Review By: Emma Keturah "Why do I hear them like a thousand people
screaming?" - Monica Reyes |
 |
Title: "Ad Noctum"
Written by: Cassie & Kristi
Date: May 24-25, 2006; June 1-8, 2006; Final: October 7, 2006
Air Date: November 13, 2006
Rating: PG-13
Series: FRVS - Episode #175
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: The world has changed and the world of yesterday is forever changed.
FADE IN:
EXT. Street – 4:01 P.M.
WASHINGTON, D.C.
MAY 16, 2006Dense smoke oozes through the streets of downtown Washington, D.C., glowing orange from fires still burning in the buildings left standing after the initial violent, and explosive attacks by the aliens. It doesn’t seem like the sun is out today because smoke from the fires covers the sky making it seem like night.
Crashed cars line the streets, signs that mass chaos hit D.C. when the attacks began. Inside some of the cars are dead bodies. On the street lies the bodies of people who had been stung by the virus carrying bees, their stomachs ripped open, having ‘given birth’ to the alien being that had quickly gestated inside them.
A shadow of one of the smaller alien crafts cast an ominous shadow on the street as if pulling a black blanket over something that had once held so much life. We see the craft go down the street, passing above what is left of the FBI J. Edgar Hoover building. Further down the street we see that the Capitol building has been completely destroyed.
We turn and pan up an apartment building. The Cigarette-Smoking Man stands, looking out the window, he lifts a cigarette to his mouth. He closes his eyes, enjoying the nicotine. He shouldn’t smoke carelessly now, these Morleys may not be around forever.
MAN
(off screen)
It’s too bad you were cured
of cancer so many years ago.
The Smoking Man turns to face the man who spoke to him. It’s the Alien Bounty Hunter.
ALIEN BOUNTY HUNTER
You didn’t hold up your
end of the deal.CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
June 11th… wasn’t that the original
date you planned to first attack?
Looks like I’m not the only one
straying from the deal.ALIEN BOUNTY HUNTER
It was your responsibility to
contain her, keep her under your
protection, deliver her to us.
The Smoking Man takes a drag off his cigarette.
CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
I had to disappear for awhile.
I thought you had been aware of that.ALIEN BOUNTY HUNTER
I was not informed that one of my
soldiers posed as you when your
life was threatened by Alex Krycek.CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
It had to be done.ALIEN BOUNTY HUNTER
She is more important, you
shouldn’t have let her go.CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
Doesn’t your kind have a way of
tracking her through the chip
in her neck? (beat) That’s how
I’ve been keeping tabs on her this year.ALIEN BOUNTY HUNTER
We didn’t think we needed to focus
our efforts on Miss Scully, you
assured us you’d take care of it,
that was part of the deal. (beat)
The information in that chip… we need
that information. If that chip lands
in the hands of competent men we
could be destroyed.CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
If she’s still alive. I’ll find
her, bring her to you.
The Alien Bounty Hunter smirks.
ALIEN BOUNTY HUNTER
Do you really think your
deal still stands?CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
(confident)
Of course.ALIEN BOUNTY HUNTER
Deal’s off. You didn’t deliver her.
We can’t guarantee your survival.
You’ll have no power over any survivors.
The Alien Bounty Hunter turns and walks toward the door.
CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
I’ll find her and bring her to
you. You will give me power, I
have no doubt, and she will be
mine when you are done with her.
The Alien Bounty Hunter leaves the room. The Smoking Man takes a long drag off his cigarette. He hopes when he finds Scully that he can prove to the aliens that he held up his end of the deal. Bring them Dana Scully, they remove the chip from her neck to retrieve the data they need, she’ll be his until the cancer consumes her completely, and he will be the leader of any human survivors to ensure their cooperation with the aliens.
CUT TO:
INT. FBI BASEMENT – “THE BUNKIE” – 5:03 P.M.
The lights are flickering, not yet shut out by the alien attacks. The bunker is silent… too silent in comparison to the sounds of war they heard only a couple days ago.
Marita sits on the floor in the corner of John and Dana’s office. Her knees are curled up to her chest. She stares at the floor. Her eyes are tired, sore from crying so much the past couple days.
She hears someone walking in the hallway outside the office. Alex Krycek stands in the doorway.
KRYCEK
Marita…
She looks up at him. He walks to her and sits down next to her. He wraps his arm across her shoulder.
MARITA
I’m scared, Sasha.
She rests her head on his shoulder.
KRYCEK
We all are.MARITA
We should have gone up
to the arctic headquarters.KRYCEK
We didn’t know they would attack
so early, Marita. We’re safe here.
We haven’t heard any explosions since
yesterday. Mulder thinks they’ve
probably destroyed D.C.MARITA
(sad)
What about Dana? John? They
were supposed to be down here too.
