Season 5 Episode #8
Kitsunegari.

Inside Lorton Penitentiary, a physical therapist works with Robert Modell, otherwise known as Pusher (see episode 3X17). An older orderly tells his younger protege that Modell is extremely dangerous and must never be underestimated. Despite the warning, Modell lures the young orderly into his cell... and soon after escapes.

Skinner, Mulder and Scully brief a group of FBI agents and US marshals about the escapee. The group reacts with skepticism when Mulder reveals that Pusher is able to project his will onto others, forcing them to do themselves harm. After the meeting, Scully and Mulder interview the physical therapist, who tells of a nun who visited Modell, as part of a charity group, on the day before his escape.

The ailing Modell makes his way to a sporting goods store, where he eats several high-protein candy bars. He telephones Mulder from the location, and speaks long enough for the call to be traced. The agents rush to the sporting goods store. Mulder notices a man outside the building wearing prison pajamas. But when the man is caught, he turns out to be the sporting goods store employee.

The body of the prosecutor who helped convict Modell is discovered in his upscale home, his entire body covered with cerulean blue paint. Surrounding the body is a Japanese ideogram, repeated hundreds of times. The agents summon a Japanese agent to the scene, who translates the ideogram, kitsunegari, as meaning "fox hunt." Mulder notes a wedding band on the victim's finger. He contacts the real estate agency where Linda Bowman works, and obtains the address where Linda is scheduled to meet a "Fox Mulder." Two police officers are dispatched to the location, but they are fooled by Modell, and one officer "apprehends" his partner. The reason for Modell's interest in Linda remains a mystery. Mulder, Scully and Skinner meet with Linda, who is shaken when notified of her husband's passing. The agents place her in protective custody and transport her to a safe house. Mulder suspects Modell may still be in the general area where the prosecutor's body was discovered. His hunch proves correct: he discovers Modell inside a nearby engineering firm. Mulder draws his weapon, ordering Modell to remain silent. But Modell forces his will onto Mulder and escapes.

Mulder tells Scully that Modell's message was "don't play the game." When Mulder voices his doubts as to Modell's motives--and the possibility he didn't kill Nathan Bowman--Scully begins to suspect her partner was influenced by Modell's will. Later, Mulder again interviews Linda Bowman, hoping to discover a reason for Modell's interest in her. He reacts with mild surprise when Linda reveals she had only been married to Nathan for a little over two months. During the conversation, Mulder cannot help but notice subtle clues in Linda's words, such as "brush with greatness" and "paint him." He concludes that it was Linda who killed her husband, not Modell. Believing Mulder is under Modell's influence, Skinner demands his service weapon and instructs him to go home.

Mulder suspects that the nun who visited Modell in prison was, in fact, Linda. He returns to the prison, hoping the therapist will verify his theory. But before the therapist can positively identify Linda, she receives a phone call from someone who "wills" her to commit suicide. Mulder phones Scully, and tells her it was Linda, not Modell, who made the call. Modell possesses the mind of a police officer, who transports him to the safe house where Linda is under constant guard. Modell finds Linda and places a gentle hand upon her face. Skinner spots Modell and draws his weapon. Modell tricks Skinner into believing he is holding a revolver, drawing his fire. A badly wounded Modell is transported to a hospital.

Mulder tells Scully that Modell pretended to have a gun to "take the fall" for Linda. But his theory does not explain the motive for his action. Mulder travels to the hospital, hoping to speak with Modell should he regain consciousness. But Linda uses mind control to slip past Mulder, making him believe she is a nurse. When Modell does regain consciousness, Linda wills his heart to stop beating. Mulder discovers an index card dropped by Linda. On the reverse is an address for a commercial building. Mulder travels to the structure, where he finds Scully waiting within. Scully claims Linda is inside the building, and is using mind control to act against her will. Scully raises her weapon and places it against her own temple--firing a shot. Scully's lifeless body falls to the floor. A few moments later, Linda walks into the room, a gun in her hand. Mulder grabs the revolver from Scully's hand and aims at Linda. But Linda claims she is Scully... and that the real Linda is standing right behind him. "Linda" suddenly aims her gun slightly to the left of Mulder and opens fire. Mulder turns to see Linda's body behind him. Linda is transported to a hospital Later, Scully and Mulder learn that Linda and Modell were fraternal twins.

