Thunderstone

Noah and Arushka stare gob smacked at the huge creature before them. This is a circus in 1999 — they have gone back too far! Arushka doesn't hear or care about Noah's concerns — these are real animals not just images on a wall. She never wants to leave. Noah tells her in a couple of years the animals and everything else will be gone when the Nemesis Comet strikes. Noah sets off to find a power source, leaving a saddened Arushka to look around. All of the animals are amazing but when she meets the beautiful circus horse Moshi she is totally captivated. As Noah drags Arushka away from the circus they meet Sophie and Mingus, a pair of animal liberationists set on freeing the circus animals. Whilst trying to prevent the animals from escaping, Noah and Arushka are caught and accused of the break-ins. In North Col, a quantum aberration convinces Becky that Noah may have time-travelled. Tao roars across the Red Desert in the Beast, telling Jett about his latest weapon — the mobile Sentinel tracking device. They can run but they cannot hide! Noah and Arushka are being escorted to a waiting police car when a lion escapes its cage. The crowd panics but an entranced Arushka is captivated by the beauty of the King of the Jungle.

With the scaped lion on the bonnet of the police car, a horrified and amazed crowd watches as Arushka calms him. She achieves instant star status when she gestures the animal back into his cage. Ivana arrives with Moshi and speaks quickly with Arushka. She understands the future Arushka comes from and asks Arushka to take Moshi with her. Using power from a nearby news van, Noah activates the PH-Ts and in a flash of white light Arushka, Noah and the beautiful black horse Moshi are gone! Instantly they reappear in Haven and the first animal brought through time has arrived! Becky, experimenting with her own PH-Ts hoping to discover what happened to her brother, shrieks with delight as she witnesses their time journey. He's alive! Pretorius quizzes Becky about what she saw but he and Beck'y parents give little credit to her story. Becky wants to try to recreatd the conditions at the time of Noah's disappearance but is not allowed. Lost without Arushka's leadership, the Nomads, spotted by Tao's mobile Sentinel, are captured as they flee to safety. Noah, Arushka and Moshi launch into a rescue mission. Noah hijacks the Beast while Arushka liberates her friends. The Protectors are closing in on Noah when Arushka and Moshi gallop into the fray and scoop Noah from the Beast and on to freedom! Arushka fears that Moshi must not be the only animal in the future of the world. She tells Noah if he helps her she will help him get to a power source to effect his escape home. What choice does he have?

Tao has a plan to capture the Nomads — with the help of his Sentinel he will trap them in their own lair! In the Beast he watches on the screen as Arushka and Chip release Moshi and Noah and Geneva head towards the Mine. He and Jett race across the Red Desert chasing the signal, closing in. Noah and Geneva manage to hide just in time, thwarting Tao. But inside the Beast Sutch continues to record the Sentinel's readings, logging the caverns entrances. Tao outlines his plan to Sutch and orders more Protectors and supplies of Thunderstone. He will get them this time! Having secreted himself in a Protector vehicle returning to the Beast, Noah is shocked as a hand grabs him. Its Sundance. But now they are both trapped as protector guards surround them!

Noah and Arushka white-in, arriving in some bush country abundant with wildlife, and to Arushka's delight, horses. Her reverie is shattered as gunshots ring through the air. An outraged Arushka runs to the noise and confronts Bully and Mac who are trying to cull kangaroos. Not happy at being interrupted they warn Noah and Arushka off. They are saved from these lads only to be imprisoned by their saviour, Duane, an alien fanatic who saw them arrive. This time they will have to believe him, he has proof! In Haven, the Shadowmaster has contacted Tao, demanding that he make the capture of Noah his first priority. Travelling to the Deep Road, Tao forces Ferris, a young timid boy, into spying on the Nomads. He wants to know where they hide. Free again, Arushka and Noah prepare to leave. But things go terribly wrong and Noah arrives back in Haven in the company of dozens of animals, birds and the sheepdog Dolly — but without Arushka. Arushka is alone and trapped in the past!

Arushka, still trapped in the past and hunted by Bully, Mac and Duane, saves Mac from being trampled by a wild brumby. Awed by the mystical effect she has on the animal, they listen to her story. Duane and Mac agree to help her but Bully standing alone is not to be trusted. Tao has dispatched his Protectors to Noah's arrival co-ordinates. As they close in on Noah, Dolly sends them scattering, terrified as they have never seen a monster like this dog. Noah must get to a power source and go back and save Arushka… who is with Duane and Mac rounding up horses when Noah whites-in. In a race against time, Bully having called the police, Noah powers up his PH-Ts and he and Arushka, now astride one of the horses, white-out. Tao is preparing to demonstrate his dominance over the animals that have his troops cowering when Noah, Arushka and the horses arrive in a whirlwind of light and dust and power. The Protectors again run scared from these strange beasts. More animals have arrived in Haven!

