Review By: Emma Keturah "I didn't do that. That's not my fault,
whatever broke." Finally we get some Krycek action again in the series!! That will keep some fans happy! As my beloved Knowle lies feverish and infected in the care of John Montogomery, Skinner heads out on a mission to find Scully. Over the course of the episode we learn what horrors Scully is forced to endure in captivity. Brad, Comer and Monica ponder the power and purpose of the "key". Its mysteries aren’t revealed yet but that doesn't stop the speculation. Another brilliant episode! |
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Title: "When Death Comes"
Story by: Cassie & Kristi
Written by: Kristi
Date: September 2; October 8-9, 15; November 7, 19, 25; December 18, 2006
Air Date: February 5, 2007
Rating: PG-13
Series: FRVS - Episode #181
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: For fifty-seven days Dana Scully has been in the hands of the alien colonist. What they want from her and what they are up to is revealed.
PREVIOUSLY ON “FOX & RAT”: Monica and Comer went searching through the cave in Colorado for Brad, who was gone longer than they expected. Monica and Comer took a wrong step and fell, leaving it up to Monica to hold them and she couldn’t. Comer let himself drop and was fatally injured and facing his own death when Monica found him and he was miraculously healed. Meanwhile, Knowle and Skinner still have not found Scully, who was taken by aliens and her whereabouts are unknown. The two men find John Montgomery at the Strughold Research Facility when Knowle has been hurt, on the verge of death, having been slashed up from a confrontation with Henry Gibbs, the stranger they believed to be on their side, who was really an alien in human disguise. Skinner tells Montgomery that Scully was taken and Montgomery believes he knows where she could be.
FADE IN:
EXT. WOODS NEAR SIMSBURY, CONNECTICUT – NIGHT
AUGUST 18, 2006
Scully sits in front of the fire with Henry Gibbs. She has a plate of food in her lap that he brought over to her for dinner.
HENRY
The way I see it, miracles happen
everyday. They don’t necessarily have
to be something huge. Miracles are
small. It’s a miracle I’m alive.
It’s a miracle I found you three. And
who knows, maybe a miracle will happen
to you. (beat) After all, you are alive.He smiles at her in the hopes of brightening her mood.
SCULLY
I like you, Henry. You’re not a
tough Marine. You know what it’s
like to be human and not a fighting
machine all the time.She smiles at him.
SCULLY
I guess miracles do happen everyday.
(beat) Like finding you. You’re bound
to make my life easier by bringing some
form of humanity to this world.HENRY
I’ll try my best.He looks over Scully’s shoulder and sees that Knowle and Skinner are occupied with something in the Hummer. Perhaps a weapon.
HENRY
I found something this afternoon
I think you will enjoy.Scully looks up with a curious expression.
SCULLY
What is it?HENRY
It’s near the creek. Want to
go for a walk and I’ll take you to it?SCULLY
Sure. I’m not doing anything.Henry and Scully stand up and start heading away from the campsite and into the dark woods.
Knowle and Skinner don’t notice. They are cleaning the weapons in the back of the Hummer.
CUT TO:
EXT. WOODS NEAR THE CREEK – CON’T
Henry leads Scully down to the creek’s edge. Scully looks around, expecting to find something.
SCULLY
Where is it?HENRY
It’s just over here.He points off in the direction ahead of them.
SCULLY
I don’t see it, what am
I looking for?HENRY
It’s right here.He leads her down to the creek’s edge. Scully looks at him with a suspicious smile.
SCULLY
Where is it?HENRY
Behind you.He smiles innocently at her.
Scully turns around and is immediately grabbed, her mouth covered. She tries to scream.
HENRY
Get her out of here.Henry looks into the dark eyes of the Alien Bounty Hunter, who holds tightly on to Scully. She tries to make a sound, as if trying to tell him off. Henry smiles at her.
HENRY
Sweet dreams, Ms. Scully.The Alien Bounty Hunter injects her with something that makes her drowsy and fall asleep and he drags her off towards his craft. Henry makes a run for the woods, yelling out for “help” as he grows a claw on his left hand and cuts at his own arm.
FADE OUT:
FADE IN:
57 DAYS LATER
OCTOBER 14, 2006
EXT. DITCH – DAY
Light gray clouds have covered the sky blocking the harsh sun from burning down on the Earth below. The humidity is thick in the air and the clouds promise to bring rain to the Earth’s hot surface.
The land is desolate. No one for miles, except for a building in the far distance that resembles a prison.
A raindrop falls down on Dana Scully’s face. Her eyelid twitches, as if she’s waking up. Her eyes flutter open to see the gray clouds above her as a light sprinkle of rain begins to fall. She blinks her eyes and looks around the best she can before she sits up. She doesn’t know where she is.
The air is still, silent. The smell is of rotting corpses that have been exposed to the elements far too long. She turns her head to look face to face with a man. He is dead with one eye partially open looking at her. She lets out a small scream as she sits up, finding herself in a mass burial ground for humans. Their decay varies, and unfortunately for her, the one’s below her that she lies on are more decayed than others.
She looks up, seeing that she is alone. She starts to crawl out of the ditch. She climbs over the dead bodies, hoping to keep down the sick feeling she has in her stomach. She crawls to ground level, freeing herself from the mass burial ground. She immediately throws up. The smell is awful. She crawls away from the mess and looks around. In the distance she sees the metal fences and the barbed wire that surrounds the prison she has just escaped from. She looks around her. She is alone. No one is around. No humans. No aliens.
In the other direction is open land. This is her freedom.
She does her best to make it to her feet. She stumbles as she realizes how much pain she is in. Her blood has been spilled on the clothing she wears. She ignores the pain and tries to run as fast as she can away from the prison. She doesn’t look back - it’ll slow her down. She has to get out of this area. She has to find help. She has to warn Skinner and Knowle about Henry Gibbs and how he lured her to the aliens.
