Title: "AWOL"
Written by: Kristi
Date: May 18-19; June 10, 2007
Air Date: June 11, 2007
Rating: PG-13
Series: FRVS - Episode #185
Spoilers: Past episodes of FRVS may be spoiled.
Feedback: We love it. Please e-mail us at frvs.feedback@gmail.com (please include the episode name in the subject) 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 survivalists at the Chicago Airport are hit by new enemies as Charles Scully remembers his past.
Since "Fox & Rat" has been, well, A.W.O.L., we bring you...
PREVIOUSLY ON "FOX & RAT": Aliens have invaded the planet before the estimated time table of June 11, 2006. Knowle and Skinner escaped from the Marine Barracks at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina just as the aliens initiated their first wave of attacks, leaving us to believe that Doggett and Shannon were killed in their massive fireball explosion. Meanwhile, Monica and Brad saw the end of Grandmama's life hours before a swarm of bees were detered from a mysterious artifact Grandmama gave Monica on her death bed, claiming it to be the key... to what, we don't yet know. All the while, Mulder, Krycek and Marita were locked in the FBI Basement bombshelter, also know as "The Bunkie", and have been sheltered from the horrors of alien invasion from above. All the while, Scully is hiding in her's and John's basement, seeking protection from the alien invasion and the bee-carrying-virus that has killed off most of the World's population, only to be saved by Knowle. However, danger lurks behind her neck in the form of the little implanted chip, as she realizes the aliens are using it to track her. Forced to remove it, despite the high risk of developing untreatable cancer, Scully has Knowle remove the device, and he is still unaware of its fatal doom post-removal. As if this trauma of facing death weren't horrible enough for Scully, she believes John to be dead. This is a long re-cap. On the road north from Grandmama's happy, yet un-electric home, Brad and Monica find themselves seeking shelter in an abandoned house in Colorado, when they run into Robert Comer (a former lover of Monica's). While tapping into the location of Knowle, Skinner and Scully (who had their own problems in New York City), Monica sees the horrible deaths of her friends, but has to quickly abandon the vision when aliens attack. To protect Monica from the aliens and their deadly mind control, the mysterious artifact shuts her down of verbal communication and prevents her from using her own mind ability. Meanwhile, Skinner had his own demons to face from Viet Nam and his own selfish past so he can be strong enough to survive as faces what could be his own death, but is miraculously healed by an unknown being in the form of Knowle Rohrer. All the while, we find out John Doggett, Shannon McMahon, and Charles Scully survived the initial bombing at Camp Lejeune, but not without leaving a near deadly scar on the back of John Doggett, who is determined to find out the fate of his fiancee, Dana. If you've read this far you don't need glasses. Trusting strangers infiltrate two of our beloved heroic groups, as the Smoking Man weasles his way into the protection of Doggett, Shannon and Charles Scully, wanting more from them than what meets the eye. Meanwhile, an Alien Shapeshifter, Henry Gibbs, captures Scully and has her taken to what we have come to know as... an alien Breeding Camp. Can you see why we don't want these long breaks next season? John Montgomery finds himself seeking refuge in the now rundown Strughold Research Facility in New York, where he discovers there were two Syndicates (the good and the bad). The Bad ran an unknown research project to find ways to fight against alien mind control abilities, and one of their test subjects was to be Captain William Scully, Sr., who fortunately died of a heart attack before that could take place. Meanwhile, Scully is still missing and Knowle and Skinner find Montgomery, and a good thing for that or else Knowle would die from a confrontation with Henry Gibbs in his alien form. In seach for Scully, Skinner heads out to find her fifty-some-odd-days later. Scully, while captive at the Breeding Camp, endangers her life while increasing her chance at escaping by allowing one of the Alien Hybrid babies to almost tear her apart, making it impossible for her to ever conceive a child of her own. Holy cheeses, this re-cap may be longer than the episode itself. Just in time for the Holiday season, the Bunkie doors open, freeing our silly, yet loveable, heroes, who discover they have to dig their way out. Christmas time isn't exactly holly jolly for everyone, as Scully spends another Christmas in sadness, this time reflecting on John. Mulder, Krycek and Marita finally free themselves and get their first breath of fresh air in nearly six months, but just in time to be taken by alien forces where mind control tricks are played against each other, leaving Marita dead by the hand of Alex Krycek. Split up for the first time since the alien invasion, Mulder and Krycek find themselves on opposite sides of the country with amnesia. But Mulder's memory comes back fast when he runs into is long lost sister, Samantha. Krycek on the other hand isn't as lucky and finds himself held captive by a group of people who believe he is a killer and treat him as such. With no hope of his memory coming back soon or what to expect in this world, we bring you the beginning of "AWOL"...
FADE IN:
INT. SCULLY RESIDENCE – LAKE PLACID, NEW YORK
DECEMBER 25, 1993
6:45 A.M.The warm smell of fresh baked cinnamon rolls lures Charles Scully (age 21) into the kitchen, just in time to see his father take the rolls out of the oven.
CHARLES
Smells good, dad.Captain Scully turns around and smiles at him.
CAPTAIN SCULLY
Merry Christmas, son.He sets the hot cookie sheet on top of the stove.
CAPTAIN SCULLY
I thought you would’ve been up hours
ago and fully dressed for the day. (beat)
You’ll have to do that once you graduate
from West Point.CHARLES
I thought that since it was Christmas,
I’d give myself a break.He grabs a plate from the counter and grabs for a cinnamon roll.
CAPTAIN SCULLY
Men in our Military don’t always
have Christmas off, Charles.CHARLES
I know.He places a hot cinnamon roll on his plate.
CAPTAIN SCULLY
I’ve put in a good word for
with the Navy. They’re ready to
offer you a position once you grad-CHARLES
-I told you. I’m going to the Marines.CAPTAIN SCULLY
The Navy is much more dignified.
