Acts of the Screenplay
X-Files Finale
Act One
Opening scene: The Permian Era extinction - in this, the asteroid crashes to earth, and many creatures die. The idea would be to focus on a few unusual-looking ones. This scene would last perhaps a minute, would have the subtitle "300 million years ago, the day the Permian Age ended."
Fade -out from the disaster scenes; fade into the opening credits.
Dinosaurs are then shown for several minutes in their native habitat; then, a slow pan to the sky, then move off the earth to a close orbital view of the earth, specifically North America, then moving in towards the Yucatan Peninsula. Then, the asteroid impacts, and damage is shown, with flying material, death of dinosaurs, survival of some small animals. Then, scenes form several days later - a wasteland, with the bones of dead dinosaurs.
Fade-out from Yucatan, and the scar/crater as seen from overhead.
Act 2 : Modern Era
[Scene opens, showing views of present-day Southern Mexico. Scene shifts to archeological dig site. Views of dig, archeologists, then the view of Fox Mulder. Fox examining some artifacts, he looks unhappy. Next scene - in his hacienda, he decides to call up Dana Scully. Then , view shifts to her apartment. View of bedroom in apartment. Phone rings - female hand reaches over to the phone]
Scully: [surprised, unsure look comes over his face] Hello? [pause]
Mulder: Scully... Sorry to wake you up. I know it's early. It's pretty important. I think I may have found what I've been looking for, what we've all been looking for. [Pause] For a long time."
Scully: Mulder… hmmm… What time is it anyway? [She glances at the clock radio, seeing it is 6:15 a.m. Camera also shows a man in the bed next to her]. It's 6:15. [Whispering]
Mulder: Again, I'm sorry if I woke you up. And anyone else too in the immediate proximity… but this is important. I'm in Mexico, working on an old Mayan ruin, if you can believe it! I have an archeologist friend that I've known since before I started with the FBI. He got me to come down here and… Scully, let me tell you, he's found something amazing.
Scully: Mulder. That priest… was hardly amazing, what is it now? You've deciphered the Mayan script or something? Let me guess… It's some cryptic combination of alien spacecraft, I suppose.
Mulder: Scully… how did you guess? Erick von Daniken's here too and he agrees with me. [pause] Scully, I'm kidding. No, really. This is something bigger than anything we've seen yet. I've already cleared it with Skinner. You're coming down here to be with me for a week. [Long pause]
Scully: Mulder, what kind of joke is this? I have a real job, unlike… well, you. I have patients. [Long pause] Mulder, you're serious, aren't you?
Mulder: Scully… Dana, I'm not making this up. You can call Skinner himself. Your status with the FBI is confirmed, Dana. This is a priority ALPHA assignment – and those are Skinner's words, not mine.
Scully: Mulder, this is just too much for me to take in right now. Can I call you back later?
Mulder: Scully, you've got my number. I'm on my cell, so just call that number when you can.
Scully: Good-bye, Mulder.
[Move ahead to Mulder waiting for Scully at the local airport. Plane lands. Mulder is shown waiting. Finally, Scully comes into view, leaving the Customs area. The two meet, shake hands.]
Scully: Agent Mulder, I presume.
Mulder: C'est moi. Your flight was ok?
[Scully shrugs. Both begin to walk towards the jeep]
Steve: I've been here for four months now, and I think I was starting to get lonely - I mised seeing familiar faces. The language, the culture... it takes a bit of getting used to, and it starts to change you after a while.
[They get into the jeep; Scully stows her bag in the back]
Scully: Mulder, Skinner was pretty terse in the briefing back at Langley. He said, and I quote, "Agent Mulder has my full support in this latest undertaking." And then he got all cryptic on me. I thought I was talking to you for a while.
Mulder: But then you were jolted back to reality when you realized who was sexier.
Scully: I'll just ignore that remark. How long is the drive, by the way?
Mulder: Oh, about 30 minutes or so. So relax and enjoy the ride. [Pauses] Check out the glove compartment right in front of you. You'll find a description of the Mayan ruin that we've been working on for the past four months. Have a look...
[Scully opens the compartment and takes out the folder. She looks at several documents, photos, and schematics]
Mulder: The picture you're looking at now is how the site looked before we began to excavate. [Pointing to a small area of the digging] Right here is where the owner of the property found a piece of Mayan pottery and that's what drew his attention to the spot.
Scully: I guess the guy is a farmer?
Mulder: Bee-keeper, can you believe it! [Laughs] But now he doesn't do much of that - [pointing to photo of the bee-keeper] - here he is getting ready for his interview on Larry King Live... some other pictures of him... now there's a picture of the excavation after about two months. We have the standing obelisks all uncovered at this point...
Scully: Yeah, that reminds me, I meant to ask Skinner about this - I have to wonder why this site was buried under all that earth. Isn't that pretty unusual for Mayan archeological ruins?
Mulder: [nodding] According to all the textbooks it is. Nobody knows of another Mayan site which was so inconspicuous before it was even found. And what's weird about the burying is that we can't think of any natural process to account for it. [Pointing now to the topographical map] There are no streams nearby, no hills where you might get a landslide from - nothing. So we figure that between about the year 700 and the present day, our site was deliberately buried; and nobody can figure out who did it or why.
Scully: It's odd, I suppose. The site was deliberately buried. Skinner said you had more information beyond that though?