Her thoughts drive her to run faster. She falls to the ground from running so fast, but doesn’t miss a beat and is back to her feet in no time.
The farther from this hell she is the better.
Rain starts to pour down on her, helping to get the stench of death and decay off of her. Visibility becomes low from the downpour, but she doesn’t stop. She can’t. She’s comes this far. To get caught again would be certain death...
CUT TO:
INT. STRUGHOLD RESEARCH FACILITY – DAY
The room is dimly lit by flickering florescent lights. Perspiration falls down Knowle Rohrer’s face in small beads of sweat as he sleeps on a bed covered with a white sheet. He sleeps, but not peacefully.
John Montgomery enters the room with a glass of water and two pills. He goes up to Knowle and checks on the wound he received across the front of his body. The wound has an infection, causing Knowle much pain. Knowle opens his eyes slightly. He’s barely even coherent, but he senses he is not alone. Montgomery notices he is awake.
MONTGOMERY
I need you to take these. It’ll
help with the infection.Knowle tries to sit up so he can take the medication. He lets out a cough and he falls back down onto the bed. Montgomery helps him sit up and Knowle takes the pills and lies back down, shutting his eyes. The infection has caused a high fever, taking all the energy out of Knowle.
Montgomery looks down at him. He fears that this fever will not turn around and that the infection will get worse. He remembers what Grandmama Reyes told him twenty-two years ago while they were in the Arabian Desert. He would know the man who would lead and take control. This has to be what she was talking about. Everything she told him has come true.
Skinner comes into the room. He’s in his camouflage Marines uniform and carries Knowle’s large gun in his hands.
SKINNER
How is he?Montgomery doesn’t look up as he changes Knowle’s bandages and checks on the healing progress.
MONTGOMERY
The fever and infection are stubborn.
I’ve given him some pills to help, but
they haven’t been working. (beat) He’s in
a lot of pain. It’s been two days and
he’s not getting any better.Skinner comes over to him. He never thought he’d see Knowle Rohrer taken out in this war. He was so strong, smart, never missed a beat during any attack until Henry Gibbs. It brings perspective that everyone is fragile, no matter how strong and smart they are.
SKINNER
You know what they say, things get
worse before they get better, right?MONTGOMERY
I hope so.Montgomery’s mind wander back to Grandmama’s words and how he was to save this man. Montgomery looks at Skinner and notices he looks ready to head out and fight a battle.
MONTGOMERY
Where are you going?SKINNER
It’s been two days since you told
me where you think Dana may be.
I’m heading out to check it out.MONTGOMERY
Be careful. I can’t go with you.
If something were to happen to
Knowle, I wouldn’t be able to help.SKINNER
Don’t worry. I’ll be careful.MONTGOMERY
That’s what Knowle thought too.
(beat) Now look at him.Skinner does, keeping in his mind how fragile they all are.
SKINNER
I know.Skinner turns away with the fresh memory of Knowle’s condition in his head as he heads out. He has to find Scully. If Knowle could be taken out by these things, what could they do to Scully? She’s been out there with these things since August. It’s now October. Shit, it’s been fifty-seven days since she was taken. God only knows what’s happened to her, or even if she’s alive.
FLASHBACK CUT TO:
INT. SING, SING CORRECTIONAL FACILITY – OSSINGING, NEW YORK - NIGHT
AUGUST 18, 2006
57 DAYS EARLIERDana Scully is led into the Correctional Facility by the Alien Bounty Hunter who has a tight hold on her, making it impossible for her to break free. One wrong move and he can snap her arm as if it were a twig.
Her eyes dart around the facility. It’s dimly lit with flickering florescent lights. A heavy musty smell fills her nostrils. In the distance she can hear the sounds of humans being tortured. At least that’s what it sounds like, she doesn’t know for sure and she’s afraid she’ll find out soon enough.
The Alien Bounty Hunter leads her towards a room that appears to be a medical room, but he is stopped by another alien who is on guard. They speak in their language, which Scully does not understand, even after all the years of study and research she did with The Project.
SCULLY
(determined, feisty)
What do you want with me?She bravely speaks, knowing her question will not get an answer.
ALIEN BOUNTY HUNTER
He wishes to speak to you.He leads her down another hallway, moving her away from the medical room.
SCULLY
Where are you taking me?The Alien Bounty Hunter opens a door to another room and pushes her inside. She turns to face him as he shuts the door.
SCULLY
You can’t do this to me!She receives silence in return, and turns around to see an alien sitting at a desk that she assumes previously belonged to the Warden of this correctional facility. She finds it interesting that these aliens have their own system of hierarchy. This alien before her is obviously more important than those outside of this room. Obviously, it is far away from human contact. This one must run this operation.
She blinks and when she sees the alien again she sees it in human form. Is it a figment of her imagination or does it actually shape-shift? It happened too quickly for it to shape-shift into human form. This has to be a mind game. Maybe that’s what all of this has been. All these years maybe these aliens have been walking around in their true form and just making everyone see them as humans.
She remembers back to Monica. She once claimed to see them and said that they are among us. Then she mentioned “mind warfare” after she escaped from the aliens on the deserted island they crashed onto back in January.
Scully realizes that the alien in front of her has taken the form of a man known as Conrad Strughold. An alien trusted by the Syndicate. An alien who helped with The Project. The Syndicate members were damn fools for trusting him. She remembers he was fond of bees. How ironic, she thinks.
STRUGHOLD
(thick German accent)
You were always the smart one, Dr. Scully.He finally speaks to her.
SCULLY
What do you want with me?Strughold stands and comes out from behind his desk. He stands a few feet in front of her.