Alex kisses the top of her head.
KRYCEK
John, he’ll take care of Scully,
don’t worry too much about that.MARITA
Don’t worry too much?!
She sits up straight.
MARITA
Alex, do you remember what we
heard? What we felt as the aliens
attacked? I wouldn’t be surprised
if everything above us is flattened.KRYCEK
Well, there’s not much we can do
now, Marita. If they survived,
they survived, and if they didn’t…
He trails off. He doesn’t want to speak as if his friends may not have survived. For all he knows he, Mulder, and Marita could very well be the only three people left alive on the planet, stuck in a basement bomb shelter too, even if they are the only three alive in the world, the rubble and debris is piled on top of the bunker, they may not be able to get out… what if they suffocate?
KRYCEK
Mulder!
Marita looks at him, why is he calling for Mulder? In a few seconds Mulder appears in the doorway of the office.
MULDER
It’s so quiet down here… eerie…KRYCEK
What did you have installed
to make sure we’ve got a
fresh air supply?MULDER
Well, I had a large tank of oxygen
brought in… but it’ll only last us
about six months.KRYCEK
What if we can’t get out of here in
six months? I don’t think we took into
consideration the FBI building may collapse
on the bunker. (beat) What if we can’t ever get out?
Mulder looks at Krycek and then to Marita. This is something he should have considered, but did not. If they can’t get out in six months… he may very well be responsible for all three of their deaths by suffocation.
MULDER
Well, we’ll have to worry about
that when the time comes.MARITA
And what are we supposed to do
locked up down here?MULDER
I don’t know. This isn’t anything
like I thought it would be.MARITA
What did you think it’d be like?
(beat) Aliens come, become Super
Buddies and everything would be all right?
Mulder looks down. That would be ideal, but he knows it’s impossible. Aliens aren’t here to be friendly. The explosions they heard and felt above them the other day indicate that.
MARITA
The world we know is gone forever.
If we ever get out of this bunker…
I can’t even imagine what life will be like.KRYCEK
We’ll always have each other.MARITA
There will always be dangers.
The aliens don’t want anyone
to survive. You don’t even want
to know what we think they plan to
do to those immune to their virus.
Alex looks at her with worry.
KRYCEK
Anyone inoculated will be immune.
Marita looks at him.
KRYCEK
Are you trying to say that inoculating
others won’t make any difference? We
shouldn’t have done it?MARITA
I’m not saying that. We needed to do
all that we could to save as many lives
as we could.The lights flicker and the office goes completely black. Mulder, Krycek, and Marita are silent. A few seconds later the lights flicker back on.
KRYCEK
So what happens when we lose power?
It’ll be complete darkness down here.MULDER
We have flashlights. Plus I
did get a power generator.
Mulder sits down behind John Doggett’s desk. He looks at a framed photo of John and Dana that stands next to the computer monitor. He wonders what John thinks of all that is going on. Scully had been so worried about him being called to duty to fight against the aliens. Now that he’s seen them… what does he think? Mulder picks up the framed photo and holds it. He wishes they were in the bunker with him. That way he’d know for certain they are alive and safe.
FADE TO:
INT. JOHN + DANA’S HOUSE – 7:08 P.M.
The past few days have made the basement hot and muggy. The concrete walls are sweating. A small flashlight is in the middle of the basement, pointed up at the ceiling to help light the room. Off in the corner, Dana is peeling off the T-shirt she has been wearing for the past few days since realizing alien colonization had begun earlier than she thought it would.
She takes hold of a washcloth and dampens it with some bottled water near her. She dabs the cloth over her face, wiping away dirt and sweat. The heat and humidity is almost unbearable, but this is the safest place she figures she can be. She glides the cloth across her chest and over her arms, and then across her shoulders and to what she can reach of her upper back.
She sets the cloth down and grabs a white tank top next to her. She slips it on, adjusting the straps on her shoulders. Her hair is pulled back in a ponytail. It’s best to keep it up so she doesn’t feel so dirty.
She raises the bottle of water to her mouth and takes a sip. She’s getting thirstier and thirstier as the days go on.
She has no plans as to what she should do.
She has only John’s handgun with her. Not even a stiletto which is most effective in killing the aliens who have attacked the planet, and even her gun won’t protect her against the bees that carry the alien virus. She fears them though she’s been inoculated with the vaccine. Nothing seems certain anymore.
She walks across the room and grabs a cardboard box that is piled on other cardboard boxes. “CRAP” is written on the side in black, permanent marker, John’s handwriting. What in the world would John keep in a box marked “CRAP”? She opens the top of the box and is surprised to find John’s formal Marines uniform. Tears sting her eyes at the thought of John and the last words she said to him before he left… “I wish I never loved you.”
