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"The Accomplice" is the series premiere of The Zeta Project. It first aired on January 27, 2001. In this episode, Zeta meets a runaway named Rosalie Rowan. They decide to search for the scientists who created Zeta together so that they can prove that Zeta is peaceful.

Plot[]

Act One[]

Zeta and Bennet (The Accomplice)

Zeta, in disguise, speaks to Agent Bennet on a hacked line.

At the Wood Valley Bus Terminal in Wood Valley, Maryland, a balding man walks amongst the patrons, making his way to a Vid phone booth. Sitting down, the man's hand glitches out as a long metal wire protrudes forward, connecting him to the vid phone's operating system, and giving him a direct line to the NSA to speak with Agent Bennet. "You've been looking for me," the man confesses, piquing Bennet's curiosity. The man continues to plead, "You think I want to hurt people. I need you to believe me. I don't." This being said, Bennet begins to put the pieces together and realizes he's speaking to Zeta, a rogue infiltration unit he's been tasked with returning to the NSA. Requesting the synthoid's location, Zeta almost gives it away under the presumption that the call is already being traced.

West finds Zeta

Agent West finds Zeta while scanning the Wood Valley Bus Terminal with his holo-viewers.

At that exact moment, Agent West and Agent Lee enter the bus depot looking for Zeta. Calling in their arrival to the NSA, Lee tells her partner to scan the area, leading to West locating the synthoid still in the middle of the call with Bennet. Recognizing the two agents presence, the call comes to an abrupt end as Zeta flees the booth. Without care for the civilians present, Agent West begins firing his side arm in the crowded terminal. Lee implores him to holster the weapon with no luck as West begins chasing the rogue infiltration unit, firing through the throngs of shocked bystanders. Attempting to leap over a couch, West trips and falls to the floor, shooting a television right above Zeta's path and causing an explosion that leads to Zeta finally revealing his true form. Still evading his pursuers, Zeta extends his arm and pulls another set of monitors from the ceiling, blocking their path. Chasing Zeta outside, the two agents board a hover bus to search for their target. To their dismay, Agent West's scanner isn't able to locate the synthoid. After one of them makes their discomfort known, hitting West in the face with her bag, Agent Lee suggests the two leave the bus. As the two get off the bus, Lee contacts Bennet to report the duos failure. Though, unbeknownst to them, the busses boarding attendant was Zeta all along.

With the real attendant returning to their post, Zeta disguises himself as a man he had passed in the terminal moments before, and boards the bus to Spring City. Still on the phone with Agent Bennet, the two agents head back into the bus station to back trace the synthoid's call, shocked at the appearance of their superior on the other line.

Slam and Ro

Slam tells Ro "If you wanna crash at our house, you gotta cover the rent."

Meanwhile in Spring City, having been apprehended while shoplifting groceries, Rosalie Rowan sits handcuffed in a detention facility. The attending officer, deducing that Ro has run away from the Spring City Girls Home, plans to hand her over to social services. However, while he was attending to a brief phone call, diverting his attention, Ro secured the key ring from his belt loop and freed herself. Returning to Slam's hideout in the abandoned Znabin Foods Inc. building, Ro empties her backpack full of food. Surprised the groups newcomer followed through on their leaders request to shoplift the food, other members of the gang pick the findings clean, leaving Ro with nothing to eat herself. Impressed by her willingness to follow orders, Slam tells Ro that she's ready for "initiation step two".

Maintaining their disguise, Zeta approaches a phone booth out front of Cred City, hoping to re-open dialogue with Agent Bennet, who just so happens to be headed to Spring City with an entire squad of NSA agents. Explaining the mission, the crew is told to retrieve the synthoid in functioning condition as it's "an expensive piece of machinery." As a result of his previous actions, this leads to Agent West being explicitly forbidden from using his side-arm, and he's charged with the task of manning the servo-inhibitor, a device designed to freeze the synthoid's motor functions. Zeta connects with Bennet's receptionist, who patches the call through remotely, giving away the infiltration unit's location, and leading the agents directly towards him. Hearing the approaching NSA hovercraft, Zeta breaks the line again to duck for cover just around the corner.

Slam ensnared by the NSA

Slam is accidentally entangled in the NSA's traps meant for Zeta.

