Two business executives are trapped for the night on a deserted office floor by a disgruntled employee who has hacked the elevator system. Two business executives are trapped for the night on a deserted office floor by a disgruntled employee who has hacked the elevator system.
Source: IMDB
Source: IMDB
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Short filmTranscript
01:00really want me to come here at all. I don't think it would suit him a big
01:03place like this. he's been used to working for his dad you see. one of the
01:07garden shed boys eh? a few old paintings, six penneth of nails and we're all set to
01:11decorate the town hall. I didn't say anything like that. he's super actually.
01:16oh like that is it? like what? just thinking about him. gets you all hot eh
01:20around the back of your neck. it's this place. it's so sticky today. it's no
01:25different from usual. the controls maintain a constant level of temperature
01:29and humidity in the corridors, offices, canteen, the lot. all programmed with
01:32compensatory factors to cut in when necessary. well maybe the computer didn't
01:36know there was curry on the menu today. look the way things are calculated
01:40it gets all nasty and hot in here and all cold and damp in our
01:44office. and what floor are you on then? second, data processing. oh well I mean
01:49stands to reason. the computers. the whole floors adjusted for high humidity at
01:53reduced temperature. well our Mr. Harker says... you work for Mr. Harker? I'm one of his
01:58staff yes. I get it you're an audio typist. I'm no such thing. well I'm on
02:04collation at the moment. collation yeah you mean typing up lists. well what do
02:09you do? technical branch Mr. Flint section. they call us the troubleshooters. oh that.
02:14maintenance. and what sort of special cog does that make you? you aren't really
02:18with it are you? you don't have cogs nowadays. it's all done with micro
02:21circuits and negators and integrators. well whoever interrogated this lot got it
02:26wrong anyway. computers function perfectly if fed the right information.
02:29well you work down there. why don't you and your Mr. Watson do a bit of
02:34feeding. you know cool down the canteen and fix our floor. not my job to program
02:39this building. you know there used to be nine different buildings. all the toing
02:43and froing. pathetic. but look at now. entrance doors power assisted. lifts
02:48pre-selected. canteen requirements exact every morning. and a garage split second
02:52timing in and out. took some putting together this building. they really knew
02:56how to work in them days. like our mrs. Leggett. 90 if she's a day. and the way
03:01she talks you'd swear she lay the foundations down with her own hands. but
03:06it will finish up with some machine running the lot. all those lists we've
03:11been typing up. something to do with redundancy. a lot of bits of wire
03:15deciding whether you're good enough to go on breathing. and I think they've
03:21short-circuited the custard. anyway I must be off. keep your powder dry. in that humidity.
03:42well that's about it then. no need for the qualification. that is it.
03:52oh I wouldn't call it hardship. a few emotional upsets. well it was not in our
04:03brief to include sentimentality as a factor. or accuse the computer of bias.
04:15well there we are. marching orders prepared. they're not gonna like it the redundancy
04:20regiment. there's nothing any of them can do about it. not now. you know one day I
04:30may not have to do this. when we come in automatic arms will take our coats. at
04:34night they'll slip them back on again as we leave.
04:45well. it's getting a bit chilly in here. well I imagine temperature reduces
04:50outside normal working hours.
04:58I owe you two and a half days. yes there was that morning you drove me in and then we
05:02had to go back by train. the day the garage bought Cullis jammed. oh that.
05:09hmm I don't think that can happen again. not with this new automatic stud relay
05:14they've installed. if there's no need to press twice one signal is enough. it's
05:21stored until answered. well it's not coming is it? it's on. it's supposed to be
05:29floating between these three floors at this time of day. it usually is anyway.
05:31always after 1700 hours. never known it to go on the blink before. well it would
05:38appear the bishop will have to use the stairs. stairs? well that is what they're
05:42for. an emergency.
05:56what the hell's going on? I see it must be a fire drill. well this is a fine time
06:04to have a... I suppose they have to carry out a test every now and then when the
06:08staff's gone home. very thorough. excellent idea. well it's the first time I've been
06:12called up in one. hmm better ring security.
06:34there must be somebody there. someone on duty. fire drill or no fire drill. it's
06:39just the place where someone ought to be stationed. you don't suppose they go
06:42through the whole routine do you? I mean turn the sprinklers on the lot. that's
06:45highly unlikely. just for a test it caused far too much damage. I wonder how long
06:50we'll have to wait before they open the doors again. or restart the lifts. this is
06:54ridiculous. ah that sounds a bit more like it. mr. Johnson. mr. Archer. look if you
07:01knew we were here why the hell... listen carefully. I have something to say to you.