She had been so harsh to him that day and those hateful words are probably what he hears in his head over and over again as he fights the alien colonists.
She wipes a tear from her eye and gently removes the formal uniform. She places it on her lap and touches it as if she were touching John himself, loving and gentle.
She takes out a framed photo of John in his formal Marine uniform, complete with hat and the American flag to his side in the background. Her heart aches for him. He’s so proud of his country and now it’s falling apart. Everything he believed in, gone. His own beliefs must be shattered now that he knows that aliens do exist.
She sets the photo down next to her. She wants to keep it out so she can see him whenever she wants.
She digs back into the box and pulls out a small medal. She holds it up so the light can hit it better. It’s a Purple Heart, an award given to any member of the Armed Forces who has been wounded or has been killed in any action against an enemy of the United States. Why would John keep a Purple Heart in his basement in a box marked “CRAP”, which is turning out to be anything he has from his time with the Marine Corps? She thought he was so proud of the Marines. Why keep it in a box away from view? Why hadn’t he told her about his Purple Heart?
He’s survived war before. She’s positive he’ll survive this. HE has to, they have each other to look forward to. Dana looks down at her hand. Her diamond engagement ring sparkles beautifully in the dimly lit basement. Yes, she had thrown the ring at him in a desperate attempt to make him stay with her when he was called to duty, but like she had told Walter Skinner not too long ago, she could never stay mad at John Doggett for long.
She looks at the Purple Heart. She’ll keep this close to her, as a reminder that John is strong, determined and a survivor. She slips it into her short’s pocket.
She stands up and starts moving boxes, seeing if there’s anything else she could use to survive.
All this work is making her dizzy. She must be dehydrated. She feels a headache coming on. She’s a medical doctor, she knows she should drink more water, keep well rested. She found so much bottled water down here, too much. She thinks John went out and bought it all and put it in the basement before he had to leave. Perhaps he did this because he believed her, and wanted her to be prepared when he was away.
She sits down again and finishes off her bottle of water. She sets it down.
She feels the sensation in her neck again. She rubs her hand over the area the chip is located. Are they tracking her? Will they be able to find her? Why do they want her?
She hears an explosion outside. They’re still attacking. She’s been lucky that the aliens have not destroyed hers and John’s home. She’s been lucky that no gestated aliens have broken in and killed her.
Perhaps they know she is there and not going anywhere. Maybe they have alien guards watching the house, protecting her from harm. What could they possibly want with her?
The sensation in her neck is strong. She squeezes her eyes shut and tries not to cry. She should cut the chip out of her neck, but she doesn’t really want to do that for her own selfish reasons. She doesn’t want her cancer to come out of remission. That chip is the only reason the cancer she had ten years ago went away. John’s out there somewhere and she doesn’t want him to find her dying.
CUT TO: OUTSIDE (CONTINUOUS)
Houses on the street are on fire. There’s a constant orange glow in the smoke in the air. Debris clutters the road, the yards. Dead bodies lie everywhere, their guts ripped open by the aliens that had gestated inside them.
Suddenly two armed men run into view, each wearing helmets and carrying weapons. They are running up to John and Dana’s house. One man motions to the other to stand on the other side of the front door. His hand motions three fingers, two… one.
The man kicks the door in and enters the house, his gun drawn into the darkness.
In the basement, Dana wipes tears from her face.
Her heart is beating fast. Her breath is short. It’s them. They’ve come to get her. She fumbles to unlock the safety on her gun as she hears furniture get shifted around above her. She presses her back against the moist concrete wall. If this is her time, she’s going to go out fighting. That’s what John would do.
She aims her gun at the top of the stairs ahead of her. Her arms are shaking in fear. She wraps her index finger on the trigger, aims at the top of the basement staircase, and closes her eyes.
She hears the basement door knob, and then the door is kicked in. She screams, but does not open her eyes. She does not want to see what is going to kill her. She fires her gun: one, two, three, four, five, six times.
KNOWLE
Shit! Dana! It’s me, Knowle!
Dana doesn’t open her eyes. She’s bawling, crying so hard in fear. She’s out of bullets. Knowle holds his hand on his shoulder, one bullet grazed him. He runs to her. He touches her arm. She jumps at his touch and gasps in fear.
KNOWLE
Dana, we’ve got to go.
Can you walk?
Dana can’t believe her ears. It’s Knowle Rohrer. She opens her eyes slowly. Her body is shaking, too much fear and adrenaline. She nods her head.
KNOWLE
Are you all right?
He tries to look her over in the dark basement. She shakes her head “no”. She still feels the pain in the back of her neck, and she thought only a moment ago that she was facing the end of her life.
SKINNER
(from upstairs)
Knowle! Hurry up! We don’t wanna
hang out here too long!