STRUGHOLD
Would you like some cold ice water?
Something to eat? (beat) I can’t imagine
you’ve had such luxuries out in the
uncivilized world.She eyes him cautiously.
SCULLY
I’m fine. I’d rather not take such
luxuries from my enemy.STRUGHOLD
(taunting her)
Do you think I would poison it and watch
as you slowly choke on your own tongue?
(beat) I am not a human, Dr. Scully. I
respect the necessities of life.SCULLY
(enough with this bullshit)
What do you want from me?Strughold motions to a chair in front of his desk for her to sit in.
STRUGHOLD
At least have a seat so we can talk.Scully sits in the chair, and Strughold returns to his desk.
SCULLY
(stern)
I’ll ask you one more time,
what do you want from me?Strughold senses her “no nonsense” tone.
STRUGHOLD
The chip that was placed in the
base of your neck. John Montgomery
encoded it with important information.
Information we feel safer having in
our own possession.SCULLY
What kind of information?STRUGHOLD
Defense information. All the files
humans would need to rebuild after
we came. (beat) Assuming you would win.Scully allows a sly smile to cross her face. She had Knowle remove the chip soon after he and Skinner found her.
SCULLY
If we can’t beat you, then why is
this chip so important to you? If it
has files that only the human race would
need to rebuild, then there must be some
sort of doubt that you carry for your kind
and your ability to destroy us.STRUGHOLD
I have no doubts, Dr. Scully. We are
stronger than you. We have control of
your climate so it better suits our needs.
Your meek ways of thinking will never
over power us. (beat) We have won.Scully observes him. He’s quick to defend himself.
SCULLY
You’ve been on this planet too
long, Conrad Strughold. (beat)
You’re picking up on our human mannerisms.Strughold doesn’t like the words coming from her.
SCULLY
(after a beat)
Look at yourself. (beat) You sit in solitude
as if higher than those that work beneath
you. You don’t do any of the hard work. You
take pride in what you’ve done. Pride in a
smug, human way. You’re quick to defend your
army, saying that you are powerful. (beat) What
makes your kind any different than the leaders
of the human race? (beat) What are you doing here
anyway? Killing humans, or trying to make them
believe something they don’t? (beat) How are you
any different from Christopher Columbus? Did you
not conquer a new world? Are you not taking the
Earth’s natives and making them do things they
don’t want to do?STRUGHOLD
Dr. Scully, you know nothing
of what we are doing here.SCULLY
I could hear humans being tortured.
You’re holding people against their will.
They are locked up in a prison.STRUGHOLD
You are a true scientist. Always observing.
(beat) How would you like to see first hand
what we do here?SCULLY
I thought you only wanted the chip.STRUGHOLD
I never said that was the only
thing I wanted from you.Scully watches him for a moment, trying to read into what else he would want from her.
SCULLY
Why do you really want it? What
use does it have for you?Strughold smirks at her, he won’t tell her.
SCULLY
(re: his smirk)
I’m a dead woman, I can’t know?STRUGHOLD
Unknowingly, Montgomery had information
of who is capable of fighting us.
The names of those humans are on that
chip. (beat) We need it for assurance
that no one will rise above us.SCULLY
Let me get this straight. You
get the names of the humans who
can beat you, and you kill them?
How do you even know the information is valid?STRUGHOLD
Even a civilization as strong,
and powerful as my own has enemies
of weaker status.SCULLY
Like a man with a weapon who
kills a lion. The weaker defeats
the stronger predator.STRUGHOLD
You have no option, Dr. Scully.
We will remove that chip from you.SCULLY
I don’t have it.She’s never been more thankful not to have that chip in her neck. As important as it is to both sides, those who can beat these aliens remain unknown, and perhaps this gives the human race a slight advantage.
SCULLY
It’s been destroyed.A small smile breaks through her face. Strughold sits quietly for a moment, and then the door opens and the Alien Bounty Hunter pulls Scully out of the chair. Her smile disappears quickly.
SCULLY
(trying to hide her panic)
What are you doing?STRUGHOLD
We have no use for you. You’re
being entered into our own project.She is dragged out of the room and Strughold shuts the door.
CUT TO:
EXT. EMPTY LAND – DAY
OCTOBER 14, 2006
PRESENT DAYThe rain pours down on Scully. She has fallen to the ground, having run so hard and so long that she has exhausted herself. She turns over onto her back to get her face out of the mud below. She’s can’t go on. She can’t go any further. She shuts her eyes, just wanting to sleep. She’s been through hell at that place and can’t find any more strength inside of her.
She can’t give in. She can still see the prison in the distance. She’s not far enough away from that place. She can’t get caught again.
Scully forces herself to sit up. Forces herself to find her strength. She has to. If not for herself, then for John, who she knows is looking down at her from the Heavens above. She looks down at her bare ring finger where the engagement ring use to be. Though they took it from her and it is gone, one thing remains the same inside of her. Semper fi. They can never take that from her. Never again can they make her forget.
Semper fi. It’s more than just a ring on her finger, it’s inside of her. Now more than ever she can feel it. She doesn’t know if its because she’s escaped or because she can feel John. Perhaps his spirit is around her, protecting her. She can feel his strength.
The aliens couldn’t take that away from her.
She takes a deep breath and makes herself stand up. She stands not for herself, not for getting far away from this place, but for John Doggett – the core of her internal strength. The reason she is here now.
She stands, the rain pours down on her and she looks back at the prison. She takes a deep breath. That’s it. That’s all she’ll ever see of it again. No more looking back. No more falling from weakness. From now on she moves forward.