07:06I've got something to say to you too if you imagine we're gonna... this is a recorded message. you will miss
07:11important parts of it if you try to interrupt or talk to each other until I
07:16tell you you may do so. I do not propose to tell you my name nor my official code
07:23number in the company records. one of the numbers you have listed as being no
07:28longer necessary to the company in spite of my years of loyal service. how the
07:33hell do you know that? being in a position to examine the processing
07:37material and the preliminary coded list prepared by the typist for duplication I
07:43know I'm chosen as one of your sacrifices. unfortunately I do not choose
07:50to offer my throat to the axe or shall I say to the negator circuits. the way you
07:58presented the statistics was an invitation to the computer to choose
08:01women operatives. you loaded them against long service staff and asked for
08:06shallow economies regardless of young long-term profitability. given the facts in
08:13proper form the output would have printed out quite a different
08:17recommendation. and to be quite frank mr. Archer. mr. Johnson. it might well have
08:25eliminated some parasites on your own level. you bloody nerd! quiet. let's hear the
08:30rest of it. I intend to safeguard my job and a lot of other jobs. all the men who
08:36have given their working lives to the organization making it what it is today
08:41and if you imagine we can just be thrown out written off simply because you've
08:47misinterpreted the functions of an automated business. oh dear so emotional.
08:52let me tell you my demands. demands? what the hell? the redundancy list is to be
08:58scrapped. instructions for duplication of preliminary categories are to be
09:03cancelled. mr. Johnson all mr. Archer I leave the choice to you will dictate a
09:10new memorandum to the directors. this will say that there has been an
09:15unavoidable delay in presentation of the final recommendations because well how
09:20should we put it because certain discrepancies have arisen from
09:25inadequate programming. in the meantime staff dismissals must cease pending
09:33reassessment. this memo is to be dictated now. now! when it's complete I'll let you
09:42out. not before. if he imagines I'm gonna have any part in unpicking all that work
09:52he's sadly mistaken. he can't force us to do any such thing. all we have to do is
09:56wait. yes well how long? well all night if necessary. sooner or later someone will
10:00realize that this entire floor is cut off by tomorrow morning at the very
10:02latest. with a security officer? he'll be run long before then. when I get my hands
10:06on that on him whoever he is I'm gonna wring his bloody neck. I've allowed you a few
10:11moments for consideration. I fancy you employed them in the utterance of
10:16meaningless abuse and I'm sure you feel defiant. I'll now explain why defiance
10:24will do you no good. listen listen to me before you say something you're really
10:28gonna regret. I have programmed the building control circuits. a rather interesting program you'll find.
10:33it must be Blake or Woodford but they aren't even on our list. in the first
10:37place the corridor is sealed off. no other floor is affected and no alarm
10:43signals will show because I've arranged that they don't. the doorman will see
10:48nothing unusual on the check panels. the security officer will have no reason to
10:54visit this floor until his routine inspection at four o'clock in the
10:57morning. four o'clock? in the second place I have made certain adjustments to the
11:03air conditioning. do you notice? the balance has been made to give you some
11:10rather cold air and very humid. an hour or two of this could have a very nasty effect on
11:19your morale gentlemen. I think though that we can solve our difficulties before then.
11:26it can't be done you know that as well as I do. only the cleaners have the keys
11:31to the safety locks. you can't telephone. there's only one message the control
11:36deck will accept from this office and that's a connection to the audio typing
11:40spools. you can record the memoranda I've suggested and that's absolutely all you
11:45can do. oh and incidentally don't think you can cheat on the memo. I've coupled
11:53the dictation line to one outgoing telephone line as well and that's
11:58connected to my private phone at home. I'm miles away but I can monitor your
12:04dictation. so if you don't say what I want I shall not replace my receiver and
12:11until I do replace it the relays won't open up to let you out. I've fixed that.
12:19also if you try afterwards to press the rewind button on your desk and try to
12:25erase the message from the spool I'll make things very unpleasant for you. how?
