- the name's Brogan-- Lieutenant Brogan.
For 20 years, I was with the n.Y.P.D.
Now-- Well, let's just say.
"I've transferred to another precinct."
- Come on, Steve.
You've seen the p.I.'s report on this guy.
- Yeah, so?
- Shouldn't we take his threats seriously?
- We have, John.
We have spent serious money on security.
- But you know-- - Good night, John.
See you in the morning.
[thunder rumbling]
computer! - Yes, sir.
- Security activate.
- Outer security perimeter, armed.
[beeping]
inner security perimeter, armed.
[beeping]
- Third level security, armed. - [beeping]
- Goodnight. - Goodnight, sir.
[clap of thunder]
[HISSING]
[SIZZLING]
[laughing]
- I hope you understand, Mr. Dallas.
There is nothing personal about this, but...
business is business.
[timer beeping]
- We have one Stephen Dallas.
Human male, age 42.
Ceo of Brett interplanetary.
Blown to smithereens.
- and we have a message-- Presumably from our bomber.
- You know, fredo, that kind of looks like
your first wife's handwriting.
- Hey!
- We also have the testimony of John Kane,
Dallas' partner.
Seems they were caught in a high stakes shakedown
by someone claiming to be "the snake."
- Yeah, and the bad news is that this kind of shakedown
does fit with the snake's known m.O.
- He's an extortionist-- Plain and simple--
Who's terrorized seven planets.
- Seven planets we know of.
And in every case, the victims either pay up, or they die.
Like Stephen Dallas.
- Hi, bill. - Hi.
- This is sergeant bill gray, people-- Ecpf.
He's the good news this morning.
Gray knows more about the snake than any man alive. He's here to help us.
The 88th is to be temporarily reorganized into a task force.
As of 25:00 hours, all other cases will be finished,
or handed over to the 86th is that clear?
I don't intend that altor shall become the 8th notch
on the snake's belt.
- Just another quiet day in the neighborhood.
- Yeah.
Now, castle, given your background,
I want you to help head up the task force with Brogan.
- With all due respect, captain, I'd rather not.
- Take a seat, Mr. Kane.
- You never had any contact with the snake, Mr. Kane?
- None.
Stephen Dallas got all the messages.
- How were you suppose to make the payoff?
- I'm not sure.
Stephen said something about a computer transfer to Danae.
- And from there? - I don't know and I don't care!
I mean, what the hell difference does it make?
- Look, Mr. Kane, we understand how you feel.
But if we're gonna nail this guy,
we need to know everything you know.
- All I know is Stephen's dead.
- and if I don't pay....
- You're right-- You should talk to him.
- Who? - Brogan.
- Are you reading my mind?
- Who needs to-- It's written all over your face.
- Honey, you tell zill I really don't have time--
- But, dad, zill says you really, really
need to get home on time tonight!
- Uh, okay.
Tell her I'll do my best.
Bye, sweetie.
[zill squeaking]
officer castle, what's up?
- I thought maybe I could buy you a cup of coffee?
- Sounds good.
- the problem's not me and gray,
it's me and the snake.
Three years ago, gray and I were part
of an ecpf bomb disposal unit,
back on earth.
- I'm impressed. - Well you should be-- We were good.
We were all good.
First time the snake hit our district,
we diffused three of his bombs in one day.
We thought we'd beaten him.
- He set you up.
- Next time we went in,
gray and I were running the operation from a remote.
It looked safe-- It seemed right.
So we sent in the team.
- I'm sorry.
- Yes-- But sorry doesn't bring any of them back.
- Yo, prime elder! - Hey, Matt-- Where is everybody?
- Mom's in the garden, I think. - and Liz?
- Short, mega-Weird earthling, about this high?
Always saying, "Zill says this.
"Zill says that."
- Yeah, that's the one. - Look the part, dad.
She's gone-- Vanished.
Nah, she's at Charlotte's.
- So am I. - Whoa, you're goin' to Charlotte's?
- No way-- Get tweaked!
I'm going to inazy's.
Later!
- hmm.
I smell a conspiracy. - actually it's a steak.
- This took a lot to set up, didn't it?
- Very sharp, lieutenant.
But, somehow, I think it will all be worthwhile.