Mulder: Well, I do. But it's easier to explain if you can see the site on the ground. Bear with me for now, Scully.
[Mulder and Scully arrive on the site. They walk over to it, and meet some of the other scientists. There are two others there – both scientists]
Mulder: Hi everyone... [They look up and stop what they are doing] I'd like you to meet Agent Dana Scully, who flew in just today to give us some expert advice. She's a medical doctor with an outfit known as the Federal Bureau of Investigations. We worked together for several years. On the X-Files…
Scully: Mulder, I wish you wouldn't mention that…
Scientist One: Pleased to meet you; any friend of Mulder's is a friend of mine.
Scully: Pleased to meet both of you.
Scientist One: Arthur.
Scientist Two: Marilyn.
Scully: Arthur and Marilyn. Pleased to meet you. [Pause] I can't see how I am more qualified than either of you two, though. Skinner never explained that to me and I'm still at a loss.
Mulder: We think this battered obelisk over here - it's the most damaged, obviously – is the key to the mystery that first brought this ruin to light. Any ideas as to what caused it, people? That's what we are looking to here.
[Scene changes to montage, Mulder looking off and thinking what might have caused the damage, and the anomaly. view of the broken obelisk, underneath of which has been uncovered the stone box within which is a mysterious black object that the Mayans had discovered]
[New scene opens, showing the year – 709 A.D. But the same location, with upright and colorful monuments. It is the Mayan town as it was during the height of the Mayan Empire. Some aerial views are shown, some scenes of the Mayans in their daily routines. Focusing then upon two Mayans – a male and a female – as they walk through the woods, exploring]
Mayan male [using subtitles]: Where is it now? Show this to me.
Mayan female: Let me try to recall… it's down this pathway… follow me.
[After a passage through the woods, they come upon a waterfall.]
Mayan female: It's at the base of the waterfall. Come with me.
[She leads him to the base of the waterfall. Between some rocks and some and grass, is the shiny, polished black stone. It definitely looks artificial.]
Mayan male: What is that? Let me see if it tingles you when you draw near.
[The man puts his hand close to the stone, and as he does, he notices that the hairs on his hand and arm stand on end. He finally touches it to see what happens. All the hairs on his body stand on end. His friend laughs at him]
Mayan female: Ha. How silly you look.
[He releases his touch on the stone and moves away from the stone, feeling the hairs on his body start to go back to normal.]
Mayan man: This is amazing. The work of the gods… we must tell everyone.
[Montage showing the pair telling people in the Mayan city, people cheking out the stone for themselves, the news reaching important officials, who decide to dig up the stone and take it into town. Digging up the stone, transporting it to the city.]
Mayan official: Today, we have a great gift from the gods, from the skies. Venus rises today, with Mars high in the sky, and this great gift shall protect us for all time from all ills. We thank Axtal and Stolacca for finding this for us, and we invite them to dedicate our new protector in the old ways.
[The Mayan man and woman who found the stone come forward, to much applause and cheers from the crowd. They draw near the stone, hair beginning to stand on end, and then touching it, hair standing up, to oohs and aahs from the crowd. A shaman comes forward to say some words. Says the words, and brings out from his cloak a similar, smaller black stone. He holds it carefully, speaking, stroking it. Suddenly, he is not holding it any longer, and it is levitating in place! Oohs from the crowd. He lowers it slowly to touch the other, new black stone. At a certain distance, the stone begins to drop towards the larger stone, and then, a large spark appears between the stones, and at that moment, the Mayan man and woman disappear! The smaller stone rolls away from the larger one. General confusion and panic. In the panic, we see the shaman take the smaller stone away from the scene. Shown walking into the forest, coming upon a clearing, with a hole dug out. He places the small stone into the hole, then burying it. Tears are rolling down his face at this point. He's muttering, "Never again, never again…"]
Scientist 1: Have you figured out what that thing is yet?
Mulder: In a word… negative. Arthur here has some ideas though.
Scientist 2: It's a symbolism, like those used as a warning to grave robbers to keep away, just like some of those hieroglyphic warnings that are found on the walls of graves from Ancient Egypt. See here (pointing to several symbols). On the other hand…
[Just then, Mulder notes a tingly feeling all over his body, and feels his hair standing on end. He looks very surprised]
Scientist 1: What's the matter?
Mulder: Didn't you feel that? A sort of a tingling sensation, then, your hairs standing on end, like for a split second.
Scientist 1: No, I didn't feel anything.
Mulder: You know what it sounds like to me? Some kind of static electricity charge.
Scientist 2: I think you're right. You know, this happened yesterday, and I think also two or three days ago. Let me check my notes. [Checks his notebook] Yes, here it is, yesterday at 12 in the afternoon. [Does more checking] And before that… on Monday at 9 a.m… 9:05.
Mulder: Is there a pattern?
Scientist 2: It looks like it… just by estimating… I'd say that these charges occur… about 18 hours apart.
Scientist 1: A pattern of static charges – what could cause that?
Scientist 2: 18 hours, 5 minutes, to be more exact.
Mulder: So the next one would be, tomorrow morning at…
Scientist 2. About 10 to 3 tomorrow morning.
Scientist 1: Ha! Count me out - I've had a long day, and need to get some good sleep tonight.
[New scene with Scully and Mulder back at the camp. Mulder is looking on his computer for a solution to the mystery. He's looking up about black stones… meteorites, etc]
Scully: Mulder, Fox… we should go to bed soon. You've been at this all day and now all night. I talked with Skinner today.
