Original subtitles

These stories are inspired by the actual case files

of the Office of Scientific Investigation and Research.

Benny, this is like listening to a jackhammer.

I'm just trying to broaden your mind, sister.

All you're broadening is my eardrums.

Come on, get with the program.

Come on. This is the stuff.

Yeah, if you want to get with the program, try listening to a little Billie Holiday.

Hey, hey, have a piece of Sue's rhubarb pie for me, will you?

How can you still be hungry after that feast we had up at the village?

Hey, I'm a growing boy.

Oh, give these to Carl.

Okay? Tell him I'm off duty as of now.

Right.

Sure thing. Listen, thanks for the ride.

Oh, thank you, sister.

Good morning, ladies.

Hi, sister.

Can you give these to Carl when he comes back on duty, please?

Any chance the bus will be on time today?

Only by divine intervention.

Do you want to take the dales?

No, you take them home to your boys.

Sister?

Sister?

Sister?

Oh no !

Two people die in an identical manner at exactly the same time,

but in two entirely different places.

In case file 417-205,

the OSIR was summoned to confront our conventional understanding of death.

This is Benjamin Stokes, liaison officer for the Parks Board.

He had a bad day.

Two days ago he was run over by a truck in the parking lot where he works.

Was he killed on impact?

He may have already been dead at the time.

The driver said that he just stood there. He made no effort to get out of the way.

Even though he had plenty of time.

Like a deer in the headlights.

And he was found just as you see him.

Still holding his car keys. Frozen in this position.

This can't be rigor mortis. It would have ceased by now.

Catevoric spasm?

Only if the death was instantaneous prior to his accident.

And even that wouldn't last for two days.

Any evidence of drugs or alcohol in the system?

Nothing at all.

Claire, you ever seen anything like this?

Never.

Unfortunately, I can't offer you any comparison to the other victim.

Sister Elizabeth Perdue died the same day at the same time.

The local coroner ruled it death by natural causes.

And her family hasn't been located yet.

No permission, no autopsy.

The lividity is remarkable for someone this two days dead.

I know.

Her electroencephalograph reads a flat line.

All cerebral functions have ceased.

She's unresponsive to all external stimuli and lacks any signs of normal reflexes.

Not a breath, not a blink, not a heartbeat in two days.

She was drinking something.

Root beer.

We ran a toxicology workup.

No trace of poison or drugs.

The witnesses at the park office say that she just froze on the spot and died like that.

17 meters.

Means he was going approximately 70 clicks at the time he applied the brakes.

That's a pretty good clip.

Yeah, but still plenty of time for Stokes to get out of the way.

What did you pick up on?

He and his sister just returned from a native community called Malmkeshka.

That's deep within the park boundary and private property.

No one goes in or out without a private escort.

We should start there, then.

I've arranged with the park officer to give us a ride later this morning.

He's waiting for us inside.

Good. Let's go.

What are you doing?

Putting myself in Benny's shoes.

I've got a truck barreling down on me.

I'm standing here holding my keys.

And I'm auditioning for roadkill.

What's wrong with this picture?

So, uh, how well did you know Benny Stokes?

Oh, not that well.

We work different shifts.

He seemed like a nice enough guy.

Look, if you need any help sorting this thing out,

I'd be happy to oblige.

Well, what can you tell us about Malmkeshka?

They pretty much keep to themselves.

Ramping, fishing, et cetera.

Pretty self-sufficient.

I run folks in and out of there from time to time, you know.

Chuck's on supply, runs that kind of thing.

Well, we'd like to head up as soon as possible, if that works for you.

Yeah, absolutely.

Oh, as soon as you fill out the necessary forms.

Is that an order?

Well, you know the government.

You got your form 12-D-32 for this,

and your rider P-11-98 and triplicate for that.

Can't we just skip all the red tape?

I don't make the regulations.

I know, I know. You just follow them.

Bring Axon and Hendricks up to speed, okay?

If we find anything, they can bring the rest of the team up with the lab.

Or do we need forms for that, too?

Just a second.

Let's see.

How much further?

Oh, about two hours as the crow flies.

Crows are not crows.

So you're sure Sister Elizabeth didn't have anything to eat?

