Original subtitles

These stories are inspired by the actual case files of the office of scientific

investigation and research.

Any who wish to remember those that have left us, please rise.

Rita,

what is the meaning of this?

Let's get her to the algebra.

Judaism, one of the oldest religions in our world culture.

Hebrews were among the first to recognize the potential for humans to be

invaded by a negative external spiritual force.

And yet after thousands of years attempting to comprehend the battle for

the soul, we still seek answers as to why malevolent entities consume

unwilling individuals.

In the case involving Rabbi Rothstein's synagogue, the OSIR was compelled to

employ Judaism's mystic rituals in the fight between good and evil.

Let's not jump to conclusions. We need clarity, not hysteria.

Please, I know what I saw.

In the middle of the prayer for the dead, she attacks all of us.

Ruben, she's a dybbuk.

Save the old superstitions for your grandchildren, Carl.

Demons don't visit us in the 20th century.

Look at your neck.

She tried to murder you.

Carl, please.

We'll have it taken care of.

You must perform the ritual of the Baal Shem.

Cast out the evil in her. It's your duty as rabbi. Don't be so melodramatic.

Do you have a better explanation for what happened?

No.

But there are others who understand matters such as these.

Case number 64131, case manager Connor Doyle. Hours after closing case file

621589 in Toronto, we were contacted by a member of the Department of Religious

Studies at the university.

We are now investigating the reported appearance of an ancient and powerful

phenomenon known as a dybbuk, a Hebrew term for demon.

Professor Doyle.

Sir.

I'm Reuben Rothstein, rabbi of Beth Ha.

This is Karl Lohenbaum of the board of directors of the synagogue.

Connor Doyle.

We came as soon as we heard from Professor Wolfe at the university.

Rabbi, my team and I would like to begin a basic inspection.

Talk to the members of the congregation who witnessed the attack.

Of course.

Rabbi, are you a specialist in Mystic Judaica?

Well, it's not the central concern of my belief, but it's a side interest of

mine, yes.

Can we get down to business?

Rabbi Rothstein is qualified to deal with this problem according to our

Talmudic laws.

Carl, these people are professional scientists. We should let them

investigate. Rabbi, do you mind if we have a look around?

Go ahead. Nothing has been touched since the incident.

Thank you. Where will we find the woman who attacked you?

This way.

Her name is Rita Naiman, a member of our congregation.

Though we haven't really seen her at synagogue since her husband died nearly

three years ago.

Do you know anything about her background?

She and her late husband worked at the Royal Ontario Museum, I believe.

Research into early Aramaic writings, ancient scrolls, that sort of thing.

How long has she been unconscious?

A couple of hours.

Hasn't moved a muscle.

It isn't really unconsciousness. It's as if she's in some kind of trance-like

state. I take it you have some medical training.

I was a medic in the Israeli army.

How did you sedate her?

Vasovagal sympathy.

It made her brain think it had too much blood and put her out like a light.

Last trick.

She was completely out of control.

I had to do something.

Rabbi, your contact mentioned something about the possibility of a Dybbuk.

Yeah.

It's an ancient superstition. I prefer to take a more modern approach.

You reported kinetic activity surrounding the attack.

Biophysical distress amongst the victims.

Superhuman strength?

Yeah, well, true.

And with no logical explanation, that's why I contacted your office.

I began to choke as if all the air was being sucked out of my lungs.

All of us, all of us were suffocating. I saw Josh Wise as he was thrown across

the room.

I looked over and saw this woman standing in front of Ruben, staring at

him with such poison.

Suddenly, she had him by the throat.

We knew we had to help him, but trying to restrain her was like fighting ten

men.

It took four of us to hold her down.

The strange thing is, I thought she was trying to say, help me.

Did you find anything that could have caused the burn mark on the rabbi's

throat? No, nothing so far.

Hendricks and the medical team are working on the physiological assessments

of all the witnesses. We'll know more when they finish.

Read her name and still send me conscious, making it impossible to

collect any detailed data on her physical or psychological state.

What about her family?

According to her co-workers at the museum, she has no close relatives.

What was it that she was working on?

Nobody could really tell me for sure.

I recognized the text on Eastern European Kabbalah, but the ancient

Aramaic scrolls, they were beyond my ability to translate.