Think of your future family – a
wife and kids. Won’t you want them
to know you are safe? Marines are
the first go to in. They are the
first to die.CHARLES
Dad, I don’t want to argue this
with you again.CAPTAIN SCULLY
Look how successful your brother is.CHARLES
Yeah, only because you helped him
climb the ladder. I want to do this
on my own. I don’t need any help.
I want to be a Marine.CAPTAIN SCULLY
When will you out grow this phase?CHARLES
It’s not a phase, dad. Do you really
think I would’ve lasted this long at
West Point if it were a phase?CAPTAIN SCULLY
I’ve always dreamed that both my
boys would be in the Navy. My father
was in the Navy and I followed in
his footsteps.CHARLES
Yeah, and you also wanted Dana to
be a doctor and now she’s an FBI agent.Captain Scully sighs. He doesn’t want to get into that topic.
CHARLES
Why can’t you just be proud of us?
Why do you always want us to be
“more like Bill”? (beat) We’re
unique individuals. I admire Dana
for doing what she wants to do in life.CAPTAIN SCULLY
Let’s not argue this, son. I’m an old
man and if my final day comes sooner than
expected I don’t want any regrets.He leaves the kitchen.
CHARLES
(under his breath)
What an up-beat conversation
for Christmas, dad.He shakes his head and sighs, then eats his cinnamon roll.
TIME CUT TO:
INT. CADET BARRACKS – WEST POINT, UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY
JANUARY 6, 1994
11:40 P.M.Charles Scully lies restless in his bunk. He woke up an hour ago and hasn’t been able to fall asleep. The door quietly opens and an officer comes in and goes over to his bunk.
OFFICE
Cadet Scully. You need to come with me.Charles gets up from his bunk.
CHARLES
What’s going on?OFFICER
The Dean requests your presence
in his office immediately.Charles nods his head and follows the officer to the Dean’s office. His mind races. Why on Earth would the Dean need to see him in the middle of the night? He can’t, for the life of him, recall anything he has done wrong. Perhaps this has something to do with the constant argument he has with his father about the Navy and the Marines. He wishes his father would just let him live his life and let him do what he wants. If he goes into the Dean’s office and there is talk about him and the Navy, he’s going to be pissed.
They reach the Dean’s office and Charles walks in.
INT. DEAN’S OFFICE – CON’T
Charles enters the large office and sees the Dean sitting behind his large oak desk, a somber look on his face.
DEAN
Have a seat, Cadet Scully.Charles does as told and sits in one of the leather seats in front of the Dean’s desk.
DEAN
I’m afraid I have some bad news. (beat)
I just received a call from your mother...
Your father has passed away. He had a heart attack.Charles is stunned. This is the last thing he expected to hear. His father was in top-notch form, perfect health. How could this be?
DEAN
I have drawn up the paperwork for
your leave so you can attend his
funeral. (beat) I am very sorry for your loss.Charles nods his head.
CHARLES
Thank you, sir.He stands up, still in a state of shock. This can’t be true, but it is.
CUT TO:
EXT. DOCK – DAY
JANUARY 8, 1994
12:05 P.M.Rain falls from the clouds above. Bobby Darin’s “Beyond The Sea” plays loudly from a boat a couple ways out to sea, where Captain William Scully’s ashes are being released out to sea. Charles Scully stands with a black overcoat on and an umbrella above his head.
SCULLY
As a Captain, he was entitled to
burial at Arlington with full ceremony.MARGARET SCULLY
This is how he wanted it.
(beat; under breath) Even with
this ridiculous song playing.Dana snaps a look at her.
SCULLY
You know how much Dad loved this song.Margaret lets out a sigh.
Charles listens in on his sister and mother talking. He can’t help but hear how unemotional Margaret is on this day. He eyes her suspiciously. He always had a feeling there was something off about her.
His eyes change to Dana. A few tears roll down her cheeks, as she hangs on tightly to a book, “Moby Dick” by Herman Melville. Charles can remember from when he was younger that the book was Dana’s favorite to read with her father. And even Charles himself enjoyed listening in on them read the book. He knows his sister well and knows that she’s thinking of the unanswered question she has that their father never could answer. Did he accept her as an FBI agent? Of course he did. He always wanted what was best for his children.
Margaret glances down at her watch, not knowing that Charles has seen her do this.
CUT TO:
EXT. MICHIE STADIUM – WEST POINT MILITARY ACADEMY
MAY 29, 1994 – SUNDAY
Charles Scully stands with a group of men. All are dressed formally for their graduation from West Point, as the 196th class to graduate from the Military Academy. Charles stands, almost in awe that this day has come. As the Vice President Gore recites his speech for nearly twenty minutes, he looks up to the sky, knowing that his father is looking down at him with pride of his accomplishment. He finished in the top five of his class. His eyes wander to the crowd where he sees Dana, Melissa and his brother Bill.
The crowd erupts into a loud applause as the Class of 1994 is announced. Hats are thrown into the air and his classmates congratulate one another, hug and shake hands. Charles makes his way over to his family, getting several pats on the back on his way.
Dana runs up to him and gives him a big hug.
SCULLY
I’m so proud of you.She pulls away and Bill shakes his hand to congratulate him.
BILL JR.
The Navy awaits you, little brother.CHARLES
USMC for me.He smiles proudly.
SCULLY
Look at you. In uniform acting
like a grown up.Charles laughs.
CHARLES
Like you wearing an FBI badge
acting like a grown up?She teasingly punches him in the shoulder.
MELISSA
Dad would be proud.CHARLES
I know. (beat) Where’s mom?Melissa looks away, as does Scully. No one wants to tell him.
BILL JR.
She couldn’t make it.Charles looks at him stunned.
CHARLES
Why not? This is the most important
day of my life. There’s no excuse.BILL JR.
She said she had a business meeting.CHARLES
Business meeting? That’s bullshit.SCULLY
Charlie, watch your language.CHARLES
She’s not into any business.BILL JR.
Well, you know mom.There is a short moment of silence as someone thinks of a way to change the subject.
BILL JR.
