The Murdoch Mysteries (2004) s13e11 Episode Script
Staring Blindly into the Future
[JULIA.]
We should hurry.
The symposium starts in ten minutes.
Do you have your speech? I think I should have been invited.
I mean, who has a more exciting view of the future than I do? I believe we were invited because we're friends of James Pendrick.
I'm his best friend and I didn't get a bloody invite.
Right then, George, what do you believe the future holds? Automatons, sir.
At least one in every household.
And artificial meat.
Grown in great vats.
And you can take the gelatinous by-product - and warm it into a household lubricant.
- Shut up Crabtree.
You'll put me off beef.
- Ten minutes.
- Yes.
Do me a favour, Murdoch.
- Oh, your autograph book? - Get me Madame Curie's.
I've got prime ministers, presidents, I've even got Buffalo Bill, but what I don't have is a Nobel Laureate.
Sir, I don't really feel comfortable - asking people for their autograph - Nevermind.
Enjoy your fancy shindig or whatever it is.
Oh my goodness.
Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie, Emma Goldman, and Harry Houdini? All in the same room.
And that's the physicist, Ernest Rutherford.
What an unlikely gathering.
Detective Murdoch, how wonderful to see you again.
Alexander Graham Bell.
Always a pleasure, sir.
Doctor Ogden.
I'm so glad you two were invited.
Have you seen James Pendrick? No, not yet.
Though I've seen or met everyone else.
What's Andrew Carnegie doing here at a symposium for the future? I suppose he's speaking on the future of capitalism.
- Along with Emma Goldman.
- They're not the only oppositional pairs.
I just stopped a fight between Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla.
Oh.
Mr.
Wells.
We meet again.
Julia, wasn't it? Dr.
Ogden.
Hello Mr.
Wells.
Call me Herbert.
Oh.
Herbert.
Edison.
- I understand you had a dust up with Nikola.
- It's not over.
If you see him tell him I wish to speak to him.
You must excuse me, I should work on my speech.
Dr.
Ogden, perhaps you'd like to meet Madame Curie.
Oh, perfect.
Yes.
Excuse us, Herbert.
The future The future is, of course, unknowable.
But indicators abound as to what it might become [TESLA.]
It will only be necessary to carry an inexpensive instrument not bigger than a watch, which will allow its bearer to listen or transmit speech or song to the uttermost parts of the world.
Mr.
Tesla.
Detective.
I look forward to your lecture.
Well, I must say, I'm intrigued by yours.
A universal communication device - one could carry in their pocket? - Mmm-hmm.
I believe it is within reach.
Oh, Mr.
Edison is looking for you.
[LAUGHS.]
I played a little prank on him.
I left out technical drawings for a teleportation device where I knew his spies could find them.
- No.
- Yes.
A whole team, four months, wasted.
Oh, you seem to have lost a button.
He grabbed at me earlier.
They pulled him away I'm the first speaker.
- Well, you have time to change if you hurry.
- Yes.
See you soon.
The future.
Excuse me.
Mr.
Ford.
The future.
How far can we see into its horizon? A new physics that tells us the impossible is inevitable, what is actually possible? What is inevitable? These are the questions we seek to answer here at this symposium.
Unfortunately, I am sorry to say I will not be able to join you on this journey of discovery.
A recent surge in sunspot activity has provided a unique opportunity to test a theory on the forces that power the sun.
Forces that I hope to harness here on earth.
In my absence, my able assistant, Svetlana Tsiolkovsky, will be my proxy.
Good luck my friends.
May your ideas flourish.
[ALL CLAP.]
Thank you for coming.
It means so much to James that you could all be here to talk about what is yet to come.
I once told James he was the most brilliant man alive.
He corrected me.
He said that man is Nikola Tesla.
[APPLAUSE.]
Mr.
Tesla? [MAN IN CROWD.]
Where is he? He telephoned from his room to ask for a glass of milk.
And you found Mr.
Edison pounding on his door.
He said he'd been there for least five minutes.
- And Mr.
Tesla never emerged.
- No.
- Do I know you? - We met in New York.
Oh.
When we saved President Roosevelt.
Yes, when you didn't tip.
[MURDOCH.]
I thought it was included.
When I came in he wasn't here.
Where could he have gone? Extraordinary.
How did Mr.
Tesla just disappear? - Well he didn't vanish into thin air.
- [EDISON.]
You might ask.
Some invent for money.
Others invent because they wish to make the world a better place.
I invent because I must.
You were standing outside his room for how long? Five minutes at least.
- Banging on the door.
- Not the whole time.
I'm not a maniac.
I was mostly pacing.
The bellboy claims that Mr.
Tesla placed a call from inside his room while you were standing outside? Then he must lying.
The concierge confirmed the call.
Both the room number and time were recorded.
Murdoch.
I have no love for Nikola Tesla.
If his teleportation device had worked I would gladly have sent him to another planet, or perhaps to the surface of the sun.
Alas, it did not.
You don't think Mr.
Edison had anything to do with it? I don't know what to think, sir.
George is conducting a room by room search.
- You don't need to be here.
- Nonsense.
Can't have famous scientists go missing on my watch.
Could it have been a trick? If it is, how did he do it? I don't know, but we do have an escape artist at this symposium.
Perhaps we should ask Mr.
Houdini.
No.
I don't know if Mr.
Tesla has a fear of heights.
It's six floors, straight down.
Not a ledge in sight.
So you see, he could have repelled down.
Where would the rope have been attached? And where is it now? Yes.
Alternatively, a parachute.
It would be risky.
You have not convinced the Detective yet, Mr.
Houdini.
What other ideas have you? Examine, if you will, the chimney.
Go along, each of you.
Take a good look.
No, it's far too narrow.
- He's gone.
- Wonderful! He disappeared himself.
Wait.
Wait.
Ta da.
Bravo Mr.
Houdini! Bravo! So as you can see, matter is related to energy and energy is related to matter by a conversion factor equal to the square of the speed of light.
I think you will agree that is a rather large number.
To put it in perspective, If we could liberate the latent energy in this glass of water, it would be equal to 8 million tons of TNT.
So be careful with this.
[ALL LAUGH.]
