Season 2 Synopses

[Libby]

The Beginning and the End

#MLM-201

Written by Glen Morgan and James Wong

Directed by Thomas J. Wright

Edited by Chris Willingham, A.C.E.

Air Date: September 19, 1997

The episode opens with images from outer space, the life of a comet. The same comet appears in the night sky Frank Black is staring into, causing him to contemplate his own destiny and the relevance of the celestial body. In his monologue Frank is considering the "life" of a comet and its analogous relationship to our own existence. Referring to his immediate state, Frank asks, "is this the beginning or the end?"

As seen in the previous season's cliffhanger... At the Seattle airport, Frank carries a sleeping Jordan out to the car as Catherine waits near the baggage carousel to retrieve their luggage. The Polaroid Man approaches Catherine, pretending to be seeking money. Using a hypodermic needle, he drugs her and escorts/drags her to the airport parking lot and then secures her inside a hidden compartment beneath his automobile. As a frantic Frank alerts security about his wife's disappearance, the Polaroid Man gets away. He makes his way to a high bluff, where he gazes upon the same two-tailed comet seen in the Teaser. A sheriff on routine patrol questions the stranger about his activities. The Polaroid man explains that the comet is an omen pertaining to the Millennial outcome.

Meanwhile, key Millennium Group members arrive at the airport, even though they had not been contacted by Frank. After an unsuccessful visit to a roadblock in search of Catherine's kidnapper, Frank returns home to Jordan. As he sits by her bedside Jordan assures her father that Angels are in her room.

In an intimate conversation, Frank tells Watts of his sense of powerlessness. He wonders out loud what he must sacrifice to have Catherine back safely. Watts relates a story about a time when he and his wife were attempting to have another child (Watts had always wanted a boy). One day, Watts was assigned a case involving a murdered baby boy whose dismembered body was found inside a cooler. Watts came to believe that if he could find the child's killer, he would be rewarded with a son. Wanting to uphold his end of his pact with God, he would not allow his wife to get pregnant. Today, he has three daughters but still no son. He tells Frank that he doubts it is possible to sacrifice one thing to get another. Meanwhile, the Polaroid Man ties Catherine to a support beam inside his dark cellar.

Watts instructs two Millennium Group members, Brian Roedecker and Dicky Bird Perkins, to install a special security system on Frank's computer. Watts explains that Frank is now ready to receive more sensitive information. This comes as a surprise to Frank, who thought that he had been privy to all of the Group's files. Watts then tells Frank that the Polaroid Man's interest in him is due to the Millennium Group's interest in him, but he stops short of a full explanation.

After exhausting all of his usual resources and hypotheses in tracking down Catherine's abductor, Frank realizes that answers to the profile lie within himself. As he turns from information about the Polaroid Man to his own personal history he begins to find clues to Catherine's whereabouts. A series of numbers flash within Frank's mind. They are the address of a house that was his and Catherine's former home. On his insistence police raid the house but find it abandoned. Frank remains there and eventually discovers a clue, another Polaroid of another house. Using his computer, Frank pinpoints the house's location. Unable to organize a second police raid, Frank sets out to rescue his wife alone, and armed.

As Frank descends into the dark basement he finds Catherine, her hands still bound to the low ceiling. Before he can do anything to help her he is blinded by the flash from a Polaroid camera. He opens fire. The Polaroid Man lunges from the darkness and stabs Frank in the shoulder. A struggle ensues, the camera is activated and flashes over and over, documenting the fight. Frank seizes the knife and drives it into the Polaroid Man again and again, killing him. Catherine must turn away, as if she does not recognize her own husband. Later, as she packs her husband's belongings into a suitcase she tells Frank it seemed as if he had sacrificed something for the safety of Jordan and herself. She asks for time and distance to see if it can ever be returned. Frank leaves the house, bags in hand, and drives off into the night.

Beware of the Dog

#MLM-202

Written by Glen Morgan and James Wong

Directed by Allen Coulter

Edited by George R. Potter

Air Date: September 26, 1997

A retired couple driving along a country highway pull their R.V. over to the side of a road outside of a town so small it's not on their map. As they begin to turn in for the night a pack of dogs invades their motor home and kills them.

Peter Watts attempts to contact Frank regarding the attack as Frank is taking Jordan home to Catherine. Ignoring his pages, Frank and Catherine discuss their living arrangements. Catherine has decided to take Jordan and live with a friend and since Frank is already living in an apartment by himself, they discuss selling the house and the implication of that action.

Watts finally reaches Frank after he's returned to his home, and urges him to take the case. Frank dismisses the deaths as the result of a wild animal attack. Cryptically, Watts insists Frank investigate further, "It's time you go there, Frank."

Frank arrives in "Bucksnort" and, looking for a hotel, enters the adjacent diner. There he encounters some local townspeople who mistake him for their new sheriff and warn him to return before dark. Sticking out from the rest of the locals is Michael Beebe who later explains his recent relocation to the area as an attempt to escape the crime-ridden streets of Los Angeles. Thinking that he is the new sheriff, Michael asks Frank to investigate his elderly neighbor, whom he believes is connected to the attack.

Instead, Frank inspects the crime scene at the R.V. Just as the sun dips below the horizon, he notices a pack of five dogs descending from a nearby hill. Frank returns to the hotel, and discovers he has been locked out and those inside ignore his pleas for assistance. As he searches for shelter the dogs ferociously attack. Frank fights his way to his car and heads for a small hospital, hitting and killing one of the dogs in the process. Despite Frank's frantic pleas that he has been injured, he is again ignored by those inside the hospital. An elderly man stops his truck and retrieves the dead dog. The other dogs trot away, following the vehicle.

After he passes out, the townspeople finally help Frank into the hospital. Believing he is unconscious they discuss the town "situation" and its recent disturbances. Frank however is conscious and begins to think that there are greater forces than wild dogs at work in Bucksnort.

Early the next day Frank makes his way through a forest and comes upon several obelisks near an embankment. As Frank pauses, Michael Beebe emerges from nearby bushes. Almost simultaneously, dogs appear on the embankment ridge. The same old man appears and Frank asks him to call off his animals. The old man laughs "They're not my dogs." But the animals leave the area nonetheless. As Frank looks down to the obelisk he picked up as a defense he notices that it is etched with the ouroboros-the symbol of the Millennium Group.

Confused by the apparent graveyard, Frank searches out the Old Man in his shack. They speak of the Millennium Group, the history and meaning of the ouroboros and most importantly the Millennial event. The men walk to a nearby clearing where the Old Man encourages Frank to approach the growling dogs who have gathered. As he complies, Frank is struck by several internal images: his wife, Jordan, his home, etc. Frank eyes the dogs, the incarnation of evil, and stands his ground. The animals back away. Frank has passed the test.

The Old Man explains that the equilibrium between good and evil has grown increasingly out of balance with the approach of the Millennium. Frank realizes the dogs started attacking after Beebe constructed his home on previously protected property, upsetting the delicate balance. The Old Man states that the "crime" Beebe ran away from in the city is not evil-but the fear that kept him trapped inside his home, inside his tiny world, is the evil.

Afraid that the dogs will kill Michael Beebe, Frank tells him that he must move out of his house. Beebe balks at the idea. As he asks Frank to leave they discover the dogs have surrounded the house. The Old Man enters and insisting it's the only way, sets fire to the dwelling, burning it to the ground.

Back at his yellow house, Frank removes a "For Sale" sign from the lawn, telling Catherine that they can't give up on the idea of the house and that they'll move back "when it's a home again."

Sense and Antisense

#MLM-203

Written by Chip Johannessen

Directed by Thomas J. Wright

Edited by James Coblentz

Air Date: October 3, 1997

An African-American man, Patient Zero, attempts to hail a taxi cab on a city street, but is passed by time and again. Only an African-American cabbie, Gerome Knox, bothers to stop. Without warning, Zero has a seizure in the back of the cab, foaming at the mouth and screaming about the "trucks" that are trying to kill him. Knox rushes his passenger to a nearby hospital, where doctors attribute his symptom to illicit drug usage. After receiving a shot, Zero's convulsions subside, but Zero again grows agitated when two mysterious men, Wright and Patterson, enter the hospital lobby. "They want to kill me," he tells Knox, terrified. Fearing for Zero's safety, Knox helps him escape.

Meanwhile, Wright and Patterson quarantine the entire area, as the missing Zero is infected with a highly contagious virus.

Giebelhouse contacts Frank and asks for his help in finding the missing Patient Zero. The men attend a medical briefing at the Center for Infectious Diseases. There, Dr. Pettey explains that Patient Zero is infected with a pathogen normally seen only in the Congo. Eventually, police locate Zero and Knox inside the offices of the Afro-Sentinel newspaper (where Zero was attempting to convince an editor to print his story by referencing racially driven medical tests in the past such as Tuskegee). Before he is taken into custody, Zero intentionally smears the back of Frank's shirt with blood.

Later, a lab test reveals that Zero's blood is not, in fact, contaminated with the rare virus - and even more mysteriously, the government-run Center for Infectious Diseases vanishes without a trace. Frank and Giebelhouse realize they were tricked into locating Zero for an unknown group, but many questions remain unanswered. Frank slowly realizes that the conspirators use transients to conduct their experiments and then involves the Millennium Group.

Within a homeless escarpment, an infected transient armed only with a small stick threatens two policeman. The officers open fire, killing the man. Frank and Watts investigate the incident, though their presence is an unwanted one. Secretly, Frank slips by patrol officers and manages to obtain a blood sample from the deceased. He also makes off with a stretcher tag marked with the letters "D.O.E.," which Frank believes is an abbreviation for the Department of Energy. Frank and Watts conclude that the government is developing a new breed of unconventional weapon that would incite erratic and violent behavior in its victims. The weapon is being developed within the Human Genome Project, an effort to produce a blueprint of the "functional and evolutionary history of the human species."

Watts compares the DNA makeup of Patient Zero with that of the homeless man killed by police. The gene sites of both men match identically, meaning their state of insanity was genetically induced. Frank and Watts speculate that a rogue facility outside of the Department of Energy may have discovered the secret to behavior control, and now is conducting experiments on untraceable subjects under the guise of homeless assistance. Later, Gerome Knox's corpse is discovered at the morgue.

Watts, Frank and a group of officers storm a nondescript office building, that owns and operates soup trucks, in hopes of finding Patient Zero. Inside, they do indeed find Zero - in the form of Dr. William R. Kramer. Kramer feigns ignorance about his delusional episode, prompting Frank to wonder aloud if he experimented on himself, or was somehow accidentally infected. But he then notices a photograph of Kramer, in uniform, taken in Rowanda in 1994, where thousands of people were senselessly slaughtered.

Monster

#MLM-204

Written by Glen Morgan and James Wong

Directed by Perry Lang

Edited by Chris Willingham, A.C.E.

