Original air date: January 2, 1999

Written by: Harry Dunn

Directed by: Rodney Charters

When Sydney’s son is kidnapped by the Appalachian Freedom Militia and held for ransom, Jarod assumes the identity of a tracking expert to help in the search.

Jarod’s Discoveries:

Jarod’s Occupations: ATF Special Agent

Jarod’s Aliases: Jarod Miner

Behind the scenes insights and the Creator’s Take

Official Synopsis

Jarod joins a group of A.T.F. agents when a militia group based in the Appalachians kidnaps Sydney’s son.

Sydney’s son, Nicholas Stamatis, volunteers as a teacher in a poverty-stricken area of Appalachia.  Without warning, a truck filled with militia men races into the compound.  The teachers are rounded up, and when Nicholas resists, one of the militia men knocks him unconscious.  News of the kidnapping is broadcast on television.  Jarod sees the news story and immediately heads for the compound.  He assumes the identity of a tracking expert, and wins the confidence of an ATF unit commanded by Lieutenant Roland Jenkins.  Meanwhile, Michelle telephones Sydney with word of their son’s disappearance.

Jarod tells his ATF colleagues that the teachers were abducted by the Appalachian Freedom Militia, which is led by a man named Eldridge Hailey.  Two months earlier, the ATF had raided their compound and seized a stockpile of weapons.  He believes the kidnapping is retaliatory.  Meanwhile, Sydney and Michelle meet with Beth Swik, an ATF liaison.  But there is little Swik can do to allay their fears.

Back at the Centre, Miss Parker decides to send Lyle on a wild goose chase to distract him during Sydney’s absence.  Broots tells Lyle that he located Jarod in Capistrano.  But before Lyle leaves, Willie hands him a document of great importance.  Broots watches Lyle’s face, looking for some reaction.  But Lyle gives away no clue of the document’s nature.  He then announces he is heading for Capistrano.

Eldridge Hailey broadcasts a message to the ATF.  He demands one million dollars in exchange for the teachers’ release.  Before the transmission ends, Hailey aims his gun in the direction of the hostages and fires.  Sydney is devastated.

The ATF uses triangulation on the satellite broadcast.  The militia men’s position is narrowed to a small area deep within a national forest.  Jarod and the rest of the team set out to rescue the hostages.  Meanwhile, Sydney watches as Swik marks a location on a map with a push pin.  He concludes that the militia men can be found at the position.  Frustrated, he grabs the map and heads out the door.

Back at the Centre, Broots and Miss Parker speculate that Jarod may be aiding Sydney find his son.  Parker instructs Broots to check Sydney’s email for correspondence between the pair.

Jarod and the ATF team pinpoint the militia men’s hideout inside an abandoned coal mine.  Suddenly, a jeep pulls up to the mine and Sydney and a driver hop out.  Jarod is completely taken by surprise.  Sydney announces that the ransom demand is being wired to the militia men’s account.  A wounded Eldridge Hailey stumbles out from behind an old mine cart.  Hailey aims his gun at Jarod, prompting one of the ATF men to open fire.  Hailey is taken into custody, but ATF men find bodies inside the coal mine.

It turns out that the dead men are from Hailey’s militia.  Jarod and the others are disturbed by this development.  Before Hailey can identify his attackers, he loses consciousness.  Back at the Center, Broots finds Sydney’s email message to Jarod regarding his son’s disappearance in Appalachia.  Miss Parker concludes that Lyle intercepted the message and headed for the region in search of Jarod.

Jarod realizes that the men who attacked the militia group deliberately spared Hailey’s life so he could pass on information.  When Hailey regains consciousness, he reveals that his group was attacked by a man with nine fingers.  Jarod realizes that Lyle is behind the killings.  Jarod deliberately misleads the ATF team, sending them in the opposite direction of Lyle’s location.  He and Sydney then set off along a trail in search of the hostages.  Jarod believes that Lyle is using the hostages as bait, and hopes to lure him into a trap.  The two men eventually reach the edge of a clearing.  In the area is an abandoned one room school house.  Jarod notes Willie and three other sweepers on patrol.  But before he can take action, Sydney uses a rifle butt to knock him unconscious.  The sweepers allow Sydney to walk inside the school house.  Meanwhile, outside the structure, Jarod regains consciousness and overpowers the Sweepers.  He sneaks inside the school’s attic and leads the hostages to safety.  Moments later, an armed Jarod gets the drop on Lyle.  He tells Sydney and Nicholas to join the rest of the hostages up stream.  Sydney and his son do as they are instructed.

Jarod, gun in hand, walks closer to Lyle, aiming the weapon at this heart.  He instructs him to turn around and get on his knees.  Jarod then places the gun between Lyle’s shoulder blades and says, “ready… aim… fire.”

Meanwhile, Miss Parker and Broots instruct one of Lyle’s men to lead them to the hideout.  Their helicopter lands near the schoolhouse, and moments later, the pair discover Lyle laying on the floor, motionless.  Lyle opens his eyes and stands, very much unglued from his experience with Jarod.  Miss Parker realizes they cannot follow Jarod’s trail, as ATF units are flying toward the location.  She fears that the Centre will be blamed for the incident if they don’t leave immediately.  Lyle realizes she is correct.