Legend:

Name of person: What the person said.

(Actions and observations)- All actions and descriptions contained in brackets.

[Comments] -My personal comments and opinions. Feel free to delete or ignore them.

Highway to Terror
M.A.S.K. Episode No. 4
Setting(s): The desert road, Clear Lake, Central City, V.E.N.O.M’s underground base.
M.A.S.K. Agents: Matt Trakker (In Rhino wearing Ultraflash), Brad Turner (Condor), Dusty Hayes & Gloria Baker (Gator), Buddy Hawks (Firecracker), Bruce Sato & Alex Sector (Rhino)
V.E.N.O.M. Agents: Miles Mayhem (Switchblade), Sly Rax (Piranha) Cliff Dagger (Jackhammer), Vanessa Warfield (Jackhammer?)

(The scene opens with the view of a military convoy which is moving down a desert road. The leading vehicle is a land rover. Two people are seated in it.) 1st Soldier : (Points) Sergeant, up ahead!

(A large man is sitting in a rocking chair is obstructing the road. We see it is none other than Miles Mayhem)

Sergeant: Excuse me sir, I'm Captain Miller. You're blocking a military convoy.
[Odd. First the soldier says he’s a sergeant, now he says he’s a captain. A little bit of a mistake here I see.]
Miles Mayhem: Oh I am, am I ? Well you see…(Stands up) I'm a magician and I'm here to entertain your troops.
[Hytac: How pathetic! C’mon Sergeant, Captain, whatever you are, don’t stand there doing nothing!]
Captain Miller: What !???
Miles Mayhem: Watch.

(Mayhem disappears in a puff of smoke. The soldiers look around in bewilderment.)
Mayhem: Over here Captain.

(Mayhem reappears along with Vanessa.)

Captain Miller: Just what's going on?

(Another puff of smoke, Bruno appears, arms crossed. Another explosion of smoke reveals Sly Rax.)

Captain Miller: (To soldiers)Man your battle stations!! Soldiers run around the convoy, securing positions

(Mayhem laughs. He waves his hand and smoke geyser bombs knocks the soldiers off their feet.)

Soldiers: Oh No!

(Vanessa and Mayhem laugh)
Captain Miller: Guard the trailer! (Soldiers run to and fro. One runs up to the Captain.)
2nd Soldier: Sir, the semi with the plutonium, it's gone!
Captain Miller: What !? That's impossible! (Pushes the soldier aside. We see a gap in the convoy.)
2nd Soldier: It… disappeared!

(The truck is gone. The camera pans away from the road and a depressing tune takes over. )

(The shot opens with Trakker mansion in view. We close in to see the picture of a digital map. A red dot marks the line which represents a road. A hand shuts the map off. We see that the hand belongs to Matt Trakker)

Matt:(Turns to Duane Kennedy) Are you sure it was V.E.N.O.M. ?
Duane: Captain Miller gave me a complete description of the uniforms and masks, it's been confirmed.
Matt: (Walks toward a computer console with his arms crossed.)Hmmph! They said they were magicians. That 's amusing… the only tricks they know are dirty ones.
Duane: And this time they made an extremely valuable truck disappear.
[If it was so darn valuable, why didn’t they provide adequate escorts? Hmmph!]
Matt:(Still with arms crossed)I’ll guarantee you, it wasn't magic.
Duane: We need your help, Matt.

(The camera closes up on Matt’s face)

Matt: You can count on it Duane. (Matt activates the computer) Scan the personal files for the MASK agents best suited for this mission.
M.A.S.K. Computer: Personnel selected: Bruce Sato- mechanical engineer and design specialist, vehicle code name- Rhino.

(Bruce is in his workshop, designing some toy or other. Beep goes the watch. With exaggerated movements, Bruce moves out of the workshop.)

M.A.S.K. Computer: Hondo McLean- weapon specialist, tactical strategist, vehicle code name- Firecracker.

(It’s the middle of a football game, school level. Hondo gets the ball, he’s running with it! He’s heading for a touchdown! His watch is beeping! He’s reaching the post! What? He’s thrown the ball down. He’s running left off the field! What is he doing?! His students must be puzzled, man…)
[Just to get you in the mood, heh heh.]

M.A.S.K. Computer: Brad Turner- motorcycle and helicopter pilot, vehicle code name- Condor.