Season 5 Episode #9
Schizogeny.

In Coats Grove, Michigan, Bobby Rich, a sixteen--year--old boy, is berated by his stepfather, Phil, for not finishing his lawn work outside the house. Bobby picks up a shovel and instructs his stepfather to keep his distance. As the dispute escalates, Bobby drops the shovel and runs into a nearby orchard. Phil gives chase. Suddenly, Phil's feet are knocked out from underneath him. A short time later, Phil's wife, Patti, makes her way through the darkened orchard. She discovers Phil's body buried in mud up to his shoulders, with mud seeping from his nose and mouth. Kneeling beside Phil is Bobby, his eyes wide with terror.

Scully performs an autopsy on Phil's corpse. She discovers over twelve pounds of mud in his stomach. Her conclusion: Phil's head was forcibly held in the mud, mostly likely by his son, Bobby. She hypothesizes that Bobby may have dug the pit that trapped Phil, and, noting a rope--like bruise on Phil's ankle, speculates that Bobby may have had help from an accomplice. Mulder interviews Bobby, who claims his father enjoyed physically abusing him. Later, Patti tells Scully that, from her point of view, it appeared as if Bobby was attempting to help Phil out of the muddy orchard pit, not cause him harm. She also reveals that her son has been undergoing therapy for his anger since 1995. Later, the agents meet with Bobby's therapist, Karin Matthews. She describes Bobby as the victim of physical abuse. But Mulder expresses his belief that Bobby may not be to blame for his stepfather's death.

Bobby tells a pretty fellow student, Lisa Baiocchi, that she must stand up to her father† just as he had done with Phil. When Lisa returns home, her angry father demands that she stop seeing Bobby. An angry Lisa storms off to her room. Shortly thereafter, a window explodes, and a shadowy, arm--like appendage grabs Mr. Baiocchi by the throat. His lifeless body is discovered lying on the ground outside the house. Though Scully concludes that Mr. Baiocchi died as the result of being pushed out the window, Mulder discovers evidence suggesting he was pulled out the second story window. Later, the agents learn that Lisa is also one of Karin Matthews' patients. Karin tells Mulder her approach with victims of abuse is to encourage them to empower themselves†to confront and stand up against their abuser.

With the aid of a town coroner, Mulder a small splinter of fresh wood embedded in Mr. Baiocchi's neck. Mulder matches the fragment to the living tree outside the Baiocchi home. A short time later, the agents are approached by a man named Ramirez, who holds an axe at his side. He tells the agents that the trees are all dying because of a "bad man." Karin invites Lisa to stay at her home until her aunt can pick her up the following day. As Lisa listens from her bedroom, she overhears an argument between Karin and a male voice. A curious Lisa makes her way to the root cellar, where she discovers the body of a man. Terrified, Lisa turns towards the door, only to hear it slam shut. A dead bolt turns, locking her within. She hears the unidentified man's voice refer to her as "a snoop." Later, Karin tells the trapped Lisa she must remain quiet, or the unidentified man will hear her voice.

Mulder discovers that Karin's father was pulled from the mud of an orchard twenty years earlier. He finds it strange that Karin failed to mention the coincidence. Ramirez tells Mulder that Karin Matthew's father's death brought about an end of a blight affecting the trees. Karin attributes the tale to her father's stature, believing powerful men inspire fantasy. Later, Mulder digs up Mr. Matthews' casket... and finds it empty, save for roots. When Lisa's aunt, Linda, arrives at Karin's house, Karin informs her that Lisa left for a bus station. Before Linda drives off, Lisa smashes the glass of a window in the basement. Linda rushes to her niece's aid, but she is attacked and killed by an unseen force as tree branches sway in the wind above her. Later, Bobby tells Mulder that, as part of therapy, Karin made him pretend he was Phil... and that, all along, he was never a really a victim.

