In Australia, the Doctor and Giles wait for Astrid to call them back from the Central European Zone. The Doctor suggests that they give her another hour before investigating. Astrid finally calls them from Giles' office in Melbourne, unaware that Benik is monitoring the call. Giles quickly reminds Astrid to switch on the scrambler, foiling the administrator's attempts to listen in to their conversation. Benik calls his assistant and tells him to trace Astrid and confirm where she is.
Astrid informs Giles that Denes is dead and her superior tells her to stay put while he and the Doctor join her. Once Astrid hangs up, Fariah breaks in and Astrid quickly overpowers her. The food taster says that she came there to see Giles on her own, to help him bring down Salamander and see his face when he dies.
The guard captain contacts Benik and informs her that Astrid traveled from the Central European Zone to Australia... and Fariah followed her. The administrator orders the captain to surround Giles' office and wait until he gets there to move in.
When the Doctor and Giles arrive, Fariah tells them that Salamander captured Jamie and Victoria and brought them to the research center at Kanowa. She warns that Salamander will do anything necessary to get information from them, and explains that he blackmailed her into working for him. Fariah admits that she didn't expose Salamander before now, and a frustrated Doctor warns that they don't have enough evidence. However, the food taster has documentation proving that Salamander engineered the scandals against Fedorin and used them to blackmail the Deputy Controller.
Benik arrives and has the guard captain move his men into position.
The Doctor is impressed by Fariah's evidence against Salamander, but warns that it's not enough. The others insists that he impersonate Salamander again and go in with Fariah, but the Doctor worries that he still hasn't enough time to master the impersonation. Giles points out that he has no choice if he wants to rescue Jamie and Victoria, and the Doctor realizes that Giles wants him to execute Salamander. He refuses, but Giles points out that nothing else will suffice. If the Doctor doesn't go through with it, they'll refuse to help him. They're interrupted when Fariah checks the window and tells them that Benik's men are outside.
Once the captain's men are in position, Benik tells them to move in and to shoot on sight. The captain reluctantly does so.
Fariah grabs the dossier on Fedorin as Giles opens up the ventilation shaft. Fariah goes first, and then the Doctor and Giles go down the shaft as the captain and his men pound at the locked door. Astrid fires a warning shot, unaware that a guard has descended through the window. She notices him at the last second and manages to knock him out, and then hides beneath the desk. The security troops break in and realize how the fugitives have escaped, overlooking Astrid.
Outside, the Fariah is separated from the others in the confusion. A guard spots and shoots her, much to the captain's disgust. The captain goes to her as Benik arrives and demands to know who the man with Giles and Astrid was. Fariah dies without telling him and Benik takes the dossier in her hands.
Later, Benik reports to Salamander and Donald and informs them what happened. Neither one of them is happy with the situation and Salamander tells Donald to find his imposter before he brings his plans down. Before he goes, Benik gives Salamander the dossier on Fedorin. The scientist thanks him and sends the two men on their way.
Once he's alone, Salamander goes to the record rooms and tells the guard that he is not to be disturbed for the foreseeable future. He then climbs into a capsule and is shot down a shaft.
When Donald returns, the guard informs him that Salamander is not to be disturbed. Salamander refuses to answer a video call. Benik arrives and tells Donald that Salamander is always incommunicado when he is in the records room. The security chief points out that Salamander is far too important to be isolated and suggests that he might order Benik to open the door. Benik smugly tells Donald that the door can only be opened from the inside.
Salamander dons a protective suit and enters an underground control chamber, He gets on the radio and tells a group in the complex that he has returned from the surface and is undergoing radiation decontamination, and will brief them shortly. One of them, Swann, is eager to hear if Salamander's mission is successful. His friends Mary and Colin are equally hopeful. After Swann moves on, Colin tells Mary that he still plans to ask Salamander to take him to the surface on his next expedition. Mary reminds him that none of the others that have gone with Salamander have returned, but Colin insists that he needs to see the surface after all the time they've spent underground.
Swann barges into Salamanders control room and welcomes their leader back. Salamander warns him back, feigning fatigue, and Swann warns his leader that he's doing too much for them, traveling to the surface to find them food. As Salamander enters the fake decontamination chamber, he claims that one day the exposure will kill him. Mary and Colin come in and Salamander tells them that he's found another uncontaminated food cache. He tells them to prepare some wine to celebrate, and then warns Swann that it is horrible out on the surface.
Salamander and Swann join the shelter members and Salamander talks about how they will have been in the shelter for five years. Ever since, they have been fighting to make a new world. A desperate Colin asks if they can go to the surface, and Salamander says that they can... once they defeat the enemy with the artificial disasters that they create. Unsatisfied, Colin demands to know when they can go up and Salamander warns that they can't do so until it is safe. As Salamander staggers off, Colin tells Mary that he will go with their leader the next time, and Mary asks him to take her with him.
Salamander tells Swann to begin a power test and then locks himself in his office and relaxes with a cigar and a book. Meanwhile, the shelter crew bring the power online
Back at Kent's caravan, Astrid makes up the Doctor's hair to resemble Salamander's. The Doctor insists that they find Fariah but Giles claims that she was separated. Before they can pursue the matter, someone enters the caravan and the Doctor stares in shock at their visitor.
Written by Gadfly on Oct 25, 2015