Is there any logic to these divakim?

I mean, what would it be after?

According to lore, the perfect host.

Traditionally, a young girl.

On-site inspection revealed nothing.

Are the other assessments completed?

Psychological? All normal. DEP tests of the witnesses reveal honest accounts of

the incident.

Meaning they believe that what they saw was real.

And most members of the congregation believe that what they saw was, in some

way, a kind of cabalistic possession.

Physiological assessments?

The examination of the biofunctions was normal in all witnesses.

Rabbi Rothstein sustained a second-degree burn in a localized area

on his neck.

Origin?

Unknown. We found no chemical or energy traces that could have caused him.

And we still know very little about the subject. She's been in this strange

state of semi-consciousness for almost four hours.

After the environmentals are completed, let's run a full background check on Ms.

Namond.

Medical, employment records, family history, next of kin.

Contact the authorities as well.

If she is in fact host of some unnatural, possibly predatory force, I

don't want to risk taking her to a public hospital. Let's see what we can

do for her here. Understood.

Still, all we have is circumstantial evidence.

It could be simply some neurological disorder or some form of extreme

psychosis. According to Rabbi Rothstein, there is an ancient ritual used in cases

like this.

The rite of the Baal Shem is used to cast the Dybbuk out from innocent host

bodies. Look into this Baal Shem ritual.

Find out exactly what it entails.

Professor Doyle, have you found any rational explanation for this incident?

Not yet, no.

That's because the whole thing has nothing to do with scientific tests or

theories. Rita Naaman has been possessed by a Dybbuk, and only we can help her.

Carl. No one has performed the Baal Shem ritual in this synagogue for over 75

years, because in every modern case like this, a rational explanation has been

found for the so-called possession.

Professor Doyle just finished telling you his team has found nothing.

Our investigation is ongoing.

We haven't tried everything we can yet.

Reuben, Rita Naaman is a member of our shul. It's our responsibility to help

her. She's Mishpucha.

Professor Doyle, would it interfere with your investigations if we were to

consider performing the bullshit?

My team does need a little more time to complete an environmental assessment,

but after that, we could observe the ritual as it's taking place.

It's the only logical course of action, Ruben. I don't believe logic is at work

here, Carl.

But it's our duty to try and help her.

No tox traces.

No energy fields.

Place is clean.

How odd.

Her eyes are open. She seems to be aware of us, but... Rita.

Rita.

Hold on.

That's my readings are up. Climbing fast.

Where's your point of origin?

From her.

Her temperature just shot up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

I'm picking up hazardous toxins.

Sulfuric toxoid.

Multiple free radicals.

Plug it into the redstone.

It's getting real unhealthy in here.

It's as if the scans themselves set off the reaction.

Tox levels are redlining.

Now I got nothing.

It's all normal baselines.

Connor, I'm concerned.

Her condition is going to continue to deteriorate as long as she remains here.

Tell Rothstein we're ready to observe the Baal Shem ritual.

Case log update.

After checking into the subject's personal and professional background, we

still cannot explain Ms. Naaman's violent behavior.

We are now in the process of observing an ancient Hebrew exorcism rite, the

Baal Shem, in the hope that it may help us understand this phenomenon.

This building is secure.

We have you on visuals.

And everyone on biostats.

Kinetic activity is climbing. I'm reading increasing energy levels. I

can't identify them.

Body temperature is rising fast.

Constantine, does anybody copy?

Awesome coat of red. Come on, read the biostat.

Breathe. Breathe.

Breathe.

Rabbi Rothstein.

You all right? Yeah. What was that?

Secure the premises.

Connor, are you all right? Just a few bruises.

Peter, what happened?

I don't know. He grabbed me and he said something in Hebrew.

His touch was like a blowtorch. Get yourself checked out as soon as you can.

Yeah.

Okay, I'm going to wrap you. Hang on.

We're still getting a reading on the rabbi's biostat signal. So we can't have

gone far.

Peter. What's the range on the biostat remotes?

200, 300 meters.

Let's put a monitor in each of the vehicles.

We can track him by triangulating his signal with a monitor here in the lab.

Police and paramedics are on their way.

Let's divide up into teams of two. You two, stay here.

Monitor the police radio frequency and wait for them to arrive.