Mulder: [speaking without really considering it carefully] Let me guess. Skinner is unmoved. Unperturbed. Un…helpful. I am not surprised, Scully.
Scully: We have two more days, Fox. Then we go back. You go back, I go back to my real job.
[Mulder has the Internet pulled up on his laptop. He's looking at Google.]
Mulder: This is a longshot, but maybe the time between static charges is significant. The Mayans had a way of reckoning time… if I could tie into it, translate our hours and minutes into their system… that might get us somewhere.
[Scully is looking over his shoulder at the screen.]
Scully: What not just try the time – 18 hours, 5 minutes, 30 seconds.
Mulder: It can't be that simple.
[Mulder tries it. Some amusing entries pop up – running times for boxed sets of porno movies, etc.]
Mulder: I knew this would get interesting… see aren't you glad you came to Mexico.
Scully: Overjoyed, Mulder. [Thinks of a new tack to try] Mulder, hang on. [She takes out her cell phone to try a calculation. She punches in the time, but figures out its decimal value] Ok, 18.08 hours, try that. And then I'm going to bed. OK?
[Mulder enters the new figure. Again some foolish entries come up]
Mulder: Let me try something. [He adds "static" to the search entry]
[3 entries show up. All have to do with Element 118]
Scully: Element 118? Do they go that high? I thought they stopped around 100 or 105?
Mulder [reading]: Element 118 would be an element with 118 protons and an unknown number of neutrons. Element 118 has a projected half-life of 18.08 hours… Scully – this element doesn't exist – it's never been seen on earth or made by scientists – it's all theoretical. [Reading again] Electrostatic projections show that element 118 should have periodic static electric discharges of huge magnitude, owing to its unique structure of electrons.
[They walk over to the box containing the object. Scully feels around to the bottom of the object]
Scully [still feeling around]: Seems kind of heavy to be obsidian, I think, even for something this size... hey wait - didn't you say the bottom of this thing was smooth?
Mulder: It is.
Scully: I feel some kind of etchings – how could you have missed this.
Mulder: Let's get the crowbar and turn this thing over and a better look.
[They lever the oval-shaped object so that the etchings are showing for them. They shine the flashlight on the etchings. It shows two circles, with lines and bumps inside them, then another with eight small circles in a row].
Mulder: That stuff wasn't there before. I'd bet all I know on it.
[He begins to feel the etchings - the third circle depreses under his finger!]
Mulder: Well, look at this - one of the circles here is loose. You can push it in.
[Just then, a bright light whcih seems to be in the distance, illuminates the scene. Scully turns to look at it. She's illuminated; she feels it, touches her hair - it's the static charge! The light suddenly goes out!]
[A shot of the 'obsidian' object in many broken pieces. Scully and Mulder are nowhere to be found]
Act Five
[Mulder and Scully now find themselves in a dimly-lit, enclosed, circular room. It is completely different from where they were just moments ago at the dig site of Mayan city]
Scully: [Looking around bewildered] Where are we? What happened?
Mulder: No idea.
Scully: I take it this isn't a dream.
[Pensive looks are exchanged. Then, Mulder pinches Scully playfully to test the theory]
Scully: Ouch!
Mulder: I guess it's not a dream.
[Mulder thinks some more about where they are. Suddenly he comes up with an idea]
Mulder: Hey... what if... we were just at the dig site, you follow? In that black object after it opened up; and I touched those circles and well… it blew up! You and I are dead.
Scully: Mulder, we aren't dead. Death is lights out. Nothing. This is something else - but what?
Mulder: Well, I don't know. Is this like a room? [View of shoes] Carpeted, I think. [Feels floor] Feels like carpet... What about the walls?
[They walk over to the walls]
Scully: Walls feel the same as the floor - just like carpeting.
Mulder: It's the same all the way around. See? [They walk around the edge of the room] Almost like it's egg-shaped.
[View of them walking, focusing on feet]
Mulder: Pretty springy floor…
[After walking around, Scully gets an idea of a way of getting out]
Scully: Look, there doesn't seem to be a doorway out of here, so maybe the only way out of here is up...
Mulder: I'll give you a boost.
[Mulder helps Scully up onto his shoulders]
Scully: Nope, nothing. [Reaching up] It's carpeted all he way up, even further than I can reach.
[Scully jumps off toward the center of the room. However, she notices that it takes her longer than expected to reach the floor]
Mulder: Scully, it was like you were falling in slow motion.
Scully: I, I think I might know what's going on.
[She takes a coin from her pocket]
[She drops the coin onto the floor, but it clearly takes a strangely long time to drop]
Scully: Mulder, jump up in the air.
[His jump is also as if in slow motion]
Scully: Mulder, it's like we're on a trampoline – I think the gravity is lower here...
Mulder: Wouldn't mean that we're not on earth anymore…
[Mulder doesn't seem to respond. They begin to hear a loud ringing in their ears, building to a crescendo of volume. They put their hands to their ears, but it does not stop the noise. They fall to the ground, apparently unconscious. A close-up of Mulder, now. Fade into a dream, or a memory of his as follows:
Scene: a young Fox Mulder, aged about 7 or 8, is watching "Flipper" on T.V. He asks his dad, "Dad, can't we have our own pet dolphin?"
Dad: What? No, Fox. People don't have dolphins for pets. A dog; a cat, maybe, but not a dolphin.
