The Bounty Hunter (TV story)

Synopsis
K9 becomes confused about his memory loss when an alien “bounty hunter” arrives and teams up with an evil Department inspector called Drake. Ahab, the Bounty Hunter claims there is a price on K9’s head for murdering a Galactic peace delegate in the 50th century! K9 goes underground to hide and assess his memory fragments, whilst Starkey,Darius and Jorjie sleep he analyses the data and convinces himself he must be guilty and hands himself over to Drake and Ahab to face the consequences.

Plot
Gryffen is at work trying to fix K9's memory, he manages to find a brief fragment from just before he transported here of an alien called Zanthus Pia, head of the Galactic Peace Commission who orders him to leave immediately. He warns that assassinating him will gain his assassin nothing and others will replace him, he vows that they will have peace in this Galaxy. Gryffen tells K9 he'll have to work with him harder if he's going to retrieve his memories, he assures Gryffen he's working as hard as he can as that fragment is all the memory in his own time. Starkey tells Gryffen he can't get blood out of a stone, K9 corrects him and references the rocks of Nebulax 4. Gryffen finds K9 can retrieve data but not memories, Starkey offers to take K9 for a walk to get is mind off it, Gryffen says he's suggesting that Walkies may have a stimulating effect on Artificial Intelligence. As they walk Gryffen watches them on the monitor and notes how much the surroundings have changed, a common effect for someone who hasn't gone outside their house for ten years. They go and see a Ferris Wheel which starts to accelerate in speed rapidly and as a group of CCPCs walk in. Starkey thinks he's been found and tells K9 to save himself, K9 declines that order. Meanwhile at the mansion as Gryffen instructs them to leave a strange man comes through the STM.

The CCPC's keep the worried crowd under control, Drake informs them of a dissident attack. A bomb has been connected to the Speed Clutch in the Control Center and if they try to stop or even slow the wheel the bomb will detonate. K9 decides to help them, Starkey argues that the place is swarming with CCPCs. K9 says it is a compulsion as he is programmed to assist Humans in distress, Starkey takes note of a CCTV camera suddenly arriving on the scene. As Gryffen investigates the state of the man, he grabs him telling him to stay where he can see him. Gryffen asks how was he able to control the portal, he says he didn't. As he had a long journey Gryffen decides to get him some tea. On the scene, Drake talks to a news camera assuring the dissident threat will be tracked down and eliminated, he says to stay within site of a CCTV surveilance point and report any suspicions. Starkey tells K9 it's a publicity stunt with the story of the Department saving the day from rogue dissidents, K9 says it's unlikely. Starkey argues that place was surrounded by CCPC before a bomb was found, K9 says they were contacted by an informant. Starkey asks about the news cameras, K9 says it's news and turning up at news is what they do. Starkey asks if it's such big news and such a big threat then why haven't the CCPCs done anything, they're waiting for more cameras. K9 agrees and says unlike the CCPCs he isn't interested in camera and he has to help them.

Back at the mansion, Gryffen apologises for being inquisitive but he tells him he hasn't been able to control the STM. The man tells him he followed someone here, a cybernetic device known as K9. Starkey asks the crowd why doesn't Drake do anything, a mother whose children are stuck on the wheel asks Drake the same question. K9 and Starkey find the Bomb which is strangely non-explosive, they realise that this was a publicity stunt planned by the Department. K9 destroys it which slows the Wheel down, saving the people on it. Starkey and K9 are praised by the crowd, to Drake's dismay, they then quickly leave. Back at the mansion the unknown person who reveals his name as Ahab grows impatient and demands to know where K9 is, claiming he has committed murder. When Gryffen refuses to tell him where K9 is infuriating Ahab even further he is interrupted by a Department broadcast from Drake claiming that the "Mechanical Dog" was not the hero of the Ferris Wheel incident. Ahab decides to go the Department to help him find K9 and announces his presence via a CCTC device.

At Department HQ June and Drake argue about K9's presence, Drake claims he is a security threat but June persists that K9 could be of value. Drake asks his boss about K9, he informs Drake he shall consider K9 but orders Drake and June to keep doing their separate duties in the meantime. Darius takes Jorjie,Starkey and K9 to his secret storage facility in the sewers. Gryffen informs June of his encounter with Ahab who asks Drake to assist him in tracking K9. As Starkey,Darius and Jorjie sleep in the storage facility, K9 accesses the remains of his memory and encounter with Zanthus Pia (the man who Ahab claims K9 murdered). The clip shows K9's HUD stating Zanthus must be destroyed, the clip then glitches and cuts to a burning corpse which K9 identifies as Zanthus's remains. He decides he is "Guilty".