Simultaneously, Slam and Ro arrive on the scene. Man-handling the young girl, the gang leader insists she follows through on his plans for a hold up, threatening to kill her if she doesn't. Witnessing the struggle, Zeta sacrifices his hiding spot to save the teenager and sustains damage from a stray gun blast. With the synthoid distracted, the NSA agents barrel out of their hovercraft, hoping they'll be able to secure his capture, but accidentally subdue the attempted murderer instead. Attempting to escape, Zeta and Ro run through a nearby alleyway until reaching a dead end at Hover-Tec Repair Inc. Hotwiring a vehicle in the repair yard, the synthoid pleads for the teenagers help, lest he be taken in for reprogramming. Pushing him aside, Ro takes control of the vehicle, and the two escape capture.

Act Two[]

Zeta strangles Ro

Returning to consciousness, Zeta reflexively strangles his new companion.

Hiding out at a nearby water treatment plant, Ro attempts to talk to the unconcious Zeta with no response. As she picks up her backpack to leave, the teenager grabs a protruding wire, and plugs it back into the synthoid, causing him to violently come to, reflexively reaching out to strangle Ro. Almost immediately, the infiltration unit realizes what he's doing, and asks for Ro's forgiveness, thanking the girl for saving his life. Back in a conscious state, to Ro's amazement, Zeta performs self-repairs on his gunshot wound. Having heard his back story to the runaway, Ro turns to leave, but Zeta offers her food. Surprised by his thoughtfulness, she obliges.

Ro Admires Her New Outfit

Ro admires her new outfit, purchased on Zeta's unlimited cred card.

At dinner, Zeta further expands on his back story, revealing to Ro that he went renegade after finding out that one man the infiltration unit was tasked with killing was innocent, Shocked at his naivety, Ro explains to him that a direct approach with Bennet won't work. Zeta implores her for her help, but she remains hesitant to involve herself further with federal agents until the synthoid reveals he's equipped with a built in, unlimited, cred-card. Following dinner, the duo go on a shopping spree, looking to find Ro a new outfit. Inspired by her new makeover, Ro suggests Zeta changes his style as well to a form more casual and younger in appearance, hoping it will help him blend in and be more inconspicuous. After a few attempts, the synthoid lands on a holographic form that Ro decides is good enough.

Back aboard the NSA hovercraft, the agents continue their search, but are beginning to feel dissuaded as they assume Zeta may have already left the city. Convinced that Ro is either an accomplice or a hostage, Bennet demands that they remain on the lookout for another twenty-four hours rather than continuing the search elsewhere. Though Agent Lee begins to express doubt in the mission, suggesting it may be possible that Zeta is telling the truth, and simply wishes to live a life of peace. Insulted by the thought, Bennet reminds his subordinate that Zeta is a machine that stopped following orders while undercover surveilling terrorists. Convinced that his assumptions are reality, the leader posits that the only reason Zeta would believe himself to be peaceful would be due to having been reprogrammed by said terrorists. Viewing the infiltration unit as nothing more than a weapon, Bennet reiterates his aims of reprogramming the synthoid himself to be used as a weapon for the U.S. Government.

Act Three[]

The next morning at the water treatment plant, Zeta meets a cockroach while on lookout as Ro sleeps in the back seat of the stolen hover car. Waking up to the morning light, the runaway teen suggests the name "Zee" to her new friend, as "Zeta's too weird." Zee introduces Ro to his new insect friend, which she swats from his hand in disgust. Surprised that her new synthoid partner wasn't hard wired with a similar response, Ro begins to wonder who programmed him. Realizing that Zeta's programmer can tell Bennet the truth, Ro suggests that's who needs to be tracked down. Unfortunately, when Zee attempts to search for that information, he comes to find out that it's all classified, leading Ro to suggest hacking a computer. Unfortunately, the only nearby computer with security access is back aboard the NSA hovercraft.

Tracking the hovercraft back down, Ro begins to realize that Zeta is serious about this plan, and tells him she wants no part in it, and requests the five-thousand creds she had previously told the synthoid he would need to pay for her assistance. Hoping she'll change her mind, Zee suggests that she could stall whichever agent leaves the vehicle first while he replaces the agent and boards. Expressing hesitancy, Agent West falls from the hovercraft, and Ro finds the task to be more manageable than she initially presumed. The two part ways, with Ro heading into Hanks, a nearby restaurant, and Zeta making his way onto the ship.

Ro throws water on Agent West

Attempting to stall Agent West, Rosalie Rowan throws food and water onto the NSA agent.

Inside the restaurant, Ro purposely tosses a plate of food onto Agent West, and pretends to try to help clean the mess. Before long, West comes to realize that he's dealing with Zeta's accomplice. Hoping to warn his team, the agent quickly gathers his belongings and dashes out of the restaurant. Already having secured her payment, Ro hesitates to follow after him, but ultimately makes chase; "I forgot. I'm insane." Running after West, the teenage girl tackles the agent to the ground.

