At the ETCO plaza, Andrew J. Bartel leaves his office and summons the elevator. The automated system greets him. When the door opens, Andrew gets in... and falls down the seemingly immaterial floor of the elevator to his death.
At the warehouse, Mickey tries to sort through Austin's financial receipts in preparation of an IRS audit. Austin has hooked himself up to a brainwave monitoring device and insists that he has a perfect record of all of his files... in his memory. He explains that his memory has been certified by the Federal government. Mickey tests him and he recites the data perfectly. He tells her that he's broke but doesn't care because money is irrelevant. Graham calls and tells Austin that he has a problem. One of Austin's Theta elevators malfunctioned and a man is dead, and they're going to blame Austin.
Austin and Mickey drive to ETCO and Austin checks the circuits. He confirms that the doors are still programmed through the master control module that he designed. Austin insists that his system is foolproof, and Mickey suggests that a maintenance person accidentally tampered with it. Her boss says that the system is tamperproof and there's no sign that anyone touched it. They check the elevator shaft, and the Theta system recognizes Austin as its creator. They take the elevator up and Austin climbs onto the roof to check out the shaft.
Arthur Rendolf is on the 11th floor and tells Paul Watkins to get rid of the elevator. When Paul asks what Arthur's plans are, Arthur assures him that he'll be a vital part of the new ETCO.
Austin doesn't find anything in the shaft and climbs down as the elevator arrives. he introduces himself to Arthur, who points out that he has some blood on his hands and tells Paul to note that the company's first action under his management will be to sue Austin. .Austin looks around the lobby and leans against a statue, and admits to Mickey that he doesn't know what happened.
That night at the warehouse, Austin hooks up his computer to the elevator's black box. The log shows that the elevator came to the 12th floor... but Arthur's office is on 11. Austin has the computer recreate the sequence on a model that he's created and it shows that Arthur entered an empty elevator shaft when the car went to 12. Mickey and Austin both realize that the same thing could happen again at anytime.
At Vivatech, the security guard Jordan is at his desk taking a call. The nearby elevator goes to 21 and a few seconds later, there's a scream as a man falls down the shaft. The Theta system asks Jordan to see Mr. Rumbacker to his car, but there's no one in the elevator.
The next morning, the police are securing the shaft when Graham arrives. Austin is examining the elevator, and Graham tells him that they're shutting down all of the elevators and recalling the control modules. Austin says that he'll redesign the whole unit in 48 hours, and Graham asks him to repair the elevator at Serendip first. Graham warns that the investors are nervous and Serendip's stock is down 20 points. He says that he'll have to distance Austin from Serendip for the good of the company. Once Graham leaves, Austin and Mickey take the elevator to 21 and Austin notices a mechanical sculpture similar to the one at ETCO. He takes apart the sculpture and confirms that there are no impulses that could have interfered with the elevator. Mickey finds a logo of a bolt through a toilet seat, and they realize that it means "John Bolt."
John and Mickey go to John's workshop and he yells at them over the intercom to go away. He insists that he's Austin James, but Austin figures that John wouldn't have answered if he didn't want company. When Austin flatters John about his kinetic sculptures, he invites them in and explains that he overcharges corporate types for his sculptures. John tells them that he only sells his worse pieces to them, and Austin realizes that John is blind. The artist says that he lost his vision before the unveiling of his first piece. He was wrecking it with an acetylene torch when the buyer cut off the top of it because it was too tall for their lobby. The torch was defective and exploded, and John has been blind ever since. Austin motions to Mickey and then offers to buy one of his sculptures. John refuses and Austin grabs one of the sculptures. He takes it out to the station wagon and takes the sculpture apart, but doesn't find anything. Mickey jokingly suggests that they compare it to one of the sculptures at the elevators, and then realizes that Austin plans to do just that.
That night at Vivatech, Mickey gets Jordan's attention and claims that she's there to rotate the plants. She has a cart full of potted plants, and has Jordan carry one over while Austin sneaks in and takes the elevator to 21. He then carts out the sculpture. Meanwhile, Jordan flirts with Mickey who puts him off to have him get water for the plants. When he persists, Mickey spills water on him and he goes to his locker to get dry clothing just as Austin comes back down in the elevator. Mickey holds the doors open and they leave.
Back at the warehouse, Mickey continues going through Austin's receipts. Austin discovers that someone has removed the sound insulation from inside the sculpture, and figures that whoever did it needed room to install something inside that has since been removed. he accesses ECTO's financial records and discovers that Arthur donated both sculptures. Arthur has been buying stock in both companies, which specialize in superconductors, to perform hostile takeovers. The third of three companies specializing in superconductor research is Serendip... and the Theta elevator there is back in service.
