A new engine killer wepaon is stolen whilst Ed and Alex are testing it. Beckett escorts a statsman, Van Straaten to a peace conference, their vehicle is stopped using the engine killer, and they are held hostage by Virghiz nationals, who do not want the peace treaty to go ahead. They want Beckett's secret codes for Prject Darkling, so they can attack their enemies in Virghiz. Beckett escapes, but Van Straaten is left behind.