Air Date: October 17, 1997

Watts arranges for Frank to meet with District Attorney Gordon Roberts, who is investigating Miss Penny Plott - the longtime owner of a daycare center in Probity, Arkansas - on charges of child abuse. Before Frank embarks on his journey, he goes shopping with Jordan at a department store. As children often do, Jordan grows fidgety and demands attention. Frank loses his cool and chastises his daughter for her behavior.

Police deputy Bill Sherman, who sends his son Bill Jr. to Plott's daycare center, discovers a bite mark on his son's back. When Bill Jr. speaks of retribution (should he reveal the source of the injury), it only adds credence to rumors surrounding Plott.

Pretending to be a parent, Frank pays a visit to the daycare center. His investigation is cut short when he is interrupted by Lara Means, who was hired to represent Plott's interests. The pair put aside their differences when one of the children, Jason Wells, stops breathing. Despite Frank and Lara's best efforts, the boy succumbs. Meanwhile, Catherine takes Jordan to see a dentist after her daughter spits out blood while brushing her teeth. The dentist suggests Jordan may have received a cut lip from being aggressively disciplined. Catherine dismisses the notion that Frank may be responsible, but later, Jordan reveals that Frank lost his temper at the department store.

A coroner attributes Jason's death to an acute asthma attack. Despite a lack of evidence, District Attorney Roberts remains convinced that Plott must somehow be at fault. The investigation seemingly hits a dead end until Frank, Lara and Roberts interview Danielle Barbakow, one of the children under Plott's supervision. Danielle describes overhearing an incident in which Plott physically abused Jason. Shortly thereafter, Plott is placed under arrest. Inside an interrogation room, an outraged Plott reminds Bill Sherman that he was under her supervision as a child - and that in thirty-six years of running the center she has never been accused of any wrongdoing. When Plott wins release on bail, a guilt-ridden Bill Sherman announces that, even though his own son has a mark on his body, he refuses to believe Plott is capable of child abuse.

Frank and Lara both conclude that Danielle is responsible for Jason's death. They also realize they were both sent by the Millennium Group to investigate the case, possibly as some sort of test. The pair travel to the Barbakow residence, where they meet Danielle's mother, Virginia. As Lara and Virginia talk, Frank interviews Danielle inside her bedroom. Suddenly, Danielle begins screaming - and accuses Frank of touching her. Virginia comforts her daughter, who suffers from a split lip. A short time later, Frank is arrested for assaulting a minor.

Roberts also reveals that Frank is under investigation for possibly assaulting his own daughter. Frank demands that Roberts examine an alternate light imaging photograph of Danielle's injuries, confident it will prove his innocence. Lara returns to the Barbakow residence and compares the special photograph with the wings of an angel on Danielle's dresser. Lara realizes the patterns are identical, and later, Virginia Barbakow admits she heard her daughter inflict the injuries upon herself. Catherine and Jordan meet Frank at the police station upon his release. Catherine apologizes for the investigation into Jordan's injuries.

A Single Blade of Grass

#MLM-205

Written by Erin Maher and Kay Reindl

Directed by Rodman Flender

Edited by George R. Potter

Air Date: October 24, 1997

Several figures wearing false face masks force a Native American man, Daniel Olivaw, to consume rattlesnake venom. As the poison takes effect, one of the masked men, Joe Reynard, asks Daniel to describe what he sees. But Daniel begins to scream and convulse, and falls to the ground in agony.

Daniel's body is discovered at a Manhattan construction site/archeological dig near the remains of a withered, mummified body. New York City Police Sergeant Manny Walters asks Frank for his help in solving the case. Frank cannot help but notice the similarities between the ancient remains and Daniel's corpse, next to which is a false face mask. Walters explains that a dispute has erupted between a construction foreman, Richard Powell, and the head archeologist, Dr. Liz Michaels. Powell, whose crew is mainly Native American, is under pressure to continue the construction work, while Liz insists the site must remain intact until it can be properly excavated.

Frank senses that Daniel's murder transpired in the basement of a nearby hotel. After examining symbols painted on the basement wall, Liz notes a common theme: communication with the spirit world. Later, Frank approaches Joe Reynard inside a bar and, using a napkin, draws a symbol that appeared in one of his internal visions. An old Indian Man steps forward and explains that symbol is a warning. When Frank leaves the bar, Reynard tells his cohorts that Frank "is the one."

An autopsy of Daniel's corpse reveals his appendages were cut from his body and then reattached. Liz explains this ritual was used by the Seneca tribe in attempt to revive the dead after the victim passed into the spirit world and communicated with ancestors. Frank discovers a prayer-stick, a kind of Indian rosary that contains elements of Christianity and Native American religion. On the stick is the same symbol Frank saw in his vision. Later, Frank and Liz are summoned to the construction site when Powell boxes and removes the ancient bones. A fight breaks out between Reynard and Powell, and a few moments later Powell dies of a massive heart attack.

When Frank returns to his car, he discovers that someone placed a false face mask on the back seat. He shows the mask to Liz, who explains it represents the power to walk between the real and spirit worlds. Frank hypothesizes that, hundreds of years ago, an Indian tribe concealed their existence from the white man by blending into existing tribes. Now, in the present day, they have been told by prophesy to reunite. Frank suspects that the prayer stick is "a blueprint for another culture's apocalypse." One of the symbols represents Daniel's journey to the land of the dead, while another represents Frank, whose death will open a door to another plane of existence.

Frank is surrounded by a group of Indians, taken prisoner, and forced to consume rattlesnake venom. He begins experiencing visions, but insists they are not a product of the poison. He predicts the tribe will reunite and buffalo will return. Shortly thereafter, Liz and a group of policemen rescue Frank and take Reynard and his followers into custody. As the group is being led away, four buffalo that escaped from a rodeo run through the streets.

The Curse of Frank Black

#MLM-207

Written by Glen Morgan & James Wong

Directed by Ralph Hemecker

Edited by Chris Willingham, A.C.E.

Air Date: October 31, 1997

On Halloween night, Frank puts the finishing touches on a hand carved Jack-O'-Lantern and lights the candle inside. Suddenly, the candle extinguishes. Frank checks his watch, and realizing he is scheduled to take his daughter trick or treating, makes his way to the front doorway. As he peers across the street, he sees a devil-figure, the "Gehenna devil," staring back at him. A few moments later, the figure is gone. As Frank drives off to pick up his daughter, the candle inside the pumpkin inexplicably reignites.

Later that night, Frank accompanies his daughter, who is dressed as Marge Simpson, through the neighborhood. Jordan senses evil inside one of the homes and decides to pass by. She tells her father there "are ghosts in that house." Frank dismisses the notion, but a few moments later, he relives a moment from his childhood. In flashback, five-year-old Frank Black and three of his childhood buddies approach a creepy old house on Halloween. On a dare from his friends, Frank knocks on the front door of the old home. A man named Mr. Crocell answers the door and invites the young boy inside. Crocell explains the meaning of Halloween, and how, on this night, the spirits of the dead return to visit the living. A veteran of World War II who lost many a friend in battle, Crocell asks the young Frank if such a thing is possible. Young Frank responds that there are no such things as ghosts. Crocell nods, slipping further into depression.

Later that night, while driving home, Frank's Jeep stalls out on a darkened street. Though Frank doesn't notice, the vehicle's odometer, as well as his watch, all contain the numbers "2-6-8" (numbers which turn up again and again throughout the episode). Frank makes his way to a nearby neighborhood - only to come upon the abandoned Yellow House as it is being egged by two teenage boys. Frank chases the pair away and makes his way inside. There he experiences memories of happier times - of Catherine, and Jordan. Frank makes his way to the basement, following indiscernible whispers. As he listens from the shadows, a teenage boy tours the basement with a group of friends. He describes how Bletcher met his grisly fate, and how his ghost has roamed the house, "waiting for the curse of Frank Black to be lifted." Frank lets his presence be known, and the terrified teenagers run off into the night. Afterward, Frank recalls his friends' reactions when Crocell - the victim of a suicide - was discovered by authorities. As Frank leaves the house, he scoops up a Bible, only to momentarily glimpse the book title. Outside, he notices the teenagers' egg carton on the sidewalk. He picks up the surviving egg and tosses it at his old house. When Frank returns home, he is surprised by the sight of the lit candle inside the Jack-'O-Lantern. He then pursues the mail, mainly of the junk variety. Though Frank doesn't realize it, the envelopes all contain the accentuated letters, "A-C-T." Then, as he watches television, the numbers "2-6-8" again appear in various combinations. Frank realizes Crocell's address was "268." He also remembers seeing the Bible at the Yellow House, and the book's title: "ACTs of the Apostles." He searches through his Bible until he reaches Chapter 26, Verse 8. There he finds the sentence, "Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?"

Frank hears movement in the attic of his house. He climbs upward, flashlight in hand, seeking out the source of the noise. There he encounters Mr. Crocell, who warns he has been sent to Earth because Frank has become him. He tells Frank to give up the Millennium Group, return to his wife and daughter, and live out the rest of a normal, happy life. After Crocell vanishes, Frank climbs into his Jeep, a bucket and cleaners in hand. He drives to the Yellow House and washes away the yolk stain from the window he defaced earlier. He freezes momentarily at the sight of the "Gehenna" devil, as seen through the window, inside the house. But Frank continues to clean the window - refusing to become Mr. Crocell.

19:19

#MLM-206

Written by Glen Morgan & James Wong

Directed by Thomas J. Wright

Edited by James Coblentz

Air Date: November 7, 1997

A Man living in a trailer park switches on a radio and several different television sets and listens to several news broadcasts simultaneously. The Man moves to a spot on his white linoleum floor and, using a marker, begins making brief notations about the news stories. Every inch of the floor is covered with his writing, all pointing to the last empty spot. It is here that the Man writes the word, "me." The Man steps outside his trailer and, bible in hand, experiences an apocalyptic vision: nuclear devastation and a field of ash.

Frank and Peter Watts join the search for a busload of missing children. Records indicate the vehicle's missing driver, Vernon Roberts, is more likely a victim than a suspect. The pair receive word that the bus has been located beneath a river. They join Sheriff Cayce-whose daughter, Jessica, is amongst the missing group-as the vehicle is towed from the water. Though the bus is empty, Frank receives a "hit" when he touches Jessica's backpack, seeing the same apocalyptic vision experienced by the Man at the trailer park.

Frank observes a white paint mark on the bus's emergency door. He tells Cayce the perpetrator, and an accomplice, are using a white van to transport their hostages. A chase ensues when police spot a speeding white van on the highway. But the occupants turn out to be a group of meteorologists - storm chasers - hoping to link up with a violent weather system. The meteorologists warn Frank and the others that the storm front is capable of spawning a destructive tornado.