Lisa hears the cellar door bolt slide. She stands up... only to realize the unidentified male voice has been coming from Karin all along. Scully and Mulder search Karin's house, where they come upon the corpse Lisa discovered earlier in the root cellar. Mulder concludes the body is that of Karin's father. Karin locks the agents in the root cellar, but Mulder forces it open. They find Lisa frightened but unharmed in a corner of the kitchen. Mulder attempts to pursue an escaping Karin, but his car crashes into an enormous tree. Karin drives to the Rich residence, where she chases Bobby into the orchard. Suddenly, Bobby is dragged downward into the mud. While attempting to rescue the teenager, Mulder simultaneously encourages Karin to break the cycle... to fight the voice inside her head. But Karin is unable. A tendon--like root snakes out of the mud and drags Mulder downward. Ramirez appears, axe in hand, and strikes Karin, killing her. Mulder and Bobby are released by the unseen force.

Season 5 Episode #10
Chinga.

In Amma Beach, Maine, five-year-old Polly Turner accompanies her pretty mother, Melissa, to the grocery market. Polly sits in the child-carrier seat of a shopping cart, clutching a doll, Chinga. As Melissa strolls the isles, she attracts the attention of Dave the Fishmonger. Polly notices Dave, and tells her mother she doesn't like the store. Melissa responds by quickly pushing the cart into another area of the market. As Melissa strolls down the frozen food section, she comes upon the image of Dave, reflected in the glass of a cabinet, a knife protruding from one eye. A horrified Melissa tells Polly they are going home. But as Melissa makes her way towards the store's exit, customers begin clawing at their eyes. Back in the butcher section, Dave's attention is diverted by the shape of a large Chinga doll, as reflected in a metal door. Dave grabs a knife from his belt... but suddenly turns it on himself.

Vacationing in Maine, Scully turns her rental car into the grocery market parking lot. An Old Man exits the store and tells Scully that a doctor is needed. Inside the store, observes Dave, a knife protruding from his eye. She telephones Mulder and describes the bizarre situation. Mulder tells his partner the event might be the result of witchcraft or sorcery. Scully, however, can find no physical evidence that might support this theory.

Assisted by Police Chief Jack Bonsaint, and his deputy, Buddy Riggs, Scully reviews security camera footage of the event. She notices Melissa Turner rushing towards the exit, the only customer unaffected. Bonsaint tells Scully that some townspeople believe Melissa is a witch. Buddy Riggs telephones Melissa with news that Bonsaint will be questioning her about the occurrence at the super market. Riggs promises to help Melissa, but she warns him to stay away. In the background, unseen by Melissa, looms the shadow of the large Chinga doll.

Bonsaint and Scully visit Melissa's home, but find it unoccupied. Bonsaint tells Scully that Melissa had married a fisherman, but was widowed when the husband was killed in a boating accident. Bonsaint explains that there had been an incident between Polly and the proprietor of a daycare center, Jane Froelich. It seems that Jane slapped Polly when she became uncontrollable. Shortly thereafter, Jane claims she was thrown to the ground. Bonsaint, however, believes the little girl never touched Jane. Bonsaint then tells Scully that Dave the Butcher's interest in Melissa was unrequited.

Riggs meets Melissa and Polly at an ice cream shop. Melissa describes how she has seen images of violent deaths, such as Dave's, before they occur. Riggs give Melissa the key to a remote cabin and suggests she leave town. Meanwhile, Polly grows upset when a girl clerk does not meet her demand for more cherries. Shortly thereafter, the clerk's pony tail gets caught in an ice cream machine. Riggs jumps the counter and rescues the girl.