K9 decides to surrender himself to the Department. Starkey and the others try to stop him but K9 is captured by Ahab and they all go to the mansion. The lesh like device Ahab uses on K9 turns him into a conductor, restoring some of his memory of Zanthus Pia. It turns out that K9 did not kill him, he was infact killed by Ahab. When K9 reveals that the device Ahab uses generates extreme cold which weakens him, Jorjie throws a cup of tea on the beam disabling it. The force of the device throws Ahab into the STM and he disappears. June appears and says K9 is under Department control, specificly her section and gives Gryffen full responsibility of him.

Cast

 * K9 Mark 2 - John Leeson
 * Starkey - Keegan Joyce
 * Jorjie Turner - Philippa Coulthard
 * Darius Pike - Daniel Webber
 * Professor Alistair Gryffen - Robert Moloney
 * June Turner - Robyn Moore
 * Drake - Connor Van Vuuren
 * Ahab - Brad McMurray

Production crew

 * Writer - Ian Mcfadyen
 * Director - James Bogle
 * Producers - Penny Wall, Richard Stewart, Simon Barnes
 * Executive producers - Jim Howell, Grant Bradley, Steve Robbins
 * Associate producers - Bob Baker, Paul Tams
 * Supervising producer - Dale Bradley
 * Co-Executive producers - Mark Blythe, Sam Tromans
 * Line producer - Pam Collis
 * VFX Director - David Napier
 * Series Production Designer - Jon Dowding
 * Episodic Designer - Adam Head
 * New K9 Design by - Paul Tams, Alex Kubalsky
 * Series Director of Photography - Ben Nott
 * Episodic Director of Photography - Tony O'Loughlan
 * Music by - Christopher Elves
 * K9 theme music by - Micheal Lira
 * Editor - Patrick Stewart
 * Casting - Faith Martin and associates
 * Episodic casting - Lisa Moloney
 * Drama/Dialogue coach - Peter Kent
 * Story Producer - Greg Walters
 * Script Editor - Anthony Morris
 * Script Adaption - Michaelet O'Brien
 * Production Accountant - Pru Donovan
 * 1st Assistant Director - Peter McLennan
 * Script Supervisor - Sue Ketchington
 * Costume Designer - Joanne Thompson
 * Makeup Designer - Sharon Robbins
 * Puppeteer - David Pawsey
 * Location Manager - Charles Boyle
 * Sound Recordist - Ian Grant
 * B Camera Operator - Dan Maxwell
 * Gaffer - Steve Monk
 * Key Grip - Billy Harmer
 * Special thanks to - Space Furniture, Shredox, J. Barbour & Sons Ltd, Heath Williams at Firefly Lighting, Videopro
 * Safety Supervisor/Stunt Coordinator - Danny Baldwin
 * Transport Manager - Alister Ward
 * Unit Manager - Graeme Suhr
 * Post Production Facility - Cutting Edge Australia
 * Head of Post Production - John Lee
 * Sound Design - Warren Pearson
 * Sound Mix - Ben Vlad
 * K9 Theme Music Recored - Supersonic
 * The Postworks - Bob Blasdall
 * Marshalls and Dent Lawyers - Shaun Miller, Bryce Menzies
 * Completion Gurantor - First Australian Completion Bond Company Pty Ltd
 * Executive producer Network Ten Australia - Cherrie Bottger

Story notes

 * on Drake's appearance in the news. The other news at the bottom notes the first flight of the NX-2000 (USS Excelsior of Star Trek)
 * The same broadcast also mentions a self-aware oven known as THX1138, a reference to the movie of the same name.

Ratings
to be added

Myths
to be added

Filming locations
to be added

Production errors

 * Publicity for this episode states Ahab came from the 50th century, however in the episode he states he is from the year 50000.

Continuity

 * Gryffen suggests that the Jixen in league with Ahab was the same one which followed K9 in Regeneration.
 * The team manage to defeat Ahab by sending him to a place other than his intended destination, similar to how Torchwood Three did with Mary in TW: Greeks Bearing Gifts.

Home video releases
This episode is featured in the Series One complete boxset.