The Man and his Accomplice force Vernon and the children into an underground trailer buried in a field. The Accomplice performs a head count, and realizes there were seventeen children and one adult abducted, one shy of the number nineteen. The Man forces Vernon to identify the one missing child. Meanwhile, a clue - in the form of a passage from Revelation 19, Verse 19 - airs on a local radio station. Frank realizes the perpetrator meant to abduct nineteen hostages. He and Cayce race to the home of the missing student. There they encounter the Man, who had broken into the house in an attempt to abduct the child. A struggle ensues, and the Man is taken into custody.

Frank tells Watts that the Man is not a criminal. To the Man, his mission is "a fight between good and evil." Watts tells Frank that the Millennium Group possesses a database of names of anyone who purchased a Bible by mail in the last ten years - a list which can be narrowed down to specialty items. Using the list, the pair locate the Man's trailer, and the markings on the linoleum floor. Later, the Man, now identified as Matthew Prine, states that World War III is inevitable, and that he is protecting the future. Frank realizes Prine kidnapped all the children because one of them is a peacemaker.

Lara Means notices that Prine scratches his hand whenever he experiences guilt. By analyzing a soil sample taken from Prine's clothing, it is determined that the children are entombed in an aluminum quarry. A deputy drives Prine to the quarry, and as the others watch via hidden camera, Prine inadvertently reveals the location of the tomb by scratching his hand. The Accomplice spots the police vehicle and opens fire. Frank and Cayce race to the scene, and as the Accomplice continues firing, a powerful storm suddenly erupts. A tornado descends from the sky, enveloping Prine - and lifting a huge cargo container off the tomb. After the winds subside, the children poke their heads out of the hole, one by one. Cayce rushes to his daughter and embraces her. Frank realizes that Jessica may be a future savior.

The Hand of Saint Sebastian

#MLM-208

Written by Glen Morgan & James Wong

Directed by Thomas J. Wright

Edited by George R. Potter

Air Date: November 14, 1997

In the year A.D. 998, a Fugitive who possesses a mummified hand - the Hand of Saint Sebastian - is betrayed by his ally, the Provider. Two archers step from the shadows and release their bows, striking the Fugitive as he attempt to flee. As the Provider searches the Fugitive's clothing, looking for the holy relic, he exposes the man's skin, on which is displayed a tattoo of an ouroboros - the symbol of the Millennium Group.

In the present day, Watts asks Frank to help him with a case unauthorized by the Millennium Group - but fails to provide any details. Frank agrees. The pair travel to a laboratory in Germany, where a Dr. Schlossburg had been murdered three days before. In the center of the lab sits an autopsy table containing the remains of a mummified man. Their efforts are interrupted by two German police detectives, Heim and Betzdorf, who had been staking out the lab. Frank and Watts are transported to a police station for further questioning. A Captain apologizes for the misunderstanding and pledges the department's fullest cooperation. The pair ask permission to examine Schlossburg's remains, but are informed that the coroner inadvertently cremated the body. Detective Heim drops Frank and Watts off at their rental car. As they enter the automobile, Frank notices an electrical wire on the carpet. The pair jump from the car moments before it erupts in a huge fireball.

Frank concludes that someone connected to Schlossburg's murder planted the bomb, and he demands that Watts brief him about the details of the case. Watts explains that the mummified body dates back to the beginning of Christianity - when the Millennium Group first came into being. Their conversation ends when they realize they are being followed by two men. Frank and Watts return to their hotel, where they encounter fellow Group member Cheryl Andrews, who offers her assistance. It is politely declined by Watts.

With some help from Roedecker, Watts guesses Schlossburg's computer password (the doctor being an adult film fan). Meanwhile, it turns out that Schlossburg is still alive. When he regains consciousness in a hospital, he tells Heim his attacker was Peter Watts.

Andrews tells Frank she was sent to "reel in" Watts, who is acting without the Group's authorization. She gives Frank a phone number where she can be contacted. Later, Frank encounters Watts inside Schlossburg's lab. Watts describes how, a thousand years earlier, the Order of the Knights Chroniclers, who warned of the upcoming millennium, possessed the hand of Saint Sebastian. This holy relic extended to its possessor the "knowledge to overcome the evils of the millennium." Watts then tells Frank that Schlossburg had discovered the site of the Knights Chroniclers' burial ground.

Frank and Watts discover that Schlossburg is, in fact, very much alive. Watts gains access to Schlossburg's hospital room. Schlossburg tells him that he was attacked by a man who identified himself as Peter Watts. He then tells Watts that the burial ground is located at a peat bog. Frank and Watts leave the hospital. Shortly thereafter, Schlossburg is murdered. The pair locate a preserved corpse - and the mummified hand - beneath the peat bog. Moments later, Heim and his men arrest Watts for Schlossburg's murder.

Frank instructs Roedecker to find out who used Schlossburg's account to log onto an adult chat line two days before. He then rendezvous with Andrews at a storage building where the mummified corpse is stored. There the pair are pursued by two assassins. During the chase, Frank reveals the unit number where the body is hidden. Suddenly, Andrews turns on Frank, and instructs the assassins to seize him. Frank realizes Andrews set up Watts to destroy the Group's credibility. A group of German policemen suddenly spring from their hiding places, taking Andrews and the assassins into custody. Frank tells Andrews she made a crucial error by using her phone number to log onto the adult chat line. Later, Frank and Watts study the mummy. Frank believes that the answers they seek actually lie within themselves.

Jose Chung's Doomsday Defense

#MLM-209

Written by Darin Morgan

Directed by Darin Morgan

Edited by James Coblentz

Air Date: November 21, 1997

As a series of still photographs pass into view, author Jose Chung describes the life of Juggernaut Onan Goopta, who went to college hoping to become a famous neuroscientist and instead was overcome by dementia and institutionalized. During his hospital stay, Goopta decided to become a writer. His first literary works were so incompetent they were mistaken for "brilliant parodies." Chung met Goopta when his stories were published in a detective magazine. When that publication folded, a desperate Goopta "changed the course of human history" when he published the first in a series of highly- successful self-help books and founded the "Institute of Selfosophy," which taught members how to shed negative thoughts. It was an enormous success. Anyone responsible for internal criticism of the organization was reprogrammed, and if that failed, dubbed a "Ratfinkovitch" and excommunicated from the church.

While performing research on "the newly arising belief systems at the end of the millennium," Chung encountered Joseph Ratfinkovitch, who was excommunicated for reading Chung's most recent fiction. Ratfinkovitch's body is discovered inside his apartment, the victim of an electrocution. Giebelhouse contacts Frank, hoping he can shed some light on the case. As the group examines the crime scene, Chung steps forward and claims that he is responsible for Ratfinkovitch's death. He explains that when Playpen magazine ran an excerpt from his short story, the Selfosophist Institute grew offended. They instructed members to buy up all existing copies. However, Ratfinkovitch read, and enjoyed, the story.

Ratfinkovitch was then approached by Mr. Smooth, a fellow Selfosophist. Using a device called an Onan-o-Graph, Smooth attempted to recounsel Ratfinkovitch. According to Chung's version of events, the device malfunctioned and Ratfinkovitch was inadvertently electrocuted. When Chung admits he made the whole thing up, Frank and Giebelhouse meet with a Selfosophist spokeman, Robbinski, who insists his fellow members are incapable of murder. Despite this, Mr. Smooth attempts to control his homicidal rage after reading - and being offended by - Chung's story. He sends Chung a clown doll impaled with a variety of knives. Chung contacts Frank with the news. He explains that the antagonist in his story sends similar threats before committing murder. At the conclusion of the story, Chung states, the "Selfosophist Psycho" confronts and kills the author.

Chung accompanies Frank to the scene of a (seemingly unrelated) murder on a college campus. The victim is Professor Amos Randi, a Nostradamus scholar. Frank concludes that the perpetrator is targeting victims he considers to be Nostradamus' Three Anti-Christs - and will attack two more authority figures. But Chung does some profiling of his own. He determines that the killer, who was fulfilling self-interpreted prophecies, targeted his ex-girlfriend's teacher. The trail, Chung believes, leads to a Hollywood movie theater. The next victim, it turns out, is a ticket girl at a Hollywood movie theater. Frank realizes that Chung's profile predicted the murder, and later concludes that Chung is the killer's third Anti-Christ. He, Watts and Geibelhouse race to Chung's hotel. Smooth, however, arrives first. He pulls out a gun and berates Chung for ridiculing the church's beliefs.

Frank suddenly bursts through the door. Smooth takes a shot at Chung, misses, then sprints from the room. Frank follows Smooth onto the rooftop. Smooth convinces himself he can leap onto a neighboring building and escape. But all the positive thoughts in the world cannot save him, and he plummets downward to his death. Meanwhile, the "Nostradamus Nutball" surprises Chung and murders him with a pick axe. Later, Frank begins reading one of Chung's books, entitled Doomsday Defense. In it, Chung predicts the millennium will bring forth "one thousand years of the same old crap."

Midnight of the Century

#MLM-211

Written by Erin Maher & Kay Reindl

Directed by Dwight Little

Edited by George R. Potter

Air Date: December 19, 1997

In flashback, five-year-old Frank Black draws the form of an angel. A woman, her face unseen, writes the date "12/24/1946" on the bottom of the paper. In the current day, Frank returns home with an armload of Christmas decorations and gifts. He listens to messages on his answering machine, the first a reminder from Jordan regarding her upcoming Christmas pageant, the second from Frank's estranged father. Without listening to the entire message, Frank deletes all calls. Shortly thereafter, Frank receives a Christmas card bearing the likeness of an angel. Frank turns the card over and examines the postmark, which is dated "December 24, 1946."

Jordan and Catherine pay Frank a visit on Christmas Eve. Jordan shows Roedecker one of her Christmas presents, a virtual pet, which turns out to be the same gift Frank purchased for his daughter. Frank travels to a toy store to buy Jordan a different gift. There he experiences a vision from his childhood, one in which he asks his sickly mother, Linda, for a toy. When the flashback ends, Frank is assisted by three store clerks: Caspar, Balthazar and Melchior. The men attempt to steer Frank towards a specific toy, but Frank insists on a Danny Dinosaur doll. When Frank exits the store, he sees the image of a young man, Simon, reflected in a shop window where an angel mannequin presides over a Nativity scene. Simon says "tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow," words said by Frank's mother in his vision. But when Frank whirls around, Simon has disappeared.

When Frank attends Jordan's pageant, he again sees Simon, this time standing in the back of the church. He follows the vision outside, into the churchyard. Simon explains that ghosts, or fetches, the souls of those who are destined to die during the following year, make "their way to the church in search of those who will soon be their companions." Later, after the pageant ends, Catherine shows him a piece of paper containing a crudely drawn angel made by her daughter - who claims she was assisted by her dead grandmother.

Frank realizes Jordan received Danny Dinosaur as a Christmas gift the previous year. He returns to the toy store, where he asks the three clerks for a doll. The clerks point him in the direction of an aisle containing a variety of dolls - including an angel. But when he picks up the angel, its face transforms into a hideous death mask. Though the doll returns to its proper form, an angry and frustrated Frank marches out of the store empty-handed. Frank returns home and retrieves a piece of paper from a box of personal memorabilia. On the paper is an angel identical to the one drawn by Jordan.