Scully and Bonsaint pay Jane Froelich a visit. Froelich claims Melissa is the descendant of witches--and she is passing her cursed lineage to Polly. Later, while speaking with an official at a ranger station (near Riggs' remote camp), Melissa experiences another vision, this time seeing Froelich's bloody image reflected in the rear window of the car. Melissa turns the car around and heads back home. Meanwhile, Froelich hears the song "Hokey Pokey" emanating from the day care center. She makes her way through the darkness... and comes upon the big Chinga doll. She picks up a piece of broken phonograph record, but instead of using it as a defensive weapon, turns it upon herself. Later, Melissa experiences another vision... this time seeing Riggs' corpse. Riggs finds Melissa at home, and convinced she had something to do with Froelich's murder, insists she accompany him to the police station. Later, Riggs' body lies on the kitchen floor, his nightstick covered with blood.

Scully recognizes the Old Man from the supermarket aboard the boat where Melissa's husband was killed. The Old Man tells Scully the story of how Rich Turner came upon the Chinga doll while checking lobster traps. Rich intended to give the doll to his daughter, but several days later the Old Man found Rich's body, a grappling hook through his skull.

Melissa begins nailing shut every door and window in the house. Polly tells her mother she cannot sleep, and Melissa promises the noise will stop. Moments later, Melissa sees a bloodied reflection of herself in a window, a hammer buried in her skull. Scully and Bonsaint drive to the Turner home. Scully, peering through the windows, discovers Melissa attempting to set fire to Riggs' body. Bonsaint breaks down the door as Melissa runs to a closet and grabs hold of a hammer--which she turns upon herself. Thinking quickly, Scully grabs the Chinga doll and throws it inside a microwave oven in the kitchen. As the doll melts, Melissa drops the hammer and regains her senses. Later, another lobster fisherman pulls a trap from the water... and discovers the burned Chinga doll inside. Suddenly, its eyes open.

Season 5 Episode #11
Kill switch.

Several heavily-armed crack dealers receive an anonymous telephone call alerting them to the whereabouts of a hated enemy. The men all converge on a diner, but none find their target. Two deputy marshals receive a similar anonymous tip, alerting them about a Colombian fugitive in the same diner. The marshals enter the diner and order everyone onto the floor. Drug dealers draw their weapons and a fierce gun battle ensues.

As the agents observe the aftermath of the shoot-out, Mulder pulls a tarp off the face of Donald Gelman, one of the co-inventors of the Internet. Gelman had been working at his laptop inside the diner when the shooting broke out and became trapped in the cross-fire. Mulder sneaks Gelman's laptop under his jacket and brings it back to Scully's car. He finds a blank CD in the laptop drive, which when placed inside Scully's CD-player emits music from The Platters' Twilight Time. Puzzled, Mulder brings the CD to the Lone Gunmen for further analysis. When they are unable to crack the disc's security code, Scully suggests they check Gelman's e-mail log. They find a message containing a standard ID number for a shipping container. The message is signed by someone named Invisigoth.

The agents track the number to a container yard. A figure springs from the darkness, zaps Mulder with a stun-gun, and runs off into the night. Scully apprehends the suspect, Esther Nairn, a gorgeous young woman with a nose ring, and escorts her back to the container, which is brimming with sophisticated computer equipment. Esther's attention is diverted to one of the monitors. She tells the agents that an armed Department of Defense satellite has locked onto their location. Despite the farfetchedness of the tale, Mulder convinces Scully they must leave the area immediately. Shortly thereafter, a strange green light descends from the heavens and destroys the shipping container.

Mulder concludes that Donald Gelman realized his lifelong dream: the construction of a sentient artificial intelligence, a computer program with its own consciousness. Esther confirms Mulder's suspicion, describing how Gelman unleashed the program onto the Internet so it could evolve--much like the primordial slime from which mankind evolved. She tells the agents that the AI monitors all communication, and will destroy her the moment it locks onto her location. Esther also reveals that Gelman was in the process of creating a special virus program, nicknamed "Kill Switch," that would hunt down and destroy the rogue system. Instead of simply destroying Gelman with a laser from above, Esther is convinced it killed its creator with a dozen crack dealers in an effort to show off its sense of humor. She also believes the virus is holed up on a computer somewhere--and the only way to kill it is to find and destroy its safe house.

