Counterclock Crisis

Summary: Max takes Ace and Jake to the Lake Erie reclamation plant, which he helped to design. Doc Terror decides to attack the plant to cause the Northeast farmlands to wither away, but the Centurions successfully defend the plant from Doc Terror and return to Skyvault. There, Jake is accidentally hit by an experimental sonic beam and experiences a vision of Doc Terror in charge of Skyvault on January 11th, the next day. Jake snaps back to the present and attempts to explain his vision to no avail, with no one else believing him. He goes AWOL and researches a symbol he saw on Amber's uniform in the future, tracing it to Star Crossed Industries. Discovering that the company is a front for Doc Terror and that they have disguised a shuttle as a hospital ship, Jake must attempt to prevent the future he saw from occurring.

Science lesson: "Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity" (a.k.a. "Time Travel") by Ace.

Synopsis[]

A hovering car is flying above the farms where cows roam free. The three Centurions are inside. Max Ray is driving while Ace McCloud and Jake Rockwell are on the back as passengers. Ace says that farms and cattle are further than he imagined and asks Max "where on Earth is taking them". Max responds saying he's taking them to a place he estimates a lot: Lake Erie Hydroelectric Plant. Max helped with its design before joining the Centurions. The hover vehicle descends on the lake and submerges.

Meanwhile at the plant, they detected a swarm heading to its direction and they believe it could be Strafers or wild geese flying south to spend winter. The plant manager tells the operator she should calm down since there's nothing of interest for Doc Terror. Unfortunately, Doc Terror's ship and a group of Strafers are heading to the plant. Terror's plan is to destroy the plant. Once the plant is destroyed, northwestern farmers wouldn't be able to work and people will starvate. Only Terror's reserve on the West Coast will be spared.

Back at the hovering car, Max explains that 100 years ago, the lake wasn't used. But thanks to the new technologies, it provides food to the people as it helps to irrgate the farmlands where farmers work. Jake considers it as very interesting. They also see the Filter Repairing and Lake Bottom Cleaning program. Ace thinks this is marvelous but it needs one more thing. Max asks him what's left and Ace replies "A Mermaid". The Centurion's joke is interrupted by a sudden attack. Strafers are doing a "Dambuster" type bombing on the underwater plant. Also, Doc Terror's ship use a reprogramming beam to control the repairing robots to make more damage and trap the Centurions hover car.

Max communicates with Skyvault. Crystal Kane has the three and the situation detected in the monitor. Max is beamed out of the car and equipped with the Cruiser, Jake is teleported outside of the plant with the Fireforce and Ace above the facility with the Skyknight. As the Centurions take down the Doom Drones, Terror sends a Strafer-combined Hacker to attack them. Jake tries to stop him, but the energy level of the Fireforce is at 0%, leaving Jake as a sitting duck for Hacker, but before he can eliminate him, Ace stops him, forcing Hacker to retreat back to Terror's ship. Jake says he will feel better once his Weapon System is working again, Max tells him they stopped Doc Terror's attack and saved the plant and they have "one point in favor".

Back in Terror's ship, Doc Terror communicates with his daughter Amber. He requests her the progress of her plan to take over Skyvault. In 24 hours, they will take over Skyvault. Once the space station falls, the Centurions will fall too. Terror concludes saying they've cross on his way for the last time.

In Skyvault, Max informs there's no signs of Doc Terror on the entire Earth, not even his Strafers. Ace says they have plenty of free time to go out for dinner, only he and Crystal. Crystal asks Ace when he will stop insisting and he replies saying never because he has a reputation of being too insistant. Crystal asks Jake about Fireforce's status, and Jake says it was fixed. It was a failure in the power source and the technicians will check all the Assault Weapons Systems.

Crystal says that she will make a general revision in January 15. The computer's current date is January 10. While Crystal and the Centurions talk, Lucy is eating ice cream and shoving the cup on Shadow's head. Enraged by Lucy's antics, Shadow chases her, but Lucy climbs to the computer and walks over the many buttons and accidentaly presses one with her foot, activating experimental Sonic Beam that hits Jake. As he recovers from the hit, Jake is now on a ruined Skyvault. Crystal lies on the floor and she's unable to respond Jake's questions. Jake looks at the date and its January 11, confused by the time travel, Jake wants to know what happened to a whole day. Suddenly Doc Terror, Amber and a pair of Traumatizers enter the Skyvault's computer room. Terror congratulates Amber for the success of her plan, and with Skyvault and its arsenal under Terror's control, the Centurions will never know what hit them until its too late. After looking at the emblem on Amber's uniform, Jake tries to stop them, but the Sonic Beam's effects send him back to January 10. Jake tries to warn the Centurions and Crystal about Terror's plan, but they don't believe him. Thinking Jake is going crazy, Ace tells him he needs to rest with nurses and Max warns him that if he still insists with the time travel thing they will figure out what to do with him. With no choice against his not believing friends, Jake and Shadow leave Skyvault.

Crystal communicates with Dr. Sayer about Jake's time travelling experience with the experimental Sonic Beam. Dr. Sayer explains her it was a clinical case of an hallucination caused by a hard contussion. Due to the circumstances, they should be careful with Jake because he could confuse them with his enemies. Dr. Sayer suggests to bring Jake to the Hospital Station as soon as possible. But the medical date will have to wait, cyborg vultures are attacking a cargo ship while someone tries to destroy the Canadian Hydroelectric Plant. Max and Ace are equipped with the Tidal Blast and the Skybolt. Both Centurions take control of the situation with ease while Crystal is worried about Jake.

