Moonbase Alpha Status Report: 1095 after leaving Earth's
Orbit
Moonbase Alpha's sensors and scanners are reacting wildly
and erratically, projecting a weird turbulence of high intensity which is causing headaches and fainting among the crew.
It is as though a strange presence is among them, taking control.
Suddenly a being appears on the Command Centre screen
apparently floating in space, and when questioned, he claims to be their creator. The man materialises in Command Centre
and tells the Alphans that he is Magus, their Creator. John Koenig is sceptical about the strangers intentions,
and when the Commanders flippant remarks annoy Magus, he demonstrates his power by destroying an Eagle.
Magus tells the Alphan's that he is going to help them by
giving them a second chance. He is going to return them to a New Earth, an Eden where they can begin again. He
shows them pictures of the New Earth, which is a quarter of the size of old Earth, and its air, water and vegetable life are
identical.
Magus suggests they send a team down to the planet to investigate
its possibilities, and when his choices are rejected by Koenig, Magus tells him that it is that team or none at all.
Koenig reluctantly accepts and insists that they use an Eagle to get to the planet rather than Magus transport them there
himself. However, Magus transports the Eagle to the planet anyway. When John attempts to contact Alpha he is unable
to.
Once the Alphan's inspect the planet, their readings suggest that the planet is compatible but John
tells Magus that he would like to bring a team down to make a feasabilty study before they finally settle the planet. Magus informs
the Alphan's that no one else will be coming down to the planet, they are to be his new Adams and his new Eve's.
Magus tells the landing party that he has monitored them for a long time, and he has worked out the
pair bonding. He has decided that Helena should be Tony's mate, and Maya's should be Commander Koenig's mate.
The Alphan's are appalled by this suggestion, and tell Magus that his pairing will not work because they are not in love with
the partner he has chosen.
As the sun begins to set, Magus leaves them, warning them that they are not to leave the glade. The
Alphan's head for the Eagle but as they appraoch it, it vanishes. Maya is fascinated and tells the others that Magus
is using atomic dispersal. Tony questions whether Magus could really be who he says he is.
Meanwhile, back on Moonbase Alpha, Alan Carter makes the decision to take an Eagle to the planet to try
to find the missing party. However, Alan is unable to achieve lift off.
Tony and Maya are about to share some food but as Tony hands a cup to Maya they are hit by an
electric shock between them. The same thing happens when John and Helena touch. Magus has set up positive-negative magnetic
field cocoons, ensuring that each Alphan is only able to touch the partner chosen by Magus.
The moon rises in the sky and the four Aphan's are seduced by the moon's power and music emanating
from the glade. John and Maya wander off to collect firewood, and are drawn to each other, whilst back at the camp,
Tony and Helena sit together by the fire and share a kiss.
Suddenly, they are disturbed by the sounds of shouting and as the Alphan's investigate they find a
humanoid creature and an ape-like creature fighting. John Koenig stuns the ape-like creature, whilst the humanoid
creature runs towards a cave. A second ape-like creature holds Helena hostage, and Maya transforms into an alien
creature to rescue her.
As the Alphan's head into the caves to follow the humanoid creature, Magus's angry voice rings out
a warning to them not to go outside the boundaries he gave them.
The following morning Magus appears to the Alphan's and explains that he
forbade them to leave the glade because he knew the dangers that lay outside. Magus says he has given them a home, what more
could they want. John tells him free will, the right to walk out of the glade. Magus says it is the right to try,
at which John walks purposefully towards the edge of the glade. He is thrown skyward by a force field erected by
Magus.
Unseen by Magus, Maya scans him, and reports to the others that Magus has
a power source inside him, a mechanical implant, which means that his powers are physical not psychic.
Koenig discovers that the force field is limited in height, and Maya tranforms
into an owl in order to investigate the rest of the planet. Maya returns and leads thew others to some footprints leading
to a cave. They blast their way into the cave, but once inside they encounter some lizards which they stun.
As John Koenig moves alone into a cave, he is attacked by the humanoid
creature from the previous night. As John holds his laser at the creature, the humanoid creature pleads with him
to kill him, as that is what he wants. The creature explains that Magus is the last in the line of cosmic magicians,
he is seeking the secret of creation. Magus wants to create life, and the mutant creatures like himself are the result
of his attempts to discover that secret.
As the Alphan's emerge from the cave, Magus is waiting for them and he
stuns Tony. Magus explains that he needs them to create a new species of mankind, and together they can work on the
great mystery of creation. He promises to give the Alphan's the powers that he has, they will help him. John
refuses to help him. Magus threatens to destroy Alpha, and John
reluctantly agrees to talk about it.
As night falls, Magus leaves them. John tells Tony, Maya and
Helena that he thinks Magus cannot stand the dark. Maya realises that Magus's power comes from light. John says
they have to find some way to block out the light, and comes up with a scheme to dig a hole which they then cover with vegetation.
Magus returns and asks them if they will co-operate with him. Koenig
tells him that there are certain conditions; there must be no more experiments on the mutants. Magus accuses John of
arrogance, and walks forwards, falling into the hole. Quickly the Alphan's cover the hole, blocking out all the light.
Magus tells them that without him the planet will break apart.
As the planet begins to break apart, the Eagle reappears. John instructs
Tony, Maya and Helena to get to the Eagle whilst he resuces the mutants. However, the mutant tells John to leave them,
this is the best thing for them.
The Eagle takes off as the planet breaks apart.
Episode synopsis copyright Jeannine Hochet
