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sinkwriterThe X-Files: "Tunguska"
Recap, Part Two
(Part One of the recap found here.)
ACT 3
SCENE 1
Ask a stupid question...
Mulder approaches his car. Cut to me laughing as I realize Alex Krycek has been sitting in the passenger seat, handcuffed to the steering wheel of his vehicle the entire time that Mulder's been in Marita's apartment. That's gotta suck.
Click the link to read more...
As Mulder gets in the car, Krycek takes a long-suffering breath and says, "Where have you been?" Mulder looks a little too pleased to torture Krycek in this way (heh), and says simply: "Making travel arrangements." He turns the car on, and we see the clock. It's 3:15. So, did it take Marita three hours to find out about the pouch and only three minutes to arrange for diplomatic papers?
Krycek wants to know where Mulder's going. Yeah, like he's going to tell you. Mulder proves my point by keeping cryptic: "Follow the pouch." Krycek seems annoyed: "You're going to keep me in the dark." Well, yeah, Krycek. It's not like you're F.B.I. partners anymore, and you haven't exactly been trustworthy lately, or you know... ever. That's what you get. Mulder gazes thoughtfully at his traveling companion for a moment, but instead of borrowing from my words, Mulder first chooses to reply by punching Krycek in the face. OUCH. Then Mulder answers Krycek, with a succinct "Yeah." Heh.
He puts the car in drive, and off they go.
***
ACT 3
SCENE 2
He's practicing for a job as a guard at Buckingham Palace.
Back at the lab. Aw, it's Agent Pendrell. He seems a little concerned about going in to check on Dr. Sacks, pointing out to Scully that their gear has the same protective level rating as what Dr. Sacks is wearing; the 'fat lot of good it did him' and 'I don't want to die like that' is implied in his tone. Scully, however, is a tough warrior chick, so she tells him to suck it up, only she says it nicer: "Contamination is impossible unless there's a tear or a loss of pressurization. So whatever happened to him, it's unlikely it penetrated the suit." If you say so. *gulp* While other personnel take test readings from outside the cell, Scully and Pendrell go inside to see what's going on with poor Dr. Sacks.
Scully points out that there's an oily residue over everything, including the face mask of Sacks' helmet. No, Scully, don't touch it! (Sigh.) Nothing happens to Scully, so apparently the oil is done worming its way around. Pendrell thinks something sprayed out when the doctor was cutting into the rock. Yes, we know this, thanks. Scully and Pendrell stare at Dr. Sacks, who is neither moving nor blinking. He seems to be dead. Scully curiously studies the man for a very long moment.
His body jerks suddenly, making Scully gasp (and me jump). Scully's stunned to find that Sacks is alive. How is that possible, Pendrell wonders, when the guy isn't breathing? Scully thinks he is: "I think he's in some kind of coma state or some kind of somatic rigor." Well, that doesn't sound good.
Scully thinks they need to get Dr. Sacks out of there. Um... I'm no scientist or doctor, but I think he's better off in quarantined quarters, Dana. Fossilized or not, remember that rock might contain alien bacteria? Pendrell looks creeped out as he looks at the comatose yet still standing Dr. Sacks.
***
ACT 3
SCENE 3
How do you say "Screw you, Mulder!" in Russian?
JFK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
NEW YORK CITY
Mulder's car pulls into a parking space in one of the airport lots. He puts the car in park and moves to get out of the car. Krycek immediately protests, but Mulder tells him he'll leave the window rolled down for him ('like the dog that you are' is implied): "If I'm not back in a week, I'll call Agent Scully to come bring you a bowl of water." He's got a cute little smirk on his face. Mulder, you're so mean. Heee.
He closes the car door in Krycek's face and starts to walk away, as Krycek screams at him: "Mulder! Mulder, you're not gonna leave me here!" I've always wondered if Krycek got so worked up because he was angry with Mulder, seriously believing that Mulder was going to leave him there, or if part of him was panicking because (after his experience in the silo) he probably has a bit of a phobia about being confined and left to die. Can't say I blame him.
Anyway, Krycek continues to yell things, some of which sound like they're not in English, but Mulder can't hear all of it over the roar of a jet plane overhead. Nevertheless, after walking a few feet away, he does stop and slowly turn back to look at the man. Krycek's still shouting at him: "Son of a bitch, get back here!"
