Stormy night - high over the mountains
A Lear jet flies through the storm. Lightening and thunder crash all around, while William Sloan, in the plane, talks to Derek on the telephone as he pulls the packing out of one of several crates and begins removing urns and dishes that belonged to Baron DeRais, happily declaring that he has all the remnants of his life, including his ashes.
Derek, back in his office in the Legacy House, reminds Sloan that he's talking about a man who helped put a King on the throne of France and rode alongside Joan of Arc and commanded her armies. William declares that the guy was guilty but Derek disagrees and asks what he was guilty of, besides flaunting his wealth and winning against impossible odds. Sloan replies that DeRais admitted being a sorcerer and 14 people testified against him. Derek says the man was tortured and that he hopes they'll be happy with what they find because he doesn't want to discover that the Legacy was involved in the atrocity of witch hunting. William smugly states that he doubts that.
Suddenly the plane experiences incredible turbulence and Sean, the pilot, radios to Sloan that he's landing to get out of the storm.
Sloan, staying as calm as possible, tells Derek that he won't be there that night. Derek replies that the secrets were hidden over 500 years and another night won't matter. Sloan begins to do a phone inventory of the contents of the crates because, if the plane goes down, he wants his last act to be proving Derek wrong in something.
Derek grins and accuses him of having a morbid sense of humor just as Sloan finds a book clad in hand wrought iron without a lock, that's forged closed. "Someone didn't want it to be opened." Suddenly, the transmission begins to break up and Derek looks worried. The plane begins to go down amidst fierce turbulence. William, hanging on to the side of the seat, tells Derek to tell Patty and his children that he loves them and the phone transmission is cut off as the plane descends nose first into the mountains.
Legacy House Control Room- that morning
On the overhead screen, a map of a mountainous area is displayed. There are certain areas marked with red circles. Derek tells Alex and Rachel that the plane went down at 12:47 am Pacific Standard Time, in a storm over a mountain range over 11,000 feet. He says that radar and his phone conversation have determined that the crash site was within the circles indicated on the map. The circled area is 20 miles. Nick explains that in determining the search area, a 20 mile circle is "area equals Pi R squared, " which means that the search area is 1256 miles.
Alex asks about the black box and Nick replies that the plane did have an ELT (Emergency Locator Transmitter), but because the plane went down between 2 mountain peaks, the signal can't get out, just the same reason that radar can't get in to find them. The signal can only go up and could only be heard by another plane. Nick, looking very serious, tells them that snow is falling and if the ELT doesn't get picked up or Sloan or one of the crew can't light a signal fire, they won't be found till spring. Alex adds the temperatures there are in the low 20s with a wind chill of minus 10.
Derek has a vision of a dark cavern like room and a lit candle. He sees William, injured, weakly asking for help then falling unconscious.
Rachel tells them that if anyone survived the crash itself, a person could only live 2 days in those temperatures. Nick agrees, worrying that considering the mountainous conditions, even if they pinpointed the crash site exactly, by the time they got to it they'd be pulling out bodies.
Derek walks up saying "No, he's alive, I know he is." He looks very worried and says he keeps seeing him and it's cold and dark and he's not alone.
Alex asks if he's ever had a psychic connection to Sloan before, Derek shakes his head and adds, "I don't like it."
Dark Cavern-like room
William Sloan is tied down on a wooden slab with thick ropes. A man, holding a lit candle, drags himself up to the slab and checks the rope. Sloan can't see him and the man won't show his face. Sloan tells him he has a wife and children and begs him to get word to them. The man disdainfully replies that he too had a family and he begged too, but, "You wouldn't listen." Sloan asks who he is and hears, "I am Gilles DeLavelle - Baron DeRais," and the man moves the candle to illuminate a haggard, scarred, bearded one eyed face with long straggly hair. He tells Sloan he was an innocent man and blames him for his disfigurements.
Helicopter pad- Daytime -Legacy House
Alex, Rachel, Derek and Nick are in the chopper. Nick, piloting, asks if everyone is strapped in and then he lifts off. Derek is in left front seat and Alex and Rachel are in the back. Derek looks worried and begins to have another vision.
Dark candlelit room
Sloan pleads with the Baron, telling him he isn't the one that's responsible. DeRais holds up a Legacy Precept ring in his scarred fingers and asks if it's his ring. William replies yes and DeRais tells him the ring is the first thing he saw when he awoke from the dead and the last thing he saw when he died. He says it was like waking up from a nightmare and still being in it as he remembers the flames eating his flesh.