Peter, you all right? Yeah, I'm fine. Anton, you ride with me. Natasha, you go

with Peter.

Let's split up and cover the radius of his signal.

The quicker we find him, the better. Assuming the Dybbuk hasn't changed host

again.

What did you mean, assuming it hasn't changed hosts again?

You think this thing can change hosts at will?

At will? No, I don't think so.

From what I could find out, the Dybbuk only migrates when the host is dead.

This is Beta 1. Do you copy?

Yes, we copy. Go ahead.

Our signal is breaking up. Peter, do you have him on your monitor?

Yeah, I still got him. It appears he's heading toward the lake.

Turns out it's on Kiel Street.

Wait a second. Stop. I see something.

This is Beta 2.

We're proceeding on foot through the alley at Inglis and McLean. Copy. We're

converging on your position.

We found the talus. Do not approach him. Wait for backup.

Must be right around here.

Take these, son.

Rabbi? No, stay back.

Stay back.

I don't know how long I can control it.

This is Constantine. I've located the subject in the west end of the alley at

Inglis and McLean.

Constantine, back away from the subject now.

We're on our way. All units converge on Beta 2's location.

Rabbi, stay calm. Help is coming.

It's awake.

Feel it in my bones.

The book doesn't want me.

It's going to offer itself to me.

Stay back, Natasha.

He's coming with us.

Robot? You all

right?

This is Beta 2.

Subject, we've lost subject on Inglis. He appears to be headed east. We're

pursuing on foot.

This is Beta 2. We're now at Chestnut and Inglis.

Subject is down in interest. Stand back.

Rabbi, can you hear me?

It's a car.

We arrived just after it happened.

He's dead.

Who's Doyle? It's me. What happened? This guy witnessed the whole thing.

The cab hit him dead on, knocked the poor guy about 15 feet across the

street. Did anyone approach the victim?

Well, yeah, the cabbie jumped out and ran over to the guy, and so did I.

Sir, may we examine you?

It's just a thermometer.

Here.

No increase in levels. He's clear. Where's the driver now?

Rogers. Where's that cabbie?

Like he's gone.

He said he was going for an ambulance. I told him to stay put. Then he sucker

punched him.

Anthony Venezuela.

Permit 7842.

Access the data bank. Bring up his address.

Constable, we'd like to monitor your radio frequency to coordinate the

effort. All right. Those are my instructions.

It appears to be the same

carbon traces we found at the synagogue.

Apartment 2601.

Yeah, got it.

Is this information accurate?

Right so.

Please have your people surround this building, but do not enter until we get

there. Let's go.

What makes you think Valenzuela would go home?

Dybbuk came to search out for pure souls.

Right, that's why he possessed the rabbi.

Roth's being resisted. Maybe the Dybbuk's looking for a more malleable

host. Valenzuela has a young daughter.

A hostage situation?

I just got off the police frequency.

It seems Valenzuela spotted the SWAT team as they got into position.

What else?

At least two hostages.

Situation volatile.

I just hope we can get there before the situation gets out of control.

And before another transference.

Professor Doyle? Yes? You'll have to wait here. What's the situation with

Valenzuela? I had to send in a team to dislodge him. You knew we were en route.

I'm sorry, but he's got two kids in there. Shots were fired.

Get those kids out of here.

Come on, you two. Let's go.

Took one bullet in the upper torso.

Did everyone in this building check in? So far, I got Sergeant Turner doing a

roll call for his team. Good. I'd like to secure the building until everyone is

accounted for. We got it.

Where are the children?

Temperature normal. According to Sergeant Turner, there was no actual

direct eye contact with Valenzuela at the time of death.

Well, we're not taking any chances. Those kids are going to Toronto Western

Hospital.

Ongoing case log entry.

In the aftermath of the hostage situation, we have yet to isolate

another host of the transient demon.

We still have no method of dealing with the phenomenon, except to prevent

transference at the time of the host's death.

This file remains open.

Connor Doyle out.

Where is it today?

This demonic entity capable of moving from living host to living host.

Does it dwell in someone walking the streets of your city or town?

Well, the Office of Scientific Investigation and Research has kept this

case open, and the search continues on an ongoing basis for this particular

powerful and dangerous supernatural threat.

Totally irresponsible.