Mulder takes his time strolling back to the car. As Krycek breathes heavily, all worked up, Mulder peeks at him through the section of rolled-down window: "What'd you say to me?"
Krycek: (enraged) What?!
Mulder: You called me a bad name.
Heeee.
Krycek continues to curse and insult Mulder, only this time we can tell it's Russian that he's spouting. Mulder doesn't seem to be offended; on the contrary, he looks amused and fascinated. Krycek spits in Mulder's direction, but our hero dodges out of the way, grinning.
Mulder: "You speak Russian, Krycek?"
Krycek: "My parents were Cold War immigrants. What's it to you?"
Mulder nods, smiling.
***
ACT 3
SCENE 4
I wonder, does the Consortium offer health benefits and paid vacation time?
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA
Horses and stables. A woman rides, her horse galloping and leaping. She laughs and smiles. We see she's smiling at Well-Manicured Man (WMM), who's also wearing riding gear and is watching her from the other side of the fence. Wow, he actually seems to be enjoying himself. Or he was, until he turns around and sees a car approaching. It's CSM. Damn, that guy ruins everything. Can't a Consortium member have a day off from Evil Plotting every once in a while?
For those who like details, CSM's license plate is 7B3 286. Can't make out what state his plates are, though. Could be D.C.
The two men approach each other.
WMM: "You've been putting on the miles."
CSM: (already lighting up a cigarette) "It would help if you had a phone."
WMM: (mildly snarky) "I come out here because there are no phones."
Yeah. Take a hint, Smoky.
Anyway, CSM gets to the point: "Our courier is dead." Apparently their courier was the dude who fell from Skinner's balcony. Whoops! That's not going to endear Krycek to the Consortium, once they find out he's still alive. WMM isn't worried about that; he wants to know if the group will be exposed by this incident. CSM is blasé: "No, of course not. Our necessary and plausible denial is intact." Man, he is so smooth. Creepy, but smooth.
WMM wants to know what he's worried about, then. CSM: "Last night CIA Airport Intell had a man using U.N. credentials appear on their computers... booked on a flight for Krasnoyarsk, Russia." WMM asks who the man was. CSM pauses a long time, taking a drag off his cigarette, before responding: "We haven't been able to determine that with any certainty as yet, but it appears to be a man fitting the description of... Fox Mulder." Aw, crap. Marita, what good are your contacts if you can't give Mulder more than a day's head-start before they're on to him? Or, was that part of your plan?
It's rare to see him get worked up, but WMM's pissed off at this news: "You fool. You stupid fool. This must be corrected. This must be handled." CSM doesn't look concerned -- does he ever? -- glancing around the farm, smoking his Morley, but his tone is a touch defensive: "Well, of course it can be. You know my capabilities in a crisis."
WMM says something very interesting: "I don't think you realize what's at stake here."
Then he says something even more cutting (in his wonderfully haughty way): "This will take more than just a good aim!" Ouch. That's got to hurt CSM a little, somewhere deep, deep, deep down. But he reveals nothing, simply takes another drag as WMM walks away. Do you think CSM's currently imagining 15 different ways to kill him?
***
ACT 3
SCENE 5
Some days Walter Skinner wishes he never got out of bed in the morning.
Close-up on an official document: a Summons from Senator Albert Sorenson representing the People of the United States versus Walter Sergei Skinner, Fox William Mulder, and Dana Katherine Scully. Really? Skinner's middle name is Sergei? Is that a Russian name? I'm sorry we've never heard him speak Russian. He could have gone with Mulder and saved Krycek a whole lot of trouble. (But more on that in the next episode's recap.) Moving on...
Speaking of Skinner, Scully sits before him at his desk in his office, reading the Summons. It doesn't exactly spell out what Sorenson wants from the trio, but that he's even named in the paperwork displeases Skinner: "The fact I'm named in the invitation with you and Agent Mulder leads me to believe that I've been implicated in something far more serious than I already know." Scully has the good grace to look like she feels bad about that, but she also looks like she's choosing her words carefully, trying very hard not to break her partner's confidence. Skinner wants to know how much more serious this gets, if it's more serious than harboring a known felon. Scully doesn't answer. Skinner sighs.
Skinner: "What about Agent Mulder? What does he know?"