Where are you going after this?CHARLES
I’m heading over to Saudi Arabia.
I’ll be stationed in Dhahran.SCULLY
Is that safe?CHARLES
Yeah. It’s pretty quiet over there.MELISSA
Just be careful. I think we all know
how easily you can get into trouble.CHARLES
Believe it or not, I’ve actually
learned a little bit of discipline
here at West Point. (beat) I didn’t
make top five of the class being a
pain in the ass. (beat) I head out
early next week.SCULLY
And you’re ready for that?CHARLES
I wouldn’t have graduated if
I weren’t ready. Don’t worry
about me, ok?SCULLY
I would ask you to write just
so I know you’re ok, but I know
you better than that. (beat) You’ve
never been much for writing.CHARLES
Maybe I’ll drop off a postcard or two.TIME CUT TO:
INT. COL. ROGER J. THOMPSON’S OFFICE – KOSOVO, YUGOSLAVIA
JUNE 26, 1999 – SATURDAY
11:20 A.M.Roger Thompson sits at his desk reviewing reports of yesterday’s attacks on the Marines in the area. He runs his hand through his silver hair and looks up when he hears a knocking on the door.
ROGER THOMPSON
Come in.Thompson takes off his glasses as Charles Scully enters his office.
CHARLES
You needed to see me, sir?Charles Scully stands at attention. He can’t help but wonder what the Colonel could possibly want to see him about. All he hopes is that this has something to do with a ticket home.
ROGER THOMPSON
At ease, Sergeant. (beat) What I
called your in for has nothing to
do with the Military.Charles listen on with curiosity.
ROGER THOMPSON
Please, have a seat.Charles sits in the seat in front of his desk.
ROGER THOMPSON
A file landed on my desk this morning.
(beat) I believe it may be of interest to you.He slides a closed envelope with “TOP SECRET” stamped on the outside in big, bold, red letters. Charles picks up the folder.
CHARLES
Is this really something the eyes
of a Sergeant should see, sir?ROGER THOMPSON
No, but I think you have the right.Charles eyes him curiously as he starts to open the envelope.
Much to his surprise, the file contains information on his father, Captain William Scully, Sr. The more pages he turns in the folder, the more text is blacked out and unable to read.
Charles looks up.
CHARLES
(puzzled)
This is about my father?Thompson nods his head.
CHARLES
I don’t think I’m understanding, sir.
My father died of a heart attack five
years ago. Why would this file be of any
interest to me? I was never really
close to him.ROGER THOMPSON
I want you to hold on to that file.
(beat) Maybe you’ll find something
in there that might interest you.Charles looks at him, wondering what he’s talking about. His tone tells him that he knows more than he’ll let on. He looks down at the file again.
ROGER THOMPSON
You’re dismissed, Sergeant Scully.FLASHFORWARD TO:
INT. CHICAGO AIRPORT – NIGHT
JANUARY 22, 2007
Charles sits alone on his bunk. He’s deep in thought, trying to figure things out. He has the old top secret folder laying open on his bed. Some of the pages look as if the text has been revived from being blacked out. In one hand, he holds a piece of paper with locations listed. Locations such as: Berlin, Germany; Shandong Sheng, China; Moscow, Russia; Perth, Australia, and more. Some of the locations have a red line marked through them. A map lays on his lap with circles and other markings over some of the locations.
Charles looks at the top secret papers and then writes something down on the piece of paper with the locations listed. He writes: “Antarctica?”.
John Doggett stands in the doorway, watching Charles for a moment.
DOGGETT
Planning out our next Military move?Doggett startles him and he look up at him, then back down at the mess of papers in front of him.
CHARLES
Uh... no. Just some personal work.Charles start to close up all the documents as Doggett makes his way over the bunk. Doggett spots the top secret file.
DOGGETT
Top secret? I didn’t think such a
level of secrecy existed anymore.CHARLES
It’s an old file.DOGGETT
Mind if I ask what it’s about? You’ve
been staring at it all day.CHARLES
Just something to do with family.Doggett immediately gets worried. Dana’s his family. Is it something to do with her?
DOGGETT
Not about Dana, is it?CHARLES
No, not Dana. My parents. Well,
my father anyway. (beat) And a
bit about my stepmother.DOGGETT
(confused)
Stepmother? I thought Margaret was...CHARLES
Oh hell no. She’s not related
to me by any biological means.
My real mother died when I was
born. Apparently there were “complications”.Charles does the quotation marks with his fingers. Doggett looks at him confused.
CHARLES
Margaret was a nurse at the hospital
where I was born. She was put in charge
of my mother when she was having me.DOGGETT
You believe she did something?CHARLES
It’s not “belief”, it’s fact. (beat)
She poisoned my mother so she could
get closer to my father.DOGGETT
Why?CHARLES
I’m not really sure, but she was
sent to infiltrate the family.
According to a source, she was working
with some kind of Syndicate and was
supposed to have my father entered
into some kind of test. But then he
died in 1994, right before all of this
was to happen. (beat) Between you and me,
I have reason to believe my father faked
his death. I’ve been all over the world
trying to locate him. I felt I was getting
close when I was called to duty to Camp Lejeune.Doggett can’t believe what he’s hearing. This guy is more paranoid than Mulder and his geeky computer friends, the Lone Gunmen.
CHARLES
(after a beat)
You think I’m nuts.DOGGETT
I just can’t believe it. I mean,
Dana’s told me about her father.
She was at the hospital. Saw his
dead body. Attended his funeral.He shakes his head.
DOGGETT (CON’T)
I just can’t believe that he
would fake his death.CHARLES
Well, you’re entitled to your
own belief, but if you were tipped
off about being entered into a testing
project that he was going to be subjected
to, you’d fake your death as well.DOGGETT
But you believe your father
may still be alive?CHARLES
There’s a chance. I don’t know for sure.Doggett shakes his head. He can’t believe this.
DOGGETT
(changing the subject)
Anyway... I came to tell you that
it’s your shift for guard duty.Charles looks at his watch and nods his head.
