Episode 2: The Hunted: Searching for Gibson Praise, Skinner and Doggett run into a big roadblock. When a group of beings save them from the bounty hunter, they become involved in a war that leads to genocide. The Syndicate begins Colonization preparations as the agents discover the identity of one of its leaders.

Episode 2: The Hunted

April 26, 2005-April 27, 2005

Opening Teaser

Dictation from Mulder: "In 1998, a rebel force of aliens invaded the Earth, hoping to prevent the colonization of the planet. These aliens scarred their faces, avoiding infection from the black oil virus. They removed an alien fetus, the only genetic evidence available to develop a vaccine against the virus. Without this fetus, we have nothing, no way to prevent the inevitable. Why would a rebel force take away our only alien DNA? Perhaps these aliens know something we don't, some way to destroy the gray aliens. Maybe they know how to change the hunter to the hunted."

Previously

Excerpt from Scene 13, Episode 1

"Do you see him?" asked Agent Doggett as they entered the abandoned building.
"No," replied Skinner, "but if he's here, he already knows where we are. Wait! Get down, I hear something."
"What is it? Is it Gibson?"
"No, just stay down and be quiet, he's coming this way." Skinner and Doggett simultaneously grab their guns as Skinner signals a three count.
"Stop right there! Turn around now!" hollered Skinner. The man turned around as a look of bewilderment fell upon the agents' faces.
"Deputy Director Kersh! Stand still, hands above your head! You are under arrest for the kidnapping of Gibson Praise and William Scully." Kersh reaches into his pocket. Four shots are fired, two from each gun!

Scene 1

Doggett and Skinner stare at the body moving toward them, green acid oozing from four holes in the body. As he approaches them, he returns to his normal appearance.
"What the hell!" yelled Doggett. Both begin to collapse as the acidity of the secretion overwhelms them. Suddenly, a bright light aluminates the building, covering every surface. Six men approach the bounty hunter as Doggett and Skinner stumble out of the building.
"Who were they?" asked Doggett.
"I don't know but I'd rather not find out," replied Skinner, "c'mon, we have to get to Scully's." They hurry to the car and speed away.

Scene 2

"So let me get this straight, I was born four years ago, adopted, tested on, and now I'm sixteen. I was practically immortal until my uncle injected me with some kind of vaccine and now I'm normal, gee, nice birthday present uncle."
"Spender, Jeffrey Spender," said Spender as he walked into the room, "William, I have been following you for a very long time, everything Scul, I mean your mother, told you is true."
"Gees, I can't wait to meet my father, he's probably one of these people who believe in aliens and mind control and stuff," replied an agitated William. Scully picked up her ringing phone.
"Scully, it's me, look, she's been asking for you," said Mulder. Without speaking she hung up the phone and grabbed her purse.
"My mom's awake, she wants me, stay here with William," Scully demanded of Spender and Harrison, "no wait! He's coming with me."
"Why, we can take care of him," said Harrison.
"This may be his only chance to see his grandmother," Scully said with tears in her eyes.

Scene 3

As they approached the hospital, another vehicle nearly ran them down.
"Now see, if I was immortal, I wouldn't have to avoid those clowns," joked William.
"Agent Scully, William, are you okay," Doggett shouted as he ran toward them, "I'm sorry, it's my eyes, I'm having trouble seeing."
"Yeah you're not the first we've almost killed," said Skinner warily.
"What happened to you, and why are you here?" asked a baffled Scully.
"We think we found Gibson, but the bounty hunter was there. We shot him and of course hurt our eyes in the process. Why is he here, I thought he had an infection," asked Skinner rubbing his eyes.
"Hey, Scully, c'mon, she wants to see you," shouted Mulder from the emergency room door.