Fox: But dolphins are kind and gentle, and even smarter than dogs or cats...
[They go back to watching Flipper]
Fade-out of this scene, and a fade-back into close-up of Mulder and Scully. Scully's head is on Mulder's chest. They sit up, groggy.]
Mulder: Wow. I feel strange.
Scully: Me too. Must have been the buzzing sound. I was dreaming.
Mulder: You too? I was dreaming about, get this - Flipper the Dolphin!
Scully: Almost as weird as my dream... you were in it, and... oh, never mind.
[Then, a voice, coming from above, softly and clearly says...]
Voice: Hello, Fox and Dana. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.
[They look at each other in stunned amazement]
Scully: Who said that?
[Silence]
Voice: You can call me Aaron. I hope that this communication will relax you. You are not dead.
Mulder: OK, that's a good thing.
Aaron: You were right when you guessed you were on a different planet, in another solar system than your own. How does that make you feel?
Mulder: So… let me get this straight. You're an alien being, and we're not on earth anymore?
Aaron: Indeed. We are, in fact, much like yourselves, both physically and mentally, but we are not like the extra-terrestrials that are in your mind, Fox. We are a group of beings that have a name, which, to you, might properly be translated as 'Icarians.' That's your mythological approximation of what we call ourselves.
Mulder: OK, so how is it that you know our language, and know my name?
Aaron: What we know of you comes from within your mind; we want you to know that we only did this in order to let us communicate with you.
Scully: Mulder, they read our thoughts somehow, I think, when we passed out. I wonder what they have planned for us? Anyways, I'm not convinced about this, Mulder. I need more proof to believe it.
Aaron: That will be provided. And we can let you out of the room.
[Suddenly, a doorway opens in one region of the wall, about the size to allow a human to walk through. Mulder and Scully look at each other]
Mulder: What do you want us to do?
Aaron: [hesitates, then] I'm sure your curiousity about us is very intense. If you'd like to see what I look like, walk out the door and I'll tell you which way to go.
Scully: Why should we believe you?
Aaron: I am afraid that at this point, all you can do is trust us.
Mulder: Come on, Dana. The way I see it, we don't have a whole lot of choice in the matter. Right?
[Scully nods slowly. They tentatively begin to leave the room, stepping out into a corridor]
Mulder: OK, now where do we go?
Aaron: Straight ahead of you. There you go. It's not very far to where we want you to go.
[Mulder looks up at the ceiling. He notices several lights, and several recessed fixtures which appear to be 'out.']
Mulder: Some of your light bulbs need changing.
[No response]
Mulder: By the way, where exactly are we here? Just how far from earth is this place?
Aaron: By your reckoning, we are several hundred light years from your home planet. Really quite a long distance.
Scully: [Repeats, without believing] Hundred light years...
Aaron: Yes.
Mulder: How long did it take us to get here?
Aaron: Very long.
Aaron: Just around the corner up ahead, and on the right... that's it. Now look ahead, towards the glass.
[They look through the glass on one side of the corridor]
Scully: Ok, now what happens?
[The opaque shield moves back, allowing the underwater view of the form of Aaron, the Icarian sea-creature and alien, to be seen by all]
[The light outside, in the water, brightens slowly to an adequate level showing a large, jellyfish-like creature]
Scully: Is that some kind of jellyfish that we're looking at?
Aaron: This is what we look like, Dana.
Scully: So you are saying you live in water? You're aquatic creatures?
Aaron: That's correct. We don't exist in the air, but under water. In fact, this planet of ours is a water planet. What you see around me is seawater, similar to the seawater on earth.
Mulder: Sea creatures? Hmm, ok, let's get the formalities out of the way...
[Mulder tried to shake hands through the glass, then touches onto it. One of Aaron's feelers also moves onto the glass, on his side, to reciprocate]
Aaron: You may be wondering about our coloring. It's due to the presence of a molecule which is like chlorophyll. We also take our energy directly from our sun, like plants on the earth do. Now can I change the subject for a moment? You two certainly must be very hungry. So we have prepared a meal for you. Please continue down the corridor and we'll tell you which room it is in.
Scully: Should we do what it's telling us?
Mulder: I think we'd better do what it says. Besides, I don't know about you, but I'm hungry.
[They walk down the corridor until they come to a room with an open door. Inside, they find a metal table, with two human-sized chairs. Two meals are neatly laid out with a metal knife and fork beside each plate]
Mulder: What's for dinner? I assume it's safe for us to eat?
Aaron: Yes, you can eat it in total safety. Your meal consists of meat from an animal from your planet, some potatoes, and corn in the form of corncakes. You should enjoy it. Over on the wall by the door is a faucet where you can get some water. And of you need to go to the bathroom, we can point that out to you as well.
Mulder: Hey, this is better than a Holiday Inn!
Scully: Mulder, do you think we should?
[Mulder's already eating. Scully decides to eat as well, she enjoys it. They both enjoy the meal. Scene flashes ahead to late in the meal, and Mulder asks a quesion of Aaron]
Mulder: This is very good. But listen - I have some questions that I need to ask you. The first that comes to mind is, how did we get here and why are we here?
Aaron: The answer should not be too difficult to understand. We have existed on this water planet for millions of your years. Additionally, many millions of years ago, we began to explore other solar systems in this part of the galaxy... please refer to the screen appearing on the far wall.... and we branched out and saw fit to explore new worlds. And of course, with spaceships, we visited the earth millions of years ago.