At Serendip, Graham ignores Austin's phone call and the night watchman is on his rounds. Austin and Mickey pull up to Serendip and get the night watchman to let them in. they run up to the elevator as Graham gets in, and Austin tackles him, knocking papers everywhere. The elevator car is there, and Austin tells Graham that the two men were killed. Graham doesn't believe him and says that the board of directors is holding a special meeting to salvage the situation.
As they head back to the warehouse, Austin figures that Arthur is trying to obtain Serendip. As he draws out the layout of the elevators, Mickey follows a detour sign out onto an interstate overleaf. She wonders when it was opened up, and Austin tells her that it hasn't. he yells at Mickey to stop the car, and they realize that the road is gone, leaving nothing but support girders a few feet ahead. Mickey insists that she saw the highway, and explains about the detour sign. They drive back and discover that the sign is gone. There's an exterminator truck nearby and the driver is changing a tire. They smell ozone and talk to the driver, Dusty, who says that he didn't see a detour sign. Austin points out that the van has a slow oil leak indicating the driver has been there for at least fifty minutes, and the driver gets in his face until he leaves.
The next morning, Austin and Mickey go to Arthur's office and Austin tells Mickey to search for any records while he causes a diversion. They go into Arthur's office and Austin says that they've turned up Arthur's interest in John's art. He specifies a glass of spring water for Mickey, and once the secretary leaves Mickey goes through Arthur's desk while Austin says that someone murdered the two executives. Arthur claims that Austin is just trying to get himself off the hook, and claims that he marks his territory before he takes it. Austin assures him that he won't get away with it, and Arthur turns to see Mickey at his desk. He tells them to get out and says that the Serendip board of directors has invited him there and he'll tell them about Austin's wild accusations. Dusty calls Arthur, who tells him that Austin is on his way down.
As they go to the parking garage, Mickey recites a ten-digit number next to Arthur's computer. A deliveryman drops a package and Austin goes over to pick it up for him. A light shines in his eyes, and the van speeds at Austin. He doesn't see it until Mickey yells a warning, and Austin dives aside just in time. They smell ozone again and Austin tells Mickey to go to the board meeting and stop Arthur from getting control of Serendip. Meanwhile, he's going to the warehouse.
Graham tells the board that the worst is over. Arthur is with him, and Mickey comes in. She says that she's holding Justin's proxy and calls for adjournment, but Graham says that they should discuss Austin's removal as president. Austin comes in awkwardly holding a gun and shoots. Graham collapses and the lights go down for a second. When they come up, Austin is gone and Graham is wounded in the shoulder.
Later, Mickey bails out Austin with the $100,000 she raised from everything in the warehouse. Austin concedes that it was the only way under the circumstances, and she describes the awkward way he was holding the gun. He says that Arthur projected an illusion of him into the board room while he was at the warehouse without an alibi, and has Mickey confirm that she smelled ozone.
Austin has Mickey drive to a yard where the van is parked. He traced the license plate when the van almost ran him over, and they break into the back of the van. It's filled with electronic equipment, and a Theta control module is fastened to a microwave transmitter. The module has been reprogrammed and there's a projection device showing a detour sign.
That night at ETCO, Arthur is walking to the elevator when the Theta system addresses him by name and says that he'll never get out of the building alive. Arthur figures that Austin is responsible and calls to him. Austin steps out and the Theta system says that Austin has the truck and it's outside controlling it. The elevator doors open and Austin invites Arthur to get in first. He says that one of Arthur's companies specializes in holographic research, and figures that Arthur put the projector in the sculptures. Dusty took a holographic picture of Austin in the parking garage and matted it with a holographic pistol, then projected it into the board room while Dusty shot Graham from behind the hologram.
Arthur grabs Austin and shoves him into the elevator shaft. He falls through the bottom of the hologram, and Mickey, Graham, and three policemen come in. The police arrest Arthur, and Mickey confirms that Arthur is okay... lying on an inflatable pad a few feet down the shaft.
Later at the warehouse, Mickey refuses to scream when Austin's tarantula crawls past her paperwork. Austin returns from the IRS audit and says that he inundated them with all of his finances since age 8. They got number from all of the details and concluded that his finances were in order, and Mickey explains that she's making him a new checkbook. Austin shows her the boxes of financial records that he did the night before. However, when Mickey tries to check them out, she discovers that they're a holographic projection.
Written by Gadfly on Jun 3, 2017