Hello?

Anyone here?

How can you be so ignorant?

Larkin to Coatsworth.

Larkin to Coatsworth.

Over.

Do you remember issuing an open fire permit for this area of the park?

Out.

Hey, buddy.

Is this your fire? Help me.

What's wrong?

My friends, Katie and Perry.

What are you talking about? In the woods back there, everything's dead.

All right, slow down.

What are you doing up here?

We're planting trees. We're tree planters.

Look, we got an open campfire here. That's a big no-no. May I have a look at

your ID and your camping permit, please? My friends.

I'm going to get them some water. Give me your ID.

Is this your wallet?

Yeah. Are you Doug Kilmartin?

Yeah. This ID says that you're 21 years old.

Uh-huh.

What's happening to me?

What do you mean?

One of the most intriguing North American myths is the quest by Ponce de

Leon for the fountain of eternal youth, a quest which mankind has never truly

abandoned.

Cosmetics, plastic surgery, there are many methods man attempts to employ to

delay aging.

Today, scientific researchers seek genetic keys that could unlock a human

lifespan of 150 years or more.

Well, for Doug Kilmartin, his was exactly the opposite discovery.

Nothing less than a fountain of aging and decay.

Found him. What? Over here.

This is the guy Kilmartin described, Barry Struthers.

Another 21-year-old?

File number 86126, case manager Connor Doyle. After being contacted by Ontario

Provincial Police, we're launching an investigation.

Two men claim to have aged nearly 50 years following an encounter with an

unexplained zero-growth zone in the Canadian northern wilderness.

So, we have the...

OPP run a check on both their names, and it turned out that the second guy we

found, Strother, he'd had a little run-in with the law when he was younger.

He'd had a break-and-enter five years ago when he was 16, and the guy looks

like he's 70, right?

But the thing is, his fingerprints, they actually matched the ones in the

Strother kid's file.

When we got Kilmartin to St. Agatha's hospital, he was hysterical, telling us

that there's somebody still out there.

Kilmartin.

in his 70s is in pretty good shape.

Strother markedly less so.

But for two men, or 21 as they claim, they're in trouble.

They found this place in the woods.

Just a hand.

Nothing growing.

A dead zone.

I'm Dave Burton, foreman for this area.

Our crew split up to handle a bunch of small contracts.

Some stayed back at the base camp, some moved into this plantation.

That's why the three of them, just the three of them, Doug Kilmartin, Barry

Strother, Katie Fitzgerald, were here on a little Sunday contract.

Tomorrow was supposed to be the end of their Sundays.

Kilmartin's effective age is 70.

Strother is 85.

With IDs of 21-year-olds.

We're trying to locate their families.

According to the pictures we took from the helicopters, it's oval-shaped and

just about 8,000 square meters.

An oasis in reverse.

Desolation in the middle of a living forest.

This rock formation is extraordinary.

Peter, keep your distance until the initial inspection is completed.

Yeah, I just want to get a couple of shots.

Appears harmless enough.

It's not that harmless.

12.3 seconds from point of entry to discovery of the skeleton.

Remarkable. How's the aerial video mapping going?

We're working on it. We shot the zone from multiple angles.

Let's see what you've got so far.

The boundaries of the dead area appear to be clear and defined. On one side,

there's green growth, and on the other, nothing.

Enlarge the image on number three.

Pan right.

Project it left.

Increase magnification two times.

Five.

Ten.

It's our missing tree planter. I wouldn't be surprised.

Anton, speak with Kilmartin. See if he remembers what happened.

Right.

Start of Tuesday morning, Doug.

The three of you were flown to the site.

Katie, Barry, and me, with a bunch of new seedlings to plant.

What time did you arrive, approximately?

Six, 6.30, pretty early.

We set up camp.

You said before that you found a place in the woods, nothing but dirt.

The dead zone.

I think I walked in.

Did you all go in?

No.

I mean... I'm sorry.

It's very hard to concentrate these days, you know?

It's all right, Doug. It's okay.

We'll, uh... We'll start again shortly.

Dr. Hendricks.

Where are Katie and Barry?

Are they okay?

Your friends aren't doing as well as you are, Doug.

We need your help.

I want to.

I just don't remember.

Oh, let's try the probe, you'll be.