Mulder: Scully, this is it – everything I always believed - proof.
Scully: It makes sense, but I am still skeptical.
Aaron: How this relates to you, Fox and Dana, is in the following way: you recall that you found a relic of the Mayan civilization in the Mayan city in Mexico. You can see now that the black obsidian object was ours. You gained entry to it by pressing the correct sequence of buttons, and by being an intelligent creature to start with. Once inside, you activated the transport mechanism, and were transported here, to our planet, instantaneously.
Scully: That's an amazing story. But tell me - what do you people get out of all this? You have us here now, so are you happy about that?
Aaron: There are many more civilizations in the galaxy than simply ours. Now, there is another - yours. Many of them are so far away that we must communicate by means of high energy gamma rays... but you humans are just beginning to understand these things. There is in fact one property in the Universe that is more precious than anything else. It's something that all intelligent, prosperous galactic civilizations know about - do you know what it is?
Mulder: Something more precious than anything else... well. Money? [smiling]
Aaron: No, not human emotions. I mean a real, tangible concept. [Pauses] Don't know? It's ORDER. ORDER. Your code of ethics says things like, 'Don't kill, don't steal.' Ours says, 'Increase the order of the final product. It's an everlasting struggle, since our Universe is always moving towards greater DISORDER.
Aaron: The earth, for example started out with no life at all, ok? Then came the building blocks for life, and finally life itself - simple, and later on, the life became more complex. And finally, even reached the intelligent stage.
Scully: Yeah, that's pretty easy to understand.
Aaron: Ok. But what I am about to tell you is not so easy to understand. You see, we know about your early earth because spaceships from our planet visited there in its early years, long before men ever walked the earth.
Scully: Interesting. Did you find anything unexpected?
Aaron: We found life - THAT was unexpected. And we began to make regular trips to your world. We have made a great many such trips over the ages. When our ships reached the earth, they would take samples of the life that had evolved there. The life, which was becoming more and more ORDERED! Then, after a time, when we had decided that we had taken enough samples, and that evolution of life had reached a dead end - that's when we, as the Increasers of Order, would act.
Mulder: Act? What do you mean?
[Note: there appear views on a monitor in the room, whereby each part of the explanation is accompanied with "file footage."]
Aaron: Many periods in your history reached what might be called evolutionary dead-ends. The dinosaurs are a classic example - they got bigger, but would never become intelligent, and so, they had to be eliminated.
[Scully and Mulder look at one another in bewilderment]
Scully: YOU killed off the dinosaurs?
Aaron: We did, by maneuvering the large asteroid into striking the earth in a certain position and angle, we created the environmental holocaust which eliminated the dinosaurs. The barrier to greater entropy, to greater order, was thus eliminated. In the wake of the death of the dinosaurs and other obsolete creatures, small mammals were the free to evolve into higher mammals, and humans, like yourselves.
Alex: So, the asteroid which killed the dinosaurs was sent by you…
Aaron: Exactly. The asteroid that landed in Mexico was what caused the end of the dinosaurs, as well as the end of many other species. You came upon our asteroidal directional manipulator within the Mayan ruin, of course.
Scully: But why use an asteroid to kill off the animals you don't want? It seems like a pretty inexact method to me.
Aaron: But an asteroid, when large enough, is very suitable for such mass extinctions because its effects are felt worldwide, and also there is no radiation involved, so that there are no disorderly mutations. But, we never risked losing any promising species in the aftermath of the asteroid impact and mass dying. Before the asteroid's collision, we assembled a collection of all species from the earth, which we returned here on spaceships. So there was never any risk of extinctions that we did not intend. It was always possible to 're-seed,' so to speak, with our reserve samples of plants and animals.
Scully: Mulder, this means that we owe our existence to these aliens.
[Waits, considers]
Scully: By the way, whatever happened to all those plants and animals that you tool away from the earth for safekeeping all those years ago? Did you kill them?
Aaron: Oh, no. In fact, they are still alive to this very day! They inhabit an earth-like planet in another solar system not far from this one. I imagine that interests you?
Mulder: You mean that extinct earth animals are alive on another planet even as we speak?
Aaron: Yes, that's correct.
Scully: Mulder… scientifically, it sounds incredibly interesting. The data we could gather would be priceless. One thing though – if we go, would we be safe?
Aaron: For your personal safety, you would have a kind of shield around you. You can't be harmed in any way.
Aaron: Everything will be prepared for you. You'll leave in the morning, if that is agreeable with you.
Mulder: Yes, yes, I'm ready. Dana?
Scully: I'm a scientist, Fox. If what they say is true, it's a once in a lifetime thing… how can I say no?
[Scene now changes to Alex and Steve, entering new room from the corridor]
Aaron: Yes, that's right. You'll need to wait a few moments.
[Scully appears very nervous]
Mulder: Having second thoughts?
Scully: Hey, I always have second thoughts - it's just part of my untrusting nature, you know?
Aaron: We're almost ready... seconds now... prepare yourselves for a new world…
[The room begins to brighten with a greenish, unearthly light. The floor rumbles. A whining noise builds and builds, till finally they put their hands over their ears and... they're gone. The room is empty]
Act 6: Planet of the Dinosaurs
[Scene shifts to the pastoral planet, in the open air, showing the jungle, then finally pans down to a clearing. In the clearing, are several box-shaped objects, as well as a type of artificial flooring, not the jungle floor. Suddenly, Mulder and Scully appear upon the flooring. They look around at their surroundings...]