Scully: (responding carefully) "Agent Mulder is endeavoring to get his own answers, sir."
Skinner: "Where?"
Scully's lips tighten; she says nothing.
***
ACT 3
SCENE 6
"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Dorothy."
TUNGUSKA, SIBERIAN FOREST
RUSSIA
A monstrous green truck makes its way down a muddy dirt road through the woods, pulling to a stop so Fox Mulder and Alex Krycek can hop out the back. Aw, it's like they're partners again! This could be a buddy cop film! (Okay, maybe not. The two actors do have fun chemistry, though.)
Krycek speaks in Russian with the truck driver, then informs Mulder that where they need to go is approximately five kilometers through the woods. Krycek thanks the driver, who takes off on the path in the opposite direction as Mulder and Krycek make their way into the forest.
Cut to Mulder and Krycek kneeling at the top of a hill of sandy, wet dirt, the perimeter of which is protected by coils of silver, barbed wire. The two men are digging through the dirt, in order to make a space to crawl underneath without getting snagged.
Krycek: "You're really going to keep me in the dark, aren't you?" Mulder doesn't answer. Krycek spits on the ground and asks again: "What are we doing here, Mulder?" I'm not sure I ever believed that he didn't already know something about why they were there. After all, he is the one who sent Mulder after the pouch in the first place.
Mulder keeps digging, but he gives Krycek a long look before answering: "June 30, 1908. Tungus tribesmen and Russian fur traders look up into the southeastern Siberian sky and see a fireball streaking to Earth. When it hit the atmosphere, it created a series of cataclysmic explosions that are considered to be the largest single cosmic event in the history of civilization -- two thousand times the force of the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima."
Krycek seems interested, and wants to know what it was. Mulder says it was speculated to be a piece of comet, or an asteroid, or maybe a piece of antimatter. "The power of the blast leveled trees in a radial pattern for 2,000 kilometers. No real definitive evidence has ever been found to provide a satisfying explanation for what it was." The story of Mulder's life.
Mulder stops digging, and crawls under the wire. He stands up on the other side and looks down at Krycek: "I think somebody found that evidence and the explanation is something that nobody ever dreamed of." Mulder takes off running.
Krycek's behavior is interesting here. He looks around, pauses, closes his eyes, seems to steel himself, and then he climbs under the wire and runs after Mulder.
As Mulder makes his way around a bend, he sees something that causes him to drop to his knees on the ground, taking cover. Krycek quickly follows suit. Mulder pulls out some nifty travel binoculars to spy into the quarry below. It appears to be a mining camp. Ragged-looking men are breaking up rock with pickaxes, hauling black rock in wheelbarrows. One man appears to collapse from exhaustion; another man on horseback rides up and whips him, ordering him to get up. As the man cowers on the ground, Mulder surmises that maybe these men aren't really miners.
Hoof beats are heard, too close. Mulder looks over his shoulder, then yells to Krycek: "Run!" They each take off in different directions.
Krycek tries to outrun two men on horseback, but he stumbles down the slippery dirt hill, falling to his knees. His eyes wide, he holds up his hands in surrender as the horses run back and forth, surrounding him.
Meanwhile, Mulder is running like mad across the rocky terrain; two men on horseback chase him as well. He seems to be doing fairly well at first, but one of the men raises his whip, circling the length of it in the air a few times. He lets it fly, and the whip circles around Mulder's legs, tripping him, pulling him to the ground. Mulder quickly rolls onto his back, holding his hands up to protect himself as the man with the whip cracks it repeatedly in his direction. Mulder flails, trying to avoid getting hit. The scene cuts to black at another vicious snap of the whip.
***
ACT 4
SCENE 1
With friends like these...
Mulder is stretched out on the ground, unconscious. There is blood all over his temple. They've taken his coat, and there's a rip in the knee of his jeans, probably from his fall on the rocks.
As Mulder slowly comes to, he hears a voice whispering to him in Russian. He tries to sit up, but the pain from his head wound causes him to wince and pull back. He coughs as he slowly pulls himself to a sitting position against the stone wall of his cell. In a beautiful lighting shot, soft white sunbeams filter in from a barred window.
