Épisode Ghouli S11E05 - X-Files Saison 11

Deux adolescentes arrivent, à un moment différent, sur les docks et entrent dans un bateau désaffecté. Elles semblent être à la recherche de quelqu'un. Ou, plus précisement de quelque chose. Une créature : le Ghouli. Elles sont toutes les deux à bord du bateau mais elles ne peuvent pas se voir, seulement s'entendre. A un moment, elles se rencontrent et se battent. Chacune croit voir en l'autre ce fameux Ghouli et elles se battent donc pour leurs vies. Elles tombent au sol, à l'issue de leur confrontation, gravement blessée. La même nuit, Dana Scully fait un rêve étrange. Elle pense être dans une phase d'hypnagogie (un état de conscience spécifique se situant entre le sommeil et la veille caractérisé par des visions et des sensations étranges) et se réveille dans un autre lit que le sien, avec des difficultés à se mouvoir à cause de la peur qu'elle ressent parce qu'elle se trouve dans un endroit qu'elle ne connait pas. Elle se saisit de son arme (qui est quand même accessible et qui se trouve à sa place habituelle, preuve qu'elle n'a pas du quitter son domicile) et décide d'explorer la maison. Elle voit alors passer une silhouette noire qu'elle se met à poursuivre sans relâche. Elle ne cesse pourtant de tourner en rond, revenant toujours à son point de départ, le salon...

Le lendemain, au Service des affaires non classées, elle raconte sa mésaventure à Mulder qui pense que son rêve était en fait une vision. Il se demande où cela peut bien la conduire quand elle remarque une photo, figurant un bateau désaffecté abandonné nommé Le Chimera, sur le bureau de son partenaire. Celui-ci lui dit qu'il s'agit là d'une photo issue d'un dossier non classé. Ils décident donc de se rendre à Norfolk, en Virginie, pour enquêter et découvrir le lien unissant la vision de Dana à cette affaire. Sur place, ils font la rencontre du Détective Costa qui leur parle de l'attaque des deux adolescentes, précise qu'elles ne se connaissaient apparemment pas et n'ont pas d'antécédents judiciaires ou criminels. Il ajoute que c'est un homme, paniqué, qui a appelé les secours mais qu'il nétait pas sur les lieux à l'arrivée des secours. Le détective précise ensuite que l'un des ambulanciers a entendu une des adolescentes mentionner le mot "Ghouli" pendant qu'il la traitait. Mulder et Scully font donc quelques recherches sur ce monstre mais ne trouvent rien d'extraordinaire à son propos mis à part un site, actif depuis peu, et sur lequel figurent majoritairement des fan fictions. Ils reçoivent alors un message leur indiquant que les victimes peuvent désormais être interrogées. Ils vont donc à l'hôpital où elles sont soignées et les interrogent séparemment : Mulder interroge Sarah et Scully interroge Brianna. Ils mettent ensuite leurs découvertes en commun et se rendent compte qu'elles ne se connaissaient effectivement pas mais avaient toutes les deux le même petit ami : Jackson Van de Kamp. Scully et Mulder, reconnaissant le nom de famille, se mettent à penser qu'il s'agit peut-être de leur fils, William (cf La vérité est ailleurs - partie 3). Cette théorie est d'autant plus probable que l'état mental dans lequel se trouvaient les deux adolescentes et le rêve qu'elles ont fait concernant la créature et Jackson sont identiques à ce que Scully a elle-même vécu en début d'épisode. 

