Spectrum Intelligence imparts Captain Scarlet with a "special assignment" in which he is to consciously lose at a casino, and to place himself on their debt owners list for 5,000 credits. When this is reported to Spectrum Headquarters, Colonel White fires Scarlet on the spot, for improper use of the organisation's code of conduct.
Living in a shabby hotel room temporarily, a pair of Mysteron agents, posing businessmen, formulate a deal with the now Paul Metcalfe, with his I.O.U. for 5,000 credits, in return for a Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle which will be used to brake into the Nevada Nuclear City Complex and, with an atomic incendiary device onboard, obliterate the whole of North America.