Arushka now has the horses she wanted but Noah tells her he can't help her bring back more animals to Haven — he wants to go home. Bidding them farewell he heads off towards the Mine. On the way a brave and loyal Dolly saves him again and his journey must be abandoned. The Shadowmaster exerts his power. Tao must mine more Thunderstone! He orders Tao to leave Noah to him, he has a plan! The Nomads have made their way back to the Cavern, but unknown to them, lurking in the darkness, following and watching their every move is Ferris. The Triumvirate summon Noah's family and Dr. Pretorius to appear before them. The charge is one of unauthorised scientific experimentation. North Col's strict laws must be obeyed if they wish to remain part of the community. As the sun rises on a new day Noah wakes from a dream of a world full of animals. He forges a pact with Arushka — together they will save animals from past and bring them to the future, to Haven.

In the middle of the red desert a furious Tao stands before a burning effigy of himself. Unguarded, the Beast's trailer looms behind. Noah and Arushka enter it and begin the first of many risky sorties to access the power they will need to bring back the wondrous collection of animals that will fill the magnificent landscape that is Haven. When the mission is accomplished, it is time for Noah to leave but Tao's tightened security will make this the most dangerous attempt of all for Noah. Ferris, fleeing from an unexpected meeting with Dolly and her new-born puppies, is captured by an equally nervous Savage and Rork. They gather up the puppies and head to the Keep with Ferris where Tao is demonstrating the Electronets — his latest weapon in his war against the Nomads and now the animals as well. Using this distraction to his advantage, Noah sneaks into the mine but is himself a victim of the Electronet. Tao has finally captured Noah, who still a little stunned yet still refuses to talk. But Tao has Dolly's puppies, and unless Noah co-operates, he will harm them with the Electronet!

Noah has been forced to give in to Tao, who would have used the destructive Electronet on Dolly's puppies. Now a prisoner in the Keep, Noah discovers Ferris and retrieves his PH-Ts which Ferris has stolen. Noah escapes with Ferris' help only to find Arushka has been captured while trying to rescue the puppies. Noah tries to smash the Net which Tao is trying to lure Dolly into but he is zapped and thrown to the ground, unconscious. The captive miners are galvanised into action and while the battle rages Sundance and Chip get Noah out, but Ferris is caught — and this time he'd better tell Tao where the Nomads hide! Tao's army, spearheaded by the Beast, races towards the Nomads' cavern. Noah and the Nomads are trapped — Jett's Thunder-oil smoke machine will flush them from their network of tunnels. This time there is no escape!

Noah and the Nomads are forced from safety by the Thunderstone smoke that continues to billow out of the Cavern; they are surrounded by Protectors and trapped by the Electronets. If captured they will be unable to stop Tao so Noah, their only hope, must travel back to his time and return with technology to fight the Electronets. Harnessing the power of the Electronets, he takes Geneva's hand and they white-out, arriving in the raging blizzards of Topside North Col where they succumb to the freezing conditions. Tao surprises the Nomads by releasing them, explaining that with Noah gone they are no longer a threat. He has called a truce — but why? Found by Dr. Pretorius and nursed back to health, Noah and Geneva are called before the Triumvirate for a preliminary hearing. There are a lot of questions that require answers and as there is no evidence to prove time-travel — the matter will need to be investigated in depth. Noah placed under house arrest and a frightened and confused Geneva is detained in the Discipline Centre.

With Noah and Arushka safely imprisoned in the Beast, Tao roars off leaving Chip alone under the relentless sun of the Red Desert. On a rescue mission, Sundance and Becky find him, exhausted and thirsty but alive. A smug Tao, with Noah his captive audience, tempts him with knowledge of his future; Noah is only 65 years in the future and he along with the survivors from North Col could still be alive somewhere. Tao produces a disk that he claims was found in the ruins of the old holodeck and contains a history of North Col. Noah agrees to watch it but only if Arushka is with him. The end of North Col unfolds — his family's suffering because of his illegal time-travel, the horrors of the rat carried disease rabies sweeping through the panicked citizens. Is he responsible? Noah believes he is the only one who can save his people — he must return. "But if I am the only survivor", asks Noah, "what happened to me?" Tao has one more piece of information… "you reappear", he says, "as the Shadowmaster!"

Tao offers Noah a share of the rabies vaccine and power to return to him to North Col. With Noah gone and the maserguns to rid Haven of the animals, Tao is now free to find more Thunderstone. Noah and Becky return to North Col, but where is everyone? What is happening? Was Tao right? They find Dr. Pretorius who confirms Noah's fears, rats have been sighted in North Col. Producing the vials of vaccine given to him by Tao, Noah tells Dr. Pretorius everything. Until the vaccine can be tested Dr. Pretorius advises them they must hide, there's nothing he could do if the Triumvirate found them. In Haven, Tao has the breakthrough he needs, a lead to a strong concentration of Thunderstone in the mountains. But the Sandtriber presence there must be eliminated. Marshalling his Protector forces, they move out in convoy. Nothing can stop him now!