Mulder lifts a hand to his temple, touching it tenderly, then pulls his hand back to check for blood. He struggles into a more comfortable sitting position, wincing as the light hits his face, hurting his eyes. Finally, he focuses in on the whispering voice. He listens for a few moments, but he doesn't understand what the man is saying: "I don't speak Russian." The voice switches to heavily accented English: "Then, no one has told you." Mulder looks up. He carefully moves to stand, grimacing as he straightens up to full height.
He peers through a space in the wall, about the diameter of a missing brick. "Told me what?" All Mulder can see are the man's eyes, stark white amidst the surrounding darkness. His helpful cellie informs him matter-of-factly: "That you were brought here to die, to wish you were dead."
Mulder: "I wasn't brought here. I came here... looking for something."
Mysterious Prisoner: "The only thing you will find here is death and... suffering."
Well, that's comforting.
Mulder wants to know where he is, what this place is. The man explains that it is a gulag, "a place where the guilty rule the innocent."
Keys jangle in the lock; the door to Mulder's cell bursts open. Two guards escort Alex Krycek into the cell, shoving him to the ground. He's been stripped of his coat, sweatshirt and baseball cap, left in a sweaty, dusty T-shirt and jeans. As the men move to exit the cell, Krycek yells at them in Russian. They are unimpressed, and simply slam the door shut, locking it.
Krycek seems to be a bit panicked: "We gotta get out of here. They're gonna torture us." Mulder watches him warily as Krycek scurries about the cell, scanning for a way out, pulling on the door, testing the strength of the bars on the windows. Mulder wants to know how Krycek knows what they'll do.
He stops searching and stands face-to-face with Mulder: "They were questioning me. Trying to get me to confess." Mulder's expression doesn’t change: "[Confess] to what?" Krycek says they wanted him to confess to being a spy. That pisses off Mulder. He slams his forearm against Krycek's throat, forcing him up against the wall, and demands to know what Krycek told them. Krycek clutches at Mulder's arm and grits out, "That we were stupid Americans lost in the woods." Mulder doesn't move his arm; he searches Krycek's face, probably trying to figure out if he's lying.
Krycek: (panting) "Mulder, you're gonna need me in here."
Mulder lets go of him. Krycek's face and voice turn deadly serious: "Don't touch me again." Mulder looks like he wants to eye roll at the threat, but he says nothing. The two men face off for a few seconds, eye to eye, chest to chest, until Mulder turns away in the direction of the door, his face obscured by shadows, as Krycek turns towards the window, still trying to see a way out.
***
ACT 4
SCENE 2
Loyalty is a beautiful thing to behold.
SENATE EXECUTIVE OFFICE BUILDING
Scully and Skinner are escorted into Senator Sorenson's office. (Wow, that's kind of a tongue-twister.) The man wastes no time: "Are you familiar with the penalties for obstruction of justice?" Scully wants to know if that's a rhetorical question. Heh.
Sorenson wants to know about the man who died outside Skinner's apartment building. He wants to know why the man was on Skinner's balcony, and helpfully reminds Skinner about the penalties of perjury, especially for an F.B.I. agent. Skinner glances at Scully, torn, possibly at a loss as to how to handle this mess at the moment. Scully tries to help him out: "We intend to file a complete report on this matter, sir, once we fully understand what it is that we're investigating."
Sorenson seems to accept this for the time being, switching gears to pushing for the whereabouts of Agent Mulder. Again, Scully steps up: "Agent Mulder is in the field, sir, seeking answers to the questions you are asking." Sorenson pushes for an exact location. Scully looks to Skinner; both agents look down at their hands. Sorenson asks again. Scully swallows, but says nothing.
***
ACT 4
SCENE 3
Trust no one.
Back in the gulag, Mulder & Krycek's cell.
A small metal flap in the lower portion of the door opens; a tin bowl filled with what looks like dirty beige water is pushed through the gap. Krycek immediately picks it up and takes a sip. Another bowl is pushed through; he picks it up and offers it to Mulder.
Mulder takes a drink, but suddenly spits it out, reaching inside the bowl to pull forth what appears to be a live cockroach. He shows it to Krycek, and both men fling their bowls to the ground, spilling the disgusting contents. Krycek's bowl hits the door. Apparently the guards are sensitive about people dissing their hospitality, as one of the gulag men opens the door and yells at Krycek. He pulls Krycek to his feet, pushing him against the wall with his baton. Krycek's hands are up in submission, and both men talk over each other in Russian. Mulder watches carefully, not understanding what either is saying. Krycek says something that causes the guard to grab him by the front of his t-shirt, but the more Alex talks, the less certain the guard seems. He lowers his baton and lets go of Krycek's shirt.
