BotP Close-up 083

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Bobkat
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BotP Close-up 083

Post: # 661Post Bobkat »

This week's ep has a rarity in it - or actually a rare omission. There is no Phoenix in this ep! The team isn't blasting off into outer space, they're on a Mission to Inner Space!

The snarky level is high, to the point of being rude. I don't blame them, they're dealing with an odd duck of the top geologist on Earth, Dr. Carig. Carig isn't impressed with the team, essentially dismissing Princess and Keyop's skills. Carig is also accompanied by Cindy, his pet monkey. This ep stuck with for years as I remember the confrontation between Carig and three members of G-Force (Jason, Princess and Tiny). Mark returns just in time to save his teammates.

The Other Jason does such a better job than I do. :) His write-up is here: https://www.battleoftheplanets.info/ep83.html

Enjoy the Mission to Inner Space! :)

E83: Mission to Inner Space

Act One

7-Zark-7 keeps constant watch on the galaxy from far beneath the depths of the ocean at Center Neptune. He must remain ever vigilant for space pirates and alien invaders from other galaxies. Zark is on his ten second oil break talking about the "grueling" work being 24 hours a day with no sleep. He says he doesn't waste his break time but rather reads books concerning astronomy, space travel, intergalactic communications, computer systems and much more – it's "endless." Zark is programmed to read a whole book at a glance and wishes humans would write them faster so he would have more to read. When he completes the latest book on his list, Susan calls causing Zark's antennae to flutter and stand on end!

Zark tells her he just read a book titled "The Perfect Robot" and it made him think of her. Susan says that makes her blush with Zark wishing he could but he's not programmed for it. Susan tells him he could be and as Zark begins a whole list of things he could be programmed for, Susan abruptly interrupts. She informs Zark of a report from the Space Patrol: a warning of a spacecraft from another galaxy. Zark tells her to put it on his monitor and he watches it head straight for Earth, specifically Nuclear Complex Nine in a desert.

The Complex houses Earth's "most productive" plutonium plant and is 200 miles from the nearest city, which Zark sometimes worries is still too close. At the complex, three ships combine into a larger ship shaped like a beetle in the middle of the night. It drills into the ground near the complex. Meanwhile, the Federation drills around the clock near the complex under controlled conditions and constant electronic monitoring. The complex is not just a nuclear facility, it's also a self-contained factory to turn the plutonium into nuclear devices for civilian and military purposes. The beetle intercepts this drill and destroys it causing all sorts of destruction. However, the drill tip breaks off and falls further into the Earth. The drilling tower on the surface collapses from the attack and the beetle takes off.

After the miners are safely evacuated, Zark contacts Chief Anderson about the attack. If Spectra is behind it, G-Force needs to be brought in. The chief studies some information sent to him and he knows they don't have much time – 12 hours, to be exact. He walks into a room where the team awaits, already in their G-Force uniforms. He's glad to see them all with Mark cracking, "This is where the fun is." Princess adds, "Why haven't I noticed?" Chief Anderson mostly ignores the remarks and explains Spectra blew up Nuclear Complex 9 but fortunately there were no causalities. Keyop jumps up, "Let's fight!" but Chief Anderson tells him to "just listen." The chief goes on to say the attack was specifically set up to send an explosive, for commercial use, into the shaft.

Chief Anderson shows the team a cross-section of Earth. The part they're interested in is the "Magma Strata" – a molten layer surrounding the core. The main mining shaft is still intact despite the multiple explosions. The explosive is slipping through the ground layers in the shaft. Should it hit the molten layer, the result would be disastrous. It would set off a magnitude nine earthquake! Chief Anderson understands the team's specialty is outer space and has called in an expert, their top geologist who will be in charge of the mission.

A man, Dr. Carig, walks in with a monkey on his shoulder. He glares at the team making disparaging comments about Princess and Keyop. While Chief Anderson acknowledges Princess is "a woman," Dr. Carig interrupts before the chief can explain Keyop's presence. Dr. Carig then goes on to insult all five saying he'll take Chief Anderson's word on their courage and competence. "But in my judgment, you don't invade an hostile environment with this kind of personnel." Mark shoots back, "Maybe he'd rather go without us." Dr. Carig agrees to use G-Force, saying "some will do" and the others he'll "make do." Keyop questions the use of the monkey with Dr. Carig rudely responding that 'Cindy' is a trained chimpanzee and will probably be the most valuable member of the team! Dr. Carig adds another insult, "Maybe she can't speak, but neither can you." Mark tells Keyop they understand him just fine. Chief Anderson tries to smooth ruffled feathers by calling Dr. Carig "eccentric" but he knows the geologist will get the job done. The chief reminds the team, that's the bottom line. They salute and chant, "G-Force!" before departing on their mission.

