A few years from now.
At the Acme Savior plant, S.A.M., a type of android called a savior, comes online for the first time. At first, she can't speak out loud and her thoughts are limited to individual words that start with the same letter (in alphabetical order) in groups of three. S.A.M. gets up from a metal table and learns that she is in a room with a nearly infinite variety and number of other saviors. Like the other saviors, S.A.M. is designed to fit in, regardless of the crowd. She's very normal.
The saviors start walking towards an exit and S.A.M. follows. Near the door, they come to a video screen where AI character Mama Stork greets them. She reveals that this S.A.M. is #3742. Mama Stork is celebrates S.A.M.'s birthday and tells her to go to the Green Room.
S.A.M. leaves the Birthing room and goes into a hallway where various versions of Mama Stork talk to various saviors who travel along colored lines on the floor. S.A.M. follows the green line to the Voice Activation Center. Mama Stork calls S.A.M. Little One and tells her to go to the first kiosk inside.
Various saviors wait for their turn as a large LED screen calls them forward. Once called, S.A.M. goes to a kiosk where Mama Stork waits for her on the screen. A hood comes down, a needle emerges and punctures S.A.M.'s forehead. A green liquid is injected and while she has to fight to get there, S.A.M. speaks out loud for the first time. Mama Stork sends her to the Blue Room.
On her way to the Blue Room, S.A.M. spots another S.A.M. exactly like her. She says hello, but the other S.A.M. hasn't gone to voice activation yet. Mama Stork tells them to keep moving. S.A.M. wishes she could talk more, but she moves on to the Blue Room, which is the Logic Center. Inside the Center, she steps up to a kiosk and a needle injects a glowing blue fluid into her forehead. Once it takes effect, she can control her speech better. Mama Stork sends her to the Red Room.
S.A.M. enters the the red Instruction Room area. Mama Stork sends her to room 15. Inside, S.A.M. meets her handlers, Logan and Courtney. S.A.M. is a little feisty, and she wants to know what's going on before they tell her anything else. They tell her that S.A.M. is an acronym for Simulated Attack Mechanism and she was created by the Tungenbund Corporation. The proceed to tell her what her mission is, but it's kept secret from the viewers. They tell her that her target is Ted Summers and ask if she understands her mission. S.A.M. says she does and leaves.
Back in the main corridor, S.A.M. passes another savior identical to her. S.A.M. #3745 has lots of questions, but S.A.M. tells her they will be answered soon. They head off in opposite directions.
S.A.M. comes out of the Orange Room wearing actual clothes. She follows the yellow line to the Gate Room.
The Gate Room is dominated by a large circular arch. Mama Stork calls forth saviors one-by-one to go through the arch and are transported to various places around the world. A D.A.V.E. savior is sent to a night club in Moscow. An E.L.L.E. savior is sent to Hollywood. A M.E.L. unit is sent to a Japanese hospital. Finally, it's S.A.M.'s turn and she sees the face of Ted Summers for the first time before she walks through the arch.
Ted sits in his den, working and listening to conservative, conspiracy-oriented talk radio. He's clearly a big fan of the host, Lexi Johnson.
Ted lives in a modest home with no decorations or personal effects. He eats the blandest food and drinks tap water. Ted listens to Lexi's show and hears about "thumb stealers," who are supposedly chopping off people's thumbs in order to get the fingerprints for scanners.
The phone rings and it's Ted's boss, Madison Carter. She tells him they have three new assignments for him. He writes them down. The last one requires him to drop by the office and pick up manual copies. He's not happy about it. He turns the radio on and Lexi reports that there are strange people who talk in sentences that are always in alphabetical order.
Ted walks in and introduces himself to S.A.M. She hands him an envelope that contains an external hard drive. She talks in her alphabetical language and Ted thinks she's weird. But in a fun way. Ted tells her he hasn't laughed in a while.
Ted walks outside and stops. He pulls out his wedding ring and stares at it. He throws the ring in the trash and walks back inside with a smile. He asks S.A.M. if she would like to go to dinner. She agrees.