(Brad is practicing playing his guitar in front of a set of amplifiers. Beep goes the watch [Assuming he can hear above the noise the music is making]and off goes Brad, sparing a moment to put his guitar down and shut the amplifier off.)

M.A.S.K. computer: Alex Sector- computer and communications expert, Rhino systems commander.

(Alex opens the cage door of a small but nasty looking crocodile. The watch beeps. Alex shuts the door again after hastily tossing in of all things, a Carrot. The croc stares at the veggie with a look that plainly says: “Hey! I’m no vegetarian!”)

M.A.S.K. computer: Buddy Hawks, master of disguise, intelligence expert, Firecracker co-pilot.

(A big fat man is waiting impatiently for his car to be repaired by Buddy. The watch goes off. So does Buddy, after handing a wrench to his obviously wealthy client. Angrily, the man flings it to the ground, probably muttering about the terrible service.)

M.A.S.K. computer: Dusty Hayes- auto and marine stunt driver, vehicle code name- Gator.

(A long line of people are waiting in front of Dusty’s Pizza Parlour. [Mmmmm… Pizza…] Dusty opens the shop and promptly closes it a second later on hearing his watch. His poor customers are left wondering when will they get their cheesy, delectable, delicious, mouth-watering pizza. [Gosh, this transcripting is making me hungry]

M.A.S.K. computer: Gloria Baker, champion race driver, black belt in Kung-Fu.
[Note that no vehicle is mentioned]

(Gloria is in the middle of a sparring routine with a partner. Hearing the watch, she flings her opponent, who has a stranglehold on her, over her shoulder and walks off with her nose in the air.)

(The computer has finished.)

Scott: Dad !

(Scott, accompanied by T-Bob, comes in the room and stands at the doorway.)

Scott: Dad, are you going on a mission ?
Matt: I 'm afraid so Scott.
Scott: All Right! When do we leave?
Matt: Shortly, but you're only going half way. I 'm dropping you off at Clear Lake with Mr. Spenson. You know… where the three pounders are?
T-Bob: And where the pound and a half rubber boots are too!
Scott: Tell you what… If I catch my [Unclear]livid on the first day, will you come and get me ?
Matt: Nice try Scott, but no deals. (Wags his finger.) Now get packed. (Claps his hands. Scott and T-Bob run off.)

(Scene changes to the V.E.N.O.M. base, which is in the dark and somewhere underground. Men in radiation suits are operating a vault of some sort. I assume they’ve just put the stolen plutonium into it. Mayhem and the rest of the V.E.N.O.M. observe from a glass room overlooking the vault.)

Mayhem: It's all set.
Dagger: Did you see those army guys?
[Hytac: Yeah, they were pathetic.]
Vanessa: The trap doors and the smoke bombs worked like a charm.
Sly Rax: Y-e-a-h… I wonder what the Captain said when he found out the shipment was missing.
Mayhem: Well, if he knew what we're going to do with the plutonium, I don't think he'd be too happy…

(Scene changes to the briefing room at Boulder Hill. We see the digital map again, with the dot representing where the convoy was ambushed. Matt and the other agents are seated around the table.)

Matt: That's the only information we have for now. We've got to handle this with kid gloves.
Hondo: You mean special gloves. The plutonium is highly radioactive.
[Never heard of plutonium that wasn’t.]
Matt: And in the hands of V.E.N.O.M., the danger is even worse. We have to get it back.

(Matt presses the button which activates the table lift. They go up the roof where their masks are energized. Out comes the mask rack from the ceiling. Everyone looks up. The masks are powered up and everyone grabs his/her own mask. Change of scene. The garage opens up. With a collective roar, the vehicles leave Boulder Hill)

(Inside the Rhino’s cab, Scott is talking to Bruce, who is being very sporting.)
Scott: I 'm gonna catch a whole bunch so you can have some.
Bruce: I 'm looking forward to it.
Scott: You can count on me.

