Plan B, II: Collision Course

Millie Shanks tells Jack and Joanne that her late husband served on Andromeda's board. She usually stayed outside his business affairs, but his increasingly frequent late-night calls and nervous behavior convinced her that something serious was happening. Andromeda supplied the grant that created Eugene's Campbell College position and paid for his secret research. Armitage concealed his role because he believed Eugene would refuse assistance that resembled charity from a future relative.

Armitage had warned Millie that the research could change society for better or worse. Though she does not understand its technical purpose, she believes Andromeda has interfered with matters it should have left alone. His locked cabinets and fear made her distrust the company, and she is certain it will use every available power to recover the stolen files from Eugene and Katrina.

Whit confronts Dean Rogers with the words Andromeda and radio-wave study. Faced with the possibility of police and press attention, Rogers finally explains. The project attempts to convert brain waves into radio signals so a person could operate lights, televisions, and other devices merely by thinking. Such technology could especially help people with physical disabilities. Eugene's team achieved a major breakthrough about a week and a half earlier, making the missing data enormously valuable.

Rogers denies ordering the destruction of Eugene's apartment and claims he only wants the research returned. He is also under pressure because Andromeda holds him responsible for its loss. Whit cares far more about his missing friends than the valuable experiment and refuses to assume that Eugene acted from greed.

In Chicago, former Novacom executive Arthur Dent visits Jack and Joanne. He says Armitage's death was not as natural as the doctors believe and suggests that someone deliberately caused it, though he cannot prove murder. Eugene has become trapped in the same danger. Dent asks Jack to meet him beside a dumpster behind Andromeda's building, where he expects to obtain evidence that must reach Whit.

AREM contacts Whit through the dean's computer and claims to know why Eugene took the research. Whit refuses to follow another trail of passwords and directories unless the hacker meets him in person. AREM reluctantly arranges a six-o'clock meeting in room fourteen of the Skyline Motel and warns Whit to come alone.

Connie finally confronts Mitch about the photograph. He admits that he is searching for the woman and that the reason reaches back to events in Boston, but he will not explain further. Connie tells him that a relationship without honesty cannot continue. Mitch then gives her a chance to test his trustworthiness: she must be at Whit's computer at 5:45, follow instructions from an unknown contact, and learn something about Eugene.

At the appointed time, AREM appears while Alex is with Connie. The hacker says Campbell College sends a backup report to Andromeda headquarters at 5:50 and offers to reroute a copy. Alex warns that accepting an unknown download might bring a virus or another destructive program. Connie does not trust AREM, but she chooses to trust Mitch and clicks yes. The file arrives safely, and the hacker disappears before explaining its contents.

Jack waits in the dark Chicago alley until a guard orders him to leave. Dent arrives just before his cab departs and hands him a package for Whit. Men connected to Andromeda appear almost immediately. Dent orders Jack to drive straight to the airport while he remains behind with Bennett Charles. After Jack's cab escapes a pursuit, Charles interrogates Dent about the package and its destination. Dent refuses to cooperate, so Charles orders another unnamed experiment to force his help.

Whit reaches the motel and finds room fourteen surrounded by investigators. FBI Special Agent Peter Bourland questions him and identifies AREM as Robert Mitchell, whose initials form the hacker's name. According to Bourland, Mitch has used the identity since working in Boston and has broken into dozens of computer systems.

The agents had come to arrest Mitch but found that someone else had reached the room first. Bourland then delivers a devastating announcement: Robert Mitchell is dead.