Mulder: This looks just like earth.
Scully: It would have to be, for earth plants and animals to survive here.
[They look around. They see a craft that Aaron had told them about - the one that can be like a car, boat, or plane. They walk over to it]
Mudler: The sequence - 1 through 7, starts this thing??
Scully: Let's see if it works...
[He enters the sequence. The door opens!]
Mulder: Open Sesame, Scully.
[They go in, close the door behind them. The craft looks pretty spacious, and comfortable, too. Mulder sits in the navigator's chair] Consoles are brightly lit, clearly laid out and labelled.
Mulder: This joystick here controls the flight attitude - forward, reverse, sideways, and up or down...
Scully: Mulder, can we be sure we're safe in this?
Mulder: We're a precious commodity to them - two human beings way out here. Rare as hen's teeth. Think about it - they CAN'T let anything happen to us.
Scully: [Sitting down] Yeah, but why do they need us at all? They've had this planet for ages - literally! Why do they need us to ooh and aah over a bunch of extinct animals?
Mulder: [Pauses] Maybe they DO need us to ooh and aah after all - we don't know if they even have emotions. Maybe they need us to show them what human emotions are.
Scully: Mulder, it's a good theory. You might be right.
Mulder [laughing]: Ok, ok - let's see how we work this contraption...
[Examining the console]
Mulder: Now. This... is our main controller. The joystick here, for lack of a better term. And over here... a few simple gauges. Clearly marked - distance to the object in question - hey, I like that one... here, distance to home base, reading zero right now, of course.
Scully: It's amazingly simple. But... they forgot one thing - no radio! What's a dashboard without a radio?
Mulder: These aliens may not know about music.
Scully: That's too bad, for them.
[Music begins to play, just then]
Mulder: OK... I spoke too soon. [laughs]
[Scully is now staring off into the distance towards some commotion a fair disance away]
Scully: What IS that thing over there?
Mulder: I can't make out what exactly that is. I think we should investigate.
Scully: I agree.
[Mulder sits down at the controls. He maneuvers the joystick, moving the vehicle off the ground]
Scully: It works!
Mulder: Ok, now forward... There we go...
[Vehicle moves toward the commotion. The distance gauge counts down the meters to the disturbance]
Scully: Mulder… you know, if I'm not mistaken, that thing's a pterodactyl!
[They watch as the huge yellow and green creature bobs up and down clumsily in the air, moving to over a pond then dropping down to catch a fish in its lengthy jaws]
Scully: Amazing! Reminds me of a pelican, or maybe an eagle.
Mulder: Let's follow him back to his nest, ok?
Scully: Mulder, it's interesting. I never would have thought that a pterodactyl would be so brightly colored like that. It must be that it evolved from ground-dwelling creatures that needed camouflage.
Mulder: Look - he's set down. That must be his nest up there!
[The craft moves in closer]
Mulder: Scully - it IS a nest - see, there are its eggs! Just look at how dull the eggs are.
Scully: I bet that's because the eggs are covered in something… feces?!
Mulder: But why would the parent poop all over its own eggs like that?
Scully: Must be deliberate - it's a form of camouflage, to ward off predators with a really god-awful odor.
Mulder: Wow. Hey Scully, look, it's coming THIS WAY!
[Pterodactyl approaches their craft, starts attacking - it makes a tight circle, and every time it approaches, it takes a peck at the craft]
Mulder: [sees a switch on the console allowing them to hear the outside noises on the inside of the cabin] Let's see if this works...
[Noises can be heard inside the cabin now]
Scully: I almost feel sorry for it. It's afraid of us.
[Bird makes a few more passes, then returns to its nest, exhausted]
Scully: Poor thing - look how tired she is. Let's leave her alone.
[Mulder maneuvers the craft away from the nest]
Mulder: Where to now?
Scully: Out there. In that direction. [points to a part of the screen ]
[Montage of some length. Should show views of the craft over parts of the planet. Strange animals look up.]
Mulder: Look - we're coming up to a lake...
Scully: It looks big. I think it's the ocean.
Mulder: Yeah... hey, wait a minute - we were told that this vehicle we're flying is amphibious, so I'm going to go in for a landing, see what's underneath.
[Mulder lands the vehicle upon the waves of the ocean]
Scully: Slowly, slowly... Mulder… ok, we've landed!
Mulder: Now - the real test of this thing. Let's see if we can dive.
[Mulder pulls back on the joystick, and the craft starts to submerge!]
Mulder: Hey, it works.
Scully: I think we're going to see some scientifically important things down here. Remember that life on earth first arose in the sea.
Mulder: Well, then shouldn't we expect to find the oldest living creatures here, in the water?
Scully: Could be. Don't forget there were also big water dinosaurs too. Some of those water dinosaurs were absolutely huge and had big teeth. Scary.
[The craft keep diving. A little while later, the floor is spotted]
Mulder: There's the bottom, see?
Scully: Not many fish down here, are there?
Mulder: No...
[Bottom begins to loom]
Scully: We're getting close to the bottom. Look over there - that thing... it's moving.
Mulder: Yeah. Looks like a horseshoe crab.
Scully: Mulder, that's no crab. I think it's a trilobite!
Mulder: A trilobite.