- Yeah, me too.
Champagne. - sort of.
- Hmmm.
- Mmm.
[device ringing]
- I'll get it.
What's up?
- Plenty-- Take a look.
- Greetings, talon corporation-- I am the snake.
Now, listen carefully.
You will transfer 60 million credits
into the planetary bank of Danae
by Coded transfer Within 26 hours,
or the Princess dies.
- Talon corporation.
What happen to John Kane and Brett interplanetary?
- Looks like our bomber decided to do some double dipping.
- Cute.
Why the computer-Generated image?
- Don't know.
But gray thinks it's the real deal.
- Okay.
Who's this Princess. - Not who-- it.
It's an Omega class tanker, and it's en route to altor,
carrying 200 million gallons of liquefied hydrogen.
We're talkin' one major bang here.
- Yeah.
When did talon get this information?
- Six hours ago.
- Nice of them to let us know.
Okay, I'm coming in.
Uh, Sally.
- I know.
- now it's your job to determine if this is for real.
If you find anything,
I want you to mark and identify, then back off.
Are you following me on this, Brogan?
- Yes, sir-- But I think--
- No but's.
The army is the first team on this thing.
We're simply there to make sure it's not a hoax.
- You're sure about this, gray?
- Would you rather look for the bombs yourself?
- Yeah, but turning an rsa into a bomb-Sniffer.
Will it work?
- It'll work.
Nobody knows bombs better than bill gray.
- Nobody except, maybe, "No hassle Castle."
Hi, Jane-- Long time no see.
- Bill.
- "No hassle castle?"
- It's a long, Boring story.
- Come on, Officer castle.
What could ever be Boring about you?
- My relationship with you, haldane, for starters.
- All right-- All right.
Come on, slomo. Let's go play with somebody nice.
Like the snake.
- Why send slomo, captain?
He's not equipped to handle this sort of work.
At least call the boys over at the 98th.
They got a real bomb disposal robot.
- I'm sure our Slomo would be deeply touched to know
that you two are showing such Concern for his well-Being.
If he had any emotions to be touched with,
or a being for that matter!
He's a robot!
That's why we're sending him as a remote control unit!
Do you get my drift?
- What about castle?
I think we ought to let her sit this one out.
- Yeah.
Well, watch yourself.
- I have a choice?
- Whoa, that is one big mother.
- The Princess talon is an inanimate object.
It cannot be, um, a "mother."
- Careful, slomo.
I just may forget how to reattach your body.
- I think you're wasting your time, lieutenant.
The chief and I have already scanned the Princess
from stem to Stern.
- And found zip?
Whole thing's starting to smell like a hoax.
- Let's hope you're right.
[device beeping]
- Brogan, slomo's got the hots in here.
Airlock one.
- on our way.
- I have detected traces of cemetal
around the outer seam of, uh, this junction box.
- Yeah-- That's the snake's explosive of choice.
- It's also used in plasma welding, lieutenant.
- She's less than two months out of dry dock.
This whole section's been refitted.
- can you call up the schematics?
- Strange. - What?
- According to this...
that junction box doesn't exist.
- What-- engineering oversight?
- Wouldn't be the first time.
- All right-- Let's see what we got here.
They got two conduits.
- Leading...
- Nowhere.
- Everybody backup.
- Congratulations.
You've just armed four explosive devices.
Each which is linked to the outer doors.
No one leaves-- No one enters.
Any attempt to disarm the devices
will result in the obvious.
I repeat.
All four bombs are now armed.
You have 13 hours to pay, or die.
- This guy's really starting to tick me off.
- Brogan, we got another one in airlock two.
- Ditto for lock three.
- Copy that for four.
- All four bombs present and accounted for.
- And as near as we can tell, they're all identical.
- is there any way that you guys can get out of there?
Let the army take over?
- Negative.
The bombs are linked to the outer doors of every air lock.
The only way we're gonna get off this ship
is by diffusing the bombs.
We are first team now.
Have we heard from our bomber?
- Uh, neg-Negative.
- You have to tell them, captain.
- I'm well aware of that, sergeant.
- Wa-Wait a minute-- Tell us what?
What's goin' on?
- Talon's call for a headquarters in their...
how shall I say it? Infinite wisdom, have decided that--
Oh, damn it!