Positive.

She didn't say or do anything unusual prior to her demise?

Not really.

She just stood here sipping a soda and just keeled over.

Is that clock right?

Twice a day.

Hasn't worked since 58, but folks kind of got used to seeing it up there.

Huh. Frozen in time.

Not much of a welcoming committee.

The kids usually swarm all over when we get here.

So where is everybody?

I don't know. There's nowhere to go.

Community center's down the hill,

the school's on the other side of those trees, and the rest is just cabins.

Carl, would you mind checking out the community center?

Just tell them we're here to ask a few questions.

Whatever.

So cooperative.

I'll start this side. You try over there.

Hello? Anyone here?

Anyone here?

Hello?

Is there anyone here?

Hello?

Hello?

Hello? Anybody home?

Hello?

Anyone home?

Hello ?

Hello?

It's like a ghost town.

- It's as if... - You hear something?

Music.

Hello?

Looks like everyone left in a awful hurry.

Man, your sink is open.

Matt?

Let's go.

What's happening to these people?

I don't know. Maybe a poison or a virus.

Something with a common source.

It could be airborne.

Or in the drinking water.

We need to...

We need to get the mobile lab up here fast.

Use the radio on Pillar's truck.

We may have to quarantine the entire area.

Us included.

We may already be affected.

I'll go find Pillar.

What is it?

I mean, just standing there, it's like the whole village is just standing there like statues.

Did you find anyone alive?

What the hell did you get me into here?

What is this? What's going on?

Look...

We didn't know we'd find this either, but now we're gonna have to deal with it.

We have to seal off the area.

Quarantine ourselves until we can be sure.

Hold on. I'm not gonna stick around here.

This could be contagious.

That's just my point. We can't risk contaminating others.

Donner's radioed our team.

They'll be here with the lab by morning.

Just forget it. I'm not gonna stick around.

We're gonna die if we stay here.

We don't know how this bug's spread. You can't wait. None of us can.

Mr. Pillar? Where's Matt?

Get out of my way.

Stop him!

Wait!

Pillar!

Case log update.

Acting case manager Peter Axon reporting.

We have initiated quarantine procedures for the village of Maumkeshka and the surrounding area.

Forty-five victims of varying ages have been located.

We hope to find the cause before it spreads.

We have established a temporary morgue in the community center,

where the majority of the victims were discovered.

Full security procedures have been initiated,

and all necessary precautions have been taken to ensure the safety of the team.

Case manager Matt Prager and senior data analyst Lindsay Donner

have been placed in isolation until we can determine the nature of the pathogen

to which they may have been exposed.

The blood samples that we've taken from the residents

show trace amounts of an unknown bacterium.

And I'm running a comparison of the blood samples

taken from the nun and the park officers and the victims here.

We'll know soon.

How soon?

Soon.

Were you and Pillar separated other than when he went over to the community center?

No.

He *** some?

Perhaps.

I've got Axon doing a full environmental assessment there now.

Okay, close.

No starch.

Look, judging from Pillar's case, if you had been exposed,

you'd be afflicted by now, if that's any consolation.

We'll keep you posted.

Thanks, Claire.

We should have done this by the book.

Since when were you worried about OSIR protocol?

There was no indication of any danger anyway.

We should have taken precautions, surveyed the investigation zone.

There was no time, remember?

Besides, all the protocol in the world wouldn't help us now.

Yeah.

20-20 hindsight.

Okay, you screwed up.

Next time we'll know better.

If there is a next time.

Do me a favor.

If I freeze up first,

try and make sure I'm not in a really embarrassing position, okay?

Barbecue sauce.

I think I'm onto something.

Oh, really? What?

Dogs have been eating the same food as the people, and yet they seem unaffected.

That should tell us something.

Good point.

We should take a blood sample from one of them.

Yeah.

I'll take care of that.

Thanks, Claire.

Thanks.

We're clean?

As a whistle.

Oh my God!

Welcome back to the human race.

We discovered trace amounts of a food-borne pathogen in the barbecue sauce.

Pillar must have stopped for a snack before he found the bodies.

Score one for the vegetarians.

We did blood tests on the dogs and guess what?