By accessing government files, Mulder locates a suspicious T3 line, one that would be needed by the AI to access the Internet. He traces the cable to an abandoned farm on which sits a trailer. Meanwhile, Esther gets the jump on Scully and forces her at gun point to drive to an isolated location where she hopes to find one of her colleagues, a man named David Markham. Esther exits the car and begins crying at the site of a demolished house. During her absence, Scully manages to unshackle her handcuffs. Esther gives Scully back her gun and asks her to "put her out of her misery." Esther then admits to Scully that she and David had planned to download their consciousness and enter the AI. But Gelman forbade the idea.

Mulder gains access to the trailer housing the T3 line. Inside he discovers David Markham's body, his face concealed by a virtual reality mask. Suddenly, several crab-like droids spring from the jungle of cables and constrain Mulder. Mulder experiences strange visions involving nurses in a 1940s hospital who threaten to amputate him, limb by limb, unless he reveals the location of Kill Switch. Meanwhile, the AI pinpoints Scully and Esther in their car near a turntable drawbridge. The pair become trapped and, at Scully's urging, Esther tosses the laptop into the water. Moments later, a green laser blasts the water.

Scully and Esther climb into the trailer where Mulder is bound by the crab-droids. Several of the robotic creatures attack, and Scully dispatches them with her revolver. Scully finds Mulder, his head encased in the virtual reality mask (the source of his strange visions). Esther produces the CD, and Scully gives the AI what it wants, inserting the disk into a drive. The AI releases Mulder, and Scully drags him outside. Esther accesses a keyboard and instructs the satellite to lock onto the trailer's coordinates. When Scully reenters the trailer, she finds Esther wearing the virtual reality helmet, the body of her beloved David nearby. Scully races from the trailer, and Esther instructs the AI to upload. Moments later, the green laser destroys the trailer. When Mulder recovers, he tells Scully that Esther's consciousness may have joined the AI.

Season 5 Episode #12
Bad blood.

A dark figure chases a terrified teenage boy, Ronnie Strickland, through a field in Texas. When Ronnie trips and falls, the figure pulls out a wooden stake and plunges it through his chest. Scully's voice calls out, and when the figure turns, we see that it is Agent Mulder. Pulling open the teenager's mouth, Mulder shows Scully two sharp incisors, much like vampire fangs. Upon closer examination, Scully determines the fangs are, in fact, a set of fake plastic teeth. Mulder realizes he has made a most egregious error.

When the agents return to their offices, they agree to discuss the events that led up to the killing before they speak with Skinner (as they both face potential prison sentences). Scully recounts her story first. As the tale unfolds, Mulder and Scully examine slides of dead cattle, the victims of a series of exsanguinations in a small Texas town. Mulder reveals that a vacationer from New Jersey, Mr. Funt, met the same fate, and authorities located two small puncture marks on his neck. The agents fly to Texas, where they meet with Sheriff Hartwell, a handsome man who immediately catches Scully's attention. With Hartwell's permission, the agents examine the victim's body. Mulder notices that Funt's shoes are untied, but is unsure of the clue's meaning. While he and the sheriff stake out a local cemetery, Scully performs an autopsy on the corpse. Later that night, Scully and Mulder regroup at their motel to discuss their findings. Scully reveals that the victim was drugged with chloral hydrate, more commonly referred to as knockout drops. Scully believes someone doped Funt and then withdrew his blood using a syringe, perhaps emulating vampires seen in the movies. Mulder then reveals that there has been another victim. As a tired Scully sets out to perform yet another autopsy, Ronnie the Pizza Guy (the same teenager Mulder staked in the opening teaser) shows up with a delivery. Scully tells the teenager to deliver the pizza to Mulder as she heads for her car in the motel parking lot.