Ils décident donc d'aller interroger le jeune homme et se rendent à son domicile mais à peine sont-ils arrivés qu'ils entendent des coups de feu. Ils se précipitent à l'intérieur et Scully se rend compte que la maison est bien celle qu'elle a vu en rêve. Mulder l'appelle : il a trouvé les cadavres de Mr et Mrs Van de Kamp, morts par balle. Un autre coup de feu les force à grimper et, dans une chambre à l'étage, ils trouvent le cadavre d'un adolescent : Jackson. Les secours et la police arrivent sur place peu après et le détective Costa émet l'hypothèse que Jackson ait tué ses deux parents avant de se suicider. Mulder n'y croit pas mais le policier n'en démord pas. Désespéré, Mulder se lance à la recherche de sa partenaire qu'il trouve finalement (et sans grande surprise) dans la chambre de Jackson. Elle est en train de regarder des photos sur lesquelles il figure pour se faire une idée de ce à quoi ressemblait celui qu'elle pense être son fils et de la vie qu'il a menée. Elle découvre également qu'il était suivi par un psychiatre et était sous médicaments pour traiter ses troubles pyschotiques et ses crises. Mulder et elle réalisent aussi qu'il était un fan de Malcolm X et Scully s'interroge sur la crise identitaire que devait vivre l'adolescent pour s'identifer à un homme qui avait choisi la lettre X comme patronyme parce qu'il refusait de porter le nom que sa famille, ayant des ancêtres esclaves, s'était vu attribuer. Scully indique ensuite qu'elle a besoin de savoir si Jackson et William étaient réellement une seule et même personne. Elle se rend donc à la morgue pour prélever une mèche de cheveux sur le cadavre dans le but de la faire analyser puis la comparer avec son ADN. Elle profite alors d'un instant seule avec Jakcson pour lui dire ce qu'elle dirait à William : à savoir, qu'elle ne l'a pas abandonné parce qu'elle ne l'aimait pas mais au contraire, parce qu'elle l'aimait et voulait le protéger. Elle dit aussi que le laisser a été la chose la plus difficile qu'elle ait faite de toute son existence et elle s'excuse de ne pas voir été là pour lui. (bon, j'avoue, j'ai versé ma petite larme devant cette scène) Mulder la rejoint, la prend dans ses bras pour la réconforter puis ils s'en vont : nous voyons alors Jackson se lever de son sac mortuaire et partir. Peu après, Scully a une nouvelle vision partagée avec William et découvre que le corps de Jackson a disparu : elle en conclut donc qu'ils ne sont qu'une seule et même personne. Mulder décide de se renseigner sur la disparition du cadavre et Scully quitte l'hôpital. A la sortie, elle est bousculée par un homme asiatique : la boule à neige comportant un moulin à vent extrait du Magcien d'Oz qu'elle a volée chez Jackson avant d'en partir (et de voir arriver des hommes en noir travaillant pour le gouvernement) tombe et se casse. L'homme s'excuse puis part.

Les investigations de nos héros les ramènent au domicile des Van de Kamp où ils trouvent le second ordinateur de Jackson sur lequel figurent des dossiers cryptés et des informations sur le Ghouli. Ils ont alors la désagréable surprise de se faire évincer de l'enquête qui est confiée au département de la justice (= les Men In Black du gouvernement). Mulder fait ensuite appel à Skinner (qui bosse à nouveau pour le Fumeur) et ce dernier lui parle d'un projet gouvernemental secret : le projet Crossroad. Ce dernier, intié dans les années 1970 par le Dr Masao Matsumoto, avait des ambitions eugénistes et se servait d'ADN alien pour créer sa progéniture. Il a été abandonné 15 ans plus tôt car il était impossible de prédire les caractéristiques aliens dont allaient hériter les nouveaux-nés. Mulder pense que Scully, par l'intermédiaire de l'Homme à la cigarette, a participé à ce projet sans le savoir et que William en est le résultat (comme si l'histoire de la conception de William et des raisons qui poussent les gens à vouloir le tuer n'étaient pas déjà suffisamment compliquées, voilà qu'on en rajoute une couche !). Il pense également que c'est la raison pour laquelle les Men In Black poursuivent Jackson qu'ils savent être William. Mulder en a eu la confirmation après les tests réalisés par Scully. Alors que Mulder découvre l'existence de ce fameux projet, Scully rencontre la psychiatre de Jackson, le Dr Scholz, pour mieux cerner sa personnalité. Il apparait que l'adolescent souffre, depuis des années, de visions apocalyptiques identiques à celles entrevues par Scully (cf La vérité est ailleurs - partie 2). Peu après Mulder indique à Scully, une fois tous les élements mis bout à bout, qu'il pense que Jackson a des pouvoirs d'origine alien issus du programme CrossRoad mais aussi de l'ADN particulier de sa mère. Il pense qu'il a notamment la faculté de projeter une image dans l'esprit d'une personne : c'est ainsi qu'il a forcé ses deux petites amies à s'en prendre l'une a l'autre en leur faisant croire qu'elles étaient le Ghouli. De même, il a fait croire à tout le monde qu'il était mort alors que ce n'est pas le cas.

Comprenant que Jackson a du retourner à l'hôpital pour voir Brianna et Sarah, ils y retournent et constatent que la police et les Men In Black sont déjà sur place. Ils ont reçu un SMS de Sarah avec une photo montrant Jackson dans les locaux. Celle-ci, jalouse d'avoir Brianna et Jackson s'embrasser, à voulu se venger. Jackson est effectivement retourné auprès de ses petites amies pour s'excuser de leur avoir fait du mal mais il n'a que le temps d'en parler à Brianna avant que la police débarque. Sarah réalise alors son erreur quand Jackson voit arriver les Men in Black et lui dit que ces derniers veulent le tuer. Il met alors tout en oeuvre pour leur échapper. Il utilise donc ses pouvoirs pour forcer un policer et un des Men in Black à s'entretuer puis échappe à Mulder et Scully en se faisant passer pour une infirmière.