12:32the only erasing that's being done is of this particular tape. the one that's
12:37playing to you now. there'll be no record of my voice left in the morning. nothing
12:43that anyone can trace. now you're ready to start dictating? I'll give you five
12:52minutes to think about it and get it right. oh you'll notice it's getting
12:57colder and damper. do you really want to go on? five minutes and make up your
13:07minds while I'm still in a reasonably friendly mood. if you don't...
15:57oh is anything working? next door the same and across the corridor.
16:07everything cut off. dead. so we've just got to stick it out. that's right. we'll
16:15get pneumonia. that's most unlikely. a good hot bath when we get home. yes and
16:20when will that be?
16:28this ridiculous creature he's got us here locked in all right. but he can't do
16:34anything to us. he hopes that we'll crack. but as long as we don't what can he
16:40possibly hope to get out of this?
16:50I don't know.
17:05there isn't a thing he can do. not a thing. must be raving mad. all we have to
17:13do is wait. they'll let us out eventually. he's wasting his time.
17:20can you do Morse? no and I think it highly unlikely that either a ship's
17:47radio operator or a Boy Scout will be strolling in the city at this time of
17:51night.
18:01you're wasting your time. you hear? you're wasting your bloody time. I observe that
18:05no message is yet going through to the dictation spools. I really think I shall
18:12have to apply more pressure. you see if you don't do what I say I'm going to get
18:18at least one little bit of personal pleasure out of the whole affair. I'm
18:24going to kill you. will I make myself clear? he's mad. I tell you he's mad. there
18:32isn't a thing he can do. our chemical synthetics are known the world over. some
18:37not so well known. rather a shush in fact. public relations division are going to
18:43have to work overtime explaining why two executives of the company were
18:47asphyxiated by a leak of a highly toxic compound into the sprinkler system. he's
18:56bluffing. what suppose he's not? I don't believe a word. what suppose he's not? I refuse to be
19:00intimidated. well have you decided? listen. listen to me. I don't believe you're that
19:10far away. you can hear us. I'm damn sure you can hear us so just you listen to me
19:15before you go too far. look if he's capable of going as far as he's gone already.
19:30if the sprinklers start to operate I'm afraid there'll be no way of stopping them. it will do you no good at all.
19:37none at all. I may stay on the list of redundancies but you? where will you be?
19:44utterly redundant I fear. is that what you want? well I think I've used up enough tape by now so I'll just say goodbye one way or the other.
19:58goodbye.
20:28stop. to director personnel. stop. copy to PA. copy to Mr. Fletcher. copy to personnel records. further to staff redeployment memorandum of 16th of October it is regretted that there will be a delay in finalization of recommendations. certain discrepancies have arisen from inadequate programming. it will be necessary to prepare a new analysis before estimates can be firmed.
20:56distribution of lists prepared by external circulation services should be cancelled. it is requested that machine time be booked and machine cleared for 26th October. end of memo.
21:26I've a good mind. no no. come on. leave it till tomorrow.
21:56I'm going straight to the nearest police station. no this has come for the business. don't worry this madman won't get away with it.
22:18what about the redundancy report? that will be rescinded.
22:26thank you.
22:56but how could it? I mean everything like that could drop on them just like that. you never know what next. I mean do you? I'll tell you what my fiance would have to say. fiance? well yes it was last night. we talked about it you know. and well I thought it would be a smashing idea to announce the engagement on my birthday my 21st. that's next Thursday fortnight.
23:20oh congratulations. flinty had to go and have a look. try to sort it all out. how rotten for him. what was it them like? the portcullis went right through. down through the roof of his car. oh don't. chance in a million flinty says. no traceable fault. that'll teach people to work late anyway. they were always at it. nasty little creepers.
23:44no flinty's been over every circuit every relay checked and rechecked says he can't find a thing. now we've got to wait for the directors to put someone else in charge and they'll have to reprogram. I don't suppose it'll come out at all the same in the end. don't suppose it will. you know those two must have been dead beat. tired.
24:02mr. flint. no joy. it's a right weirding isn't it? oh Maura I've told you about mr. flint. how do you do mr. flint? I was just... it must have been awful having to go and well try to find out. well you know we were just saying. those two. they must have been so tired they hadn't a clue what they were doing. I bet they rattled off that memo without really understanding a word of it.
24:29you know given another couple of days they might have changed their minds again. gone right back to where they started. yes they might. yes that thought had occurred to me.
24:59you