Review By: Emma Keturah "I'd like most everyone to believe me dead."
- Cigarette-Smoking Man |
 |
Title: "Semper Fi"
Written by: Cassie
Date: May 21-22, 2006
Air Date: June 5, 2006
Rating: PG-13
Series: FRVS - Episode #173
Spoilers: Past episodes of FRVS may be spoiled.
Feedback: We love it. There is a form at the bottom of this story that you can use to send us feedback. Thank you.
Archiving: "Fox & Rat" Virtual Series only!
Disclaimer: We do not own anyone. They belong to Chris Carter, Ten-Thirteen Productions, and 20th Century FOX Broadcasting.
Author's Note: The personalities of the characters within the world of "Fox & Rat" are not those you know from "The X-Files" television series. We have warped them and given them a common past, immature behavior and a sense of humor. Any horrid behavior should not be mimicked in your every day life.
Summary: Mulder meets his secret informant and learns vital information about colonization and the chip in Scully's neck.
FADE IN:
INT. FBI BASEMENT – DOGGETT + SCULLY’S OFFICE – 3:57 P.M.
MAY 3, 2006John Doggett sits at his desk. He’s staring down at a piece of paper. He doesn’t dare look up at his partner after what he just said. Why does she remain so silent? He can feel her stare burning into him. He nervously rubs his index finger under his nose.
SCULLY
John?
He doesn’t look up at her. Her vocal tone tells him that she is not happy with him.
SCULLY
You look at me and tell me
you meant every word you just said.
He hears her cross her arms across her chest, she’s giving him the look. He can’t keep staring at this piece of paper forever. He glances up at her quickly, avoiding looking into her eyes.
SCULLY
Well?DOGGETT
You were talking about alien
abductees, Dana, and saying that
they’re the ones with chips in
their neck, just like yours. (beat)
I just assumed you were claiming
to be some damn alien abductee.SCULLY
Maybe you’re just hearing what
you want to hear, John.DOGGETT
Now what’s that supposed to mean?SCULLY
I told you the chip is from
alien technology, used to
control and keep track of
alien abduct-DOGGETT
- Then there you have it. Used
to keep track of alien abductees.
You have a chip in your neck.
Does that mean you’re claiming to
be an abductee.SCULLY
No. That chip was put in me by-DOGGETT
- If you say aliens, I’m leaving.
Scully stops speaking, she looks at him in disgust.
SCULLY
What the hell is your problem, John?
John stands up angrily.
DOGGETT
My problem?! You’re the one talkin’
mumbo jumbo about aliens.SCULLY
That’s because what I’m saying
is true, whether or not you believe it.DOGGETT
Aliens don’t cause airplanes to crash.SCULLY
John, two days ago, thirteen aircraft
crashed. (beat) Thirteen… that can’t
just be a coincidence.DOGGETT
Stranger things have happened.SCULLY
And what about the radiation burns
on individual passengers on each
of those thirteen flights?DOGGETT
What about them?
Scully rolls her eyes, she can’t believe him.
SCULLY
The passengers with radiation
burns also had chips in their
necks. Chips like mine. I’ve
told you about the technology-DOGGETT
- And that’s bullshit, Dana.
He points an angry finger at her and glares at her with his steely intense blue eyes.
SCULLY
John-DOGGETT
- I’m done arguing this with
you. We need to cross reference
the passenger lists with known
terrorist groups to see if there
are any connections. Terrorism, Dana.
That’s the most likely cause of those crashes.SCULLY
You won’t find any connection.
(beat) Why won’t you listen to me?
John sits back down at his desk and begins working, ignoring her.
SCULLY
John?
He continues to ignore her.
SCULLY
(angry)
Agent Doggett?
He lets out an angry sigh. He looks at her, he’s annoyed.
DOGGETT
(calmer)
You’re a better agent than this, Dana.
Why’re you letting Mulder’s conspiracy
theories block your rationalism?SCULLY
They’re not theories, John.
Why do you think Monica and
I were held at that facility?
Why do you think Monica’s had
the problems she’s had? Why do
you think her psychic ability
has been enhanced?
John doesn’t answer her.
SCULLY
Don’t go and ignore what I went
through just because you’re too
goddamned stubborn to believe
that aliens do exist. (beat)
I’m serious when I say that aliens
are going to colonize our planet.
They intend to make us an extinct
species. We’re upon this Earth’s
sixth extinction, John.DOGGETT
(sarcastic)
Like the dinosaurs?
She detects doubt in his voice, is he making fun of her?
SCULLY
Yeah, like the dinosaurs. (beat)
Roswell happened, John. That’s
how long some men in our government
have known of the aliens intent to
colonize. It’s taken nearly 60 years
for us to develop a successful vaccine
against their virus. This was with Iran…
it’s the cover story. The President doesn’t
want to tell the public what’s really
going on because it would cause mass panic.
John shakes his head.
SCULLY
Why do you keep doing that?
I’ve talked to you about this
before and you never got this angry-DOGGETT
- Maybe I’m getting sick and
tired of listening to science
fiction. Did you ever stop to
consider how foolish you sound
when you talk about aliens and
colonization? (beat) You have
no proof that what you’re saying is true.SCULLY
The chip in my neck. It’s
technology comes from them.DOGGETT
Can you prove that? Did you
see little green men put it
into your neck. Were you on
an alien spaceship?
His words shoot into her heart like daggers.
SCULLY
Charles Spender, the Smoking Man, he
had that chip put in my neck to control
my ability to have children. What kind
of human technology do you know of
that can do that?DOGGETT
Well, obviously it’s in you, but
funny, you don’t want it removed so
we can’t have it studied because
you claim that you’ll develop terminal cancer.
I’m sorry, Dana, but there’s no technology
out there that can cause terminal cancer
just because you’ve had it removed from your body.SCULLY
(upset)
Are you accusing me of lying?
John looks away from her. She steps toward him, she leans across his desk and looks at him intensely. He doesn’t look at her. He doesn’t want to believe that she’d lie to him… about anything.
SCULLY
Ok, if you want to study the chip,
you make the call. You take me to
get it removed. You don’t believe
what I’m saying then you take the
responsibility of the consequences
of that action.