CHARLES
Until 0600 hours, right?Doggett nods his head.
DOGGETT
Shannon will relieve you
of duty at that time.Charles nods, picks up his gun and leaves the room.
INT. HALLWAY – CON’T
Charles slowly makes his way down the hallway and towards the location where he will be in position to guard the others to be ready incase someone or something comes to attack.
He takes a seat outside the Airport and looks around. All seems quiet. Looks like there will be no dangers tonight. He lays the gun next to him, then digs around in his back pocket with his hand, pulling out his wallet.
He quickly looks around again to make sure no one is around as he pulls out a Polaroid photograph of a young Asian woman and a little Asian girl, who looks no older than three years old. The photograph is recent, the colors still bright. The busy streets of New York City are behind them and they both have smiles as they enjoy their first time in America.
Charles runs his hand over the image. Worry fills his eyes as he goes off in his own mind, remembering his past.
FLASHBACK TO:
EXT. STREETS OF QINGDAO, SHANDONG SHENG, CHINA
SEPTEMBER 9, 1999
Bobby Darin’s “Goodbye Charlie” plays from inside one of the shops that line the busy street of Qingdao. Charles Scully walks through the crowd, stopping when he hears the song. It’s unusual to hear Bobby Darin in a store in the United States, but even more unusual to hear it in a small shop in Qingdao, China.
He enters the shop out of pure curiosity. His father was a big fan of Bobby Darin and the most recent information he received from his source, Roger Thompson, was that there was a possibility that his father was in China, in the Shandong Sheng region.
The shop is a small jewelry store. All the jewelry looks to be authentic from the locals. Charles looks around, but cannot find the owner of the store. However, from the back he hears a man talking in Chinese. He makes his way to find the man, but stops when he peers through a small crack in the doorway. He sees that a man is holding a knife to a young woman’s throat. Though Charles doesn’t understand Chinese, he can tell the man means whatever it is that he’s saying. The young woman has tears coming from her eyes and seems to be pleading to him in Chinese.
Charles looks away. The woman is in obvious distress and needs help. He thinks, then walks a few steps away from the doorway and calls out:
CHARLES
Hello?Maybe if he sounds like a dumb tourists he can get the man out in the open and help that girl. If not, then he’ll have to resort to a fist fight.
The talking from the back quiets down. Charles strains to peer through the crack in the doorway, but it’s hard for him to see what’s going on from the distance he’s at.
A moment later a man comes out. He’s dressed all in black and has his hair slicked back. He looks like a true bad-ass in Charles’s mind.
MAN
What you want?CHARLES
(like a tourist)
Hi. I’m looking for some
jewelry to bring back for
my sisters. You see, I’m visiting
Qingdao on business and wanted
something-MAN
I’m sorry. We are closed.Charles looks back at the door.
CHARLES
I’m sorry. You must forgive my
ignorance. I don’t speak nor read
Chinese, so I apologize if your sign
says you are closed-MAN
No time for your ignorance!
Get out of my store!CHARLES
I don’t think so. You see,
I may be a dumb American, but
I saw that you had a knife to
a young lady’s thr-MAN
You will truly be dumb American
to stay here. (beat) Now I suggest
you leave and don’t come back.CHARLES
Well, call me a reckless cowboy,
but I think I’d like to check and
make sure the lady is all right.Charles starts to make his way to the back of the shop, but is stopped when the man pulls a gun on him.
MAN
I think you better leave, Cowboy.Charles looks at him, and then the gun.
CHARLES
You don’t even know how to
use that. You’ve left the safety on.Charles points to the gun. The man looks down at his gun to see if Charles is telling the truth. And for that split second opportunity, Charles manages to kick the gun out of the man’s hand. The gun falls to the floor. Unfortunately for Charles, the man is a master of the martial arts and kicks him across the face, dropping him to the floor.
Suddenly, a gun goes off, catching both Charles and the man off guard. They both turn their attention to the other side of the room where the gun slid to and see the young Asian woman who was in the back room. She looks at the man and points the gun at him, saying something to him in Chinese that gets the man to move away from Charles with his hands up.
She makes her way over to Charles to make sure he is all right. She keeps one eye on the other man, never taking her aim off of him.
WOMAN
You ok?Charles nods his head, slowly getting up to his feet. The woman turns her full attention back to the man and says something to him in Chinese again. She then takes Charles by the arm and leads him out of the store.
CHARLES
Are you all right?WOMAN
I’m fine. What did you
think you were doing?CHARLES
I was helping you.WOMAN
Why? You don’t know me.CHARLES
Doesn’t matter. I saw him put
a knife to your throat.She stops and looks up at him. He’s much taller than she is.
WOMAN
You are not like other American boys
I’ve met who are tourist. They never
help a woman in trouble.CHARLES
The name’s Charles. Charles Scully.He extends his hand to her.
LIN
Yao Lin. You call me Lin, ok?She shakes his hand.
CHARLES
So, who was that guy?LIN
Someone who put my family into big trouble.CHARLES
What kind of trouble?LIN
The kind of trouble with underground
government. What is this called?CHARLES
The mob?LIN
Yes, like the mob. I went to pay
off a debt my father has and they
say it not enough now. Raise price
on market where my father sells fish.
(beat) I heard you say you saw him
put knife to me. You don’t understand Chinese?CHARLES
No, I don’t know Chinese.LIN
So you travel through China not
knowing Chinese? How do you do this?
You should learn Chinese. Very easy.CHARLES
I plan on learning it soon.LIN
After you go back to Cowboy America?
(beat) Why you here anyway? It not
tourist season.CHARLES
Long story about going AWOL
from the United States Military.LIN
What is “AWOL”?CHARLES
Military lingo for being absent
without leave.LIN
That is illegal?CHARLES
Yeah.LIN
You are criminal?CHARLES
No, not a criminal. Just a
man searching for someone.LIN
You found me. I am someone.She smiles at him, and he smiles back. She’s not the person he was looking for, but he can’t complain. She’s beautiful and definitely has a charm that catches his attention.
