The episode begins at the Soledad Wind Power Research Area in Baja California.  Sydney and Miss Parker are with a young man who is telling them that Jarod called the area a "natural heat vortex."   He tells them that Jarod spent days, watching the hawks using the air currents to glide and throwing dust into the windmills so that he could see the updrafts himself.  Miss Parker isn't impressed, but Sydney wonders what Jarod is up to this time.
 
 

Somewhere, high in the sky, Jarod is flying a jet in tandem with someone else.  The other pilot tells him that "the audition is over" and says that if Jarod wants the job, it's his.  Jarod replies that he could stay up there forever, flying jets is so cool. 

At the Skyvionics Proving Grounds in Arizona, Jarod is riding in a jeep with Thomas Matthews.  They are talking about the Scimitar chip that is being tested in planes that are being sent to the company from all over the world.   As they are talking, Skyvionics "ace" pilot, Gary Dixon, races up on his motorcycle.  Matthews tells Dix that Jarod has just finished three weeks worth of tests in one and that his score of 34% makes him the new "king of the mountain."

Later Jarod is in the hanger asking Lawson if he's having quality control problems with the new chip when a woman in a military uniform comes up and says she would appreciate having the latest hydraulics specs.  While Lawson goes to get them, she walks up to three stereographs and says that she can never see the pictures in them.  Jarod looks at them and quickly says that the first has a penguin at the Sphinx, the second has a penguin on a camel and the third has a penguin on a Nile barge.  He tells her that it's a matter of ocular muscles and focusing on the poster while moving your primary vision about 8 degrees to the left.  She asks him if he invented the things and he tells her, "Not officially."  He introduces himself to her as Jarod "Wright" - and she remarks that he's Ronald Collins replacement, then introduces herself as Lt. Janice Gant. 

As Lt. Gant walks away, Dix walks up and tells Jarod that she is the Special Projects Officer.  It's clear that he doesn't like her very much - he thinks she's only there to keep tabs on them.  Dix tells Jarod that Clearview Ridge is a natural heat vortex with a lot of wind-sheer.  He says that if Jarod "leans on the throttle" anywhere near there, Lt Gant will blow a gasket.

Later, Jarod rides his bike out to the area where all the old planes and parts are kept.  He looks around until he finds a piece of the plane that belonged to Ron Collins.  Jarod pulls out his red notebook and looks at the article about Ron Collins plane crash.
 
 
 
 
 

In his trailer, Jarod watches a DSA where he was simulating something in a pilot's helmet on a stationary bicycle.   Sydney keeps telling him to focus on what he feels, not on what he sees.   Sydney walks away and Jarod sees a man smoking a cigarette in the background, talking to him.  Jarod captures a picture of the mysterious man and uploads it to his laptop just as Mr. Hollis comes into his trailer.  Mr. Hollis asks Jarod why he needs a second telephone line and Jarod tells him that it's for his modem.  Mr. Hollis nods knowingly and says that Jarod is "one of those."  He tells Jarod that it's too late ... "they" know ... the black helicopters, grey men ... like the Skyvionics people.  He says they've been out there since World War II, doing some very cockamamie things.  Abruptly, he changes subjects - looks at Jarod's DSA case and asks him what's in it.  Jarod tells him "memories."  Changing subjects again, Mr. Hollis asks Jarod what he wants with a computer when he has given him a perfectly good TV with a universal remote that runs everything but his life.  Jarod says that "they" could be watching people through the TV.  Mr. Hollis assures Jarod that there is no reverse imaging device in the TV set ... he inspected it himself!  Mr. Hollis also took the liberty, he tells Jarod, of programming the remote to skip the channels that have subliminal mind control.  Changing subjects one more time, Mr. Hollis asks Jarod if he was uploading filthy pictures.  Jarod tells him that it depends on how he defines "filthy."

At The Centre, in the tech room on sub-level 5, the picture that Jarod uploaded pops up on the monitors.  Miss Parker walks in, sees the picture and says, "Mr. Raines?  How did he find out about him?"  Sydney tells her that the picture came from a DSA.  Miss Parker asks Sydney if he thinks that Jarod realizes what it means.  Sydney looks at her and tells her that they are talking about Jarod ... if he doesn't know what it means now, he soon will.