During the second autopsy, Scully realizes that both victims consumed pizza as their last meal. She races back to the motel, where she finds a drugged Mulder lying on the floor. The pizza guy springs into view, prompting Scully to fire several rounds. This concludes Scully's version of events that led up to the teenager's death. Mulder, however, disagrees with Scully's details, and tells his version of the story.

As Mulder's version unfolds, it becomes clear that he is painting himself in a good-natured light, while Scully is depicted as being suspicious of his every word. After examining slides of the dead cows, the agents fly to Texas, where Scully finds herself attracted to Sheriff Hartwell. In Mulder's version, however, Hartwell is affected with large buck teeth and a substantial loss of I.Q. The agents split up: Scully performs the first autopsy, while Mulder and Sheriff Hartwell stake out the cemetery. While surveilling the cemetery, Mulder begins pouring sunflower seeds on the ground, explaining that vampires are obsessive-compulsive. Should a vampire appear, it would have to pick up the seeds--just like it would have to untie shoelaces. The sheriff is dispatched to investigate a disturbance at an RV park. Mulder tags along. There, the pair discover the body of the second victim. Tired and frustrated, Mulder returns to the motel, where he regroups with Scully. He informs his partner of the need for a new autopsy, and after Scully leaves, he accepts the pizza delivery from Ronnie. Later, he finds himself in a drug-induced stupor. Ronnie enters the motel room, his fangs exposed, his eyes glowing red. Thinking quickly, Mulder manages to throw sunflower seeds onto the floor. Unable to resist the obsessive-compulsive disorder, Ronnie drops to his knees and begins picking them up. Scully finishes the second autopsy, and realizing Mulder is in danger, races to the motel. She draws her weapon and fires, striking Ronnie right in the chest. Though still in a drug-induced haze, Mulder gives chase, eventually staking Ronnie.

Back in the present, a coroner inadvertently reanimates Ronnie's corpse by removing the stake. Skinner informs the agents of the new development, and the pair fly back to Texas. There, the pair meet up with Sheriff Hartwell. As Scully and the sheriff stake out the cemetery, Mulder makes his way to the RV park, certain it contains Ronnie's resting place.

Sheriff Hartwell, it turns out, is a vampire. He drugs Scully's coffee, and she passes out. Meanwhile, Mulder discovers Ronnie's coffin inside an RV. Using handcuffs, he traps the vampire inside the box. When the vehicle is surrounded by the undead, Mulder uses two pizza breadsticks to form a cross. The vampires shrug off the cross and pull Mulder downward. The next morning, a groggy Scully finds an unconscious Mulder inside his rental car. Mulder awakens--only to discover that the RV lot is now completely empty. The agents recount their bizarre tale to Skinner... who can only stare back at them.

Season 5 Episode #13
Patient X

In Kazakhstan, former Soviet Union, two teenage boys watch as a UFO disappears behind a mountain top. The boys run off to tell their families, but as they sprint through the woods, they come upon an area filled with burning automobiles. A screaming man, his body ablaze, appears out of the dense smoke, causing the boys to run. One of them, Dmitri, takes refuge in the woods. The next morning, he is discovered by Krycek, who is in the company of a unit of Russian soldiers. With the boy in custody, Krycek and his men approach Maria Covarrubias, who, along with U.N. troops, is sifting through the burned out wreckage. Krycek tells Maria he knows who she works for--and to tell her superiors he has a witness (Dmitri).

Back in the United States, Mulder takes part in a visiting lecturers forum. He disagrees with the opinions voiced by his fellow panelists regarding a woman referred to as "Patient X," an apparent abductee who seeks answers as to why aliens are on Earth. Mulder maintains that there is no complicity between the military and alien abductions. Instead, he believes the government is developing biological warfare and hiding the fact by concocting stories about "little green men." When the discussion ends, Mulder is approached by Dr. Werber, the man who performed regression hypnosis on him five years earlier (leading Mulder to believe his sister was abducted). Werber reveals that he is Patient X's doctor. He arranges a meeting between Mulder and the woman, Cassandra, believing that she will change his mind regarding his new theory. Cassandra believes the aliens are on Earth to deliver a message. But something, she fears, has gone wrong.