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.
That's Houdini's best guess? That Tesla either threw himself out the window or folded himself into the bottom of a tea trolley? - What for? - I have no idea.
But there has to be a better explanation, I just don't know what that is as of yet.
Sir.
What if a hole has opened in the space-time continuum and sucked Tesla through.
Space-time continuum? He's been listening to that Einstein.
Oh sir, his speech was brilliant.
Did you know that time travels at the speed of light? So that if you were to travel at the speed of light there would be no time? That makes no sense whatsoever.
What if in the near future Mr.
Tesla invents a device of unforeseen but terrible consequences such that someone from the distant future has been sent back in time to now to remove him - She's leaving.
- Who? Madam Curie.
Look.
- You two sort it out.
- Sir.
I don't think that's Have you found anything of interest, George on this planet? Sir, we've searched every room.
There's no sign of him.
No one remembers seeing anything out of the ordinary.
He really does seem to have disappeared, sir.
Madam Curie! Madam Curie! Madam Curie! Please hold the door.
Bollocks.
Madam Curie.
This is Inspector Thomas Charles Brackenreid of the Toronto Constabulary.
If I could have just a moment of your time please.
Madame Curie! Could you unlock this door, please.
Thank you.
Madam Curie? Bloody hell! When she didn't answer the door, I thought maybe she hadn't gone into her room at all.
But the bellboy said she'd rang down to the front desk and requested tea.
Meaning she was in her room.
Just like Mr.
Tesla.
These windows lock from the inside.
I've checked under the bed, the closet.
Madame Curie has disappeared.
I see nothing amiss in her room.
But now that two people have disappeared, it's clear something nefarious is going on.
We will be free to love who, when, and where we wish.
No.
Absolutely not.
Miss Tsiolkovsky, I realize you take your job very seriously.
This is no mere job, Detective Murdoch.
James Pendrick has entrusted me to run his symposium.
- And I will not let him down.
- I understand.
But until I know what is going on, I don't believe that anyone here is safe.
You're sure they are disappearing? They have not just left? It's not like Tesla to miss a chance to make a speech.
[MURDOCH.]
Both he and Madame Curie have disappeared under mysterious circumstances.
I understand that, Detective.
But I am firm.
The symposium goes on.
Fine.
But please let me telephone my Station House and assign a constable to each of the symposium guests.
Ask them to be discreet.
I don't want anyone becoming alarmed.
They'll do their best.
- I have to go.
- Go, go.
Go where? No.
You're the next to speak.
- I - It's all right, old boy.
Perhaps we could swap spots.
That will be fine, yes.
Mr.
Einstein? This is Constable Crabtree.
I've been assigned to guard you.
Excuse me.
Mr.
Einstein.
Your towels.
I need you to open the door.
Right away.
Oh lord.
He's gone too.
The future, ladies and gentlemen, is in kites! - Sir! Sir! - George.
Albert Einstein is missing.
What? Are you sure? Yes, sir.
And apparently he called down for fresh towels moments before I arrived at his room.
I'm afraid I have some bad news of my own.
Mr.
Rutherford has also vanished.
He was last seen heading to his room, and is now nowhere to be found.
Detective.
Did I hear that Rutherford has gone missing as well? I'm afraid so.
Sir, that makes four people now.
Mr.
Tesla, Madame Curie, Einstein and Rutherford.
How curious.
Why them? It makes me wonder if somebody is kidnapping the best and brightest of this symposium.
- Now, I hardly think - Yes, George, I believe you're right.
Excuse us, Mr.
Edison.
Why do I have to look at your automobile? Mr.
Ford, I'm not just a constable.
I, too, am a visionary.
Behold! What am I looking at? There's a mirror in my car.
How nice for you.
But do you know what this mirror does? - Allows you to look at yourself? - Correction.
It allows me to look at other people.
While I'm driving, I use the mirror to look behind me.
Ah.
You can see your passengers, and presumably, - what is behind your car, as well? - Precisely.
How interesting.
This mirror is on a stand, but if it was mounted on the roof, in the middle, and one could tilt it in any direction I have lived my life by my rule of thirds; the first third of my life was spent gaining an education.
The second third was spent making money.
A lot of money.
In the last third of my life, I am going to give it all away.
Why are people applauding Andrew Carnegie? Well Miss Goldman, he's devoted his life to philanthropy.
His vision for the future is one of enlightenment and peace.
And what of the common people, who broke their backs and lost their lives so that he could gain his fortune? Well, yes, that is true This entire symposium is preposterous.
Why are we talking about what might be possible tomorrow when there are so many problems today? Some scientists and thinkers use such conjectures to propel their work.
But you see I Miss Goldman? And do you know what propels my work, Detective Watts? - What's that? - Holding people responsible for the injustice they have inflicted.
Oh.
[CARNEGIE.]
Anyone can prosper, even a boy from a small home This is for the workers! You're sure? I need to find a telephone.
Have Miss Goldman removed from the hall, Constable.
But don't charge her The woman has a point.
[EMMA GOLDMAN.]
You're a disgrace, Carnegie! A fifth person has now gone missing.
- Who else? - Thomas Edison.
Could somebody from the symposium be behind this? What about Svetlana Tsiolkovsky? She could be working for someone else? I don't think she would let James Pendrick down again.
Well sir, I hate to say it.
But what about James Pendrick himself? I mean, if you think about it.
Why? Why has he gathered all these people together? Why is he not here himself, really? It is strange.
Perhaps he is here? [CRABTREE.]
In hiding? Perhaps he's gathering the best of the best together and now he's hidden them away in some secret place? Why on earth would he do that? Haven't we learned by now that James Pendrick always has something up his sleeve? - He seems stiff, preoccupied.
- Exactly.
And if we know anything about Pendrick, he's hardly shy in front of the camera.
[MURDOCH.]
I see something in the reflection behind Pendrick.
George, turn off the light.
Stop the film.
- [JULIA.]
William! That looks like - Sally Pendrick.
His ex-wife! - The woman who got away with murder? - The very one.
But James Pendrick wouldn't do her bidding.
[MURDOCH.]
Take a closer look, Julia.