He looks up at her, his eyes lock with hers. He doesn’t want that chip removed. He believes her. He believes that her cancer will come out of remission if the chip is removed, and he does not want that to happen to her again. He loves her too much. Is it his love for her that makes him believe what she tells him? Is he blinded by love?
SCULLY
Thought so.
She stands up straight and walks back to her desk. She sits down. John watches her. He wants to apologize to her for what he said, but he’s said some really harsh things to her today. He even took it as far as to bring up her battle with cancer ten years ago, and the possibility that it could come out of remission if that chip were removed. He’s not sure if her anger with him has cooled off to make right now the right time to apologize. He goes back to cross referencing the passenger list with terrorist groups.
He hopes to find a connection. He doesn’t want to have to eat his words later, making their argument pointless. He never should have been so harsh to her about the chip in her neck. That chip has caused her so much heartache.
He hears her sniffle. He looks up at her, she’s dabbing her eyes with tissue. He’s upset her so much that she’s crying.
DOGGETT
(caring)
Are you all right?
She shakes her head “no”.
SCULLY
I’m afraid.
He can tell she’s trying not to cry now that she knows he’s noticed.
DOGGETT
Afraid of what?SCULLY
Losing you.DOGGETT
You’re not going to lose me
over a fight we had at work.SCULLY
Losing you to the Marines if they
call you to duty.
So she’s still worried about that. She has every right to be Walter Skinner got called to duty after thirty-some years of retirement.
SCULLY
Afraid that the chip in my neck…
John… that chip is probably the
reason why our plane crashed on
that island. I didn’t get radiation
burns… I’m not sure what that means.
(beat) What if I’m next? What if I
die out-of-the-blue like those passengers on the planes?
A tear streams down her face, she looks him in the eyes and starts crying.
SCULLY
What if the aliens want
to destroy the technology in me?
John stands up and goes to her. He kneels down in front of her, placing his hand on her knee.
DOGGETT
I won’t let that happen.
Dana looks at him and rolls her eyes.
SCULLY
You wouldn’t be able to stop it.
John doesn’t know what to say to that. He doesn’t want to get into another argument about this with her.
DOGGETT
I’m sorry.
Dana bites her lower lip, she doesn’t want to break down and cry. She nods her head to acknowledge his apology. She knows him too well.
SCULLY
Doesn’t mean you believe me though.DOGGETT
We don’t always need to see
things eye-to-eye, Dana. It’s
our differences that help us
grow as a couple.SCULLY
(quiet)
I still wish you’d believe me…DOGGETT
(quiet)
My heart believes you, it’s my
mind that has its doubts. I’m
like you, I need hard evidence
of things that most people conceive
as lies, or from the imagination
of the legally insane.SCULLY
I’m not crazy.DOGGETT
You know what I mean.SCULLY
I fear that by the time
you believe, it’ll be too
late. You’re stubborn.
John laughs quietly, that he is.
SCULLY
I wish you wouldn’t laugh
when I’m serious, especially
about this.DOGGETT
I’m sorry.
He holds her hand and lifts it up, he kisses it. He wants her to now that though they fought, he still loves her very much. CUT TO:
INT. STRUGHOLD RESEARCH FACILITY – 7:00 P.M.
John Montgomery is in his living quarters. Most everything is packed. He stands in the middle of his living room. So many years of hard work, secrets, heartache and research were spent at facilities like this one. And now with a little over a month before the aliens begin their takeover of the planet, he’s ready to travel north to be at a Syndicate headquarters that is carved into a glacier. The cold air temperature makes it harder for the alien virus to gestate an alien being in its host.
All Syndicate members are required to report to this headquarters. The surviving members of the Syndicate will form the new government after aliens colonize. John Montgomery hopes a large number of people survive the attacks, he hopes that most everyone got inoculated with the vaccine against the alien virus.
His gut tells him that’s impossible to hope for.
He’s debated for weeks whether or not to go to Dana Scully and tell her to come with him to the arctic headquarters. She was very much an important player in the development of the vaccination. Her leadership skills will come in handy in the future.
He knows that she knows the day the aliens are coming, June 11th, today is May 3rd. He trusts that she will take every precaution to survive.
He worries that the aliens may try to track her down. He should have removed that chip from her neck before he helped her leave the facility last year. But if he had done that, her cancer could have come out of remission… the vital information held in the chip wouldn’t be so difficult to find if it had been with him all this time.
There’s a knock on his door. He walks to it and opens it. On the other side is Charles Spender, the Cigarette-Smoking Man.
MONTGOMERY
I’ve been expecting you to show up.CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
May I come in? I’d like most
everyone to believe me dead.
Montgomery steps aside and lets him in. He shuts the door.
MONTGOMERY
It was too easy… Alex Krycek
shooting you. You’re too
smart to be had by him.CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
I wasn’t aware you knew I was alive.MONTGOMERY
I had my suspicions. (beat)
What do you want?CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
Same thing you desire… survival.MONTGOMERY
Survival?CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
I’m sure you can figure I haven’t
been inoculated since you created
the vaccine.MONTGOMERY
I can’t give it to you, you
don’t deserve to live.
The Smoking Man takes out a pack of Morley cigarettes.
CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
Are you so certain of that?
He lights up and takes a drag.
MONTGOMERY
After all you did to Dana, yeah,
I’m certain.CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
So… I’ll need to speak with Miss
Scully about this matter since
you’re denying me?
The Smoking Man smirks. He wants so badly to see the expression on Scully’s face when she finds out he’s still alive.
MONTGOMERY
You stay away from her.CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
She’s mine. Not you, not anybody
can keep her from me for long.MONTGOMERY
The shapeshifter Krycek killed…
He bled red blood, not green.
What does that mean?CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
Now you want answers from me?
He smirks again, humored by this.
MONTGOMERY
I want an explanation.
CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN Montgomery’s jaw tightens.
Inoculate me with the vaccine.
MONTGOMERY
I thought you made a deal
with the aliens that ensured
your survival.CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
That deal is moot without
Dana by my side.MONTGOMERY
And why is that?CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
I know you know what information is
in the chip in her neck, the aliens
know of it too and they want it.
I deliver Dana Scully to the aliens,
then I am assured survival and a role
of power once all is said and done.