United States Forestry Service station-somewhere in the mountains - later that day
The Luna chopper flies into the remote station nestled in mist covered mountain peaks and lands on the snow. The Legacy team is dressed in cold weather gear, Nick in black, Alex in purple, Rachel in orange and Derek in royal blue. Captain Smith of the US Forestry Department greets them as they enter the cabin and tells them nothing can be done until the weather clears which they hope will be in about 2 hours. Nick asks about the ELT and Smith tells him all transmitters are tuned into 121.5 megahertz but no one has heard anything yet. Smith says as soon as the weather clears they'll be ready to go.
Derek has a vision of William pleading for someone to stop.
Cavern
Sloan awakens in the room and this time sees torches burning all around. He pulls against the bindings restraining him and looks around. DeRais tells him that the room is where he was tortured, and claims that despite the fact that he pleaded his innocence, Sloan told him to confess anyway and now he wants revenge. "You will not deny me my revenge."
US Forestry station
Derek has yet another vision of William, this time in great pain. Alex is concerned and asks Derek if he's all right. Derek answers, "He's dying, he can't breathe, he can't move and he's in great pain." This statement prompts one of the forestry search team members to ask Nick if Derek is a psychic "like in the commercials." Nick, with a very serious look on his face replies, "Not exactly."
Smith reassures Derek that he knows how he feels and how worried he is.
Derek whispers to Alex to uplink to the Legacy database and find out when the weather will clear because he doesn't want to wait for an "anonymous day to give them the all clear."
Derek goes outside and stares worriedly at the mountains. After a few minutes, Rachel joins him, offering a quarter for his thoughts. He smiles, "I thought it was a penny." Rachel, returning the smile, "It's the cost of living adjustment."
Derek says his thought for the day is there are some things better left alone. Rachel quizzically notes that doesn't sound like him, since he's a scientist and a researcher. Derek, still looking out at the mountains and the snow, mentions that Carl Sagen said we'd learn to regret some of our discoveries. Rachel asks if Sloan was tampering with something he should have left alone. Derek, looking introspective, says, "not just William, all of us. What do we have the right to do, when what we do crosses the line? What are the consequences?"
Rachel tells him it sounds like he's thinking about his father. Derek answers, "my father, William, too many others, sometimes, maybe, we should just let sleeping demons lie."
Derek then has another vision of Sloan.
Cavern
Sloan lies helpless, tied to the wooden slab. DeRais displays torture equipment, noting that these are the tools of the powers of good, "your tools." He holds up a 'boot', 2 pieces of wood, attached together with thick ropes, explaining that its only purpose is a torture device used to cause excruciating, unbearable pain as it crushes your legs and lacerates your flesh.
William reminds DeRais that as a soldier, he faced far greater enemies than a bunch of priests. DeRais fastens the 'boot' on Sloan's right leg telling him no battlefield has ever seen the horrors done in this room.
Sloan asks him if he thinks he'll enjoy this as much as he enjoyed killing the children. Despite DeRais claims of innocence, Sloan asserts that he murdered hundreds of children and used their blood for rituals to conjure up demons that won battles for him and gave him riches that he flaunted. DeRais angrily tells Sloan that his castles, lands and treasures were taken to reward his persecutors for a job well done. He talks about the torturers and tells Sloan to not speak to him about evil, saying his legs are useless and he has no right to call anyone else evil.
Meanwhile in the station
Alex has her laptop computer uplinked from the Legacy Database and shows Derek the weather radar which indicates the storm is breaking up. Smith agrees it's clear enough to take a chance and the search teams all leave.
Cavern
DeRais strikes the boot on Sloan's leg with a large mallet and he screams in agony. He tells DeRais to do what he will but he won't confess to anything because he's innocent. Baron DeRais declares that William will say anything he wants him to say and drags himself to the side of the cavern, pulls out a book and brings it over saying he wrote it all down so no one can forget. He recites about his torture, saying he had a boot on each leg for over a week and daily they came and administered more blows to the boot. The pain intensified and his bones were all crushed. He knew he'd never walk on his legs again and begged the hooded man wearing the ring with the letter "L" for mercy. The man stood over him and told him to confess, confess, confess, whether it was true or not.
DeRais tells William he shouldn't pity him, he should fear him since there's nothing more dangerous than a man who has nothing left to lose.
In helicopter - over snow covered mountain peaks
Nick, flying the chopper while Derek, Alex and Rachel scan the ground with binoculars, calls their location to the base station, "Luna helicopter to USF23, coordinates 0-2-Niner 374, proceeding north - northwest. Over." Derek, in the seat next to Nick, absently rubs his right leg as if in pain. Nick asks if he has cramps in his leg. Derek nods and Nick tells him it comes from the cold and high altitude. Nick reports in, "Luna Helicopter still holding steady. Still no sign of the wreckage."
