Industrial espionage is big business and sexy, too, but developing automated weapons of war is more profitable.  Between that and an unlicensed nuclear reactor, what could go wrong?  Simon and Eugene discuss the Bugs episode Stealth.

Episode Synopsis

Tronix, a company run by a charming chap named O’Neal,  is producing an introductory video for their new car, the Trancer.  It’s an advanced car with advanced technology that will revolutionize the automotive industry, but the are being rushed to introduce the vehicle to the world.  During a recent test track session,  industrial spies got pictures of the new vehicle and now Tronix must rush to stake their public claim to the design before a competitor makes it their own.

Things don’t go to plan when the models hired to add a bit of sex appeal to the presentation steal the car right during the video shoot.

Time to call in the Team Bugs for a security check.

The car stolen; however, was a mockup, and did not contain any of the revolutionary technology.  All of that is disguised in a very ordinary looking test car that allows them to test the car on the road in real world conditions without arousing attention.

While reviewing security of the facility, Ros gets trapped inside a deadly plasma cage, in an off-limits area.  There’s a very unpleasant Major from a foreign power that’s doing business with Tronix and it’s just best of they stay out of that area in their investigation.

Next day, Ed takes the test car out for its pre-planned test ride.  The technology in this car is amazing.  Not only does it start with Touch ID, but the rearview mirror using eye tracking to automatically adjust to the drivers line of vision.  This WILL turn the auto industry on its ear!

On a tea break, the industrial spies who stole the mockup car, have arranged an elaborate ambush.  One has obtained employment at the road ship tea shop and keeps an eye on Ed and Beckett, while the other artfully places a van partially obscuring the vehicle that that Ed and Beckett feel confident they have an eye on it, while at the same time granting her access to the rear window and a way to get inside and take pictures.

Back at facility, Ros sees that a person has entered the vehicle and alerts the boys, but they are stymied in the efforts to get outside, giving the spies the chance to escape on a motorbike with the pictures.

Ed pursues them in the test vehicle, driving like the madman he is, but another, apparently incidental piece of technology in the car kicks in:  Having detected reckless driving, it goes into fully-automatic driving mode, and slowly, and safely returns the vehicle to the facility.

They’re fired, but immediately re-hired when they point out that the culprits must have had inside information.

This time the really buckle down on the security and discover that someone has wired a cell phone into their email system, which explains how they were able to lay such an elaborate trap.  They use this information to lay a trap of their own.

That plan doesn’t go well, either.  This time the spies kidnap Ed and force him to drive the car to their HQ, where they disassemble the car, photograph the technology, then plant explosives.  And while Ros and Beckett are able to track them down, it’s too late, and the car, and their HQ are blown to pieces.

We do learn, though, that the spies, Serita and Davina, are the daughters of O’Neal’s former business partner, whom he ruined.  They’ve gotten into the industrial espionage game not just because it’s lucrative, but because it gives them a chance at revenge against O’Neal.

Ros doubles down again on security, but Ed is feeling very uncomfortable with O’Neal and especially the menacing Major that’s still prowling around.  While Ros and Beckett work on security, Ed does some industrial espionage himself, getting into O’Neal’s files and learning about the mysterious military vehicle O’Neal is working on for the Major.  But he’s caught by them.

Meanwhile, Team Girl Spy One have again bypassed all the security and gotten into the secure area, and have bypassed the cameras and the hi-tech handprint scanner.  The Major’s guard intervene semi-successfully.  Davina is captured, the other escapes with the military vehicle.

Ed and Davina are held as hostages in the plasma cage, with Ros and Beckett tasked with tracking down the vehicle.

Serita doesn’t understand that the vehicle is powered by an RTG – a Radioactive Thermal Generator – and contains a chunk of plutonium.  She begins to dismantle the vehicle to get some pictures, then packs it full of explosives.  She then offers to turn it over to the Major in exchange for her sister.

Team Bugs do manage to track her down first and he new HQ, and warn her of the danger.  If the bomb explodes, the plutonium will irradiate all of the UK.  Unfortunately, she secure it in place with super-duper-hyper-fast-acting, quick-quick-quick drying cement, making it impossible to remove the bomb. 

Her tampering has activated the “drive safely to home” mode and the vehicle, a mobile time bomb, leaves without them.

Beckett uses the very important plot point that the vehicle will not run into cars or people to get it to pause long enough for him, and later Ros, to get onboard during the return journey.  The extract the plutonium and dump it on the street, but the vehicle – and the explosives – inexorably return to home – the plasma cage containing Ed and Davina.

The Major turns on O’Neal and leave him to die, but he recovers soon enough that he could let Ed and Davina out of the cage, but he chooses not to, instead deciding a scorched Earth policy will be good for his rebuilding his empire plans.

Apparently sensing O’Neal’s inherent evilness, the military vehicle overrides it’s own safety protocols and not only runs him over, but pushes him into the plasma cage, killing him, and creating a tunnel in which Ed and Davina can escape seconds before the explosion goes off, destroying the facility.

Also, somewhere along the line, we learned that Paul, a largely incidental character, was also a spy and he left the country undetected and unmolested by our heroes.

It’s alls well that ends well and Team Bugs even have a cool new toy in Ros’ home.  A race car set powered by the plutonium core of an RTG.  Without the actual RTG.