Jarod is examining Silly Putty and asking the salesgirl about it.  He says that bounces, it stretches and it copies pictures. The salesgirl tells him that the egg is the symbol of the Silly Putty's birth - it represents it's "being" ... because the Silly Putty is whatever you want it to be.  He doesn't understand why anyone would call something so versatile, "silly."  She asks him if he would buy something called "Versatile Putty."  Jarod says he doesn't know, but he'll buy 100 Silly Putty eggs from her.  She thinks that's very cool.  While he is waiting for her to get 100 of them, Jarod sees Ron Collins' son, throwing paper airplanes from the porch of his home.  Jarod picks up his red notebook and watches the boy.

Jarod watches Mrs. Collins come out and put a jacket on the boy, then sit with him for a few moments before going back in.  The boy looks lonely and sad and wads up one of the paper airplanes into a ball and throw it into the ground.  The planes weren't flying very well.

At the Clearview Institute, Jarod signs something to a deaf girl and she tells him that they'll be very happy to help him with that.  Upon returning to his trailer, he finds Mr. Hollis peering through one of the windows.  Jarod tells him that the view is better from the inside.  Not at all concerned about being caught peaking in, Mr. Hollis tells Jarod that everything seems to be "a-okay" in there.   Mr. Hollis says that he doesn't figure Jarod for a pilot.  Jarod tells him that if it will make him feel any better, he really isn't a pilot ... but Mr. Hollis thinks Jarod is just pulling his leg.  He shows Jarod a picture of a black helicopter and reveals to him that he has Halicion gas, a hallucinogenic developed by the CIA.  He tells Jarod that he's cut it down with oxygen - but even so, he "caught a whiff" of it and thought it was Eleanor Roosevelt for the best part of an afternoon.  He calls Skyvionics "merchants of death" - says he's been a clown in that circus and it's anything but the greatest show on earth.

As Jarod is testing one of the jets, he flies directly over Clearview Ridge ... and he lays on the throttle as he does it.

Jarod finds his way to the Tail Fin Bar.  The barkeep asks him what he drinks and Jarod tells her that he was raised on optimized nutritional supplements ... hearts of palm, wheat grass and asparagus mixed with tomato.  She looks at him a moment, the says "Virgin Mary, celery garnished."  Jarod asks her to make it two - he's expecting company.  As he waits, he notices a picture of Ronald ‘Hammer' Collins on the Wall of Fame.  He doesn't have to wait long ... Lt Gant slams her hand on the bar beside Jarod and asks him what he thought he was doing up there.  Jarod tells her that he was re-tracing Ronald Collins' last flight.  As the barkeep serves up the two drinks, Janice Gant smiles, realizing that Jarod knew she'd come after him.  He tells her that he was told she was the toughest SPO in the field.

Jarod asks Lt Gant why the Air Force is so concerned with a civilian flyer.  She tells him that they are testing something that is designed to protect military pilots and it's her job to see that it's safe.  Jarod tells her that he's up for wing-man during Friday's test and he doesn't fly avionics with which he's not familiar -- it's his job to know what he's getting into.  Jarod says that from what he understands, Collins had plenty of time to eject.  Gant says he had the time, but he didn't have the ability.  She tells Jarod that Collins didn't eject because he blacked out ... his drink of choice was not a Virgin Mary.  She tells Jarod that he can take her word for it, or steal her report from the Special Projects office in D. C.  Jarod tells her that would be impossible.  She tells Jarod that even Collins wife didn't fight the allegations and it cost her his pension.  Further, two Skyvionics employees placed Collins in The Tail Fin bar the night before the crash.  Jarod wants to know who the employees were and she tells him that it was Lawson and Tom Matthews.

After his next test flight, Tom Matthews tells Jarod that they are making a big announcement after the test ... by the year 2000, the Scimitar chip will be on every airliner in the country.  Matthews tells Jarod that he wanted him to know that he had been talking to the "corporate types" about him, but he has to give the spot for the test on Friday to Dixon.  Jarod says that he understands ... Matthews wouldn't want a repeat of the last test.  Matthews says that this time, the test pilot isn't going to let him down.  He tells Jarod that Ron Collins could have flown circles around both Jarod and Dixon, but the residual alcohol in his blood caused him to black out when he pulled too many G's -- the crash wasn't due to mechanical failure, he was flying a safe plane.