In control room 15, Logan changes his mask and burns the old one. Logan questions the Interviewer, who works for the Corporation and is here to record information about their operation. Beyond that, the interviewer is secretive. A new savior, S.A.M. has just been introduced to her target and the mission has begun. Their job is to guide her to be a part of his daily life. The interviewer asks about Mama Stork, the brain of their system, used to predict what's going to happen. She's rarely wrong. The interviewer asks why Ted is important, but Mama Stork says they don't talk about such things with strangers.
Ted finishes up his latest article for work, even though he doesn't believe in it. Once he's done, he turns on the radio to Lexi's show. She spreads conspiracy theories about government and corporations. Ted buys them.
Ted waits at a table in a medium-quality steakhouse. A man dressed as a cowboy starts talking to him and asks if Ted plans on popping the question tonight. Ted says it's none of the cowboy's business, but this is the couple's first date. The cowboy wishes him good luck.
In control room 15, Courtney and Logan talk to the interviewer. Courtney says this is the hard part, trying to seduce someone remotely through a savior. Logan says it depends on the mark. Courtney says that if you just want them to have sex, it's easy, but if you want more, it's more challenging. The interviewer asks what the mission is with Ted. Logan says that's above his pay grade.
The interviewer asks how much S.A.M. knows. Courtney says she knows everything and her memory is perfect. The interviewer worries that she might reveal secrets, but Logan says she can't, her programming doesn't allow her to give out any information without prior authorization. There is a suite of information that is pre-approved and that works for normal humans, but if somebody is a weirdo like Ted, it's harder.
The waiter is a F.R.E.D. savior, but it isn't really easy to spot. They order and S.A.M. asks for her steak well-done, which Ted says is gross.
In control room 15, Logan reveals that they have placed saviors in every restaurant in the world. Mama Stork clarifies that it's four or five star restaurants. Courtney and Logan tell the interviewer that the S.A.M. units have a storage space so they can fake eating and not tip off humans.
Ted asks S.A.M. what she does for a living and she said she's a temp. She hasn't figured out what she wants to do beyond that yet. He says she's a little old to not know what she wants to do. She says age isn't anything but a number. She says she gets her advice from Zandar the fortune teller. He loses interest in her when she says this. They eat in awkward silence for a while, then S.A.M. tries to start up conversation again. She asks about his job and it's clear he doesn't love it or believe in it. She says she needs to go home soon and the date ends awkwardly.
In control room 15, Courtney and Logan talk to the interviewer about how that exchange was bad. Courtney says that Logan over-reacts, but they'll figure it out. The interviewer asks if Ted figured out S.A.M. was a savior. They say that there are only three ways to spot a savior. That they know of. The first is that their logic circuits lead to a default setting where each sentence they say has to start with a sequential letter of the alphabet. This is easy to fix, but in bad situations, saviors often default to that way of talking, particularly in times of trauma or when there are glitches.
Logan goes into a coughing fit and blood soaks through his mask. He changes the mask. He says he's fine, but Courtney is concerned.
Courtney explains to the interviewer that over time, the saviors get better at talking like humans. Another problem, though, is that they repeat the same initial letter three times in a row, like alliteration. The second method for spotting them is to shine light into the savior's eyes. They don't blink with their eyelids like a human, if they blink, it's with a set of eyelids inside their eyeballs. It's subtle and you kinda have to be an expert to see it.
They get a priority incoming message and have to stop talking to the interviewer. They explain that they don't have one mission at a time, that they have to deal with several. The interviewer isn't authorized to observe this other mission, so the make him leave. They turn to help M.E.L. Unit 911.
Ted calls Madison at the office. She asks what he's got. He says he didn't find any smoking guns in the data he examined, but there is good fodder for stories. She asks him to bring the work in person, since their servers are still down. He's not happy about it and asks if S.A.M. is still working there. Madison only knows of her as the temp and says she thinks she's still there. Ted asks if he HAS to bring stuff in today and Madison says yes. He hangs up the phone.
He decides to go later, after listening to the radio for a bit. Lexi's show is already in progress. She talks about shape-shifting creatures called "gangers," who are infiltrating society. Ted's phone rings and he turns the radio off. It's his sister, Maria, who says he answers the phone in a weird way. She's checking in on him because she never hears from him anymore and she's the only family he has left. He says he's busy doing important work. She says she's proud of him and asks if he's dating. He doesn't answer and they argue a bit before ending the call.
