"The Most Dangerous Enemy"
(Original air date 10/17/76)
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Steve races against time to save Rudy from a deadly monkey bite
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Writer: Judy Burns
Director: Richard Moder
On a remote island, OSI biologist Dr. Cheryl Osbourne
(Ina Balin) is conducting an experiment on chimps with a serum that is designed to increase intellectual capacities. So far, each of her lab subjects are responding accordingly, recording the anticipated EEG results -save one. The ape becomes increasingly agitated and to her astonishment, he breaks open the cage and escapes into the wild.
When all attempts at contacting Cheryl fail, Oscar is notified and sends Steve and Rudy to the island to investigate. Steve safely lands the helicopter a few miles off the main laboratory and they proceed the rest of the way on foot.
When they arrive at the lab, they find it deserted and ransacked. Their concerns grow after noticing a fairly large tear in the wire fence that could only be the result of an explosion.
Steve steps outside to have a look around while Rudy checks the radio-transmitter. At that moment, the rabid chimp springs on Rudy and bites him in the arm. Much to his surprise, Steve has to resort to his bionic powers to remove the enraged beast from Rudy.
While Steve swathes Rudy's arm in bandages, the good doctor surmises that the chimp might be exhibiting the adverse effects engendered by Cheryl's experimental serum. Steve lends credence to his theory by saying the small creature was as strong as he was.
They walked back to the helicopter to get help for Rudy who unexpectedly flies into a rage when Steve's disagrees that he should remain on the island to help search for Cheryl. Both are taken aback by this sudden uncharacteristic outburst of temper and Rudy quickly apologizes for snapping at Steve.
Just as Steve tries to establish communication with the Navy ship, the crazed simian looms up. He chases after him, leaving Rudy to contact the base and discover his newly acquired strength as a result of the bite. Schizophrenia slowly takes hold of Rudy, prompting him to pretend to the Navy ship commander that all three are safe and sound.
Steve catches up with the chimp and wrestles him to the ground, until Cheryl darts in his leg. Terrified that Steve may be infected, she orders him to keep his distance. He assures her that he bears no bite marks, and that his legs are bionic, hence the reason why the drug has no effect on him. When Cheryl learns that her colleague Rudy was bitten, she and Steve hurry back to the lab to prepare another dose of sedative in order to subdue Rudy long enough for her to mix an antidote before the serum runs its course and kills him like all of her test subjects.
Meanwhile at the lab, Rudy stumbles upon Cheryl's notes and strongly disagrees with her conclusions that on account of the rapid degeneration of the brain tissues, the only alternative is to destroy the infected subjects. He's ecstatic about his Herculean strength and refuses to believe he's dying. When Cheryl tries to administer the sedative to Rudy, he scampers off, breaking the container on his way.
Steve and Cheryl run to the helicopter to call for help but find the radio crushed and the engine dismantle, which leaves them stranded on the island.
At night, near a campfire, Cheryl confesses to Steve of being the daughter of Carl Osbourne, the traitor who sold his science to foreign countries, prompting her to live in self-imposed exile on the island. Lurking in the shadows is Rudy who throws an oxygen tank into the fire. Steve's infrared spots the moving object and shields Cheryl from the blast.
In the morning, while Cheryl is working on her antidote, Steve pretends to repair the radio-transmitter with Cheryl's friend, Billy the chimp, in order to trick Rudy into believing they'll soon be rescued. When he shows up and starts breaking the radio apart, Steve entangles him in a net. Rudy feigns unconsciousness to dupe Steve and takes advantage of a fleeting distraction to throw the net over him and dash off into the woods.
Steve chases after Rudy, unaware that his psychotic friend has set up a trap with magnetic induction coils that instantly paralyses the bionic mechanism in his legs. Steve begs with Rudy to set him free, that they're wasting precious time but Rudy turns a deaf ear.Rudy threatens Cheryl to provide him with more serum and orders her back to the lab. Steve manages to free himself from the loop and catches up with them. Both men engage in a scuffle with Rudy ending up falling into quick sand.
His strength waning fast, Rudy is unable to grab on to the rope that Steve throws at him. Therefore Steve has no other alternative but to resort to desperate measures in order to save his sick friend's life. He ties the rope that he brought with him between two trees and dangles above the pond to reach Rudy before the moving sand engulfs him.
Back at OSI HQ, the gang decides to go out and celebrate Cheryl's new lab, but Oscar is voted out and left to baby-sit Billy the chimp.
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