They're carrying the pathogen.

Yet it doesn't seem to have any effect on them.

We're trying to work out why.

Matt?

Down here.

Oh no !

She had her whole life ahead of her.

Reminds me of my daughter.

Dana? What is she now, twelve?

Thirteen. Fourteen.

Was her Christmas.

She was dancing a nutcracker.

Last weekend she hung up on me when I told her she couldn't get her navel pierced.

I was driving my dad nuts when I was that age too.

Curious even then, huh?

Completely. His name was Tony.

What is it?

I don't know, I thought I saw something.

it's okay.

Hey !

You ok?

What's your name?

Kaya.

Can you tell us what happened to you, Kaya?

You were outside playing and...

Then what?

Am I in trouble?

No, no. You're not in trouble.

You didn't do anything.

Can I see my mom now?

Soon.

Now, you want to just hold that nice and tight so you don't get a bruise.

There. That wasn't so bad, was it?

I'm going to be back in just a moment, okay?

We have to tell her something.

Eventually. She's already bordering on shock.

I don't think she's ready for this kind of news yet.

How would she thaw out? Alive?

Any chance of a misdiagnosis?

Well, we'll know more once we can compare her blood against the other victims.

Kaya, why don't you and I try and relax a little bit, okay?

Are you going to give me a pill?

No, no, no pills.

On Friday night you went to the community center dinner, is that right?

Yeah.

And you ate some food, some chicken and vegetables?

Yeah, and ribs. I like ribs.

And what did you do after the dinner?

Me and my friend Nicole, we didn't want to stay with the grown-ups.

So we went to go play in the woods.

Nicole tossed a frisbee too high and it landed in my mom's herb garden.

So what did you do?

I'm not supposed to go into her garden, but I had to get it back.

That's when my mom came looking for us.

We're not supposed to be out in the woods alone, because we got a lot of bears around.

Kaya !

What are you doing in the woods ?

What are you doing in my garden? You know better than that.

Nicole, I see you hidding behind the bush.

Come right now and *** your momma.

Come on, Nicole, let's go !

My Mom was mad at me for *** her garden.

She said Raven would punish me.

But it was an accident. I didn't mean to.

Of course you didn't.

What happened then?

My mom took me home and she sent me outside to play.

And then you guys came along.

So you were just playing and suddenly we were there?

You didn't see anything before we came?

No.

I was skipping.

And then I felt funny so I sat down.

It was like everything went zoom, zoom, zoom.

It was day, then night, then day, then night.

I saw some dogs.

And then you came along.

And that's it.

Good going, Kaya. Good work.

And you know what else?

What?

I know who did it.

Raven.

That's very good. May I see?

Wow, that's great.

Who's Raven?

Raven made the world. My mom told me.

I know Raven.

After Raven made the world, he put people on the land.

And there was one boy named Black Bear, I think.

He was very, very bad. Very bad.

So Raven came down from the sky and told the people that if Black Bear couldn't be good,

then all the land and all the people would be destroyed.

Sounds like a pretty mean bird.

Black Bear just couldn't be good.

So Raven covered the whole land with darkness.

And when the light came again, the people were turned into trees.

Except for Black Bear. He was left all alone.

Raven took everyone away because I'm bad.

But I don't want to be. I just can't help it.

You're not bad. It's not your fault. Raven's not punishing you.

Matt !

There's something you gotta see.

Be right back, Kaya.

I've been scanning these security tapes. Look what I found. Watch this.

See, now, over a period of five hours...

This guy moved the chess piece.

It's the same with all the others. They've all moved slightly since we arrived.

They're not dead.

They just... slowed down.

Okay...

Claire and I have identified the toxin that was found in these people's systems.

In its pure state, it's similar to Clostridium botulium, a common food poisoning.

Botulism? That's fatal.

Normally, yes.

But in this case, instead of attacking the central nervous system and causing paralysis,

this mutant strain seems simply to slow the physiological and neurological processes

to near undetectability.

Then why was Kaya reanimated while the others weren't?

Maybe this is something. I found it in her house. Tapazole.

Don't they use that to treat a hyperactive thyroid?

That's right.

This is Kaya's prescription.