Frank invites Lara Means to his house to discuss the events of the past day. Lara describes how she first began feeling the presence of angels, and how, one day, she accurately predicted the death of her father's business associate. She has been seeing angels - whom she believes are messengers - ever since. Lara concludes that the angels are attempting to communicate with Frank.

Frank returns to his father Henry's house. There, he enters the room where his mother died by herself. He discovers that every inch of wall space has been covered with images of angels. In flashback, Frank recalls his mother saying goodbye to him for the very last time. Afterward, Henry describes how Linda first predicted the death of her brother, Joe, during the invasion of Normandy in 1945. Though Henry believed his wife's words, he feared she might be institutionalized if word of her ability spread. Eventually, Linda's prescience tore them apart. Finally, Linda foretold her own death.

Though Henry admits he believed her, he nonetheless acted as if Linda was crazy. Before she died, Linda told Henry she would move an angel figurine "from the other side," as proof she was waiting for him. But the angel still sits, just as it had been left many years earlier, covered with dust. Frank shows his father the angel Jordan drew. With tears in his eyes, Henry picks up the dusty angel figurine, and hands it to his son - a gift for Jordan. Frank meets Jordan and Catherine at church. When Frank gives Jordan the angel figurine, she says, "Grandma wants me to have it." Frank and his daughter then gaze upon the churchyard, where they see ghostly fetches, one of whom is Henry. Frank watches as the specters vanish - comforted that he has made peace with his father.

Goodbye Charlie

#MLM-210

Written by Richard Whitley

Directed by Ken Fink

Edited by Chris Willingham, A.C.E.

Air Date: January 9, 1998

Inside a cheap motel room, Steven Kiley uses a "suicide machine" to end the life of a terminally-ill middle-aged man, Preston Williams. As Terry Jack's song "Seasons In The Sun" plays on a boombox, we see that Preston is, in fact, tied to a bed, his mouth covered with gray duct tape. Steven takes Preston's hand and forces the man's thumb down on an injection button, causing a lethal solution to enter his bloodstream.

Both Lara Means and Frank Black are contacted by the Millennium Group regarding Williams' apparent suicide, the latest in a series of such deaths. Though a note in the victim's handwriting suggests the death was self-inflicted, and an autopsy confirms Williams suffered from a terminal illness, Frank notices evidence - contusions on the wrist and adhesive particles on the mouth - indicating Williams was, in fact, murdered.

Meanwhile, Steven, who works as a volunteer manning the phones at the Seattle Crisis Center, locates his next victim: an anonymous female caller too afraid to speak freely about her illness. Steven locates the woman, whose name is Eleanor, and eventually befriends her. Eleanor is stunned when Steven describes her condition to the last detail.

Frank and Lara attend the funeral of another victim. A card attached to a display of flowers catches their attention. The oddly worded message is signed "Dr. Steven Kiley." A computer search turns up no physicians by that name, though Frank and Lara are certain they've heard the name somewhere before. A police officer staking out the motel where the suicides took place alerts Giebelhouse about a possible suspect. Frank and Lara rush to the scene, where they discover an unconscious Eleanor hooked up to a suicide machine as the song "Goodbye Charlie" plays in the background. But Steven was tipped off about their arrival, and has disappeared into the night.

Frank and Lara realize the suspect has been looting an abandoned hospital for the construction of his suicide machine. There they discover corpses stored inside slab drawers. Based on internal visions, Frank realizes the suspect is, or was, a doctor at the hospital. At some point, the doctor experienced an epiphany - and began trying to save lives by taking them.

Faking mental illness, Frank and Lara attempt to flush out their suspect at the crisis center. Through a process of elimination, the pair zero in on Kiley. They find him at a hospital, where he is employed as a nurse. Suddenly, Lara realizes the name "Steven Kiley" was a doctor on the "Marcus Welby" television series.

"Kiley," or Ellsworth Beedle, is taken to a police interrogation room for questioning. Records indicate Steven graduated from Harvard Medical School. Steven explains he switched from the role of doctor to nurse becauses the latter help people. During the conversation, Steven mentions another plane of existence that cultures in Tibet, West Africa and Mexico all believe in. Steven explains that he found the other plane when he assisted a terminally ill elderly woman end her life. Steven is released from custody due to lack of evidence.

Steven and several people from the terminal crisis center gather at the home of Mabel Shiva, the motel clerk who alerted Steven of the police raid when he was assisting Eleanor commit suicide. Frank realizes that Steven needs a release from the anxiety he experienced during the interrogation. He and Lara ride back to the motel, where they realize Mabel is Steven's assessor. The pair race to Mabel's home, but they are too late: everyone inside has taken their own life. Everyone except for Steven, who left behind a note reading: "It wasn't my choice."

Luminary

#MLM-212

Written by Chip Johannessen

Directed by Thomas J. Wright

Edited by James Coblentz

Air Date: January 23, 1998

Frank meets with the Millennium Group's members. During the tense inquisition, the question turns to Frank's family and his stabbing of a suspect the Group was in the process of investigating. Frank grows enraged and leaves the room. Later, Frank, Catherine and Jordan attend a lecture at a planetarium. Catherine introduces Frank to the Glasers, a couple whose son, Alex, disappeared in the Alaskan wilderness. As Frank and the Glasers talk, Catherine takes an interest in an astrologer's account of the stars and the millennium.

Frank accompanies the Glasers to their home. There he observes Alex's bedroom and his many belongings. The Glasers explain that they paid for Alex's trip to Alaska as a high school graduation present. Frank then makes his way to the bedroom of Alex's younger brother, Ian, where the boy busies himself with a refractor telescope. After Frank receives an internal "hit" from a photograph of Alex, he tells the Glasers he will be traveling to Alaska to find their son.

Watts tells Frank that the Group has cut off its assistance meaning Frank will be on his own. Undaunted, Frank flies to Stebbins, Alaska, where he meets with Sheriff Bowman. The Sheriff tells Frank that the wealthy Alex made enemies of the locals by buying expensive gifts for townspeople's wives. Bowman also recounts how he saved Alex during a barroom brawl. Shortly thereafter, a body washes up in a fisherman's net. The Sheriff and a local doctor examine the badly decomposed corpse. The Sheriff concludes the body is that of Alex Glaser, but Frank disagrees. Frank then retrieves a sprig of cedar from the victim's crushed face. Later, Frank has difficulty accessing his desktop computer through his laptop. He asks Catherine to drive to his apartment in an attempt to straighten out the problem. With Catherine's assistance, Frank determines that Alex made a five hundred dollar credit card purchase at a general store in Stebbins. Shortly thereafter, Watts and his men burst into Frank's apartment and begin dismantling his computer equipment.

Frank learns from a clerk at the general store that Alex, using the pseudonym "Alex Ventoux," purchased a telescope, which he had the clerk deliver to the second grade class of a local elementary school. Frank realizes that Alex was jettisoning all of his material possessions in an attempt to make peace with the world and begin a new life. Using a calculator and charts mapping seasonal currents and drifts, Frank determines the location where the body fell into the river. He charters a seaplane to fly him up the coast. The pilot tells Frank that he will leave at four thirty sharp with or without him.

Frank begins the arduous trek up the river bank. He eventually comes upon the exact location where the body fell into the river, and spots a smashed emergency radio transmitter, a towering cedar, and Alex's diary, nearby. Frank also hears a voice in his head - the voice of Alex. He tells Frank that he broke his leg and will never make it back home. Meanwhile, when Frank fails to return at the designated time, the pilot flies away, leaving behind a survival pack.

Frank heads towards a bluff when he notices the night sky pulsating with light. Above him, an atmospheric disturbance sets the area aglow. He then hears the voice of Alex Glaser. Turning, he sees Alex propped against a rock, his leg broken, emaciated. Frank promises Alex he will not let him die. He constructs a makeshift stretcher from the surrounding brush and drags the injured boy through the wilderness. As he traverses a treacherous path, Frank loses his footing. Alex plunges into the river, and Frank leaps in to save him. During the struggle, Alex collides with a boulder and loses consciousness. Frank picks Alex up in his arms and makes his way to the seaplane, where Sheriff Bowman, Watts, and a rescue party await.

Alex is flown to a hospital for treatment. But when Frank stops by for a visit, he is told by a nurse that Alex has disappeared. Later, as Mr. and Mrs. Glaser listen, Frank reads aloud Alex's final passage from his diary. In it, Alex makes mention of a past life, and signs the entry "Alex Ventoux." Frank explains that, five hundred years earlier, a man named Petrarch climbed a mountain just to see the view, ushering in the beginning of the Renaissance. The name of the mountain Petrarch climbed, Frank states, was Ventoux. Later, Catherine gives Frank a letter from the Millennium Group stating that he "passed the first election."

The Mikado

#MLM-213

Written by Michael Perry

Directed by Roderick Pridy

Edited by Chris Willingham, A.C.E.

Air Date: February 6, 1998

Three teenagers cruising the Internet come upon a "live sex" web site, where a woman wearing a white bra is tied to a chair. Behind the woman is a wall, on which is painted a number, "37122." The teenagers watch as an electronic counter at the bottom of the screen records the number of "hits" the web site has received. As the count reaches "37122," a man wearing a black hood comes up behind the girl. As the teenagers watch, horrified, the man places a machete to the girl's throat and kills her. One of the boys hits the "print" key on his computer, saving an image of the web site as proof of what transpired.

The Millennium Group receives reports from police departments across the United States, all having received complaints from people who witnessed the alleged murder as it played out on the Internet. Frank senses that the killing was not a hoax. Using his computer, Roedecker compares the victim's picture (printed by the teenagers) to images posted on the National Missing Persons Registry. He and Frank determine that the victim was Rebecca Damsen, who used the Internet on a regular basis.

Roedecker accesses Damsen's e-mail messages, narrowing the suspects to three primary correspondents. Using a special live video link-up, Frank watches from the Group's computer room as law enforcement officials in three different cities travel to the suspects' homes. In one of those cities, San Jose, Watts and a police officer force their way into the residence of Branson Heygood after determining no one is home. As Frank watches from a live video feed, he notices the painting of a cemetery hanging on the wall. He tells Watts and the officer that Damsen's body is in that cemetery. Watts travels to the cemetery, where the dead girl, Damsen, and a boy's severed head, is discovered inside a shed. Frank realizes that Heygood was not the killer, but a victim. Inside the shed are a series of numbers, which is determined to be another Internet address.

The address turns out to be another of the killer's home pages. This time, however, the web site contains an empty chair. Roedecker attempts to trace the signal, but it turns out the killer has somehow made the origin untraceable. The killer, however, provides a clue in the form of a number painted on the wall behind the chair: 696314. Frank realizes the number is an F.B.I. case file on a serial killer known as Avatar, who was last heard from twelve years earlier. Shortly thereafter, the killer releases another clue, this one a multi-charactered cipher, which is transmitted twice. He also places his next victim, another woman, on the web site, but is careful not to show her face, preventing identification.