The team sets off with Keyop leading in his Star Buggy and everyone else with Dr. Carig in a specialized vehicle with Tiny piloting in a bubble above the main compartment. Dr. Carig continues to insult Keyop, telling him that he's their guide dog to the bottom and wonders aloud if the "little boy" can handle it. Keyop spits back, calling Dr. Carig "Big Tarzan." Keyop tells Dr. Carig to take "his ape" and "climb a tree!" Princess admonishes Keyop, "Just because he's rude, you needn't be. Watch your language, Keyop." Mark says Keyop doesn't have much language to watch. Jason backs Keyop, "Carig's a kook!" Mark quiets him and while Dr. Carig is proving to be a challenge, Mark knows they've been through worse and survived.

Chief Anderson has moved his headquarters to the city of Excelsior, population five million. This is city is most under threat should the explosive tip make it to the strata. The chief's group gets a reading on the tip as it keeps moving but the team is right behind in a "straight descent." Dr. Carig tells Mark they should be coming up on an "anteroom" where they will turn and can start drilling. Keyop remarks, "Anteroom? Uncle room!" He turns the Star Buggy and begins drilling with the larger craft behind him.

Jason notices the temperature of the drill getting into a red zone and he doesn't like it. Princess suggests telling Keyop to slow down but when Mark floats the idea to Dr. Carig, he is insistent that "the speed is correct." Dr. Carig adds if they slow down, they risk a collapse behind them. Dr. Carig emphasizes his directive, "That's an order!" Mark retorts in a snarky manner, "Yes, Boss." Keyop keeps going until breaking through into a large cavern.

Keyop says, "That's a cave!" Mark adds, "So that's Inner Space." Princess notes, "It's wilder than Outer!" The beauty of the cave makes the team pause as the rocks sparkle. Dr. Carig says it's his favorite places on Earth "away from greed and violence." Keyop decides to take a look around in time for the Beetle mech to break into the party!

Keyop scrambles back into the Star Buggy as Princess screams as the Beetle approaches them. Tiny shouts it's a Beetle. Mark says it looks like something from Spectra but Jason asks, "Does it live here or is it just visiting?" The Beetle shoots lasers from its antennae as Keyop and Tiny have to both make evasive moves with the vehicles. Mark orders it but he doesn't have to – Tiny is on it right away. Keyop has another idea for the "dumb bug" as he slices large stalactites to trap the Beetle and escape. The Beetle wriggles in an attempt to get out of the trap.

The others retreat while Mark tells Keyop, "Stop taking bows, it's not over!" The Beetle continues to wiggle, eventually freeing the head and it goes after the Star Buggy. Keyop is able to make a hasty retreat with the mech commander frustrated that G-Force got away. Zoltar appears on a monochrome monitor telling the commander he was over confident. Zoltar spells it out: free the Beetle and employ some strategy rather than just showing up. The commander makes it happen as the Beetle breaks out of its jail.

Act Two

Zark paces with worry while G-Force sits so close to hot magma. He flies to his monitor after saying the explosive will reach the strata in less than an hour. Zark says the "sight-seeing tour" has put the team behind schedule then cleans his monitor. He laments the monitors are set to look deep into Outer Space, not Inner. He says it's dark and keeps worrying because he has no contact with the team. He tries again with no response.

In the caverns, Keyop leads on again with Tiny following. As they travel, Dr. Carig has the other three gather around to brief them about the next part of the mission. They're approaching an intersection of the shaft where the explosive is. They will be just above the magma strata where they will begin to see spirals of flame. He tells them they will have to endure that in order to complete the intercept of the explosive. Tiny eavesdrops as he drives and knows they can endure the flames, but wonders if they can endure Dr. Carig!

The team continues on even as the temperature increases due to their proximity to the magma strata. Keyop has to veer away from some eruptions and Tiny has to do the same thing. Dr. Carig tells him to slow down and see if he can "steer around them." After Dr. Carig compliments Tiny's driving, Princess notices Keyop is in trouble. The Beetle breaks through right in front of him!

Keyop yells, "No brakes!" while evading the Beetle. It shoots lasers from its antennae causing more ruptures in some cooling rock. Lava fountains sprout up trapping Keyop and Mark decides to give Keyop a hand. Dr. Carig won't stand in the commander's way. Mark says he doesn't make a good "sitting duck" and takes off from the vehicle. He lands on a point and has Keyop pick him up in his "Bubble." The pair engage the Beetle as the other vehicle takes off. Jason and Princess want to turn around and help – Jason doesn't want to ask permission but Dr. Carig overrides them both. He tells them they have a job to do.

Keyop is able to get the Beetle to go after him but it misses, lodging its pinschers into the rock. The Beetle is stopped as Mark and Keyop leave. Princess watches the radar screen noting they're closing in on the explosive. The drill bit explosive continues to slide while Mark and Keyop circle back. Mark lodges his boomerang rigged with its own explosives into the Beetle. Meanwhile, Tiny has found "half a cliff" in their way and lands. Dr. Carig goes on about the igneous rock being the product of cooled magma while the four look at what they're up against.