Ereintés par ces quelques jours éprouvants mais soulagés de savoir que, pour l'heure, Jackson n'est pas aux mains du gouvernement, nos héros repartent pour Washington. Sur le chemin, ils s'arrêtent dans une station essence près de laquelle se trouve un moulin à vent. Alors que Scully fait le plein de leur voiture, elle recroise le chemin de l'homme asiatique qu'elle a vu devant l'hôpital. Après une discussion banale (au cours de laquelle il dit quand même à Dana qu'elle lui semble être une bonne personne), l'homme repart et cite une phrase de Malcolm X à Scully. Quand Mulder la rejoint, elle réalise que l'homme était l'un des auteurs favoris de Jackson et qu'elle avait vu sa photo sur la quatrième de couverture de l'un des ouvrages de sa chambre Elle rapporte à Mulder ce qu'il lui a dit mais ce dernier la détrompe : la citation est de Malcolm X et pas d'un autre auteur. Ils réalisent alors que l'auteur était en réalité Jackson. Ils se précipitent dans la station et demandent à voir les vidéos de surveillance. Ils ont alors la confirmation que Jackson est bien vivant et qu'il est bien l'homme avec lequel a échangé Dana. Cette dernière, bouleversée mais heureuse, sourit. 

SCENE 1

GIRL 1: Hello? Who is that? (rats squeaking) Are you Ghouli?

GIRL 2 : No, you are.

GIRL 1 : No I'm not. I swear.

GIRL 2 : That's what Ghouli would say. You're trying to trick me.

GIRL 1 : Look. I can prove it. Just stay where you are. I'll come find you.

GIRL 2 : Not if I find you first.

The two girls scream when they see an horrible creature. In reality, they see each other but they think the other one is Ghouli. Thery fight and hurt themselves.

SCENE 2

Dana Scully is sleeping. Dreaming, when she realisez she's not in her bed.

SCULLY (voiceover): Most people believe there are two states of consciousness: sleep and wakefulness. But there is a third state hypnagogia characterized by dreamlike visions and strange sensory perceptions. It was in this borderland that I found myself frozen on a stranger's bed. (later) What the hell is going on?

SCENE 3

THE X-FILES SERVICE - FBI BUILDING - WASHINGTON DC

MULDER (to Scully who has just told him about her dream) : It sounds like sleep paralysis. REM atonia. Did you hear a hissing, or a, or a buzzing? Did you feel an electric current running through your body?

SCULLY : No, it was different, Mulder. I mean, after the-the initial jolt of fear, I-I felt compelled to follow the dark figure.

MULDER : Hmm. Dark figures are usually meant to be avoided. Where was it leading you?

She sees a photo about a boat on his desk and says : 

SCULLY : There.

She remembers something she has seen in her dream : a snowball in which the same boat is represented.

SCULLY : That's the same boat.

MULDER :  That's an open X-file, Scully.

SCULLY :  Chimera.

SCENE 4

NORFOLK, VIRGINIA

Mulder and Scully are in their car, décided to investigate about Scully's dream which seems to be linked to the open X-File.

MULDER :  "Dreams are today's answers to tomorrow's questions. " That's a quote from Edgar Cayce. He was called the "sleeping prophet. " Like you, he received visions in a hypnogogic state. And he believed those visions were messages sent.

SCULLY : He also believed in the lost city of Atlantis.

MULDER : Another reason to love the guy. You've been receiving visions through seizure. Maybe this is an evolution of the form. No, but you're onto something, Scully. I'm sure of it. (he looks at his rearview mirror and sees a car) We're being followed. Since the airport.

CUT TO  : the docks in front of the Chimera, the boat Scully has seen in the snowball.

DETECTIVE COSTA : Hi. Detective Costa.

SCULLY : Agent Scully.

MULDER : Agent Mulder.

DETECTIVE COSTA : Pleasure. So, the victims and the perpetrators were two female high school seniors. Different schools. No past criminal history. They were good students. Uh, we talked to their respective families and checked their social media. No indications that the girls knew each other before the attack.

SCULLY : The crime scene photos indicate that the wounds were made with a sharp bladed instrument.

DETECTIVE COSTA : We found two knives at the scene. They, uh, they cut each other up pretty bad.

SCULLY : What's the condition of the girls now?

DETECTIVE COSTA : Both lost a lot of blood. (they come inside the boat) Uh, the one, Brianna Stapleton, was, like, a millimeter away from having her carotid artery severed in the fight. Now, both girls are unconscious in the hospital, but doctors are confident they'll pull through.

MULDER: Who reported the attack?

DETECTIVE COSTA: An anonymous 911 call. Didn't leave a name, but, uh, the voice was male, and he sounded panicked. Forensics has a complete workup on the scene with pictures and measurements, but, uh, this was left otherwise untouched.

SCULLY : There's no blood leading to or from the spot where they were discovered. Seems like once they started, they were gonna finish.

They leave the boat and Scully discusses with Mulder only.

SCULLY: Mulder, the way these girls attacked each other indicates and extreme emotional response. It suggests to me that they did know each other.

MULDER : But if they didn't know each other, that same response could be an indication of extreme fear, like a lizard brain thing.