Knowle rests a comforting hand on Dana’s shoulder. He turns his head to look upstairs.
KNOWLE
(yelling)
Check the kitchen for any food
or water! Bedroom for blankets and
pillows! Bathroom medicine cabinets!
(beat) I’ll get her out.
Knowle looks back at Dana. She’s not all concentrated on the task at hand. He a bag that she’s packed next to her.
KNOWLE
You want that?
She nods her head.
SCULLY
Wa… water…KNOWLE
You’re thirsty?SCULLY
No. Johnny stocked
up on bottled water.
She points her finger toward three large boxes of bottled water. Knowle smiles, that’s his boy, John, thinking ahead of things in a time of war.
KNOWLE
Walter! There’s water down here!
He looks back at Dana as Walter Skinner comes down and starts taking the boxes of bottled water upstairs and out to Knowle’s Hummer.
KNOWLE
Dana, I’m going to carry you out
of here. Do you have everything
you want in this bag?
Dana nods her head.
KNOWLE
Where’s Buddy?SCULLY
Ran out the doggy door. I don’t know.KNOWLE
I hate to say it, but we’re not
sticking around to find him. I trust
he can take care of himself.
She nods her head. Knowle slings Dana’s bag over his shoulder. He lifts her up in his arms and starts carrying her out of the basement. Her body is still shaking.
He gets to the front door, Walter is coming back up to the house.
SKINNER
I got all the water and some
food and blankets. I’ll cover
you while you carry her.KNOWLE
Safe to go?SKINNER
I’ve seen a couple aliens out
and one alien craft. We need to
get out of here ASAP. (beat) Let’s go.
Knowle and Skinner start running out to Knowle’s Hummer that’s parked in the driveway. Skinner opens the front passenger side door and Knowle helps Dana into the seat.
KNOWLE
Buckle up, it could get rough.
He shuts the door on her. He hands Skinner her bag and Skinner gets into the back. Knowle goes around to the driver side. He pauses before opening the door. He looks back at John’s house. So many hopes and dreams are gone forever. He takes a deep breath and opens the door. He gets in. He sees Dana rubbing the back of her neck. She’s wincing, a tear falls down her cheek.
Knowle backs out of the driveway and heads out of the suburbs. If he gets on the highway’s shoulder they can start heading south to find Monica.
Suddenly, Dana unbuckles her seatbelt and turns to look in the backseat, she starts crawling back.
SCULLY
Johnny?
Her eyes frantically search for John Doggett in the back of the Hummer. If Knowle and Skinner are here surely John is too. Knowle shares a look with Skinner through the rearview mirror.
SCULLY
Where’s Johnny?
She looks at Skinner with hopeful eyes.
SCULLY
He’s with you, right?
Skinner looks away from her. He can’t bring himself to tell her.
KNOWLE
John died when the barracks
were attacked a few days ago.
Dana chokes back a cry. She feels like she’s choking, suffocating. She did not just hear that. That isn’t possible. John can’t be dead. She shakes her head “no”.
SCULLY
(in denial/about to cry)
Johnny…?KNOWLE
Dana, he’s gone.
Knowle keeps his eyes on the road in front of him. Dana shakes her head again. Her heart breaking, a part of her soul slips away. In the back of the Hummer she falls to her knees, losing all her strength. Skinner goes to her and helps lift her up onto the seat. She tries to push him away from her, but she’s too weak.
Skinner wraps his arm around her, pulling her close to him. She tries to push him away again, she’s unsuccessful. Walter places his hand on her head and lowers her face to his chest.
She doesn’t want comfort. She doesn’t need comfort. She squeezes her eyes shut tightly. She needs to push her feelings far away, push out the grief, sadness, self-hate, the regret… everything left unsaid and unresolved between she and John.
To survive means she must not give in to her emotions. She must harden her heart. She must go on. She cannot be distracted by death. She should not be selfish in times of war. John had told her that before he left.
She squeezes her fist together and slides her thumb in between her middle and ring finger, she rubs the engagement ring with her thumb. Semper Fi… always faithful. Tears sting her eyes again, but she does not allow them to fall.
She takes a deep breath and pushes herself out of Skinner’s comforting embrace. She can’t deal with John’s death now.
CUT TO:
INT. BRAD FOLLMER’S CAR – 8:03 P.M.
Brad and Monica are driving down a dirt road in the middle of nowhere New Mexico. The heat rises off the pavement, creating a mirage, even though the sun has set. The weather is incredibly hot, more than any annual averages this time of year.
Brad can’t wrap his mind around what happened to him and Monica down in Mexico the other day. The bees rushing toward them and the suddenly swept away from them, leaving him and Monica unharmed.
He looks over at Monica. She holds the artifact that Grandmama gave her in her hand. She stares out the window.
