In Sardavia in Eastern Europe, General Eli Szabo is conducting war games in the countryside. He watches from the command and coordination bunker. In the field, Captain Erik Souchek complains to Colonel Garva about the amount of live ammunition being used, suggesting that Szabo is preparing for a full-scale invasion. Garva refuses to question his superior on the subject, but Souchek says that he's going to demand answers. After he leaves, Garva calls Szabo and informs him that Souchek is asking awkward questions concerning army ordinance figures. Szabo sees Souchek coming on the command board and orders a rocket strike on Souchek's jeep, claiming that it's an enemy spy. Souchek watches in satisfaction as Souchek is wiped out.
In San Francisco, Jim picks up his briefing from a Rolls Royce Phantom chauffeur. He's informed that since Szabo has gained control of the military, he has clashed with the ruling Politburo, boosted military spending, and plans to invade neighboring Bucharain under the guise of a war game. Szabo has missiles on his base, and the team must prevent the invasion by exposing Szabo.
At the apartment, Jim says that Souchek was an undercover State Department agent keeping tabs on Szabo. He has disappeared, and Max will have to infiltrate the base and find the missiles. Szabo is a true believer in astrology, and Shannon has been studying the subject and will pose as a countess. The UN has granted them status as observer, and the war game force is only a day away from the border.
Jim and Nicholas go in as observers and meet with the commissar at the capital's largest hotel. Shannon arrives separately and complains about her treatment as a member of a Sardavian royal family. The hotel manager reminds her that Sardavia is a socialist republic, and she points out the hotel was once her family's winter palace. Shannon points out that the manager is an Aquarius and goes inside.
Shannon calls Garva and demands to see Szabo. She says that Souchek shared information with her and if Szabo doesn't meet with her then she'll give Souchek's information to the press. Garva informs Szabo of Shannon's connection to Souchek, and figures that she knows something. Szabo tells him to make sure Shannon never gets to the press any way that he can.
Posing as a soldier, Max takes a motorcycle to the military base and watches.
Grant drives Jim and Nicholas to the base.
Max cuts through the barbed wire fence and enters the base, bypassing the alarm wires.
Jim and Nicholas enter the command bunker, and Szabo says that the security of his country is his priority. Nicholas notes that the information is more offensive and defensive, and asks who he plans to attack. Jim apologizes for Nicholas overstepping the bounds of diplomacy, and Szabo insists that they'll find no missiles on the base.
Lt. Udo finds the circuit breaker that Max used to get past the fence, spots Max, and orders the soldiers to stop him. They surround Max, and Udo comes over and has Max taken away.
Jim tells Szabo that the bunker is efficient and well-planned. Nicholas secretly takes photos of the command screen as Szabo shows them the six main-strike targets in Bucharain. He says that a first strike would require missiles and they have none.
The soldiers take Max to the stockade.
Shannon meets with the press and says that the country will always be her home despite Szabo and the politburo. A reporter asks if Szabo will see her words as treasonous, and Shannon says that she has information about Szabo. Garva and his men arrive and arrest Shannon, take the reporters' cameras, and leave.
After interrogating Max without success, Udo figures that Max was trained not to answer questions. He draws his revolver and demands the truth, and gives Max one hour to tell them the truth or he'll be executed. Once Udo leaves, Max puts a transmitter on a window. Grant picks up the signal, gets a device from underneath the dashboard, and follows the signal.
Szabo boasts that he is the heart and soul of the war games the next day, and Garva comes in and says that he has Shannon. Once Szabo leaves, Jim radios Grant, who says that Max was picked up and is tracking him.
The general finds Shannon in his office looking at his horoscope. She says that it's inaccurate and says that Souchek entrusted information to her about Szabo's real plans for the war games.
Grant finds the stockade and uses the device--a miniature rocket launcher--to blast a hole in the wall. Max gets over to Grant and the two men go back to the limo Grant drove in. Grant then tells Udo and his men that Max took off in the other direction while Max hides behind the limo. Once they run off, Grant gets Max into the car's trunk. Udo hears the lid close, goes back, and tells Grant to open the trunk. When Grant protests, Udo draws his gun. Jim and Nicholas come out and Szabo orders them to open the trunk. Grant does so, revealing nothing inside.
Once they drive clear, Grant pulls over and opens the trunk. Max is in a hidden compartment inside and gets out. They go to a farmhouse that was evacuated for the war games and Grant uses the photos that Nicholas took.
That night, Szabo complains to Shannon that nothing adverse should be happening according to his horoscope. Shannon examines his charts and laughs, saying that his astrologer is using a discredited system. She mocks Szabo, who yells at her not to laugh at him, and she warns him that he has some unpleasant surprises coming.
At the farmhouse, the men determine Szabo's assault plan and Grant figures he can rig the map to show Szabo what he wants to see while he issues different orders.
Szabo demands that Shannon predict his future or die.
Nicholas, posing as a military officer, arrives at the base and uses forged papers to get in. He parks and Grant gets out and heads for the bunker.
Shannon accurately foresees Szabo's past and says that she used astrology to obtain the information. She tells Szabo that Souchek found the missiles and had them disarmed.
Max is also hiding in the jeep, and goes with Nicholas to the armory. However, there are no sign of the missiles.
Grant enters the command room and climbs up behind the display screen. Szabo comes in and calls for Garva, and tells him and Udo to check the missiles and make sure they're not disarmed. Grant radios his teammates and says that they're heading there, and the two men hide so that Garva will lead them to the missiles. The two agents go outside and watch through binoculars as Garva opens a nearby bunker with a keypad combination. They radio Jim and let them know they have the missiles, and Jim tells them to ahead with the mission and get Shannon out if they can.
Szabo brings Shannon to the command room and says that he'll reward her by having her die heroically in battle. Once a guard takes her away, Garva reports to Szabo that the missiles are untouched. Szabo describes his plan for the invasion of Bucharain and tells Garva to destroy everything in his path.
Max and Nicholas enter the bunker and contact Grant, who talks them through disarming the missiles. They finish disarming the missiles at dawn and go to rescue Shannon.
Garva tells Szabo that everything is ready and Udo is taking Shannon out.
Udo handcuffs Shannon to the wheel of his jeep, and Max clings to the bottom of the jeep as Udo drives off.
In the bunker, Szabo begins the ten-minute countdown. Grant readies his equipment. Jim and Nicholas come in as the reporters set up television cameras, and Szabo says that they will be recording history as the missile launchers leave the bunker.
Udo pulls over and tells Shannon that she'll be the first target. Max crawls into a nearby ditch and hides as Udo leaves with his men in the follow-up vehicle. Once they're gone, Max runs over to the jeep and starts it up. Grava seems him through his binoculars, and lets Szabo know. Grant shifts the target angle of the field launcher, wiping out Grava at his observation post while feeding a false report to Szabo through the screen.
Szabo tells Jim and Nicholas his real plan, and Grant has the screen show the invasion force going into Bucharain. Grant blows up the sabotaged missiles but shows them landing successfully on the screen. Jim suggests that he show his triumph via the cameras to both countries, and Szabo tells the people of Bucharain to surrender.
The Politburo members watch as Szabo says on national TV that he is overthrowing them, and head to the bunker with a detachment of elite guards.
Jim has Grant bring up the actual combat results. Grant obliges and Szabo stares at the screen in shock. He insists that the map is malfunctioning and rants about how the history has shown his triumph. Grant climbs down and leaves with Jim and Nicholas, as the Politburo and their guards arrive to place Szabo under arrest. Max and Shannon arrive, pick up their teammates, and leave.
Written by Gadfly on Sep 24, 2018