James Pendrick isn't simply doing her bidding.
He's being forced.
At gunpoint.
Sally Pendrick? So she's the one kidnapping all the scientists? The fact that she is involved in the disappearance of James Pendrick makes it a strong possibility.
You think he's alive? I'm afraid there's no indication one way or the other.
But why is she doing this? Why show up after all this time? - What's it been, ten years? - Something like that.
Is she intending to hold the scientists for ransom? Sir, Sally Pendrick built a microwave death ray to sell to the highest bidder.
If she's kidnapped the world's top scientists, I'm afraid she may have something even more sinister in mind.
- One thousand dollars! - I'm sorry, but no.
Henry, be reasonable.
If by reasonable you mean fair, then I believe I am, Henry.
This invention will revolutionize your next car model, and every model thereafter.
If all that's worth to you is one thousand dollars, then, I suppose that's simply a fundamental disagreement in vision.
Add a zero to it and we can start talking.
What exactly am I looking at? I'm not sure Mr.
Edison? [EDISON.]
I had stepped out of my room to go downstairs for lunch, when suddenly I was ambushed.
My hands were bound.
They told me to remain completely silent or they would kill me.
Do you recall anything about their voices? Accents, perhaps? Nothing I can recall.
They carried me down some stairs into what I can only assume was a room in a basement.
There, I was tied to a chair.
And what were they saying? Just the usual: how they finally had the most brilliant mind of the last 200 years, what a disappointment Nikola was, etc etc.
And just how did you escape? When they stepped out I managed to loosen the ropes that held me to the chair.
Then it was a simple matter of finding the exit.
I had counted the number of footsteps from the stairs to the chair so I knew the general direction and approximate distance.
Extraordinary.
[EDISON.]
55, 56, 57, 58, 59.
Ah, there it is.
Do you remember anything else? Just that the man in charge was quite excited to have me as a captive.
He said they could finally get what they wanted.
- The man in charge? - Yes, he was clearly the leader.
He kept referring to his "master plan".
Apparently the other captives were a bit of a letdown.
Einstein.
Who even heard of him? Mr.
Edison, the person behind these kidnappings is a woman.
Impossible.
[MURDOCH.]
I have clear evidence that it is.
You wouldn't by chance be concocting this story, would you? How dare you, sir? Why would I do such a thing? Why? Because you are jealous that the other captives - are considered more valuable than you.
- Ha! Ridiculous.
Absolute hogwash.
I don't need to lie to prove that I'm smarter than those, those People less smart than I.
Then you know that lying to the police is a crime punishable by imprisonment.
To say nothing of the public embarrassment that would follow.
So I'll ask you one more time, Mr.
Edison: were you truly kidnapped and held here? No.
I made it up.
Mr.
Edison, your ego has wasted the one thing that matters most in a case like this: time.
- I have half a mind to - [CLICKING.]
What's that? That is a telephone switcher.
An invention of mine.
Unfortunately that fool Strowger beat me to the patent.
Do these wires belong here? No.
Someone must have tampered with it.
[FEMALE VOICE.]
Yes.
This is room 710.
I would like a cup of tea please.
[TESLA.]
Hello.
Tesla here.
I'd like a glass of milk sent up.
[EINSTEIN.]
Mr.
Einstein here, and I would like towels.
Clean ones, this time.
[RUTHERFORD.]
This is Ernest Rutherford from room 812.
Could I have a tonic water sent up? I don't understand.
This is how it was done.
All four of them made calls down to the front desk, those calls were intercepted and recorded.
And then replayed to make us think they were still in their rooms when, in fact, they were already abducted.
[CRABTREE.]
But from where? [MURDOCH.]
That's what we need to determine.
Now, Mr.
Edison claims he followed Mr.
Tesla to the elevator.
But never saw him again.
The same thing happened to Madame Curie.
I watched her get onto the elevator.
Of course.
Sally Pendrick used a false elevator to steal a Rembrandt painting some years ago.
Sir, a painting is one thing, but how would she use an elevator to kidnap somebody? Hopefully we're about to find out.
Oh good.
You're here.
I was getting worried.
You're speaking next.
I'll be there in less than five minutes.
Thank you.
- I don't see anything out of the ordinary.
- Nor do I.
- Does the floor give way? - Sir, don't give it any ideas Oi! Nothing.
George, give me a hand.
Sir, it's no use.
It's stuck.
There must be some mechanism by which to open them.
There's a telephone.
I'll call someone.
- Sir, that might not be a - [HISSING.]
Oh, that's not good.
Oh no.
[JULIA.]
William! Julia.
Julia, wake up.
William, are you all right? I seem to be.
Sir.
What the bloody hell happened? Sir, I believe we were gassed in the elevator.
Have we been kidnapped now? That's quite flattering in a way.
Open this door! [WOMAN.]
Who's there? This is Inspector Thomas Brackenreid, I demand that you open this door! Where are we? Why have you brought us here? Madame Curie, we've all been kidnapped.
We know little more than you do, I'm afraid.
What is the last thing you recall before finding yourself here? I was on my way to my room.
I went into the hotel elevator and then I woke up here.
Have you seen Mr.
Tesla? Of course.
Come.
- Do it again.
- How do I look? So good.
You see, it is a lab furnished with every item any of us could wish for.
Every scientific journal, recorded on rolls of film.
- A supply of uranium.
- In significant amounts.
These are the magnets I requested of the university but was denied.
Said they were prohibitively expensive.
[TESLA.]
See here? A static generator capable of creating high voltages.
Oh! This research was published only last month.
This laboratory is furnished with all of the latest theories on mathematics, chemistry, physics.
It is a lab designed to probe the heart of all matter.
The synthesis of each of our fields of study.
To what end? Perhaps a source of free energy.
Enough to power the entire world.
There is nothing altruistic about this.
This is the work of Sally Pendrick.
James Pendrick's former wife, a woman of evil ambition.
A ruthless character.
We've had the misfortune to encounter her before.
So she's not planning on creating free energy? Not in the least.
William Murdoch, what a pleasure to see you again.
- Why have you brought us here? - Madame Curie.
You and your colleagues have been chosen out of my deepest respect for your work.