Mulder: "What did you say?"
Krycek: "That I want to see his supervisor."
The guard looks back and forth between a very confused Mulder and a confident Krycek, before wagging a finger at Krycek, saying something else in his native tongue. He jerks his head at Krycek, motioning for him to exit the cell. Mulder stares as the guard holds the door open. Krycek looks to Mulder and says, "Da svidanya." He leaves and the guard shuts the door in Mulder's face. Mulder shakes his head, frustrated.
The cellie who earlier whispered at Mulder speaks up: "That man is not your friend. He speaks it differently to the guards. Formal language, as if to an equal. You are deceived."
Mulder: "Who are you?"
Mysterious Prisoner: "A prisoner, like you. But I have committed no crime."
Mulder: "Then why are you here?"
Mysterious Prisoner: "To do the work, like the others. Like them, I will die in an experiment... when there is no longer any use for me."
Mulder: "What kind of experiment?"
Oh, Mulder. I wish you hadn't asked that. There is a pounding out in the hall. The door to Mulder's cell opens again. An older, bald man with wire-rimmed glasses enters the cell, shouting in Russian what seem to be orders to two guards. Mulder struggles, but the men hold him down. Bald Russian Guy brandishes a syringe at Mulder, who struggles even harder to break free and avoid the needle. Bald Russian Guy pushes the contents of the syringe into the base of Mulder's neck as Mulder cries out, helpless. In seconds, everything goes dark.
***
ACT 4
SCENE 4
Oh, SHIT.
Mulder comes to consciousness, struggling. He has been stripped of his shirt, shoes and socks. He's stretched out on a metal frame 'bed,' his entire body tightly surrounded by chicken wire, even pressed against his face. He can barely move a muscle. As the camera pulls back, we see the shadowy room is filled with rows of men, all stripped and bound in this manner. It is a creepy sight.
The camera pans up Mulder's arm, revealing a bloody square of gauze taped to his skin. Traveling back up to focus on his face... Mulder struggles against the wire cage, but stills his motions as a guard passes. The guard looks up and nods. We see the Bald Russian Guy standing with two other men in some sort of observation area. Mulder struggles again but stops as he hears what sounds like a valve being turned. His eyes widen as men around him begin to scream. He looks up; directly above his head is a rusty pipe.
Suddenly, black sludge begins to pour from the pipe, hitting Mulder directly in the face. He squeezes his eyes shut and scrunches his mouth, trying to avoid swallowing any of the disgusting substance. He tries to hold his breath, choking, until he has no choice but to gasp for air. Mulder's hand is shaking.
Bald Russian Guy looks out over the room of men, observing with a sickeningly pleased look on his face.
Mulder's shaking hand slowly stills, as if he is now paralyzed. As black worms wriggle their way up his nose and into his face through his skin, Mulder’s eyes widen in complete terror. He's frozen in place, enduring this frightening torture, worms everywhere under his skin. As the camera closes in, the whites of his eyes cloud over, completely shrouded in black oil.
TO BE CONTINUED...
NOOOOO! Damn it, Chris Carter! You can't stop it there!
The story arc continues with the next episode, "Terma."
If you've made it this far, thanks for reading. You're fantastic, and I adore you.
Contemplative thought for the day: Do you think Mulder really would have left Krycek in his car for a week? ;)
Recap, Part Two
(Part One of the recap found here.)
ACT 3
SCENE 1
Ask a stupid question...
Mulder approaches his car. Cut to me laughing as I realize Alex Krycek has been sitting in the passenger seat, handcuffed to the steering wheel of his vehicle the entire time that Mulder's been in Marita's apartment. That's gotta suck.
Click the link to read more...
As Mulder gets in the car, Krycek takes a long-suffering breath and says, "Where have you been?" Mulder looks a little too pleased to torture Krycek in this way (heh), and says simply: "Making travel arrangements." He turns the car on, and we see the clock. It's 3:15. So, did it take Marita three hours to find out about the pouch and only three minutes to arrange for diplomatic papers?
