- A transmission from Dr. Logan in Texas City leads the Alphans to believe that they can finally land back on Earth through a revolutionary teleportation process. The downside is that it is now 2120 on Earth and the surface has become an unbreathable wasteland through centuries of pollution. The Alphans, though, are intent on abandoning the wandering moon. However, due to a hitch, the Alphan test subjects find themselves in a primitive and hostile environment. It is Scotland in the fourteenth century where the Scots are at war with the English invaders, who kidnap the Alphan trio.—don @ minifie-1
- Out of nowhere, Moonbase Alpha is contacted by a female voice through a one-way signal, who claims to be hailing them from Space Station One, Texas City, Planet Earth by something called "neutrino transmission". During a lapse in the transmission, the Alphans discuss whether or not the contact could really be from Earth. Tony recalls the beginning of the neutrino experiments taking place on Earth just before the moon blasted away; Maya confirming that the signals could travel billions of miles in a matter of seconds. The transmission continues, but by a man via a two-way channel claiming to be Dr. Charles Logan, senior space scientist at Texas City. The Alphans become elated to learn that Dr. Logan has the capability of transferring them all back to Earth. However, they must act quickly; in 72 hours an entire galaxy will be moving in between the Milky Way and the galaxy in which the moon currently resides, blocking communication for more than a century. Commander Koenig poses several questions, including who had won the 1998 World Series, before the Alphans are convinced of the authenticity of the signals being relayed from Earth, where it is now the year 2120.
Per Dr. Logan's instructions, the Alphans are hastily constructing a "transference dome" amid one of their outlying research stations. In the Meantime, Logan's main assistant Carla, who had contacted them earlier, presents the Command Center personnel with a video history lesson. The pollution of the 21st century had decimated the Earth's entire ecosystem, transforming the planet's landscape into an unbreathable desert. The Earth's human population (only North America is mentioned) now resides in clusters of air-tight domed cities, the largest comprising the Eastern seaboard.
Once the transference dome has been completed, even though only thirty hours remain to transfer Alpha's inhabitants back to Earth, Commander Koenig insists on beaming a "test package" to Dr. Logan's laboratory first, equipped with medical sensors simulating human functions. As the countdown for the transfer procedure is underway, Carla informs Logan of seismic activity in the Gulf of Mexico, which could disrupt the neutrino signal. However, since this is simply a test package, Dr. Logan decides against delaying the attempted transfer. The Alphans, as well as Logan's team, become ebullient when the object successfully arrives in Dr. Logan's lab fully intact.
Although the earthquake situation is still looming, Commander Koenig decides to commence with the first human transfer, due to the time limit. Since the transference dome is capable of beaming three Alphans at a time to Earth, Koenig volunteers himself as one of them, appointing Tony as Commander of the base. Helena and Alan Carter join Koenig as the first test subjects. Helena has equipped each of them with wristwatch-type medical monitors which can be read by Moonbase Alpha as had been done with the previous test package. Within the transference dome, the three intrepid Alphans wait while the countdown to the transfer is underway. However, during the final seconds, Texas City is hit by a powerful earth tremor originating from the Gulf of Mexico. While the Alphan trio are dematerializing within the transference dome, Dr. Logan's neutrino equipment has shorted out. The Alphans failed to arrive in Logan's laboratory and could be anywhere in the universe, dead or alive.
Scattered about in a forest alongside a stream, the three missing Alphans revive. They conclude that they can't be on Earth, as the environment there is a polluted wasteland. Observing their surroundings in a cold light rain, they find it a miracle that they're alive.
As Dr. Logan informs Tony that there's no way he can track the Alphan party until his equipment is repaired, Dr. Ben Vincent alerts Tony that the missing Alphans' wrist monitors are functioning, proving they're alive, whereabouts unknown.
After failing to start a fire in the wet surroundings, Alan suggests they find some shelter. Helena, who's suddenly coughing and sneezing, warns the others to keep their distance from her, as their immune systems had atrophied after living in Alpha's germ-free environment.
With Dr. Logan's equipment now repaired, charges are being prepared around the building's exterior to simulate the quake that had caused the error during the Alphans' transfer, hoping that it will pinpoint their current location. When Maya announces that Helena's body temperature is rising, Ben Vincent states that it's probably due to infection.