You have been invited here to unlock the power of the atom.
Of course, it was not my plan that William and his friends would stumble on my little project, but now that they are here, they can be put to use.
Unlock the power of the atom? What does that mean? She wants to build a bomb.
The Constable is correct.
Science has brought us to this point.
And now I will be your patron.
Together, we will harness the potential to build a weapon that will rule the world.
I see your ego has only grown.
The four of you are disposable, Doctor.
Don't force my hand.
No peeking.
You can't really believe you can force these people to build your bomb.
Absolutely not.
Our minds are our own.
Quite.
Our work is for peace, not war.
Science is moving inexorably towards this point.
You better than anyone know that progress cannot be stuffed back into its little test tube.
None of us will build a weapon.
Cooperate, and become rich with me.
And if we refuse? This is Irene and Eve.
My girls.
My wife, my children.
[SALLY.]
Your loved ones will die.
Slowly and painfully.
This is no idle threat.
It should be clear to you by now that I have the means to see it through.
We will do what you ask for.
I thought you would see reason.
Rest up tonight.
Tomorrow, we get to work.
Exactly.
Mr.
Ford.
Have you had time to consider our deal? Indeed I have, my good man.
I trust you have a new offer for me then? Yes, I have given it careful consideration.
And my new offer is: nothing.
I beg your pardon? I've just filed a patent for an affixed rear-looking driver mirror.
- What? - If you have no such patent pending, you have nothing to sell.
But it's my idea! We all have ideas.
But until you have a patent, an idea is but a handful of beans.
All right.
I'll take the 1500 you offered earlier then.
[LAUGHS.]
[ALL LAUGH.]
So in that scenario, are you moving or am I moving? All movement is relative.
There is no absolute speed.
Only the speed of light.
This makes sense to you? [CRABTREE.]
Yes.
I think so.
Something similar to, when you're standing in an elevator and you're not sure if it just started to go down or if you've suddenly become lighter.
- George, I hardly think that's - No, no, no, that is it! Gravity.
Acceleration.
They are equivalent.
You have solved the problem! You are a genius! It appears that door is the only way out, Murdoch.
What are you doing, William? We need to get through this door.
It looks like solid steel.
Not entirely solid.
I believe this center portion is hollow.
And that might be where the lock mechanism is located.
Well, why don't we drill it out? There must be a drill around here somewhere.
We have the means to create enough energy to melt the laboratory we stand in, but lack the tools to penetrate a thick steel door.
Well, couldn't we melt just the door.
Or even just the lock mechanism? It's not that simple, George.
By what means do you propose? If we take all this energy and somehow zap it, zap it toward the door in some sort of superbeam? Superbeam.
High energy.
Yes.
I've had thoughts on such a beam.
We would have to create and accelerate the particles to a very high speed.
We have the magnets.
If we could array them in a circle We would need to focus that energy into a single point.
- We have lenses.
- We would need to calculate the angle of refraction.
[BRACKENREID.]
Bloody hell.
You're all over thinking this too much.
Here's what we do.
We lure a guard through the door, bash him over the head.
Then we make a run for it.
I do like to say that things should be made as simple as possible.
- There you go.
- But not that simple.
Let's get to work.
Right then.
Should we give it a go? It's safe now.
It should work.
What did I tell you? Waste of time.
No.
Twenty megavolts of energy were concentrated on a single point.
Just not where we thought.
The focal length is slightly shorter than we expected.
I told you the index of refraction was wrong.
Wait.
Try it again.
There must be sufficient energy stored up.
Ready? Ah excellent.
So, we adjust the position of the lens, yes.
- It should not take more than an hour.
- Yes.
[ALARM.]
Oh no.
The smoke must have set off the alarm.
What did I tell you? A lot easier.
Sir, there's more.
Let's go.
Let's go.
Let's go! What is this? [ALL CHATTER.]
[PISTOL COCKS.]
William.
I should have known you wouldn't do as you were told, William.
Relinquish your weapons.
Do as she says.
I have no wish to harm your wife.
However, it's clear you did not take my previous warning seriously.
Who was first to be disarmed? The next time you attempt to escape, I won't hesitate to do the same to any of you.
You have to understand you are truly trapped here.
Isolated.
Underground.
No roads lead to us.
No one knows where you are.
I have brought you here to build a weapon greater than the world has seen before.
What you propose is far more complicated than you can possibly understand.
I built this laboratory and gained access to all of you.
I am just as intelligent as any of you.
Kidnapping can hardly be compared - to atomic physics.
- Enough! - Sir, look where she's standing.
- I know.
Bring her to me.
I will teach you not to doubt my intelligence.
This is not big enough for all of us.
[CRABTREE.]
We'll have to draw straws.
Some of you could go and get help.
I'm happy to wait.
I did have an experiment in mind for the static generator.
I'm not due to leave Canada until next week.
You want to stay? Send transport when you get to Toronto and we'll keep the guards secured until help arrives.
Madame Curie, if you'd be so kind? Of course, Inspector.
You know, I've achieved some recognition in my field.
Come and see me after you've won a Nobel Prize.
- Thank you, Madam.
- Thank you.
Constable Crabtree.
A man of such vision.
You have a gift, surely it is wasted as a constable.
Come to Europe.
The new physics requires unconventional thinkers.
I could find a place for you in my department.
That's very kind of you, Mr.
Einstein.
But my home is in Canada.
A shame, my friend.
Right then.
Who knows how to fly this thing? I suppose we'll just have to see where the wind blows us, George.
My hat! Where do you think we are, sir? In the wilderness somewhere north of Toronto, I suppose.
By the sun, late afternoon.
I suppose the Pendrick's symposium will be over by now.
Yes.
And you never got to give your speech.
No.
Well, sir, give it to us now.
Oh I don't know You have a captive audience All right.
The future is unknowable.
But indicators abound as to what it might become.
Wireless communication portends the instantaneous dissemination of knowledge from all parts of the world.
Knowledge will end prejudice, demagogues will no longer flourish.
Lies and misinformation will disappear.
The matters and crises that face us all will be dealt with intelligently and logically.
All of humanity will be able to embrace their better selves.
