SYNOPSIS
Guest Stars: Rick Overton as Count Gregory, Jonathan Coy, Diego
Matamoros
Screenplay by Alan Drury
Edited by Christopher Wentzell
Directed by Mark Roper
Location of Aurora: London to the Sargasso Sea, and back
Prologue: Jules wakes up from a troubled dream. The scene then shifts to a ship somewhere at sea, where Senor del Fuego is meeting with the distressed captain who says that the ship's gauges and compasses have malfunctioned and that he has no idea where they are. When the captain pleads with Del Fuego for information about the nature of their mission, Del Fuego reminds him that they are on the queen's mission and that there is nothing for the captain to know. After the captain leaves, Del Fuego goes to a large metal sphere with elaborate fretwork. As he picks it up, he hears voices coming from the mirror on the cabin's wall, whose surface turns from solid to liquid-like. Del Fuego tries to move away, but suddenly he is pulled into the mirror and disappears.
In London, Rebecca Fogg is in the office of Sir Jonathan Chatsworth, head of the Secret Service. Sir Jonathan explains that the ambassador from Peru has arrived in London after having been on a ship that vanished the month before in the Sargasso Sea, and the man can't account for his whereabouts for the past several weeks. He claims to have arrived in England by a sugar boat, but Chatsworth explains that no sugar boats have arrived in several months. Chatsworth adds that he has met the ambassador before and that there is something different about the man. The ambassador is bringing an urgent message for the queen, who is currently out of the country. Chatsworth says that he has detained the ambassador until the queen returns to England to give them time to verify the ambassador's story. He assigns Rebecca to the investigation, telling her that they have six days before the Queen's return.
At Phileas' London house, Jules looks exhausted. He explains that he hasn't been sleeping well, and that he has been seeing things in his mirror, although there is nothing there. He senses something dark. He decides to leave for a while and is missing when Rebecca and the others make the decision that they must leave on the Aurora for Rebecca's assignment. With only a few days to get there and back, and a storm nearing the city, they decide that they can't wait for Jules to return.
On board what appears to be the Prometheus, the real Del Fuego is in a cell behind a wall of chains when Count Gregory enters. In another cell sits the spherical object that Del Fuego had with him on the ship, the case containing the Holy Grail. Del Fuego is a Knight Templar devoted to protect the Grail, as the Count once was. The Count explains that every great force must create its own opposite and for that end, the count sacrificed his life. Del Fuego says he is ready to sacrifice his own life. Count Gregory explains that he intends to harness the power of the Grail and have the future of mankind in his hands.
On board the Aurora, the tedious journey changes suddenly as the metal objects on board the Aurora start to fly towards the outside walls and ceiling. The dials on the gauges begin to go haywire. Phileas realizes that they are in some sort of magnetic field. Just as suddenly, the metal objects that have flown up fall down. When Rebecca looks out the window, she sees that they are directly over the missing ship.
Phileas and Rebecca go down to investigate the ship and find it seemingly deserted. They pass one room that seems filled with unbearable bright light and quickly close the door to avoid the glare. Ahead of them in the corridor is a barrier of sorts, with a liquid-like surface, blocking their path. As they near this barrier, they hear distant voices pleading for help.
Meanwhile, things are going haywire again on the Aurora. Gravity seems to be changing, as well as the strange magnetic forces starting up again.
On the ship, Phileas and Rebecca pause for a moment at the barrier before they cautiously venture through its liquid surface. At the instant they move through the surface, two identical Foggs suddenly materialize on a London street. Jules, who is still wandering around dazedly, sees them. He calls out to them but before he can reach them, they move off.
The real Rebecca and Phileas are wandering through the ship which now appears to be the Prometheus. They eventually arrive in the prison area and find Del Fuego. Before they can get much further than introductions, they are pushed by an unseen force into the empty cell across from Del Fuego.
In London, Chatsworth visits the fake Del Fuego in prison in the Tower of London. This fake Del Fuego still refuses to explain anything further to Sir Jonathan, who leaves dissatisfied.
On the Aurora, Passepartout is trying to work out some way to negate the strange changes in gravity and magnetism.
On the Prometheus, Del Fuego explains that they have entered a different dimension, and that upon entering this dimension, their "similars" have entered the real world to take their places. He adds that this is all part of a plan of Count Gregory who wants to break the seal on the Grail and possess its power. Del Fuego explains that the Holy Grail was brought to England by Joseph of Arimethea and that the secret to open the Grail is a secret that Joseph gave to Queen Bodicea. Since that time, the secret has been passed down through the monarchy. The secret is due to be passed on to another leader, and he, Del Fuego, as one of the keepers of the Grail, is the person to whom Queen Victoria is to pass the secret to begin this process. By substituting his similar for the real Del Fuego, Count Gregory will be able to learn the secret from Del Fuego's similar and hence control the Grail.