He suspects, but hasn’t said aloud, that the artifact protected them from the bees. Monica told him that the bees had been genetically altered to carry an alien virus.
Sometimes he thinks he’s having a bad dream. This can’t really be happening, right? In a couple hours he’ll wake up, get ready for work, and deal with affairs at the FBI.
Monica moans and brings her hand up to her forehead.
MONICA
(quiet)
Brad…
He looks at her and touches her knee.
BRAD
I’m here, Moni.MONICA
I hear them, but I don’t
understand. Are they here?
She looks at him. Brad looks out the rearview mirror, nothing but darkness.
BRAD
It’s just us, Moni. We’re alone.MONICA
Why do I hear them like
a thousand people screaming?
She shifts in her seat and wrinkles her forehead. She gasps and sits up straight.
MONICA
Mountains. Cooler. Go there.
Their car passes a road sign that directs them toward Colorado.
BRAD
Go to Colorado?
Monica nods her head.
BRAD
We have to drive through it anyway
to get further north. Though we
could keep going east and skip
the Rockies altogether.MONICA
No. It’s hot in Colorado, but
it’s also cooler than where we
are now. Aliens are weaker in
cooler air temperatures.
Brad nods his head and continues toward the Colorado Rockies. If these aliens are weaker in cooler temperatures, the better it is for them. Brad rubs his face with his hand. He’s been driving this whole time. Monica hasn’t trusted herself enough to drive. Never knowing when she could have an episode and freak out. Even though she hasn’t been taking the medication Dr. Montgomery had prescribed for her condition, she still hasn’t gone a full month completely free of them. Brad would give them to her. Monica didn’t carry the medication with her when she decided to go down to see her Grandmama, she preferred to leave the medication at home.
Monica looks over at Brad. He’s tired. Ever since the bees at Grandmama’s, he’s been alert. Neither one of them have slept much the past couple days. Monica watches as Brad’s eyes focus on something ahead of them in the distance.
MONICA
What is it?BRAD
There.
He points out the window ahead of them. Monica turns her head and looks.
BRAD
What is that?
The sky ahead of them glows a warm, fiery orange that lights the night sky.
MONICA
What’s the largest city we’re near?BRAD
Albuquerque.
Monica looks out the side window.
MONICA
That’s probably what that is.
That’s probably what I feel. (beat)
They’ve blown it up. It’s the
screams I hear now.BRAD
Are they near us?
Monica shakes her head. She’s not sure.
MONICA
I’m afraid to allow myself
to sense them.
Brad looks over at her.
MONICA
What if I do that and they sense
me, come after us? (beat) Slow down
you’ll want to take the back roads
to Colorado. It’s not safe to go
through cities.
Brad slows down.
MONICA
There’s a right turn up here.
Brad slows down and finds the right turn. They leave the pavement and hit dirt road.
MONICA
Keep it slow, there are
animals out here.BRAD
Where are we?MONICA
It’s farmland. Cows are around.BRAD
Would it be wise to turn
the brights on?MONICA
We don’t want to attract
attention to us.
Monica watches carefully out the front window to help keep a lookout for wild life as Brad drives slowly.
MONICA
(after a beat)
I agree.
Brad looks over at her.
BRAD
With what?MONICA
This rock protected us from the
bees. (beat) I just don’t know
how or why, but I think you’re right.
She looks over at him and he nods his head.
MONICA
(after a beat)
I did it again, didn’t I?BRAD
What’s that?MONICA
Read your mind and thought you
said your thoughts out loud.BRAD
(nodding)
You did, but it’s ok.
He looks over and takes hold of her hand.
BRAD
I’m sorry if I ever came off rude
or frustrated, or like I didn’t
care about your feelings… I…MONICA
I know.BRAD
I just didn’t know what to do,
you know? (beat) And I know you
didn’t know what to do either.
He looks back out the front window.
BRAD
I took the wrong approach to
dealing with what happened. (beat)
I wanted so badly for everything
to return to normal for us that I
never stopped to actually deal with
any of it.
Monica listens.
BRAD
Part of me spent too much time
wishing what happened never happened.
(beat) I handled everything so wrong.
(beat) That destroyed us.MONICA
That didn’t destroy us, Brad.
He looks at her.
MONICA
We’re not destroyed at all. (beat)
I think without knowing it we moved
on. Our friendship still remains.
Brad looks back out the front window.
MONICA
I want you to know that I don’t
resent you. I don’t hate you. (beat)
You said it yourself, we both didn’t
know what to do. We both handled it
wrong. I have a problem opening up.
I don’t express inner problems I’m
dealing with. I never have.BRAD
I am sorry. I should’ve been
more supportive.MONICA
I should’ve too. (beat) You still
mean so much to me, Brad.