(The Rhino pulls up in front of Clear Lake, where a single cabin with a smoking chimney sits on the lake edge. Mr. Spenson, a man with brown hair and spectacles comes out of the cabin to greet the arrivals.)
Mr. Spenson: Howdy Lad, Matt.
[Odd. He doesn’t seem to notice the fact that Matt is dressed up very strangely]
Scott: Hi! Mr. Spenson. You remember T-Bob?
T-Bob:(Waves) How could he forget me?! I caught more fish then both of you last time!
Mr. Spenson: That 's because you fell in! With those fish all over ya, you looked like a can of sardines!
[Cans of sardines have fish Inside them, not all over them dear Mr. Spenson…]
All: Laugh.
Matt: Nice seeing you Mr. Spenson. (To Scott) I'll call you soon to see how you're doing, son.
Scott: Be careful dad.

(Scott and T-Bob wave as the Rhino drives off. The scene switches to the desert road. The agents have parked and all are sitting in a circle.)

Matt:This is where the army semi disappeared.(Bends down) Let 's see if we can find anything.
Brad:(Sitting on the Condor)Peaceful as a summer cloud.(Glances around)
Matt: (Gets up)Peaceful maybe, Brad… but eight tons of truck doesn't disappear into thin air.
Bruce:(Arms crossed)An illusion is little more than a theft from the eye.
Buddy: (To Matt)What in thunder is he talking about?
Matt: He's saying, Buddy, that the hand is quicker than the eye.
(Buddy doesn’t look too pleased with the explanation)
Matt: Okay, spread out and scour the area. Look for clues.

(Suddenly, the ground begins to tremble and shake)

Buddy:Earthquake!

(The countryside shudders as the cliffs crumble. Matt rushes into the Rhino lab. Bruce and Alex follow suit.)

Matt: Patching into satellite sensors. According to the satellite readings it 's Central City 7.2. (Interactive digital map shows the area) Near the centre of the geological research centre. Hmm........ that 's odd. (Zooming into map, we see the V.E.N.O.M. vehicles.) It 's no coincidence, VENOM 's inside!
Bruce: What are they doing there?
Matt: Nothing worthwhile. Come on !

(The M.A.S.K. team rush for Central City. The scene changes to show havoc being wreaked on the city by the earthquake. Buildings collapse, windows shatter, roads crack and spilt and people are running around in a panic. Pandemonium breaks out everywhere.)

Matt: We're almost there… Split into two teams!

(At the geological research center, we find the V.E.N.O.M. doing their usual dirty work.)

Mayhem: Hurry up.
Dagger: Yes, sir. I've never done such an easy job like this.
Sly Rax: Nothing like a good earthquake to scare people away.
Mayhem: Good Job. Let's get going.

(Rhino comes roaring around the corner)

Mayhem: M.A.S.K.! (Turns around)

(Condor and Firecracker come roaring from the other side. The agents run out, preparing for a face-off.)

Matt: This is it V.E.N.O.M.!

(Suddenly, a pleading cry for help catches our hero’s ear.)

Woman: Help ! Somebody help !(The call is coming from an about-to-collapse balcony.)
[Hytac: Oh for goodness sake! This is so pathetic!]
Mayhem:(Taking advantage of the situation) Viper, fire!

(Matt cartwheels over to cover behind the Rhino)

Mayhem: How convenient…let 's get out of here. (The V.E.N.O.M. split in different directions)
Matt:(From behind the Rhino) Bruce, Brad, Alex, Gloria help that woman. We'll take care of VENOM.(Runs out into the open)
[Query: How many M.A.S.K. agents does it take to save a woman? ;)]
Sly Rax: (Running for the Piranha) Stiletto fire!(Fires Stiletto)
Buddy:Penetrator on!(The darts pass harmlessly through him.)

(Vanessa activates her Whip mask and takes care of Hondo who is pursuing her.)

Hondo:Ugh! (Goes flying backward)
Dagger:Torch on! (The fire is aimed at Dusty)
Dusty: Backlash fire! (Neutralizes Dagger’s fire and pushes him back. Dagger drops the box of equipment he is holding in the process. Off he runs into the Jackhammer without it and flees)

(Meanwhile, our dear heroes and heroine have reached the are where the oh-so helpless woman is crying for help. A pair of snapped electrical wires are crackling above the woman who is carrying a baby in her arms.)

Gloria:(Running) Aura on! (The wires die out and are rendered harmless. However, the balcony decides to meet the ground at that very moment.)
Woman: Nooo! Ahhhh! (Grabs the balcony rail and her baby, each with one hand.)
Bruce: Lifter on! (Woman and baby are ‘lifted’ down. She lies still, stunned, then slowly sits up to see her rescuers.)[Two of whom haven’t done anything… Hmmph!]

