- Ship's engineer Patrick Osgood believes he can obtain tiranuim to make a new heart for his sick wife Michelle, from the catacombs of the moon, using explosives. The explosion which follows gives him a vision of the future in which the moon is destroyed by a fireball and a sudden heat storm strikes. Though Helena is making a new heart for Michelle, its repeated failures cause Osgood to become impatient. Convinced he is his wife's only salvation, he drags Michelle down into the catacombs, giving Koenig a double task - to avoid the fireball and save the Osgoods.—don @ minifie-1
- Moonbase Alpha's Chief Engineer, Patrick Osgood, is leading a mining operation in the underground tunnels beneath Moonbase Alpha that they've nick-named the "catacombs", desperately searching for deposits of the rare mineral tiranium. Osgood insists on single-handedly working in a particularly treacherous rock formation and is caught in an ill-timed detonation of explosives, causing him to experience apparently psychic visions of Alpha being engulfed in a space-borne firestorm and that he alone can save his dying wife Michelle through the power of faith.
Michelle Osgood has been confined to the Medical Center, slowly dying of a failing heart. A heart transplant is necessary, but the only solution available is the implantation of a mechanical heart, which Helena and her assistant Ben Vincent have been feverishly striving to perfect using schematics of a successful model devised by one named Dorfman back on Earth. However, so far the pair of doctors have been suffering a succession of failures mainly due to being unable to obtain tiranium to coat the valves; the rare mineral's main use being a vital component of their Life-Support Systems. Currently, tiranium is in such short supply that Commander Koenig refuses to release any of the material for any other purpose. Hence, the desperate mining operations.
Suddenly, the moon becomes victim to intense waves of heat from an unknown source ahead of them in space. Commander Koenig elects a co-pilot (strangely not Alan Carter or Bill Fraser) and heads into space in an Eagle to try and discern the cause of the heat waves. Are Osgood's visions a prophecy or is the space phenomenon just a coincidence?
While Maya is in the Life-Support complex trying to squeeze power out of the base's air-conditioning systems to attempt to alleviate the rising heat, Tony Verdeschi - now in charge of the Moonbase - is chastising Sandra for failing to ascertain adequate information as to the source of the approaching waves of heat. She reminds Tony that lack of information is the reason the Commander has taken an Eagle out Into space. Tony relents, realizing the stifling heat is getting the better of him.
Patrick Osgood barges into the Medical Center just in time to witness the laboratory testing of the pair of doctors' tenth mechanical heart for his dying wife. After it fails just as miserably as the previous nine, Osgood scoffs at their futility, fanatically insisting that he alone is his wife's salvation, that only faith can outface death. After he leaves, Helena and Ben Vincent prepare for their eleventh attempt, their own faith becoming shaky.
Commander Koenig contacts the base for an update. Tony reports that they haven't come up with anything new and their temperature just keeps rising. Helena attempts to get Koenig's O.K. for the use of a small amount of tiranium for her heart experiments, but he refuses in this emergency. He then signs off, concentrating on locating the heat source in space.
As a precaution, Tony supervises the relocation of the base's supplies of explosives down to Level D, the lowest level of the Moonbase (other then the deep shelters and the "catacombs") to avoid the dangerous heat. During the operation, Osgood (who's close friends with Tony) confronts him, assuring him he's been blessed with visions and is his dying wife's only salvation. Osgood goes into detail, convincing Tony that he requires psychiatric treatment and attempts to escort him to Medical, causing Osgood to become violent. After attacking Tony and another security guard, Osgood swipes Tony's laser intending to use it. Maya happens by and transforms into a German Shepherd, using the animal's jaws to disarm Osgood, who then runs off. Tony hits the alarm and a search is under way.
Tony arrives at Medical to warn Helena that Osgood may show up there. He visits Michelle and witnesses the failure of Helena's mechanical heart number eleven. While explaining his confrontation with Patrick in the Explosives Stores area, he suddenly becomes suspicious of what Osgood had been doing there in the first place.
Osgood is finally spotted, suffering heavy blood loss due to his struggle with Maya and is brought to Medical where he reveals that he's wired himself as a human explosive. He demands that they quickly bandage his wound, then allow him to leave here with his wife, threatening to set himself off if they don't comply.
Koenig's Eagle has finally come across something in the direction of where the heat waves are emanating; a sizable cloud in space. He decides to fly through it, determined to learn what's on the other side. Their firestorm turns out to be a massive conglomeration of glowing yellow spheres headed right for the Moonbase. As soon as the Commander warns Alpha, the ship's communication systems fry.
As the Eagle races back to the base, the increasing heat waves are causing explosions on the lunar surface.
Osgood has taken Michelle - who can barely stand - into the Catacombs, which had been his plan all along, as his visions have been telling him that's where they would be safe.
With the Moonbase possibly about to go up in flames, Tony allows Helena to help herself to the tiranium supply for Michelle's experimental mechanical heart number twelve. Tony then begins to go after the Osgoods.
As Alpha's exterior is being bombarded, causing some casualties, Koenig and his co-pilot arrive at the base.
As Helena and Ben Vincent have succeeded with mechanical heart number twelve, the heat waves are beginning to subside.
While Tony is closing in on the Osgoods in the underground tunnels, Helena informs him that the tiranium has worked like a charm - the latest mechanical heart is ready for implantation. Now all he has to do is to get Michelle back safely. With Maya's help in the form of a tiger to see in the dark, Tony finally catches up with Patrick and Michelle. However, a rockslide caused by the surface explosions buried Osgood. While Michelle is being carried back to Medical, Tony begins single-handedly digging out Osgood.
While the firestorm is receding, Michelle's recovering from heart replacement with Patrick laying in the next bed recovering from his ordeal.
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