Jarod goes to talk to Mrs. Collins and finds his son flying paper airplanes on the porch again.  Jarod tells Mrs. Collins that he was with Ron in Saudi Arabia and that Ron saved his life on the 3rd night over Baghdad.  He tells her that when he heard about Ron, he made his way there as soon as he could.  He says that he "and a couple of the guys" petitioned to get Ron a posthumous Gulf War commendation.  She's moved by it and invites Jarod to supper.

At The Centre, Broots is telling Sydney that when he tried to save the picture of Mr. Raines, it unzipped an executable that created a special program that will allow Sydney to both communicate with and see Jarod.  Sydney tells Broots that he doesn't want Miss Parker to know about the program.  Broots balks and Sydney laughs at him, saying that he's afraid of losing his job.  Broots tells Sydney that he's afraid of losing his life.

After dinner, Jarod is outside with Collins' son, looking at the constellations.  The boy tells him that he can name a lot of them because his Dad studied them with him ... in fact, they went to see them in the desert together, the night before he left.  Jarod sits up and asks him if it was just him and his Dad that went.  The boy shushes Jarod, saying that his Mom never liked it when they sneaked out late at night, so they never told her about it.

Eating PEZ and playing with his Silly Putty, Jarod manufactures an ID badge.  As he is leaving, Matthews calls out to him, reminding him that he needs him to play bogie in the Drahken tomorrow.  Matthews asks him how many hours he's logged in one of those.  Jarod tells him that actually, it will be his first.

At The Centre Broots is showing Miss Parker satellite photos of La Grange, one of The Centre's private air strips in Virginia.  He tells her that Jarod parked a Drahken jet there for 3 hours, just after 2 AM and then left.  She surmises that would have given him just enough time to go to D.C.  Sydney wonders why Jarod would go to Washington.

Back in his trailer, it appears that Jarod has done the "impossible" and stolen Lt Gant's Special Projects report on the death of Ron Collins.  Jarod watches the video of the simulated dog fight between Collins and Matthews, then runs a simulation of his own.  At the end, he determines that Ron Collins couldn't eject because Matthews sent him up in an unsafe plane.

At the Clearview Institute, Jarod is learning to read lips.  He goes back to his trailer and plays the DSA that showed Mr. Raines talking to Sydney in the background.  Jarod reads Raines' lips as he told Sydney that if Jarod asked about his parents again Sydney should tell him that Daddy loved him very much, but Daddy died in a plane crash.  Raines' tells Sydney that it isn't exactly a lie and asks him if they are clear on this.

Jarod hears the sound of breaking glass outside and goes to investigate.  He finds Mr. Hollis in the midst of a nightmare and wakes him.  Hollis is surrounded by old black and white photos - one of which shows that he was connected with The Manhattan Project.  Mr. Hollis says that he was part of something that should have never happened and because of it he helped to kill and scar thousands of innocent people.   Jarod tells him that he couldn't have known ... but Hollis says that ignorance is a poor excuse for murder.

Back at his trailer, Jarod is going over the blueprints for the jets.  He goes to one of the planes and pulls the Scimitar chip.  Using his universal remote, he tests the failure rate of the chip and comes up with 3.1%

Jarod takes the remote to Lawson's work station and starts using it on his TV.  As Lawson walks over to him, Jarod says "140 channels and nothing on."  Lawson says that his wife tells him he's going to die with one of those things in his hand.  Jarod stops switching channels and begins fiddling with the remote.  Lawson asks him if it's broken.  Jarod tells him it's defective.  He tells Lawson that he's the mechanical whiz ... the specs say that the failure rate is 0.4%, but Jarod has done his own test and has come up with a failure rate of 3.1%.  Lawson says that it sounds like a bad chip.  Jarod holds up the remote, with the chip exposed, and says that Lawson is the expert.  Lawson recognizes the Scimitar chip.  Jarod says that when it fails, the whole plane is affected ... the altitude controls, the infrared, the ejection systems ... Jarod says that Ron Collins didn't punch out of his plane because he couldn't.  He asks Lawson if 3.1% is what a man's life is worth at Skyvionics.  Jarod tells Lawson that he knows that Collins wasn't at the Tail Fin bar the night before the crash ... Collins was out in the desert, stargazing with his son.

