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A Name, Not a Number, I

Album: 22: The Changing Times

Episode: 290

Lesson/Theme: God's protection.

Bible Verse: Psalm 27:5-6

Characters: Regis, Jason

Writer: Phil Lollar

Sound Designer: Dave Arnold

Original Air Date: November 26, 1994

Last Air Date: March 4, 2009

Description:
The place: A toy shop in Geneva, Switzerland, owned by Tasha Forbes, who works with the United States National Security Agency. The shoppe is a front for Agency activities, and Tasha has just learned that they’ve been discovered. She and her assistant, Molly, are destroying everything. Their cover is blown and they must escape to a secure location. One of Tasha’s regular customers walks in the door, a man she calls "Doctor". Tasha quickly helps him, then suggests that he leave immediately. But before he can, a harsh and cruel man named Mustafa walks in the door. Mustafa immediately knocks out Doctor. Then Mustafa knocks Tasha out as well, then one of his men carries her away. Mustafa walks over to Doctor and asks if he is all right. He rises and, in a brief conversation, reveals that he is. . .Dr. Regis Blackgaard! While Mustafa is a member of a radical group called Red Scorpion, Dr. Blackgaard is carrying out an entirely separate scheme of his own. Meanwhile, back in the United States, Jason Whittaker prepares for his move to Odyssey to run Whit’s End. But Donovan, his former “boss,” informs him that things have gone terribly wrong overseas, an agent has been kidnapped by Red Scorpion, who is prepared to use a virus called Rukuta on innocent victims to advance the group’s cause. Jason is unimpressed until he learns that the kidnapped agent is Tasha, his closest friend in the Agency. Jason springs into action. Back in Switzerland, Jason follows a trail left by Tasha until he arranges to rescue her. But the plan backfires, and he’s taken prisoner where he meets up with Tasha and Dr. Blackgaard, who is also an agent and acts as if he’s trying to help them. Mustafa arrives and decides to make Jason a victim of the Rukuta virus. Mustafa is about to inject it into Jason’s arm when Dr. Blackgaard suddenly attacks Mustafa, preventing him. Mustafa manages to jab Blackgaard with the needle. Everyone is shocked as Jason pronounces Dr. Blackgaard dead. Later, we learn that Rukuta is indeed a virus but is fairly harmless until it is connected to a mysterious "TA-418" formula, which makes it far more deadly. With Mustafa in custody and the threat of world domination over, Jason says good-bye to Tasha and heads for Odyssey. Jason isn’t in Odyssey long, however, before he discovers a mysterious package from Switzerland, with Tasha’s handwriting on it, in a stack of unopened mail. He is then surprised when Tasha herself appears. The package contains the complete formula for TA-418. She’d mailed it off as a precaution, and now she’s come to retrieve it. Soon, they learn that Mustafa has escaped! Before Jason can warn Tasha, she has been captured by Mustafa. The deal is simple: He’ll trade Tasha for the formula. They agree to meet at Whit’s End where Filby, one of Donovan’s agents, arrives to capture Mustafa. Jason realizes, however, that Filby is a double-agent. Jason creates enough of a diversion at Whit’s End to save himself and Tasha. Mustafa escapes by leaping through the window. But Mustafa is only free for so long. He is captured not by the police, but by Dr. Blackgaard, who had faked his death. Blackgaard, who knows all about the power of the TA-418 formula, murders Mustafa and leaves. This adventure is only part of Blackgaard’s bigger plan. Meanwhile, Jason says good-bye to Donovan and Tasha, his days as a secret agent are over. The story continues in part II...

Questions:
Do you think what Jason did for a living is good or bad work for a Christian? Explain your answer. Is there such a thing as a synthetic virus in real life? Explain. Why do you think some people want to do things to hurt their own country?