SCULLY : But either way, this meeting was certainly not a coincidence.

DETECTIVE COSTA (to the agents as Scully notices the presence, not far away from the crime scene, of a young boy) : All right. Okay, thanks. Hey, guys. There was one other thing. The EMT said that he heard something when he was treating the victims. He said that the girls asked him if he found Ghouli.

The guy Scully has seen disappeared.

MULDER: Is that Ghouli with an "H"?

SCENE 5

A COFFEE SHOP

MULDER : It's typical. Teeth, mucous. Ghouli probably feeds on human flesh. Yawn. 

SCULLY: Well, the site's only been active for the last couple of months. Mostly fan fiction.

MULDER :  Yeah, this is my problem with modern-day monsters, Scully. There's no chance for emotional investment. You know, like Frankenstein and the Wolfman. Not only did they inspire bowel-clenching fear, but there was pathos. You know, Frankenstein he was afraid of fire and he just wanted a friend. You know?

SCULLY (laughs) : There's a lot of money to be made in scaring people. Maybe the girls were manipulated to attack each other in order to goose traffic. Most of the stories are written by an @Rever. 

Mulder's phone vibrates.

MULDER (reading his SMS) : Ah. The girls have regained consciousness. We can talk to them at the hospital now.

BARISTA (to Mulder) : Bob. Double shot cappuccino, - extra foam.

MULDER : Yes, thank you.

BARISTA: No worries, buddy.

SCULLY (questionning) : Bob?

MULDER : Like I wanted to explain "Fox" for the millionth time? -

SCENE 6

A COFFEE SHOP

Scully and Mulder interrogate, separately, the two victims.

BRIANNA : Ghouli's real. I saw it. It was closer than you are to me. I was scared. I had to defend myself.

SARAH: The thing was an inch from my face. So close I could smell its breath.

SARAH : It had rows of sharp teeth, and this goo was dripping from its mouth.

MULDER (to Sarah) : Well, what did it smell like? Its breath.

SARAH : Like cinnamon.

SCULLY (to Brianna) : And how did you find this Ghouli?

BRIANNA : I fell into this hole, into its lair, I guess.

SARAH : I heard something jump down, and when I turned around, it was screaming.

MULDER : What about Brianna Stapleton?

SARAH : I didn't see anybody else.

SCULLY : She was on the floor, next to you, also injured.

BRIANNA : I don't know any Sarah. Okay? All I saw was Ghouli.

SCULLY : So, how did you know to go to the ferry?

SARAH : You're gonna think I'm crazy. I had a dream.

BRIANNA : But it wasn't a dream. It felt real, like I was really living it. And at first it was scary, because I couldn't move. Like I was in bed, but it wasn't my own bed.

SARAH : Someone was next to me, but I couldn't see him. It was just a dark figure. And I jumped out of bed and chased him.

BRIANNA : It wasn't even my own house. I would run through the hallways and try to get to the living room to get outside, and I would just end up back inside again. L

SCULLY : Like a maze. Where no matter which door you open, you end up in the same place.

MULDER : Was there something inside the house you were supposed to see?

SARAH : A souvenir.

BRIANNA : Yeah. You shake it and it snows.

SCULLY : What was inside your snow globe?

SARAH : The ferry. Everybody knew where it was. Kids would get stoned on it in the summer. Not me.

MULDER : Have you ever experienced - a dream like that before?

SARAH : Kind of. My boyfriend and I did this fun house thing at the fair.

SCULLY : You have a boyfriend?

BRIANNA : I'm-I'm not supposed to. My parents don't approve. They're really lame, but he's cool.

SCULLY : What's his name?

BRIANNA : Jackson Van De Kamp.

SARAH : Jackson Van De Kamp.

Mulder and Scully are together now, talking about what they have learned in the hospital's corridors.

MULDER : The sleep paralysis. The labyrinth. The snow globe. You share the same story.

SCULLY : And the girls, apparently, the same boyfriend Jackson Van De Kamp.

MULDER : Scully...

SCULLY : I know. Mulder, it has to be a coincidence.

MULDER : No, it's not. You were sent here. We are meant to be here. We got to find out where this kid lives.

SCENE 7

VAN DE KAMP'S HOUSE

They arrive in front of the house and Scully seems paralyzed.

SCULLY : I feel like I'm gonna fall off a cliff.

Suddenly, they hear tw gunshots. The run towards the house. They break in and Scully says :

SCULLY : Mulder. This is the house in my visions.

MULDER : Door's open. (he comes to the kitchen ad calls Dana) Scully.

They see two bodys on the ground : Mr and Mrs Van de Kamp. Another  gunshot is heared at the first level, they run and Scully finds Jackson Van de Kamp's body. He's dead.

Later, the police is hear.

