." "I know exactly what I'm doing." "I've researched contraterrene reactors." "It has always been a pet conceptual project of mine." "But if the bottles erode, the antimatter will leak into the atmosphere and everything within 200 square kilometres will be destroyed." "Mr Selvan, I'm afraid we misled you about our motivation." "You can hardly blame us, Mr Selvan." "If you knew we were wiping out the city where your family lives, you wouldn't have cooperated." "You murdering liars!" "(Pulsing)" "No one ever strikes me." "Nobody." "You do know you have to die?" "Kill him, Varek." "You heard me." "Dispose of him." "Now." "No." "No?" "You dare say "no" to me?" "I will not kill him." "I will not allow you to destroy this city." "You won't allow us!" "What was that?" "Something I thought I'd never have to use." "Now, if you would be so kind as to use that on this." "(PA) 'Alert." "Alert." " 'This is a code five emergency.'" " That's it." "The chain reaction begins in five minutes." "So, until we meet again on Sutter's World, 36 hours from now, to claim credit for this, to the Legion of Death." "(PA) 'Terminal reaction will occur in five minutes.'" "'All maintenance androids report to vacuum chamber immediately.'" "'Erosion has begun in the antimatter containment vessels.'" "Alert." "(Huer) They destroyed the guard androids." " 'This is Huer." "I've just arrived at the plant.' - (Wilma) 'We're 30 seconds away.'" "Unfortunately, the assassins have already got here." " Maybe they're still inside." " Not any more." "Dr Huer, the assassins are trying to escape." "'We're going after them." "Deering out.'" "Come with me." "'Three minutes, 30 seconds...'" "How bad is the damage?" "Magnetic bottles eroding." "Got to get them back to full strength before a chain reaction." " Good Lord." " No, he tried to stop them." "Good Lord, they've destroyed the controls." "The only way I can repair the damage is to go inside the vacuum chamber." " 'Three minutes to terminal reaction.'" " You can't be serious?" "There's stray atoms of antimatter in there." "One step inside and you could be annihilated." "Sir, we have no other choice." "What about the maintenance androids?" "Kellogg destroyed them." "Someone has to go in there." "I'll go." "I don't want to mislead you." "I know what you can do but even you may not be able to survive." " Just tell me what to do." " 'Two minutes, 30 seconds 'to terminal reaction." "What's shakin', porky?" "You." "You still alive?" "I sure am." "(Equipment humming)" "'One minute, 45 seconds to terminal reaction.'" "'One minute, 30 seconds to terminal reaction.'" "(Pulsing)" "Oops." " Buck, what's wrong?" " Quince has frozen my controls." "Help me, Wilma." "Distract him." "Break his concentration." "(Pulsing)" " Wilma, are you all right?" " Fine, thanks, Buck." "Thank you." "Dynamite, Lieutenant Murphy." "Lieutenant, tow what's left of our friends back to Earth." " Buck, let's head down to the plant." " I'm with you." "'60 seconds to terminal reaction.'" " I feel so helpless." " He'll do fine if he just remembers the correct sequence." "'45 seconds to terminal reaction.'" "Dr Huer, what's happening?" "That man is trying to repair the damage the assassins did." "'30 seconds to terminal reaction.'" "Varek." "He's restoring the magnetic bottles they almost destroyed." "He's taking an awfully big chance, though." "'15, '14,13," "'12,11, '10," "'Nine, eight, 'seven, six, 'five, four, 'three...'" "(Humming tone drops)" " 'Erosion terminated.' - (Huer) He's done it." "'Code five emergency is no longer in effect.'" "The bottles are back to full strength." "Varek, you did it." " What's happened to him?" " Some antimatter must have escaped." "He was annihilated instantly." "I wonder if he even knew he saved us." "Varek, we thought you'd been killed." "When the first atom of antimatter struck me," "I dropped down through the floor." "As you can see, I'm not entirely undamaged." "Let's get you to the Directorate clinic." "Varek, you OK?" " Yes, I'm fine." " No, you're not." "Let us help you." "Thank you." "Thank you." "Buck, what was it you said this liquid is again?" "Wine." "Burgundy, to be exact." "I filched some fruit that looked like grapes from the hydroponics lab, squeezed them into juice, had Theo hit it with a little delta radiation to speed up fermentation and... well, here we go." "That's not bad." "So, Theo, any luck tracing down Sherese?" "None, I'm afraid, Buck." "She's probably halfway to Arcturus by now." "What will Varek do now, without Kellogg?" "He's asked me to take him back to his own planet, or what's left of it." "I can understand that." "It's the only home he's known." " You'll take him back?" " It's the least I can do for a fellow survivor." "(Beeping)" "Oh, Joella, Twiki." "Come on in." " What do you think of him?" " He is everything you said he'd be." " Bidi bi." "Bidibidi." " (Laughing)" "What's so funny?" " He is." "Didn't you hear?" " Bidibidibidi." " (Twiki Laughing)" " Tinky-Winky, really now!"