Roedecker realizes there is a slight discrepancy between the two ciphers sent by the killer. The difference turns out to be a sound file embedded in the message: "The Mikado," Avatar's favorite operetta. Frank responds by posting his own cipher - a quote from Henry James, minus the last word - on a news group monitored by the killer. Avatar responds by burning the word "pain" into his victim's forehead, thus completing a misquote contained in one of Avatar's ciphers from years earlier.

Frank realizes that another of the killer's numerical clues is the latitude and longitude for San Francisco. The Group, however, receives no help from skeptical San Francisco Police Captain Bachman, who believes that the killer is not Avatar.

As the web site's counter edges upward, Frank realizes time is running out. Suddenly, he is inspired with an idea. The Group recreates a replica of the web page's setting, right down to replacing the victim with an identically dressed woman. This keeps the counter number on the killer's site from increasing. Shortly thereafter, the hooded figure apparently murders the girl on the "Avatar" web site, and sends another cipher.

This time, the hidden message turns out to be two web site addresses. The first is a home page containing another empty chair. The second shows the exterior door of a mobile home. Eventually, police are able to locate the trailer. As an officer opens the door to the dwelling, he trips a booby trap and is killed by a shotgun blast. Meanwhile, Frank travels to San Francisco and, acting on a hunch, winds up at an abandoned theater where a poster for "The Mikado" is displayed in the lobby. Suddenly, shot guns blasts ring out, and Frank dives for cover. Frank chases Avatar, whose face is hidden by the hood, into the shadows. He finds Avatar standing in a dim hallway, arm extended, gun in hand. But Frank notices something isn't quite right. Frank pulls off the hood and sees the kidnapped girl, with "pain" etched into her forehead. Frank realizes it was all part of a plot to trick him into shooting the girl. He also realizes that Avatar has disappeared.

The Pest House

#MLM-215

Written by Glen Morgan & James Wong

Directed by Alan Coulter

Edited by James Coblenz

Air Date: February 27, 1998

A young couple, Kevin and Christy, share a romantic interlude inside a car. As they pull apart, Kevin recounts a story involving an inmate at a nearby psychiatric hospital, nicknamed the Pest House. According to Kevin, the inmate slit the throats of seven sorority house sisters who were away at camp. An eighth intended victim grabbed hold of a clever and chopped off her attacker's hand. Shortly after Kevin finishes the tale, the couple hear a scratching noise on the roof of the car. Kevin exits to investigate, but does not return. A scared Christy exits the vehicle - only to see a dead Kevin hanging upside down from a tree.

Watts and Frank examine photographs of the crime scene. Watts recounts events that lead to the murder, which Frank discounts as urban legend. But Watts counters that Christy confirmed the tale. Watts then reveals that an inmate interned at a nearby psychiatric hospital, Woodcock, fits the killer's profile. However, his complicity is undermined by his poor physical condition. Watts and Frank travel to the asylum nonetheless, where they are greeted by Dr. Stoller, an attractive psychiatrist. With Stoller's permission, the pair interview the deranged Woodcock, who claims he did not commit the crime, but recognizes his handiwork nonetheless. Later, a fight breaks out when a large man named Bear attacks a fellow inmate. With some help from Frank and Watts, the situation is neutralized. That night, another young couple, Ted and Callie, stop along a deserted roadway to fix a flat tire. They are attacked and killed by an unseen presence.

Aided by Detective Munsch, Watts and Frank examine the crime scene. Frank concludes that the young couples' murders are not connected, as the M.O. is completely dissimilar. After examining Bear's case history, Frank concludes the murders for which he was convicted, and the killings of Ted and Callie, are almost identical (the killer removed the hands of both female victims). Dr. Stoller dismisses the theory - until she discovers a woman's press-on nail in her lunch. Frank examines the contents of a stew pot being served at the hospital commissary - and finds a human hand contained within. Later, Frank questions Bear. Bear insists that someone took something out of him, but before he is able to clarify his statement, he lapses into a seizure. Later, Frank tells Stoller that someone in the hospital is responsible for the murders. Stoller allows him to secretly observe a group meeting. Frank's interest is piqued when Woodcock accuses Edward, a male nurse, of stealing his dreams. While experiencing a series of inner visions, Frank sees the murder of Dr. Stoller, a knife slashing through an upholstered seat.

Though still uncertain of the killer's identity, Frank warns Stoller that her life may be in danger. Stoller, however, dismisses his concerns. Shortly thereafter, she is approached by Purdue, an inmate. Purdue insists that Edward is stealing his fellow inmate's dreams - and states that he will not allow the same thing to happen to him.

Watts uses his computer to research the case histories of all the inmates, looking for anyone who would use a knife to kill his victims inside a car. Watts concludes the most likely suspect is Purdue. Frank concludes that the murders are all composites of urban legends. Frank gives chase when Stoller peals out of the hospital parking lot in her car. Stoller temporarily manages to lose Frank, then pulls into a gas station. An attendant alerts Stoller that an armed man is hiding in the back seat of her car. Frank arrives at the scene, but finds the back seat is empty. He and Stoller drive from the scene as the attendant phones the police. But before he can place the call, he is murdered inside the cashier's booth.

As Frank searches the hospital for Purdue, he encounters Edward, who recounts how another nurse was savagely murdered by Woodcock years earlier. He is convinced that the only way to cure the inmates' illness is to drain every violent impulse from their bodies.

The hospital is plunged into darkness when someone cuts off the electricity. As Frank and Stoller roam the unlit corridors, they come upon the body of a night nurse, Wilda, who was killed and stripped of her keys. Suddenly, Purdue's voice booms over the intercom system. As Frank and Stoller close in on Purdue, they encounter another figure roaming the darkness. Purdue smashes a chair into Frank's back, sending him to the ground. The mysterious figure, armed with a knife, then advances on Stoller. From Stoller's point of view, she sees the figure change from Edward, to Purdue, to Bear, and then to Woodcock. Suddenly, Purdue swings the chair at the figure. An intense battle ensues, until finally, Purdue kills Edward. Frank and Stoller examine Edward's body, noting nurse Wilda's keys in his possession. Though at a loss for an explanation, Frank hypothesizes that evil, like matter, can never be destroyed - it merely changes shape. Though Edward found a way to remove the evil from others, he could not find a way to release it from himself.

Owls

#MLM-214

Written by Glen Morgan & James Wong

Directed by Thomas J. Wright

Edited by George R. Potter

Air Date: March 6, 1998

In Damascus, Syria, a group of men using sophisticated radar locate and unearth a piece of petrified wood - the remains of the cross of the crucifixion - near a mosque. Their secret mission is interrupted when two assassins step from the shadows and open fire. One of the team members, a man named LeFur, clutches the wood to his chest, as if invincible. Suddenly, the assassins' guns inexplicably jam. LeFur opens fire, killing his attackers. Later, LeFur's pager explodes as he attempts to transport the wood through airport customs. A chaos erupts, a man named Helmut Gunsche uses an electronic device to disable the airport surveillance system, allowing him to make off with the wood undetected. Gunsche then phones an associate in Paraguay, a man named Axmann, and informs him his mission was a success. On Axmann's sleeve is a cuff link, on which is engraved an ancient Germanic rune.

Meanwhile, back in the United States, Catherine meets with Clear Knight, the Vice President of Personnel Relations at Aerotech International. Clear offers Catherine a position as psychological counselor, explaining that many of the company's employees are new to Seattle and experience problems adjusting to the area. Catherine accepts the job.

Watts meets fellow Millennium Group members at an isolated warehouse. The men discuss the theft of the cross, and how it threatens to split the Group into two parts. One is known as the Owls, who believe that if a theological event does not occur in 672 days, a secular Millennium will result - leaving them in control. The other is known as the Roosters, which includes Watts and, theoretically, everyone at the meeting. The Owls stole the cross to weaken the Rooster's faith - and make themselves invincible.

Lara experiences another vision of an angel. While researching the psychological effects of hallucinations, she is approached by Mr. Johnston (who attended the meeting with Watts and the other Roosters). Identifying himself as an Owl, Johnston believes that a secular prophecy will change the Earth. He urges Lara to work with the Owls.

When Frank arrives home with Jordan, he finds Watts inside. Watts justifies the intrusion by explaining that Frank's modem line has been tapped. The two become embroiled in a heated argument. At the conclusion of the discussion, Frank tells Watts he wants nothing more to do with the Group.

Later, Watts tells Lara about Robert LeFur and his effort to transport the cross into the United States. According to legend, the cross makes its possessor invincible, and was even sought after by the Nazis during World War II. Lara tells Watts that she believes the Owls are not responsible for its disappearance, as the theft would only lead to a civil war within the Millennium Group.

As Catherine exits Aerotech one evening, she discovers that her automobile will not start. She telephones Frank for assistance, but he cannot determine the source of the problem. Clear Knight, who also wears the Germanic rune cuff link, approaches the car and, in an overly friendly manner, invites Frank, Catherine and Jordan to her home for dinner.

As Mr. Johnston drives along a deserted section of roadway, he is passed by another car driven by Helmut Gunsche. A few moments later, Johnston's automobile dies (the result of the electronic device used by Gunsche earlier). Johnston steers the automobile onto the side of the road. Shortly thereafter, he is knocked to the ground by Gunsche, who also wears the Germanic rune cuff links. Gunsche forces a tube into Johnston's mouth - and the other end is placed inside the car's gas tank. After Johnston loses consciousness, Gunsche places a board of wood - exactly the dimensions of the crucifixion cross - inside Johnston's trunk, as if hiding it. He then sets the car, and Johnston ablaze.

Watts, Lara and Group pathologists examine Johnston's burned remains. The examination is interrupted by Owl group members, who insist they be allowed to observe. Preliminary reports reveal that the wood planted inside Johnston's trunk cannot be accurately dated due to the fire. While examining Johnston's partially charred notebook, Watts discovers an entry about Johnston contacting Lara Means. Watts immediately bans a stunned Lara from the Group.

Using his computer, Frank identifies a watercolor hanging in Clear Knight's office as one having once belonged to Adolph Hitler. His work is interrupted when he notices two men surveilling his house from a car. As Frank approaches the men, gun in hand, the driver identifies himself as a Group member by giving the password. Unbeknownst to Frank, the passenger readies his handgun.

TO BE CONTINUED

Roosters

#MLM-216

Written by Glen Morgan & James Wong

Directed by Thomas J. Wright

Edited by Chris Willingham, A.C.E.

