Original Nine Airdate:03/05/2011
The RHIBS are in pursuit of armed robbers who have held up a casino at gunpoint and kidnapped a croupier as hostage. Kate orders a tear gas assault before leaping aboard their getaway vessel. In the confusion of smoke, one gunman puts a bullet into Dutchy’s kevlar. Instinctively, Kate returns fire and the gunman goes down. As the boarding party take control, Kate removes the gunman’s hood and is shocked to find a woman. She tries desperately to stem her bleeding, but it’s too late.
Hammersley hands the captured men over to the Feds, but not before the ring leader, Heath, swears revenge. The young woman Kate shot was Heath’s sister. As Kate deals with self-doubt over the incident, Hammersley receives a Coastwatch alert of a burning boat. Racing to the scene, they discover the Feds’ vessel on fire and, despite a search, Heath and the Feds are nowhere to be found. Back at Navcom, Maxine and Mike reassure Kate that the incident won’t affect her pending bid for promotion. But when Kate is almost run down outside Navcom by a speeding car, Mike realises that Heath is determined to carry out his threat of revenge. He orders Kate to stay on the ship alongside, safe within the protective bounds of the Base.
Meanwhile, Bird runs into Ryan, who has recently joined the Navy as an Officer in training. Though he is obviously keen on her, his romantic intentions are stymied when Corey – a hotshot jetboat racer - invites Bird onto his high performance boat for a spin. 2Dads and Ryan challenge with a drag race. Back at Goat Central, the rivalry continues but 2Dads is outdone and Corey helps him unconscious to his room. Later, an unknown "sailor" slips aboard Hammersley and Kate finds herself in a desperate fight for survival. Mike and Dutchy intervene but the man escapes, leaping from the dock into a waiting jetboat. Next morning, as they attempt to identify Kate’s attacker, Corey offers Bird a lift to work. It’s only when 2Dads awakens with a hangover and realises his uniform and ID are missing, that the pieces fall together. Corey is quickly identified as Heath’s younger brother.
When Bird fails to appear for work, Hammersley mobilises in search of the jetboat. Meanwhile, on an uninhabited island, Corey arrives with Bird. His attempt on Kate’s life failed but he has an alternate plan: use Bird to lure Kate to them. Heath realises the stupidity of this and wants to kill Bird. Corey attempts to talk him out of it but it’s clear Bird is in dire danger. Back on Hammersley, Kate ascertains that the crooks are heading back to a former rendezvous point where they previously stashed extra fuel for their escape. Hammersley approaches the remote location and they spy Corey’s jetboat alongside a jetty. Kate and a shore party surround the robbers but Heath viciously implies he has killed Bird. Then, in a suicidal move, he fires on Kate and she is knocked into the water. A hand quickly reaches down and hauls her upright. Kate finds herself staring into Heath’s vengeful eyes. He attempts to strangle her but Kate finally prevails, overcoming him with capsicum spray. A solemn search for Bird’s body reveals her, bound and gagged but very much alive. Heath has spared her at Corey’s behest. Returning to Base, Bird’s traumatic ordeal is softened by the sympathetic attentions of Ryan. But Kate receives some news from Mike – her promotion has been denied.