Brad looks over at her.
BRAD
And I know you know that you
mean a lot to me.
Monica smiles a little smile at him.
MONICA
It’s going to be just the two of
us for a long time…
He looks into her eyes, left to wonder what her statement fully means. Was it destiny? Fate? What brought them together during this time? Before all of this, there had been a lot of unsaid tension, growing apart even. Then she convinced him to travel down to Mexico. What could have happened to him if he didn’t? Are the skies of Washington, D.C. the same fiery orange they were heading to? What has become of their home? Their friends? Are they even still alive? CUT TO:
INT. FBI BASEMENT – “THE BUNKIE” – JOHN + DANA’S OFFICE – 11:30 P.M.
THE OFFICE WHERE BUNK BEDS HAVE BEEN SET UPHis touch sends chills through her body, and his kiss takes her breath away. Why had she treated him so poorly in the past? Marita’s eyes open, locking into his gorgeous emerald greens eyes. For a moment she looks into his soul. Alex loves her so much.
She bites her lower lip to keep quiet as he slowly thrusts into her body. Through all this pleasure she should be enjoying him, but her mind feels guilty. Guilty not from the present moment, but all moments in their past. Everything he’s ever done for her, she only shrugged off as nothing, as if it was never important. She’s made him feel so horrible, yet he continues to love her with all his heart.
She kisses him and tears fill her eyes. Everything she ever did to hurt him seems so petty now. A tear falls down her face – has she ever told him she loves him? Her mind can’t recall. It’s always been “never have been, never will be”.
She pulls out of her kiss and unexpectantly gasps out a cry. She hadn’t wanted him to know anything was wrong. She feels him stop moving. She looks away as another tear falls down her face. She closes her eyes, but can still feel his eyes looking at her with concern.
KRYCEK
Marita?
The concern in his voice hits her ears, and she can’t help but look at him.
MARITA
I love you, Sasha.
She wipes her tears away.
MARITA
I’ve treated you so poorly in
the past. I feel I’ve never
sincerely told you how much you
mean to me. I’ve been horrible
to you, Sasha. (beat) The way I’ve
treated you just feels so petty, and
I don’t even know why I was like that.
I’ve always loved you. Always. Even
when it may have seemed I didn’t, or
never wanted to admit I was with you.
I always loved you and everything you’ve ever done.
Krycek moves a strand of hair from her face.
KRYCEK
I know.
She looks into his emerald eyes, a calm washes over her.
KRYCEK
It wasn’t you that was like that.
I haven’t forgotten what the Smoking
Man did to you. He hurt you. Hurt
your beautiful mind.
His hand gently caresses her forehead and he leans down and gives her a gentle kiss.
KRYCEK
I know it wasn’t you. (beat)
And Marita, it’s not all you.
It was me too. I didn’t always
treat you right when I wanted to.
(beat) I do look back with regret
but not regret of ever loving you.
Regret that we both treated each other
wrong. (beat) But I can also look back
at each moment – good and bad – and
know that you love me.
Marita tries to hold in her emotions.
MARITA
I’m so sorry.KRYCEK
I forgive you…
He kisses her. So much passion inside of him. He’s not even sure where it came from, but it takes his breath away. His heart feels for her, more so than it did a minute ago. Why has it taken them this long to realize that opening up their hearts and minds only brings them closer? But they can’t look back on the past, there’s no point. All they have is their future, and who knows when that could end… CUT TO:
INT. FBI BASEMENT – JANITOR’S LOUNGE – CONTINUOUS
Mulder sits back on the couch with a numb stare. Stratego is in front of him on the table. Both red and blue pieces have been moved. His eyes are red from crying. He hasn’t heard anything from above, Washington D.C. is most likely demolished.
His mind can’t stop thinking of everyone above them. The entire FBI collapsed on them. Everyone. His brother, Jeffrey Spender who he had barely let himself get to know. His girlfriend, Kimberly Cook, who he never got the chance to tell her how much he loves her, how happy she made him. After being hurt by Diana Fowley, his wife of many years, Kim brought him so much joy and love. He’ll never forget how much she means to him. He hopes by some miracle that she wasn’t at work the day the world fell. He hopes she somehow was able to get away from D.C. and to a smaller, unpopulated area.
A tear falls down his face. His hopes are high. They’ve always been. Did he really think this would be fun and games?
It’s the end of the world, and all his friends are out there. He can only hope they are surviving.
He wanted so badly to protect everyone. Dana, Skinner – even though he was called to duty, Kim, Spender, John, Monica, Brad, and even Knowle, who had just recently been called to duty.
Was it some sort of twisted fate that only himself, Alex and Marita are down here? Is it destiny that didn’t allow the others to join them?
There are so many questions. Will they ever be answered?
