[EPISODE SUMMARY: HEART OF THE ANCIENTS]
The scene opens on a smoky desert expanse, early in the evening. Perched on a ledge Jack studies a farming community through his binoculars; Renard has burned their crops and he wonders how the villagers will survive. Sneaking around outside Renard’s stronghold, Mick and Willy slingshot a bomb into the king’s fortress. The bomb sets up a chain of explosions and tanks are sent out in retaliation- as well as a return bomb aimed Jack’s way. Jack dives off the ledge as the bomb explodes above him and covers him in soot and ash. Xyber, of course, is irate that Jack didn’t move faster.
Tatania’s troops show up to face Renard’s forces; that’s the team’s cue to join the fray. Xyber sends for Scout (via a newly installed remote) while Ana removes a white ball from a pouch she’s been carrying. She sniffs it, grimaces, and throws it to Ikira, who takes a piece of the ball and places it behind his ear. Jack does the same. (I think I’m missing something here… was the significance of this odiferous orb explained in an earlier episode? It’s not explained in this one).
More shots of the battleground appear: jets firing at tanks, tanks blowing things apart, lots of fire and explosions, general chaos… Tatania calls out her sky fighters from the Independence, which hovers over the scene. Meanwhile, ready to join the troops, Jack pats Scout fondly, saying, “Let’s go get ‘em, Girl.” Thinking that Jack means her, Anakonda pulls off a daring flip to land on Scout’s seat behind Jack. She wraps her arms around him happily but he turns around and says coldly, “Not you. Her.” He pats the machine again as Ana grumbles.
Tatania’s aerial force is quickly disposed of as one last jet, already smoking, struggles to make it across the desert to a large piling of boulders. The pilot expertly sets the plane down and wedges it into a hole in the rocks; Tatania is pleased with this and orders the detonation of a large amount of TNT at the rock site. (Is it just me or was that a suicide mission? I don’t remember a pilot getting out of the plane before the explosion but nobody seemed very remorseful either. I’m confused. And was the TNT on the plane or rigged into the mountain. If it was in the mountain why’d they need the plane?!).
The explosion opens a large tunnel and Jack, Ikira and Anakonda quickly enter it on their vehicles as Tatania waves them on uncertainly. After making sure that they’re inside the passage she moves her troops out of the area .
The scene shifts to a narrow deckbridge that hangs above an immense pit where an illuminated dome sits. Inside the pit, robots and machinery are active in building something. King Renard crosses the bridge to meet Machestro in the middle. The dark lord growls at Renard for his latest failures, especially his failure to bring back the Xyber. The king explains that the Xyber is guiding Jack’s actions but Machestro scoffs in disgust, “Guiding? The Xyber is a tool. It has no free will.” Machestro prepares to zap Renard, who grovels on the floor and explains that he never knows how to find Jack; he’s everywhere and nowhere. Machestro has noticed that Jack follows Queen Tatania’s legions; he orders Renard to the South, where Tatania is stationed, to destroy Jack and finally obtain the Xyber. In a flash of green light, Machestro blasts Renard painfully across the bridge to the exit.
{COMMERCIAL BREAK}
Back in the tunnel Jack, Ikira and Ana chip away at the cavern walls. Jack uses a very angry Xyber to bash the wall with; after a few rounds of this the wall begins to shake and finally crumbles, revealing another chamber on the other side. The team explores this new room, which looks like a subway station. They come to a broken down ticket gate and service-bot. The robot suddenly sparks into life; Xyber explains that it wants their tickets and he tells the machinoid to rest. The ‘bot opens the ticket gate and promptly shuts down again.
Jack jumps into the embankment, where the tracks used to be, and wonders if they’re heading in the right direction. They are looking for the last M-115 Emitter, which may have information on opening the vault in the New Valley. Xyber is convinced that they are on the right path but snaps at Jack when he calls the Emitter by its ‘true’ name, the Heart of the Ancients; Xyber says that the Heart of the Ancients is a legend and that they’re looking for data- not treasure hunting.