FLASHBACK CUT TO:
INT. EXAM ROOM
AUGUST 18, 2006
57 DAYS EARLIERScully has been stripped of her clothing. She stands naked in front of an alien she can only assume is of doctor status. The alien injects her arm with a substance and she quickly becomes disoriented and dizzy. Her vision blurs. Time seems to pass quickly. She can only guess that she is in and out of consciousness. Her surroundings change, as if she’s being transported to another area of the prison. Lights, no lights, and lights again. Finally to a room dimly lit. The smell of humans, maybe even death. She can’t make it out. The room makes her feel sick.
The aliens drop her to the ground and she can hear the metal clank of a prison cell door being locked.
MAN (O.S.)
And I saw within her, the
beginning and the end.Scully blinks her eyes slowly becoming aware of her surroundings. She hears the words of the man. The screams of women, cries of children, and violent pounding on the metal bars from someone in a violent rage.
What the hell is this place?
MAN (O.S.)
This is only the end, which I
saw is only the beginning. The
end of everything, but the beginning
of life all over again.Scully turns her head to look at the man. He sounds crazy, as if he’s been locked up for too long in this place. She recognizes him. The man is Samuel DeWitt who she met at Mulder and Krycek’s Halloween party last year. She could never forget such a strange man. At the time she thought he was crazy and talking jibberish, but in the second month and the second Friday she did meet up with her past, Scott Williams, just as this man had predicted.
Samuel DeWitt looks over at her and smiles.
SCULLY
What is this place?SAMUEL DeWITT
You were prepared.He looks into her, knowing who she is and happy to see that she faced the Devil - Scott Williams - and was prepared.
SCULLY
What is this place?SAMUEL DeWITT
This is the end. I saw this place, you,
all of this through your friend. She
couldn’t see it, it was clouded. For me
though, it was clear. (beat) The end
is only the beginning.Down the cellblock, a man screams, not of pain, but of insanity. Rage. A loud pounding is heard and a pool of blood oozes its way down the cellblock floor. Scully looks on with horror.
SAMUEL DeWITT
The weaker minds cannot survive.She looks away. She can’t see it. She can’t be here. This can’t be happening.
SCULLY
(whisper)
What the hell is going on here?SAMUEL DeWITT
They are using us as host
bodies for their new race.SCULLY
(confused)
New race? What do you mean?SAMUEL DeWITT
Hybrids. Female bodies incubate them.
They develop quickly. For every woman
there are three a day.Scully lets this register in her mind. Every woman gives birth to a new hybrid three times a day?
SCULLY
Why?SAMUEL DeWITT
To keep the planet after they leave.SCULLY
When do they leave?SAMUEL DeWITT
I was just taking a guess, Dana Scully.SCULLY
What are the men for?SAMUEL DeWITT
They’ve injected us with a substance
that mutates our semen to carry their
alien DNA. (beat) We call this place
a Breeding Camp. It’s what goes on
all the time. (beat) We’re their slave race.SCULLY
I don’t understand. Why would they need hybrids?She has so many questions and no one who can or will answer them.
SAMUEL DeWITT
(serious)
I need to warn you.Scully looks at him again.
SAMUEL DeWITT
(serious)
Most men don’t take well to the
injection. They are the weaker
minds. They become violent. Out of control.Another man is heard screaming.
SAMUEL DeWITT
I am not affected. The substance
attacks their brains, I don’t know why.
But they kill, and that’s when the
aliens terminate them because they
have no use for them. These men
kill women, and they need women.SCULLY
How do I avoid one that’s like that?SAMUEL DeWITT
You can’t.She looks at him with wide eyes. She knows he’s not telling her this to scare her, he’s warning her. This can’t be happening to her – to anyone.
Suddenly all the cell doors open automatically. Scully jumps back, not sure what is going on. An alien goes to Samuel DeWitt’s cell and takes him out, taking him away to another cell. Scully watches on with worry as another alien comes to her cell with another man and tosses the man inside. The alien leaves and the man looks at her, he has fear in his eyes.
SCULLY
What’s going on?MAN
They want us to breed.The cell doors close and lock with a clank.
SCULLY
What happens if we don’t
do what they ask?MAN
You don’t want to do that. They’ll
put you in the darkness for a week.SCULLY
Solitude?MAN
Yeah.SCULLY
What happens in there?MAN
I hope you never find out.He can tell she’s new here.
MAN
This has to happen, even if
we don’t want it. (beat) I’m sorry.The man approaches her.
SCULLY
I’m Dana.She might as well make it easier for the both of them. They are stuck here and don’t have any freedom. And this man doesn’t want to see her go into solitude for a week. What do they do to people there?
MAN
Brian.SCULLY
Nice to meet you.She’s determined not to let these aliens break her down. She has to be stronger than them. She’s been through a lot worse in life and this man seems nicer than Scott Williams or the Smoking Man. This is hard on Brian as well, and luckily for her she didn’t get stuck with a man who can’t handle whatever it is they put in these men.
FADE OUT:
FADE IN:
INT. SCULLY’S CELL – FOUR HOURS LATER
Scully is on the floor in pain. Her stomach looks as if she is nine month pregnant and about to pop. She has tears in her eyes. Never in her life has she been through this much pain.
Samuel DeWitt watches her with worry.
SAMUEL DeWITT
Just breathe.Scully hears him but doesn’t bother to respond she’s in that much pain. This is going to happen to her three times a day? Why are they doing this to her? If only there was some way to stop all of this from happening.
She screams in pain, feeling it’s time for this hybrid to come into this world. The door to the cellblock is heard opening and aliens make their way to her cell.
Her cell door opens and alien doctors come in, injecting her neck with a substance that makes it hard for her to move if she tries to fight back - as if she would in her condition, she’s forced to cooperate with their Hybrid Project.