He looks down at the red and blue plastic Stratego pieces. Maybe this is all the strategic work of a higher power.
He moves a piece on the board and a small smile forms on his face as he quietly says:
MULDER
Scout.
Off his distant memory of his sister, Samantha, we… CUT TO:
EXT. JOHN + DANA’S HOUSE – FALLS CHURCH, VA – 11:45 P.M.
A gentle rain falls from the sky. Alien control of the weather and climate could never be 100%. The Earth reacts to hot and cold. Too much humidity filled the atmosphere and resulted in this gentle rain.
The street is dark, and through the humid air it manages to look cold. Cold from lack of live and overabundance of death.
The Alien Bounty Hunter, tall and bulky in build, makes his way through the rain. He stops in front of John and Dana’s house and looks it over, sensing it is lifeless. He pulls out what looks to be a small hand held computer. The screen shows a red blinking dot on a map. The dot is moving south-west. He presses a button that sends an update to another computer, then he puts it away in his jacket pocket.
He looks the house over for another moment then walks off into the rain and darkness.
Watching him leave is Buddy, who hides in thick bushes on the side of the house. He stays low, knowing it’s better not to be seen. He rises when the Alien Bounty Hunter is out of sight. He turns and heads in the opposite direction, running as fast as he can.
CUT TO:
INT. KNOWLE’S HUMMER – SOMEWHERE NORTH CAROLINA – 11:48 P.M.
Knowle stares intensely at the road in front of him. The window wipers swish away the rain that falls from the sky. They’ve been driving for nearly five hours since leaving Falls Church. Five hours seems to be placing them right where they started. It’ll be a couple days until they reach Chihuahua, Mexico where Monica is.
Knowle thinks of the note she left him. The note he carries in his shirt pocket, locked in by a button close to his heart. Key phrases haunt his mind: “Go north, they’re weaker there.” He can’t bring himself to turn the Hummer around. He made a promise to her that he’d be back for her, find her, protect her. He can’t let her down the way he let the others down at the Marines barrack at Camp Lejeune. He can’t and he won’t.
“Do what you have to do. I’ll find you.”
Tears well up in his eyes. Where the hell did they come from? He blinks and they fall down his face. He wipes them away with his hand.
“I’ll find you.”
Maybe he’ll run into her sooner by heading south. Perhaps she is on her way home now. He hopes to God she is safe.
SCULLY
(off screen)
Where are we heading?KNOWLE
To get Monica.
Scully sits up in the backseat, no longer leaning on Skinner for comfort.
SCULLY
(strong)
She’s in Mexico.KNOWLE
I promised her I’d-SCULLY
(strong)
They’re stronger in the south.
Heat makes them stronger.KNOWLE
Yeah, and she’s down among them.
Scully shakes her head. They can’t do this. It’s not safe.
SCULLY
(strong)
Stop the car.
Knowle looks back at her and pulls over to the side of the road.
KNOWLE
What is it?SCULLY
(strong)
You’re going to turn this car
around and head north.KNOWLE
No, I’m not. I promised her
and I’m not going to let her down.
He starts to pull the Hummer back onto the road. Scully, determined, open the door and gets out. Knowle stops the car and puts it in park. He looks back at her through the open back door. She stands outside, knowing he won’t leave her.
KNOWLE
Get back inside!
Scully slams the door shut. Knowle unbuckles his seatbelt and gets out. He goes around to the side of the Hummer where Scully stands.
KNOWLE
Get back in.SCULLY
I’m not going to risk my
life by going south.KNOWLE
You’re riskin’ it now. (beat)
Get back in. We’re going to
Mexico first, then we’ll head north.SCULLY
(strong)
This is suicide, Knowle!
She stares at him intensely.
SCULLY Knowle listens.
(strong)
Aliens are stronger in the heat.
Do you feel how hot it is now?
It’s in the middle of the night and
it’s raining. (beat) Imagine how
hot it is in Mexico.
SCULLY
(strong)
I watched an alien gestate and
rip its way out of one of my
neighbors in a matter of sixty
seconds. One minute. Imagine how
quickly that process is happening
down south.KNOWLE
(choking on his emotions)
I promised her.
Knowle knows Scully is right. Scully sees the desperation in his eyes.
SCULLY
(sympathetic)
I know, but Knowle… it’s too dangerous.
She wouldn’t want you to risk your life
for her. (beat) Would she?
“Do what you have to do. I’ll find you.” Monica’s note echoes in his mind. He shakes his head.
KNOWLE
I can’t let her down the way I let-
He stops himself. He can’t bring himself to say out loud the guilt he has for letting down those Marines he left behind.
SCULLY
(after a beat)
She’s special, Knowle, she knows
things. Things we probably don’t
even know. (beat) She knows you want
to come for her. (beat) She’d want
you safe too.