Knowing that Jarod has him cold, Lawson says that he warned Matthews about the chip, but Matthews said that 3.1% was acceptable -- it was nothing against the bottom line.  So, Lawson doctored the voice recorder because Matthews wanted to keep Lt Gant out of the loop.  He told Lawson that they would all be "raking it in" once he closed the commercial contracts.

In a video call to Sydney, Jarod plays the end of the DSA with the simulation on it.  The young Jarod asks Sydney, "Who is that man?"  Sydney answers him by saying, "It's no one Jarod.  No one."  The adult Jarod holds the video camera up to the DSA picture of Raines and tells Sydney that he wants to know who that man is and what he knows about Jarod's Father.  Broots tells Sydney that "he's not there" - even though he is. 

Sydney tells Jarod that he only knows the man in the picture as Mr. Raines.  Sydney says that he's been searching and he's discovered that Jarod's Father was an aviator.  Before he can continue, the connection is broken and the screen goes black.  Jarod tries to get the connection re-established, but cannot.  Broots tells Sydney that someone inside The Centre cut them off.  Miss Parker says, "That's right ..." causing Broots to jump.  She tells Sydney to go with her.

At Skyvionics, Jarod takes what he knows to be a defective chip out of the universal remote and installs it on the plane that Tom Matthews will fly in the demonstration in the morning.  He makes several other adjustments to the plane as well ... including using the Silly Putty to make it seem as though the ejection pull handle is still attached to its cable, when, in fact, it isn't.  Jarod calls Lt Gant and leaves her a message telling her that there is something she really should see.  He orders something "rush" from Uniforms-R-Us and takes it to Mr. Hollis.  While eating his PEZ, he makes a template for something that looks like a paper airplane.

Miss Parker is reaming Broots for his part in secretly allowing Sydney to speak with Jarod.  Broots tells Miss Parker that Sydney made him do it, but she tells him that Sydney isn't that good.  Broots tells her that he can make it up to her ... Jarod used the type of connection that was in use when the Internet was still used by the military and Broots was able to zero-in on Jarod's location.  He shows Miss Parker where Jarod is ... she looks at the paper, nods, and whispers, "It's a beginning" to Broots, as she walks away.

The next morning at the proving grounds, Lt Gant is on the lookout platform with two other officers from the Air Force, ready to watch the test.  One of the officers says that if the Scimitar chip is going to impress them, it had better be now.  Lt Gant says that after what she saw last night, she thinks the test is going to be a real "eye-opener."

One of the people at Skyvionics is telling Matthews that Dixon can't be found.  He tells them to call his house again and to find him!  Meanwhile, at Dixon's house, wearing the uniform of an "Icy Con Air Conditioning Service Man", Mr. Hollis is making sure that the hallucinogenic gas is being fed into Dixon's air conditioner.  Dixson is out cold as his phone rings and rings.

Having run out of time, Matthews sees Jarod standing in the door of the hangar, all suited up and ready to fly.  He asks Jarod if he's up for a dog-fight and Jarod tells him that he was born for this moment.

In the air, Matthews tells Jarod that he "knows the drill."  Jarod says it'll be just like they practiced ... don't break mach 1 and don't get fancy.  Matthews reminds him that they will be "open-miked" into the tower, so they are "on the air" and everything is on the line.  Jarod says that he wouldn't have it any other way.

Jarod breaks out of the formation and the test begins.  Matthews quickly is able to get a radar lock on Jarod's plane and simulate a "kill."  Matthews says that Scimitar equals speed and in the air speed equals life.  Jarod breaks in and says, "Let's go to mach 1.8 ... let's really test this system."  He gets a long look from Matthews, but they are on an open mike and there's nothing that Matthews can do but agree.  Matthews flips to what he thinks is a private channel and asks Jarod what he's doing.  In fact, Jarod has rigged the radio so that all of the channels are open - so the brass on the platform can still hear the conversation.