Dusty:(Running down an alley in pursuit of Vanessa.) Backlash fire! (Pushes Vanessa down)
Vanessa: Eeayah!
Dusty: Better give up…now.
Vanessa Fat chance!!

(The squeal of tires announce the coming of Jackhammer. Dusty bounces off the vehicle.)

Dusty: Woah!!
Dagger:(To Vanessa) Get in, quick!

(Vanessa wastes no time in doing so. Off goes Jackhammer)
Dusty: Hey! Stop! (Runs after them)
[Oh yeah, like they are going to?]
Mayhem:(Intercepts in the Switchblade) This should slow him down.

(Mayhem fires a missile at Dusty, which he dodges. It hits a building and debris comes raining down. Dusty tries to dodge them, but does not succeed.)

Dusty: Oh Nooo…

(Dusty is buried underneath the debris. With a resound crash, plank and pillar trap him underneath.)
[By all rights, that should have killed him, but I guess he must have the lives of a cat or something.]

(Later, The agents are standing around the pile of debris. Hondo is trying to free him with Blaster. Suddenly, an arm sticks out, waving from the debris.)

Dusty: Hey! Wait a minute!

(Hondo, ever obliging, does so. Buddy, Bruce and Gloria run forward to help him out.)

Dusty:Don't evaporate me!
Matt: Are you all right, Dusty?
Dusty:(Looking rather downcast) Well sort of…(Takes his mask off) V.E.N.O.M. got away.
Matt: Don't worry. At least we got what they were after. (Alex steps forward with the computer box.)Did you figure out what it was?
Alex:(Kneeling in front of the box.) It 's a computer component used to divert earthquakes from populated areas to the desert or ocean floor.
Matt: Then obviously V.E.N.O.M. has the means to create earthquakes. That's obviously what the plutonium was for… some kind of earthquake device.
Buddy: Why do they need such a thing?

(The agents look at each other, puzzled. Matt looks down, deep in thought.)

(Back at Clear Lake, Mr. Spenson is frying some fish while Scott, clad in swimming trunks, yaks.)

Scott:Can you believe it, Mr. Spenson? T-Bob still catches all the fish and he doesn't even have a license.
Mr. Spenson: Maybe we ought to report him.
T-Bob: No one would believe you, because I’d turn into a… (T-Bob converts into a motor scooter, still with the swimming float attached.)
Mr. Spenson: O-K, you win T-Bob, but if you two are going swimming you'd better hurry, Lunch is on shortly.
Scott: Come on T-Bob, I'll race you.

(Scott races for the lake, followed by T-Bob. Mr. Spenson looks after them with a smile. Scott is soon overtaken by T-Bob on the pier.)

Scott:Last one in the water is an old scrap yard!
T-Bob:(Dives headlong in.) Wheeee! (We hear a crash)
Scott: T-Bob!(Runs forward. The lake has become very shallow, about a foot deep. T-Bob is stuck in the mud.) Where's the lake!?(Runs down and tries to pull T-Bob out.)Ugh. Ugh. Ugh (Out comes T-Bob) What happened to the water?

(We see that Clear Lake is drained.)

(Matt Tracker is sitting, presumably in the Rhino, talking to Scott By phone)

Matt: Yes, that is strange, Scott… Well try to make the best of it ‘till I pick you up.
Scott:Off screen, though radio) All right, dad. Bye!

(Matt puts down the phone and leans forward, hands clasped thoughtfully)

Matt: All of a sudden, Clear Lake is half-empty. There’s gotta be a connection between that and its closeness to Central City.
Alex: Allow me, Matt… If you pump enough water into an earthquake vault, you can create enough pressure to make the vault give way.
Matt: If I had to make an educated guess, V.E.N.O.M. stole the plutonium for the earthquake device’s nuclear water pump.
Dusty: Which means they can cause earthquakes, right?
Hondo:(punches his hand)Yeah… that's why they were trying to get that computer box!
Matt:(Looking very thoughtful)If VENOM got hold of it… they'd be able to direct earthquakes to large cities- to bring attention to themselves as a world power…(A sly look crosses Matt’s face) If they want it so desperately, why don't we let them have it?(Smiles diabolically)

(At the same desert road where the earlier ambush was carried out, Vanessa and Dagger lie concealed atop one of the cliffs at side.)