Meanwhile, aboard the hovercraft, the disguised Zeta slowly continues to download the relevant information he needs on Project Zeta. However, Agent Bennet notices Agent West as he continues to flee from Ro, blowing the synthoids cover. Reaching for the servo-inhibitor, Bennet attempts to attach it to the infiltration unit. A struggle breaks out with all agents on board attempting to subdue Zeta, and ultimately break his connection to their database with the download only having reached 41%. Bennet finally attaches the device to the synthoid, breaking Zeta's hologram disguise. Once their guard is down, Zeta is able to destroy the inhibitor with one of the welding guns still within his body, and escapes the hovercraft. The agents attempt to subdue the synthoid once again, but to Zeta's surprise Ro appears in the stolen car, allowing for the two to get away.

Elsewhere, the duo discusses the information that Zee was able to secure. While not much, he was able to get his hands on a partial file as well as an image that he believed could be reconstructed. Convinced that one of the scientists in the image will be able to secure her new ally's freedom, Ro makes it clear to Zee that she intends to see this mission through to the end. Zeta makes an attempt to dissuade her due to the potential danger, but she reminds him that he's in as much danger without her as she is with him.

Ground Wire Net Search[]

Ground Wire gag (The Accomplice)

This episode's Ground Wire Net Search

Ro: What is that thing?
Zeta: Oh, it's an early electric device called a light bulb. According to my files, they caused a lot of upset.
Ro: Why?
Zeta: No one could agree on how many people it took to change them.

Continuity[]

  • Zeta's plea to Agent Bennet that he doesn't wish to hurt anyone is a continuation of the dynamic previously set up between the two in Batman Beyond's "Zeta".
  • While at dinner, Zeta tells Ro the story of how he went rogue. These events are later seen in "Lost and Found".
  • Ro tells Zeta that whoever programmed him will be able to tell Agent Bennet the truth. While that conversation never occurs, Bennet does eventually overhear Zeta's creator, Eli Selig, reveal the truth about Zeta in "The Hologram Man".

Background information[]

Home video releases[]

Production notes[]

Production inconsistencies[]

Trivia[]

Ext

"Ext. Wood Valley Hover-Bus Station" background by Paul Rivoche

  • One storefront in the intro, Food Valley, is seemingly a pun based on the location of Wood Valley. Though, this may have been unintentional as Paul Rivoche's original background labels the store as "Wood Valley Shopco".
  • West is told not to fire his sidearm near civilians and has it taken from him by Bennett. This is in contrast to "Zeta", where the NSA were fully willing to open fire. This is likely due to the lighter, more kid-friendly tone that Kids' WB! mandated for their shows in the wake of The Columbine High School Massacre.
  • Like Robin in Superman: The Animated Series, "Knight Time", Ro finds it creepy when someone imitates her voice precisely.

Cast[]

Actor Role
Zeta Diedrich Bader
Rosalie "Ro" Rowan Julie Nathanson
Agent Bennet Kurtwood Smith
Agent West Michael Rosenbaum
Agent Lee Lauren Tom
Old Man Greg Eagles
Slam Marc Worden

Quotes[]

Ro: Hope that hologram's got pockets, 'cause I don't have money for this.
Zeta: I'm equipped with a built-in cred card. I can generate as much money as I need.
Ro: You know, maybe I can help.
Zeta: But what about, (Ro's voice) "I'm not getting in trouble with the feds, I've done enough already."
Ro: Please don't do that again.
Zeta: I'm sorry.

Agent Bennett: That girl in the car was either an accomplice or a hostage. One way or another we have to find out.

Agent West: But if he's working for terrorists, why not just blast him?
Agent Bennett: I'm holding your sidearm another day.
Agent West: Aww...

Agent West: Stop! (gasps) You're the accomplice!
Ro: The accomplice? Ooh, I like that!

(as Agent West runs out of the diner)
Ro: Let him go. You got your cash. Let him go...
(pause)
Ro: (smacks her forehead) Forgot – I'm insane.

(Ro tackles Agent West)
Ro: Remember to charge me as a minor, okay?
Agent West: Get away from me! You're insane!
Ro: I was just saying that.

(Ro saves Zeta from the agents, landing Zeta in the hotwired car and speeding away)
Zeta: (shouting over the noise) I thought you were done once you had your money!
Ro: In too deep to stop now — I wanna see how this turns out.

References[]

  1. "Terminal" posted by Paul Rivoche - Rocket Fiction on Blog Spot (December 12, 2005)
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