At the end of the 20th century and beyond, truth and knowledge will prevail.
We should hurry.
The symposium starts in ten minutes.
Do you have your speech? I think I should have been invited.
I mean, who has a more exciting view of the future than I do? I believe we were invited because we're friends of James Pendrick.
I'm his best friend and I didn't get a bloody invite.
Right then, George, what do you believe the future holds? Automatons, sir.
At least one in every household.
And artificial meat.
Grown in great vats.
And you can take the gelatinous by-product - and warm it into a household lubricant.
- Shut up Crabtree.
You'll put me off beef.
- Ten minutes.
- Yes.
Do me a favour, Murdoch.
- Oh, your autograph book? - Get me Madame Curie's.
I've got prime ministers, presidents, I've even got Buffalo Bill, but what I don't have is a Nobel Laureate.
Sir, I don't really feel comfortable - asking people for their autograph - Nevermind.
Enjoy your fancy shindig or whatever it is.
Oh my goodness.
Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie, Emma Goldman, and Harry Houdini? All in the same room.
And that's the physicist, Ernest Rutherford.
What an unlikely gathering.
Detective Murdoch, how wonderful to see you again.
Alexander Graham Bell.
Always a pleasure, sir.
Doctor Ogden.
I'm so glad you two were invited.
Have you seen James Pendrick? No, not yet.
Though I've seen or met everyone else.
What's Andrew Carnegie doing here at a symposium for the future? I suppose he's speaking on the future of capitalism.
- Along with Emma Goldman.
- They're not the only oppositional pairs.
I just stopped a fight between Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla.
Oh.
Mr.
Wells.
We meet again.
Julia, wasn't it? Dr.
Ogden.
Hello Mr.
Wells.
Call me Herbert.
Oh.
Herbert.
Edison.
- I understand you had a dust up with Nikola.
- It's not over.
If you see him tell him I wish to speak to him.
You must excuse me, I should work on my speech.
Dr.
Ogden, perhaps you'd like to meet Madame Curie.
Oh, perfect.
Yes.
Excuse us, Herbert.
The future The future is, of course, unknowable.
But indicators abound as to what it might become [TESLA.]
It will only be necessary to carry an inexpensive instrument not bigger than a watch, which will allow its bearer to listen or transmit speech or song to the uttermost parts of the world.
Mr.
Tesla.
Detective.
I look forward to your lecture.
Well, I must say, I'm intrigued by yours.
A universal communication device - one could carry in their pocket? - Mmm-hmm.
I believe it is within reach.
Oh, Mr.
Edison is looking for you.
[LAUGHS.]
I played a little prank on him.
I left out technical drawings for a teleportation device where I knew his spies could find them.
- No.
- Yes.
A whole team, four months, wasted.
Oh, you seem to have lost a button.
He grabbed at me earlier.
They pulled him away I'm the first speaker.
- Well, you have time to change if you hurry.
- Yes.
See you soon.
The future.
Excuse me.
Mr.
Ford.
The future.
How far can we see into its horizon? A new physics that tells us the impossible is inevitable, what is actually possible? What is inevitable? These are the questions we seek to answer here at this symposium.
Unfortunately, I am sorry to say I will not be able to join you on this journey of discovery.
A recent surge in sunspot activity has provided a unique opportunity to test a theory on the forces that power the sun.
Forces that I hope to harness here on earth.
In my absence, my able assistant, Svetlana Tsiolkovsky, will be my proxy.
Good luck my friends.
May your ideas flourish.
[ALL CLAP.]
Thank you for coming.
It means so much to James that you could all be here to talk about what is yet to come.
I once told James he was the most brilliant man alive.
He corrected me.
He said that man is Nikola Tesla.
[APPLAUSE.]
Mr.
Tesla? [MAN IN CROWD.]
Where is he? He telephoned from his room to ask for a glass of milk.
And you found Mr.
Edison pounding on his door.
He said he'd been there for least five minutes.
- And Mr.
Tesla never emerged.
- No.
- Do I know you? - We met in New York.
Oh.
When we saved President Roosevelt.
Yes, when you didn't tip.
[MURDOCH.]
I thought it was included.
When I came in he wasn't here.
Where could he have gone? Extraordinary.
How did Mr.
Tesla just disappear? - Well he didn't vanish into thin air.
- [EDISON.]
You might ask.
Some invent for money.
Others invent because they wish to make the world a better place.
I invent because I must.
You were standing outside his room for how long? Five minutes at least.
- Banging on the door.
- Not the whole time.
I'm not a maniac.
I was mostly pacing.
The bellboy claims that Mr.
Tesla placed a call from inside his room while you were standing outside? Then he must lying.
The concierge confirmed the call.
Both the room number and time were recorded.
Murdoch.
I have no love for Nikola Tesla.
If his teleportation device had worked I would gladly have sent him to another planet, or perhaps to the surface of the sun.
Alas, it did not.
You don't think Mr.
Edison had anything to do with it? I don't know what to think, sir.
George is conducting a room by room search.
- You don't need to be here.
- Nonsense.
Can't have famous scientists go missing on my watch.
Could it have been a trick? If it is, how did he do it? I don't know, but we do have an escape artist at this symposium.
Perhaps we should ask Mr.
Houdini.
No.
I don't know if Mr.
Tesla has a fear of heights.
It's six floors, straight down.
Not a ledge in sight.
So you see, he could have repelled down.
Where would the rope have been attached? And where is it now? Yes.
Alternatively, a parachute.
It would be risky.
You have not convinced the Detective yet, Mr.
Houdini.
What other ideas have you? Examine, if you will, the chimney.
Go along, each of you.
Take a good look.
No, it's far too narrow.
- He's gone.
- Wonderful! He disappeared himself.
Wait.
Wait.
Ta da.
Bravo Mr.
Houdini! Bravo! So as you can see, matter is related to energy and energy is related to matter by a conversion factor equal to the square of the speed of light.
I think you will agree that is a rather large number.
To put it in perspective, If we could liberate the latent energy in this glass of water, it would be equal to 8 million tons of TNT.
So be careful with this.
[ALL LAUGH.]
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.