Vanessa:(Turning to Dagger)Are you sure the army is transporting another computer box?
Dagger:(Looking through a pair of binoculars) I intercepted satellite information- I'm positive!
[Considering how stupid Dagger is potrayed, I’m surprised he even knew how to do that]

(Through the binocular viewpoint, we the small dot which is the military convoy getting larger. It approaches them.)

Dagger: Right on schedule! (Waves to a hot air balloon in the distance.)

(The convoy moves along its merry way. It comprises of a three vehicles, the really big main truck and two escort vehicles. The front one, a land rover again, seats the leader of the escorts.)

Major: Huh?

(Sees the balloon land on the road. A closer look reveals Mayhem and Sly Rax in the basket area. Mayhem is waving his arms. The convoy slows to a stop. Mayhem and Sly Rax get out of the balloon)

Major:(Coming forward) What's the problem?
Mayhem: We seem to have run out of fuel… perhaps you could spare some?
Major:(To his troops)Bring a couple of tanks of propane!

(Another vehicle comes forward and delivers the gas. After the exchange is made, Mayhem laughs quietly to himself.)

(Later, the balloon is ready to fly)

Mayhem:Thank you for your time, Major. Sorry for distracting you! (Balloon lifts off)
Major:(Salutes)Take care!
Mayhem:(Waves)Same to you!

(Meanwhile, part of the road turns out to be a trapdoor, and is silently being lowered to allow the truck to roll down into a secret base hidden underground. The truck disappears from sight and the road comes back up, this time without the truck.)

(The V.E.N.O.M. vehicles roar toward the trapdoor area.)

Mayhem: Open it up!

(The truck is opened and Hey Presto! It’s the Rhino they see)

Mayhem: M.A.S.K.! It's a trap! Give 'em the worst! (Gets into Switchblade)

(Out roars the Rhino, followed by Condor, Gator and Firecracker.)

(Piranha opens fire at Gator, hitting not. Jackhammer, with a laughing Bruno, also attempts to shoot the Condor, and fails utterly. The Firecracker and Rhino are not excluded from enemy fire either.)

Matt:(Turns to Bruce) Laser Cannons- Fire.

(Bruce does so. With a bit of precise aiming as well as some fancy driving, they shoot off the Switchblade’s landing gears.)

(Meanwhile, Brad and Sly Rax are slugging it out.)

Sly Rax: Okay… follow me. (Screeches to a stop and ambushes the Condor. He nearly hits, as always. The Condor converts to helicopter mode and flies off.)

Sly Rax: I missed! [Yeah, isn’t it pathetic?] (Brad pursues Sly Rax)
Brad: Hocus-pocus mask on! (An image of the Condor, complete with Brad driving is projected beside the Piranha.)
Sly Rax: What!? Have fun with this… chump!

(Sly Rax tries to crowd Brad into the wall. Unfortunately, he goes through the hologram and nearly hits the wall himself.)

Sly Rax: Yeearrghh! (Sly swerves to and fro, trying to regain control, just as he succeeds, he realizes that he’s heading straight for the wall on which the trapdoor switch is. Unable to stop, he crashes into it, screaming, and accidentally throws the switch. The trapdoor opens.)

(The Jackhammer tries to shoot the Gator. Of course he misses.)

Dusty:Electronic Ouch! (A bullseye from the ‘Electronic Ouch’ gun shorts out the Jackhammer’s systems.)
Dagger: Arrrghhh! (Goes out of control)

(Meanwhile, Mayhem battle, naturally, Rhino.)

Mayhem:Now I've got you! (Fires a torpedo missile at the Rhino. A swerve brings the Rhino out of the way. The missile hits the earthquake machine. Liquid plutonium begins to leak from it.)

Mayhem:Next time, M.A.S.K… next time! (To V.E.N.O.M.) Let's get out of here!

(Switchblade flies out of the open trapdoor, converting into a plane and blasting off. Piranha and Jackhammer follow by road.)

Bruce:Let's go after them!
Matt Tracker: We can't! We've got to stop the plutonium from leaking! (We see the liquid plutonium leaking) We can't let the radioactivity escape!
Bruce:(Outside the Rhino) Lifter on!

