Praeger, Donner and Donohue are transporting Rebecca Fellows, a young woman who's had an alien encounter, when their van is engulfed in a bright light. Apparently emanating from a UFO, the light temporarily blinds the OSIR investigators, who recover only to find that Rebecca has disappeared.
The next day, Elsinger informs the investigators that not only have they been removed from the alien-encounter case but will be facing an inquest into the allegedly irresponsible behavior that has resulted in several deaths during their alien investigations, the most recent victim being Rebecca, the niece of a UN ambassador. Officially, the team is being charged with negligence and misuse of resources. Elsinger informs Praeger that he won't be able to help them defend themselves because he has been assigned to a case overseas.
Praeger represents his team as the proceedings get under way, with Rollins, an OSIR Case Manager and former criminal lawyer, serving as advocate. The tribunal consists of Edward Norstrom, a senior analyst with the National Intelligence Agency; Henry Thomas Langstaff, military attach?o the UN Security Council; and Gertrude DeWolfe, CEO of a covert think tank attached to NATO. The prosecutor is Calvin Finch, a young attorney who is as ruthless as he is confident.
Donner, Axon and Hendricks are discussing the case at the OSIR lab when Axon finds himself being drawn to a strange plant that is on a nearby table. He reaches out to touch it and is apparently stung by the plant. He bandages the wound. Praeger, excused from the proceedings until his testimony is needed, joins the team at the lab. Axon points out that the only way for them to win their case is to prove that they weren't responsible for the fate of the victims. In other words, they must prove that aliens exist.
Rollins joins the investigators and tells them that Finch intends to forward the evidence to the police when the inquest is over so that criminal charges can be laid. Furious, Axon storms out of the room. He looks at Rollins as he brushes past but, instead of seeing Rollins, finds himself looking at Alan Tremblay, a victim of alien abduction the team had encountered in a previous case. Axon blinks and looks again, this time seeing Rollins.
The next day in the tribunal, Hendricks is asked about Tremblay. According to the doctor, Tremblay's abduction by aliens had somehow left him able to communicate with plants and other forms of unintelligent life. Donner is then called to testify about a case in which three people under the influence of aliens were killed by a beam of light during an eclipse. Axon also testifies about a case in which a man had been implanted with an alien transmitter. Following his testimony, he hurries to a washroom and is violently ill.
Praeger is called to the stand to review a case in which he was abducted and cloned by aliens. During his testimony, he mentions metallic disks that were found during the investigation. He tells the court that the disks were used to transport people back and forth from the alien ship. Despite Finch's ridicule, Praeger sticks to his story.
In the washroom, Axon lies in a stall desperately fighting his illness. He overhears two men talking about the case. It's Norstrom and Finch. Norstrom tells Finch that if he successfully prosecutes the OSIR team, he will be rewarded with the political posting of his choice. Axon peers through the crack in the stall door as Finch leaves the room-and momentarily sees an alien form where Norstrom had been.
Hendricks examines Axon back at the OSIR lab. Axon's hand is badly infected. While Hendricks goes to the lab's library to try and find out what virus could have caused such an infection to occur so quickly, Axon sleeps. He is awoken by the voice of Alan Tremblay, who tells him that his race - a harmless, alien race of scientists - needs Axon's help to defeat the alien "grey men" who want to take over the world a piece at a time. The first thing on the evil aliens' agenda is to discredit the OSIR team. Tremblay apologizes for having the fern hurt Axon but says it was necessary in order for him to be able to see the aliens. Axon asks how he can help and is told that he already knows how. Axon sees the compass-like pattern of metallic discs suspended on the wall behind Tremblay.
Back in court, Norstrom is announcing that the OSIR team has been found guilty when he is interrupted by Axon, who storms into the room and, with a shiny, metallic disk in hand, tells the court that a clone and its counterpart can't exist in the same place. He drops the disk on the floor, then another, and another. A bright light forms inside the circle of discs, revealing the real Norstrom within. The Norstrom clone transforms into his true, alien form and disappears in a flash of light. There is another flash as Rebecca Fellows appears inside the pattern with the real Norstrom. They are both safe. |