Matthews tells Jarod to follow his lead.  Jarod tells Matthews that there's a 3.1% failure rate on any promise he makes, and Ronald Collins wasn't so lucky.  Matthews knows what Jarod means ... he tells "Manhunter" (Jarod's nickname) to come and get him, then flips back to what he believes to be the only open radio channel as he peels away from the formation.  He tells the General to watch and learn.  While the General wonders what the devil this is all about, Lt Gant gives him the file that Jarod gave to her the night before and tells him that it's about the truth.

As the simulated dog-fight continues, Matthews says that he's lost control of the plane.  Jarod tells him that it's because his Scimitar chip has failed, just like the one in Ron Collins' plane.  Matthews tries to eject, but the pull won't work.  Jarod tells him that he will tell him how he can eject if he will tell him the truth about the chip and what happened to Ronald Collins.  In a panic, Matthews confesses all of it.  Jarod tells him to disable several functions on the plane, but the eject handle still won't work.  At the last possible moment, Jarod says "Oops, I almost forgot."  He points the universal remote at the plane, presses one of the buttons on it and Matthews is immediately ejected.  Moments later, Matthews plane crashes into the side of a hill.

Jarod announces over the radio that Skyvionics has reached the end of another broadcast day and signs off.  The General looks at Lt Gant and says, "Let's go."  Jarod shoots off into the sky, giving a "Yahoo" and saying again how cool it is to fly.

As Matthews is gathering up his parachute, the General and Lt Gant pull up in a jeep.  The General shouts at Matthews that the government wants a refund.

When Ron Collins' son goes out on the porch, he finds a pile of Jarod's templates for perfect paper planes awaiting him.  The boy quickly follows the instructions and makes one that sails easily through the air.  At the mailbox, Lindsay Collins finds a letter from her husband's pension fund saying that she's going to get paid from now on.

As Jarod is leaving his trailer, Mr. Hollis tells him that he knows it can't be easy, living next to a nut case.  Jarod tells him that he's not crazy and that he believes everything Hollis has told him ... although he admits to being uncertain about the Eleanor Roosevelt thing.  Jarod tells Mr. Hollis that there is another place of which he wants Mr. Hollis to be aware.  He gives him a map and tells him that the name of the place is The Centre ... it's in Blue Cove, Delaware and the map that Jarod just gave to him is the only one on which it can be found.  Jarod says that it's a dangerous place and that people should be made aware of it.  Mr. Hollis looks at the map and is glad to have it to add to his list of other secret dangers in the world.

Later, Miss Parker arrives with a sweeper team lead by Sam - in two long, black limos.  They walk into the Tail Fin bar and Sam directs Miss Parker's attention to Jarod ‘Eagle' Wright's picture on the wall.  The barkeep gives Miss Parker Jarod's red notebook and a box that has a backwards Silly Putty headline on it ... the headline reads, "Late Pilot Cleared of Error."

Leaving, Miss Parker walks to the second limo and says "Nothing" to someone in the back seat.  Through a window that is only half-opened, we see Mr. Raines.  He tells Miss Parker that he is beginning to dread that the Parker "killer instinct" wasn't hereditary.  Miss Parker says, "I'll find him, sir."  Mr. Raines says, "Let me be perfectly clear.  Jarod is not some minor inconvenience to pad your Centre expenses with."  Miss Parker tells him that she understands.  Raines rolls his window back up and his limo pulls away. 

Backstage somewhere, a man in a tuxedo tells Jarod they are ready for him.  Jarod hand the man his PEZ dispenser and tells him to help himself ... then takes center stage ... acknowledges the ovation from the crowd ... turns and begins to conduct a symphony orchestra as the screen fades to black ... 

Guest Stars:   Deanne Bray (Deaf Woman), Adrian Stout-Coppola (Lindsay Collins), Robert Cornthwaite (Mr. Hollis), Lillian Hurst (Bartender), Terence Knox (Thomas Matthews), Jay Kopita (Andrew), Jake Lloyd (Ron Collins' son), Gene Lythgow (Gary Dixon), Ray McKinnon, Kelly Schmidt (Shop Girl), Gay Thomas (Lieutenant Janice Gant) and William Wellman, Jr (USAF General)

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