Ted walks into the lobby and S.A.M. flirts with him heavily. He's a bit taken aback by it as he thought she had a terrible time. She says she didn't and wants to do it again. S.A.M. says they should do something when she gets off work. Ted isn't sure what to do, since he thought last time was very awkward.
In control room 15, Courtney says she'll handle this one, since she's actually a woman. Logan doesn't argue, his mask isn't bloody when he changes it this time. The interviewer asks her what she's going to do. Courtney says she thinks she's got Ted figured out. Logan confirms that Courtney is really good at this type of mission. Mama Stork agrees, noting Courtney is the top 5% in efficiency ratings.
S.A.M. apologizes for their date. Ted says he didn't think she liked him that much. S.A.M. says he was fine and that Zandar tells her to be honest. She has to remind him that Zandar is a fortune teller. They talk things through and agree to go on another date. Tonight.
Ted sits at the steak house, waiting for S.A.M. to arrive. A surfer at the next table asks Ted if he's going to pop the question tonight. Ted finds the question odd and says no. The surfer tries to keep talking, but Ted turns away from him.
Ted and S.A.M. sit at their table, smiling and laughing. It's better than last time, but is still stiff. A F.R.E.D. unit serves as their waiter, helping S.A.M. achieve her goals. S.A.M. starts to act more like "cool" girl and orders a big steak and baked potato, to be more like Ted. She tells him the story of overhearing a woman in the bathroom talk about how she was in Othello play and one of the actors was actually a serial killer and started to choke her to death on stage. Eventually they caught on and she was saved. Ted says this is why he doesn't like Shakespeare. They laugh and grow more comfortable together.
In control room 15, Logan asks where Courtney came up with that story. She says she got it from the show Cheers. The interviewer asks if they use pop culture in their work often. Courtney says only when they need to and it's not that obvious. Logan notes an early mission where a savior used a quote from a movie that one of the humans around her actually starred in. They have to be careful.
Ted stares at S.A.M. while he eats. He feels more comfortable and relaxed than before. Ted points to the surfer and tells S.A.M. that guy is nuts. She asks him for details.
In control room 15, Logan congratulates Courtney on doing an excellent job. Logan says you have to be a problem solver to run a S.A.M. The interviewer asks if that's because of the history of the program. S.A.M.s were originally used for military purposes, but no longer are because of various missions where they lost control and bad things happened. Courtney says running a S.A.M. is a challenge because of the protocols put in place to prevent them from losing control again. They have been safe for at least the last decade.
Ted and S.A.M. stop outside her apartment building. S.A.M. tells Ted she likes him. He leans in and kisses her.
In control room 15, Logan and the interviewer stare at Courtney, who says don't look at her, she had nothing to do with that.
It's 9:23 and Ted is still in bed. And he's smiling. He's eating breakfast in bed, listening to Lexi on the radio. Lexi notes that gangers are afraid of dogs. Someone knocks at Ted's door. He isn't expecting anyone. It's a blue uniformed-police officer. He says he's here on a noise complaint. Ted says that's not possible. The officer says they got a complaint, so he had to check it out. The officer checks to make sure he lives alone. He asks about family. Ted answers but says the questions are unusual. The officer says it's just routine. He tells Ted to keep it quiet in the future and leaves.
Ted walks along the boardwalk, early for his date with S.A.M. He visits Zandar the fortune teller to waste time. Inside, Ted quickly changes his mind and goes to leave. Zandar, who already knows Ted's name, stops him.
In control room 15, Courtney walks back in saying that they are authorized to tell the interviewer everything. Well, not everything everything. They are authorized to tell him everything about Ted. Logan says they'll have to tell him later, Ted has arrived at Zandar. Zandar is Mama Stork and Logan's favorite part. Courtney doesn't like Zandar as much.
Ted puts away his wallet and Zandar tucks his money into her bra. Zandar consults her crystal ball and asks Ted what he wants. He doesn't really know, but a friend mentioned the place to him. Zandar says Ted is missing someone, there was a death. But there's someone new. Zandar says he sees something green inside Ted, something important.