CHARLES
Maybe it was fate that I ran into you.LIN
I think so. You save me, but my
family still in trouble.CHARLES
Maybe I can help. I can
lend your family some money.LIN
Oh no. My father would never
accept. Too much pride. (beat)
Besides, he has arranged for me
to marry a friend of his who has
money. This how he hides his shame
of taking money. By marrying me off
to old farmer. I like younger man,
like you. (beat) You say you looking
for someone. Who? Maybe I help you.CHARLES
I’m looking for my father. He disappeared
nearly six years ago by faking his own death.Lin stops him.
LIN
Wait. You looking for gu-ay?CHARLES
What’s that?Lin thinks about what the word means in English.
LIN
It means, um. Casper?CHARLES
Ghost?LIN
Yes, ghost.CHARLES
No, no. He’s not dead, he just
pretended to be dead.LIN
Why?CHARLES
Long story about betrayal and
secret governments.LIN
Oh. He had problem like my family then?CHARLES
Not exactly... it’s complicated.LIN
Life never simple. (beat) You
look hungry, and I good cook.
You come with me, ok?She smiles at him. Charles nods his head.
CHARLES
Thank you.LIN
Just don’t tell my grandmother you
looking for gu-ay, ok? She
sees everything as omen and she’ll
lock me in my room because you
bad omen and then when I
get married I will have bad omen
over my wedding and somehow her
crops won’t grow and she will
lose all her teeth. And all
this will be my mistake. (beat)
Does this man you look for have name?CHARLES
He’s my father. William Scully.She shakes her head.
LIN
No. I don’t know him.CHARLES
You say your father is a fisherman?LIN
Yes, that right. He try to sell
his fish in market, but now
we have problems.CHARLES
My father was a Navy Captain.LIN
Yes, I know U.S. Navy. They
friendly to my father. (beat)
What makes you think he alive
and living in Qingdao?CHARLES
I got a tip from someone while I was in
Kosovo. He gave me a file with a lot of
holes to fill. I started out in Germany,
but that was just a dead end.LIN
I hope you find him. And maybe
my father know him.She smiles at him, wraps her arm in his and leads him down the street to where her family lives.
LIN
We have small house. Nothing like
big American houses. We very poor.
Not rich like you.CHARLES
You think I’m rich?LIN
You travel to China just
to search for your father.
(beat) You know how many places
I visited in my life?CHARLES
How many?LIN
Just Qingdao and other close
towns. I stay and help family.
I only dream of traveling world
like you. (beat) Turn here. We live
down this small road.Lin leads him down a small, narrow road and into an area occupied by the poor part of Qingdao.
LIN
This my home. Not what you
expect in tourist town, huh?CHARLES
It looks nice.She smiles, hearing the sincerity in his voice.
Suddenly an older woman comes up to them. She speaks frantically in Chinese to Lin. The woman seems horrified at what she tells Lin. Lin responds back in Chinese, leaving Charles clueless. He can tell, however, that whatever has happened is not good and seems to affect Lin directly. The older woman points in the direction of a small doorway, Lin’s home.
CHARLES
What’s happened?LIN
She says they’ve killed my family.Lin quickly runs towards her home, not wanting to believe what the older woman has to say. She opens the door to her home and runs in. Charles follows, not sure if its safe for her to enter alone.
He enters after her to see a bloody mess all over the room. Lin has stopped dead in her tracks.
LIN
They kill them.Charles looks around in disbelief. Lin turns to face him, meeting his eyes.
LIN
They kill me next unless I
get out of China.CHARLES
Who did this? We can put
a stop to them-LIN
No we can’t. You don’t understand.
They dangerous. Look what they did.Tears have filled her eyes. She shakes her head and starts to head for the door.
LIN
They probably wait for me. My
father couldn’t get out of debt
with them. This is punishment.CHARLES
I can help you.LIN
How? You can’t even speak Chinese.CHARLES
I can get you out of China.LIN
I can’t leave China. I love
my home. My whole family live here.Lin looks down, knowing its not safe for her to stay in China. She shuts her eyes and takes a deep breath, then nods her head.
LIN
You right. I have to go. (beat)
They come back for me.Charles holds his hand out to her and she takes it. He leads her away from her home.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. CHICAGO AIRPORT – NIGHT
PRESENT DAY
Charles looks down at the photograph of Lin and the little Asian girl. He folds the picture up and puts it away in his wallet. He lets out a yawn and rubs his eyes. He’s more tired than he thought. Of course, he’s been working all day on that file again. It’s something he revisits every so often. He checks his watch. Four more hours until Shannon is supposed to relieve him of his duty. He lets out a sigh and shakes his head really fast to wake himself up.
He picks up his gun and gets himself back on guard, when out of nowhere he is hit hard over the head. He falls over and looks up to see a man he doesn’t recognize. The man lets out a scream and lashes out at him, and before he knows it he blacks out.
SMASH TO BLACK
DOGGETT (OVER BLACK)
Over here! He’s got a pulse!SLOW BLUR IN:
Charles can vaguely make out John Doggett hovering over him.
Doggett looks down at him.
DOGGETT
Charles? Can you hear me?Charles blinks his eyes and his vision clears. Shannon comes up to them.
CHARLES
What the hell happened?SHANNON
Some crazy fuckers hit us hard.Charles slowly sits up.
DOGGETT
Take it easy, soldier.CHARLES
How hard were we hit?DOGGETT
We’ve suffered many casualties.CHARLES
How many?SHANNON
We’re still doing the body count.
We’ve got a lot of people severely injured.CHARLES
Were they aliens?DOGGETT
No. Humans this time.Charles looks up at him.
CHARLES
Why the hell would they attack us?SHANNON
You should’ve seen ‘em. Mad as
all hell. Crazy fuckers they were.