What's that?

With any luck, the dental record should give us an ID.

The corpse is in a very advanced stage of decomposition.

It looks like it's been there a while.

I will know more once we get it out.

Let's take it nice and slow.

The skeleton is Catherine Fitzgerald, age 21, cause of death unknown.

Our team physician's examination reveals no specific illness or injury in either

Kilmartin or Strother.

They are suffering from high blood pressure, but that could be explained by

the stress brought on by their confusion.

Anton?

Strother remains despondent and unresponsive.

Kilmartin, on the other hand, presents no abnormalities other than memory loss.

You mentioned limited and specific amnesia.

Yes, Kilmartin remembers everything vividly up until his encounter with the

anomaly. And after that, it's almost blank.

But that's consistent with the repression of a traumatic experience.

Is it consistent with a scene of illusion?

We saw what happened to the bird that flew in there. Not to mention the

unusual wrinkling of Kilmartin and Struthers' skin.

Could there be a straightforward medical explanation?

Progeria, you mean?

That's accelerated aging.

Yeah. It's extremely rare and invariably begins in early childhood.

And it's a genetic disease. It's not environmental.

Maybe we found some environmental toxin that causes spontaneous mutations in the

cell cycle control genes.

Perhaps, but our scans have revealed no toxins.

We've also eliminated several of the obvious explanations for the lack of

vegetation. There's no radiation traces, and the site itself has no past

connections with any toxic substances whatsoever.

Anton, what does DEP testing tell us?

is telling the truth as he understands it.

Barry,

my purpose here is to investigate, to help you in any way I can.

But I can't unless you talk to me.

Yes, Barry when I die, right

That's

an inevitability we all have to face But I'm only 21 years

old

Remember the night before we flew in?

We were sitting around, talking, the three of us.

I couldn't hear a word she said.

She just looked so beautiful.

I loved her so much.

My name is Sarah Kilmartin. I'm here to see my son.

Yes, someone's expecting you. This is Kilmartin. I'm Lindsay Donner. We spoke

on the phone.

I'd like to see Douglas.

Oh, I don't know this man.

He's not my son. Look at him.

You remember Gypsy?

You remember the day Gypsy stole Mr. Telford's salmon?

Gypsy was our dog, purebred German Shepherd.

Mr. Telford lived four houses down.

He'd cut this 30-pound salmon.

I guess Chip went over for a visit.

Because the next thing we knew, he was burying the damn thing in the backyard.

I must have been about six years old.

I remember saying to you, I guess we have to tell Mr.

Telford the truth now, don't we?

You said, maybe we can just keep this our secret.

Nobody ever has. has to know.

Except us.

Hi, Mom.

I want you to relax.

And just let the light play on you.

Feel sleepy?

File update.

Douglas Kilmartin, effective age 70, appears to be the son of Sarah

Kilmartin, age 45.

Hendricks is attempting another regressive hypnosis session with

Kilmartin in an effort to shed some light on what exactly happened to

himself, Barry Struther, and Katie Fitzgerald. Now.

Doug, I want to go back to Tuesday.

It's 8 o'clock in the morning.

Where are you?

We're...

In the woods.

Are the three of you together?

I'm alone.

Katie and Mary have gone on ahead.

I can hear them whispering to each other. What do you see?

She's keeping them right there in the woods.

Now she's gone on ahead by herself.

Hey, guys, come check this place out.

Wow, it's wild.

Come on, Barry.

I've never seen anything like it.

You think that?

I don't know.

It's an area. There's nothing alive at all.

It's Katie.

In the zone.

Yeah.

She wants us to follow her in.

What are you guys waiting for?

Chicken?

It's really freaky.

Let's go.

Just laughing like I'm being paranoid.

So I go in.

Oh, my God. What is she?

Changing, Katie.

Changing.

Barry?

Barry, what's happening to me?

This has got to be a good one.

This can't be real.

Let's get out of here.

Now! Katie, move it! It's too late.

I'm trying to run. I can hardly lift my leg.

I've got to get out. I have to get some help.

I left them behind.

I left Barry behind and Katie.

Kate's file update.

Our medical team is searching for ways to reverse the effects of the hazard,

but we have been unable to isolate the means by which it triggers the aging

process.

