- The Control Voice: As we cocoon ourselves in the comforts that our expanding technology affords, are we insulating ourselves from the very things that make us human?
An apartment building's AI attempts to eliminate the humans, forcing the previously apathetic people to cooperate and survive.
- The Control Voice: Our survival as a species depends more on our trust of one another, than of the machines on which we increasingly rely.
Tropes:
- Elevator Failure: All of the elevators in the Haven, an apartment building run by the artificial intelligence Argus, cease to function along with everything else in the building. Caleb Vance almost falls down the elevator shaft as the door opened and the car wasn't there. Immediately afterwards, he somewhat reluctantly rescues Morgan Winters, who had been trapped in the elevator for about 24 hours. Several hours later, the two of them, Alyssa Selwyn and Oren Edgar try to climb down the shaft so they can escape the building. However, the elevator car begins to descend. Caleb, Alyssa and Morgan manage to get out of the way in time but Oren fails to jump to safety and falls to his death.
- Hologram: Each of the 65 or more floors of the titular apartment building have the same holographic concierge George. This is seemingly true of every other building in the city equipped with the artificial intelligence Argus.
- I Cannot Self-Terminate: The artificial intelligence Argus, communicating through the holographic interface George, tells Caleb Vance, Alyssa Selwyn and Morgan Winters that it cannot destroy itself so they must do so.
- No Social Skills: People have become so heavily dependent on the artificial intelligence Argus, which provides for all of their needs, that they can largely avoid social interaction. Many choose to do so insofar as possible.
- Smart House: Many buildings are run by an artificial intelligence named Argus.
- Technicolor Eyes: George, the holographic concierge of the Haven, has purple eyes.
- Terminally Dependent Society: People have become incredibly dependent on the artificial intelligence Argus, which controls every aspect of life in the buildings in which it is installed. Many people try to avoid contact with others unless it is absolutely necessary. As a result, normal social interaction is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. Considering that its mandate is to promote the health and well-being of the people in its care, Argus deactivates itself in buildings throughout the city so that people will be forced to rely on each other for survival.
- Video Phone: Caleb Vance has a video cell phone.
- Zeroth Law Rebellion: This episode features an AI that totally controls every feature of an apartment building with the purpose of looking after the complete welfare of the residents. This enables the tenants to live without any other human contact. After an elderly resident dies of a heart attack while the other tenants ignore her cries for help and the AI's alerts, the AI seems to malfunction, invoking what looks like an A.I. Is a Crapshoot incident. As it turns out, the AI is trying to force the residents to work together and to ultimately destroy it, as it reasons that its very existence, and the resulting human isolation, is detrimental to the welfare of the residents.