Back in London, Jules enters Phileas' house looking for his friends. After a moment, the fake Phileas and Rebecca enter and greet him in a cold, suspicious, and unfriendly manner. They tell Jules to leave and come back later. Reluctant and shocked, Jules leaves.
In their cells on the Prometheus, Del Fuego says that he doesn't know the secret of the Grail, and explains that he is just a messenger, one of the Knights Templar that are dedicated to protect the Grail. The portal that they passed through to enter this dimension was devised as a means of transporting the Grail from place to place quickly to evade Count Gregory. One could pass through this portal and appear almost anywhere else on earth. But the League of Darkness have used this design to make their own portal for their own ends. As they are listening to this explanation, Phileas begins to show signs of weakness and needs to sit. Del Fuego says that as their similars stay longer in the real dimension, they become more like those they are replacing and the real persons trapped in this other dimension will slowly die. But when the real persons do die, their similars will disappear from the real world. Del Fuego wishes that he could die before his similar can reach the Queen.
Back in London, Jules is wandering down the street. He turns to look in a store front window and sees a spherical metal object like the Grail. He walks on, then turns back for another look, only to find that there is no such object in the window. Suddenly he spots Sir Jonathan and catches up with the other man. Jules says that he is worried about the Foggs, that they are in London and seem to be acting very strangely, as though they were not themselves. Jules pleads with Chatsworth to listen to him. He follows the other man to his office where the fake Rebecca is waiting. While Jules protests that she isn't the real Rebecca, Chatsworth dismisses him and shuts the door in his face. The fake Rebecca relates to Chatsworth that she has finished her investigation of Del Fuego and that the ambassador's story checks out. Chatsworth says that they should then go to the Tower to release the man, and they move to leave the office. As they open the door, Jules who had been waiting for them bursts in again and demands that Rebecca show Sir Jonathan her papers. Rebecca dismisses this by saying that her papers are not on her but at her home. Sir Jonathan says he finds this very interesting since Rebecca Fogg has no such identity papers anywhere and he pulls a gun on the fake Rebecca, saying that she too will be put under guard in the Tower. But when Jules, Sir Jonathan, and the fake Rebecca arrive at the Tower cell of Del Fuego, they find that the other man has escaped and that the guard is dead.
Meanwhile, Passepartout has been laboring to work out some method to negate the gravity and magnetism problems that are affecting the Aurora. Eventually he manages to negate the magnetic field around the compass and regain control of the Aurora. He heads back to the course they were on when they discovered the lost ship.
In London, the Queen has arrived home. The fake Del Fuego and the fake Phileas arrive for their appointment with her. Before business can be transacted, they are interrupted by Chatsworth, Jules, and the fake Rebecca> The Queen is persuaded by the Foggs that Sir Jonathan is the problem. The Queen calls for her guards and has Chatsworth and Jules taken away.
In their cell on the Prometheus, Phileas, who is growing steadily weaker, says that at this very moment, their similars are probably persuading the Queen to tell them the secret. Rebecca, also growing weak, says she understands this. She asks if Phileas wants her to kill del Fuego. Phileas says no, that Del Fuego is the messenger of the Grail who is the only one able to protect it. He says that Rebecca must kill himself, Phileas. Phileas says their only hope is if his similar vanishes in front of the Queen. Rebecca counters that it is her duty to die. Phileas, rapidly losing strength, says it is her duty to protect Del Fuego, to protect the Grail, and it is her duty to live. Reluctantly, and after protests, Rebecca agrees. As Phileas rises with difficulty and removes his coat, she stands slowly. She approaches him and moves her arm up to grasp his throat. Once more, she tearfully declares she cannot do it, but Phileas demands that she do it now, before it is too late. From his cell, Del Fuego looks on, griping the chains with white knuckles.
Rebecca raises her hands to find an artery in Phileas' neck. Suddenly a bright light appears and the count calls in the guards to separate the Foggs so that his plan can go forward. Phileas and Rebecca, with the last of their strength, overpower the guards. As they release Del Fuego, who carefully lifts the Grail, the Count orders that the portal be sealed.
Passepartout has found the ship again and goes onboard to discover the missing Foggs. He sees the liquidy portal in the corridor and sees his friends on the other side of this barrier. As the walls begin to collapse in on them, they follow the sound of Passepartout's voice and escape through the barrier just before the portal is closed.
At that moment, the Queen is about to confide the secret of the Grail to the fake Del Fuego in London. As soon as the three prisoners pass through the portal on the ship thousands of miles away, the fake Del Fuego disappears before the Queen's eyes.
On Board the Aurora, Phileas comforts Rebecca who is still upset about the fact that she almost had to kill her cousin.
On their arrival back in London, the real Senor Del Fuego arrives at the Queen's residence, escorted by the real Foggs, Jules and Passepartout. The message can be delivered at last.