Ana is uneasy about the Machina presence she senses; Ikira explains that they used to use the tunnels for travel. Impatient to get moving, Jack calls for Scout which comes crashing through a wall and into a pillar, causing the room to start caving in. Jack jumps on Scout but, before he can start it up, the ground gives way and they fall into a pit (that seems bottomless for as long as he was falling…). He kicks it into gear and races out of the hole, joining Ana and Ikira who are sharing a jumper. Jack talks to Scout encouragingly as they dodge falling rocks. “Don’t kiss the engine, you’ll burn you’re lips!” Ana yells at him jealously.
Back in the desert, Jack and Mick are trying to sneak into a large sandstone building (that looks abandoned) but are spotted by one of Renard’s tanks. The pair jumps into their own tank (which was hidden away with a desert drop cloth) and fire a few rounds at the enemy. They speed away with three tanks on their tail.
In the tunnel, the trio comes to a large doorway, set in a cavern wall, and dismount their vehicles. Jack hurries through the door, despite Xyber’s warning to look for traps. As he crosses the threshold and begins down a short staircase, the ground collapses beneath him (again). As he falls, he stabs Xyber into the side of the pit and hangs on tightly. Under him, two huge rotating blades await him. He hoists himself up and nimbly flips himself out of the shaft. Ikira reaches down and pulls Xyber from the wall (in a completely IMPOSSIBLE move) and hands him back to Jack.
Ana picks this moment to completely lose her cool and lets Jack have it. “I keep telling you to be careful, but do you listen? NOOOO… You are stubborn and foolish!” she yells and turns quickly on her heel. Jack watches her go, completely dumbfounded, and complains to Xyber that, since their stay on the Independence, she’s always mad at him now. Xyber councils Jack and asks him if anything drastic has happened to change their relationship. Jack shrugs, thinking back. “No. Well, nothing except, uh… Uh… let’s go,” he stammers. He decides not to tell Xyber about his brief (and surprising) romantic moment with Ana aboard the airship.
Outside, the enemy tanks have been outwitted by Mick and Willy. The pair is supposed to meet up with the rest of the team at the rendezvous point (the sandstone building); they guess that the trio is probably inside and go to meet them. After finding no one inside they decide to leave but another tank sees them; the vehicle smashes into the building, tumbling the place down around them. Stuck in the enclosure, they decide to explore. Mick finds a wall map and deduces that they’re in an old rail system. They climb into one of the tunnels through a large hole in the floor (how many holes-in-the-floor are there in this ep?!) and set out to find their friends.
{COMMERCIAL BREAK}
An automatic door opens to another cavern and the trio enters. A huge robot stands like an ornamental statue against one wall. Jack moves to a podium where two decorative rings hang from the ceiling; he yells and jumps backward in fright as Mick’s head suddenly pops out of one ring shouting, “Boo!” Mick is to busy laughing at Jack to notice Ana sneak up behind him in the shadows; she taps him on the shoulder with a snarl and he jumps into Willy’s arms with a squeal.
Jack shines a light around the room, illuminating a giant square-cut, green jewel: The Heart of the Ancients. Mick says he’s going to spend his share of the ‘treasure’ on a girl- either that or get a really big tank. Jack places Xyber in the podium’s console so they can check for more traps. Back in Machestro’s lair an alarm goes off- the Xyber has been detected by its interface with the machine in the tunnels. Machestro sends a squad of Tunnel Rats and Renard’s troops to capture the Xyber.
Meanwhile, Mick is planning to jimmy the gem from the its fastening- but Xyber forbids this. While he was scanning the machine’s data files, he found information on a vast well of technology which the M-115 probably controlled. Xyber opens a passage in the wall that leads down to a basement level. Not trusting Mick alone with the rock, Ikira makes him lead the troupe into the passageway.