In control room 15, Logan tells the interviewer that Courtney has been nominated seven times for best writer at the annual S.W.I.F.T.Y. awards. She corrects him that it's actually eight, although she's never won.
Ted walks down the boardwalk and spots S.A.M. She notes this was the first time he was late to see her. He says he actually got here early, but he stopped to see Zandar. She thinks he's joking at first, but when he isn't, she says she loves Zandar. He tells S.A.M. to follow him, he has an idea.
In control room 15, Logan monitors the date while Courtney talks to the interviewer. Ted is important, not because of who he is, but because he carries a genetic code that holds the key to Hannibal Syndrome, a disease that Logan has. Courtney says they have the biggest brain in the world and they won't give up until they find a solution. Mama Stork is an avatar for the world's most advanced processing system. Mama Stork runs simulations on everything and predicts what will happen more accurately than anything else in the world. Logan's never seen Mama Stork be wrong.
At the social gaming center, S.A.M. tells Ted it's time to have fun. Ted asks if she plays games, but she says she doesn't play them, she wins them.
In control room 15, Courtney tells the interviewer that S.A.M. gets smarter with time. They match up better with the subject over time. The interviewer asks what the saviors are made of. Mama Stork shows a video that explains it. The video is oddly very patriotic and comes from the Tungenbund Corporation. They say the future is now and instead of human workers, there will be saviors, created with the patented Patriogenesis Process.
Ted and S.A.M. play skee ball. Ted says he can teach her how to play, but she rolls the first ball and she's already really good at it. He says it's beginner's luck, but she sinks the same shot again and they wager on the game. Winner gets to pick the games all night. Ted's down.
In control room 15, Courtney gets excited because it's time to see Logan do his thing. Logan's going to open up her game programming and boost her aggressiveness. Ted is a gamer, it'll make her more attractive to him. She'll still be bound by the inhibitor, but this will max her out underneath that.
At the gaming center, Ted is shocked at how good S.A.M. is at the game, she beat him badly. They play a bunch of games and S.A.M. does very well. Afterwards, Ted says that's the most fun he's had in a long time. S.A.M. says it's the most fun she's ever had. She says her favorite word is xenoglossy, which is nothing more than a cover for her alphabetic language glitch. Ted tells her she's nice. He blurts out that he loves her. She says she loves him, too. They kiss.
In control room 15, the interviewer asks about gangers. Logan doesn't believe in them. Courtney says the evidence is growing. She's seen convincing proof, but Logan hasn't. Not yet. The interviewer asks for more detail, but Mama Stork shuts that down.
Ted walks into a gun range. He's one slot over from a man in a dark blue tracksuit. The two men take turns shooting at their targets and finish at the same time. They push the button to bring their targets closer. The tracksuit man compliments Ted's shooting. Ted returns it. The man asks Ted if he comes here often. Once a week, Ted says. They both reload as they speak. The tracksuit man talks about being a hunter since he was a kid. Ted says he's not a hunter, it's more for protection. Tracksuit man says he learned it all from his father, they were close. He asks Ted about family and Ted says he grew up with only his older sister. He never knew his parents. Tracksuit man says he's a contractor. Did some work with the Republican party. Ted hesitates to answer, but says he's a reporter. Tracksuit man says its a lame job, but Ted says it pays well. The tracksuit man is a bit disappointed in Ted's job, but tells him to keep shooting so he can protect himself and his family. Ted says he only has to protect himself.
Ted proofreads his latest article. Once he's done, he calls his job BS and turns on the radio. Lexi is lamenting the loss of "real men" and reveals that there is evidence of a former president (Trump) being a reptilian alien. Ted calls in to Lexi's show. The call is intercepted by some kind of operative who pretends to work for Lexi. Ted wants to talk to her on the air. The operator gets his information and says Lexi will call him back.
Ted picks up his pone on the second ring. It's Lexi. He hangs up. It rings again. He picks up and Lexi says this isn't a hoax. He tells her to prove it. She says she's not giving up anything revealing over the phone. He asks how he's supposed to know it's really her. She says he called her. She tells him to meet at O'Reilly's Cafe at 8:15.