Knowle looks down. Monica’s note echoes in his mind. Go north, she’ll find him. After a moment, he looks up at her. Her hand is rubbing the base of her neck and she winces in pain.
SKINNER
(off screen)
We’ve got company!
Knowle turns and sees Skinner start the engine of the Hummer. He looks into the sky and sees an alien craft coming towards them. He grabs Scully by the arm and helps her into the Hummer. He slams the door shut.
KNOWLE
GO!
Skinner’s ahead of his words, turning the Hummer around and heading back north. The alien craft approaches them from the south. Knowle gets Scully down on the floor, grabs a thick sleeping back and unties it, he hands it to her.
KNOWLE
(serious)
You stay down. Stay covered.
Scully nods her head, barely hearing him through the pain she feels from the chip in her neck. She covers herself with the sleeping bag. Knowle grabs the bazooka, seemed to work the last time. He makes his way up front and hits the play button on his CD player. “War” (Edwin Starr) starts to play. He turns up the volume to blare it.
Knowle opens the sunroof and cautiously makes his way up, remembering what happened to Skinner the last time they were under attack.
Skinner speeds up to an unsafe speed for the slippery wet road.
The craft shoots at the Hummer, shooting in a way to disable rather than to kill them.
Knowle waits patiently for the kill shot, it’s best not to waste ammunition. Rain pours down on him, falling into his eyes making it difficult to see. He doesn’t flinch as shots are fired all around him, one grazing his shoulder, the same one that Scully grazed when he kicked in her basement door. Luckily no medical supplies were wasted on that wound yet.
Skinner drives fast enough, getting the Hummer at a safe distance so Knowle can shoot the alien craft out of the sky.
Knowle takes his aim, water dripping into his eyes. He shoots, making the kill shot. The alien craft loses control and starts to fall out of the sky.
He watches it fall as he makes his way back inside the Hummer, closing the sunroof. He sets his weapon down and turns down the music. Skinner maintains speed.
Knowle watches out the back window as the alien craft crashes to the ground.
SCULLY
They’re tracking me.
Knowle looks over at her. She is still covered by the sleeping bag, her head pokes out from underneath.
KNOWLE
How?SCULLY
I have a chip in my neck.
(beat) I feel them every time
they are near.
Knowle looks at her, unsure what to do.
SCULLY
(after a beat)
You have to cut it out of me.
Skinner looks back at her through the rearview mirror. Removing that chip will give her cancer. It’ll come out of remission. He knows this. She knows this. Knowle does not. Scully pulls herself up to the seat.
SCULLY
Do you have a first aid kit? Knife?KNOWLE
Yeah.
He reaches up front under the passenger seat and retrieves the first aid kit. He pulls a knife out from his pocket – his army knife. Scully turns her back to him.
SCULLY
It’s here.
She places her finger on the chip, then feels Knowle remove her hand and place his finger on it.
KNOWLE
Here?SCULLY
Yes. It’s not in deep, so cut lightly.
Knowle nods his head and Scully feels the blade of the knife cut her skin. She winces for a moment as he removes the chip.
SCULLY
Got it?KNOWLE
Yeah.SCULLY
Destroy it.KNOWLE
Just smash it?SCULLY
Yes. (beat) Walter, pull over.
Skinner looks around before pulling over to a stop. He doesn’t want anyone to get attacked like before. The area looks clear and he pulls over, stopping the Hummer. Scully watches Knowle dig in the very back of the Hummer. He retrieves a hammer.
SCULLY
It’s delicate so it won’t
take a lot of force.
Knowle nods his head and places his hand on the door. He double checks the area. All is clear. He opens the door and gets out. Scully watches him as he smashes the chip with the hammer, destroying it. Destroying the only think that kept her cancer in remission. He gets back in the Hummer and shuts the door. Skinner drives, heading north where it’s safer.
Scully grabs gauze from the first aid kit and covers her neck to stop the bleeding.
She will never tell Knowle the fatal consequences of having removed the chip from her neck. There’s no need for him to live with that guilt, not when he is probably already living with the guilt of John’s death.
SCULLY
(voice over)
Removing the chip in my neck was my
decision. A sacrifice I made to save
our lives, to protect us against the
aliens. Now that it’s gone, they cannot
track us. But in that certainty lies a
dire future for myself, one of which there
is only one end result. (beat) I will once
again make this journey alone, into darkness
without John at my side to comfort me…
Dana applies more pressure to the back of her neck. Skinner watches her from the rearview mirror, knowing the path she will travel down again. Is this self-sacrifice for the sole purpose of saving their lives right now, or is it a grief-ridden attempt to sacrifice her life in the hope that she’ll meet the same fate as John Doggett? FADE OUT:
THE END.
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