In the Library of Congress, Shadow is waiting for Jake to return as it keeps guard to his Exoframe. Inside, Jake searches the emblem used by Amber in the future, and he gets the result: Star Crossed Industries in St. Petersburg, Florida. Jake and Shadow are rushing to the Airport before its too late.

In Dominion, Hacker monitors the situation and sends cyborg eels to attack Max, while the cyborg vultures are causing troubles to Ace. But he's also concerned about Jake's whereabouts. In Florida, Jake and Shadow arrive to the spaceport of Star Crossed Industries, Jake is sure the company is one of the operation centers of Doc Terror. After cutting the fence with a laser cutter, they discover a medical space shuttle. But they also see both Terror and Amber. Terror is surprised by Amber's work since he can't even tell the difference between a combat shuttle and a medical one. Disguised as a medical shuttle, Crystal will let them dock on Skyvault. According to Amber that's the "humanitarian" part of the plan, the rest will be kids stuff. Before the hatch is closed, Jake and Shadow infiltrate on the shuttle without being seen and they found an arsenal with enough weapons "to conquer the universe". As the shuttle takes off, Jake realizes he can't warn Crystal via Communicator Watch, also, no one will believe him. It's a battle they're going to fight alone.

Back with Ace, he's losing the patience with the cyborg vultures and activates the cloaking mechanism and reappears next to a stone bridge which he destroys with the Galactic Missiles. The falling stones trap the vultures, eliminating them. Ace contacts Crystal if there's info about Doc Terror and there isn't signs of him. Crystal tells him to go to the Canadian Hydroelectric Plant because Max could need his help. At the Hydroelectric Plant, Max uses the Tidal Blast engines to fly out of water and escape from the clutches of the cyborg eels. The plan works as the eels fall away from Max, who destroys them before they reach the water.

Back at Skyvault, Crystal detects the S.O.S. call from the medical shuttle requesting refuge on the station. The date on Skyvault's computer is January 11, just like in Jake's vision. Crystal and the Skvault's medical staff approach to the shuttle Crystal has a bad feeling about the situation, and what was once a premonition becomes true: Doc Terror and Amber are now on the station, as Crystal runs to the computer room to warn the Centurions, Jake and Shadow leave the shuttle and destroy a Traumatizer. In the computer room, Jake suffers another shock from the Sonic Beam as he's now on the day the beam sent him. After seeing Crystal lying on the floor, he looks the date and realizes he wasn't dreaming after all. Jake tosses Terror and activates the alarms of the station. Using the main computer, he activates the Teleporter, beaming Max an Ace back to the station. Ace apologizes with Jake, but Jake tells him to apologize later because they have to stop Doc Terror. Terror escapes from Jake, but not for long. In space, Ace is equipped with the Orbital Interceptor, as he lock-on the target, the medical shuttle disguise is detached, becoming the decoy for the Multiparticle Missile. Terror escapes and Ace is beamed back to the station.

In Skyvault, Crystal tells the Centurions they will get Terror the next time and they're sure there will be a next time thanks to Jake Rockwell.

Science Lesson[]

In Centrum's computer room, Ace tells viewers that the Time Travel theory is not just a concept of books or science-fiction movies, it's based on the Theory of Relativity from Albert Einstein. Time runs slower in a spaceship flying at the speed of light while time on Earth runs faster. Astronauts would take around 60 years to travel across the galaxy and back, but when they return to Earth, the planet will be 4 million years older.

Ace concludes saying that this form of travelling through time will allow astronauts to travel across the universe on their lifespan.

Error Xtreme: Animation and Script Errors[]

When Crystal orders the computer to beam Jake to the surface of the lake with the Wild Weasel, we can see the Fireforce as the beamed equipment on the Teleporter.
When Jake and Shadow heads to the teleporter, Max is wearing his common clothes. At the next scene he appears in his Exoframe.
The computer locates Star Crossed Industried in St. PETERSBERG instead of St. Petersburg
In the spanish dub, Hacker calls the cyborg eels as "Aguilas Robot" instead of "Anguilas".
When Crystal orders the computer to program the Wild Weasel, there's computer button tacking sounds when there's nobody operating the machine.
Off-screen Gravity Error and Superhuman Centurions.

Curiosities[]

The time travel scenario mentioned by Ace is also mentioned in Time-Life's Arthur C. Clarke's book Man and Space, but slightly changed to a travel to Andromeda instead of across the Milky Way galaxy.

Gravity Error [Off-screen][]

Ace is beamed over the plant with the Skyknight, it's not seen as the assembly sequence is played at the same time Ace shouts "Power Xtreme!", but when Ace appears behind Jake, it implies that he shout while hovering in midair.

Superhuman Centurions[]

Max is able to shout "Power Xtreme!" underwater when Crystal beams him out of the submarine-car before being connected to the Cruiser, and so when he's beamed back with the Tidal Blast.
Ace is also able to do the same as Max, this time when he's beamed out to outer space prior to its Orbital Interceptor equipping.

Foreign names[]

Viaje al Futuro (Travel to the Future) - Spanish dub.