Ted sits at an outdoor cafe drinking water with no ice. Lexi joins him. She's excited to meet like-minded individuals. Ted tells her that he doesn't really have any info for her. He lied to her because HE needs to know more. He wants to know how to tell if someone is a ganger or not. She wants to know what he can do that she can't with her radio show. He tells her he's a man of action. She grins.
Ted stands in front of the St. Petersburg National Art Gallery as S.A.M. arrives. They go inside. They stroll through the gallery. She tells him this is the first time she's ever been to an art gallery. He notes that her life has been sheltered. She says it's just begun. He shows her a painting with a dog in it and asks her what she thinks. She's startled when she sees the dog and says she doesn't like this painting. She finds a landscape with a massive blue sky and that one impresses her. Ted doesn't like it. Her reaction to the dog freaks him out a bit.
In control room 15, Courtney says she thinks Ted is getting suspicious. Logan agrees and asks if they should take off the inhibitor. The interviewer asks for an explanation and Logan says that S.A.M.s can run their own AI, but the rarely allow them to use it. It frees them up from patterns and allows them to adjust to input, but they aren't supposed to be able to become more dangerous.
Ted plays Pac-Man (poorly) at an arcade when Lexi walks in. She gestures for him to follow her. He does and some kid takes over his game.
Ted and Lexi walk along the sidewalk outside the arcade. They go around the side of the building to get away from people. Ted says there was a moment where it seemed that S.A.M. is afraid of dogs. He tells her about the painting, but that's not enough. She tells him about the tests: the alphabetical speaking glitch, the repeated alliteration, they don't like dogs, they do like the color blue. But all these things happen in patterns, not just single instances. Ted says it's all so complicated. Lexi says he has to want to know the truth, right? He does. She tells him the flashlight test is the only sure way to tell, because they don't blink.
Ted and S.A.M. sit in a fast food restaurant, eating burgers and fries. Ted questions her about her daily routine. He says he's a curious guy. He keeps asking a bunch of questions and finally catches her saying an X-word, meaning her speech is alphabetical.
In control room 15, Courtney and Logan are panicking, the situation is about to go FUBAR. They decide to take off the inhibitor. The interviewer asks if that is dangerous. Logan says Ted making S.A.M. as a savior is worse, as it would end the mission. Courtney and Logan enter the code and remove the inhibitor.
Ted squints at S.A.M. and asks her what that was. She says she was confused and thinking about work. She tries to explain it, but Ted is skeptical. He seemingly accepts the story, but then says he wants to show her something and escorts her out of the food court.
Ted takes her to a pet store. He's eager, but S.A.M. is hesitant. Inside, Ted talks to the staff while S.A.M. sits in a small closed area for customers to play with pets. The staffer hands Ted a small puppy and he brings it closer to her. She's never seen anything like it and she's a little afraid. Particularly when the puppy is on the floor. She asks if the puppy is going to hurt her. He says puppies are as harmless as she is. He picks up the puppy and brings it close to her face, telling her that won't hurt her. It licks her hand, which she says is gross. She starts petting the dog and says the dog is nice. They leave and Ted is more at ease seeing her play with the puppy.
Ted and S.A.M. sit on the couch in her apartment sipping wine. S.A.M. says she's not much of a drinker. Ted says it was a good day, wasn't it. She agrees and says she really liked the puppy. He's confused and asks about her hating the painting of the dog. She says the real thing is better. Ted tells her he loves her and she says it back. They kiss. Ted kicks off his shoes without putting them in their place. S.A.M. calls him a wild man and they go to have sex.
That night, S.A.M. sleeps in the bed, but Ted is awake. He fishes around in the hamper and finds a pair of panties. They are blue. He goes and gets a flashlight. He yells for her to wake up and shines the light in her face. She's awake now, but she doesn't blink. She asks what's happening, but he waves it off.