DETECTIVE COSTA: All right, so you, uh you said you heard three shots? Murder-suicide. Jackson Van De Kamp he killed his parents. Then when he heard you and Agent Scully break into the house, he realized he was gonna get caught, and killed himself.

MULDER : That's a rather convenient explanation.

DETECTIVE COSTA : Well, the kid had two girlfriends who tried to kill each other just the other night. I mean, there's something dirty in the water already.

MULDER : The back door was wide open when we got here.

DETECTIVE COSTA : Hell, maybe he left it open. I don't think you worry about those details when you're looking to commit murder-suicide. I mean, you were here, Agent Mulder. There was nobody else in the house when he killed himself. So, look, I appreciate your expertise, but I think you're trying to find answers to questions nobody else is asking.

MULDER : I appreciate your input.

Mulder searches Scully and finds her in Jackson's bedroom, searching informations about him and his live.

MULDER (looking at her with affliction) : Scully?

SCULLY (overwhelmed) : This is his room. I recognize it from my dream. You're right, Mulder. Whoever he is, he wanted me to be here. (she shows him photos) Look. Birthday, Halloween, vacation, baseball. It's a whole life.

MULDER (taking a soda on the desk) : It's full, and it's still cold. Odd choice to crack open a can of soda before you decide to kill your parents. (he takes a book and shows it to Dana) Look at this "The Pick Up Artist: Memoirs of a Wolf in Sheep's Clothing". At least he had his priorities straight.

Scully notices the portrait of the author in the back cover.

SCULLY (finding some medications) : He was troubled, maybe even schizophrenic. He was seeing a psychiatrist. Clozapine that's an antipsychotic, and Diazepam is to treat seizures. They were prescribed two months ago, and they're still full, so he was off his medication.

MULDER : I have grave doubts about what appears to have happened here, Scully. 

Jackson has a poster from Malcolm X right above his bed.

SCULLY : Malcolm X.

MULDER : "The future belongs to those who prepare for it today. "

SCULLY : Was that his hero?

MULDER : We don't know that that body is William, Scully.

SCULLY : Mm. Malcolm Little took the last name "X" because he wouldn't take the slave name given to his ancestral family. Was Jackson's identity so adrift that he couldn't see himself as being a part of a family? Is that why he killed his parents and then himself?

MULDER : Why would he call you here just to see him die?

SCULLY : I need to get proof of his identity, Mulder. I need answers.

Mulder looks through the windows and sees Men in Black (MIB) coming.

MULDER : I'll get you one.

He leaves, Scully stays in the bedroom and finds a snowball with a windmill trapped in a keepsake alluding to “The Wizard of Oz” with the phrase “We’re not in Kansas anymore.”

MULDER (to the MIB) : Who the hell are you with, and why are you following me?

MIB 1 : Take it easy. Nobody's following you.

MIB 2 : We're just curious onlookers.

MIB 1 : Yeah. We saw the police cars. Something bad happened here.

MULDER : What agency are you with? Judging by your crappy rental car, I'm guessing the DoD.

MIB 2 : You make a lot of assumptions.

MULDER : I'm also gonna assume it's no coincidence you're here on the night the Van De Kamps are killed.

MIB 1 (notices that the bodies are evacuated from the house) : Wow. Three bodies. What a tragedy. 

MULDER : Yeah. Keep cracking wise. You have no idea my state of mind.

SCENE 7

MORGUE

Scully is coming to see the body of Jackson and tells him she's sorry for ginving him up and that she had always love him. She also takes him a lock of hair to compare his DNA with hers.

SCULLY : I don't know if you are who I think you might be. But if you are William this is what I'd say. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I didn't get a chance to know you. Or you get a chance to know me, or your father. I gave you up for adoption, not because I didn't want you, or because you were any less loved. I was trying to keep you safe. I hope you know that. Uh, and maybe... maybe I should have had the courage to stand by you. But I thought I was being strong, because it was the hardest thing I've ever done. (sniffles) I mean to let go. And to know that I was gonna miss your whole life. But it turns out that this is the hardest thing. To see the outcome. And how I failed you. (crying) I need you to know that I never forgot you. And I thought, I felt that even recently, that we were gonna somehow (sniffles) be reunited. (crying) I wish I could have been there to ease your pain. Oh, my God, this is so inadequate. (sighs) I'm just so sorry. I'm so sorry. (sniffles and sighs - she notices Mulder's presence at the door) Have you been there the whole time?

MULDER : No, but I heard enough. You have nothing to apologize for.

He takes Scully in his arms to comfort her. He looks sad.

SCULLY : This is torture, Mulder. I need to get the results.

MULDER : Okay. We can use the lab here and get a DNA comparison.

SCULLY : Okay.

MULDER : They'll be back in two hours.

They leave and we see Jackson come back to life.

SCENE 8

HOSPITAL

Scully is sleeping, on a sofa, in the waiting room. 

WOMAN (over PA): Respiratory therapist to the ICU. Any available respiratory therapist to the ICU, stat.