That would explain why she's so fidgety.

We didn't find any tapazole in her blood work.

She hasn't been able to take it for over two days.

We've got to get her back on her medication right away.

Yeah, I'll look after it. Wait a minute.

As the drug decreased in its effect, then her metabolic rate would increase.

So whatever the toxin is, her body processed it faster.

And that may explain why the dogs were unaffected.

Their heart rates are faster than humans.

Following that line of thought, if we can find a way to increase the victim's metabolic rate...

Then we should be able to find a way to reverse the process.

Let's get to it. We've got a whole village to defrost.

There's a heartbeat roughly every 30 seconds.

The computer read it as a glitch.

This isn't good, Matt.

What?

Her entire circulatory system is processing at a fractional pace.

If we don't find some way of reversing this, her immune system is going to turn on her.

The microorganisms in her body, which are occurring naturally, will then toxify.

Will start to die. From the inside out.

Yeah. They're imprisoned in a moment of time.

We've got to find some way to get that blood circulating again, or else...

... the damage is irreversible.

How long we got?

A day. Maybe less.

Lindsay, can I see you a minute?

Back in a flash.

Any word on Sister Elizabeth?

Yeah, she's showing the same fraction of life signs as the others.

I thought her move to ICU.

Listen, we've got Kaya's mother in for an examination.

Just make sure she doesn't leave the room for a while, okay?

I'm just gonna have a quick word with her, okay?

Right.

You really are an artist.

Can I go home now?

Not just yet.

Why ?

Kaya, there's a... there's kind of a bug going around.

And that's why we're here, to try and help out.

Are my mom and brother sick too?

Yeah.

But we're doing everything we can for them.

Can I talk to my mom?

In a little while.

But I want to see her now!

Kaya !

Kaya !

Mommy!

Mommy !

Close the door.

Mom... Mommy !

Mommy ! Mommy, you killed her! You killed her!

No!

- She's going to be alright, I promise. - No ! What did you do to her ?

- No, no, no, no, no, no. - You killed her.

- It's gonna be okay. - Mommy!

Everything's going to be okay.

- Mommy! - Come on.

- No! - Come here, let's go.

Mommy!

How's Kaya?

She's, uh, resting.

Look at these people.

You think they know what's happened to them?

It's impossible to say.

But Kaya seems almost entirely oblivious to her situation.

Anton and I have come up with a solution of antibiotics and lyothironine

that should stave off infections and hopefully speed up the heart rate.

Let's try it.

It's not quite that simple.

Their blood is moving so slowly that there's no way to tell how long it would take

for it to circulate through their systems.

And we don't have the supplies in the lab to inoculate an entire village.

How many can we save?

Perhaps a dozen?

If it works.

It's not good enough.

I'm afraid that's the best we can do with the surprise that we've got.

You want to make that decision? Who lives? Who dies?

No.

But that's just the kind of choices that doctors deal with every day.

I know.

We'll find something else.

Maybe there's something else.

Natural remedies can work wonders.

After all, aspirin is derived from the bark of willow trees

and digitalis comes from the common foxglove.

So what we need to find is a natural heart stimulant.

And one that grows here.

Can i... Can I talk to her? Just for a second.

Of course.

Mommy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen.

It's not your fault, Kaya. No one's to blame.

You don't know Raven.

Mom, I promise, I'll talk to Raven.

Can I go home now?

It's best if you stay here for a while, okay?

But I need to talk to Raven.

If I talk to Raven, then all of this will go away.

You really believe that, don't you?

Of course. What do you believe in, Mr. Prager?

I guess I believe a little bit of everything.

Let's go talk to Raven.

Raven, this is Mr. Prager.

Well, nice to meet you, Raven.

Raven, I know I've been bad. If you want to punish someone, punish me.

You have to let things go back to the way they used to be.

Raven's a trickster, right?

Maybe he's just thinking about it.

Raven sends his regards.

Kaya, you said your mother has an herb garden?

Have you ever seen a plant that looks like this?

I think so.

That's the stuff?

Let's hope so. It's goldenseal, a natural thyroid stimulant.

Come on, let's go.

I guess Raven heard you after all.

How long will it take to make this stuff?

