Ian and Eva Fraser are working in their lab, and Ian's left hand is caught in the projection field. Once they shut down the power, they stare at Ian's hand in shock.
The next day, Mrs. Palmer and her assistant Edgar Price are holding a séance to help millionaire Lincoln Russell, owner of Arrex Electronics, contact the spirit of his dead son. Ian and Eva are there, and Edgar blows out the candles. A phosphorescent spirit shape appears in the middle of the table. Ian's assistant Dwight Hartley turns on the lights, and Ian reveals that the white object is a luminous cloth rigged on black thread. The scientist explains that Mrs. Palmer set the whole thing up entirely. Lincoln orders the medium out, and Mrs. Palmer says that she needs belief and would do anything to generate belief. She points out that she described Lincoln's son to him, and Dwight points out that there's a photo of the boy nearby. Edgar insists that he's an expert on the paranormal and Mrs. Palmer is authentic, and Lincoln's executive director Sawyer tells them that they should go. As they go, Mrs. Palmer says that there is no hope of reaching Lincoln's son when the others are issuing hostility.
Sawyer says that eventually Mrs. Palmer or someone connected to her would have asked him for money. Dwight tells Lincoln asks him to finance their "expedition" beyond the Borderlands to the unknown beyond. He says that Ian is a distinguished scientist, and Eva says that her husband is a genius. Ian takes out two bar magnets and talks about the invisible force joining them. They've discovered that the force is an extension of mass extending into another dimension, and they've found a doorway into the fourth dimension.
Sawyer notes that it sounds as bizarre as anything Mrs. Palmer talks about, and Ian says that it takes money to generate the electrical energy they need. They opened a small doorway, by reversing the polarity in a magnetic field and discovering a new dimension. Dwight says that he witnessed Ian reaching into the magnetic field as Eva reversed the polarity. Ian shows that his left hand is reversed, giving him two right hands, and explains that it feels cold like fine currents of electricity passing along it. He insists that it's not a trick, and Dwight explains that they blew out the power circuits and need more power for a person to cross over. Ian says that he hopes to live in another world, and doesn't know if he will see anyone. He warns that no one knows what happens to people after they die. Lincoln agrees to finance them as long as they attempt to contact his son. Eva says that they need enough power to light the city for one hour, and Lincoln asks them to perform their experiment at Midlands where he has some influence. It will take them a week to get ready, and Lincoln says that in seven days they'll have the plant at their disposal.
The scientists set up at the plant while Lincoln calls the commissioner and gets the entire power system for one hour. He notes that the governor has already agreed, and the commissioner gives in. Dwight checks on Eva and assures her that he'll take care of her if anything happens to Ian.
Mrs. Palmer approaches Sawyer and says that she was ready to everything that Sawyer told her to do. She threatens to reveal how Sawyer wanted her to influence Lincoln to buy certain land, and demands what is due to her. Sawyer tells her to leave town and invites her to talk to Lincoln as much as she wants. Mrs. Palmer insists that she is real, and figures that Sawyer is cursed enough to want power but isn't strong enough to take it. Sawyer hesitates and then tells her that will be all.
Sawyer goes to see Ian at the plant and says that Ian has kept the expenses within reason. He reminds Ian that anything he finds is the property of Arrex, and Ian assures him that he'll get his share. Sawyer insists that he's in charge and asks for Ian's word that he'll tell him directly of anything he discovers. Ian sarcastically agrees and Sawyer walks off in satisfaction.
Later, Lincoln and Sawyer watch as the Frasers do some preliminary tests. When Sawyer reminds her that they don't have much power, Eva insists that her husband has the right to make sure everything is safe. The others take their place behind the protective shield, and the scientists reroute the power. Mrs. Palmer and Edgar sneak in and watch as Eva reverses the polarity. Once the experiment is over, the team analyzes the test objects for stress damage and proceed with phase 2: a plant and a teapot. Once they reverse the polarity, they discover that the two objects have reversed. Mrs. Palmer and Edgar figure that the scientists are putting on a show for Lincoln to get his money.
Ian tells Lincoln that they have one more test--a mouse--and if it lives then he'll go next. The mouse fades in and out as the field fluctuates, and they slowly stabilize it. The mouse is dead and fading in and out of existence, and they figure that it went out of phase. It reverses and then implodes, and Ian tells Lincoln that he doesn't know if he's going or not. The field wasn't steady enough to keep the organic molecules stable. Dwight says that they have to try it as full power, and warns that he can't go without further tests. Ian insists that they can't wait for government funding if it comes through.
The scientists test the process on another mouse. This time the mouse survives the first part of the process and Ian orders his people to put the mouse in again to confirm that it's safe. They determine that it's unharmed and Eva tells Ian that they should do more tests. Ian says that Sawyer won't give them the time and it would take years to find another sponsor. His wife reminds him that they lost the first mouse, but Ian says that he feels that he'll come through alive and be with her. Eva tells him that she sees him lost, and Ian insists that there's a risk no matter when they do it. He tells her that the odds are with them, and Eva apologizes and claims that she's suffering from intuition. Lincoln confirms that the mouse is normal.
Edgar tells Mrs. Palmer that they have a right to protect their interest, and suggests that they ease off the power. He assures her that he can sabotage the generators, but Mrs. Palmer figures that Lincoln won't listen to them again. Edgar goes to look at the generator, saying that it's for Lincoln's own good.
Eva tells Ian and Dwight that they have to have communication and the computer can unreverse any radio signal. Lincoln tells Ian to call his son's name, and warns that he was crushed in his car and may be disfigured. He figures that he should reach his son and Ian tells him that he'll do his best.
Edgar finds a toolbox and tells Mrs. Palmer that if it drops into the generator then it will cause a short circuit. She says that it's wrong but Edgar says that it will only lessen the power a few degrees. Mrs. Palmer warns that Edgar is tampering with something important, and he says that her way is the right way.
Sawyer reminds Ian of their agreement and tells him to keep his messages general. Ian starts to snap at him and then controls himself, and enters the transfer area. The technicians put on the radio headset and Eva initiates the power. Ian asks Dwight to take care of Eva if anything goes off the track, and Dwight assures him that it will be fine. Eva checks the radio headset and begins the process. Ian says that he's falling and can't see.
Edgar drops the toolbox into the generator. It shorts out, electrifying the railing that he's holding onto. Ian calls to Eva but can't hear her, but sees her when she comes down to the transfer area. He tells her not to come in, and Lincoln reports that three generators are out and they're tying into a substation. Eva writes a message on paper asking if her husband is all right. Ian sees a barren rocky landscape through the doorway but doesn't know when or where it is, and starts to drift as his time sense goes. Eva writes a message telling him not to move, and he yells that there's a temporal drift. Ian reaches out of the field and his left hand re-reverses back to normal. Eva grabs it and holds on, yelling that she won't let him go.
As he fluctuates, Ian calls to Lincoln's son. Lincoln hears him and insists that his son is there. Eva yells instructions to the technicians and they overload the generators to bring Ian back. She pulls Peter back, and a sobbing Lincoln enters the field to find his son and disappears. Meanwhile, Eva holds Ian, who realizes that his left hand is back to normal.
Written by Gadfly on Feb 17, 2019