A young girl with strange, supernatural powers is shunned by her peers but welcomed by a nanny with similar gifts, while her parents must decide what's ultimately best for their child.
Opening narration
| "It is the differences between people that cause conflicts. Differences in religion, in race, in beliefs. What wars would be fought if the differences grew between two intelligent species; humans... and those who might ultimately replace us?" |
Plot
A young girl, Aggie Travers (Thora Birch), is an outcast at her elementary school, and mysterious things happen to people when she doesn't get along with them. Since it appears that she is responsible for these strange things, she is suspended from school. Her parents are at their wits end, so they decide to look for a nanny for their troubled child. Karen Ross (Megan Follows), their first candidate, seems perfect; she bonds with Aggie from the start, and seems to understand her special needs. Karen helps Aggie to hone her powers, while forming a strong bond between the two. Meanwhile, Terry Walsh (Matthew Walker), from a government organization known as The Trackers, is hunting down young girls like Aggie for the purpose of scientific experiments under the guise of para-FBI agents.
Karen explains to Aggie that certain girls like them are born with psychic abilities, but they fade with age. Terry tracks down and interrogates one of Karen's friends, Jean Anderson, but she commits suicide rather than talk. He finds out Aggie's address regardless. Karen takes Aggie to visit Jean, but when they find her corpse, Aggie screams and runs home. Terry goes to Aggie's house and asks her parents to help find Karen, claiming she is a criminal. Aggie and then Karen come home, and Karen explains psychic girls are hunted out of fear. Dismissing her as a freak, Travis draws his gun, but Karen knocks him down with telekinesis. However, he recovers, grabs her, and holds his gun to her head. Aggie seizes him with telekinesis and tortures him. Karen urges her not to kill him, so she instead erases his memories.
Karen says more agents will come and they must go into hiding. Aggie's parents allow her to go with Karen to a secret sanctuary where psychic girls can hone their powers.
Closing narration
| "The wars of evolution are fought over generations. But sometimes only the fittest survive battles which last the briefest moments. A hundred years from now, a new race may look back and say, 'This little girl's stand was a turning point." |
Notes
- The episode was known to have received two prose adaptations. The first was written by Diane Duane for Prima Publishing. The second was written by author John Peel as part of a series of young reader books. Both adaptations came out several months apart in 1997.
- This is the only episode written by Ann Lewis Hamilton.
Cast
- Thora Birch as Aggie Travers
- Megan Follows as Karen Ross (as Megan Porter Follows)
- Page Fletcher as Joe Travers
- Sandra Nelson as Leslie Travers
- Matthew Walker as Terry Walsh
- Frances Sternhagen as Jean Anderson
- P. Lynn Johnson as Mrs. Hagen
- Andrew Johnston as Mr. Hagen
- Rebecca Toolan as Mrs. Whelan
- Diana Stevan as Ruth
- Tracy Waterhouse as Debra
- Codie Lucas Wilbee as Clark Howell (as Codie Wilbee)
- Kevin Conway as the Control Voice (voice)