The threat against Scully is very real. Montgomery is certain they will hunt her down. If he inoculates the Smoking Man, he may not pursue Dana immediately, if he doesn’t inoculate him… the Smoking Man may approach her at his earliest convenience which would be sooner rather than later. Either way he’s sure the Smoking Man will make himself known to Scully eventually. CUT TO:
INT. MARINE BARRACKS – 11:07 P.M.
CAMP LEJEUNE, NORTH CAROLINAKnowle, Shannon, and Skinner are sitting close together near Shannon’s bunk. They are speaking quietly.
KNOWLE
You guys are gonna have to take
my word for it, we’re going to
have to get out of here on or
before June 10th, no second guessing.SHANNON
So these aliens… you think all
military branches are gathered
together for easy annihilation?KNOWLE
Yes.SKINNER
It’s a great setup for an ambush.
In ‘Nam we tried not to travel
in close groups, rather spread
apart… that way if we were attacked
there’d be more of a chance that
some men would survive. The way we’re
gathered here, no one being stationed
elsewhere… it doesn’t feel right.
Shannon nods her head.
KNOWLE
I’ve been working closely with
General Roger Thompson to secretly
access information. We need to stay
on top of things incase plans change.SHANNON
You are being careful, right?KNOWLE
Doing my best. I’m good at this,
Shan’, I never told you this when
we were together, but I used to work
with a special ops unit. I’m trained
to obtain top secret information in
instable environments. You two listen
to me, you’ll get through this.SKINNER
So we stick together.SHANNON
What about the others?KNOWLE
You two are the only ones I trust.
Consider anyone else one of them.SKINNER
Even this Thompson guy? And
what about Dana’s brother, Charles?KNOWLE
Roger over Charles. I don’t
know Charles Scully well enough
to trust him. His sister did
work for some Group once. I’m
weary of him.
A man coughs loudly behind them. They look up, it’s Charles Scully.
CHARLES SCULLY
Marines, it’s past lights out.
You need to be back in your
own bunks. Rise n’shine early
tomorrow at 04:00 for additional training.
Skinner stands up and goes across the room to his own bunk. Charles looks at Knowle.
CHARLES SCULLY
Get up in your bunk, Marine.
Knowle stands up, places his hands on the bunk bed above Shannon. He grunts as he lifts his body up. Charles walks away, his hands held behind his back.
Knowle leans over the side of his bed to speak to Shannon.
KNOWLE
See what I mean. We spoke
of him, and he shows up?SHANNON
Go to sleep, Knowle.
Shannon rolls over in her bed. She’s having a hard time wanting to sleep, knowing she’s located at what is a target, bullseye, for the alien colonists. CUT TO:
INT. JOHN + DANA’S HOUSE – KITCHEN – 2 A.M.
MAY 4, 2006John is sitting at the kitchen counter in the dark. He holds a glass of water in his hands. He’s unable to sleep tonight. Too many things keep coming to his mind: the case he and Dana are working on, the chip in her neck, and the mumbo jumbo about aliens and colonization.
Have too many years in the X-Files Division warped Dana’s mind into believing in aliens? Or is everything she’s told him true? He wants to believe she’d never lie to him, but aliens are too far-fetched for his imagination.
Earlier when Dana left their office for a break, he reviewed the casefile for another airplane crash, Flight 194, that went down a few years ago right before he was assigned to the X-Files Division. The plane had been suspended in the air and pulled down as if by a strong magnet, into the Atlantic Ocean. There was a passenger, a little girl, her body had been recovered, radiation burns… she had a chip in her neck… probably the same type of chip that Dana has in her neck.
His mind struggles to find a rational reason why these thirteen planes from the other day crashed. He had done his cross referencing and found nothing. Dana was right. Dana… well, she confirmed that each of the thirteen flights had recovered passengers with radiation burns and metallic chips in the back of their necks. All thirteen planes had those two things in common.
Maybe the chips are a new technology that terrorist groups are using to crash airplanes. John shakes his head and runs his hand over his face. But Dana’s had her chip since 1993… He looks up at his ceiling. She’s upstairs asleep. He hates that his heart and mind are at odds over something she’s so passionate about.
He takes a drink from his glass of water and stands up. He makes his way upstairs. He stands in the doorway to the bedroom and stares at Dana, his fiancée.
He wishes he could remove that chip from her neck, and that all would be all right: the ability to conceive a child, no cancer… just a happy life. Eliminating that chip could bring them both so much joy, and give them the chance of one day having a child.
He quietly walks over to her side of the bed. He sits down next to her and places his hand on her abdomen. She doesn’t move. He caresses the side of her face with his other hand, she’s so beautiful and peaceful. Tears well up in his eyes. He wishes he could take her world and make it perfect. He wishes that holding her in his arms would make all her problems go away. He’d do anything for her. Anything. He’d risk his life to protect her, he’d give his life for hers.
He leans down and places a lingering kiss on her forehead.
He hopes that everything she’s said about the chip, cancer, aliens and colonization isn’t true. Because if it is… well, if it is, they’ll all be in a world of shit come June 11, 2006. And like she said, there’s nothing anyone would be able to do to stop it from happening.
He runs his hand gently down her arm. He stands up and goes to his side of the bed. He pulls the blankets up over his body, and spoons up behind Dana, holding her close to him, protecting her in her sleep. He kisses the back of her neck and she moans and readjusts her body to better fit with his. He closes his eyes and falls asleep.
FADE OUT
FADE IN:
INT. GRANDMAMA REYES’S HOME – 7 A.M.
CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO
MAY 4, 2006Monica is in her Grandmama’s kitchen, preparing breakfast. She’s chopping up fresh fruit at the counter. Grandmama should be up by now, but she isn’t. Maybe since Monica and Brad are here visiting, she feels like she can enjoy sleeping in.
Brad comes into the kitchen, he’s wearing jeans and a white T-shirt. He smiles at Monica. He sits down at the dining table in the middle of the room.
MONICA
Sleep well?BRAD
Of course, it’s so quiet up here.
Sometimes I’m surprised that the
silence doesn’t keep me up.MONICA
Yeah, living in the city we get
used to sleeping among so much noise.BRAD
Grandmama’s stress levels must
be very low.