Scully has another vision in which she saw again the black silhouette she has seen the first time.

SCULLY : William.  (she can't move but finally fall over the sofa and runs after him to an empty room where she finds the snowball) IS this a message for me? Or am I sending a message to you?

MAN: Agent Scully. I'm Dr. Harris, the coroner. Where did you put the body?

Scully is stunned. Jackson's body has disappeared.

SCULLY : There's no sign anyone was ever in here.

MULDER : Scully, can I have a word?

SCULLY : It's okay, Mulder.

MULDER : It's not good news.

SCULLY (lower voice) : I know. It's William. His body's missing.

DR HARRIS : There's no way anyone could have taken a body out of here.

SCULLY (normal voice) : Are there any windows anywhere?

MULDER (examining a window) No sign of damage on the outside.

DR HARRIS : That window's always locked.

SCULLY : Well, then it must have been opened from the inside.

MULDER : Scully. Can I talk to you?

SCULLY : Yeah.

MULDER : I know what you're thinking. And I want him to be alive every bit as much as you do. And in my heart, I never thought that we'd have to face this moment, but here we are. Hope is not a fact. And I'm always the first to jump to extreme possibilities, but this is not as simple as that.

SCULLY : Mulder, I had another vision. And I saw this. D

MULDER : Did you take that from his room?

SCULLY: I don't know why I did. I just needed to hold on to something tangible.

MULDER (turning a blind eye to her action) : All right. I'll check the video surveillance. But this doesn't change anything. Not yet.

SCULLY : He wants us to find him, Mulder. I know it. 

Dana leaves the hospital and knocks over a man. It's the author of Jackson's book but she doesn't recognize him.

SCULLY : I'm sorry.

MAN : Oh! I'm sorry. (he takes the broken snowball and give it to Dana) It-it cracked. The stuff leaked out.

SCULLY : No, it's-it's my fault. I'm sorry.

MAN : It's okay. You were distracted. You like windmills?

SCULLY : I like this one. Who are you?

MAN : Don't give up on the bigger picture.

SCENE 8

VAN DE KAMP'S HOUSE

Mulder and Scully return to the Van de Kamp house to investigate. Mulder is searching on computer and Scully is reading Jackson's diary.

MULDER : Nothing on the surveillance cameras and nothing here no history on ghouli. net, no porn. How many 17-year-olds with two girlfriends have a search history that clean?

SCULLY : Maybe he wiped his history.

MULDER : I got this from the dark web. It retrieves the browser history from the hard drive. If we can find the right computer. He's hiding it here somewhere.

SIiren chirps outside.

MULDER : Our investigation is about to get hijacked.

They rummage through the room. Scully finds Jackson's computer under his mattress. Mulder highjackes it.

SCULLY : Got it. Teenage girls have secrets, too.

MULDER: Look at that. Hundreds of posts to ghouli. net. And a back door to some files of the DoD.

MAN: Agents Mulder and Scully! We are commanding you to cease all activity and exit the property immediately!

SCULLY (leaving the room and to the MIB): The FBI has jurisdiction over this investigation. I suggest you leave the premises until I can get an order from a countermanding authority.

MIB 2 : Straight from the DOJ. Now scram.

Mulder finds some crypted documents on Jackson's computer.

MIB 1 : Step away from the desk. Everything in this house is now under the jurisdiction of the DoD.

MULDER (spilling the soda on the computer) : Oh! Never a good idea to keep an open beverage by electronics.

SCENE 9

SKINNER'S OFFICE - COFFEE SHOP

SKINNER (on phone) : Mulder, how is it possible the only updates I've received about what you're doing come through complaints by other agencies in the government?

MULDER : Let me guess, DoD.

SKINNER : And the DOJ. They filed a memo documenting obstruction and tampering with evidence.

MULDER : Nothing will come of those complaints, because the DOD is intimately involved in a conspiracy they themselves are trying to cover up.

SKINNER : Does it have anything to do with a missing dead body, a Jackson Van De Kamp?

MULDER : I'll tell you more when I know more.

SKINNER : Mulder, I think you need to come back here so we can discuss your activities.

MULDER : No, actually, you're gonna need to come here.

SKINNER : I'm not going to Norfolk, Mulder.

BARISTA (to Mulder) : Bob?

MULDER (lying to him) : Skinner, you're breaking up. I can, - I can barely hear you.

BARISTA : Bob?

SKINNER : Mulder

BARISTA : Double cappuccino, extra foam? Oh. Bob.

MULDER : Yeah, yeah.

SKINNER : Mulder, I can hear you perfectly.

MULDER : Uh, I'm gonna have to call you back when I get a better connection, all right? Hello? Hello? 

SKINNER : Mulder?

He turns to CSM who is, like in the good old days, in his office.

CSM : Mulder is close. I suspect he'll be interested in Project Crossroads. We'll be able to find what we've been looking for.