The aliens take her out of her cell. She faces the ceiling, watching the lights move above her. The pain seems to have diminished from whatever it is they injected her with. Where the hell are they taking her? She feels dizzy and disoriented. Her eyes become heavy and she becomes unconscious.
CUT TO:
INT. CAVE – NIGHT
COLORADO
OCTOBER 14, 2006Monica Reyes sleeps with her head on one of her bags and a thin blanket covering her body. Robert Comer watches her as he sits across the cave from her. The artifact gives off enough dim light for him to see, but leaves the cave dark enough for Monica to sleep.
Comer holds Monica’s journal in his hands, reading through what she has written down. Mainly this journal is how she has been communicating, but the words before it he’s never read before. Part of him thinks he shouldn’t read it, but another part of him thinks that if he did he could better understand what she’s going through.
She writes that she saw her friends die and the worst death of them all was that of Knowle Rohrer. She believes this to be true, but Comer has his doubts. She’s a special person and maybe these aliens have ways of getting inside her head and making her believe things that are not true. But there is no way of knowing.
Comer continues to flip through, heading towards the beginning of the journal. She writes about times before the aliens came to colonize the planet. Specifically about Luke Doggett’s case being solved and how she feels free knowing the case is closed. She’s happy for John Doggett, knowing that he’ll finally have peace and be able to move on. She’s shocked to have found out that Comer knew about Rigali, and even expresses her worry about how long he knew and why he didn’t tell anyone sooner.
A noise at the opening of the cave catches Comer’s attention. He looks up to see Brad come in.
COMER
Where’ve you been?Brad comes in and sets his bag down.
BRAD
Food is hard to come by around
here. Not sure why.COMER
Maybe there are other survivors
in these parts. Or the heat has
killed off any animals.BRAD
If there are more survivors maybe
we should try to find them. It
may be safer than just the three of us.Comer closes Monica’s journal and puts it back in her bag. Brad notices.
BRAD
Catching up on a little reading?COMER
Just curious about what she
writes about. Thought maybe
there would be something in
there that could help us help her.Brad nods his head.
BRAD
You may want to ask first.Brad sits down across from him and looks back at Monica.
BRAD
How’s she doing?COMER
She’s doing all right. (beat) We
went looking for you a couple days ago.
We thought you were lost in the cave.BRAD
I marked my way so I wouldn’t.COMER
Something happened.Brad looks up at him, hearing the seriousness in his voice.
COMER (CON’T)
I fell from a ledge. My back
was broken and...He’s still in shock, unable to believe what happened to him. Brad looks at him wondering how it is he is here right now as if nothing happened to him at all.
COMER
This artifact, it... it healed me.Brad looks down at the artifact. His first thoughts of it when it gave them light was that it was dangerous, but now... how could this artifact heal someone?
BRAD
What do you mean it healed you?COMER
I felt this surge of... I don’t
know, it was something. I just
felt a tingling sensation run
through my body and before I
knew it, I felt fine. (beat) This
thing has power. There has to be
a reason Monica’s grandmother gave
it to her. It has to have a greater
purpose. That’s why I went looking through
her journal, to see if she wrote anything
in there she wasn’t able to tell us.BRAD
Did she?COMER
No. Just that her Grandmother said it
was the key and had power.BRAD
Maybe there’s a reason we’re down in
this cave. Maybe there’s a reason the
rock could give off light down here.Brad thinks for a moment.
COMER
What are you thinking?BRAD
Her grandmother said it was the key,
what if there is something in this
cave that makes it... work.COMER
Could be, but do we really want to
venture around in the dark? (beat)
Believe me, it’s not safe, I almost died.BRAD
But this healed you.COMER
We don’t know anything about it.
I mean, what if it was a one time
thing because I wasn’t supposed to die.BRAD
You know, any other day I would have
committed you, but after everything that
we’ve seen I can’t help believe that
there is some greater meaning to all of this.
(beat) This rock is the key and I think that
it’s up to us to find out what it’s the key
to, and unlock that door.COMER
Not until we learn more about it.Across from them, Monica opens her eyes and the artifact gives off a brighter light, sensing that she is awake.
CUT TO:
EXT. FOREST AREA – NIGHT
OCTOBER 14, 2006
“They’ll do horrible things to her. You can’t let that happen.”
John Doggett’s words echo in Walter Skinner’s mind. In the past he was never one to believe in paranormal activities, but after the Viet Nam War and after his vision of John Doggett a few months back he has to believe that there is life after death.
Skinner leans up against a tree, seeking shelter from the rainstorm the best he can. Drops of rain fall from the sky, weaving their way through the branches and falling onto Skinner.
He can’t believe he let her down. He can’t believe he let John Doggett down, even after the warning he gave him. He let it happen, he let Scully be taken. He can’t let her down anymore. He can’t let anyone down. Look at what happened to Knowle when Henry attacked them. Skinner thought only about saving his own ass, never lending a helpful hand to Knowle, and now he could be dying.
He’s been selfish though he doesn’t want to be that way anymore. It’s why he’s out here now, to bring an end to his selfishness. He’d sacrifice his own life to save Scully – if he can even find her. Montgomery said she was probably locked up at Sing Sing Correctional Facility being held by aliens. What will he even do when he gets there?
He’d get himself captured if it meant saving her life. That’s what he’d do.
Skinner’s eyes are tired, but he can’t sleep. Not knowing that Scully has been in the hands of the aliens for almost two months. He can only rest for a little while. He can’t let his guard down, Knowle did that and now Death is knocking at the door.
In the distance Skinner notices a warm glowing light. He gets on alert, what the hell is this? Is it them? Is it one of their crafts? He checks his weapon to make sure it’s loaded and ready for an ambush.
Suddenly, cold metal touches the back of his head and he freezes.