After awhile, USFS 23 calls to Luna helicopter and asks if they have anything. Nick says no but they have to be down there somewhere. Captain Smith reminds him that somewhere is a big place and that none of the other search teams have found anything either. Derek looks at Nick, very worried.
Cave
As William struggles helplessly against the ropes, DeRais relates that when he was tortured he finally confessed to what was asked, but that Sloan then wanted more, wanted him to confess that his family embraced the ways of the devil. William says that the persecutors believed what they were doing was right. DeRais bitterly replies that nothing can justify what was done to him. Sloan again tells him that he wasn't the man that did this.
DeRais demands to know why he brought him back and why he desecrated his grave. Sloan pleads, "I wanted to give you a chance to prove your innocence." DeRais asks if he can take away his pain and make him a whole man again. Whispering now, he asks Sloan if his ring has that power. He turns and hits the boot and William screams.
Chopper - getting dark
Captain Smith calls over the radio to Nick and says the shadows are so deep they can't see anything. Nick asks for another 15 minutes but Smith tells him its not worth the risk. Derek, looking very alarmed, says "We have to keep looking!" Nick looks over at Derek, and pulls away the microphone from his face and tells Derek gently, "I'm afraid he's right, Derek. Even if we had a searchlight, we wouldn't be able to see anything."
From the base radio, Smith, tells them to come back to the station to get food, rest, and fuel, and head out again at sun up. Nick replies "Roger" and they turn back to the station.
Cavern
DeRais hits the boot again and suddenly hears the chopper and looks frightened because he doesn't recognize the sound. Sloan tells him his army is coming. Then the chopper noise gets faint and DeRais jubilantly tells him the armies are retreating because they're afraid to face him.
Sloan tells him he can't help what's been done to him but he can help him prove it and put his soul at rest once and for all and have his remains buried in consecrated ground. DeRais replies that the only one way to put his soul to rest is for him to hear Sloan scream for mercy and confess to whatever he asks. He says he'll laugh then as the life drains from his body just as he's done to him. Sloan, in great pain, tells DeRais he can kill him but he won't confess.
DeRais turns and gets ready to strike the boot but stops short. Sloan flinches, anticipating the blow. DeRais looks at him and says fear is worse than pain. He crawls out of the room on his hands and knees as he says ominously, "It will build. You will give me what I want, believe me. You just remember one thing, you created me." William looks up at the ceiling in pain.
Forest Ranger Station - That Night
A large fire burns in the fireplace. Nick and Alex are sitting back in the cushions of a couch and Rachel snuggles in blankets in a chair. Derek sits by the fire telling them that on October 26, 1440, Baron DeRais was executed. The most common form of execution for sorcerers and witches in those days was strangling almost to death and then burning. Alex asks if he was guilty and Derek looks up, saying that's what he wants to find out.
He absently rubs his ring and has a vision of DeRais striking William.
The phone rings and Captain Smith answers. It's the FAA. A commercial 747 picked up the ELT from the Lear jet and gave them it's exact location which is in an extremely remote area of the mountains.
Smith plans the rescue mission, looking at a map, he tells the team that there are other rescue teams close to the location. He directs Nick to do a fly by so they'll know what they're getting into, and meanwhile, he'll bring the snowcat and meet them at the nearest level clearing, which is about 2 miles away from the crash site. The other rescue teams will come in by snowmobile and meet them.
Cavern
Sloan, left alone in the room, struggles to get out of the ropes and begins to break free.
Luna Helicopter - Daylight
Nick radios Smith that their GPS has them directly over the coordinates. Just then a beeping noise is picked up and Derek tells Nick it's 43 degrees off port. They fly to the exact position and Rachel, seeing the wreckage first, points it out to the others. Derek tells Smith over the radio that the wreckage is near the end of an east - west gorge that's approximately 200 feet deep. It's lying in a nose up attitude. Nick observes they must have been trying to make a last ditch climb.
Smith says he knows the area and tells them to land and he's coming in the snowcat and will meet them at the north ridge of the gorge.
Cavern
DeRais crawls back into the room. Sloan, free now, grabs a stick to use as a crutch and tries to drag himself up the steps to the wooden door while DeRais screams that he can't escape. William gets to the top of the steps and opens the door and sees his pilot and copilot hanging dead. He closes the door.
Top of the gorge
The Legacy members and other rescuers get off the snowcat and walk to the rim and look over. Nick looks down at the angle of the slope and goes back to the snowcat for the climbing gear. Derek looks over and very worriedly announces there is something else down there, and moves to the very edge of the gorge. He promptly loses his footing on the icy edge and tumbles to the bottom while Alex and Rachel scream his name.
