Episode 6487

Extended Summary

With dusk setting in, the crash site survivors attempt to make the best of a bad situation. Irene works the radio but is unable to make contact. Leah has been making the camp relatively more hospitable, protective of Billie. There’s an awareness they only have limited supplies. Evelyn reassures Mason that Brody will be found safe – confident they will all be rescued. In the morning, Mason and Evelyn wake outside, beside a fire. Leah rekindles the fire in order to cook a basic breakfast. Billie walks up slowly, she fears there is something wrong with her baby.

After a sleepless night in the ute, Ash and Justin continue to search. Tempers are getting frayed, when they hear search coordinates over the radio, and the search is given new direction. When they finally get some phone reception, Justin quietly leaves a terse message for Decker – he’d better have every Fed on this, it’s all his fault.

Despite feeling out of his depth, Mason checks Billie – she has not felt the baby since yesterday and is ‘leaking’. Mason realises it’s amniotic fluid. Evelyn is aghast – Billie’s waters have broken? Mason believes it is more likely to be a small tear in the sac surrounding the baby. Mason tries to keep Billie calm. Privately however, he admits to Leah there is every chance Billie will go into early labour. They come up with a plan to set up a bedding area, for Billie, inside the plane. Billie senses there’s something they are not telling her. Leah is forced to admit the truth and Billie struggles to keep it together at the thought of her baby coming far too soon. An ominous cracking noise is heard from the damaged wing, though it does not break. A weary Irene continues to send out maydays on the radio.

With support from the others, Billie gingerly heads into the plane and the improvised bed. Billie admits to Leah she still hasn’t felt the baby. Leah remains determined – she won’t let anything happen to her grandchild. A close moment between them is interrupted when the wing finally disintegrates and folds in the middle. The plane slams hard onto one side. Leah and Billie are thrown but otherwise okay. Unfortunately, they are now trapped inside.

As Leah searches for an emergency exit, Irene and Evelyn realises with horror that petrol is leaking from the fuel tank…flowing ever closer to the campfire. With Mason’s help, Leah attempts to smash through the cockpit window but it stubbornly refuses to yield. Irene and Evelyn realise they are fighting losing battles – there’s simply too much petrol. Leah grows increasingly desperate and heroically manages to break the glass. She grabs Billie to escape…just as petrol sparks from the fire, sending back a chain reaction. Silence, then KABOOM! A huge explosion engulfs the entire plane. Did they get out in time?

Back in Summer Bay, VJ and Zac are desperate for signs of contact but neither the SES ground teams nor the police helicopters have reported any sightings. After manning the radio all night, Alf is exhausted. Roo convinces him to rest. He reluctantly returns home, only to be confronted by a desperate and irrational VJ who thinks Alf’s given up. VJ makes an impetuous decision – taking both the map and Zac’s car keys with him. Zac is surprised when there is no sign of VJ. Roo assumes he headed for the Surf Club early. However, when Alf realises the map is missing and Zac’s keys are gone too, they realise VJ has gone to search for the plane by himself.

Zac manages to stop VJ just in time, convincing him that trusting in the authorities is the right thing to do. Later Zac almost breaks down, admitting to VJ he should have been on that plane – he put work before his own wife. VJ makes it clear they need to keep it together because when Leah and Billie do return home, they will need Zac and VJ to be there for them.