Air Date: March 13, 1998

As Frank, gun in hand, approaches the car, he orders the occupants to place their hands on top of their heads. The driver attempts to reason with Frank, insisting he is with the Group. Suddenly, the passenger turns and aims his gun at Frank. Both men fire. Frank dives behind the vehicle, taking cover. Neighbors react to the commotion, and shortly thereafter, police sirens sound in the distance. Frank fires several rounds into the car, striking the passenger. As the driver engages the engine and pulls away, Frank shoots out a back tire. Later, police find the car abandoned.

Meanwhile, while examining evidence pertaining to the Johnston murder, Lara Means discovers that Watts hid an infrared photograph. The cover-up also comes to the attention of the Elder, who demands an explanation. Watts tells the Elder that Johnston was involved in a plot to pit the Owls and the Roosters against each other. Watts spotted a possible lead within the infrared image, and certain it would determine the outcome of the discord within the Group, hid it from view until he could consult with the Old Man about its meaning. Later, members from both factions meet to discuss the crisis. The Elder decides not to reveal the results of carbon tests that conclusively date the piece of wood - possibly the crucifixion cross - found in Johnston's burned automobile until after Group members have settled their differences.

Catherine is approached by Jim Ford, an Aerotech worker. He reveals that Clear Knight and the company are part of something called Odessa. Meanwhile, Frank pays Knight a visit. While examining the watercolor hanging on her wall, Frank experiences internal visions of Nazi Germany.

That night, Frank receives a visit from Lara Means and the Old Man. Lara explains that, throughout history, the Group has had access to scientific breakthroughs withheld from the public. As a result, Johnston developed a theory about a tear in the fabric of the universe, one that would reach Earth in sixty years. Lara admits she believes the theory, but would not join the Owls because of her persistent apocalyptic visions (which cannot be explained through science). The Old Man then joins the discussion, explaining that a third party has been manipulating the Group in hopes of triggering its demise. Later, the Old Man tells Lara that in the waning days of World War II, Nazis began a secret project known as Odessa, in which high-ranking SS officers fled to countries south of the equator. One of these men, Rudolph Axmann, helped defeat their greatest enemy, communism, in the 1980s. Now Odessa has turned its attention towards the Millennium Group.

Meanwhile, Catherine discovers that Jim Ford is dead. Fearing for her safety, she runs from the Aerotech offices and makes her way to the parking lot, where she encounters Frank. He explains that Odessa had been monitoring his reluctance to join the Millennium Group, and hired Catherine, through Aerotech, in an effort to access him.

Gunsche brutally murders the Old Man in the basement of Frank's yellow house. Devastated by the loss, Watts tells Frank and Lara he is ashamed at how he has treated them. He determines that the Group must now destroy Odessa. Later, as the Elder presides over the Old Man's burial, the operation to obliterate Odessa is put in motion: Gunsche is killed in a car bomb explosion; Axmann's house is destroyed in Paraguay; and the Aerotech company is raided and shut down for good.

The Elder assumes the title of the new Old Man. Later, he travels to the Old Man's shack, where he unwraps a package shipped from Amann, Jordan. Inside is the remaining cross of the crucifixion.

Siren

#MLM-217

Written by Glen Morgan & James Wong

Directed by Allen Coulter

Edited by George R Potter

Air Date: March 20, 1998

A squad of local police and I.N.S. vehicles converge on a docked freighter, its passenger hold overflowing with illegal Asian immigrants. Captain Law instructs two crew members, Yee Chun and Lo Fat, to "kill the monster" contained within a cargo hold area. A reluctant Chun and Fat move towards the cargo doorway, weapons in hand. But their mission is cut short when I.N.S. agents take them into custody. The men warn the agents not to enter the hold, as it contains something dangerous. The agents ignore the warning and open the door. Inside is a beautiful Asian woman, bound with steel chains.

While walking the corridors of the hospital where her mother works, Jordan notices the Asian woman inside an examination room. Jordan tells Catherine she must help the woman, as she will save Frank's life. Catherine pays Frank an unexpected visit, interrupting a meeting with Lara Means. She recounts Jordan's story about the mysterious woman saving his life. She then presents Frank with the woman's file. Acting on his own behalf, Frank visits the camp where the Asian immigrants are interned. Yee Chun reacts when Frank shows him a photo of the mysterious Asian woman. Frank's interest in immediately piqued.

Catherine and an interpreter attempt to communicate with the Asian woman, but their efforts are in vain. Later, Frank, Lara and Gieblehouse inspect the freighter - where they discover four bodies stuffed inside wooden crates. A coroner concludes the men all died of exposure to the elements. The threesome then question Captain Law, Yee Chun and Chin. All three men give differing accounts of how the woman ended up aboard ship. Law claims he rescued her from the sea; Yee Chun describes how he found the woman and another crew member, Fung Lum, in a passionate embrace; and Chin claims she just appeared out of nowhere. The men explain that Fung Lum was discovered on the bow, frozen, and the following day, another body was discovered. Concerned for the safety of the crew, the Captain chained the woman in the cargo hold. Chin breaks into tears when Geibelhouse shows him a photograph of his brother, who was one of the victims.

Frank uses the Millennium Group's data base to analyze the woman's photograph and fingerprints. It is determined that the mysterious woman, Tamara Shui Fa Lee, is a Chinese national from Hong Kong who was reported lost at sea in 1988. Frank believes she has been dead for ten years. Frank pays Tamara a visit in her hospital room. Using an audio recorder, he tapes their conversation (Tamara suddenly begins conversing in English). During the discussion, Tamara mentions events from Frank's life, such as killing the Polaroid man, and leaving his family - things she should not know. Frank rebuffs Tamara's advances and heads home. Along the way, he experiences a vision of Tamara standing in the roadway. Frank slams on the brakes and ends up on the side of the road. Not seeing any physical evidence of Tamara, Frank heads home.

At the yellow house, Frank, Catherine and Jordan share Chinese food and enjoy their time together. When Frank retires for the evening, he is shocked to find Catherine sharing his bed. Slowly, Frank realizes he is living within an alternate universe, one in which he is the owner of a private investigative firm, and not a member of the Millennium Group. In the basement of the yellow house, he finds the Gehenna Devil holding Jordan's dead body.

Back in the "real" world, paramedics fight to save Frank, who, it turns out, lost consciousness after losing control of his automobile (when he experienced a vision of Tamara standing in the road) and was exposed to the elements. When Frank regains consciousness, he describes his visions to Lara Means. He believes Tamara has given him a peek at another path his life might have taken. But Frank is unsure if his association with the Group is bringing horror to his family - or keeping it at bay. He seeks out Tamara Lee, who has been relocated to an internment center (where Captain Law and his crew members are also being held).

Captain Law, Yee Chin and Lo Fat conspire to kill Tamara and end her reign of terror. After inadvertently killing an innocent woman, the men close in on Tamara, who uses her powers to turn one against the other. Frank rescues Tamara from the assassins, but when he attempts to pose his question regarding the Group to her, she again speaks in an unknown Chinese dialect. Frank realizes she does not possess the answer to his question.

In Arcadia Ego

#MLM-218

Written by Chip Johannessen

Directed by Thomas J. Wright

Edited by James Coblenz

Air Date: April 3, 1998

Inside Garrison Women's Prison, Juliet "Sonny" Palmer, and her cellmate/lover, Janette Viti, a pretty 24-year-old, overpower a guard, steal his uniform, and make their way to a security booth. There the couple surprise another guard and force him to remove his uniform. As the guard does so, he reaches for his ankle holster and, in a flash, shoots Janette. Sonny grabs a nightstick and subjects the guard to a brutal beating. When she stops, she realizes Janette is unharmed. The bullet, they realize, flattened itself on the shield attached to Janette's stolen uniform. Examining the spent slug, the pair notice what looks like the silhouette of a human face. The women move on.

Frank meets with Warden Kellard at the prison. Kellard labels Sonny a serial killer, as she beat her stepfather to death with a pipe, used an andiron on her husband, and has now clubbed a guard to death. Frank examines a map of the surrounding area. He accurately predicts that the fugitives will ditch their getaway vehicle. But Frank is puzzled as to why Sonny chose to escape, as she is eligible for parole in four month's time.

Sonny and Janette overpower a motorist, Chris Taylor, and take command of his vehicle. The pair stop at a remote house for purposes unknown. They are disappointed that no one is home and leave the scene with Taylor still tied-up in the back seat.

Frank studies Sonny's case file. He concludes that Sonny crosses over into violence only to protect others, noting that her stepfather was abusing her younger sister, and that she miscarried the same night she murdered her husband, indicating domestic violence. Frank also concludes that Sonny escaped as a means of protecting something else as yet unknown. That night, Sonny and Janette get a room at a motel. As Janette examines herself in a mirror, we see that she is, in fact, quite pregnant. A motel maid discovers Chris Taylor bound and gagged in the women's room. He tells Frank, Watts and Kellard about Janette's pregnancy - a revelation that catches the men by surprise. Frank concludes that one of the prison guards is the father. He zeroes in on Ernie Shiffer, an African-American man. Shiffer admits he raped Janette in the infirmary while she was under sedation.

Janette and Sonny make their way to a clinic. A sonogram reveals trouble, but before a practitioner can voice her concern, Sonny learns that the guard she bludgeoned died from his injuries. The pair leave the clinic. Watts tells Frank that the nurse spotted a total placenta previa - meaning Janette could bleed to death if she delivers outside a hospital. Frank eventually zeroes in on the mysterious house the women visited earlier. When he arrives at the scene, a car driven by Sonny bears down on him. The car swerves at the last moment, missing Frank. Shortly thereafter, Janette experiences contractions.

Frank learns that Sonny once worked at a train yard in town. Believing the couple might attempt to flee by train, he makes his way to the yard. There he pinpoints the train the women would most likely use for their getaway. But Sonny gets the drop on Frank and takes him prisoner. Frank tells her he knows the identity of the man who raped Janette. This sends Sonny into a rage. He also informs her of Janette's medical condition. Sonny tells Frank that the child is a "miracle baby" - God's child.

Inside the boxcar, Janette's contractions continue - as does her bleeding. Watts accompanies a SWAT team to the train yard, and the boxcar is surrounded by armed men. When Sonny uses Frank's cell phone to demand a doctor, Watts patches through the nurse from the clinic. The nurse tells Janette she is aware that she was raped by the prison guard. When Janette reacts, Sonny snatches away the phone and demands immediate medical attention. Two police officers don paramedic uniforms and approach the boxcar. But Frank intervenes, warning Sonny to search their medical kits and not make an easy target for snipers. Realizing Frank is on her side, Sonny cuts through the tape that binds his hands.

Frank helps deliver Janette's child, which turns out to have pale skin, indicating Shiffer is not, in fact, the father. As Janette bleeds to death, she tells Sonny how much she loves her. A short time later, as Sonny exits the boxcar, she deliberately draws fire by pulling her hand from her pocket, as if reaching for a gun. Sonny slumps to the ground and dies.

