A Name, Not a Number

In Geneva, Tasha Forbes learns that her undercover operation has been exposed. She orders her associate Molly to burn their files while keeping the toy shop open long enough to avoid alerting whoever is watching. Before escaping through a secret tunnel, Molly mails a package to Odyssey at Tasha’s request. Tasha stays behind to erase information about TA-418 and dismantle the hidden transmitter.

Dr. Regis Blackgaard enters to collect a doll he has ordered for his granddaughter. Tasha tries to hurry him away, but a man named Mustafa appears and takes them both prisoner. He knows Tasha is Agent 2362 and has discovered the transmitter hidden inside the shop. After his men remove her, Blackgaard calmly reveals that he is allied with Mustafa and that Tasha is necessary to their plans.

In Phoenix, Jason Whittaker is packing for his move to Odyssey. He has left government service and is looking forward to a quieter life managing Whit’s End for his father. His former chief, Donovan, appears and asks him to help with one last case. A terrorist group called Red Scorpion has stolen containers of a deadly synthetic virus, and the missing agent who had been watching the group is Tasha.

Jason watches a forced videotape in which Tasha warns that Red Scorpion will spread “Rukata” through American and European cities unless its demands are met. He notices her hesitation and repeated blinking. He agrees to return to duty for Tasha’s sake, and Donovan flies him to Geneva.

At Tasha’s abandoned toy shop, Jason works with Donovan and European Security Agency officer Miles Filby. A scrap rescued from the incinerator bears the code TA-418. Jason discovers that “Ruku,” rather than Rukata, is a fatal virus that attacks the central nervous system. It was developed by Hans Tesler for the Rakistani government before Red Scorpion stole it, but the nature of TA-418 remains protected by the highest security clearance.

Tasha’s computer contains a file about historical codes. Remembering Donovan’s remark about returning in the blink of an eye, Jason studies her recorded blinking and recognizes Morse code. After removing the vowels from the letters she sent, he and Filby decipher the name Interlochen. Filby knows of a castle there, only a few hours away.

They watch the heavily guarded castle and see men carefully loading boxes onto a truck. Believing the cargo may be the virus, Jason moves closer despite Filby’s warning against heroics. He overhears Mustafa and another man speaking about Red Scorpion, but Mustafa discovers and captures him.

Jason awakens in a room with Tasha, who confirms that Red Scorpion stole both the virus and Tesler’s research. The terrorists forced her to examine it because they could not understand the documentation. She begins explaining a secret she discovered about Ruku, but Mustafa interrupts by bringing in Dr. Blackgaard.

Blackgaard tells Jason that he once knew John Avery Whittaker in Odyssey. He says they often stood on opposite sides but hints that Whit did not know everything about him. Before Jason can learn more, Mustafa announces that the virus is being taken to Geneva’s water supply. Tasha and Blackgaard will witness its power, while Jason will serve as an example to the world. Mustafa prepares to inject him with Ruku.

Blackgaard suddenly attacks Mustafa, revealing himself as the ESA agent who has spent two years inside Red Scorpion. Filby, Donovan, and their forces arrive, but Mustafa breaks free long enough to stab Blackgaard with the syringe. Tasha finds it empty only after the injection has been delivered. With no known hope of saving him, Blackgaard asks Jason to tell Whit that he is sorry. Then he dies.