"How is she?" Scully asked as they all entered the hospital.
"She's fine, a few bumps and bruises. They had to flush her eyes. She's up to about 75 percent vision now. They ran a CAT-Scan; they said they wanted to make sure her head was okay. What happened to you two?" Mulder asked as Scully went in to see her mother.
"That's why we're here," Skinner replied, "We found Gibson, but the bounty hunter attacked us."
"You shot him, which leaves me to question why you're still alive, or at least conscious," said Mulder with an inquisitive look.
"Mulder, what do you remember of those faceless aliens you told me about?" asked Skinner.
"Mulder? So you must be my father," said William as Scully overheard.
"William, come here a minute, there's someone I'd like you to meet," called Scully.

"The faceless aliens were rebels who wanted to prevent Colonization, why?" Mulder said. "We think they saved our lives, fighting off the bounty hunter so we could escape," Doggett said almost not believing himself. "I don't know, it doesn't sound like them to save you, but maybe this is it, the final battle," replied Mulder in deep thought. "Final battle, for what?" asked Doggett. "Colonization. If these rebels win then the grays can't invade and Earth survives. I think they were trying to eliminate the bounty hunter," replied Mulder. "I thought they were infinite, that they always keep coming," said Skinner. "I thought so too, but I was in the ship, I know things that they don't want me to know. Nothing is infinite. They have an army of hunters, but if wiped out, they lack a method of attack." "Guys, you can come in now," said a joyful agent Reyes. As Skinner approached the room, a look of horror fell upon Mrs. Scully's face. "Mom, what's wrong?" asked a worried Scully. "Him, he's the one, Skinner. He blinded me, threw me through that table. I shot him twice, Dana," replied a shaking Margaret Scully.

Scene 4

"We need to step things up," said the mysterious man to his colleague, "the rebellion is taking control."
"How, they don't have the technology to mount an attack," replied a henchman.
"Neither do we. They must have something, but what is not the question. The question is, how can they use what they have?" retorted the mystery man as a doctor entered the conference room.
"I looked into these samples, but I'm not quite sure what I'm looking at. Both specimens show evidence of the virus and the growth serum but this one has the vaccine, along with a chromosome count of 56," said the doctor.
"56 chromosomes and the vaccine, that doesn't make any sense, Bill Mulder's vaccine was proven to eradicate the extra chromosomes. This calls for a meeting," said an angry mystery man.

Scene 5

"Are you sure you're okay with leaving her alone?" asked Mulder.
"Yeah, we all need sleep and it's better if we stay together," replied Scully.
They entered her apartment to find Harrison and Spender kissing.
"Whoa! They're getting it on!" exclaimed William.
Harrison turned around, clearly embarrassed, "Sorry, we just uh, we started talking and it just spawned from there. How's your mother?"
"She's fine. We decided to get some sleep. You can stay here if you like," said Scully.
"Yeah just don't do anything naughty," interjected Mulder.
"Doggett and Reyes are staying with Skinner. He's having trouble seeing," said Scully after a chuckle.
Five hours later, after everyone was asleep, Spender walked out carrying two files.

Scene 6

"Would someone like to tell me what the hell this new vaccine is, and who created it?" asked the new leader of the Syndicate.
"We don't know, but it's not Bill Mulder's, and we don't think it's the Russians'," replied the mystery man.
"Doctor, what do you think?" asked the FBI director.
"Well, quite honestly, I don't know how anyone could produce it. First, they would need a complete genome and even if they had that, this type of gene alteration doesn't exist," replied the baffled doctor.
"Yes it does," interrupted the leader, "but not in the Solar System." The leader continued answering the questions posed by the men's blank stares. "Prior to our predecessors' deaths, an alien fetus, our genome, was stolen by a group of alien rebels. It was thought to have been destroyed, but obviously, we were deceived."
"So what do we do about it?" asked the director.
"We handle it, alone," replied the leader, "just keep the X-Files out of this and we will take care of it. If Mulder and Scully find out, we risk exposure."

