Human Target Episode 1.10 Tanarak

On remote Tanarak Island in Alaska, multi-billion-dollar Agrius Industries runs a small mining operation. After a foreman dies, Dr. Jessica Shaw tries to take his body to the mainland for an autopsy, but the local sheriff and some company enforcers run her SUV into a steep ravine. Lead enforcer John Duke orders his men to get both bodies.

In San Francisco, Jessica's mom plays Winston a frightening voicemail from her daughter. Rita Shaw explains Jessica always wants to help: from an ER in Chicago, to Doctors Without Borders in East Africa, to Kosovo and other hotspots. Now, Jessica needs help.

Chance, Winston, and Guerrero get up to speed. About three hours after Jessica's voicemail, Agrius restricted access to Tanarak due to blasting. The only access road to the mainland is blocked. They're buying time to hunt for her. But why hassle over the miner's autopsy when the guy died of a heart attack?

Undercover as Paul Woodruff of the Alaska Bureau of Land and Mine Development, Chance asks about the blasting. The sheriff reports to Duke, who says have Big Mike drive Chance in. On the way, Big Mike sees smoke in the forest. Saying they lost touch with a surveyor yesterday, he grabs a shotgun (for "bears") and tells Chance to stay put. Right. Chance knocks him out and takes the gun.

When Chance finds Jessica's camp, she attacks him with a syringe full of morphine. He stops her and says her mom sent him. Is he a cop? Not exactly. Rita hired him. Oh, she says, he's a mercenary. She explains about Hank Benson, the dead miner, whom she had initially diagnosed with allergies. Then, last week, he died of a pulmonary embolism. That was weird, so she scheduled an autopsy, but Agrius wanted to handle it.

Duke and crew find the unconscious Big Mike. The search is on.

Guerrero checks Agrius phone records. Twelve hours ago, CEO Jason Banneker got a call from Tanarak. He then phoned his attorney and Dr. David Patel, head of Research & Development. Winston wants to ask Patel about it.

The company men pursue Chance and Jessica to a high waterfall, forcing them to leap into the river below. On the riverbank, they have to remove their clothes and let them dry, to prevent hypothermia. They also have to keep their core temperature up, by cuddling in their undies. It's, y'know, completely practical.

Chance asks why Jessica's so into trouble spots. She likes making a difference. He thinks there's more, but she doesn't expect a mercenary to understand. She's never met one who wouldn't sell out a cause for the right price. Suddenly, it feels a lot colder out here.

Guerrero brings Patel to HQ ... in the trunk of his car. Well, he tried asking nicely. The nervous doctor explains that Banneker's call was about a patented, deadly Agrius chemical called propalyde. All the records related to the chemical were removed from his offices.

Chance surprises one thug, taking his gun and SUV. He calls Winston over the OnStar satellite system. Winston explains about propalyde. If that's what killed Hank, the company faces a huge lawsuit. So of course it wants to erase the evidence -- including Jessica. They decide to get soil samples from the mine as proof. Chance and Jessica break into an office trailer and find where Hank worked: Shaft 183.

On Patel's phone, Guerrero sees calls from John Taggart, a corporate evidence-scrubber Guerrero knows. He'll have what they need.

In Shaft 183, Chance and Jessica find blue barrels of fluorescent green goo: propalyde. Jessica takes a sample. Meanwhile, Duke realizes they went to Shaft 183, which is rigged to blow. Chance and Jessica hear the pre-blast warning and head deeper into the mine before the explosion. They're OK, but trapped. While Jessica removes a piece of shrapnel from Chance's back, she tells him about her own wound. She let the Chicago hospital and HMO talk her into a cheaper, ineffective treatment for a patient. She'll never again walk away from somebody she has to protect, whatever the cost.

Guerrero works his scary magic on Taggart. He knows the dude kept an Agrius folder with the really good stuff. He says leave it in the back booth at Tom's Diner, and tell your wife that Guerrero said hi.

In the mineshaft, Chance creates an exit by parking a canister of acetylene by the wall and shooting it. Boom! He makes Jessica jump off another cliff -- just a little one -- and onto a big dump truck.

The chase is on. Jessica drives, Chance shoots. Thugs climb aboard and battle Chance on the front bumper, side stairwells, and top. He loads a flare gun, grabs Jessica, and leaps off. He fires the flare at the truck's fuel filters. FWOOOSH! Good-bye, truck ... and bad guys.

Later, Winston surprises Agrius CEO Jason Banneker in his limo. He knows Jason knows about Hank Benson. Agrius is going to pay, and Jason's going to prison. If he's lucky, that will be it. But Winston could also put Banneker away for conspiracy to murder Jessica Shaw, unless Banneker makes sure nobody messes with her, ever. Now take out your checkbook and write a check for whatever's in it. Winston can be scary too.

At HQ, Jessica drops by, headed to Dakar. Chance hands her a check for $387,092 and change. Travel money from Jason Banneker.