(The plutonium is picked up and gathered into a giant ball.)

Alex:(Waving with a large lead box.)[At least, I assume it is lead. What else could it be?] Over here Bruce!

(Bruce puts the plutonium into the box. Alex shuts the lid.) I must say, that was the most dangerous thing any M.A.S.K. agent has ever done! Imagine, going near such a large source of radiation without adequate protection!]

Matt:Good work everyone.(Bruce takes off his mask as everyone comes forward.)
Hondo:We almost got them!(Clenches his fist)
Matt:Well… I think it 's safe to say V.E.N.O.M. won't trust satellite information again! (Waggles his finger)

END

Safety Tip:

(Back at Clear Lake, the sun is shining. Scott and T-Bob are sunning on the pier.)

T-Bob:(Jumps up)It’s so Hot! I can’t stand it anymore! I’m going to take a dive!(Runs for the lake)
Scott: Wait! Stop, T-Bob. You know how deep the water is there?

(T-Bob stops)

Scott:(You’ll get seriously hurt if you dive into shallow water.)
Matt:(Coming out of nowhere)Well, looks like it’s ok. About nine feet. Great for diving. And, Let’s Dive!

(All three dive in.)
[Now That is dangerous… diving in simultaneously. Please don’t do this a home, guys!]

THE END

Transcripted by Hytac. Product of 6 hours worth of watching the same episode, pausing and rewinding.(Not to mention occasionally trying to decipher who said what.) Any mistakes in the script, or any comment at all, please mail me . Special thanks to Megaman, who provided the M.A.S.K. episodes to transcript. Also thanks to Joeri Mulder and Marc Burkels, whose alternative script provided handy refrence for those part I could make out.

Hytac’s Review

The Bad:
Well, first of all, I disliked the portrayal of the military as stupid and gullible. Also, the plot seemed to me rather lop sided. I couldn’t see the necessity of having the computer box. The names of the places (Central City, Clear Lake) were fantastically unimaginative. Of course, if there are really places called that, than I beg your pardon. That last bit where the plutonium leaks is certainly flawed. Alex, Bruce and maybe rest of the M.A.S.K. agents should have been killed, being so exposed to the radiation. I’m not sure, who Mr. Spenson, is, but if he’s not into the secret of the M.A.S.K. after having seen Matt decked out in his uniform, he must be incredibly dense. Also, Dusty should have been at least wounded by that falling debris. Considering the mass and the velocity of the falling objects, they should have in fact killed him. But he got out without a scratch. Super-Hero immunity strikes again. I did not see the importance of the woman in distress and Clear Lake being drained. I suppose they had some reason for that, other than filling up the episode. It would have been better if they had cut those parts off and replaced it with something more relevant to the story. The ending was rather a let-down. Bruce and Alex could have handled the plutonium themselves, while the others went after the V.E.N.O.M.. I guess they needed an excuse to let them get away.

The Good:
The voices were not bad, and the dialogue was good. The plot was passable, the action fine if unrealistic, and I especially liked the scenes showing the result of the earthquake on Central City. The death toll must have been catastrophic! The surprise in the truck was a nice twist, but not totally unexpected. V.E.N.O.M.’s idea about the trapdoor in the road has merit, and pity they never learned Not to play the same trick twice. I like the fighting at the geological center very much. They relied more on their masks instead of their vehicles. As usual, Matt’s thinking saved the day.

Comments:
Matt was wearing his Rhino gear. Unfortunately, we never got to see it being used. What a pity. Some differences in the masks from the later episodes, mainly Vanessa’s Whip mask which fire blue energy, not yellow. I’m not sure which one it’s supposed to be, since she doesn’t use it that often.

Ratings:
Total stars per category: 10

Plot: 6
Narration: 8
Realism and consistency: 5
characterization: 7
Action: 9

Total stars: 35

Overall:
Seven out of ten hot-air balloons. They don’t get any bonuses as while there wasn’t anything big to complain about, there was nothing really spectacular in this episode.

Quote(s) of the Ep:

Matt: Hmmph! They said they were magicians. That 's amusing… the only tricks they know are dirty ones.

Brad:(Sitting on the Condor)Peaceful as a summer cloud.