After navigating a maze of hallways, they come to an automatic door; it opens to reveal a jungle-like paradise with machines and robots strategically placed throughout the compound. Xyber explains that the room is full of specially engineered vegetation; it grows within days, can survive harsh weather conditions, and was meant to provide the world with food in the aftermath of a disaster. The Heart of the Ancients, or M-115, is the thing that keeps the compound running- if it’s disconnected everything will be destroyed. While Jack enjoys some fruit Ana revels in the peacefulness of the sanctuary. This is all put on hold, though, when Ikira notices that Mick is missing.
In the control room, Mick is trying to pry the stone from the wall. He doesn’t notice the giant robot shrug into life as the M-115 is disturbed. As it lifts a giant fist to crush him Mick realizes he’s not alone and jumps out of the way. The robot follows him around the chamber, trying to stomp him to bits. The group hears him yelling and they run to help… only to be cut off by Renard’s soldiers (who like to make doors just like Scout- through perfectly good walls). The two parties face each other, ready to fight at any moment.
But before any dueling can take place, Mick tears through the room screaming, “RUUUNNNN!” Everyone just watches him in confusion but as the robot follows him (widening a doorway) through the room they all duck for safety. The robot’s massiveness causes a mini cave-in and blocks Renard’s troops from Jack and company, who escape back to the control room. The ‘bot continues to follow Mick who doubles back to the safety of his friends. Everyone tries to fight him but even Scout’s firing doesn’t leave a dent- until Scout bumps into the ‘bot and sends him flying into another wall. The heavy stones fall on top of the machine and keep it from moving.
Ikira orders everyone to evacuate while he diverts the Machina’s attention. Ikira and Renard have a short sword fight but eventually the rest of Renard’s troops show up and they start firing at the old warrior. Ikira finds safety behind broken segments of wall and pillars. He takes on a couple of Machina who find his hiding place, shredding their guns and holding them at bay with his swords.
{COMMERCIAL BREAK}
In the tunnels, more Machina chase the team. One soldier flies into a trap that Mick and Willy have set. Standing on either side of the tunnel, they raise a thick band of rubbery rope. As the soldier flies into it he’s slingshot backward (just like the bomb) into his fellow soldiers. Renard avoids the collision.
The Machina fire at Jack and Ana who are aboard the Scout. Ana shoots two soldiers from their vehicles with her bow but again Renard escapes the attack. He pulls up beside the pair and Ana swings around and tries to kick him into a wall; he recovers quickly from the blow and hits her, knocking her off of Scout. This is the only time in the episode that Jack expresses any amount of concern her way but it’s actually Ikira who comes to her rescue. He helps her back onto Scout and is rammed by Renard’s jumper. They both wind up crashing, Renard’s vehicle ripped apart and Ikira’s slightly dented. They start battling again- this time it’s a fist fight with a couple of martial arts movements for good measure (GRIN).
Jack and Ana have made it to the end of the tunnel where the morning’s light shines down on them. They are about to exit but realize that Ikira’s not with them; they turn back just in time to see him get thrown rather painfully into a wall. Jack hovers Scout above Renard; the wind created by the Scout’s fan blades sends the king hurtling backwards into his advancing troops. The team (now fully assembled) races for freedom and out of the tunnels. Mick complains that they still don’t have anything to show for their efforts. Jack disagrees.
A brief shot of the Independence is shown and then the scenery shifts back to the farmers’ barren lands. Jack stands among a group of the villagers, his teammates and Tatania scattered around the scene. He places Xyber into the control panel of a stone console and after a moment the ground starts to shake. A huge, mechanical tower rises from the ground; it looks sort of like a metal tree and serves as an elevator to the M-115. Once everybody’s onboard, the tower sinks back into the ground.
Inside the vegetation reserve, the robots offer the villagers food. Jack takes a piece of fruit and breaks it open. He shows the farmers the seeds and asks that they be planted, and that seeds from the new crops be given to friends who will help to spread the new growth. The team reflects on the upshots of their most recent mission: they’ve found a new source of food for their planet, they’ve beat Renard again, and Xyber seems to have found yet another database that may (or may not) have information on opening the vault. The closing shot features the villagers and Jack’s crew admiring the sanctuary.