It is the end of the first ‘Virtual Casino’ evening in the Saloon and the rowdy punters are claiming their prizes. Siva repels an unwelcome philanderer. LEX is paying careful attention to his profits.
After his escape from the hotel, JAY is armed and on the run from the Technos.
In the Saloon (come casino), RUBY sees a young pickpocket, LOTTIE, in action and offers her a bed for the night in return for a little favour. (LOTTIE lifting LEX’s notebook).
Early the next morning, SALENE has nightmares involving her parents. She wakes and MAY nurses her.
In the hotel, MEGA is furious over the escape of JAY and also EBONY. MEGA shoots one of the Techno guards. MEGA is adamant in his dialogue with JAVA that he wants EBONY and JAY deleted.
MEGA, from a monitor in the operations room, watches JAVA and Techno Guards storming into ELLIE’s room in the Mall. ELLIE’s scream wakes the Mall Rats who come to her aid. JAVA wants answers as to where JAY is.
A Techno Guard is about to swipe his card to enter the hotel, when JAY jumps out and zaps him. JAY takes his card, his key for getting out of the city.
In the hospital, EBONY tells SLADE that she wishes she had heeded SIVA’s advice regarding JAVA. SLADE says that he knows where SIVA is and will lead EBONY there.
On the way to Liberty, SLADE tries to kiss EBONY but to no avail.
RUBY has studied LEX’s notebook and confronts him – he has not been paying her the agreed share of the Casino profits.
RAM is tinkering with some computer equipment when LEX enters. LEX is worried about RUBY taking such a large share of the profits. He needs a better return from the machines. RAM knows of the software that could make this possible but one major problem – it is only to be found on MEGA’s hard drive at the hotel. LEX will need a barcode to get into the city and he is doubtful about getting one. ‘Anything is possible’ implies RAM.
In the city, AMBER is en route to see MEGA regarding JAY’s disappearance. No visit is required as JAY comes upon her. JAY tells her that he is heading out of the city to find EBONY so that they can form an alliance against MEGA.
JAVA threatens a work party, including supervisor SAMMY, on her search for the whereabouts of EBONY and JAY.
LEX notices LOTTIE has a barcode. He takes her to RAM’s room. RAM is able scan LOTTIE’s barcode and imprint it on LEX’s arm.
AMBER tells TRUDY that JAY has gone off to find EBONY. TRUDY is hurt that JAY has not come back to see her.
At the barricade , JAY manages to get through the checkpoint by having the stolen swipe card connected to his wrist. It is scanned and he is through to the other side.
MEGA is losing patience and tells JAVA that she has one day to get rid of JAY and EBONY.
At the Saloon, Ruby is expressing concern about the casino. SIVA is startled when in walks SLADE and with her is… EBONY.
EBONY has arrived at the Saloon. LEX and RUBY are suspicious of EBONY but SLADE sticks up for her. He tells them she was betrayed by MEGA. SIVA reluctantly confirms that this is true. LEX and RAM jeer but EBONY keeps her cool. Despite their disagreements, SIVA and EBONY are genuinely pleased to see each other.
At the Hotel, MEGA is losing his cool. He becomes angry and calls JAVA incompetent, blaming her for the escape of both JAY and EBONY.
Today AMBER must make her broadcast on CityNet and she is less than thrilled about it. She talks to TRUDY of how false she feels, having to paint such a positive picture of MEGA. TRUDY tries to reassure but AMBER is disgusted with herself. ‘My whole life’s a pretence’ She complains.
RUBY goes to bring coffee to SLADE in his room and is shocked and angry when EBONY opens the door.
LEX and DARRYL chat about the SLADE and EBONY affair. DARRYL hints at an interest in EBONY. LEX warns DARRYL: “don’t even think about it.” RAM arrives to see LEX off on a mission to steal software from MEGA’s hard drive. LEX thinks this is for developing the casino but RAM and SLADE seem to be using LEX to accomplish something else. They’re up to something!
MAY and SALENE are staying in the railway carriage. SALENE is feeling better and MAY tells her she must not stay out here. SALENE wants MAY to come back to the mall with her. MAY is reluctant but SALENE is adamant.
In order to convince MEGA that they believe in him and avoid being arrested, JACK and ELLIE rehearse a script about just how wonderful MEGA is. They argue until TRUDY interrupts, suggesting that perhaps the whole charade would work better without the script.
At the Operations Room, Amber prepares herself for the CitytNet broadcast. She has big concerns about the script that MEGA gives her. MEGA invites AMBER to re-write the script herself, as long as the people have something ‘to believe in’. AMBER feels she’s been outmaneuvered.
JAVA and her guards push their way into the Casino demanding a drink from a nervous Bartender. As the evening progresses, she attempts to drown out her sorrows, but keeps thinking of RAM. Does she still love him?
MAY leads SALENE to a ‘music store’, a front for a secret pass under the city boundary. Those without barcodes can pay their way through. The only hitch – they don’t have any money. MAY tries turning on the charm for the bouncer guarding the door. When this fails she resorts to the more savage ‘knee to the groin’ approach. This takes him down and the two girls hurry inside. They enter the Safe Zone and are unnerved by it’s creepy cleanliness.
JAY continues his search for EBONY outside the safe zone. He bumps into LEX. who has just finished visiting EBONY in Liberty. With renewed spirits, JAY hurries off towards Liberty. LEX continues on but barely gets through the checkpoint with the name ‘Lottie’ showing up on screen.
LOTTIE tries to swipe some jewellery from RUBY but is discovered. SIVA tells RUBY of EBONY’s childhood, how she would look after her, how they fell in with a bad crowd, and how the virus changed her forever. Outside the door EBONY has been listening. Later, EBONY apologises to SIVA admitting she’d been wrong about a lot of things.
SLADE explains to RUBY that the reason she saw EBONY in his room was that he’d offered up his bed to her and that he’d slept in the barn.
On a big screen in the city, SALENE and MAY watch a public telecast of AMBER’s CityNet speech. SALENE believes it is a trick – that can’t have been AMBER, could it? Back at the hotel, AMBER feels wretched. MEGA praises her. The Mallrat’s are outraged at AMBER’s deceit. MEGA smiles as he hears JACK and ELLIE’s rehearsed script over his surveillance mike.
An anonymous messenger leaves JAVA a piece of paper bearing the words: ‘Ram is alive’