Dr. Carig finds it as a easy fix – someone climb the rock, put a charge in and split it down the middle. Tiny wonders who'll climb it and Princess says Cindy could do it. Jason adds, "With a rope." Princess asks to use Cindy but Dr. Carig is adamantly against it. Princess explains all she has to do it take a rope up and secure it so one of them can climb up and set the charge. Dr. Carig becomes hostile, "No one touches this animal, except me." Jason is beyond impatient saying the mission will fail if they can't use Cindy. Dr. Carig says the mission can fail! Princess is done, using her yo-yo to retrieve Cindy from Dr. Carig. Princess calls him "stubborn." Jason catches her before Dr. Carig pulls a gun. Jason adds, "And mean."

Zoltar tries to contact Dr. Carig and wonders why he's not moving. The G-Forcers are shocked! Dr. Carig is working for Spectra! Dr. Carig goes off on the team explaining that Spectra understands him and his love of animals – not them, they're completely insensitive. He goes on to say Cindy just recovered from an operation. Princess is crestfallen when she realizes their mistake. Jason formally apologizes as well, putting Cindy down on the ground. Dr. Carig demands their weapons and tells Cindy to bring "the toys" to him, which she does. Dr. Carig continues to train his gun on the team explaining again why he wouldn't allow Cindy to do anything "strenuous" and is about to make his escape. He believes how we treat our animals is a direct reflection of ourselves. However, Mark calls him "traitor" and jumps Dr. Carig, knocking him to the ground. Cindy scrambles a short distance away as the weapons scatter. Mark wonders how much Spectra paid him to defect, but it really doesn't matter, "he'll never collect."

In Excelsior, Chief Anderson asks for a reading on G-Force but the operator is stumped – there's no movement from them. Chief Anderson is concerned and says they need to get moving, they only have five more minutes! Meantime, the team moves to the surface to intercept the explosive. Keyop tries to hold it with his Bubble but to no avail. The bit continues to slide, straight to Tiny! Tiny falls to the next level with barely any room left. Mark says they have to hold it somehow. Keyop moves his bubble to the bottom of the other craft to give an extra boost. Jason tells Tiny to shoot a cable to anchor the ship on his side and Jason does the same from the opposite side. "We can make a winch out of it."

As the team struggles to hold their position, an earthquake hits Excelsior. Zoltar watches and waits, quickly disappointing by the lack of shaking. He contacts the mech commander who answers that he tried to use cunning but it's useless now that Dr. Carig has been exposed. Zoltar says he can't help them now. Zoltar orders the commander to destroy the two "lightweight aircraft" holding up the explosive. The commander says, "Easy for you to say." He then orders his crew to abandon the ship! Meantime, Mark's boomerang keeps riding along.

G-Force has their hands full trying to keep the explosive out of the magma. Dr. Carig sends Cindy up to the reactor and the exposed wires. He tells her to tug the third one to break the connection. While Cindy works, Princess is glad Dr. Carig decided to rejoin the team. At the same time, Jason and Tiny are breaking themselves to keep the anchors in place. Jason thinks they just have to stay above the flames and Tiny says, "Send me to Outer Space anytime." Keyop adds, "Like right now." The vehicles continue to slip while Chief Anderson nearly loses it on the surface. Cindy keeps trying to tug on the wire and the Beetle still crawls through the caves.

The boomerang finally blows up. Debris goes everywhere including a boulder under the Bubble stopping the freefall, but the sudden halt, causes the drill bit to push its way into the larger vehicle and pins Dr. Carig into the floor. Mark calls it "a bad scene." Cindy crawls down with the wire in her mouth and she immediately goes to Dr. Carig who tells her it will be all right. The team stands helplessly by as Zoltar breaks out a clock (showing 5:25), frustrated at the failure of his latest plan. Zoltar considers himself an "oasis" from stupidity – he's surrounded by it.

In Excelsior, Chief Anderson pulls back the curtains to enjoy the view – a city still intact. He watches the sun set, feeling he would never see it again. At the site, the team stands by watching a rig pull up the drill bit with the explosive. Keyop hangs on to Cindy calling her a "nice monkey." Princess corrects him, "Chimp." Keyop answers back, "Champ." Mark looks on in silence as the explosive is brought to the surface.

Zark says with the explosive successfully brought to the surface, G-Force has proven themselves to be "Inners" as well as "Outers." He adds that Dr. Carig is recovering in the hospital and will soon be back to work on the Federation's side. In the meantime, G-Force will take good care of Cindy, "his heroic pet," which makes 1-Rover-1 cover his face with his paws. Zark tells him he doesn't have to worry, if something should happen to Zark, he'll be repaired on the spot. Rover snuggles up to his master.

This plot summary Copyright Bobbi Baker ©2021. No reproduction of any kind without permission.
Cure DragonEagle 255
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Joined: Mon Dec 28, 2020 1:43 pm

Re: BotP Close-up 083

Post: # 662Post Cure DragonEagle 255 »

TWO MORE EPISODES TO GO! Way to go BOBKAT!
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