At Klae, Walter is meeting with a government consul, Randall, who shows him photos of scientist LeonBarnard, his daughter Anna, and a military secret service officer, Alexi Zartov. Leon defected during the 60s, and now the he’s been dropping coded hints in his papers that he wants to return to the U.S. Alexi stays close enough to Leon that the U.S. agents can’t get close to him. Two of the agents disappeared, and Randall wants to employ the Klae Resource.
Walter finds Kate out sunning herself, and trips over on an invisible Daniel working on his tan. The director tells them to get dressed and meet in his office in ten minutes. When the couple arrive, Daniel says that he and Leon were close when Leon was teaching physics. Leon defected in 1960: his wife died and he discovered that his work was being to kill people in war. The scientist took Anna with him and defected, and Walter explains that the Eastern Block is sponsoring a worldwide scientific convention in Stockholm to introduce Leon’s work to the world. Leon will provide a paper and a small demonstration, and the Westins have been invited. Walter hopes that Daniel can get close enough to Leon to find out if he wants to return. The Eastern Bloc is running the hotel with airtight security. If Leon wants out, Daniel will have to get him and Anna out alive.
The Westins take a cab to the hotel, pretending to have “accidentally” met Walter in it. As Walter goes to the hotel across the street, the Westins go inside and Anna greets them. She knew Daniel, and asks them if they’ll join her and Leon for supper that night. Alexi overhears them and comes over, and Anna introduces Alexi as her fiancé and Leon’s aide. He takes the couple’s passports for safekeeping. Once they go to their room, Alexi assures Anna that she is very precious to him.
At supper, Alexi escorts Leon and Anna into the dining room. Daniel and Leon hug, and they sit down to eat. Leon congratulates Daniel onhis teleportation work, and Alexi makes it clear that Leon isn’t to discuss his work. They chat about Leon’s new country, and Leon reminds Daniel of “Barnard’s Rule.” He says that it applies there as well and he’s very happy with his new home.
Back in their room, Alexi gives Anna a bug and insists that it’s for Leon’s own good. He points out that the Americans tried to abduct Leon in their own country, and will try again. Alexi insists that it’s a way to show their love, and refuses to let Anna tell her father about the bug.
The Westins return to their room and Kate figures that Anna is totally brainwashed. She doesn’t believe that Anna would leave with Leon. Daniel explains that “Barnard’s Rule” meant that only fools rush in. As he talks, Daniel removes his disguise and then goes to see Leon invisibly.
Leon is in bed when Anna comes in and asks for a good night kiss and slips the bug into the nightstand.
Daniel takes the elevator up to Leon’s floor.
Leon tells Anna that sometimes he misses the U.S. and says that Anna would like it there. She insists that it’s a land of chauvinism and her father points out that it sounds like Alexi. Leon wonders if Alexi loves her, and warns that he’s not as gentle as he seems.
The elevator opens on Leon’s floor and the puzzled guard draws his gun. He checks it out but sees no one, and Daniel slips by him. Anna comes out of Leon’s room and tells the guards that they can lock up for the evening. Daniel comes in and tells Leon to keep the lights out.
In his room, Alexi listens via the bug as Daniel asks if he wants to return. Leon assures him that he does, just as Alexi comes in and turns on the lights. Both he and Leon are surprised to see no one there. The guards search the room and find nothing, and Alexi grabs Leon and demands answers. Anna comes in and yells at Alexi to let go of her father, and Alexi reluctantly does so. He then goes back to his room and apologizes to Anna, unaware that Anna has followed them back. Alexi tells Anna that he got carried away, and asks her if Leon found out about the bug. She assures her fiancé that Leon didn’t, and Alexi plays the recording back. They realize that it’s Daniel and Alexi takes the guards to the Westins’ room.
Kate answers the door and Daniel slips in behind her and goes into the shower. He starts up the shower and calls if someone is out there, and Kate says that Alexi is there. Kate brings him his clothes and hides his disguise in with them, but can’t find the right hand glove. She hands the rest into the bathroom and Daniel comes out, hiding his invisible right hand in his shirt. Alexi insists that Daniel was in Leon’s room. Daniel says that he’s holding his stomach because of indigestion, just as Alexi gets a call. Once he’s done, Alexi demands the keys to the room and Kate hands them over. He then explains that his superior was on the phone, and the tape of Daniel’s voice isn’t enough evidence to hold him captive and risk an international incident. The first thing in the morning, they’ll call the consulate and request the Westins’ immediate deportation. Until then, they’ll be kept under lock and key.
Once they leave, Daniel tells Kate what he’s learned. The phone is dead and Kate finds the missing hand glove in the sock drawer. Daniel figures that if they can get Leon into the room, they can disguise him.
