"Creeping Darkness"

Episode 104 - Part 1
(aired the week of 10/19/1996)
Case # 77-110

Log line: When a mounting mass of impenetrable darkness threatens to swallow an Argentine town within days, the O.S.I.R. turns to both folk legend and an advanced technological tool - whose other consequences are unknown - to destroy the growing danger.

Synopsis: When a mass of impenetrable darkness rises from the floor of a house in Argentina, that nation's government calls in the O.S.I.R. to identify and stop the inexplicable problem.

Case Manager Curtis Rollins leads other O.S.I.R. investigators into the home of Miguel and Claudia Richler, where they send in a probe to gather data from the growing dark mass; the probe mysteriously disappears within it, providing no information. O.S.I.R. physicist/statistician Peter Axon volunteers to enter the mounting darkness - yet, once inside, it's too dark to see anything, and he exists still without any insight. Reports come to the O.S.I.R. that a second similar mass has appeared in China, at the exact opposite side of the globe. Both are growing at exactly the same rate. This research leads the O.S.I.R. to conclude these are not separate incidents, but one single mass dissecting the earth.

Natasha Constantine, O.S.I.R. anthropologist, unearths a local folk legend that might explain the situation. Yet Rollins concurrently comes to a frightening conclusion: At its current rate, the darkness will swallow the Argentinian town within seven days. They must act immediately to destroy it. Moving quickly, the agents evacuate the surrounding area and, in desperation and without any other option, Rollins orders them to use an advanced technological tool. As the O.S.I.R. prepares to launch the complex device, it worries about potential consequences.

Starring:
Curtis Rollins - Maurice Dean Wint
Peter Axon - Barclay Hope
Natasha Constantine - Lisa LaCroix

Guest Stars:
Miguel Richler - Damir Andrei
Claudia Richler - Beatriz Pizano

Written by: David Preston
Directed by: John Bell

"The Power"

Episode 104 - Part 2
Case # 10-106

Log line: As if a demanding job and a willful young daughter weren't enough, a single mother's secret power causes silverware to fly around the room, dishes to shatter and windows to explode...simply by her presence. The O.S.I.R. must unearth the cause - and, if possible, the cure - for her terrifying skill.

Synopsis: Elena Bostwick has an uncontrollable power: she can move and destroy objects around her. Fearing that her unmanageable capability might harm her daughter, Lisa, or give her ex-husband Brian a chance to win custody, Elena turns to the O.S.I.R. for help.

In an interview, Case Manager Dr. Marian Smithwick discovers that Elena has psychokinetic ability since childhood but, as of late, it has gone violently out of control. To determine the extent of Elena's power and the cause of the recent outbursts, Smithwick and her team perform a battery of tests in the controlled environment of the O.S.I.R. lab. There, they witness several remarkable psychokinetic feats, including the implosion of cups and saucers and, later, the dangerous unplanned destruction of the lab. They determine that Elena's force comes from stress stemming from her nursing job at a busy hospital, single parenthood and the threats of a custody suit from her ex-husband.

Concluding that Elena's psychokinesis is an integral part of her character and cannot be eliminated, O.S.I.R. psychiatrist Dr. Alexandra Corliss must teach the woman to control her urges. After treatment, Elena's will is tested during a stressful visit from Brian. She battles the powers that want to strike out - and, in so doing, learns an unimaginable secret.

Starring:
Marian Smithwick - Elizabeth Shepherd
Alexandra Corliss - Tamara Gorski

Guest Stars:
Elena Bostwick - Brenda Bazinet
Lisa Bostwick - Krya Azzopardi
Brian Bostwick - Kevin Jubinville

Written by: Gerald Wexler
Directed by: Allan Kroeker