What the hell have I done with that communique?
- Damn it and hell in the same sentence.
Not a good sign.
- Ah, here it is.
"for the past decade, the snake has nearly
"Bled our corporation dry.
"therefore, it is with deep regret
"that we have decided that we must make a stand.
"the talon corporation refuses to entertain
"Any ideas of acquiescing in his continuing demands
"Of extortion or blackmail."
- They can't do that. - I'm afraid they can.
It's their constitutional right.
- Constitutional right?!
what about our right to live?
- Captain? Where will the Princess be 12 hours from now?
- We're on course for our scheduled stationary orbit over demeter.
- Yeah, well if it blows there.
Can we alter the course?
- It'll take a little time,
but I think we can probably avoid
being pulled into altorian orbit.
- why don't we just hit the brakes?
- We've been in full reverse thrust for 13 days.
- It takes two weeks for a ship of this mass
to slow out of light speed.
- Brogan, the clock's ticking.
Set up slomo on a remote
and I'll talk him through the first device.
- we can't play this one bomb at a time, gray.
We'll each take a device.
Slomo goes first, then me, then haldane,
then captain tecopa.
We watch slomo, then follow its sequence.
- Yeah, it makes sense.
- And if slomo makes a wrong move?
- The Princess is tripled hulled.
We can probably lose an air lock, even two,
and still maintain Hull integrity.
- Let's do it.
- Sergeant fredo?
- Okay, can we res up the definition?
How's that?
- Like I was there.
- Uh, be careful, slomo.
- I am a robot-- I can only be the way I am.
But your concern has been logged.
- You're welcome.
[alarm sounding]
- All set here.
- Let's go, then.
- hold it.
I'm running the remote.
- You always were the best in the business.
- Right, castle.
- No electronic devices scanned.
Nor are mechanical devices scanned.
- Okay, the front panel's clean.
Reconfigure, slomo.
Then, back the first screw out.
- The first screw has been removed.
- Take out the second screw.
- The, uh, second screw has been removed.
- All right, Brogan-- You're next.
So far, so good.
Let's open it up-- Carefully.
- Classic snake architecture.
- seems to be-- Yes.
- You can disarm it?
- We need to figure out what's live,
and what's window dressing.
- and what could blow them away.
- Come on.
- We have two choices.
Either we find the primary trigger and disarm it,
which is quite risky.
- All right-- All right.
Come on, Janey-- cut to the Chase.
- Or we find the main power source and pull the plug.
Slomo?
The rectangular device at the lower left corner.
Reconfigure and identify.
- Uh, a visual scan indicates a stabilizer.
No detected current flow.
- Window dressing? - Maybe.
Slomo, reconfigure.
Can you remove it?
- Affirmative.
- Bingo-- The power pack.
- You-You just unplug it?
- We try.
Slomo?
Reconfigure.
Disconnect the power pack.
[all breathing sighs of relief]
- Uh-Oh.
- Talon Princess-- Come in!
Princess!
Please respond!
[Alarm sounding]
- Ahhh!
- Chief, how we doin'?
- Communications are down, but backup's working.
- How's the air?
- It's okay for now.
- Brogan-- Haldane?
- Yeah-- Haldane.
But as you can see visual's a no-go.
- Brogan-- Thank god!
What's your status?
- Uh, we lost our main antennae and half our air.
Uh, primary's are down, but backup's still working.
At least for now.
- Well, that's the good news, I suppose.
- What about slomo? - Uh, we lost him.
- and haldane?
- Yeah, I thought you'd never ask.
- Just curious.
- Gotta go!
- If anyone has an idea, I'd love to hear it.
- Yes, call talon corporation
and tell them I'm coming down there
to get the snake his 60 million credits.
- humph! If I thought it do any good,
I'd drive the getaway Hopper myself, but--
- Well that's great, captain.
We can put that on their grave stones.
Sorry.
But I've been down this road before.
- There were two of us running that op, castle.
So let's lose the self pity.
Or at least spread it around.
Deal? - Deal.
- Captain-- John Kane on comm two.
The snake just sent Brett interplanetary
another one of his love letters.
- put him on.
Mr. Kane?
- I can't take anymore of this, captain!