Frank returns to the home where Janette and Sonny had traveled. There he meets with John and Jennifer Bayton, a middle-aged African-American couple. The pair explain that they had been praying for Janette and Sonny, whom they describe as forgotten people who most want God's hand. A nurse exits Frank's car and steps forward with the baby. Mrs. Bayton takes the child and rocks it gently. Meanwhile, Frank examines the silhouetted face on the spent bullet. It matches a laser etching of Mary, the Mother of God, sitting on an easel in the couple's home.

Anamnesis

#MLM-219

Written by Erin Maher & Kay Reindl

Directed by John Kousakis

Edited by Chris Willingham, A.C.E.

Air Date: April 17, 1998

Catherine, anxious and tense, rushes down an empty hallway of a high school. Inside one of the classrooms, a group of five girls - Clare, Leslie, Shelley, Maureen and Kelly - gathers for prayer circle. A figure opens the classroom door and removes a handgun, pointing it inside. The gun fires - and screams reverberate throughout the school.

The story flashes back to two days earlier. In Rowan, Washington, Catherine meets with Emma Shetterly, the high school Vice Principal. The town has been rocked to its foundation ever since five female students claimed they saw a vision of the Virgin Mary. Emma wonders why such a vision would appear to five girls who, in her mind, are "unworthy." The leader of the group, Clare McKenna, has been in trouble a number of times before. Catherine makes an effort to reach out to the girls. Maureen gives her account of how her friends experienced the vision during Reverend Sam Hanes' sermon. Shortly thereafter, Catherine is approached by Hanes' son, Alex. He gives a different account of events, claiming the girls were, in fact, disruptive during his father's service. When Hanes put the girls on notice, Clare experienced the "vision." Alex claims Clare is far from divine. Later, when Catherine returns to speak with Emma, she realizes Lara is inside her office.

Lara tells Catherine and Emma that, throughout the years, the Millennium Group has investigated similar apparitions. Though there is undeniable friction between Catherine and Lara, the ice slowly breaks as they observe the young students attending a prayer meeting. Lara locks eyes with Ben Fisher, a drama teacher, then looks away, somewhat uncomfortable. As the prayer meeting gets underway, Alex clashes with Clare over her recitation of a passage she claims is from the Bible. As Clare continues, she mentions "the beginning and the end," the same words spoken by the Polaroid Man. Catherine is stunned. When she later approaches the girl about what she said, Clare reveals even more about the Polaroid Man, furthering Catherine's speechlessness. Lara steps up behind Catherine. She experiences a vision, seeing a cloaked woman standing near trees. Later, Lara and Catherine discuss the event. Lara believes Clare is, indeed, a visionary, while Catherine believes the girl is simply being mischievous. But Lara explains that the words Clare recited were from Gnostic texts, which were excluded from the Bible for promoting the idea that Mary Magdalene was the only apostle who truly understood Christ's teachings.

Lara and Catherine meet with Clare's father, Ray. They observe a great many books in Clare's bedroom, books given her by Ben Fisher. Ray believes Ben is the only person genuinely concerned for his daughter's welfare. The women then note a Black Virgin, a statue associated with natural phenomena. According to legend, the object will grow heavy if moved against its will. Catherine discovers she cannot, in fact, lift it. An outraged Clare runs into the room and easily lifts the statue, cradling it like a doll.

Ray telephones Catherine, informing her that Clare and her friends have disappeared. Lara and Catherine set off to the woods. During their journey, Lara reveals that the vision the girls saw was not of the Virgin Mary, but of Mary Magdalene. Catherine is stunned. Later, the women come upon the girls standing in a grotto. A scuffle breaks out. Ben lunges at Lara, but she drops him with an impressive right hook. Ben is taken into custody. Later, Reverend Hanes forcibly baptizes four of the girls, believing it is the only way to end their "Godlessness." But when it is Clare's turn, the wispy form of the cloaked woman appears in the water. Everyone, including Catherine and Lara, are stunned. Later, Lara confronts Ben Fisher. Ben, it is revealed, is a member of The Family, a former part of the Millennium Group. Fisher is acting as Clare's guardian, someone to guide and help her deal with her power. He accuses Lara of being jealous, as she was not so fortunate.

Catherine learns that Ben was released from the police station. She fears that he will do something to Clare, but Lara warns her not to interfere. Realizing Clare is at the prayer circle meeting, Catherine rushes to the high school. She sees the armed figure approaching the classroom (see teaser) - which turns out to be Alex. He opens fire, and moments later, is tackled from behind by Catherine. Alex cries out, wondering why Jesus loves Clare more than himself. When Catherine rises to her feet, she realizes Fisher took the bullets intended for Clare. Shortly thereafter, Fisher dies. Later, Lara explains that there had to be a sacrifice in order to set certain events in motion. She then shows Catherine two DNA reports - one for Clare McKenna, and the other taken from the Shroud of Turin. The images match. Lara explains that some believe Clare is the descendant of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene. She hands the DNA folders to Catherine - letting her decide if the world should know the truth.

A Room With No View

#MLM-220

Written by Ken Horton

Directed by Thomas J. Wright

Edited by George R. Potter

Air Date: April 24, 1998

In Oregon, a young man tunnels his way out of a farmhouse and escapes into the darkened countryside. He spots what appears to be an abandoned Chevy Impala parked alongside a road. As the young man attempts to jump start the car by opening the hood and hot-wiring the motor, it suddenly springs to life. The unseen driver runs over the young man's legs, halting his escape. A dark female form and a Long-Haired Man approach their victim. The Long-Haired Man tosses the screaming body into the trunk of the car.

Meanwhile, at James K. Polk High School in Seattle, two 18-year-old friends, Landon Bryce and Howard Gordon, meet guidance counselor Teresa Roe. During the discussion, Bryce urges Gordon to apply to college - this despite Roe's assessment that Gordon's grade point average is too mediocre to worth bothering. The conversation escalates into a loud argument until Landon accuses Roe of being a failure. That night, an intruder breaks into the Bryce home. Gordon dies, and Bryce is kidnapped.

As Frank and Giebelhouse observe, a pathologist rules that Gordon died as the result of a coronary. But further neurological evidence indicates the heart attack was triggered by fear. Frank travels to the Bryce home, where he observes Landon's bedroom. He is struck by internal visions of the Gehenna Devil and Lucy Butler, the woman who murdered Bletcher. Meanwhile, the Long-Haired Man drags a bound-and-gagged Bryce into the remote country farmhouse. The teenager is thrown into a room, where he is spoken to by the female form. The woman tells Bryce that she loves him. A short time later, Bryce realizes he has a cell mate - the Screwed-Up Guy who attempted to escape in the teaser.

Meanwhile, a concerned Frank attempts to contact Jordan by telephone, only to discover she is not at home. Frank tells Watts his concern stems from the fact that he sensed Lucy Butler's presence in Bryce's bedroom. Watts attempts to calm Frank's concerns by noting that a Millennium Group member, Olson, has been monitoring Butler's movements ever since she won release on suspicion of Detective Bletcher's murder. A short time later, Frank and Watts travel to Lucy's last known address - a rural farmhouse. But once inside, the pair discover Olson's rotting corpse. The men realize that Butler had gained access to Olson's Group files and then submitted her own surveillance reports.

Bryce, meanwhile, manages to rip loose a section of the door to his cell. But his escape is thwarted when the Gehenna Devil - which transforms into the Long-Haired Man - knocks him to the ground and then drags him back to the room. Lucy then cradles Bryce's head in her lap, and begins the first stages of brainwashing him.

Frank decides the best hope of locating Bryce is by interviewing Teresa Roe, as the argument between her and the two teenagers was so loud it attracted the attention of others outside her office. During the conversation, Frank takes note of Roe's use of the past tense whenever she mentions Bryce's name. Afterward, Giebelhouse, Watts and Frank research Roe's background. They realize that wherever she taught school, students disappeared. Frank concludes that all of the missing teenagers were just like Bryce - ordinary kids with average grades who exhibited signs of promise.

Meanwhile, Bryce manages to gain the confidence of the Screwed-Up Guy, who is so confused mentally that he cannot remember his own name. Bryce discovers the existence of a tunnel that runs beneath the farm, the same tunnel the Screwed-Up Guy used for his escape earlier. He convinces his cell mate to join him for a break-out. The pair make their way through the tunnel, but when they emerge on the other side, they are confronted by Lucy and the Long-Haired Man. Back in the cell, a demonic Lucy tells Bryce that he is mediocre - an ordinary teenager - and the sooner he understands this concept, the better.

Meanwhile, while being interviewed by Frank, Watts and Geibelhouse, Roe espouses the same philosophy when discussing Bryce. The men surprise Roe by mentioning the name Kate Lynn. Roe claims not to recognize the name, though it soon becomes clear that she is Kate Lynn, a once-promising student. Frank accuses her of surrendering, of giving up on the hope of improving the numbers by which she and all other students are judged. Instead, she made a pact with the devil. A frightened Roe reveals the location of Lucy's farm. Shortly thereafter, police raid the location, setting free the many students kidnapped by Lucy, including Bryce and the Screwed-Up Guy. Despite a search, Lucy Butler is not found. Later, Frank once again phones Jordan, but upon discovering she is not at home, he leaves another message describing how much he loves her.

Somehow, Satan Got Behind Me

#MLM-221

Written by Darin Morgan

Directed by Darin Morgan

Edited by James Coblenz

Air Date: May 1, 1998

After delivering newspapers to homes in the wee hours of the morning, a man named Abum makes his way to a donut shop. There, the grumpy old-timer angers a clerk with his irascible attitude. The clerk responds by urinating in Abum's cup of coffee. Abum makes his way to a table, where he joins three other men: Blurk, Greb and Toby. As the foursome assume the shape of monstrous devils, Abum announces that the clerk urinated in his coffee. The devils share a private chuckle, that bubbles over into demonic cackling.

Blurk laments how the current century lacks characters and personalities. He illustrates his point by recounting a story in which he met up with a young man, Perry, who had potential serial killer written all over him. Posing as a hitchhiker in human form, Blurk befriended Perry, and the pair struck up a conversation about serial killers. Perry pointed out a little devil statuette on the dashboard of his van, noting that Johnnie Mack Potter, the most prolific murderer in America, made it in prison. Blurk revealed that he, too, collected murder memorabilia, and told Perry that he possessed all the makings of a prototypical serial killer. He encourages Perry's talent, telling him to play the hand he had been dealt. Soon after, Perry began killing prostitutes, and eventually announced his intention to beat Potter's record. Eventually, Perry came one murder shy of making the record books. However, it was at that point that Frank Black began closing in on the killer. During the investigation, Black saw Blurk for the devil he is - something that perplexes Blurk to the current day. Bored with the killings, Blurk gave authorities a clue that led to Perry's arrest. Ironically, Perry ended up sharing a cell with his idol, Johnnie Mack Potter, who proceeded to strangle Perry, and remains the undisputed king of the serial killers.