That's Houdini's best guess? That Tesla either threw himself out the window or folded himself into the bottom of a tea trolley? - What for? - I have no idea.
But there has to be a better explanation, I just don't know what that is as of yet.
Sir.
What if a hole has opened in the space-time continuum and sucked Tesla through.
Space-time continuum? He's been listening to that Einstein.
Oh sir, his speech was brilliant.
Did you know that time travels at the speed of light? So that if you were to travel at the speed of light there would be no time? That makes no sense whatsoever.
What if in the near future Mr.
Tesla invents a device of unforeseen but terrible consequences such that someone from the distant future has been sent back in time to now to remove him - She's leaving.
- Who? Madam Curie.
Look.
- You two sort it out.
- Sir.
I don't think that's Have you found anything of interest, George on this planet? Sir, we've searched every room.
There's no sign of him.
No one remembers seeing anything out of the ordinary.
He really does seem to have disappeared, sir.
Madam Curie! Madam Curie! Madam Curie! Please hold the door.
Bollocks.
Madam Curie.
This is Inspector Thomas Charles Brackenreid of the Toronto Constabulary.
If I could have just a moment of your time please.
Madame Curie! Could you unlock this door, please.
Thank you.
Madam Curie? Bloody hell! When she didn't answer the door, I thought maybe she hadn't gone into her room at all.
But the bellboy said she'd rang down to the front desk and requested tea.
Meaning she was in her room.
Just like Mr.
Tesla.
These windows lock from the inside.
I've checked under the bed, the closet.
Madame Curie has disappeared.
I see nothing amiss in her room.
But now that two people have disappeared, it's clear something nefarious is going on.
We will be free to love who, when, and where we wish.
No.
Absolutely not.
Miss Tsiolkovsky, I realize you take your job very seriously.
This is no mere job, Detective Murdoch.
James Pendrick has entrusted me to run his symposium.
- And I will not let him down.
- I understand.
But until I know what is going on, I don't believe that anyone here is safe.
You're sure they are disappearing? They have not just left? It's not like Tesla to miss a chance to make a speech.
[MURDOCH.]
Both he and Madame Curie have disappeared under mysterious circumstances.
I understand that, Detective.
But I am firm.
The symposium goes on.
Fine.
But please let me telephone my Station House and assign a constable to each of the symposium guests.
Ask them to be discreet.
I don't want anyone becoming alarmed.
They'll do their best.
- I have to go.
- Go, go.
Go where? No.
You're the next to speak.
- I - It's all right, old boy.
Perhaps we could swap spots.
That will be fine, yes.
Mr.
Einstein? This is Constable Crabtree.
I've been assigned to guard you.
Excuse me.
Mr.
Einstein.
Your towels.
I need you to open the door.
Right away.
Oh lord.
He's gone too.
The future, ladies and gentlemen, is in kites! - Sir! Sir! - George.
Albert Einstein is missing.
What? Are you sure? Yes, sir.
And apparently he called down for fresh towels moments before I arrived at his room.
I'm afraid I have some bad news of my own.
Mr.
Rutherford has also vanished.
He was last seen heading to his room, and is now nowhere to be found.
Detective.
Did I hear that Rutherford has gone missing as well? I'm afraid so.
Sir, that makes four people now.
Mr.
Tesla, Madame Curie, Einstein and Rutherford.
How curious.
Why them? It makes me wonder if somebody is kidnapping the best and brightest of this symposium.
- Now, I hardly think - Yes, George, I believe you're right.
Excuse us, Mr.
Edison.
Why do I have to look at your automobile? Mr.
Ford, I'm not just a constable.
I, too, am a visionary.
Behold! What am I looking at? There's a mirror in my car.
How nice for you.
But do you know what this mirror does? - Allows you to look at yourself? - Correction.
It allows me to look at other people.
While I'm driving, I use the mirror to look behind me.
Ah.
You can see your passengers, and presumably, - what is behind your car, as well? - Precisely.
How interesting.
This mirror is on a stand, but if it was mounted on the roof, in the middle, and one could tilt it in any direction I have lived my life by my rule of thirds; the first third of my life was spent gaining an education.
The second third was spent making money.
A lot of money.
In the last third of my life, I am going to give it all away.
Why are people applauding Andrew Carnegie? Well Miss Goldman, he's devoted his life to philanthropy.
His vision for the future is one of enlightenment and peace.
And what of the common people, who broke their backs and lost their lives so that he could gain his fortune? Well, yes, that is true This entire symposium is preposterous.
Why are we talking about what might be possible tomorrow when there are so many problems today? Some scientists and thinkers use such conjectures to propel their work.
But you see I Miss Goldman? And do you know what propels my work, Detective Watts? - What's that? - Holding people responsible for the injustice they have inflicted.
Oh.
[CARNEGIE.]
Anyone can prosper, even a boy from a small home This is for the workers! You're sure? I need to find a telephone.
Have Miss Goldman removed from the hall, Constable.
But don't charge her The woman has a point.
[EMMA GOLDMAN.]
You're a disgrace, Carnegie! A fifth person has now gone missing.
- Who else? - Thomas Edison.
Could somebody from the symposium be behind this? What about Svetlana Tsiolkovsky? She could be working for someone else? I don't think she would let James Pendrick down again.
Well sir, I hate to say it.
But what about James Pendrick himself? I mean, if you think about it.
Why? Why has he gathered all these people together? Why is he not here himself, really? It is strange.
Perhaps he is here? [CRABTREE.]
In hiding? Perhaps he's gathering the best of the best together and now he's hidden them away in some secret place? Why on earth would he do that? Haven't we learned by now that James Pendrick always has something up his sleeve? - He seems stiff, preoccupied.
- Exactly.
And if we know anything about Pendrick, he's hardly shy in front of the camera.
[MURDOCH.]
I see something in the reflection behind Pendrick.
George, turn off the light.
Stop the film.
- [JULIA.]
William! That looks like - Sally Pendrick.
His ex-wife! - The woman who got away with murder? - The very one.
But James Pendrick wouldn't do her bidding.
[MURDOCH.]
Take a closer look, Julia.
James Pendrick isn't simply doing her bidding.
He's being forced.
