Timelapse

On the radio, tantalizing snippets of news chatter filter through, mentioning a petrol crisis, the South American Federation, and the Whitehall Seven trial. Gradually, we discover that an electronics engineer named Douglas Hardy, played by Robert Coleby, was assassinated in 1979 because he possessed critical information about Dakin's ambitions to seize absolute power over the State. The assassin, Boyd MacKiel, portrayed by Vincent Ball, is now a key advisor to the Premier and has taken up residence with Hardy's wife, Anne Charleston. Meanwhile, Hardy's body was preserved in a cryogenics lab, and advancements in medical science have enabled a doctor friend to revive him.

Hardy, unfamiliar with his new surroundings while on the run, is captured by the Special Police and taken to a State medical facility for identification. Despite a staff woman’s attempts to assist him, he remains distrustful of everyone around him. The institution is bent on breaking his spirit through severe trials. Meanwhile, as Parker and Fallon work to locate Hardy, Dakin and MacKiel discover that he is still alive.

Dr. Fallon's intervention, though not legally sanctioned, has led to Hardy's release from the State Institution. Despite this, danger remains close at hand, as indicated by the ever-present wail of police sirens. Alongside Porker, Hardy escapes from law enforcement. They find themselves at an abandoned railway workshop, where they encounter a tense standoff with a desperate group of young rebels. This confrontation soon escalates into a clash with the police.

Hardy, along with Parker, is still trying to piece together the fragments of his past. They visit 'Lakeside,' which appears to be what Australia once was, yet its residents are 'zero people'.

During their flight, Hardy and Parker come across the secluded Geiler Town, a haven from the challenges of the 1990s, perhaps offering Hardy a chance to reconnect with his cherished values. However, Hardy soon uncovers a disturbing reality. Under the rule of Dr. Geiler, Australia's leading geneticist, the town operates merely as a social laboratory for controlled genetics.

While escaping from Boyd, Parker brings Hardy to the rural town where she was born for a family reunion. The area is thriving with abundant agricultural production, yet something feels off. An unsettling presence troubles the locals, leaving even Parker's elderly father frightened and dispirited.

Hardy and Parker make their way back to a nearly empty Sydney, a city teetering on the edge of upheaval as a national strike approaches. At last, Hardy unveils the tape that implicates Premier Dakin and his associate MacKiel. Yet, the mission's success is threatened by an unforeseen betrayal.

Dakin, frustrated by the unsuccessful search for Hardy, reluctantly enacts the 'Kill Directive.' This counter-revolutionary strategy permits law enforcement officers to shoot on sight. Suddenly, Hardy becomes the target of every policeman in Sydney. His only safe haven is to transform into a 'public figure,' rendering him untouchable by the law.

Hardy and Parker find refuge among the 'deadmen,' who are the town of Greenspan's outcasts from society. During their stay, Hardy is surprised to find his only surviving daughter and is astonished to discover he has a grandson. In a state of distraction, Hardy temporarily overlooks the threat posed by his adversary, Boyd MacKiel, who is closing in on Greenspan with deadly intentions.

As Sydney city reels from a bomb attack and Dokin enforces martial law to combat the terrorists, Boyd MacKiel remains dead in a cryogenics facility. This is an opportunity Hardy can't pass up. When Dr. Fallon successfully revives Boyd, Hardy devises an intricate plan to confront him with the jarring passage of time.

Hardy resorts to drastic measures in his clash with Dakin for the State's interests by abducting Boyd MacKiel. The outcome is unforeseen. In retaliation, Dakin carries out a counter-kidnapping, leading to a crucial face-to-face encounter with Hardy to settle the matter once and for all. (Final episode)