MAN (O.S.)
Drop your weapon.Skinner drops his weapon to the ground.
MAN
Are you alone?SKINNER
Yes.MAN
Get up.Skinner feels the cold metal move away from his head. He slowly starts to rise to his feet.
MAN
Put your hands on your
head with your fingers locked together.Skinner does has he asks and stands up.
MAN
Turn around.Skinner turns to be face to face with this man. He doesn’t know him, but sees this man is not traveling alone. He’s younger than Skinner and wears military fatigues.
MAN
What’s your name, soldier?SKINNER
Walter Skinner.MAN
Do you know its dangerous
to travel alone in these parts?SKINNER
I’m looking for someone. (beat)
Who are you? And how do I know
I can trust you when you’ve got a gun on me?MAN
They call me O’Reily.He lowers his gun.
O’REILY
I’m with a group of people, those
are their lights behind you.Skinner turns and looks behind him at the warm glowing light, torch lights, not alien crafts.
O’REILY
We’ve been picking up strays, people
in need of help. (beat) Maybe we’ve
got the person you’re looking for.SKINNER
She’s a red head, five foot
two, small. (beat) She was
taken by aliens about two months back.O’REILY
Description sounds familiar.
You’re welcome to come back
with us and see if she’s here.SKINNER
Thank you.Skinner bends down and picks up his weapon. O’Reily steps towards him.
O’REILY
I’d feel safer carrying that for you.He takes hold of Skinner’s weapon. Skinner eyes him cautiously, unsure if he should trust this man. He releases his grip on the gun and O’Reily takes it.
O’REILY
Just a precaution. Like I said,
it’s dangerous out here. (beat)
Follow me this way.O’Reily walks ahead of him and Skinner follows.
SMALL TIME CUT TO:
EXT. CLEARING IN THE FOREST
A couple campfires warmly light the clearing. Tents have been set up. Skinner follows O’Reily into the survivor compound. He can’t believe how few people are here, but it’s more than he thought. Is that good or bad? They seem like a friendly group of people. They seem to be sincere about helping him find Scully.
O’REILY
The woman that matched your description
is in the tent over there.He points across the clearing.
O’REILY
She was beaten up pretty badly.
Blood loss. (beat) When we found
her, she was incoherent. We’re not
sure what happened to her. We’re
not even sure she knows what happened to her.SKINNER
Did she tell you her name?O’Reily shakes his head “no”.
O’REILY
Like I said, she was pretty incoherent.
(beat) We don’t have doctors here, so
there’s not much we can do for her except
keep her as comfortable as we can.O’Reily continues to lead Skinner towards the tent.
O’REILY
(after a beat)
To be honest, I’m not sure
how much time she has left.Skinner takes this all in.
“They’ll do horrible things to her.”
Skinner’s mind is consumed with guilt.
O’Reily and Skinner reach the tent and enter.
INT. TENT – CON’T
The tent is dimly lit by a small lantern. A woman lies on a mattress. She is covered in a blanket. Skinner steps forward to get a better look at the woman. It’s Scully. She sleeps in a sweat, much like how Knowle was when he left the Facility.
SKINNER
It’s her. It’s Dana.O’Reily watches Skinner as he kneels down by Scully’s side. He takes hold of her hand. She moves her head, as if she’s having a terrible nightmare.
Skinner notices she doesn’t have her engagement ring on her finger anymore. His heart sinks. She doesn’t have anything left of John Doggett. That ring was the only thing she had connecting her to him. He wonders if she even knows. How much will this break her heart? A tear falls from his eye.
SKINNER
How long has she been here?O’RIELY
Couple hours. We found her laying
face down in the ground. Rain pouring
down on her. We first thought she was
drowning to death in a puddle of muddy water.
Then we saw the blood and damage done to her.SKINNER
What kind of damage?O’REILY
Like she had given birth to
an alien who clawed itself out
of her. (beat) She’s lost a lot
of blood and we don’t have a doctor.SKINNER
I know where a doctor is. (beat)
How safe is it to move her?O’REILY
It took two men to bring her back.
One holding the feet, the other her
shoulders. (beat) I don’t think there
are any sharp objects in her, but like
I said, we don’t have any doctors, so
I don’t know for sure.SKINNER
I need to get her to this doctor.Skinner gently puts down Scully’s hand and stands up. He looks back at O’Reily.
O’REILY
I can give you some blankets
to help keep her warm, but there’s
really nothing more I can do to help.SKINNER
That’s more than helpful. Thank you.O’Reily nods his head and leaves the tent. Skinner looks back down at Scully. He can only wonder what she’s been through. What did the aliens do to her? Will she even remember?
FLASHBACK CUT TO:
INT. CELL – SING SING CORRECTIONAL FACILITY - NIGHT
OCTOBER 4, 2006
TEN DAYS AGOThe lights are off in the cell block, but Scully is not asleep. She’s quietly working at breaking through the bars of her cell. She’s been filing away at them for many days and they are finally becoming weak enough for her to move them and escape from this hell. She breaks free. A smile crosses her face. She’s can almost taste her freedom.
She squeezes herself out, quietly making her way through the bars. She stands to her feet, looks both ways. No alien guards are in sight. She spots the door and runs. She can almost see the light of freedom.
She opens the door and an alarm blares, indicating that someone has escaped.
SCULLY
(to herself)
Shit.She can hear the alien guards running towards her cellblock. She must get out of here. Without another thought she turns and runs towards another door, just as it opens and a group of guards come face to face with her.
She almost loses her footing, and quickly turns around to run the other direction, just as another group of alien guards come through another door.
She is surrounded and grabbed. She screams, as if it’ll make a difference. There is no one here to rescue her. No one at all.