At gunpoint.
Sally Pendrick? So she's the one kidnapping all the scientists? The fact that she is involved in the disappearance of James Pendrick makes it a strong possibility.
You think he's alive? I'm afraid there's no indication one way or the other.
But why is she doing this? Why show up after all this time? - What's it been, ten years? - Something like that.
Is she intending to hold the scientists for ransom? Sir, Sally Pendrick built a microwave death ray to sell to the highest bidder.
If she's kidnapped the world's top scientists, I'm afraid she may have something even more sinister in mind.
- One thousand dollars! - I'm sorry, but no.
Henry, be reasonable.
If by reasonable you mean fair, then I believe I am, Henry.
This invention will revolutionize your next car model, and every model thereafter.
If all that's worth to you is one thousand dollars, then, I suppose that's simply a fundamental disagreement in vision.
Add a zero to it and we can start talking.
What exactly am I looking at? I'm not sure Mr.
Edison? [EDISON.]
I had stepped out of my room to go downstairs for lunch, when suddenly I was ambushed.
My hands were bound.
They told me to remain completely silent or they would kill me.
Do you recall anything about their voices? Accents, perhaps? Nothing I can recall.
They carried me down some stairs into what I can only assume was a room in a basement.
There, I was tied to a chair.
And what were they saying? Just the usual: how they finally had the most brilliant mind of the last 200 years, what a disappointment Nikola was, etc etc.
And just how did you escape? When they stepped out I managed to loosen the ropes that held me to the chair.
Then it was a simple matter of finding the exit.
I had counted the number of footsteps from the stairs to the chair so I knew the general direction and approximate distance.
Extraordinary.
[EDISON.]
55, 56, 57, 58, 59.
Ah, there it is.
Do you remember anything else? Just that the man in charge was quite excited to have me as a captive.
He said they could finally get what they wanted.
- The man in charge? - Yes, he was clearly the leader.
He kept referring to his "master plan".
Apparently the other captives were a bit of a letdown.
Einstein.
Who even heard of him? Mr.
Edison, the person behind these kidnappings is a woman.
Impossible.
[MURDOCH.]
I have clear evidence that it is.
You wouldn't by chance be concocting this story, would you? How dare you, sir? Why would I do such a thing? Why? Because you are jealous that the other captives - are considered more valuable than you.
- Ha! Ridiculous.
Absolute hogwash.
I don't need to lie to prove that I'm smarter than those, those People less smart than I.
Then you know that lying to the police is a crime punishable by imprisonment.
To say nothing of the public embarrassment that would follow.
So I'll ask you one more time, Mr.
Edison: were you truly kidnapped and held here? No.
I made it up.
Mr.
Edison, your ego has wasted the one thing that matters most in a case like this: time.
- I have half a mind to - [CLICKING.]
What's that? That is a telephone switcher.
An invention of mine.
Unfortunately that fool Strowger beat me to the patent.
Do these wires belong here? No.
Someone must have tampered with it.
[FEMALE VOICE.]
Yes.
This is room 710.
I would like a cup of tea please.
[TESLA.]
Hello.
Tesla here.
I'd like a glass of milk sent up.
[EINSTEIN.]
Mr.
Einstein here, and I would like towels.
Clean ones, this time.
[RUTHERFORD.]
This is Ernest Rutherford from room 812.
Could I have a tonic water sent up? I don't understand.
This is how it was done.
All four of them made calls down to the front desk, those calls were intercepted and recorded.
And then replayed to make us think they were still in their rooms when, in fact, they were already abducted.
[CRABTREE.]
But from where? [MURDOCH.]
That's what we need to determine.
Now, Mr.
Edison claims he followed Mr.
Tesla to the elevator.
But never saw him again.
The same thing happened to Madame Curie.
I watched her get onto the elevator.
Of course.
Sally Pendrick used a false elevator to steal a Rembrandt painting some years ago.
Sir, a painting is one thing, but how would she use an elevator to kidnap somebody? Hopefully we're about to find out.
Oh good.
You're here.
I was getting worried.
You're speaking next.
I'll be there in less than five minutes.
Thank you.
- I don't see anything out of the ordinary.
- Nor do I.
- Does the floor give way? - Sir, don't give it any ideas Oi! Nothing.
George, give me a hand.
Sir, it's no use.
It's stuck.
There must be some mechanism by which to open them.
There's a telephone.
I'll call someone.
- Sir, that might not be a - [HISSING.]
Oh, that's not good.
Oh no.
[JULIA.]
William! Julia.
Julia, wake up.
William, are you all right? I seem to be.
Sir.
What the bloody hell happened? Sir, I believe we were gassed in the elevator.
Have we been kidnapped now? That's quite flattering in a way.
Open this door! [WOMAN.]
Who's there? This is Inspector Thomas Brackenreid, I demand that you open this door! Where are we? Why have you brought us here? Madame Curie, we've all been kidnapped.
We know little more than you do, I'm afraid.
What is the last thing you recall before finding yourself here? I was on my way to my room.
I went into the hotel elevator and then I woke up here.
Have you seen Mr.
Tesla? Of course.
Come.
- Do it again.
- How do I look? So good.
You see, it is a lab furnished with every item any of us could wish for.
Every scientific journal, recorded on rolls of film.
- A supply of uranium.
- In significant amounts.
These are the magnets I requested of the university but was denied.
Said they were prohibitively expensive.
[TESLA.]
See here? A static generator capable of creating high voltages.
Oh! This research was published only last month.
This laboratory is furnished with all of the latest theories on mathematics, chemistry, physics.
It is a lab designed to probe the heart of all matter.
The synthesis of each of our fields of study.
To what end? Perhaps a source of free energy.
Enough to power the entire world.
There is nothing altruistic about this.
This is the work of Sally Pendrick.
James Pendrick's former wife, a woman of evil ambition.
A ruthless character.
We've had the misfortune to encounter her before.
So she's not planning on creating free energy? Not in the least.
William Murdoch, what a pleasure to see you again.
- Why have you brought us here? - Madame Curie.
You and your colleagues have been chosen out of my deepest respect for your work.
You have been invited here to unlock the power of the atom.