He laughs. Monica puts the chopped fruit into a bowl and places it on the dining table in front of Brad. She sits down.
MONICA
I’m surprised that Grandmama
is still asleep, usually
she’s up before the rest of
the world, you know?BRAD
Well she knows you’re up taking
care of her morning chores.MONICA
I guess so.
Monica looks down. Her Grandmama is not in the best of health right now. She hopes that she gets well soon. Her mind tells her that Grandmama is an old woman, that this may be her decline. After Knowle lost his mother… Monica isn’t sure she wants to lose someone else close to her so soon.
BRAD
You ok, Mon’? You’re
drifting away on me.
Monica looks up at him and smiles. Brad can be so nice sometimes.
MONICA
I keep thinking about Grandmama.
Her age, her health… I’m afraid
that she may be on her way out of
this stage of life.BRAD
Hey…
He reaches out and places his hand on hers.
BRAD
Remember that Grandmama once said
that she won’t leave this life unless
it’s on her terms. (beat) She’s got
a cold, that’s all this is.MONICA
Thanks. (beat) Usually when
she has a cold I’m still able
to contact her telepathically,
I wasn’t able to do that this time.
They’re both quiet, thinking about Grandmama.
BRAD
(nervous)
Monica… there’s something I’d
like to talk to you about.
She looks up at him.
MONICA
What’s that?
BRAD Monica shifts in her seat uncomfortably.
You and me.
BRAD
I know you love Knowle.
Monica’s eyes widen, how does he know that?
BRAD
Since we called off our wedding
I’ve noticed there’s something
between you two, I think there
always has been. (beat) I saw he
gave you his dog tags. For him
that’s a big step. You wear it,
keeping it close to your heart.
Tears well up in Monica’s eyes. She knows that her loving Knowle breaks Brad’s heart. Brad does love her. He loves her very much.
BRAD
All the problems we’ve had…
I’m sorry. I uh… I never wanted
things to turn out the way they
did between us. I love you, Moni.
I always will love you, but I also
don’t want to stand in your way
of being with the man you love-MONICA
- I do love you, Brad, it’s just-BRAD
- You love him like that.
Monica nods her head.
BRAD
Don’t feel bad about this.
I want what’s best for you
and I think the last few months
have made it clear to us both
that we just aren’t meant to
be together like that.MONICA
And now Knowle is with the Marines…
Aliens are coming next month…
I believe he’ll make it through, but
what about me? I can’t see anything
past June 11th, Brad. That scares me.
Brad doesn’t know what to say.
MONICA
Knowle said he’d come back for me.BRAD
Then trust that he will.Grandmama slowly walks into the kitchen. She doesn’t look any better today than she looked yesterday.
GRANDMAMA
Buenas dias. How was your sleep?MONICA
It was good. I made fruit
salad for breakfast. I know
it’s your favorite.
Grandmama carefully sits down at the dining table with Monica and Brad.
GRANDMAMA
I slept in so that you
and Bradley could talk.
She smiles weakly at Monica and Brad. GRANDMAMA
You know I’m old woman, and
I’m not well, but I can still
know things.
Grandmama fills a small bowl with fruit salad.
GRANDMAMA
I wish Johnny could have come down
here with Dana, I would have liked
to have seen the two of them again.
You know, congratulate them on the
engagement.
Grandmama takes a spoonful of fruit salad and puts it in her mouth.
MONICA
They’re engaged?GRANDMAMA
Yes, of course. You didn’t know?BRAD
Maybe they’re not telling
anyone yet.GRANDMAMA
Oops, maybe I just spilled the beans.MONICA
I’m sure they won’t mind.
(beat) Out of curiosity…
how long have they been engaged?GRANDMAMA
Since last month the eleventh.MONICA
Your gift amazes me, Grandmama.GRANDMAMA
It’s not always a gift, I think
you understand that as well as I do.MONICA
I do.GRANDMAMA
Pity things turn out the way
they do, isn’t it?
Monica isn’t sure what her Grandmama is talking about.
GRANDMAMA
The way the world works. Mysterious
ways. The path, the road that life
takes us down to bring us happiness
in the end. The path is more difficult
for some than others.MONICA
Are you trying to warn me of something?GRANDMAMA
No, I’m just reflecting on Johnny.
His life has never been simple.
Phone calls can complicate things
more now that…
Grandmama drifts to another topic.
GRANDMAMA
… Brad… you must protect.
Don’t let them find her.
Bad things happen… she’ll
need you… Toby… make sure to
take him to Enrique, the meat man
down in the town, Toby loves Enrique.
Monica and Brad share a look, they’re not following Grandmama’s discussion. GRANDMAMA
Today I want to take a walk.
The air is fresh here, it gives
me hope that all will be all right.
Do you want to walk too?MONICA
We can.GRANDMAMA
Good. (beat) The Earth is so
beautiful, the color, the sounds,
the texture, the smells… you don’t
know what you’ve got till it’s gone.
There’s a sadness in Grandmama’s voice. This sadness breaks Monica’s heart. Usually her Grandmama is so upbeat and optimistic, she still is, but there’s a hint of what Monica suspects is coming soon… the end.
GRANDMAMA
Always love each other.
She reaches out and holds both Monica and Brad’s hands.
GRANDMAMA
Love is what holds us together.
What makes us strong. What helps us
get through adversity. Love and
friendship conquers all. Like that
friend group your friend Mulder so badly
wants to bring back. (beat) You tell him
that I want to be an honorary member
when he finally revives it.
Monica laughs.
MONICA
He’ll love that.BRAD
I’m surprised that Super
Buddies isn’t back yet.
That reunion… (laughs) that
was a Super Buddies adventure.
Monica and Brad share a look, they smile.
GRANDMAMA
Keep music alive, and dance.
Life won’t always need to
be dreary.MONICA
Life isn’t dreary, Grandmama.GRANDMAMA
After the aliens, that’s what I mean.MONICA
Oh.
Grandmama puts another spoonful of fruit in her mouth, then she stands up to go get ready to take a walk. She looks out her kitchen window, Toby, her pet mule is standing looking into her house.
GRANDMAMA
Buenas dias, Toby.