Shot a few of ‘em and they just
kept goin’, as if they didn’t even
notice. Hell, they looked like they
were rabid, or something. Ruthless fuckers.Charles looks around the area. The building itself is not destroyed, but the interior is a bloody mess. Windows smashed and dead bodies everywhere.
DOGGETT
I’m surprised they didn’t kill you.SHANNON
They probably thought you were
already dead. Must’ve ruined
the fun for ‘em.Charles slowly gets up without a word and walks over to where the blood and dead bodies are. He stops dead in his tracks. His heart skips a few beats and his face pales with shock.
CHARLES
Holy god.Some of the bodies have skin torn off, an arm remains on its own.
CHARLES
What the hell hit us?He hasn’t seen anything this bad since he was in China. Even then, it wasn’t as bad as this. This... there are no words to describe it.
Doggett comes up to him.
CHARLES
(shocked)
Look how the skin was removed. It
couldn’t have been done with a blade.
(beat) What the hell happened...?DOGGETT
We’ve got survivors over here.Doggett leads him away from the dead and over to where the Cigarette-Smoking Man is helping some of the wounded. He is wounded as well with a deep gash down his arm and across his face. He looks up at them.
DOGGETT
How is she, Michael?CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
There’s not much I can do for her.He stands up. Shannon joins them.
CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
We need to get as far away from
this place as we can. Maybe head
off towards the East or something.
Or head in a more northern direction.
It’s far too dangerous here.DOGGETT
We can’t just leave. Not with the
amount of wounded we have. It’s
impossible.SHANNON
And we’re certainly not going to run
and hide. Fuck no! We’re stronger than
that. Besides, these attacks were not by
the aliens. They were humans. We have to
find out what kind of shit happened to them
to make them attack us the way they did.CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
And how exactly are we going to do that?
Go up to them and ask them? That would be
a suicide mission, Shannon.SHANNON
Not if you’ve got the balls to do it, like me.DOGGETT
We’re not thinking rationally here. We
can’t just go up to them. We know
nothing about them.CHARLES
What we need to do is secure this
airport, soldiers. (beat) John said
before that we’ve got wounded here that
can’t travel, which means we can’t risk
infiltrating them like you want to. We
have to lay low, get stronger and find
a way to safely maneuver without risking
any further attacks.SHANNON
I say we just find these fuckers
and blow them to shit.DOGGETT
Shannon...SHANNON
I’m serious.DOGGETT
I know, and that’s stupid.CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
I still say we get out of here.CHARLES
We’re staying, but we need to
secure this airport. (beat) You
guys know best how to do that, I
was out cold. (beat) Now get to work.Charles walks off to go talk with the remaining survivors. There aren’t many left at all, just a handful. All their work to find others and then this kind of attack happens, and from humans. It just doesn’t make sense why they would be attacked so ruthlessly.
The Cigarette-Smoking Man approaches Charles.
CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
Charles, may I have a word with you?CHARLES
Of course, Michael, what is it?CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
It’s about your judgment call
to stay here at the airport.Charles shakes his head. He doesn’t want to argue this.
CHARLES
Michael, we have too many wounded.
You’ve seen that for yourself. There’s
no way we can travel in these conditions.CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
I know. But we’re too close to
our enemies if we stay here. We
have to leave and get as far away-CHARLES
I was told once by a very wise man
to keep our enemies closer. We don’t
know what it’s like out of Chicago. It
could be worse. (beat) Right now, the
best thing to do is to stay where we are
and secure the airport. I need you to
help the wounded. They need you. (beat)
I understand that you are scared. We all
are. This is a world where nothing is
as it seems.If only he really knew who the Smoking Man was...
CHARLES
We’re all trying to make the best
out of this situation as we can.Charles gives him a reassuring pat on the shoulder and walks off. The Smoking Man watches him leave. These people aren’t helping his mission of finding Scully. They’re nowhere close. Even John Doggett can’t help him. Perhaps he’s wasting his time with them. Perhaps he has to start finding his own way...
TIME CUT TO:
INT. CHICAGO AIRPORT – MORNING
JANUARY 23, 2007
THE NEXT DAYCharles sits, listening to Shannon.
SHANNON
I’m serious. If we continue to
lay low but stay blinded, then
we’re more vulnerable than before.
(beat) Humans attacked us with a
force I never knew was possible by man.
I think it’s vital to our survival to
find out as much as we can about them.
Knowledge is power, Charles.CHARLES
I agree with you Shannon, but
what worries me is how many we
lost from that attack. We can’t
afford to lose anymore.SHANNON
Listen, you were out. I saw all
that happened and if I could just
learn more I really think we can
better protect ourselves.CHARLES
You can’t go alone.SHANNON
Then I won’t. I’ll take
you or John.CHARLES
And leave the other’s defenseless?
Sure, we’ve taught them a lot, but
I’m not sure they are ready to defend
themselves alone. (beat) We lost too many.SHANNON
At least consider what I’m saying.CHARLES
I will.Charles stands up and walks away, not noticing that his top secret file fell out of his bag. Shannon looks down at it. Her curiosity piqued. She watches Charles walk off and picks up the file, opening to view the contents. She raises an eyebrow upon seeing who the file is about. She looks back up at Charles, as if something is clicking in her mind.
Doggett runs up to Charles.
DOGGETT
Have you seen Michael?CHARLES
Not since last night. He was
helping some of the wounded.DOGGETT
I haven’t been able to find
him anywhere and there are
some people who saw him leave the
base last night with a bag. (beat)
He’s gone, Charles.Charles looks him over, sensing his urgency.
CHARLES
What’s wrong?DOGGETT
Its Kate... her health is falling.Without wasting a moment, Charles and Doggett head down to where they are keeping the wounded.
A man, with wounds, is holding the hand of a young woman, Kate. He looks up at Charles and Doggett.
KEVIN
She’s not responding.Charles and Doggett kneel down next to her. Kevin moves out of the way, but stands back to watch. The look of worry never fades from his face.
CHARLES
She’s not breathing. Does she
have any allergies?KEVIN
None that I know of.CHARLES
Her throat has closed up.