We've done an aerial geodetic survey using infrared and microwave technology.

There's no evidence of any unusual geothermic activity or geomagnetic

fields. There's still no traces of hazardous materials or toxic gases.

So in other words, we still have no idea what's causing it.

Not yet, but...

The probe itself isn't triggering any reaction from the hazard.

So whatever it is, it only affects the biochemical nature of living organisms.

A bioreactive phenomenon is quite possible.

And let's try to pinpoint exactly why.

Connor. What is it?

I've been reviewing some of the preliminary interviews.

Listen to this.

I remember hearing stories about it when I was a kid.

Rumors about a bad place in the woods. A place where nothing lives.

Stories about some of our tribal members who just disappeared.

This much we already know.

Horizontally, the zone covers an area just under 8,000 square meters.

We've mapped it by helicopter and charted the height at which the

disintegration begins.

Elliptical, which could suggest some sort of energy pattern phenomenon.

But the configuration's unstable. We're picking up slight fluctuations.

What if we were to chart these fluctuations over a period of hours?

It's a good idea. See if the pulses are consistent.

It's almost like... Just a second, Lindsay.

The hospital just contacted us.

Struther.

I'm sorry.

We'll have to do an autopsy, of course.

But I think it's simply generalized systemic atrophy.

Come on, man.

Speak English.

Old age.

He died in his sleep.

He was only 21.

A week ago, I was a young man.

Hell, Katie and Barry were alive.

Now look at us. We're looking to reverse the process, Doug. We're trying our

best. Oh, good. I got plenty of time to hang around, spare me the science

lesson. Look, we've got people working around the clock. It's just that this

thing... My whole life has been stolen from me. It's not fair.

No, it's not fair.

But let me tell you, it wasn't fair when...

When my brother found out that he had an operable cancer last year, you and Jerry

are now effectively the same age.

Only at most he has two years left.

You might just have another two decades.

Look, I'm sorry about your brother.

At least he had 30 years. I didn't.

Secondly, if Katie and Barry just died, how do you know I might have another two

decades?

You're right.

I don't.

And I doubt that we can recover the years you've lost.

Only you can decide what to do with the time you have left.

We've already lost one subject, Barry Struther. Time's running short.

Any theories?

The phenomenon could be extraterrestrial. That's why it's not

reacting to Earth-based technology.

Or maybe it's just not reacting to any known Earth-based technology. Meaning?

It could be some, as of yet, unspecified geophysical phenomena that subatomically

accelerates all form of living matter.

Conceivably. Or it could be a rare mutated vortex that absorbs concentrated

life-form energy.

I mean, that would be consistent with the results of the physiological

assessments.

Or... maybe the answer lies in another direction completely.

The fluctuations could be caused by almost anything.

Changes in wind patterns?

What I found, if you speed up the sequence, it almost replicates

breathing, as if it were alive.

Well, I guess you won't have to worry about how I'll turn out when I grow up.

Good luck.

Thanks, Doc, for doing what you could.

Look out for him.

We'll be in time.

It's a hell of a way to live out the rest of your days.

Probably die before his mother does.

Professor Doyle. I'm here, sir.

Professor Doyle, I'm responding to your request for additional analysis of the

phenomenon in file number 86126.

Thanks for getting back to us so quickly, sir. Well, unfortunately,

government officials have already asked us to design and implement a method of

sealing off the hazard permanently.

Effective immediately.

But, sir, we're just beginning to make some headway as to understanding this

phenomenon. Oh, I realize that.

But priority number one is the protection of human life.

With all due respect, sir, we need to know exactly what this phenomenon is

about. Who knows how much we might be able to learn from it. Well, we've

reviewed the data provided to this point.

The mandate is final.

I'm sorry, Connor.

I'm just passing on what we've already decided.

Yes.

Of course.

Final case log entry.

As per your instructions and following consultation with government officials,

a giant cage of steel rebar has been constructed to encase the hazard,

lowered into place by helicopter, and covered with tons of poured concrete.

Geophysical anomaly, paranormal manifestation, or alien bio-force? The

answer lies hidden forever in a concrete vault, no longer a threat.

At last report, Doug Kilmartin was working at a crisis center, counseling

trauma victims and living each day to its fullest.

I'm Dan Aykroyd for SciFact.