Scene 7

"I destroyed the files, but they were not originals, I was unable to locate them," said Spender.
"Alright, better to get some than none at all. They might not be too important anyway," said a woman's voice, "We caught one."
Spender's eyes lit up, "How?"
"He attacked a few people, you should've seen his face when we surrounded him, we're just about ready to test the vaccine, using his own weapon, stick around, find out if the war will begin."
In the enclosed room, a doctor dipped the dagger into the serum and thrusted it into the bounty hunter, right in the chest. The bounty hunter began to convulse as his veins turned black and he began to sink until all that remained was a puddle of black oil, dead, dormant.
"It is done," the woman said, "reproduction of the vaccine and this dagger will commence, and the war shall begin."
"Good," replied Spender, "I need to return now so they don't grow suspicious. It was very nice to see you again, Diana." Diana Fowley looked on as the doctors collected and tested the oil.

Scene 8

Spender walked in the apartment to find Mulder sitting there.
"Hey Jeffrey, you have a big meeting at five o'clock this morning?" said an agitated Mulder.
"I, uh, I had to go out for a little while. It's personal," replied Spender.
"Who the hell do you work for?" shouted Mulder as he grabbed Spender by his shirt collar, "do you work for them, the aliens, are you part of this conspiracy?"
"Mulder, what's wrong?" asked a groggy Scully.
"My wonderful brother here decided to take a little stroll at five in the morning," yelled Mulder as Harrison and William now looked on.
Scully immediately went through her closet, "They're gone! Both files. What the hell did you do with them?"
"What files?" asked Mulder
"I've been keeping files on both William and Gibson, and now they're gone.
"I burned them," replied Spender, "to protect you. The Syndicate needed the files to work on the project, without them, they have less of a chance at success. If they discovered you had them, they would kill you to get them."
"I think you need to leave," said Scully, "now!"

Scene 9

"Monica," said Assistant Director Brad Follmer, as Reyes entered his office, "it's great to see you again. How can I help you?"
"I think you know Brad," replied Reyes.
"Let me guess, the X-Files. You want me to get them reopened."
"Yes, but why don't you seem too enthusiastic to help me?"
"Believe me Monica, I'd shoot the director if you asked me to, but personally, I don't believe in the X-Files. It is a complete waste of our best agents. We are at war, with an invisible enemy, and we need everyone we can get," replied Follmer.
"You know, that's almost exactly what the director told us," said Reyes.
"I know, I was told to say that. I truthfully don't believe in the work, but for you, I'd do anything. Maybe, if you did something for me, an arrangement could be made," said Follmer.
"What's that?" asked Reyes.
"Well, the FBI wants to launch an investigation into William. They feel that Mulder's growth control theory is a little too incredible. They're leaning toward a kidnapping, accidental of course. I need the files Scully has on her son, so that they may be checked with information found on the boy now under Scully's care. Also any personal favors are welcome," replied Follmer with a grin.
"How did you.never mind, look, Scully keeps those files hidden. I have no idea how to get them, and even if I could, I doubt I would ever give them to you. As for personal favors, you'll never get that close to me again, especially after last night," replied Reyes.

Scene 10

"This is last year's Superbowl, Eagles verses Titans," said Mulder as he slid the tape into the VCR, "one of the greatest games ever."
"Really, I thought the Rams verses Titans was the best," said William taking it all in. Suddenly, Scully ran in with paperwork in hand.
"Hey Scully, I thought you were visiting your mother," said Mulder.
"I did for a little while, then I went down to Quantico," replied a winded Scully, "I still can't believe what I found."
"What is it?"
"Your brother, except, not your brother," said Scully as Mulder looked at her confused, "I took a strand of hair I found in the box that contained those files. I had it tested, it couldn't be identified."
"The bounty hunter?" asked Mulder.
"That's what I thought at first, but I checked it with alien DNA stored from Gibson Praise and it wasn't even close. There's more," Scully began to tear up, "Mulder, your brother Jeffrey is dead. He was killed a year ago in a car accident, with the former leader of the Syndicate, this man Strughold."
"The Strughold Mining Company," Mulder uttered to himself, "let me guess, the car combusted and no source was ever determined," he finally said aloud.
"Exactly, how did you know?" Scully asked astonished.
"We gotta go right now," concluded Mulder as he grabbed the keys.
"Why?"
"Because it's getting late, and we have to get to the battlefield," replied Mulder as they hustled to leave the apartment.