Monica stands up to help her Grandmama clean up the kitchen. She goes to her and kisses her Grandmama on the cheek. Brad watches on, wondering what exactly Grandmama was trying to tell him. He’s sure it has something to do with protecting Monica, but from what? CUT TO:
EXT. PARK – 9 A.M.
WASHINGTON, D.C.Fox Mulder stands alone by a pond. His shoes are wet with morning dew from the fresh spring grass.
If he seems nervous it is because he’s meeting with his new informant, face-to-face for the first time.
The stale stench of a cigarette seeps into his nose.
CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
Beautiful morning for a walk.
Mulder turns around and sees the Cigarette-Smoking Man.
MULDER
What the hell are you doing alive?
The Smoking Man takes a long drag off his cigarette.
CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
That’s the wonder of the kind
of power I have access to, agent Mulder.MULDER
I don’t want anything to do with you.
Mulder starts walking away.
CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
Not even if I bring news about
your ex-wife?
Mulder stops.
MULDER
What have you done to her?CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
Trust me, I’m just as upset to
see her go as you are.MULDER
See her go?CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
Africanized honey bees… I told
you about their alteration. (beat)
Are you aware that outbreaks of the
alien virus have begun up north
in the cooler climates?MULDER
What does this have to do with Diana?
The Smoking Man sucks on his cancer stick. He enjoys the suspense he’s putting Mulder through.
CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
She was visiting an old friend…
she was attacked by a swarm of
bees. By the time she got to me
I could see an alien gestating
inside her. I had to save myself
so I shot it, and then shot her
point blank in the head. There
was no way she’d be able to recover.MULDER
Wasn’t she inoculated?CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
I thought she was, but if so,
it had no effect. The virus
infected her. The alien had
gestated well in under an hour.MULDER
Was she in pain?CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
Of course. Imagine an alien
gestating inside of you, clawing
wanting to get out.
Mulder looks down. It hurts him that Diana died suffering.
CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
But all that is not why I’m here.MULDER
Then why are we here?CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
Miss Scully… the chip in her neck.MULDER
You stay away from her.CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
That chip holds key information to
human survival, plans the aliens
have made once their attacks are
done… most importantly, how we can
defeat the aliens to save what will
be left of our race… digitized files
from the Pentagon were uploaded to
that chip when she was at the facility
last year. The Group needs her so they
can function successfully as a government.
That information is vital to us.MULDER
Is she aware of this?CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
No. Of course not. It’s safer
for her not to know what she
carries in that chip.MULDER
Why tell me?CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
She trusts you, she’ll believe
you when you tell her how important
it is for her to join the Group…
me… up at an arctic headquarters.
She can be protected at this facility.
She may have to help create a new
vaccine… the alien virus may have
mutated, which could explain why
Diana was not immune to it.MULDER
It’s too late for that.CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
For what?MULDER
A new vaccine… June 11th, right?
Our time is up.CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
I need you to tell Dana about
that chip. With that information
she’ll have no other moral choice
to make than to join me and the
others up north.
Mulder gives him a look, and starts walking away. He does not want to hear anymore of what he has to say. It’s obvious to Mulder that the Smoking Man wants Scully back, whether or not for the reasons he just stated or for his own personal, disgusting sexual reasons. The man sickens him to his stomach. He’ll need to sit down and think about what he was just told before he even thinks of telling Scully this man is alive and wants her back… and then about the information she carries in the chip in her neck. He needs to call Krycek to the office, if bees are attacking right now perhaps aliens plan to attack earlier than they think. He’ll have to consult with Krycek about this today and they will need to decide when they want to lock down the bunker.
CUT TO:
INT. MALL – FOOD COURT – 1 P.M.
Scully, Marita and Marita’s co-worker, Samantha are having lunch together.
SAMANTHA
I don’t plan on doing much
tomorrow for Cinco De Mayo,
going over to a friends for
fajitas, Mexican music and good times.MARITA
Alex and I will probably stay
in. I haven’t made love to him
for some time now.SAMANTHA
Keep denying him?MARITA
Yeah, I want him to grow up.
You know, be more manly, but
he’s so gosh darn attached to Mulder.
Marita looks at Scully, she’s been awfully quiet. She’s picking at her salad with her fork. Marita eyes the diamond ring on her finger.
MARITA
That’s a pretty ring. Did
John give it to you?
Samantha leans across the table to get a good look at the ring.
SAMANTHA
Wowie! That’s beautiful!
Scully looks at them and smiles.
SCULLY
Thank you. (beat) John
gave it to me last month.
Scully looks at the ring, her heart fills with happiness despite how bummed she’s been since she and John had their fight in the office yesterday, which really hasn’t been resolved yet.
MARITA
Ooh… suspense! Is it what
I think it is?SCULLY
And what’s that?SAMANTHA
An engagement ring!
Scully and Marita laugh at Samantha’s excitement.
SAMANTHA
I’m right, aren’t I?
I’m so good at guessing!SCULLY
It is. We’re engaged.MARITA
That’s great news, Dana.
Do you know when you want
to get married?SCULLY
We talked about either November
of January… Hawaii, you know…
if certain things don’t happen.
Sometimes the engagement seems pointless when she knows colonization is going to happen next month. Marita reaches out and touches Scully’s hand.
MARITA
Hey, don’t be so glum…
even if those things happen,
you and John can always be
married by heart like Alex and I.
Marita gives Scully a warm smile.
SAMANTHA
Those things… aliens?
Marita and Scully look at Samantha, how’d she know what they were referring to?
SAMANTHA
What? Don’t think that I don’t
read current issues of “U.F.O.
Sightings” magazine.SCULLY
Have you ever met Fox Mulder?SAMANTHA
I don’t think so.SCULLY
You should, you two would
get along well.SAMANTHA
I love meeting new people
and making new friends.
Samantha smiles at Scully.
MARITA
So, Dana, how did John ask you?
Scully smiles, reflecting back on the day John asked her if she’d marry him.
SCULLY
I received roses one by one all
day… a dozen in total. The last
one he handed to me and got on
his knee in front of me, and asked
if I’d do him the honor of becoming his wife.MARITA
That’s so romantic.SCULLY
Even more so if you were there.