She feels a sharp prick on her neck. She’s been injected with something and the effects of the drug work quickly. She becomes dizzy and light headed, eventually passing out.
FADE OUT:
FADE IN:
DARKNESS
Scully’s eyes open but see nothing. She is cloaked in darkness. She places her hand over her neck. It’s sore from the injection given to her. How long has she been out?
SCULLY
Hello?Her voice cracks the silence.
SCULLY
Is anyone here?She doesn’t even know where here is.
MAN
I’m here.She turns around, just in time to see a man – John Doggett – stand behind her and light a small fire for light. She sees that she is in a small cement cell. No windows and for all she can see, no door.
SCULLY
Where I am?DOGGETT
I don’t know.SCULLY
Who are you?She senses this is wrong. She knows him, but doesn’t know him at all. He seems like someone from a distant dream.
DOGGETT
It’s me, Dana. John. (beat)
Don’t you remember? Semper fi.Scully looks at him confused.
SCULLY
You’re one of them aren’t you?DOGGETT
Dana, it’s me, John. Johnny Jay
Doggett. (beat) I left for the
Marines before this war broke out.
(beat) Don’t you remember?Doggett takes a step towards her.
SCULLY
Stay away from me.For all she knows this man, John Doggett, could be one of the male breeders who has become dangerous.
DOGGETT
Semper fi.SCULLY
Stay away from me!She turns, hoping to find a door. The light goes out, leaving her alone in darkness. Who the hell was that man, and why did he seem to know her? None of this makes sense.
For a brief second, her memory of John Doggett comes back to her. “Semper fi” finds meaning inside her heart. She quickly turns around, hoping to find him, but he’s not there.
Why couldn’t she remember him? Why did she not remember the words “semper fi”? Tears sting her eyes. How could she have forgotten how much John Doggett means to her?
She feels her bare ring finger in the darkness. They took that from her and now she’s left in this dark place where she can forget John Doggett.
Her mind blanks again. She can’t remember him. “Semper fi” has no meaning for her, yet it aches in her heart.
How can these aliens take away her memory?
FADE OUT:
FADE IN:
INT. DARK CELL – DAY
OCTOBER 11, 2006
ONE WEEK LATERThe cell doors open and the bright morning light blindly comes in, shining down on Scully, who is resting on the hard cement ground. She squints her eyes in the light. We see her eyes are red, she’s been crying. The realization that these aliens can take away the only thing she has left of John – her memories of him – has been weighing down on her heart the past few hours.
An alien comes in and picks her up, dragging her out.
She doesn’t try to run this time. She doesn’t want to be put in the darkness again. She doesn’t want them to take away her memory of John or “semper fi” again. She can’t take that. She’s done trying to escape.
The alien guard tosses her back into her cell on the cellblock. The cell door locks shut with a loud clank.
Samuel DeWitt watches her as she curls herself up in a corner. She feels sick to her stomach. Sick because they can do that to her. The last thing she’d ever want taken from her is her memory of John Doggett. They’ve already taken the ring he gave her, but she’s determined not to let them have John.
SAMUEL DeWITT
When Death comes... that is your time.Scully looks up at him. His tone is of warning, or maybe he has foreseen something and knows more than he’ll ever tell her.
SAMUEL DeWITT
(quietly)
When Death comes...SMASH CUT TO:
INT. CELL – DAY
OCTOBER 13, 2006
YESTERDAYThe cell doors unlock. Scully sits up, wondering what’s going on, they usually don’t come this early in the morning. She looks over at Samuel.
SCULLY
What’s going on?SAMUEL DeWITT
Not sure.The alien guards come down the cellblock walk way.
ALIEN GUARD
Everyone step out and turn
towards your left.Scully and Samuel share a look, this has never happened before, but they do as they’re told.
ALIEN GUARD
Walk forward.They all do as their asked, as they start to make their way out of the cellblock. Scully keeps her eyes alert. She’s scared and doesn’t like that she doesn’t know what’s going on. Behind her she can hear one of the dangerous men. He’s a little too close for comfort. Samuel continues to walk in front of her, but he turns his head to look behind him at the man near Scully.
ALIEN GUARD
Face forward!Samuel turns to face forward once again. He looks directly at the alien guard.
SAMUEL DeWITT
There is danger.Suddenly, the man near Scully starts to break out in a violent rage. Attacking a woman near him and killing her. He looks at Scully and runs towards her, wanting to attack her too.
Scully watches him, not sure what to do. Samuel quickly gets in front of her, protecting her from this man’s attack. The man beats Samuel, tearing the flesh from his body. Scully screams and the entire cellblock is in a panic. More Alien Guards file in and grab hold of the man, pulling him off of Samuel, who lies lifeless on the ground.
The aliens drag the man off, stating something about termination. Scully watches on with horror. She is pushed back into her cell and everyone is locked in as they clean up the mess from the attack.
What the hell do they do to these men? What makes them act this way? That man, she remembers him. Brian, the first man she was forced to breed with. He was nice, kind, gentle. What the hell happened to him?
She sits in the corner of her cell, holding her knees to her chest. Samuel DeWitt is dead. He was the only person she trusted in this place. He died protecting her. A tear falls from her face. There is no hope of getting out of here. This truly is the end.
SLOW BLUR FADE IN:
INT. STRUGHOLD RESEARCH FACILITY – NIGHT
OCTOBER 14, 2006
TODAYScully’s eyes slowly open. She sees bright lights above her. John Montgomery looks down at her.
SKINNER
(muffled)
Is she going to be all right?MONTGOMERY
(muffled)
Her eyes are open.Skinner enters her view.