Scully: They're very old. They evolved long before the dinosaurs. Maybe 500 million years ago! Way before the dinosaurs.
Mulder: Extinct now, right?
Scully: Yes, they died in one of those mass extinctions. Mass extinctions due to an asteroid, many scientists think.
[They look at each other, coming to the same concusion]
Mulder: Aha. So our alien friends are responsible for the demise of these little fellas, too. What a shame - they look harmless enough... let's see if one of those extenders there, on the outside, works - I'd like to see what happens if we touch the animal.
[Manipulates the sensor arm joystick. An outer mechanical arm moves over to touch the trilobite, and the trilobite stops moving]
Scully: That's it? No scurrying away - no big, impressive defense mechanism?
Mulder: Don't turtles do the same thing?
Scully: Something like that. Yes. Hmmm… boring. You know, Mulder, I'm getting thirsty….
[Suddenly, a cupboard opens up to reveal glasses and liquor set out for them]
Scully: I think I could use a drink right about now... whatever this stuff is...
Mulder: Somehow I think it's just what we need right now.
[Pours it; gives drink to Scully. Then he pours some for himself]
Mulder: Bottoms up!
Scully: Cheers.
Mulder: Mmmm. Nice! Like... sweet bourbon.
Scully: Alcoholic, definitely...
[Time passes. The container is shown, later, several drinks lighter]
Mulder: Ha! I dunno what this is, but... it's damned good!
Scully: Mulder, I think we're getting drunk.
Mulder: And to think... this stuff just appeared - right there. I love this!
[Outside the front windshield of the craft, an icthyosaur swims by, looks in, and moves on, but neither of them notices]
[In this part of the screenplay, Mulder and Scully discuss their time with the X-Files, the people they've met, etc. Could include some flashbacks, etc. Discussion changes after a while to what they are doing one the planet, and can they get back to earth.]
Mulder: But, do we have any choice in the matter at this point? Can we just say we want out of it, and we're taken away?
Scully: I think it's worth a try. [Mulder looks on incredulously] Look, anything is better than this place - after a few weeks here, we'd find it like a prison.
Mulder: [looks out the windhsield] You know, you're right.
Scully: OK - let's surface, find our little way back to the home base, and try to go from there.
Mulder: Do we even have to do that? Can't we just use the radio link-up to the Icarians? Over there on the far left of the console.
Scully: Here?
[Craft surfaces in the sea. It sits in the waves, lonely, with nothing else around it]
Scully: Calling Aaron. Calling the Icarians. Urgent, please reply.
[Waits a moment]
Voice of Aaron: I can hear you. Go ahead.
Scully: Aha.
Mulder: Aaron. Um, we've seen some very unusual things on this planet of yours. It's been an honor to, ah, be the first humans to have seen it. Really. But... the trouble is, we're already geting bored here. We can't help it. We're humans, and we're pretty dumb and emotional.
Scully: We find this planet very interesting, no doubt about that. But it's too quiet for us - without other people here, it's just not worthwhile. Loneliness is a terrible thing for human beings to bear. Do you understand?
Aaron: Of course. We are glad that you enjoyed this planet, even if only for a few hours. We can take you away from here, now, to a place you'll appreciate far better, where you'll have all the companionship you'll ever need.
Mulder: Now wait... you mean, human companionship?
Aaron: Yes, Fox, you'll have human companionship.
Scully: Yes, we really do need that! We're ready to go at any time.
Mulder: When can we leave?
Aaron: Right now, if you want.
Mulder: Wonderful! [pauses] Scully?
[Scully seems melancholy]
Scully: Oh, I want to go, but... let me have one last look at this place... it's really quite a view.
[Craft has become airborne again. Dinosaurs and strange creatures are seen below]
[Close-up of Scully's face - then Mulder's voice faintly heard, becoming louder and louder]
Mulder: Scully? Scully? Are you with us?
Scully: Yes, yes, Mulder. Leaving here is right, anyway. It's their world. It always was. We have no part to play in it.
[Mulder looks on quizzically]
Aaron: And now you are going somwhere where you DO belong.
Mulder: And where exactly is that?
Aaron: You'll know in a second. Hang on...
[Mulder and Scully are no longer in the craft, which lands on its pad in the clearing. Strange animals walk by it. The craft sits empty. The lights go off, and the machinery shuts down]
Act 7 - Epilog
[Scene changes to a long view of a corridor, which becomes smaller and smaller towards its end. Mulder and Scully appear suddenly near the small end]
Scully [looking around]: Where are we?
Mulder: Somewhere where we can have companionship, I assume. Maybe we're back on earth?
Scully: Ok, what do we do now?
Mulder [looks in the other direction, to see corridor get smaller and smaller, till it seems to end]: We can't go down there, obviously, so [turns] I guess we have to go this way - come on.
[Mulder and Scully start walking down the gradually-widening corridor]
Mulder: ... somethoing's coming up - see? Windows to the corridor - maybe we'll be able to see what's outside. Maybe we'll be back underwater, right back where we started.
[They approach the window. Once they reach the window they look through it]
Scully: I can't see anything out there.
[Suddenly, the lights go out]
Mulder: Hey!
Scully: Alright, let's try not to panic.
[Lights begin to strobe every few seconds]
Scully: Did you see that?
Mulder: What?
Scully: When the light came on I saw something move in there!