(beat) I was crying before he
asked, I felt it was coming.SAMANTHA
Did he cry?
Scully nods her head. Marita and Samantha “aww” at the same time. Scully’s eyes are stung by tears.
SCULLY
It’s one of the most memorable
moments of my life…
She wipes a tear from her face.
MARITA
Dana, honey, are you ok?
Scully nods her head.
SCULLY
Yeah… John and I have been having
an argument and I don’t feel it’s
been properly resolved, that’s all.
Samantha stands up and goes to Scully. She hugs her, a big bear hug.
SAMANTHA
Don’t worry. Love includes
every emotion including
frustration and sadness…
Scully bites her lower lip, she doesn’t want to cry anymore. She’s done a lot of that recently.
SAMANTHA
… and pain, joy, boredom,
awkwardness… heartbreak,
heartache, anger, hate…
love is everything.SCULLY
I just want things to be good
between us, not this unspoken
tension because he’s too
stubborn to believe in aliens.
Scully looks at Samantha.
SCULLY
Aliens are real by the way…SAMANTHA
I know. I think I was
abducted once.
Scully’s brow wrinkles in doubt. Even though she knows aliens exist she still finds it strange and difficult to believe when someone claims they’re an alien abductee. Her mind versus her heart. She still casts doubt on it though she knows aliens are real and abductions have happened. Maybe this is what John feels when she talks about aliens and colonization. Maybe he does believe her but he just has a hard time believing in it.
SCULLY
Guys-SAMANTHA
- Gals.SCULLY
I need to go. I need
to talk to John.MARITA
I’ll go with you, I want
to make Alex marry me legally.
Scully and Marita stand up to leave.
SAMANTHA
I’ll mind the store. It was
fun lunching with you gals.
Samantha waves goodbye as Scully and Marita leave.
SCULLY
She reminds me a lot of Mulder.MARITA
I know.
Marita smiles to herself as if she knows something no one else does. CUT TO:
INT. FBI BASEMENT – DOGGETT + SCULLY’S OFFICE – 2:00 P.M.
Mulder and Krycek are scurrying around John and Dana’s office. Neither John nor Dana are there.
KRYCEK
The bees!MULDER
I know!KRYCEK
What do we do?!MULDER
I don’t know!KRYCEK
We need to get Marita and
lock up the bunker soon!
The bees!MULDER
I know!KRYCEK
Is that why Doggett went home early?!MULDER
I don’t know!KRYCEK
I want my mommy! And by
mommy, I mean Scully!MULDER
I don’t know!KRYCEK
Can you say anything else?MULDER
I don’t know!KRYCEK
We need to be serious. If bees
are attacking, the aliens may
have changed their plans, we
could be under attack as we panic!MULDER
I know!
There’s a knock on the office door. They stop being loud and look, it’s Marita.
MARITA
Boys…? What’s the ruckus for?
Krycek swiftly goes to Marita and grabs her arm and takes her out into the hallway.
MARITA
Sasha! What are you doing?KRYCEK
Mulder found out bees are
starting to attack up north.
It’s begun. We need to go home
and pack things up, we’re going
to lock up the bunker tomorrow.
We don’t know when the main
attacks are going to begin.MARITA
But it’s May 4th, not June 11th.KRYCEK
Did you not just hear what I said?
Aliens are starting the colonization process.MARITA
But we knew virus outbreaks would
begin before any air attacks. Why
do you think they’re attacking now
when they’re not?
Mulder walks past them and heads toward the elevator doors. He’s decided that he needs to tell Scully exactly what the chip in her neck contains. If she knows, she will be able to better protect herself. Suddenly a loud alarm sounds, and the basement hallway is blinking on and off with red lights.
Mulder looks back at Krycek, his hand is resting on a red button on the wall that has a note taped to the wall next to it: “Do not touch until June 10th”. The button locks down the bunker.
Marita is staring at Krycek’s hand, he hasn’t noticed what he’s done.
Suddenly metallic wall re-enforcements slam down around the walls and ceiling of the basement.
MULDER
Alex! You dweeb!
Krycek turns to face him.
KRYCEK
What? I’m da man hunky
punk pee wee. Not dweeb!MULDER
You just locked up the bunker!
I need to warn Scully!KRYCEK
(not panicked)
Well, unlock it.
Mulder goes to the wall where the elevator door used to be, he starts pounding on the metal wall of the bunker, dramatically.
MULDER
Let me out stupid bomb shelter wall!KRYCEK
Fox, just unlock it.
Mulder turns to face him and Marita.
MULDER
Can’t. Once activated it locks
for six months straight. Only
after those six months will it
allow us to unlock the bunker.
We’re locked down here, just us
three until… November.
Krycek’s eyes widen. Oh shit.
KRYCEK
Not everyone is down here!MULDER
I know. You shouldn’t lean
against red buttons!KRYCEK
This is not my fault!MULDER
Yes it is!KRYCEK
No it’s not!MULDER
Yes it is!KRYCEK
No it’s not!MULDER
Yes it is!KRYCEK
No it’s not!MULDER
Yes it is!KRYCEK
No it’s not!MARITA
Boys, look… stop fighting.
Fighting will get us nowhere.
She walks to where the elevator doors used to be. She starts pounding on the metal wall with her fists.
MARITA
(panicked)
Help! Get me out of here!
I can’t be locked for six
months straight with these
boys! Help! I’m Marita Lynn! Help!
The boys join her, banging, pounding and screaming for help at the top of their lungs. INT. ELEVATOR – CONTINUOUS
Since she hadn’t eaten much at the mall Food Court, Scully dropped by the FBI cafeteria before heading downstairs to speak with John about their current professional and personal differences. She knows she’ll need to energy in order to keep her head on while talking to him about this again.
The elevator door opens. She cocks an eyebrow. Why is there a metal wall blocking her access to the basement offices?
Scully presses the button to go back upstairs, perhaps Mulder can explain this. Poor John, he’s been locked down in the basement. Hopefully Mulder isn’t down there too.
A moment later she gets off the elevator and walks to Mulder’s office. He’s not there. She walks down the hall to Kersh’s office, she knocks on the door.