I don't want to die.
If the snake got to Stephen Dallas,
he sure as hell can get to me.
I've decided to pay.
- Hmmm.
[sizzling]
- You shouldn't have refused to pay.
You made a very s-s-Stupid mistake, John Kane.
- and I suppose your mistake makes you a genius.
- Go ahead... pull the trigger, cop.
You know what'll happen.
Ha!
[Snake hissing]
- One snake... to go.
- if I didn't know the sleazebag was cooling his heels
in interrogation, I wouldn't believe it meself.
- Has he started talkin' yet?
- No, but he will.
- Yeah, well it better be soon, 'cause times a wastin'.
- He'll talk.
I'll make damn sure of that, I promise you.
- Woo!
If ever there was a time to celebrate.
Oh, sorry.
- What is this stuff?
- Banko Brandy-- Best there is.
- Well, I'd hate to taste the worst.
What's going on, guys?
- She shut down.
- Check the conducers-- I'll get the I.O.'s!
[Hissing]
- Who's working on it now?
- Gray's in there, then it's my turn.
[shoots firing]
- John!
- Code red!
Prisoner on the loose on level five!
Code red!
- No!
- His blood... it's burning through the deck plates.
- Come on!
- Great simtor!
- Stay there, bill.
He's going through the Hull!
Let's get out-- quick!
Out-- out!
- Evacuate the area!
Seal off this corridor now!
Close the door-- Quick!
- So much for the snake.
- So much for finding a way to disarm those bombs.
- Get these people outta here-- This is a restricted area!
Come on, you-- Clear this area!
- So, we have three hours to disarm the devices?
- Uh, not anymore, we don't.
When airlock one went, the debris did more damage than we thought.
We've lost the engine. - And our brakes.
- So what's the bottom line?
- We're on a collision course with altor.
If we hit atmosphere with This payload...
- a lot of people are gonna have bad hair days.
- What did you guys have in mind?
- On my mark we got 40 minutes.
We take one more shot at disarming the BOMBS,
then, at 10 O'clock, whether or not we're still on board...
have the military blow the Princess out of the sky.
Mark.
- Our long range lasers are in position.
They'll fire automatically.
I sure as hell hope you can get your men
off the Princess in time, captain.
- Thank you, commander!
- What's that, zill? - [zill squeaking]
you want Liz to clean up my room right now?
And all the closets?
- That's not what he said, Matt.
Zill says-- - You're a zigga warthead.
- Mom, he's calling me names again!
- All right-- Come on, guys. - I've had it.
- it wasn't me-- Zill started it.
Do your homework, now.
[device ringing]
- Uh, yes-- Who is it?
- Uh, it's me, Sal.
- Hi!
I can't get a picture.
- Yeah, it's a technical snafu-- No biggie.
- You all right? - Yeah, I'm fine.
Um, look I don't have a whole lot of time and, um...
I just wanted to tell ya--
- Is this about last night?
- Uh, sort of.
Yeah, I mean, um, I'm sorry--
- Yeah, well, I could've married a plumber instead.
- What I meant was-- - Brogan, I was joking.
What's wrong? - I need to tell you...
- Daddy, zill has something to say to you.
- Not now, honey, okay?
- A deceiver unmasked is still a deceiver.
Isn't that neat?
A deceiver unmasked is still a deceiver.
What's it mean?
- Brogan, we're ready here.
- Yeah, all right.
Um, honey I've got to go.
Uh, I'll, uh... I'll try and get back to you.
I love you.
Airlock two in position.
- Airlock three all set.
- Airlock four, ready.
- Brogan?
Tell me everything you see.
- Okay, the flashing, uh, cube in the lower left-Hand corner.
Two circuit boards, top left and right.
And, let's see...
Wait a minute.
There's somethin' here that looks like a mirror
under the left-Hand circuit board.
- a mirror-- of course.
A laser trap.
We need to pinpoint the lasers.
Anything handy to dust with?
- Yeah, a fire extinguisher.
- try it.
But point it away from the device.
The temperature change could blow the bomb.
- Got 'em!
- Well, whatever you do don't break the beams.
That was slomo's mistake.
- Any good news?
- Maybe. You said there Were two circuit boards?