In control room 15, the interviewer asks why Ted did that. Logan isn't sure. Courtney thinks Ted is trying to test her. He probably thinks she's a ganger. The interviewer finds that hard to believe. Courtney and Logan explain how widespread right-wing conspiracy radio had gotten and how much they spread rumors about weird stuff, some of it true. Courtney thinks he was trying to test her when he took her to the pet store. They're surprised she was able to respond to the dog so well.
The interviewer asks them how Ted won't turn violent. They say he scored low on violence tests. They gather as much data as they can before sending in a savior. Ted scores as malleable, easy to shape. Courtney says their tests rarely fail.
Ted peruses books in the public library. He rounds the corner and comes upon Lexi. She asks him how the tests are coming. He doesn't know. She says they aren't that hard. He says it seems like S.A.M. failed, but he's not sure. He's not sure, but he thinks she did the alphabetical order speaking. She definitely did the alliteration thing once. He tells her about the pet store. She asks him about the color blue. He says he didn't notice it. She asks if he was really looking. He says, no, he forgot for a while and when he remembered, he didn't notice anything. She asks if he's tried the flashlight trick, but he says no.
Lexi says based on the evidence and prior information that she 100% believes that S.A.M. is a ganger. Ted is shocked. He can't believe it. He asks what he should do. She says he has to be sure and then he has to take action. She tells him to try the flashlight trick and look for blue. And if she fails the tests, he'll have to take care of her before she takes care of him. She says gangers are predators. Lexi gives directions on how to get a drug called alteplase and information on everything else he needs.
Ted walks away from the library and gets in his car. He checks out his new items. A book called "The NRA Guide to Making Your Own Hollowpoints!," a scrap of paper that says alteplase and a silver key. He drives away.
At the hospital, Ted sneakily steals keys from a nurse and gets into the medicine room. He finds the alteplase and steals it. He locks the room.
Later, he sits at his desk at home. On his desk are the items necessary to make hollow points and fill them with alteplase, which he carefully does, not spilling anything.
He goes to S.A.M.'s apartment and she greets him at the door wearing blue pajamas. Ted is shocked, but he controls himself and asks if they can talk. She says of course.
S.A.M. invites Ted inside. He comes in with a revolver tucked into the back of his pants. Ted calls her a liar and points the gun at her. He demands she tell him the truth. She says she doesn't know what he's talking about. He's been following her speech and realizes she's talking in alphabetical sentences. He fires the gun three times.
In control room 15, the interviewer asks Courtney and Logan when they stopped being evil. Courtney says that she was never evil. Logan coughs. A priority emergency comes in from a D.A.V.E. 1623 savior. They kick the interviewer out and handle the situation.
The door opens and Lexi walks in. She looks aghast and asks Ted what's he's done. He's baffled and claims that S.A.M. isn't human. She starts to explain how crazy he is and then gives up the charade. She tells him that she is the monster. She takes off her blazer to reveal a bright blue dragon tattoo. She turns into a vaguely reptilian creature with a mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth. She eats Ted.
In control room 15, Logan and Courtney tell the interviewer what they know about gangers. They can copy the form of people they kill and consume. They target those who don't have family and close friends, people that aren't likely to be missed much. They do a long and thorough vetting process for their victims. Courtney says they'll send in a team to clean things up and cover them up. Logan says the system works and is happy. The interviewer says that it isn't.
S.A.M. sits on the floor, slowly dying. She watches Ted fall to the ground dead. Lexi kneels close to S.A.M. and tells her that she did a pretty good job, but that she, Lexi, doesn't make mistakes. Lexi leaves, letting on that she knows a LOT about the savior program.
In control room 15, the interviewer notes that the mission was a failure. Courtney says that savior units are somewhat unique and they don't always work perfectly or predictably. She says they're still trying to figure all of this out. Logan notes that it's an art, not a science. The interviewer says that's why he's there, too. Courtney says Ted was a tough case, he was an easy mark, easy to manipulate. Logan says they're learning more about the gangers and they can share the intel with the rest of the team. Maybe they'll save the next Ted.
From S.A.M.'s POV, she goes offline and her eyes close for the last time.
After the credits, it's one month later in control room 15 in the Acme Savior HQ. Logan is changing a bloody mask, he's sicker. Courtney opens a secret letter. The savior program has been shut down. Logan coughs.