Scene 11

" 'Sphish,' There it is," said Diana Fowley.
"Does it have the dispenser as planned?" asked Spender.
"Yes, and each one has been filled. Communication has been made and in two hours it will all begin," said Fowley.
"And end," added Spender.

Scene 12

"Where are they?" asked Skinner.
"Must be on the way," said Doggett.
"Why are we here anyway?" asked Reyes staring at the building. Suddenly, two figures walked toward them. As they approached, Skinner recognized them.
"Diana? Diana Fowley? It can't be, you were killed," said Skinner almost in shock.
"Obviously not. As I understand it, you thought the same of Jeffrey here until he reappeared three years ago," retorted Fowley.
"Who is this?" asked Doggett.
"She's a former agent. She was shot five years ago, and confirmed dead," replied Skinner. Another car pulled up and Mulder, Scully, Harrison and William emerged.
"Agent Doggett, stay away from them! They're not who you think.Diana?" Mulder's tone changed mid-sentence, "Diana is that you?"
"Yes it is, Mulder," replied Skinner.
"Fowley is dead, so is your brother," Scully was interrupted by a bright light from inside the building. Spender and Fowley vanished.

Scene 13

Mulder ran toward the building as the rest trailed him. There was little light in the building, but Mulder could make out one of the forces, thousands of bounty hunters. He could also see a mix of people, his brother and Fowley included.
"What is it, what's happening?" Scully asked as she caught up.
"The final battle. It ends tonight, one way or another," replied Mulder.
"Who's fighting?" asked Harrison.
"The bounty hunters and the rebels," replied Mulder. They heard thousands of daggers open simultaneously followed by the cries of the two armies as they charged at each other. Almost immediately the cries became screams of pain as the sense of death struck them all.
"Wait a minute, so your brother and Diana." Skinner began to ask.
"Are dead," finished Mulder, "impersonated by these rebels to gain our trust, to take them in and help them in their quest." Suddenly, there was silence as they witnessed the door opening. The FBI director entered, showing no fear. He charged at the rebels and crushed several of them, thrusting his hand into their necks, killing them instantly.
"Oh my god!" Reyes exclaimed.
"He's a supersoldier," Doggett said in disbelief.
"Which means that he's one of them. He's in on this. He knows everything about us and can kill us at any second," said Mulder.
"He's after me isn't he?" asked William.
"Probably, but we won't let him take you. I think we can all agree that the best idea is to just lay low for a little while. Everybody go home, pack some things and meet here in an hour. Hopefully they will be gone by the time we get back," said Scully. All of them surprisingly obeyed.

Scene 14

They convened an hour later as planned. Mulder approached the door.
"Mulder! What the hell are you doing, we gotta go!" Scully yelled.
"Aren't you at least a little curious?" replied Mulder as he went into the building, "Guys, come take a look at this!"
"No one's here, living or dead," Harrison said. Mulder heard a splash under his shoe.
"It's oil, and blood," said Mulder as he lit the room with his flashlight, "The rebels have a defense."
"Well which is which, Mulder, are the rebels the oil?" asked Skinner.
"No, the rebels are the green blood and the oil is the bounty hunters, the grays."
"But both species bleed the green toxin," said Harrison.
"I think these rebels have the technology we needed, and the genome, to create the vaccine we've strived for for years. Those daggers must have excreted it into the hunters and they became their life force, the black oil, now dead and dormant."

Scene 15

Mulder, Scully and William awoke the next morning in Mulder's old summer home in Martha's Vineyard. Pillows and blankets were all over the floor and sofa.
"Good morning dad," said William, "what's for breakfast?"
"Not now William, I was just about to watch the end of the Superbowl."
"How does it end?" William asked.
"Eagles pull it off in the third overtime. Hey, come and watch with me, I'll start it at the fourth quarter," said Mulder happily.
"Cool, thanks dad," replied William as Scully walked in. "I take it Skinner will have to explain to Kersh what happened last night," said Scully.
"Yeah," replied Mulder, "don't worry, he knows what to say."
"What is he gonna say?"
"That the hunter, is now the hunted."