Not long. Anton's gonna have to process it first, though.

There. That should be enough.

Why don't I run up ahead?

Sure. We'll catch up.

Okay. See you later, alligator.

See ya.

Can you help me get my frisbee? Nicole left it in the tree.

Okay.

Which way?

This way. Come on!

I like to walk in the woods when I'm in trouble. Which is a lot.

I used to get in trouble, too. Still do.

Guess there's a bit of black bear in both of us.

Yeah.

There it is!

I'll get it.

You know, if you throw these things just right...

Uh-huh.

...they come back like a boomerang.

And that way, you don't have to...

Mr. Prager! Mr. Prager!

I forgot about the bear trap!

Get help, Kaya! Run! Go!

So, is it working?

The extraction, yes.

But if the drug works or not, it remains to be seen.

Ordinarily, this would be administered orally, but...

...under the circumstances, we'll be injecting it directly into her system.

Mr. Prager's hurt! He's in the woods and there's like this big trap...

You lead him to me, lead him to me.

Go, go.

I'll get the kit.

This way !

Where is he, Kaya ?

Over here !

His pulse is weak.

It's a bear trap.

Alright, I'm going to try and open it, and then you pull. You got it?

Now pull!

Alright.

Turn the catch.

It's okay, Mr. Prager.

It's okay.

Leg doesn't seem to be broken.

Here, hold my hand.

Take it easy.

Take it easy.

He's torn an artery.

He's lost a tremendous amount of blood.

Okay, cut.

We're going to have to get a transfusion.

We're losing him.

We're not.

- Normal saline, I.V. - On the way !

We've got to get him to the hospital.

Is he...

We don't have time, Peter. We've got to do something here and now.

Give me the butterfly.

Okay.

What about the toxin?

Where's the thing ? Where's the thing?

Here it is. Okay, tape it.

The toxin. What about the toxin?

What are you talking about ?

It froze the villagers, it could freeze him.

Give us time to get him the hell out of here.

It's too risky. Kaya's mother hasn't responded to the treatment yet.

We don't know if it's going to work.

Look. if we don't do something now, he could die.

Matt, do you understand what Axon is suggesting?

Do it.

Go, Claire.

I'm gonna ask Raven to make you all better, I promise.

Good.

Hold the shunt.

All right.

Now, Matt...

This is a concentrated dose of the toxin. It could act immediately.

Entering the shunt in three, two, one.

What happened?

What happened?

It's all right, it's all right.

What we're doing here is to keep him well until he can get help.

Okay. Let's try this one.

All right.

Hang on.

It's going to be fine.

Raven, please help Matt get better.

I don't want him to stay like this forever.

And please help my mom and my brother and everybody else.

Because I don't want them to stay like this.

They're all people that really love me and I love them.

Kaya?

Mom!

Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!

Thank God.

Yes.

Hello. I'm Dr. Anton Hendricks.

Final case log, acting case manager Peter Axson reporting.

For the residents of Mount Kesha five days passed

in what seemed to them like a matter of seconds.

We have determined their inanimate state

to be the effect of a mutant strain of food poisoning.

An antigen is now in development should the bacteria resurface.

Axon out.

Uh, Lindsay.

I... I didn't mean to wake you.

No, you didn't.

I just wanted to drop this off. It's a card from Kaya's mother.

How's she doing? Kaya...

She's doing real good.

When I went by to see them, she was outside playing,

trying very hard not to get into trouble.

How are you doing?

Oh, no. Trying not to get in trouble.

Actually, I'm bored as hell.

Well, you'll be back in the field soon enough.

Yeah.

I think, um,

maybe I should spend some time with my daughter.

It's a good idea.

Case log addendum.

Within days, Kaya and the people of Maum Keshka resumed their normal daily routines.

Sister Elizabeth Perdue continues to make her regular visits.

Most of the residents recall nothing of their days spent frozen in time.

Case file number 417205 is officially closed.

Prager out.

The events in this remote community raise unsettling questions.

Could the bacteria alone have created the bizarre effect of suspended animation?

Or was it merely an agent

through which some spiritual force taught a child a powerful lesson?

I'm Dan Aykroyd for Psi Factor.

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