Krycek wants to know where Mulder's going. Yeah, like he's going to tell you. Mulder proves my point by keeping cryptic: "Follow the pouch." Krycek seems annoyed: "You're going to keep me in the dark." Well, yeah, Krycek. It's not like you're F.B.I. partners anymore, and you haven't exactly been trustworthy lately, or you know... ever. That's what you get. Mulder gazes thoughtfully at his traveling companion for a moment, but instead of borrowing from my words, Mulder first chooses to reply by punching Krycek in the face. OUCH. Then Mulder answers Krycek, with a succinct "Yeah." Heh.
He puts the car in drive, and off they go.
***
ACT 3
SCENE 2
He's practicing for a job as a guard at Buckingham Palace.
Back at the lab. Aw, it's Agent Pendrell. He seems a little concerned about going in to check on Dr. Sacks, pointing out to Scully that their gear has the same protective level rating as what Dr. Sacks is wearing; the 'fat lot of good it did him' and 'I don't want to die like that' is implied in his tone. Scully, however, is a tough warrior chick, so she tells him to suck it up, only she says it nicer: "Contamination is impossible unless there's a tear or a loss of pressurization. So whatever happened to him, it's unlikely it penetrated the suit." If you say so. *gulp* While other personnel take test readings from outside the cell, Scully and Pendrell go inside to see what's going on with poor Dr. Sacks.
Scully points out that there's an oily residue over everything, including the face mask of Sacks' helmet. No, Scully, don't touch it! (Sigh.) Nothing happens to Scully, so apparently the oil is done worming its way around. Pendrell thinks something sprayed out when the doctor was cutting into the rock. Yes, we know this, thanks. Scully and Pendrell stare at Dr. Sacks, who is neither moving nor blinking. He seems to be dead. Scully curiously studies the man for a very long moment.
His body jerks suddenly, making Scully gasp (and me jump). Scully's stunned to find that Sacks is alive. How is that possible, Pendrell wonders, when the guy isn't breathing? Scully thinks he is: "I think he's in some kind of coma state or some kind of somatic rigor." Well, that doesn't sound good.
Scully thinks they need to get Dr. Sacks out of there. Um... I'm no scientist or doctor, but I think he's better off in quarantined quarters, Dana. Fossilized or not, remember that rock might contain alien bacteria? Pendrell looks creeped out as he looks at the comatose yet still standing Dr. Sacks.
***
ACT 3
SCENE 3
How do you say "Screw you, Mulder!" in Russian?
JFK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
NEW YORK CITY
Mulder's car pulls into a parking space in one of the airport lots. He puts the car in park and moves to get out of the car. Krycek immediately protests, but Mulder tells him he'll leave the window rolled down for him ('like the dog that you are' is implied): "If I'm not back in a week, I'll call Agent Scully to come bring you a bowl of water." He's got a cute little smirk on his face. Mulder, you're so mean. Heee.
He closes the car door in Krycek's face and starts to walk away, as Krycek screams at him: "Mulder! Mulder, you're not gonna leave me here!" I've always wondered if Krycek got so worked up because he was angry with Mulder, seriously believing that Mulder was going to leave him there, or if part of him was panicking because (after his experience in the silo) he probably has a bit of a phobia about being confined and left to die. Can't say I blame him.
Anyway, Krycek continues to yell things, some of which sound like they're not in English, but Mulder can't hear all of it over the roar of a jet plane overhead. Nevertheless, after walking a few feet away, he does stop and slowly turn back to look at the man. Krycek's still shouting at him: "Son of a bitch, get back here!"
Mulder takes his time strolling back to the car. As Krycek breathes heavily, all worked up, Mulder peeks at him through the section of rolled-down window: "What'd you say to me?"
Krycek: (enraged) What?!
Mulder: You called me a bad name.
Heeee.
Krycek continues to curse and insult Mulder, only this time we can tell it's Russian that he's spouting. Mulder doesn't seem to be offended; on the contrary, he looks amused and fascinated. Krycek spits in Mulder's direction, but our hero dodges out of the way, grinning.
Mulder: "You speak Russian, Krycek?"
Krycek: "My parents were Cold War immigrants. What's it to you?"
Mulder nods, smiling.
***
ACT 3
SCENE 4
I wonder, does the Consortium offer health benefits and paid vacation time?