Krycek extracts information from Dmitri by subjecting him to a beating. He then orders a Russian doctor to expose the teenager to the alien black oil. The liquid enters Dmitri's body through his mouth and nose. Dmitri, his eyes and mouth sewn shut, is then transported back to the US on a Russian freighter. Meanwhile, Covarrubias briefs Syndicate members on the mysterious burn site in Kazakhstan. Covarrubias believes the act was aimed at the Syndicate, and reveals that Krycek captured a witness at the site. Krycek phones the group and offers to trade Dmitri for all research information pertaining to a vaccine against the black oil.

At the FBI building, Scully is approached by Agent Spender, who identifies himself as Cassandra's son. Spender tells Scully that his mother is a very disturbed woman. Later, Scully tells Mulder about the conversation. She then peruses Cassandra's medical file, growing intrigued when she realizes Cassandra claims to have been abducted at Skyland Mountain, the same site where Scully was taken by Duane Barry. The file also reveals that Cassandra has an implant in the base of her neck. Mulder brushes off the findings, agreeing with Spender's conclusion. But so intrigued is Scully by the developments that she pays Cassandra a visit at the psychiatric hospital. There, she grows unnerved when Cassandra tells her that some nights she awakens feeling as though she must be somewhere, but not knowing where to go.

Meanwhile, a group of abductees gather at Skyland Mountain. As an Unknown Man drives down the mountain road, he encounters faceless men chasing another man. One of the faceless men drives a metallic wand into the Running Man's back, setting him ablaze. Later, Mulder and Scully inspect the site. The situation forces Scully in the opposite position she would normally take, for despite a lack of evidence, she believes the event is linked to her abduction. The agents are contacted by Cassandra, who warns "they" must be stopped. The agents are then approached by Spender, who explains that his mother was part of a UFO cult.

Back at the Syndicate office, group members conclude that the latest burning is aimed at sabotaging their work. Quiet Willy is dispatched to deal with the situation. Meanwhile, Covarrubias rendezvous with Krycek at the freighter, which is docked in New York Harbor. The two share a hungry kiss, then exit so they can be alone. When Krycek returns, Dmitri has vanished. The Well-Manicured Man appears, demanding to know where the boy has gone.

After examining the evidence, Mulder concludes the victims of the mass burning were led to Skyland Mountain by the government when it triggered the implant devices. But he is at a loss to explain why they were killed. Their conversation is interrupted by a call from Covarrubias, who informs Mulder of the similar incident in former Soviet Union, and of the witness, Dmitri. Suddenly, the black oil oozes from Dmitri, and Covarrubias drops the phone.

Scully suffers an attack--not unlike the one Cassandra described earlier. She travels to Ruskin Dam, where a throng of people have gathered, including Cassandra, in the company of Quiet Willy, and Dmitri, the stitches having been torn from his eyes and mouth. A glowing ship passes overhead and disappears over adjacent treetops. Suddenly, screams are heard from the far edge of the congregation, where faceless men wielding alien weapons set people ablaze.

To Be Continued...

Season 5 Episode #14
The red and the black

In this continuation of the previous episode... a man, his face unseen, types a letter to his son (whose identity is unknown). The man, who lives in a remote cabin, addresses the letter to the FBI and pays a boy to mail it.

Meanwhile, rescue workers sift through the area near the dam where blackened bodies lie along the length of a bridge. Amongst the bodies is Quiet Willy, the Syndicate's hit man. Skinner directs Mulder to a nearby provisional tent, where Scully is ministered by medics. Nearby is the body of Dmitri, the Russian boy, his exposed skin blackened by the fire. When Scully regains consciousness, she tells Mulder she has no memory of what occurred at the dam. Outside of Scully's room, Spender tells Mulder that rescue workers were unable to locate his mother, Cassandra.