Across the street, Walter and Randall watch the Westin’s room. Meanwhile, an invisible Daniel goes out onto the ledge and inches along to the next room. Kate waves to Walter and tries to mime their plan.
Daniel takes the elevator up to Leon’s floor and goes past the sleeping guard to Leon’s room. he takes the room key from one of the dozing guards and lets himself in. Meanwhile, the elevator guard falls over and notices that the elevator door is open, and calls over the door guards. While they’re distracted, Daniel enters Leon’s room before they come back. Inside, he finds the bug that Anna and Alexi were discussing and puts it in a pitcher of water. Daniel then wakes Leon up and tells him to keep the lights off, and says that he needs to know why Leon wants to come back. Leon says that he can live with being tried for treason, but the Eastern Bloc is using his work to kill people. He destroyed everything when he found out, and the meeting is a farce. The only reason Leon came there was to escape. He’s also discovered a mistake that Daniel may have made in his process, and it has the possibility to make a man invisible. Leon turns on the light and realizes that Daniel is invisible. Once Leon recovers fromhis shock, Daniel says that they have to focus on getting him out. Leon figures that Anna doesn’t want to come back with him, and asks Daniel what his plan is.
The door to Leon’s room opens, and the guards come in to investigate. Daniel and Leon knock them out and Daniel removes one uniform and has Leon put it on. They then go out past the sleeping elevator guard and they go to Daniel’s room because security on the lobby is too tight. Daniel lures the guards away while Leon lets himself in, and leaves the door ajar so that Daniel can get in as well. He then has Leon put on his pajamas and his dermaplex mask,
The next morning, Randall checks and confirms that Alexi requested that the Westins be evicted. Randall says that the car will be sent over at 8 a.m. Walter heads over to pick up the couple.
At the hotel, Alexi goes to the Westins’ room and finds them both sleeping in bed. He tells them that they have 20 minutes to get downstairs and leave. The guards take their luggage down, and Daniel accompanies Kate and the disguised Leon. Alexi and Anna greet them, and Anna says that Leon will be unhappy that he missed them going. Alexi tells Anna to go wake up Leon for his morning meeting, and then points out that “Daniel” seems unusually quiet. Daniel speaks for Leon, keeping it as brief as possible.
Anna goes to her father’s room and discovers that he’s gone, and the guards tied up.
Walter drives consulate car up to the hotel and Daniel mumbles a response. Meanwhile, Anna takes the elevator guard with her and heads down to the lobby.
Kate asks Alexi for their passports, and she and the disguised Leon get outside. Anna arrives and tells Alexi that Leon is gone, and Alexi sends a guard to stop the Westins. Daniel runs interference while Kate gets Leon into the car. Walter drives off as Anna and Alexi watch them go. Alexi has his men seize Anna and says that unless Leon surrenders then he will kill her.
Alexi calls the U.S. consulate and makes his threat. He then takes Anna to her room and says that he has no further use for her. When she insists that Alexi loves her, Alexi spins her toward a mirror and says that he couldn’t possibly love a plain girl like her.
Daniel suggests that he trade himself for Alexi, but Walter figures that Alexi would refuse to release Anna. With time running out, Daniel takes out the guard’s uniformed and asks for colored ribbon and chewing gum. Once he dons the uniform, Daniel has Walter drive him and Kate to the hotel. Daniel tells Kate to wait for them on the lawn at the side of the hotel, and then goes into the hotel. He bluffs his way past the guards and goes up to Anna’s floor. The elevator guard sees the floor light and draws his gun, and Daniel continues bluffing his way to Anna’s room. The door guards address him in Russia and Daniel bluffs understanding them. He then goes in and Anna says that she wants to leave now that she’s realized the truth about Alexi. Daniel tells her to undress in the bathroom and put on his uniform, and he explains that he will wear his clothes.
In the lobby, Alexi waits for Leon and assumes that he’s bluffing. When Leon doesn’t arrive, Alexi goes to kill Anna.
Daniel tells Anna to run while he distracts the guards, and says that he’ll escape on his own. He puts on her clothing and wraps a bandanna around his head, and then goes out and runs past the guards. The elevator guard pulls off Daniel’s bandanna.--and his mask--and faints at the sight of a headless Daniel. Daniel puts his mask back on and runs off, just as Alexi comes up the elevator. While Daniel locks himself in a room, Anna in the uniform slips out.
Kate is waiting in the yard and Daniel drops his mask to her. When Alexi and the guards break in, they find nothing but an open window and empty clothing.
Anna joins Walter in the car, and Daniel and Kate get in the back. Once everyone is in, Walter drives to the consulate. Anna and Leon are reunited, and Anna apologizes for not listening to her father. Randall wonders how they got out, and Daniel and Kate come in. Leon says that he knows but assures Daniel that his secret is safe. Daniel says that they’re all going home.
Written by Gadfly on Jun 5, 2016