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA
Horses and stables. A woman rides, her horse galloping and leaping. She laughs and smiles. We see she's smiling at Well-Manicured Man (WMM), who's also wearing riding gear and is watching her from the other side of the fence. Wow, he actually seems to be enjoying himself. Or he was, until he turns around and sees a car approaching. It's CSM. Damn, that guy ruins everything. Can't a Consortium member have a day off from Evil Plotting every once in a while?
For those who like details, CSM's license plate is 7B3 286. Can't make out what state his plates are, though. Could be D.C.
The two men approach each other.
WMM: "You've been putting on the miles."
CSM: (already lighting up a cigarette) "It would help if you had a phone."
WMM: (mildly snarky) "I come out here because there are no phones."
Yeah. Take a hint, Smoky.
Anyway, CSM gets to the point: "Our courier is dead." Apparently their courier was the dude who fell from Skinner's balcony. Whoops! That's not going to endear Krycek to the Consortium, once they find out he's still alive. WMM isn't worried about that; he wants to know if the group will be exposed by this incident. CSM is blasé: "No, of course not. Our necessary and plausible denial is intact." Man, he is so smooth. Creepy, but smooth.
WMM wants to know what he's worried about, then. CSM: "Last night CIA Airport Intell had a man using U.N. credentials appear on their computers... booked on a flight for Krasnoyarsk, Russia." WMM asks who the man was. CSM pauses a long time, taking a drag off his cigarette, before responding: "We haven't been able to determine that with any certainty as yet, but it appears to be a man fitting the description of... Fox Mulder." Aw, crap. Marita, what good are your contacts if you can't give Mulder more than a day's head-start before they're on to him? Or, was that part of your plan?
It's rare to see him get worked up, but WMM's pissed off at this news: "You fool. You stupid fool. This must be corrected. This must be handled." CSM doesn't look concerned -- does he ever? -- glancing around the farm, smoking his Morley, but his tone is a touch defensive: "Well, of course it can be. You know my capabilities in a crisis."
WMM says something very interesting: "I don't think you realize what's at stake here."
Then he says something even more cutting (in his wonderfully haughty way): "This will take more than just a good aim!" Ouch. That's got to hurt CSM a little, somewhere deep, deep, deep down. But he reveals nothing, simply takes another drag as WMM walks away. Do you think CSM's currently imagining 15 different ways to kill him?
***
ACT 3
SCENE 5
Some days Walter Skinner wishes he never got out of bed in the morning.
Close-up on an official document: a Summons from Senator Albert Sorenson representing the People of the United States versus Walter Sergei Skinner, Fox William Mulder, and Dana Katherine Scully. Really? Skinner's middle name is Sergei? Is that a Russian name? I'm sorry we've never heard him speak Russian. He could have gone with Mulder and saved Krycek a whole lot of trouble. (But more on that in the next episode's recap.) Moving on...
Speaking of Skinner, Scully sits before him at his desk in his office, reading the Summons. It doesn't exactly spell out what Sorenson wants from the trio, but that he's even named in the paperwork displeases Skinner: "The fact I'm named in the invitation with you and Agent Mulder leads me to believe that I've been implicated in something far more serious than I already know." Scully has the good grace to look like she feels bad about that, but she also looks like she's choosing her words carefully, trying very hard not to break her partner's confidence. Skinner wants to know how much more serious this gets, if it's more serious than harboring a known felon. Scully doesn't answer. Skinner sighs.
Skinner: "What about Agent Mulder? What does he know?"
Scully: (responding carefully) "Agent Mulder is endeavoring to get his own answers, sir."
Skinner: "Where?"
Scully's lips tighten; she says nothing.
***
ACT 3
SCENE 6
"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Dorothy."
TUNGUSKA, SIBERIAN FOREST
RUSSIA
A monstrous green truck makes its way down a muddy dirt road through the woods, pulling to a stop so Fox Mulder and Alex Krycek can hop out the back. Aw, it's like they're partners again! This could be a buddy cop film! (Okay, maybe not. The two actors do have fun chemistry, though.)
Krycek speaks in Russian with the truck driver, then informs Mulder that where they need to go is approximately five kilometers through the woods. Krycek thanks the driver, who takes off on the path in the opposite direction as Mulder and Krycek make their way into the forest.