SKINNER
(muffled)
Hang in there, Dana. You’re
going to be all right.MONTGOMERY
(muffled)
I’m going to give her something
to diminish the pain.Montgomery leaves her view. Skinner stays near by, but looks up to watch Montgomery, who comes back into view and injects her with something. Her eyes feel heavy and shut.
FADE OUT:
FADE IN:
INT. CELL – SING SING CORRECTIONAL FACILITY – DAY
OCTOBER 14, 2006
EARLIER THAT DAYScully lies on the cell floor. She’s holding her stomach in pain. She is about to give birth to another alien hybrid, but refuses to let anyone know that she is ready. Tears stream down her face as she deals with the intense pain. The longer she waits, the better chance she has at getting out of here.
“When Death comes...”
Samuel DeWitt’s words enter her head. That’s when her time will be to get out of here, when Death comes. She’s not sure what Samuel meant, but she knows that she could die if she doesn’t get this alien hybrid out of her.
She holds in her scream as she feels claws inside her, ripping at her. She bites her lower lip, but she can’t help it. She lets out a scream. This feels like Death. If she doesn’t get help soon it’s going to rip out of her body and she’ll surely die.
Aliens rush in and quickly get her out of her cell, placing her on a stretcher.
Unlike all the other times, they do not inject her with a substance that makes her unable to move. This is it... this is how she escapes.
The aliens take her into a medical room and quickly prepare to get the alien hybrid out of her. They cut her open and pull it out. They quickly heal her wound with their touch, they don’t have time to let a woman rest from stitches, they need her again and again.
Scully’s eyes are heavy, she’s woozy. There is too much blood loss. Her eyes shut and her breathing slows.
BEEEEEEP.
Her heart stops.
The alien’s converse briefly and then leave, leaving behind one who will dump her body with the rest of dead.
CUT TO:
DARKNESS.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Scully’s eyes open.
INT. STRUGHOLD FACILITY – RECOVERY ROOM – DAY
OCTOBER 15, 2006
BEEP.
The steady beeping of a heart monitor brings a calm over Scully as she looks around. She's shocked to find herself in a hospital bed and further shocked as she realizes that she is in the Strughold Facility. She looks over to her left and sees Knowle Rohrer. He’s resting comfortably.
SCULLY
(whispers)
Knowle?Knowle doesn’t respond. A moment later John Montgomery enters the room.
SCULLY
(surprised)
John?MONTGOMERY
You’re friends came here and
found me. (beat) How are you feeling?SCULLY
Exhausted. (beat) What happened
to Knowle? Is he all right?MONTGOMERY
He was attacked by an alien.
He’ll be fine.Scully nods her head.
SCULLY
How did I get here?MONTGOMERY
Walter Skinner brought you in. (beat)
You were knocking on Death’s door when
he got you here. (beat) I have some
bad news to tell you.Scully listens.
MONTGOMERY
I don’t know what you’ve been through,
but what ever happened to you, it caused
a lot of damage. I don’t think it will
ever be possible for you to conceive a child.Scully looks down. Not that this is new news in her life, but she can understand this.
MONTGOMERY
Do you remember what happened to you?SCULLY
The damage happened because it was
my only way out. (beat) John, these
aliens have breeding camps – that’s what
the people there call them, and that’s
exactly what is done there.She looks away from Montgomery, remembering back to what happened to her.
SCULLY (CON’T)
It was horrible. What they’d do to
people. They made me forget John, my
fiancé. Horrible things happened to
men, I don’t even understand it. (beat)
I have lost count of how many alien
hybrids I gave birth to.MONTGOMERY
Alien hybrids?SCULLY
Yes. Why are they doing this?MONTGOMERY
I don’t know, but at least we
know what they’re doing.SCULLY
I talked with a man there, a man who
gave his life to save mine, and he
said that maybe they were making
these hybrids so they can take over
the world. Maybe the aliens will leave
the planet. (beat) Each day I gave birth
to three hybrids. God only knows how
many of the “breeding camps” are around.
There has to be something we can do to
save these people.MONTGOMERY
There’s not much we can do without
risking getting caught. (beat) You’ve
been through a lot, Dana. You need your rest.He helps her lay down on the bed once again.
MONTGOMERY
I’ll be in to check up on
you in a little while.Scully nods her head and Montgomery leaves.
KNOWLE
(after a beat; groggy)
I’m sorry.Scully opens her eyes and looks over at him. He looks drugged and tired.
SCULLY
For what?KNOWLE
(groggy)
For letting my guard down.
(beat) It won’t happen again.His eyes shut. Scully watches him for a moment. She can’t even imagine the amount of guilt he must feel. It’s not his fault she was taken. She would never blame him for that. How were they supposed to know. She suspects Knowle is hurt from an encounter with Henry Gibbs. She wonders how long he played them before Henry showed them his true self.
She shuts her eyes and takes a deep breath. She never thought she would be free from that place. But there are still so many people there, and who knows how many more breeding camps have been set up. She can only hope that her friends are safe.
FADE OUT:
FADE IN:
INT. THE BUNKIE – NIGHT
NOVEMBER 18, 2006
7:05 PM"The Streak" is playing from the little stereo they have down in the basement. Mulder and Krycek stand looking at a power generator as Marita makes her way out from behind it. She dusts herself off and smiles at them.
MARITA
Ta da! (beat) My mother gave me homework.
Each night I had to study manuals for
each generator. (beat) It's practically
second nature for me.Suddenly a loud metallic clank is heard in the hallway of the bunker. The bunker has unlocked itself automatically, nearly six months after Krycek accidentally locked them in.
The loud sound startles all three of them.
KRYCEK
I didn't do that. That's not
my fault, whatever broke.MULDER
(excited)
Nothing broke. The bunker is unlocked!Finally, freedom from the bunker has arrived!
FADE OUT:
THE END.
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