Leverage Episode 2.06 The Top Hat Job

A woman named Dr. Jamison nervously downloading documents from a computer in an off-limits area of a building. She is caught by security, but manages to escape. Dr. Jamison tells Nate and Sophie that the food manufacturing company she worked for refused to call back salmonella-tainted foods because it would be cheaper to pay the wrongful death suits. The poisoned food will cause many people to die, but Mr. Casten, the Vice President, has decided that it's worth it. Sophie tries to set up Nate with the doctor, but Nate awkwardly escapes.

Eliot infiltrates the food company as a pizza delivery man while Parker surveys the outside of the building. Nate chides the team for doing recon without him, but Hardison assures him that it's safe. Then, Eliot to get pulled aside by several security guards and Hardison's computers are hacked by the company's defenses. Eliot and Parker manage to fight their way out and Hardison defeats the company's counter-attack.

Nate explains to the team that the food company's patents are worth billions and are guarded better than defense contracts. Nate plans to publicize the study describing the salmonella in the frozen food. Hardison's hacking has discovered a 'State of the Company' meeting for the next day, which Nate uses to make a plan.

Hardison and Parker infiltrate the act of 'Chronos the Magnificent', a lame magician who is scheduled to perform at the State of the Company meeting. They get Chronos arrested for attacking Hardison. Nate fills in at the State of the Company as an illusionist with the team as his assistants. Nate butters up to Mr. Price, the CEO, to get the props through security with Eliot smuggled inside. The team plans to break into the server room and download the report during Casten's hour-long speech, but first they have to find the missing rabbit.Sophie steals Mr. Price's security badge and Hardison uses it to get Eliot, Parker and himself on the elevators. However, Casten cuts his speech drastically and Nate has to go onstage alone. Parker jumps down the elevator shaft to get to the stage in time, causing Hardison to be thrown to the roof of the elevator. Casten takes advantage of Nate's act to use the server room, and Hardison finds out by hacking into Casten's phone that the VP is trying to erase the incriminating reports.

Dr. Jamison tells Hardison and Eliot to use the junction room to access the company's servers, where the computers are even more vulnerable; the only problem is that security there is much tighter. Sophie uses Nate's act to steal the CEO's fingerprints.

Unfortunately, the room also needs a retinal scan, so Nate and Parker make Mr. Price 'disappear' in a magician's box, which Sophie loads onto an elevator. When the box gets to their floor, Eliot and Hardison quickly scan his retina and Eliot starts to bring the box downstairs while Hardison logs into the junction room's computers.By this time Casten has managed to delete the report. He figures out that Hardison is in the junction room and security locks Hardison in. Other guards meet Eliot outside the elevator, and he uses the magic box (with Mr. Price still inside) as a weapon against several guards. Eliot and Sophie get away, but Hardison is apprehended in the junction room. Park and Nate manage to disappear themselves onstage, and the rabbit reappears in their stead.

Casten and security take Hardison outside, where he told them the team was. However, Casten gets a surprise phone call from Nate, who tells the VP that Hardison downloaded the company's food patents to Casten's phone, which Parker has just stolen. Nate explains that having the company's top secret documents on his phone the same day as he was alone in the server room wouldn't look very good. Nate gets Casten to release Hardison and recall the tainted food.

Sophie continues to try to get Nate to ask Dr. Jamison out, even though Eliot says Nate's alright. Sophie worries that Nate can't give up complete control, and wonders what will happen if he loses that control.