The thought that he could be the monstrous Shadowmaster tortures Noah as he waits anxiously for the results of his father's tests on vaccine. When Becky produces the disk she took from Tao detailing apocalyptic future events, Noah calls for an Open Forum in which the citizens of North Col can decide on this evidence for themselves. If he can convince them to listen, he may be able to save them. Tao feels they are near the source of the Thunderstone — the motherlode! He will not be hindered by anyone or anything. As he prepares to fire on some horses, the Silverwing swoops through the air, disarms his masergun and returns to Sundance. The beautiful animals are safe. An enraged Tao orders his troops to move in. Faced with the Protectors' new weapons, the Nomads are surrounded. Noah has failed and he and his family are placed under house arrest. With Becky's help he eludes the holocops escaping to Dr. Pretorius retreat only to be confronted by the Shadowmaster. This time the nightmare is real.

Noah cannot believe that he is, or that in the future he will become, the creature that stands before him. The Shadowmaster tells Noah that it is time he learnt the truth. They both white-out of North Col and arrive in Haven. The Shadowmaster challenges Noah — was it right to bring the animals to Haven? They outnumber the humans and will continue to breed. Good, says Noah defending their rights and place in the laws of nature. The Shadowmaster lauds the wonders of Thunderstone. Its power will bring the human race back to his former greatness! It cannot be wasted on animals. "If I am to become what you are", says Noah, "why can't I change the future and so change myself? What is happening to me? To the Nomads?" But the Shadowmaster sends him back to North Col, back to rats scurrying everywhere, panicking citizens who don't see, as does Noah and his family, that the rats are in fact an illusion — they are holograms. Into this pandemonium the Shadowmaster appears and laughing mirthlessly, removes his mask revealing himself… it is Dr. Pretorius, he is the Shadowmaster!

The Daniels family are blamed for the rabies virus and the North Col community will not listen as Noah tells them the rats weren't real but holograms. Matters worsen when it is discovered the vaccine held as evidence has been stolen. Simon's subsequent collapse causes everyone to panic… he has a virus! Liz finds that the disk given to Noah by Tao is nothing but a series of sophisticated computer generation images. Who is responsible for this dangerous hoax? Noah returns to Haven to collect more vaccine to save his father. But the Mine has been abandoned. Tao has moved everyone to the Mountains of the Moon in search of the Motherlode. Noah makes his way across the Red Desert. He must save his friends and get the vaccine before it is too late! Inadvertently a Kestrel gives Tao the answer he has been searching for. Now the Shadowmaster and Tao stand, transfixed — before them is the secret of life, youth, and absolute power… it is the core of the Nemesis Comet… the pure Thunderstone Motherlode!

While the unsuspecting citizens of North Col are preparing for their journey to Haven, the Shadowmaster is assuring Tao that a labour force will arrive soon to help in the mining of the Thunderstone. Becky's suspicions are aroused when she sees Dr. Pretorius behaving strangely. As she explores a deserted North Col she discovers that Dr. Pretorius has the missing vaccine in his secret lab. Captured by the Shadowmaster she is forced to join the others in Haven. Noah unmasks the Shadowmaster revealing him to be Dr. Pretorius. Noah is not the evil Shadowmaster. Forced by Dr. Pretorius to listen to his great vision of a new Haven, they arrive at Tao's base camp just as the recaptured Nomads are herded in. An argument erupts between Tao and Pretorius and to prove his authority Dr. Pretorius exiles the Nomads… through time into the snowy blizzard of North Col.

In a Topside blizzard the bewildered Nomads make their way into North Col where Geneva guides them to the holodeck. Through a combination of deduction and good luck the Nomads propel themselves forward in time to Haven where their reappearance is monitored by Sutch. Sutch, who is under instructions from Dr. Pretorius to take Noah and Becky to a place they can never return from, instead reunites them with the Nomads. He too will now join them in their battle to defeat the Protectors and Dr. Pretorius. Together they formulate a plan to destroy the Thunderstone. Noah and the Nomads move on the unprotected Thunderstone motherlode. As Sutch and Sundance hijack the Beast and liberate the enslaved work force, Noah, Becky and the other Nomads spread salt out at the motherlode base. The showdown has begun! Tao and Dr. Pretorius move to protect their Thunderstone, their future. Tao, now revealed to be a hologram himself has targeted Noah but Becky's quick thinking saves him. Tao flickers wildly and disappears! Dr. Pretorius, his life's work destroyed pleads with Noah who, raising a Masergun, ignites the salt and with it the motherlode. The war over, Noah throws down the Masergun. Behind him Dr. Pretorius is left engulfed by the flames. Tranquillity in Haven, the Nomads and animals are free. Noah, his family and the citizens return to North Col — there must be a past so there will be a future. As Noah hangs up the PH-Ts he smiles with the memories he will hold on to. In Haven Arushka rides proudly on Moshi. Before her the landscape is filed with the animals of the world. They will live free once more.