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 K9s memory but with no success, Starkey offers to take K9 for a walk. They go and see a Ferris Wheel which starts to accelerate in speed rapidly and a group of CCPCs walk in, meanwhile at the mansion as Gryffen instructs them to leave someone comes through the STM. The CCPC's keep the worried crowd under control, Drake informs them of a dissident attack. A bomb has been strapped to the wheel, if they attempt to stop or slow down the wheel it will detonate. Starkey questions to K9 why the Department aren't trying to help as more news cameras come in. Back at the mansion, the unknown person who came through the STM tells Gryffen he came looking for K9.

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 - Philippa Coulthard
 * Darius Pike - Daniel Webber
 * Professor Alistair Gryffen - Robert Moloney
 * June Turner - Robyn Moore
 * Drake - Connor Van Vuuren
 * Ahab - Brad McMurray

Production crew
to be added

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 which is the final year of the 49th century.

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
to be added