KERSH
Come in.SCULLY
Sir, do you know what’s going
on with the basement? The
elevator door opened and um…
a metal wall is there. I can’t
get to my office.KERSH
A metal wall?SCULLY
Yes, sir.
Off Kersh’s perplexed expression. TIME CUT TO:
INT. JOHN + DANA’S HOUSE – 5:00 P.M.
The front door opens and Dana enters. She’s carrying two bags of groceries, and a bag from the polish sausage stand on M Street. She sets the bags down on the counter in the kitchen. She hears John upstairs, thank God he hasn’t been locked up down in the basement.
She heads up the stairs.
SCULLY
So… you know how that bunker
Mulder made in the basement?
He locked it up.
Dana walks into the bedroom. She sees John packing clothes into an army green duffle bag. He doesn’t look at her when she walks into the room.
SCULLY
What are you doing?
He does not look up at her. He keeps packing.
DOGGETT
I got a call today. I have
to report to duty by 23:00.
Dana is stunned by this. She didn’t think this would happen so soon, or maybe she did and she just never wanted it to happen at all. She chooses to ignore the fact that he’s packing a bag.
SCULLY
You’re not going, are you?DOGGETT
I have to. It’s my duty.
He still doesn’t look at her. Dana looks down at the engagement ring on her finger.
DOGGETT
My friend, Steve, is on his way
over now, we’re flying down to
North Carolina together.SCULLY
What about us, John? (beat) What
about your commitment to me?DOGGETT
Selfish is not something we can be
when we are at war, Dana.
He looks up at her, his eyes locked with hers. He has a harsh expression on his face, he doesn’t want to fight and hopes the look on his face expresses this to her. The room is silent.
Dana watches him pack. She doesn’t want to accept that this is happening. He’s leaving her.
SCULLY
Don’t go.DOGGETT
I can’t not go. It’s the Corps…
Semper fi, always faithful, Dana.
I can’t refuse to help-SCULLY
(upset)
- Semper fi…?
She takes the engagement ring off her finger.
SCULLY
What about you being faithful
to me? Your promise to me,
John. The promise that you’d never
leave my side.
John looks at her. It breaks his heart to see her so upset, she’s struggling not to cry. He remains calm, he doesn’t want to argue this with her before he has to leave.
DOGGETT
The Marines is how I’m
protecting you, Dana.
He zips up his duffle bag and slings it over his shoulder. He walks past her and heads downstairs. He hates that he has to do this, but he has a responsibility to his country to protect it when at war, even if he has been retired for 14 years. Dana follows him, she’s determined not to let him leave her, she puts the ring back on her finger.
SCULLY
(angry)
What about all I told you about aliens?
That this war with Iran is a cover story?
Don’t you believe me or do you just roll
your eyes behind my back and wish I wouldn’t
say such things?DOGGETT
(calm/tired of fighting)
Dana, I don’t want to fight-
He gives her a look. His eyes are sad.
SCULLY
Why don’t you believe me, John?
After all Monica and I went through
at that facility? You can’t tell me
you don’t feel something is wrong
because it is, Johnny. (beat) To ignore
it… to ignore it would be suicide.
A car pulls up in the driveway, a horn sounds.
DOGGETT
I have to go, Dana.
He goes up to her to give her a hug. She steps away from him, tears are now streaming down her face.
SCULLY
(upset/demanding)
Me or the Corps.
She tries her best to remain strong. She’s desperate to make him stay with her.
DOGGETT
(getting frustrated)
Are you asking me to choose?SCULLY
Yes. Me or the Corps, Johnny.
What’s more important to you?
The car horn sounds again. John’s eyes plead with her not to do this to him.
DOGGETT
I’m faithful to you both.
She can’t believe he said that, a cry escapes her mouth. He kisses her on the cheek and picks up his bag and heads to the door. Her lower lip trembles. She can’t let him leave her. She can’t lose him. If he leaves she may never see him again.
So much anger flows through her body, frustration, sadness, heartache, hate…
SCULLY
(angry/crying)
I hate you.
Her words stop him in his tracks. Her inability to understand why he needs to go to the Marines is frustrating him. He turns to face her, she’s doing her best to keep her entire body from collapsing.
DOGGETT
(snaps/angry)
Stop playing childish mind games, Dana.
I’m leaving, you have no say. Even if
we were married, I’d go. The Marines
are my brothers in arms. If I’m called
to duty, it’s my obligation to report.
Not even you can change my mind.
Dana shakes her head and looks at the ring on her finger. So many times in the past has he promised her that he’d never leave her. He even told her once that if he was called he wouldn’t leave her. That the Marines wouldn’t call him to duty because they made him retire. And now here he is, on his way to them. Tears drip off her cheek as she removes the engagement ring from her finger. She looks up at him, hurt is written all over her face.
SCULLY
Do I really mean so little
to you, Johnny?
The car horn sounds again.
SCULLY
Well? Do I?
John’s jaw is tight, he doesn’t have time to deal with this problem. He has a flight to catch. She throws the ring at him, it hits him on his chest and then falls to the floor. He looks down at it. This crushes him, breaks his heart. He looks back up at her, she’s turned her back to him. He knows his leaving hurts her just as much as it hurts him.
He can’t leave without her knowing and feeling how much he loves her. He goes to her, turns her to face him. He sees hurt and fear in her eyes. He holds her back with his hand, and he kisses her passionately. She angrily pushes him away.
SCULLY
(upset)
Get the hell away from me, John!
She doesn’t mean her words. She loves him so much. She wants for him to take her in his arms and tell her he’s staying with her, but those words and comfort don’t come.
SCULLY
(hateful)
I wish I never loved you.
Her eyes plead with him to stay with her. She turns and walks away, disappearing into the kitchen, hoping to hear him come after her. John closes his eyes to control tears that threaten to fall. After all he’s heard about aliens, his heart believes her without doubt, but his mind is too stubborn. He has a responsibility to this country to protect it whether they’re at war with Iran or with aliens. He has to go.
For a moment Dana’s mother’s words cross his mind: “You’re so confident this John is the one. Just wait… you’ll see, you are always wrong. He’ll betray you.”
He knows reporting to duty isn’t a betrayal to Dana, but it sure as hell feels like it. He picks up his duffle bag and goes to the door.