Cavern
DeRais, crawling, dragging an iron spike in his hand, follows Sloan , who hobbles away trying to keep out of reach but backs into a corner. Then, just as DeRais is about to throw the spike, Derek bursts into the room.
The wooden door now looks like a plane's door and snow is clearly visible outside. Derek calls, "William?" and DeRais throws the spike right into Derek's chest and he crumples to the ground as Sloan screams Derek's name. DeRais advances on Sloan telling him its now time for him to die.
Meanwhile, back at the top of the gorge, Nick, in full climbing gear, ties off his climbing ropes and begins to descend down to the plane. Rachel tells him they're right behind him.
Cavern
Sloan sees Derek dead with the spike sticking out of his chest and hears DeRais say that he'll soon envy his friend because his death was quick . Baron DeRais raises an ax to kill Sloan just as Nick, carrying a flaming torch, comes in the plane door. Sloan turns to Nick and screams, "Burn him!" DeRais tries to strike Nick and they struggle. Nick hits DeRais with the torch and he burns up and crumbles into dust on the floor of the cavern.
Plane
Sloan, trapped in the plane seat, his face covered in blood, hears Nick's voice calling Derek and asking if he's OK. Derek replies he's all right but how is William? Nick answers he doesn't know.
The two men enter the plane, calling to William as they shine their flashlights around the wreckage. Their flashlight beams find William, trapped with his hands held tight under the seatbelt straps and the seat mangled around him. His legs are lacerated, broken and covered in blood. Derek, with great kindness and concern in his voice, asks Sloan if he can feel his legs. William replies "You're alive? He killed you. I saw it." Derek again gently asks, "Can you feel your legs at all, William?"
Nick asks "Mr. Sloan, what about your crew." He replies, "They're dead. I saw them." Nick makes his way to the cockpit door, opens it, and sees both pilots dead. Derek reassures Sloan that the rescue teams are coming.
Sloan replies, "He was here, Derek. DeRais was here and he killed you."
Just then Nick returns from the cockpit and Sloan, seeing him, excitedly says, "And, you killed him!"
Derek tells William to take it easy and promises they'll get him out of there and warm soon. Sloan looks at Derek and asks if he was delirious and it was all in his head.
Rachel and Alex and the rescuers come in. Nick leaves to tell the rescuers to bring down cutting equipment because Sloan is lodged in. Derek tells Nick to also call London and let them know he's alive.
While Rachel tends Sloan, Derek and Alex try to collect the artifacts that are strewn all over the plane floor and return them to the crates. They find the book that Sloan had said was forged closed, laying open on the floor, quite a distance from William.
Derek picks it up and reads a passage "and each time I could feel more of my bones break." Sloan, still trapped in his seat, weakly adds, "and I could hear the hooded man wearing the ring with the letter L saying confess." Derek stares directly at William.
Legacy house morning - Outside guest room door.
Mrs. Sloan thanks Derek with a hug and he teases with a big smile, "I did it for you. If it wasn't for you, I would have left him to die." She grins and asks when the two men are going to admit that they couldn't survive without each other. Derek with a delighted look on his face says, "Never, its more fun this way."
Rachel opens the door and comes out of the room announcing that he's doing great. She leaves and Mrs. Sloan (Patricia) and Derek enter the room
William is propped up in bed wearing red and navy striped pajamas. He has a large bandage over his forehead, his right leg is in a cast and elevated on pillows.
His wife climbs in bed and lays alongside him and he hugs her. Derek comments that he feels like a third wheel and Sloan grins and tells him he is and to leave. Derek reminds Sloan that his last wish was wrong and that the journals proved Derek right. DeRais was innocent and he was tortured into confessing just as he thought and the 14 who testified against him were tortured too. Mrs. Sloan smiles, saying, "Your being right kept him alive. I hope you're right a lot."
Derek grins and Sloan, looking concerned says, "Innocent," and asks Derek if he can arrange to have DeRais' remains buried in consecrated ground. Derek agrees. Sloan wonders if there was a connection with the Legacy and Derek replies that it will take some time to research that . Sloan reminds him DeRais told him his inquisitor wore a Legacy ring.
Derek, on his way out the door, turns and says, "If, in fact, he spoke to you at all."
"How can you explain the book, how I knew what was in the cockpit and where my ring is?" He waves his left hand and his Legacy Precept ring is missing.
Derek smiles and shrugs and leaves the room.
Sloan strokes his wife's shoulders while he thinks (voiceover):