Down Page #6

-Jeff, you gotta see this tape.

What tape? No time for this bullshit!

-Jeff, you gotta look at the tape.

It has to do with the elevators.

-This is turning you into an obsession.

What are you doing? What's it to you?

-No, f*** it, Jeff! You know damn well

what's going on with the elevators

so f***ing tell me! I'm your friend.

I'm trying to help.

-Stop trying. All right, Mark?

Get outta here, get the 2 of you

I don't wanna get you into any trouble.

What trouble? -Just go.

-Come on, Jeff, be reasonable.

Jeff...

Is he always like that?

-No.

It's not like him at all.

-Mildred what's happening?

He took me to an

expensive restaurant tonight.

We've only been there once before

when he proposed to me the night

before you guys went off

to Desert Storm.

I think that elevator's haunted.

-Sure, why not? Make a great headline.

Manhattan was an Indian settlement in

the 1 7th century. It's quite feasible

that the Millennium Building

was built on ancient burial ground.

And Indian forefathers are haunting us.

-Ok, maybe there was some kind of

radiation leakage from some secret

nuclear plants here in New York?

Stephen King's got a lot to answer for.

-So far you've come up with nothing.

What am I supposed to write about?

-You would write nothing for the moment.

No, we agreed to help each other.

But, your little Army buddy

hasn't been very helpful.

-Marines, we were Marines.

Whatever. Is he a good friend of yours?

I owe him a lot. I don't know

what's the matter with him.

I got a really bad feeling though.

-Me, too. In my stomach.

I could really use some food.

-Well, that's something we can solve.

So let's see if I got this straight.

Elevators have a mechanical part

and an electronic part.

The electronics control the elevators,

making sure they don't all go to the

same floor at the same time. They also

regulate the doors, the air-co,

the speed, and so on.

The brain of the elevator installation.

-And Steinberg? Where does he fit in?

He designs the electronics.

-Did he f*** up?

I dunno.

-What kinda guy is he?

I never met him. No, don't turn this

into, like, this mad scientist thing.

It's like, way too easy.

-We gotta keep all our options open.

Ok, what about this one? Max Steinberg.

No. Crashed his car into a tree in 1986.

-We're wasting our time.

Well, it would've helped

if you'd known his first name.

Even then we came across 11 Johns.

-I don't think his name is John.

Well, what is it then?

-Gunther.

Gunther?

-Former Harvard graduate,

joins research team of Professor

Malcolm Mackenzie at Kodelt Industries.

Would that be him?

-Maybe. No photo?

No. Let's, let's try Harvard.

That's him. Twenty years younger.

-Studied computer science, biomedical

sciences and engineering. Graduated

Best boy in his class, huh?

-Sure sounds like it.

So what's Kodelt Industries?

-I dunno, let's check.

Bribery, illegal use of Gov. money...

-Not a pretty company.

No mention of Steinberg.

They went bankrupt in 1994.

What was that? Go back.

-What?

That's him, isn't it?

-I don't know, you tell me.

Christmas... Fort Benning, Georgia.

He worked for the Army?

Doesn't look like a fancy-dress party.

-Hey, Jennifer. -Hey, Chip.

Russ liked your story on that suicide.

Especially the ''Tower of Death'' bit.

I left you out. This is Mark.

-Yeah, Chip.

Kodelt Industries?

You're into guided missiles now?

You know them? Chip knows all about PC.

-Oh, that figures.

They make computer systems for the Army.

-Right, they went bankrupt.

Doesn't surprise me. They really

f***ed up with those bio-chips.

Computer chips based on live tissue.

They were making a computer based on

dolphin brains or something like that.

-Did it work?

The whole thing went totally out of

control. This computer developed

a mind of its own. And the strangest

thing of all was, that these chips,

they were able to reproduce themselves.

The whole computer was growing and

behaving like a living organism.

-You're kidding.

No, it should be in there somewhere.

-So what happened to it?

It must have committed suicide or had

a heart attack. -Poor thing.

You know of a guy named Steinberg?

-Don't think so. Who is he?

He worked for them. We can't find much.

-I'll give it a try if you want.

Does it have to do with this elevator?

-Maybe.

Chip, I'm off in a minute.

-Yeah. I'll do it later.

To me it's a clearcut case. Steinberg

f***ed up with those bio-chips.

They kicked him out. He got a job in

the Army, f***ed up again, was sacked

and ended up in that elevator company.

-Yeah, a real loser, hm?

But he wouldn't give up. He experimented

with that elevator and it went wrong.

The machine got a mind of its own and

now it's taking revenge on humanity.

A machine cannot get a mind of its own.

It's a dead thing.

We can easily find out who's right.

-All right, tell me how.

He's located in the engine room, right?

-No way. No, forget it.

We are not breaking into the building.

-You're just afraid. I'm right, yes?

Machines, computers, do not reproduce.

Ok? Have you ever seen

-Turn right here.

There's a first for everything.

Why should we be the only ones who f***?

We're not. We're not f***ing.

-No, but we can if we want to.

We have a choice.

-Not tonight. I'm a little tired.

No, no, no, I, I wasn't inviting you.

I was making a point.

Course. Course you were.

It's right here.

-All right.

Bye.

-Bye.

What...

Morning, Mr. Milligan.

Hello?

Hey, how was your night last night?

What?

When?

I'll be right over.

Thank you, Sergeant Mallory,

for this update on events.

Now Lieutenant McBain will continue

his statement. Lieutenant.

The suspect was found in one of the

express elevators. We're convinced

that he was involved in one or more of

accidents at the Millennium Building.

While we're pretty sure we've got

our man, I want to reiterate this is

an ongoing investigation

and future arrests are possible.

We're gonna take some questions now.

-Jerry Seltzer, Washington Reporter.

That's Steinberg.

-Yeah, I know.

Just how safe are elevators?

-I'm gonna let Mr. Mitchell handle that.

As I explained before, elevators are one

of the safest means of transportation.

Security is, and has always been, our

top priority. I would definitely rule

out incidents like this in the future.

Susan Whittaker, BCT.

What was the killer's motive?

That's under investigation right now.

But building management received

a note that I can only characterize

as extortionist in nature.

F***ing kidding me.

-It might've been a matter of money.

On the other hand, we may have a lunatic

on our hands. As I told you earlier,

we're in possession of an Army

psychiatric report that describes

the deceased as a mentally

deranged person. A wacko.

Bullshit. They're making this stuff up.

-Jennifer Evans, Morning Post.

Ah, Morning Post. Undoubtedly one of the

more scintillating questions of the day.

I've a question for Mr. Steinberg.

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