SCENE 10

THE CHIMERA - NORFOLK

Skinner meets Mulder.

SKINNER : Mulder, you wanted to meet out here. It's cold and it smells.

MULDER : This is where it all started. When two young girls were attacked by a monster only they could see.

SKINNER : You're wrong. This is the end of the road. It started decades ago, when they decided to combine alien and human DNA to create hybrids. Listen to me. I came out here to warn you and Scully drop this investigation.

MULDER : I'm listening.

SKINNER : After the crash at Roswell, our government's interest in alien technology exploded in all directions. And finally, in the '70s, our science caught up to our ambition. A eugenics program was initiated by a Dr. Masao Matsumoto using components of alien technology, hybrid DNA.

MULDER : Project Crossroads.

SKINNER : I read the report.

MULDER : It was ultimately deemed a failure because they couldn't predict what attributes the test subjects would get from the hybrid DNA.

SKINNER : That's correct. The project was defunded 15 years ago. Dr. Matsumoto burned all the files pertaining to the subjects to save their lives, and then he disappeared. The DoD has tried to track them down ever since.

MULDER : That's why they were following us. We found one of their own for them.

SKINNER : Jackson Van De Kamp. Now do you understand?

MULDER : Jackson Van De Kamp was our son, Skinner. He was named William before he was adopted. I checked his DNA against Scully's.

SKINNER (shocked) :Oh, my God, I am so sorry. Mulder, I did...

MULDER : I Thank you for your warning. It just came too late.

SCENE 11

DR SCHOLZ' OFFICE

DR. SCHOLZ: I find it hard to believe that Jackson would harm anyone, much less his parents. He loved them very much. And we never discussed any suicidal ideation. Your-your claims don't describe the patient I know.

SCULLY : You prescribed medication for seizures.

DR SCHOLZ : Jackson had symptoms that coincided with extreme electrical activity in the brain.

SCULLY : But can you tell me, did he have visions?

DR SCHOLZ : What he saw was specific and detailed. That's all I'm willing to say, Agent Scully, unless you come back with a court order.

SCULLY : His visions were apocalyptic. A pandemic was spreading across America. Hospitals were overwhelmed. People were panicking. A vaccine was needed. One that had to be created with a combination of human and alien DNA. And Jackson himself was the key. It ends with a UFO hovering over the 14th Street Bridge. That's what he saw, Dr. Scholz.

DR SCHOLZ (very surprised) : H-How is it possible you know?

SCENE 12

COFFEE SHOP

MULDER : So, you think a shared vision means that it's more likely to come true?

SCULLY : What if I didn't get a glimpse of the future? What if I was just a receptacle for his message to me? Just like my dream to come here.

BARISTA : Hey, Bob.

MULDER : It's an alternate reality Fox doesn't exist in coffee shops.

MULDER : No. It's a false reality, Scully. Just like everything we've seen so far. I've been going over the forensics of the case. The police think that Jackson killed his parents, then himself, but the spatter pattern tells me different. (as Mulder talks, we see flhasbakc from the night when the Van de Kamp family was massacred) It tells me there were two shooters. Her body was moved after she was shot to make it look like there was one shooter. Scully, I believe that, through the Smoking Man, you were an unwitting participant in a eugenics program called Project Crossroads. It was spearheaded by Dr. Masao Matsumoto. He disappeared two years after William was born. I believe our son was one of his test subjects. Jackson knew he was being hunted, so he hid the only way he knew how. He created an alternate reality playing dead. 

SCULLY : So he made us hear the shot and see the hole in his head.

MULDER : Yes, and those two girls thought they saw a monster.

SCULLY : And so, Mulder? Where is he now?

SCENE 12

HOSPITAL

BRIANNA: Jackson. My God, they told me you were dead.

JACKSON : Not yet. Oh, babe. (he touches her scars) These look sick. That's horrible. I'm so sorry.

BRIANNA : Where have you been?

JACKSON : I've been hiding.

BRIANNA : What?

JACKSON : There's these people, they're after me. Look, I just I just came to apologize. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I didn't think that anyone would get hurt. I thought it'd be funny. I thought it'd be, like, a prank, you know, like, you'd see the Ghouli and you just run away.

BRIANNA (afraid) : Are you Ghouli?

JACKSON : No. There's no such thing as Ghouli. I made up everything - on the Web site.

BRIANNA : No. Jackson, that that thing attacked me. And the other girl.

JACKSON : You attacked each other. You saw what I projected into your head. All right, it's, like this-this power. I was learning to control it, okay? I just couldn't stop it in time. There was so much blood. It was all just a blur.

BRIANNA : That's really messed up.

JACKSON : It is. All right? It-it started when I would have my seizures. I'd I'd see things. Terrifying things, like... like UFOs. And it would hurt like hell, and ... But when I was in pain, I could, I could, I could, I could share it, kind of. Like, mentally.