John, give me your knife.
But sterilize it first.Doggett pulls out his knife and starts to search his pockets for a match or a lighter. He has none. Kevin quickly hands him a lighter from his pocket.
CHARLES
HURRY!Doggett hands him the knife. Charles looks around and spots a pen on the ground.
CHARLES
Give me that pen over there.Kevin turns and finds the pen, picks it up and hands it to Charles.
CHARLES
John, hold her please.Doggett does as he’s told.
CHARLES
When I was younger my sister
left her medical books laying
around.He talks to keep himself from panicking.
CHARLES
I used to always read them because
I figured if I was going to be in
the Army it would do me some good
to know a bit about how to save people.No one really listens to him.
CHARLES
Guess that came into use.Charles finishes and Kate starts to breath.
CHARLES
Its only temporary, but it’ll do.Shannon stands behind them holding the file Charles left behind.
SHANNON
(breaking the silence)
Charles. May I talk to you?Charles looks up at her, his eyes fall to the file in her hands.
CHARLES
Yeah.Charles stands up.
KEVIN
Thank you, Charles.Charles nods his head and walks over to Shannon.
CHARLES
What is it?Shannon doesn’t say anything, but turns and leaves the room, knowing he’ll follow her.
INT. HALLWAY – CON’T
SHANNON
You dropped this upstairs and
I couldn’t help but read it.She hands the file back to him and he takes it.
CHARLES
You know something about this?SHANNON
I’m not sure, but some of it
seems a bit familiar.Charles listens.
SHANNON
You see, I used to date this General
who told me about how he was helping
a man find a Navy Captain who faked
his own death. (beat) Said he was even
working with him.CHARLES
General Thompson.Shannon nods her head.
SHANNON
Yes. (beat) Roger never told me the
Navy Captain’s name, but I read the
entire file and I think I can help
you fill in the holes.Charles listens eagerly.
SHANNON
Now, I don’t know how accurate Roger’s
information was at the time, but he said
this Captain was working in Antarctica.CHARLES
Antarctica. Doing what?SHANNON
I don’t know. Roger never went
into much detail about his work there.
(beat) Chances are, the place has been
destroyed by now. (beat) But I’m going
to out rank you a bit and order you to
go find your father.CHARLES
Why?SHANNON
Because Roger once told me that this
Navy Captain was very important. Of
course I questioned why he never told
you where your father was, but... I
guess he had his reasons.Charles looks down at the file. Why now? Why during this time does he find out where his father is?
CHARLES
I can’t leave. Not now. You
guys need me.SHANNON
John and I are very capable Marines.CHARLES
I don’t even know if he’s alive.
I can’t go now. Not after the
attack we got last night.SHANNON
Charles, I’m ordering you to go
because I trust what Roger told me.
(beat) Maybe your father is alive,
and maybe he’s important to our survival.
(beat) So yes, I’m ordering you to go find him.CHARLES
But we’ve lost so many-SHANNON
-And maybe it’s good to travel
in smaller numbers, Sergeant Major.
(beat) Besides, I’ve seen you looking
through that file all day yesterday.
It’s on your mind. (beat) A distracted
Marine is a dead Marine, right?Charles nods his head. She’s right.
SHANNON
I’ll tell John. Go pack whatever
you need. Food, water, weapons...CHARLES
And what do I do when I find him?SHANNON
I’m guessing he’ll know what to do.CHARLES
And if he’s dead and I never find him?SHANNON
One step at a time, right? You’re
a smart man. You’ll figure things out.She turns and leaves him alone in the hallway.
TIME CUT TO:
EXT. WILDERNESS – INDIANA – NIGHT
Charles’s legs burn from walking all day and all night. His mind is exhausted from being alert for two enemies: the aliens and those humans that attacked them the night before. He travels lightly with a pack on his back and a gun in his hand. A canteen of water dangles from the pack on his back. He makes his way to a large tree a few steps away. This will be a good place to rest for the night. This area is quiet, still, abandoned. He just hopes this isn’t another calm before the storm.
He slowly takes the pack off his back and leans it up against the tree, then sits and leans back, shutting his eyes. He knows he can’t sleep, but a little rest won’t hurt him. He’ll have a hell of a day tomorrow once that blazing sun rises in the East.
He inhales deeply and clears his mind of thoughts of war, death and suffering. He exhales slowly to help his body and mind relax. He thinks back to a happier time. A time when things were right in the world. A time when his life was finally becoming the life he always wanted.
He can almost hear the traffic of New York City. He can almost smell the city air, the hotdog stands. He can hear the people talking on their cell phones, walking in uncomfortable high heel shoes to their places of business. He can hear the honking of cab cars stuck in the lunch hour traffic jam. He can see, clear as day, the bright smile of his wife, Lin, as she spends her first full day in the United States. He can hear his little daughter, Lilly, giggle from excitement of the big city. In all her three years of life she has never seen such a place.
CHARLES
How about I get a picture of
you two in front of Times Square?LIN
With that old Polaroid camera?
When will you upgrade to digital
like everyone else?She smiles at him while holding Lilly in her arms. Charles points his camera at his wife and daughter as they both smile for the camera, enjoying their first time in the United States.
CHARLES
Maybe one day.LIN
What about you? Don’t you want
me to take your picture?CHARLES
Nah, I’ve been here before.LIN
Well maybe I think you look
decent for once and want that
captured in a photo.A man standing by them over hears their conversation, it is Danny Taylor, Monica Reyes’s former FBI partner.
DANNY TAYLOR
Excuse me...He approaches them.
DANNY TAYLOR
I couldn’t help over hearing,
but I can take your picture.Charles looks from the stranger to his priceless Polaroid camera. Danny takes notice and pulls out his FBI badge.
DANNY TAYLOR
I’m with the FBI, so if I steal
it you can report me.CHARLES
All right. I guess we could
have a picture of all of us
together.LIN
You can send it to your sister, Dana.