First observing rain, trees, birds, and now finding animal tracks, Alan remarks that chances are they'll run across intelligent life-forms as well. As they move on, Alan's attacked by a sword-wielding human (speaking an unknown language and wearing archaic garb). Koenig fends off the assailant, but then discovers a group of them have abducted Helena. He and Alan surrender; the three then taken away as captives.
Dr. Logan has successfully recreated the earth tremor that had occurred during the transfer of the Alphan trio. He refuses, however, to go along with the computer's hypothesis that they're somewhere on Earth. With eighteen hours left before the galactic eclipse, Tony informs the other Alphans that they're free to return to Earth if they're willing to take the chance. Predictably, no one wants to risk it.
Koenig, Helena, and Alan have been "escorted" into a series of cave enclosures, then thrown into a small dungeon equipped with a ten-inch thick wooden door with a barred window. Helena's temperature continues to rise, diagnosing herself with viral pneumonia. Away from Alpha, she faces death. Suddenly she notices a fungus growing on the dungeon walls which could be related to a substance that had been discovered to cure viral infections just before they had left Earth. Alan scrapes some off, but the remedy requires cooking it. Alan and the Commander proceed to hammer the door, hoping to infuriate the guards on the other side. It works, and as the disgruntled guards make their way inside, they stand stunned as Koenig is holding up his arm in such a way that his wrist monitor is casting alternating colors across his face. While they're distracted, Alan vaults out of the shadows, pouncing on their adversaries. The three Alphans successfully escape.
As Alan and Koenig are preparing Helena's remedy in a campfire out in the dark wilderness, they discover their moon in the night sky. They suddenly realize they're on Earth, probably hundreds of years back in time.
Meanwhile on Alpha, Maya has come to the conclusion about Koenig and company arriving on Earth in a different time period, but is having a hard time swaying Dr. Logan over to her line of thinking. With only ten hours in which to recover their missing comrades, Tony urges Logan to reprogram his calculations accordingly.
After consuming the makeshift remedy, Helena has momentarily returned to the land of the living. Suddenly noticing that all three of their wrist monitors are flashing different colors simultaneously, Koenig realizes Alpha's attempting to communicate with them. Before they're able to figure out how to respond, it turns out that their campfire has helped Helena, but it has also drawn the attention of their previous captors. The three Alphans meet the leader of the group, who speaks English as a second language, as they're once again taken away.
Once again brought into the underground caves, which may have been the basement of a castle that had been destroyed in battle, the Alphans are more or less "guests" in the feasting hall during an apparent celebration. While Helena feels herself submerging back into her illness, the Alphan trio realize they're in Scotland with a new year about to commence. The leader of the tribe, MacDonald, assumes that his three captives are members of English hierarchy whose Lord would pay a hefty ransom for their return. The holiday atmosphere is explained when MacDonald informs them that their language is Gaelic, and he'd learned their language by guarding English prisoners after their victory at Bannockburn, exactly twenty-five years ago once this new year commences, which will be any minute now (with the last flicker of a certain candle). As the boisterous leader raises toasts with his comrades, Koenig informs his comrades that they have to send a message to Alpha: New Years Day, 25 years after Bannockburn. He starts punching Morse Code signals into his wrist monitor, but MacDonald notices and takes possession of the device at sword point, curious as to what it is. While attempting to confiscate Helena's, she slumps down due to weakness, suspicion entering MacDonald's mind. He suspects that Helena has the plague and that the three of them have been cast away to die. Now realizing there will be no reward, MacDonald orders his subordinates to drag the trio over to the back wall where they're to be shackled and burned alive.
Dr. Logan has given up on any hope of retrieving the missing Alphans and advises Tony and company to do the same, now that there are only 30 minutes before their communications will end through the remainder of their lives.
With the Alphan trio now shackled to the cave wall, Koenig desperately tries to convince MacDonald that Helena's sickness can be cured. Convinced she has the Black Plague, MacDonald demonstrates the only cure by tossing a lit torch onto the bundles of straw piled up at the Alphans' feet. Managing to reach over to Helena's wrist monitor, Koenig starts tapping a Morse Code message into it.
An Alphan technician recognizes the flashing on the Command Center medical monitor, informing Tony that it's Morse Code. Tony quickly relays the information to Dr. Logan.
The Scottish clan members become stunned to observe the three Alphans dematerialize in a green haze.
Back on Alpha, the Command Center personnel and Dr. Logan exchange farewells.
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