Of course, it was not my plan that William and his friends would stumble on my little project, but now that they are here, they can be put to use.
Unlock the power of the atom? What does that mean? She wants to build a bomb.
The Constable is correct.
Science has brought us to this point.
And now I will be your patron.
Together, we will harness the potential to build a weapon that will rule the world.
I see your ego has only grown.
The four of you are disposable, Doctor.
Don't force my hand.
No peeking.
You can't really believe you can force these people to build your bomb.
Absolutely not.
Our minds are our own.
Quite.
Our work is for peace, not war.
Science is moving inexorably towards this point.
You better than anyone know that progress cannot be stuffed back into its little test tube.
None of us will build a weapon.
Cooperate, and become rich with me.
And if we refuse? This is Irene and Eve.
My girls.
My wife, my children.
[SALLY.]
Your loved ones will die.
Slowly and painfully.
This is no idle threat.
It should be clear to you by now that I have the means to see it through.
We will do what you ask for.
I thought you would see reason.
Rest up tonight.
Tomorrow, we get to work.
Exactly.
Mr.
Ford.
Have you had time to consider our deal? Indeed I have, my good man.
I trust you have a new offer for me then? Yes, I have given it careful consideration.
And my new offer is: nothing.
I beg your pardon? I've just filed a patent for an affixed rear-looking driver mirror.
- What? - If you have no such patent pending, you have nothing to sell.
But it's my idea! We all have ideas.
But until you have a patent, an idea is but a handful of beans.
All right.
I'll take the 1500 you offered earlier then.
[LAUGHS.]
[ALL LAUGH.]
So in that scenario, are you moving or am I moving? All movement is relative.
There is no absolute speed.
Only the speed of light.
This makes sense to you? [CRABTREE.]
Yes.
I think so.
Something similar to, when you're standing in an elevator and you're not sure if it just started to go down or if you've suddenly become lighter.
- George, I hardly think that's - No, no, no, that is it! Gravity.
Acceleration.
They are equivalent.
You have solved the problem! You are a genius! It appears that door is the only way out, Murdoch.
What are you doing, William? We need to get through this door.
It looks like solid steel.
Not entirely solid.
I believe this center portion is hollow.
And that might be where the lock mechanism is located.
Well, why don't we drill it out? There must be a drill around here somewhere.
We have the means to create enough energy to melt the laboratory we stand in, but lack the tools to penetrate a thick steel door.
Well, couldn't we melt just the door.
Or even just the lock mechanism? It's not that simple, George.
By what means do you propose? If we take all this energy and somehow zap it, zap it toward the door in some sort of superbeam? Superbeam.
High energy.
Yes.
I've had thoughts on such a beam.
We would have to create and accelerate the particles to a very high speed.
We have the magnets.
If we could array them in a circle We would need to focus that energy into a single point.
- We have lenses.
- We would need to calculate the angle of refraction.
[BRACKENREID.]
Bloody hell.
You're all over thinking this too much.
Here's what we do.
We lure a guard through the door, bash him over the head.
Then we make a run for it.
I do like to say that things should be made as simple as possible.
- There you go.
- But not that simple.
Let's get to work.
Right then.
Should we give it a go? It's safe now.
It should work.
What did I tell you? Waste of time.
No.
Twenty megavolts of energy were concentrated on a single point.
Just not where we thought.
The focal length is slightly shorter than we expected.
I told you the index of refraction was wrong.
Wait.
Try it again.
There must be sufficient energy stored up.
Ready? Ah excellent.
So, we adjust the position of the lens, yes.
- It should not take more than an hour.
- Yes.
[ALARM.]
Oh no.
The smoke must have set off the alarm.
What did I tell you? A lot easier.
Sir, there's more.
Let's go.
Let's go.
Let's go! What is this? [ALL CHATTER.]
[PISTOL COCKS.]
William.
I should have known you wouldn't do as you were told, William.
Relinquish your weapons.
Do as she says.
I have no wish to harm your wife.
However, it's clear you did not take my previous warning seriously.
Who was first to be disarmed? The next time you attempt to escape, I won't hesitate to do the same to any of you.
You have to understand you are truly trapped here.
Isolated.
Underground.
No roads lead to us.
No one knows where you are.
I have brought you here to build a weapon greater than the world has seen before.
What you propose is far more complicated than you can possibly understand.
I built this laboratory and gained access to all of you.
I am just as intelligent as any of you.
Kidnapping can hardly be compared - to atomic physics.
- Enough! - Sir, look where she's standing.
- I know.
Bring her to me.
I will teach you not to doubt my intelligence.
This is not big enough for all of us.
[CRABTREE.]
We'll have to draw straws.
Some of you could go and get help.
I'm happy to wait.
I did have an experiment in mind for the static generator.
I'm not due to leave Canada until next week.
You want to stay? Send transport when you get to Toronto and we'll keep the guards secured until help arrives.
Madame Curie, if you'd be so kind? Of course, Inspector.
You know, I've achieved some recognition in my field.
Come and see me after you've won a Nobel Prize.
- Thank you, Madam.
- Thank you.
Constable Crabtree.
A man of such vision.
You have a gift, surely it is wasted as a constable.
Come to Europe.
The new physics requires unconventional thinkers.
I could find a place for you in my department.
That's very kind of you, Mr.
Einstein.
But my home is in Canada.
A shame, my friend.
Right then.
Who knows how to fly this thing? I suppose we'll just have to see where the wind blows us, George.
My hat! Where do you think we are, sir? In the wilderness somewhere north of Toronto, I suppose.
By the sun, late afternoon.
I suppose the Pendrick's symposium will be over by now.
Yes.
And you never got to give your speech.
No.
Well, sir, give it to us now.
Oh I don't know You have a captive audience All right.
The future is unknowable.
But indicators abound as to what it might become.
Wireless communication portends the instantaneous dissemination of knowledge from all parts of the world.
Knowledge will end prejudice, demagogues will no longer flourish.
Lies and misinformation will disappear.
The matters and crises that face us all will be dealt with intelligently and logically.
All of humanity will be able to embrace their better selves.
At the end of the 20th century and beyond, truth and knowledge will prevail.