The Well-Manicured Man and a physician, Dr. Bronschweig, tend to Maria Covarrubias inside a hospital quarantine room. Later, the Well-Manicured Man speaks with Krycek, imprisoned aboard the Russian freighter. The Well-Manicured Man is aware that Krycek deliberately exposed Dmitri to the black oil to insure the infection of anyone who attempted to ascertain what he knows about the burnings in Russia. He also believes that Krycek possesses a vaccine, that would create resistance to the alien colonists. The Well-Manicured Man offers Krycek freedom in return for the vaccine.

Meanwhile, a spacecraft crashes at Fort Wiekamp Air Force Base. A faceless alien pirate drags one of his comrades from the wreckage. Later, members of the Syndicate study photographs of the alien. They realize the man is a resistance fighter, a member of an ongoing battle against alien colonists. The Well-Manicured Man explains that Krycek gave him the vaccine, meaning resistance may, in fact, be a possibility. But the Elder concludes that the captured fighter should be turned over to the colonists, the Well-Manicured Man has Covarrubias injected with the vaccine to ensure it actually works.

Back at the hospital, Mulder tells Scully that x-rays have revealed the presence of implants inside the people who were at the dam. Mulder recounts his belief that the U.S. government manufactured and implanted the chip as part of a bio-chemical weapons project. Scully agrees to be hypnotized by Dr. Werber in an effort to recall what happened at the dam. In a trance-like state, Scully recalls how a UFO flew overhead, and shortly thereafter, how the faceless aliens set congregants on fire. Then another craft appeared overhead, which began attacking the faceless men. Cassandra was then pulled upward, out of her wheelchair, by the ship. Afterward, Werber tells Mulder that the same event will happen yet again.

Skinner reviews an audio tape of Werber's session with Scully. Mulder tells Skinner the entire event was staged to cover up a classified military project. Skinner admits, however, that Scully's UFO scenario is more plausible. Meanwhile, when Covarrubias fails to respond to the vaccine, the Elder informs the Well-Manicured Man that the captured alien is being turned over to the colonists.

Spender shows the agents a videotape of himself, as a young boy, answering questions while under hypnosis. As the tape plays, the young Spender describes his abduction by a UFO. Spender then pauses the tape. He tells the agents the story is untrue, a falsehood told to him by his mother many times. He maintains that Dr. Werber's regression memory theory is without merit. Spender also points out that Mulder has expressed his UFO theories to Scully many times... suggesting that she has recounted the information in a similar manner.

Krycek surprised Mulder inside his apartment. He explains that Kazakhstan, Skyland Mountain and the site in Pennsylvania are all beacons for colonization. The burnings, Krycek explains, were the work of alien rebels attempting to foil the colonist's plans for takeover. Krycek gives Mulder the location of the captured alien rebel. He maintains that if the captive perishes, so does the resistance. Accompanied by Scully, Mulder drives to Fort Wiekamp. As they attempt to bluff their way through the front gate, the agents notice Quiet Willy at the wheel of a military truck as it is about to exit the base. As the vehicle pulls away, Mulder sneaks aboard the cargo area. There he finds faceless alien pirate imprisoned inside. Quiet Willy brings the rig to a stop... then morphs into the alien bounty hunter. He climbs into the cargo area, but shortly thereafter, a white light illuminates the truck. A second faceless alien, armed with a firestarter weapon, enters. Mulder opens fire. Shortly thereafter, a confused Mulder is swarmed by MPs and placed inside a car with Scully. Mulder has no memory of how he got aboard the truck. Meanwhile, the envelope seen in the opening teaser is delivered to Spender. Several days later, back at the cabin, the envelope, labeled with the words "return to sender," is delivered to the Cigarette-Smoking Man.