I’m sure she’ll love to see your family.CHARLES
Yeah, and I should write one interesting
letter about how I’m married with a daughter.Charles poses with Lin and Lilly as Danny takes their picture.
CHARLES
Thank you very much.DANNY TAYLOR
No problem.He hands the Polaroid camera back to Charles and goes on his way. Lin comes up to view the image as it becomes clearer.
LIN
There, you look nice and we’ll
always have proof of that.She kisses him on the cheek just as his cell phone rings, interrupting their day. Charles looks at his phone, seeing the number, he knows this isn’t good news. It’s the United States Military calling him to duty.
The memory slowly fades from his mind of the last time he was with his family. He slowly opens his eyes, seeing before him the open wilderness of Indiana. He’s on a daring mission to find his father. Shannon confirmed that he could possibly be in Antarctica and that’s a long ways away. He doesn’t even know what to expect when he gets there. Is there life down there? Is his father still alive? He faces so many unanswered questions, but how is that any different from staying at the airport in Chicago?
All his life Charles had gone with the flow. Been adrift in a world of adventure. He’d only just begun to settle down when he moved his wife and daughter to New York City from a small, unknown village in China. Maybe his life was never supposed to be in one place, but always moving, always in a new location. Ever since General Thompson gave him his father’s file, he was constantly going AWOL. He’s determined now to find his father and have this be the last time he goes absent without leave...
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. COLORADO CAVE – THAT SAME NIGHT
Monica feels the weight of the world on her shoulders, yet there is nothing she can do. She quietly writes in her journal by the dim light the artifact gives off for her. Across the way, Brad and Robert are sound asleep.
She often feels helpless, useless. Its as if Brad and Robert don’t want her to do anything to help. They must be feeling some kind of obligation to make sure she is safe. They’ve always been that way with her. Sheltering her. Never letting her live free or be herself. She appreciates how helpful they are, but they never really try to see if she’s doing all right, or if she knows a better way of doing something.
She can sense that they see her as someone with a disability. She lost her means to verbally communicate, and they see her as if she has no strength to defend herself, or take care of herself.
One again, she finds herself wanting independence from them. It’s why she left Brad in New York. It’s why she left Robert in New Orleans. And it’s why she left Brad again before they were to be married. They are men who want a woman to take care of, not a woman who is free to be herself.
Robert has always tried to be understanding of her, more so than Brad. But then again, Brad has always had his mind grounded with skepticism. Brad never could accept what happened to her after the Facility. For a time, neither could she. Both wanted to return to normal as soon as possible, but eventually reality caught up to them. He couldn’t deal with her ability, thinking that medicating her was the way to help her. He never saw what she really needed. While he couldn’t deal with how she was now, she didn’t need his lack of understanding in her life. She moved out and was starting to get her life back in order when the aliens started their attack.
And now, she finds herself right back where she left off with both of them.
Both men have feelings for her, and she for them. But her feelings are different. She can’t return her feelings for them how they would like her to. She’s moved on, to take a step backwards would be wrong and dishonest with herself. It’s what she’s always done. After she left Brad in New York she returned to him when she moved to Washington, D.C. After what happened to her at the Facility, she considered leaving Brad for Robert because he didn’t know what happened to her. Even now, he doesn’t know what happened to her at that Facility.
Recently, she has felt that Robert is wanting back into her heart like they were in New Orleans. After he almost died and was healed by the mysterious artifact, he’s looked at her differently. She can sense he faced his own death and in that moment saw what he regretted in life. He even told her that he loves her.
She loves him too, but not in the way he wants and hopes she will love him.
During all of this time, she can feel that Brad wants her back too.
She’s back where she left off with them - needing to move on, and them not getting over what she needs in life. They both want back into her heart, and they both ignore what she wears around her neck: Knowle Rohrer’s dog tags. She hasn’t taken them off since he gave them to her the day he was called to active duty and had to report to Camp Lejeune.
Brad and Robert don’t seem to acknowledge the dog tags at all. Perhaps they don’t see them as being important to her like she does. They were always a little selfish in their feelings and in their views. Almost as if she were an after thought. Much like how she feels now. They make the decisions. They make the calls and she has to follow them because she has nowhere else to go.
If it were up to her, she’d leave this cave. Maybe it’s a feeling of claustrophobia, but she feels uneasy being down here. Perhaps it’s why she feels like the weight of the world is on her shoulders.
The one thing she wishes she could do is go east to Virginia. Find Knowle like she promised him she would.
Monica looks down at the artifact. It’s dimly lit, reflecting her mood. It tends to do that. They have told her that when she sleeps the light it gives off glows dimly. When she’s awake, it is brighter.
She wishes she knew what this rock was for. Every time she thinks about it, her Grandmama’s words enter her head. “It is the key”. To what, she still has to discover.
This artifact is in tune with her body and mind. It is protecting her. She can still remember the night she lost her ability to speak and use her psychic gift. She could feel it calm and relax her body and mind, temporarily putting her in – what seemed like – a dead state.
She finds peace that this artifact has taken away her gift, but some days she wishes she could have it back, just to use her gift for a short time to know if the others are all right and where they are. Her last vision of them was death, but that can’t be true. She refuses to believe what she saw. Perhaps the aliens were playing tricks on her. If they were dead she’d know it, she’d feel it.
Monica stops writing and closes her journal. She quietly gets up, grabs her bag, the artifact and her journal. She walks over to where they are sleeping. She quietly sets her journal down next to Brad, along with a flashlight near his hand.
She has to leave this cave. She feels it is her purpose. She can no longer hide down in this cave while the world dies around them. She wishes she could bring them with her, but she feels she can’t. They’d just make her come back into the cave where nothing is getting accomplished.
With just her bag and the artifact she starts to leave the cave. This artifact has purpose up where the world is suffering. She knows it’ll be dangerous, but she feels protected by the artifact. It gives her a strength she can’t describe and the time has come for her find her purpose.
FADE OUT:
THE END.
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