Abum then proceeds to tell a story of his own, insisting devil work is no longer necessary, as mankind has found a way of doing it all for him. He recounts the monotonous existence of an Everyman named Brock, who repeated the same boring daily routine day after day. Brock frequented a strip club, which caused Abum to conclude that men sinned so often that whatever passion first compelled them to commit such acts had long passed. Eventually, Abum took it upon himself to tweak Brock's life with a minor irritant (in this case, by assuming the form of a meter maid). During this particular incident, Frank spotted Abum's true devil form while parking his car, prompting great interest from the devils listening to the story. Eventually, Brock threw himself out a window.

Greb proceeds to recount a story of his own, one involving a television network censor named Waylon Figgleif. Waylon believed the weight of maintaining a nation's morality rested on his shoulders, and because of this, Greb believed that making Waylon's mind snap was an especially easy task. Greb assumed the form of the Internet/Ally McBeal baby and ran inside Waylon's office. Waylon concluded the baby was evidence of his own psychological breakdown, and attempted to censor things he encountered in his everyday life. The devil baby made yet another appearance before Waylon, this time encouraging him to kill. Waylon responded by bursting onto a Hollywood soundstage where two FBI agents were autopsying an alien body. As a cameraman recorded the action, Waylon opened fire, killing several of the actors portraying aliens. At this point, Greb snaps his fingers, realizing he, too, spotted Frank as he investigated the incident. Greg concludes that by damning Waylon's soul, he damned millions of others, as the footage captured by the cameraman was broadcast by another network in a show entitled: "When Humans Attack!"

The other devils react with alarm when Toby declares that the mystery man (Frank) knows who they are. Toby then recounts his story. It begins at a strip club, where a naive-looking first-timer turned and looked at Toby in sheer horror. Toby realized the boy didn't see his devil form; rather, he saw his own self, his potential future. Reacting to a particularly vulnerable moment, Toby paid a stripper named Sally to gyrate on his lap. The pair discovered they were like two lost souls, and a relationship developed. One night, Sally saw Toby's true essence, his devil self, as he laid in bed. Sally nonetheless forgave Toby for his faults. Toby took Sally to the donut shop, where he began to ask for her hand in marriage. But at the last second, he changed his mind and ended the relationship. Toby then made his way to Sally's apartment, where police discovered her body, the victim of a suicide. It was at the apartment that Frank saw Toby in his devil form. But instead of reacting shocked, Frank simply said, "You must be so lonely." It suddenly dawns on the other devils sitting in the donut shop that the description is correct, as they are all the loneliest creatures on earth. As the foursome leave the shop, Abum praises the clerk's coffee.

The Fourth Horseman

#MLM-222

Written by Glen Morgan & James Wong

Directed by Dwight Little

Edited by George R. Potter & Jim Thompson

Air Date: May 8, 1998

In Wisconsin, in 1986, a farmer discovers thousands of dead birds inside his chicken coup warehouse, pools of blood encircling each cage. The farmer races for a phone, but collapses on his hands and knees, black papules having grown over his lymph nodes.

In the current day, Frank receives a visit from Richard Gilbert, an ex-FBI agent. Richard offers Frank the opportunity to join his "security dream team," which is nicknamed The Trust. Their conversation is interrupted by news that Frank's father has passed away. Frank, Catherine and Jordan attend the funeral, where Jordan asks questions about death. When Frank returns home, he attempts to contact Lara, but his messages go unanswered.

The body of a thirty-two year old man, Jason Molgilny, is discovered on the shore of a remote lake. Six pints of blood have spilled from the body, but there is no evidence of foul play. A pathologist, Dr. Schroeder, determines that the victim drowned in his own blood, possibly from a viral infection that overtook his body in a matter of minutes. The pathologist orders everyone who came in contact with the victim, including Frank and Watts, to be quarantined pending blood and cell sample analysis.

Sitting in his quarantine cell, Frank phones Watts and accuses him - and the Millennium Group - of knowing what caused the victim's death. During the conversation, Watts begins reciting passages from the Book of Revelation with an almost psychotic fervor. A short time later, a team of physicians wearing hazmat suits enters Frank's cell. Frank notices something peculiar about the men, but isn't quite able to pinpoint the cause for his concern. A physician wearing a plain lab coat enters the cell. He explains that both Frank and Watts appear to be normal, and no known infectious agent could be located in their blood. When Frank is released, he tells Richard he is prepared to accept his offer and join The Trust. But he explains that he cannot leave the Group without "rescuing" his friends.

As the Davis family enjoys a chicken barbecue, family members are suddenly overcome by seizures. One by one they drop to the ground, seemingly sweating blood.

Catherine tells Frank that Jordan has been experiencing recurring nightmares in which a group of "bad men" enter a jungle. Shortly thereafter, angry monkeys, covered with blood, emerge from the trees. Eventually, within the dream, Jordan sees no one else in the world other than her parents, who are in a cabin in the woods. Catherine is at a loss to explain how a six-year-old girl could concoct such imagery. Frank considers the dream, then asks Catherine to find a doctor she can trust, one willing to perform some secret tests. When Catherine protests that the tests would aid the Group, Frank agrees that the Group is, in all likelihood, a cult. Unwilling to allow Jordan to grow up without a father, Frank promises Catherine he will quit the Group and return to the yellow house, where they will live as a family - as soon as he finishes one last task. Catherine arranges for Frank to meet with a doctor. He instructs the physician to perform some tests and keep the results a secret.

Richard performs some surveillance work, and learns that Watts has been in contact with Lara Means. Frank drives to a remote location where Lara is believed to be living. After overcoming a security man, Frank secretly makes his way through a wooded area, and observes a scene through binoculars. He discovers Watts presiding over a ceremony, one in which Lara is being inducted into the Millennium Group.

Frank buys Jordan a parakeet, believing it will help her deal with her feelings. He also asks her about the dreams. Jordan tells him, "we should leave the monkeys in the trees."

Eventually, Frank makes contact with Watts. He tells him that the mysterious team wearing the hazmat suits injected them both with a vaccine while they were in quarantine. He also tells Watts that the Group is an illusion, one not interested in the end of the world, but in controlling it. Watts admits the Group is not who he is, but came to him at a moment in his life when he was most vulnerable (when he discovered the body of a decapitated boy floating in a cooler on a lake). Frank encourages Watts to help him investigate the Group. Watts responds by stating that if he should do so, and his motives are discovered, he will be killed. He also predicts the exact moment an earthquake will strike. He tells Frank that if his prediction should come true, he must accept the offering to become a full member of the Group, with "no more questions or doubts."

As the clock strikes 4:13 a.m., Frank receives a phone call from Lara. She tells him that there is no need to doubt the Group or its intentions. The connection suddenly goes dead, and seconds later, as Watts had predicted, an earthquake rattles the city. As Frank moves through his house, he notices the parakeet, dead in its cage.

TO BE CONTINUED

The Time is Now

#MLM-223

Written by Glen Morgan & James Wong

Directed by Thomas J. Wright

Edited by James Coblenz

Air Date: May 15, 1998

In this continuation of the previous episode... Jordan, Frank and Catherine bury the dead parakeet, prompting more questions from Jordan regarding God and the hereafter. Later, a Millennium team clad in biohazard suits sweeps into the Davis home, where earlier an entire family was wiped out by the mysterious virus. Outside the house, in the backyard, are a dozen dead birds of various species.

Catherine, Frank and Jordan return to the yellow house. Frank realizes that, with all of the unhappiness associated with the structure, such as the deaths of Bletcher and the Old Man, it is time to find a new home. A short time later, Frank receives paperwork in the mail, indicating his father left him a cabin in a remote wooded area. Frank tells Catherine about Watts' prediction that there would be an earthquake. Although he distrusts the Group's power and control, Frank cannot walk away until he knows what the future entails.

Richard Gilbert meets Frank in a parking lot. When Frank reveals he has decided to stay with the Group, Richard warns against it, as even now, they are being spied upon by Group members. Gilbert drives off in his car, and shortly thereafter, Mr. Lott steps from the shadows. He reveals that the Group is uninterested in any single individual life, but feels its responsibility lies with the whole of mankind.

The next morning, Frank discovers that Richard lost control of his automobile as he drove away from their meeting. Frank examines the automobile, searching for evidence that it was tampered with. Watts informs him that the Group is not at fault, its attention focused on something far more important. He reveals that he broke into the Group's database, and has learned that the mysterious virus was discovered by the Soviets years earlier in the jungles of Africa. It was then genetically enhanced, creating a biological weapon of astonishing toxicity. When the Soviet Union fell, the virus was inadvertently exposed to the environment, and carried aloft by birds. In 1986, a Wisconsin farmer and his entire flock of hens died from exposure, but like the Spanish flu of 1918, it mysteriously went away. The boy who died by the lake the previous week had somehow contracted the disease. Watts believes the Group developed a vaccine to the virus back in 1986, but produced only enough to inoculate its own members (both Frank and Watts received the vaccine during their quarantine period). Frank instructs Watts to find Lara Means and meet him back at his house, as he knows of a location where they can live until the crisis passes.

When Watts arrives at the cottage where Lara is staying, Blaylock and another Group member intercept him. During the ensuing struggle, a gunshot rings out. Frank receives a phone call, and listens to the sound of the struggle, followed by the sound of a car pulling away in the distance. With help from Giebelhouse, Frank traces the call to the cottage.

Lara experiences powerful visions of the apocalypse. For a moment, she considers taking her own life. Instead, she writes something on an envelope. Frank breaks down the door and races inside. In a nearly psychotic state, Lara raises her gun and opens fire, narrowly missing Frank. Paramedics rush inside and help restrain Lara. As she is wheeled away, Frank takes the envelope, which contains a syringe filled with a vaccine to the virus.

Frank telephones Catherine and instructs her to begin gathering provisions. He then drives to the psychiatric hospital, where he speaks with Lara. He asks her about Watts' fate, but she can only stare back with lifeless eyes. Frank thanks Lara for the vaccine, then drives his family to the remote cabin.

Frank tells Catherine that during the years of the Black Plague, people gathered their families and retreated to the mountains, allowing them to survive the outbreak. Later, as Jordan sleeps, Catherine listens to a news broadcast, which details the symptoms of the virus. Catherine asks Frank to kill her if she should become infected. Frank counters it would be impossible for him to do so, arguing that if he got sick, he would go off into the woods to die. He then produces the syringe containing the vaccine. He explains that he has already been inoculated, and the syringe contains enough vaccine for one person. Catherine immediately insists that Jordan be given the shot.

Later that night, Catherine wakes experiencing symptoms of the virus. She quietly walks out of the cabin and heads towards the woods. Finding blood on Catherine's pillow, Frank watches the darkened forest. The next morning, Frank's hair has gone completely gray. As he holds his daughter in his arms, he experiences internal blasts of static, interspersed with apocalyptic distress calls in many languages. And it is in the cabin that Frank and Jordan remain... alone... and uncertain.