DOGGETT
(soft)
Semper fi…
He hopes those words came out loud enough for her to hear. He walks out the door and shuts it behind him. He walks toward his friend’s car and gets in, he nods his head in greeting, he doesn’t feel much like talking right now. As Steve pulls out of the driveway, John watches the front window of his house, hoping to see Dana come to the window. She does not.
He turns his head away from Steve, and rests his elbow next to the window, tears stream down his face. Her words hit him hard. She hates him… she wants him to get the hell away from her… she wishes she never loved him. He knows she didn’t mean what she said, she was trying her best to get him to stay with her, but that doesn’t mean that her words don’t hurt. They break his heart, tear him up inside. He hopes that she understands that he needs to go to the Marines. If their country is at war, serving with the Marines is the best way he can protect her.
A soft cry escapes his mouth, he lowers his fist to cover his mouth and squeezes his eyes shut. His tears may be pouring down his face, but it is his heart that feels like it’s fallen apart.
FADE OUT
FADE IN:
INT. MARINE BARRACKS – 10:40 P.M.
CAMP LEJEUNE, NORTH CAROLINA
MAY 13, 2006Laughter fills the air and we come to rest on Skinner, Shannon and John.
SKINNER
So drill sergeant is lookin’ at
me with this expression on his face.SHANNON
You told him you were queer?SKINNER
I did more than that.
Shannon giggles.
SKINNER
I leaned forward and kissed
him on the cheek.
Shannon bursts out laughing hysterically.
SHANNON
How many did you get for that?SKINNER
500 push-ups. (beat) I was
really fit while I was in bootcamp.
Shannon laughs again. John is lying in his bed next to them, he’s listening in, but not humored. This past week has been horrible for him, he’s decided that this is what his own personal hell would be like. He hates the way he and Dana parted when he got called to duty last week.
He wanted to call her earlier today to talk to her and apologize and tell her he loves her and he’ll stay safe, but he was informed that no one is allowed to make outgoing calls.
He feels like shit for leaving her. Since arriving at Camp Lejeune, he hasn’t been briefed on one damn thing. On top of that, Knowle first saw him and criticized him for coming too.
John sees Knowle walking out of the room.
SKINNER
Now if you two don’t mind,
I’ve got to go take a leak.
Skinner walks off in the same direction as Knowle. CUT TO:
INT. BARRACK’S HALLWAY – CONTINUOUS
Knowle is being careful about where he’s going. He stops by a door and uses a key card issued to General Roger Thompson, to access a records room. The door opens and he enters, shutting the door behind him.
He sits down at a computer and types in a user name and password, not his nor Roger Thompson’s. A search page loads and he types in the key word “colonization”.
A page about mind warfare pops up… aliens have the ability to make humans believe they are experiencing their own worst fears and nightmares.
Knowle scrolls down the page… psychics are immune to the alien virus, they are more alien since a part of their DNA is turned on which is dormant in most of the human population. This DNA also makes it possible for them to be healers… does this information apply to Monica?
Men previously retired from the military will be called to active duty. Doing this will eliminate any military trained civilians since the aliens plan to destroy military compounds first.
That explains why Walter Skinner, John Doggett, and himself were called out of retirement to serve.
Knowle raises an eyebrow at the next bit of information he reads... aliens cannot survive in extreme arctic climates. This is why the past winter the weather was warmer, the aliens have the ability to control the Earth's climate.
This doesn't sound promising. There's no possible way for any human or human technology to control the climate of the planet. There's no way, except with the stiletto, to kill them.
He scrolls down the page and sees a red alert: aliens are now scheduled to begin attacks on military bases via air attacks on May 13th at 23:00, and bees are set to attack the next day all over the planet to begin the spread of the alien virus to begin populating the planet with their race. The attacks have been stepped up due to security leaks.
Knowle looks at his watch, those air attacks are scheduled to begin any minute now, and this military base is a main target.
Knowle hears the door open behind him. He rests his hand on his pant pocket, he feels the stiletto that Monica made him keep. He turns around and a General is pointing a gun at his head.
KNOWLE
SHIT!
Quickly, Knowle grabs the man’s arm and twists it, he smashes the man’s wrist against the side of the computer table, the gun falls out of his hand.
GENERAL
It’s too late, you can’t stop us.
Knowle pulls the stiletto out of his pocket and slams it into the man’s neck. A green ooze runs out of the puncture wound. Knowle is horrified, what the hell? Knowle doesn’t have time to stand around to see what happens next. He checks his wristwatch, it’s 10:57 P.M., he’s got three minutes to haul ass out of the building, get to his Hummer and speed away. He leaves the records room and runs down the hallway to exit the building.
He doesn’t have time to grab Shannon, Skinner or John and try to convince them to ditch the Marines with him.
Every war has its sacrifices…
John and Shannon see Knowle run past the room they’re in, they share a look. Where the hell is he running to so quickly?
Knowle slams his body into the doors that lead him outside.
Knowle runs up to his Hummer, Skinner is peeking into the windows. He sees Knowle.
SKINNER
You’re stealing-KNOWLE
- Get in the fucking Hummer!
Skinner doesn’t ask questions, he does as he’s told. Dana told him to stick with Knowle, he’s on top of things obviously. Knowle gets in and starts the engine. He slams his foot on the accelerator, and speeds the fuck out of there. Skinner looks out the window. He sees an alien craft hovering above the barracks.
SKINNER
Holy shit! You better
speed the fuck up!
Knowle presses his foot on the accelerator again. He’s going well over 100 miles an hour. Suddenly a bright light illuminates the interior of the Hummer, and the night sky. Knowle and Skinner hear a loud explosion behind them, and then the interior of the Hummer glows firey orange. Knowle looks in the rear view mirror and sees a huge ball of fire where the Marines barrack used to stand. They’ve been destroyed, annihilated.
Pieces of debris start falling all around the Hummer. He has to slow down in order to dodge the debris. He has to get up north to Virginia to save Monica… and Dana.
There’s no time to think about the lives lost in this first alien attack. They’re dead… John, Shannon… dead.
Knowle stares intently at the ground ahead of him.
It’s happening and there’s nothing anyone can do to stop it.
SMASH CUT TO BLACK
To Be Continued…
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