BRIANNA : With who?

JACKSON : This woman I-I don't know, she's maybe my birth mother. Look, I came back because everyone around me is in danger. (sniffles) My parents are dead, Bri.  But I wanted  to say good-bye, okay? (he hears sirens and sees police come) Oh, no. They found me.

Mulder and Scully arrive.

DETECTIVE COSTA : Take it easy, agents. You guys can relax. You can relax. It's under control.

MULDER : You have Jackson Van De Kamp in custody?

DETECTIVE COSTA : Well, not yet. And personally, I don't understand how a dead guy can be up on his feet, but yeah. He's in there and exits are covered.

SCULLY : How do you know he's inside?

DETECTIVE COSTA : I got a text from Sarah Turner. (he shows them a photo, taken by Sarah, where we can see Jakcson with Brianna) That's him.

SCULLY : Detective, I'd like to ask you to keep your officers outside so that we can be the first to go in.

DETECTIVE COSTA : Agents from the Department of Defense are already inside.

Worried, Mulder and Scully hurry up to find Jackson in the hospital.

JACKSON (to Sarah) : Geez, Sarah.

SARAH (upset) : You were kissing her. So I wanted to hurt you. I - So - And I texted them. (crying) I'm so sorry.

JACKSON : I think that I should be the one saying sorry.

SARAH : I A-Are you gonna be in trouble?

JACKSON : I think that they want to kill me.

SARAH (sighs) : It's my fault. This is (sniffles) this is all my fault.

JACKSON : No, no, no, look. I'm gonna be all right, okay?

Jackson leaves Sarah's room and is seen by MIB 1. 

MIB 1 (to MIB 2) : He's coming your way. 

Jackson fights the MIB and escapes. MIB are now armed. He usses his power to force MIB 2 to kill MIB 1.

MULDER (to the medical staff when they hear gunshots) : Evacuate the floor!

MIB 2 (to colleagues) : Subject is headed your way.

POLICEMAN (to Jackson) : Hey! Don't move!

Jackson tries to find a place where he could hide as Mulder and Scully arrive at the floor where is now.

SCULLY (to MIB 2) : FBI ! Put your weapon down!

MIB 2 : Stay out of my way.

He escapes, Scully purchases him. Jackson is hiding behind a desk. 

MIB 2 : I know you're here, boy.

Jackson uses his powers again to force MIB 2 and the POLICEMAN to kill each other. To do that, he changes the appereance of the policeman into Scully's in MIB's mind. The real Scully and Muler arrive sooner.

MULDER (to Scully) : They shot each other.

SCULLY: Well, who were they shooting at?

MULDER : He's here. Jackson! It's safe. It's over.

SCULLY : Jackson, we just want to talk to you. Make sure you're okay.

He changes his appereance into a nurse's one and go away before Mulder and Scully find him. They saw the nurse runs away but don't realize it was Jackson.

CUT TO : Later, in front of the hospital. They are still searching for him.

SCULLY : Anything?

MULDER : No. He's disappeared.

Scully is lost, Mulder takes her in his arms.

SCENE 13

GAS STATION

Mulder and Scully are leaving Norfolk. Scully has got Jackson's hair lock in her hand. As they drive, she sees a windmiller and asks :

SCULLY :  Do we need gas?

MULDER : I could use a bathroom. 

Scully is filling the car when she sees, again, the author.

AUTHOR : Were you following me?

SCULLY : Hey. Didn't I see you at the hospital?

AUTHOR : It must be kismet. (CHUCKLES) But I doubt we'll be seeing each other again. I'm driving across country.

SCULLY : Oh. A-Anywhere in particular?

AUTHOR : No, I just want to see the world. Things are about to change.

SCULLY (as he is walking away) :  Hey. Are you Dr. Masao Matsumoto?

AUTHOR : A doctor? (chuckles) No. I never finished high school. You seemed like a nice person. I wish I could know you better.

SCULLY : Well, safe travels.

AUTHOR : If you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything.

Mulder comes back as he leaves.

MULDER : Who's that?

SCULLY: Just a friendly old guy. But he seems so familiar. (suddenly she realizes) The Pick Up Artist.

MULDER : What are you talking about?

SCULLY : That book in Jackson's room. I think he's the author.

MULDER : What'd he say?

SCULLY : He gave me a piece of advice. He said he said, "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything".

MULDER : That's a Malcolm X quote, Scully.

They understand she has just seen Jackson. They come into the gas station.

SCULLY (showing her badge) : We need to see your surveillance video. Now. (showing the video to Mulder) Right there.

SCULLY (ON TAPE): Are you Dr. Masao Matsumoto?

JACKSON (ON TAPE): A doctor? No, I I never finished high school. You seem like a nice person. I wish I could know you better.

SCULLY (ON TAPE): Safe travels.

Scully is happy because her son has talked to her.