[Brief flashes of light reveal the balloon creature, a dark mass trailing many feelers on the floor, floating towards them, on the other side of the glass]
Mulder: I see it.
Scully: It's moving back and forth, like it's in a breeze over there.
Mulder: Yeah... you know, this must be an alien - a gas-filled creature of some kind.
Scully: Could it be intelligent?
Mulder: Probably... probably more than we can imagine.
[Mulder gets a glazed-over look in his eyes]
Mulder: Maybe we should be moving on...
Scully: You're right.
[They move on, a little distance, to more glass. They look in]
Scully: I wonder what's in here?
[The light comes on to reveal a frightening, dinosaur-like creature!]
Scully: Good God!
Mulder: What is that??
Scully: Must be... another alien, I guess? Scary-looking, but not threatening. Not at all, it seems.
Mulder: If only we could communicate with them.
[They pass several more panes of glass, more aliens, and finally reach quite an open area. There is lush vegitation, and tropical plants. The path gets hard to follow. The they see two large wooden buildings. Mulder and Scully walk to the front door. A short, dark man opens the door as they approach, and walks out]
Scully: Mulder, look! A human being - we must be back on earth!
Mulder [not sharing Scully's excitement]: I don't know - Scully. Um, hello. (To stranger) Can you understand me?
Axtal: Yes, I can. You are Fox, and this is your friend Dana. Yes. I am Axtal. (Calls out) Stolacca!
[Stolacca comes over from his own building]
Stolacca: Ah, you are here. Nice to meet you, Dana... and Fox.
Scully: A pleasure. Do you live here?
Stolacca: Indeed we do. This is our home. We enjoy it very much. We're happy here.
Mulder: Here - what is... here?
Stolacca: We are humans, like yourselves. We also came here from earth, a long time ago. We, like you, used the Icarian device to transport us to their planet, and then, later, we came here.
Mulder: The Icarian device - on earth?
Axtal: Yes, yes.
Scully: But that means... you couldn't have used it before us, so you must have used it afterwards.
Stolacca: Um, no. We used it first, you used it last. Axtal and I are Mayans. We walked that city you were excavating centuries ago.
Mulder: This is amazing! [touches Stolacca's outfit, hands]
Scully: Incredible! But I think I'd believe anything after what I've seen today.
[Axtal gestures to Stolacca, and Stolacca is reminded of something]
Stolacca: Yes. There'll be lots of time to chat later. First, we should show you to your home... right this way.
[They start walking through more bush, getting less and less dense. The bush ends, and a field opens up. A mansion is visible, located by a lake]
Stolacca: There it is, your new home. Come back and visit us when you are all settled in.
[Stolacca smiles, turns, and walks back towards the woods]
Mulder: But wait! Who told you we could live here? Stolacca?
[Stolacca has gone, and there is nothing but the wind in the trees and bushes. Mulder turns to look at Scully]
Mulder: Well?
Scully: Let's go in and check it out - what have we got to lose?
[Mulder nods. They enter the mansion. The front hall is incrediblly majestic and opulent invoking several 'oohs' and 'aahs'. A magnificent dining room]
Mulder: You keep looking down here, I am going to try upstairs.
[Mulder sees the amazing 2nd floor. Enters room, marked "Fox's room." ]
Mulder: Wow!
[Mulder tries out bed, looks at view out the window. He looks in the huge closet, which is full of shoes, boots, clothes of all kinds]
Mulder: Sheesh! Everything a guy could want - and all in my size, too...
[Examines clothes - good time for product placement]
Mulder: Like it, like it, love it, just ok...
[Mulder leaves his room, returns downstairs. He follows the classical music. It's coming from the library. Scully is in there, looking at the amazing collections]
Scully: Come in and see these...
Mulder: You should see upstairs – all the clothes you'd ever want!
Scully: Nothing to compare with this, though.
[Scully points to information disks, CD-ROMs, with titles like, "The art of the civilizations of the Milky Way galaxy," "The architecture of the civilizations of the Milky Way Galaxy," "100 million planetary views, Galaxy Arm 1."]
Scully: And the books are all about other civilizations, too. Go look...
[Mulder goes to look. His gaze then moves to look out the window, revealing the pastoral scene, with the beautiful lake]
Mulder: Scully - look at this scene!
[Scully leaves the monitor, which has a display of an alien planet upon it]
Scully: It's an incredible sight!
Mulder: I wonder if the lake is safe for swimming. It's been a long day, and I'm getting pretty tired. Relaxation time.
[Scully looks around, but Mulder is gone. Then Scully sees him outside, running toward the water]
Scully [muttering]: That's Fox for you.
[Mulder jumps into the water, after removing his clothes. The water is wonderful. Scully comes out of the house]
Mulder: Come on in, the water's great!
[Scully chuckles, disrobes, and dives in]
Scully: Oooh, yeah.
Mulder: Are you enjoying yourself?
Scully: [Move into close-up] This is the life. But… Fox, I need to go inside and start looking at those files, those books. I have a feeling… it'll take a lifetime to go through it all.
Mulder: I'm in no hurry, Dana. I'm happy here.
Scully: So am I, Fox, so am I.
[They nod, smiling]
[Cut of Mulder, Scully, smiling, interspersed with views of Aaron, in the water, and Axtal and Stolac, smiling, in their own homes down the road, looking outside, the wind in their hair]
[Then, a final cut of the front of the mansion]
THE END
ROLL CREDITS