The Seal - Recap

Jim picks up his briefing at an empty artist’s studio. The Kuala Rokat is allied with the U.S. and its imperial seal has been missing but has now turned up in the hands of American industrialist J. Richard Taggart. He’s refused to turn it over to the government for return to Kuala Rokat, threatening its alliance. The IMF must recover the seal from Taggart.

Jim assembles the usual team and in the briefing they work with their newest agent: Rusty the Cat. Rollin is equipped with electrical contacts and several magic tricks, and Willy has a key that can separate into two. Barney has a sound-absorption device ready and Jim warns that the vault is reinforced with manganese steel. Jim has a computer punch card ready for Taggart’s automated accounting system. Finally, Barney uses a radio headset to give instructions to Rusty, directing him to recover Cinnamon’s pearl necklace.

Jim arrives at Taggart’s business as a salesman and signs in, collecting his security badge. Cinnamon and Barney arrive as a TV reporter and her cameraman with an appointment to meet with Taggart. Taggart defends his purchase of the stolen seal and contends that he is the rightful owner and doesn’t plan to give it up. He recounts the history of the seal while admiring his fish tank, and is confident the U.S. won’t endanger their relationship with his company to satisfy Kuala Rokat.

Jim meets with the head of accounting, Miss Putnam, and claims he’s being overpaid for a part his company manufactures. When she steps out he inserts their own phone number for computer repair into her rolodex.

Taggart has his security chief Conway deactivates the vault’s systems and takes them in to see the seal. The door is charged with electricity and the vault has sonic alarms and pressure alarms. Barney leaves to develop the film.

Jim insists they run his check through the system then leaves, putting his key in the ash tray. The computer system goes berserk and Miss Putnam calls the IMF’s number, getting hold of Barney, who offers her a replacement computer. Jim climbs up on top of the elevator and rides to the top.

Cinnamon mentions to Taggart that the seal has a curse that anyone keeping it from Kuala Rokat dies within a fortnight… and he has only six hours to live. Taggart is unimpressed but Cinnamon asks to stay for six hours, and he agrees to let her stay. Cinnamon asks permission to bring a Kuala Rokat lecturer in to tell them about the curse, and Taggart agrees, canceling his meeting.

Willy arrives with the replacement computer and picks up a key, then pick sup the key Jim left behind. He quickly takes the number and puts it on the auto-splitting key along with his number. Jim drills through the wall to Taggart’s penthouse while Rollin arrives and talks of the curse, noting that if Taggart survives then he was meant to have it.

Willy signs out and turns over his (fake) key, then uses a hidden stamp to sign out for Jim as well. Barney and Rusty emerge from the computer cabinet while the guard notices Jim’s missing badge and notifies Conway, who orders a building-wide search and don’t find anything, but Willy’s key splits to reveal Jim’s behind it, and they assume that it was misplaced.

Barney and Rusty meet with Jim and go through the hole he’s drilled and into the walls behind Taggart’s penthouse apartment. Rollin asks to see the seal but Conway refuses, so he offers to use his psychic abilities to see in the vault. Thanks to secret signals passed on by Cinnamon who was in the vault earlier, Rollin is able to describe the layout. Taggart orders a security lockdown with orders to shoot. Jim and Barney move behind the fish tank from the other side while Rollin offers more demonstrations of his magical powers. He heats a bowl of water with his bare hands (and hidden electrical contacts), while Jim carefully measure the spot at the wall with the vault on the other side. They then attach sound mufflers to the wall and prepare to drill.

Rollin then has Conway cover him with a sheet and begins to levitate in the air. An astonished Taggart rips away the sheet to reveal a helium-filled bag. Rollin has slipped through the gate to the vault and slapped the metal contacts on the electrified wall. As the others arrive, Rollin fakes being shocked and Taggart shuts down the system. As soon as he does, Barney drills through the wall then inserts the sound-suppressant tape on a helium balloon.

With the sound system nullified, Barney cuts through the walls and uses magnets to catch the shavings. He and Jim are unaware that Rusty is batting at the fish from the other side of the aquarium. Taggart notices and Jim quickly gets Rusty away. Taggart goes to check but Cinnamon displays her knowledge of fish and convinces him the fish are fighting each other. Barney then inserts a long metal platform into the vault out to the pedestal where the seal is held. Rusty goes out to the pedestal, gets the case open, and picks up the seal by its loop. He brings it to Jim and Barney, who head out by way of the elevator.

The shocked Rollin is taken out by ambulance drivers and Barney and Jim drop down and hold them at gunpoint. The time is up for the curse on the seal, and Cinnamon suggests that he is only alive because he doesn’t have the seal. She slips out while Taggart and Conway go into the vault. Jim and Rollin, dressed as the ambulance drivers, get past the guard just as Taggart finds the seal missing. Cinnamon goes out past by the guard just as the alarm goes off., and drives off with the rest of the team.

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