- Yeah-- Top left and right.
- too many.
- You think one of them's a dummy?
- and it may be camouflage for the main trigger.
We find that trigger, figure out how to disarm it
and we could be home free.
- I'm sold-- Just tell me what to do.
- Scan the panel on the left for energy readings.
- Uh, 6.6.
- Now, the one on the right?
- Nothin'.
- We got our dummy.
Now remove it.
Very carefully.
- ah!
Oh, if that ain't a main trigger I'm a trazen's uncle.
- Come on, Brogan.
Leave your family tree out of this.
- Tell me what you see.
- Uh, somethin' that looks like a brass tube.
- that's the trigger module.
There should be two plasma cores at the base.
- right.
- and they're both fused into separate splitter units.
- Fused?
- Micro-Welded. - Negative.
These puppies are online and connected
with Screwed down wire connectors.
- Say again?
- They're connected with wire connectors.
- But that's impossible.
Unless...
- Jane, what's wrong?
- Wait one.
We're up against it and I need some help.
- Sure-- Fire away.
- Do you mind giving us a minute?
- Sure.
- The snake has always connected his bomb Components
using his own blood to micro-Weld.
- right.
- for some reason,
he's used regular connectors on this job.
I wonder why.
- We all change.
- I guess we do.
Because I've never heard of the snake shaking down
two different victims at the same time, either.
- hmm. Well, maybe he was getting greedy in his old age.
- Or maybe the snake never sent those messages
to talon, after all.
Maybe somebody who had access to the files
ran a computer construct and generated their own snake.
- I, uh... I hate to admit it, Janey,
but I really don't know what you're talking about.
- I'm talking about the fact that nobody can figure out
how the snake smuggled a gun into the station.
As a matter of fact, no one even saw him with a gun.
Except you.
Forensics will have a field day with this.
- You always were my best student, Janey.
- You walked into interrogation,
shot yourself with your own weapon.
And then you drove the snake into the corridor,
where you blew him away.
Why, bill?
- Well, I'd love to give you a pathetic story
about a cop's pay and so on, but...
the fact is, after 25 years of loyal service,
I figured I deserved it.
- You did this for money?
- Nobody's perfect.
- Gray-- That's one for the books.
- He's right here and he's going to help you.
Aren't you, bill?
- All right, gray.
We've identified the dummy panel,
removed it and exposed the trigger module.
We also found the laser trap by the power pack.
So which one is it?
The trigger, or the power pack!
Which one?
- Bill?
- Short out the power pack and disconnect it.
- Tookie, can you tell if he's lying?
- He's as tightly controlled
as any human I've ever tried to read.
I can't be sure.
- Haldane?
Tecopa?
Stand by.
- a deceiver unmasked... is still a deceiver.
- Brogan, what are you doing?
You've got less than three minutes
before the military blow the Princess into hyperspace!
- Do it, Brogan-- Do it!
- Ha!
It's the trigger guys!
Yank the trigger!
- Ha, ha.
- No hassle castle wins.
- I love this job.
- Brogan, we got 30 seconds!
Let's get the hell out of here
before the military blows this mother.
Come on-- Come on!
- Brogan?
Haldane?
- You rang?
- Oh, guys!
- Just one question, lieutenant?
How did you figure out?
- Uh, you got me, captain.
Haven't got a clue.
- a space tech found him.
Somewhere between Danae and the necrosis nebulae.
- slomo!
- Oh, ow!
Officer orrin!
Officer romak!
Give me two!
- All right!
- Yes!
- Hey.
I just wanted to say, thanks.
- Pleasure.
- Speaking of pleasure.
What do you say about dinner-- Tomorrow night?
The royal striker-- on me.
- Pretty high-Class place on a cop's pay, haldane?
- Yeah.
Yeah, on second thought, you're probably right.
- Oh, no.
You're not getting out of it that easy.
- Gotcha.
- It all boiled down to D.C.P.D. Lieutenant Brogan.
None of us would be here,
if it hadn't been for lieutenant Brogan and his team.
- You don't want to hear any more of the news?
- I've already heard it.
- Um, you realize that there are millions of people
watchin' us right now?
- Oh, are they gonna get an eye-Full tonight.
- Oh.
Mmm.