EMP ENG

When the team investigates a break-in at a military-software company, they discover that a device that can render electronic equipment useless is missing. Kyle: Brixton Karnes. Erica: Kathy Trageser. Jenny: Christine Steel. Duke: Duane Davis.

Plot Summary:

Two security guards at Miller Technologies, one of the leading manufacturers of military software, are thrown around by some strange electrical force. Kyle assembles the team to investigate, and Dennis the Mechanic offers to help with "Octavius", his new bright yellow Pacer. Kyle tells Dennis he's needed on SkyOne. Kyle criticizes Erica for having no concept of teamwork, after catching her reading a magazine during the mission briefing.

Trek visits Miller Tech and meets a group of the company geeks. One of them even asks Trek to sign his Newton. Trek discovers that some software was stolen, including the drive engines of an Electo-Magnetic Pulse device cablable of shutting down any electronic device. Domino researches the EMP government contract, and finds 4 companies that were involved in building the components for the device. A second company was robbed two weeks ago. The two remaining companies are Webber Data and Yoshida Sonics. Dante digs up the name "Carlos Adulce", a ruthless local arms dealer. Kyle recognizes the name from his CIA days; he was unable to stop Carlos in the past. Kyle assumes that Carlos is trying to steal the components to build his own EMP device.

Erica goes to Webber Data, and KAT detects an energy discharge with a similar wavelength to the pulse at Miller Tech. Kyle warns Erica not to engage the thieves until she has back-up, but Erica ignores him, claiming that she lost Kyle's signal. Erica flirts with the security guard at Webber Data, promising that she'll reward him with a date if he lets her in. The guard lets her in. Erica notices a florist putting a bouquet back into a delivery a van, and realizes he's the thief. She decides to chase him through heavy traffic. A man fires a sonic field from the back of the van, which interferes with KAT's systems, but they continue on. Erica tries to bypass traffic by riding on the meridian of the freeway, but winds up getting stuck in a dirt pile at a construction site. The van escapes.

Kyle tells Trek to develop a shielding system to protect the vehicles from the EMP, and sends Duke undercover at Yoshida as a temporary secretary. Kyle and Jenny visit Yashida and get a tour from their CEO, "Kayla". Kayla and Kyle flirt with suggestive innuendos. Jenny and Domino make fun of Kayla behind her back.

Erica remains on SkyOne so she can stay out of trouble. She gets bored, and begins to chat with Kat. Kat tells her that no one at the Foundation wanted to bring Erica into the Team, but Kyle really went out on a limb for her, and she should be more loyal in return. Erica asks Kat that if the vehicle are designed to complement their operative's personality, then how did she end up with Miss Goody-Two-Shoes. Kat replies that perhaps deep down, Erica wishes that she could be the good girl. Erica wanders down to the garage and gets in the way of Trek who is working on the EMP shielding. Dennis asks for her help upgrading Octavius' voice modulator, but gets embarrassed when it starts saying "You're to cool, Dennis" and "You're a babe magnet".

Duke shows up for his Temp job, and meets up with his snobby, prissy supervisor "David" who is Kayla's assistant. David insults Duke from the start. Dante and Domino test the security of Yoshida by trying to hack into their systems, but can't gain access. Duke sneaks away from his filing to attempt a physical break-in to their restricted areas, but fails. He returns to his supervisor, who is about to leave for a Yogurt break. When he leaves, Duke looks at his computer and discovers restricted FAA files of classified commercial airline flight patterns. One of the listings has a note typed in, "CA", Carlos Adulce. Duke assumes they must be planning a demonstration of the EMP on one of these flights.

Kyle and Jenny tell Kayla that her assistant is a spy. She says that the only way he could steal the device would be to use a hard-wired access panel in a resonance chamber. Kyle and Jenny go to investigate. Along the way, Jenny makes some snide comments about Kayla, which starts an argument between them. Dante and Domino jump in, Dante defending Kyle and Domino defending Jenny. The two humans decide just to drop it. They enter the chamber, and get locked inside. Kayla speaks to them over an intercom, telling them that they had the right idea, but the wrong person; she was the one stealing the EMP device. She activates a white noise generator inside the chamber, which will eventually tear them apart. Kyle calls Duke on the com-link, and Duke and Beast crash into the chamber for a rescue.

Domino discovers that Kayla matches the description of an arms dealer Interpol is looking for. Dante taps into the computers for a local cellular phone company and finds that Carlos Adulce used his phone recently, and was told to meet at an address by the airport. Kyle, Jenny and Duke leave to stop him.

Carlos and Kayla meet by the airport; Carlos brings a briefcase of money, Kayla brings the EMP gun. Carlos wants proof that the gun works, and Kayla suggests that they test it on one of the landing planes. As she prepares to fire, Team Knight Rider arrives and Kayla decides to test the gun on them instead. The pulse disables all 3 vehicles, rendering them useless. Kyle, Duke and Jenny seek protection behind Beast while Kayla continues to fire on them. Duke uses one of Beast's access panels to gain manual control of the missile launcher to buy them some time.

On SkyOne, Trek finishes up the shields that can be used against the EMP. Erica worries that Trek won't have enough time to install the shields and restore the vehicles. She recruits Dennis to create a diversion. Dennis is reluctant, but Erica gives him a motivational speech about teamwork, and he agrees. They install the shielding to Octavius. Dennis takes his car to the airport, and draws Kayla's fire while Trek repairs the other vehicles. Octavius' shields begin to fail, and Jenny takes Domino to protect Dennis. Domino goes "skiing" (riding on 2 wheels) and blocks the EMP shot. Domino offers to shoot out the tires on Kayla's van, but Jenny wants to do it "the hard way". She climbs out on to Domino's hood, jumps into the van and punches out Kayla. Meanwhile, Kyle and Dante stop Carlos from escaping.

Erica arrives late to a debriefing. Kyle tells her that it was a big mistake sending Dennis, an untrained operative, into a dangerous field situation. Erica assumes full responsibility and tells Kyle that she will offer her resignation to FLAG to protect the rest of the team. Kyle suggests instead that everyone just keeps their mouth shut and not tell FLAG anything about what happened. He praises Erica for her loyalty to the team.

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Future Trivia Answers:

Trek got his name because he was conceived at a Star Trek convention in New York in 1975.
The thieves hit Webber Data in a "Florals By Paul" van, 555-1803
Jenny describes FLAG as "a private security organization that works in concert with the United States intelligence community."

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Guest Stars:
Sadie Kratzig
Michelle Joyner
Music by Gary W. Stockdale
Executive Producer Glen A. Larson
Produced by Gil Wadsworth, Scott McAboy
Based on Knight Rider created by Glen A. Larson
Created by Rick Copp & David A. Goodman
Teleplay by Rick Husky and Marcus Miller
Story by Rick Husky
Directed by Jacques Haitkin
Associate Producer: Geraint Bell

Co-Starring:
Security Guard #1: Jim Hudson
David: Michael Irpino
Melvin: Hap Lawrence
Carlos Adulce: Xavier Montalvo
Jay: Drew O'Connell
Chuck: Dick Warlock