Cut to Mulder and Krycek kneeling at the top of a hill of sandy, wet dirt, the perimeter of which is protected by coils of silver, barbed wire. The two men are digging through the dirt, in order to make a space to crawl underneath without getting snagged.
Krycek: "You're really going to keep me in the dark, aren't you?" Mulder doesn't answer. Krycek spits on the ground and asks again: "What are we doing here, Mulder?" I'm not sure I ever believed that he didn't already know something about why they were there. After all, he is the one who sent Mulder after the pouch in the first place.
Mulder keeps digging, but he gives Krycek a long look before answering: "June 30, 1908. Tungus tribesmen and Russian fur traders look up into the southeastern Siberian sky and see a fireball streaking to Earth. When it hit the atmosphere, it created a series of cataclysmic explosions that are considered to be the largest single cosmic event in the history of civilization -- two thousand times the force of the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima."
Krycek seems interested, and wants to know what it was. Mulder says it was speculated to be a piece of comet, or an asteroid, or maybe a piece of antimatter. "The power of the blast leveled trees in a radial pattern for 2,000 kilometers. No real definitive evidence has ever been found to provide a satisfying explanation for what it was." The story of Mulder's life.
Mulder stops digging, and crawls under the wire. He stands up on the other side and looks down at Krycek: "I think somebody found that evidence and the explanation is something that nobody ever dreamed of." Mulder takes off running.
Krycek's behavior is interesting here. He looks around, pauses, closes his eyes, seems to steel himself, and then he climbs under the wire and runs after Mulder.
As Mulder makes his way around a bend, he sees something that causes him to drop to his knees on the ground, taking cover. Krycek quickly follows suit. Mulder pulls out some nifty travel binoculars to spy into the quarry below. It appears to be a mining camp. Ragged-looking men are breaking up rock with pickaxes, hauling black rock in wheelbarrows. One man appears to collapse from exhaustion; another man on horseback rides up and whips him, ordering him to get up. As the man cowers on the ground, Mulder surmises that maybe these men aren't really miners.
Hoof beats are heard, too close. Mulder looks over his shoulder, then yells to Krycek: "Run!" They each take off in different directions.
Krycek tries to outrun two men on horseback, but he stumbles down the slippery dirt hill, falling to his knees. His eyes wide, he holds up his hands in surrender as the horses run back and forth, surrounding him.
Meanwhile, Mulder is running like mad across the rocky terrain; two men on horseback chase him as well. He seems to be doing fairly well at first, but one of the men raises his whip, circling the length of it in the air a few times. He lets it fly, and the whip circles around Mulder's legs, tripping him, pulling him to the ground. Mulder quickly rolls onto his back, holding his hands up to protect himself as the man with the whip cracks it repeatedly in his direction. Mulder flails, trying to avoid getting hit. The scene cuts to black at another vicious snap of the whip.
***
ACT 4
SCENE 1
With friends like these...
Mulder is stretched out on the ground, unconscious. There is blood all over his temple. They've taken his coat, and there's a rip in the knee of his jeans, probably from his fall on the rocks.
As Mulder slowly comes to, he hears a voice whispering to him in Russian. He tries to sit up, but the pain from his head wound causes him to wince and pull back. He coughs as he slowly pulls himself to a sitting position against the stone wall of his cell. In a beautiful lighting shot, soft white sunbeams filter in from a barred window.
Mulder lifts a hand to his temple, touching it tenderly, then pulls his hand back to check for blood. He struggles into a more comfortable sitting position, wincing as the light hits his face, hurting his eyes. Finally, he focuses in on the whispering voice. He listens for a few moments, but he doesn't understand what the man is saying: "I don't speak Russian." The voice switches to heavily accented English: "Then, no one has told you." Mulder looks up. He carefully moves to stand, grimacing as he straightens up to full height.
He peers through a space in the wall, about the diameter of a missing brick. "Told me what?" All Mulder can see are the man's eyes, stark white amidst the surrounding darkness. His helpful cellie informs him matter-of-factly: "That you were brought here to die, to wish you were dead."
Mulder: "I wasn't brought here. I came here... looking for something."
Mysterious Prisoner: "The only thing you will find here is death and... suffering."
Well, that's comforting.
Mulder wants to know where he is, what this place is. The man explains that it is a gulag, "a place where the guilty rule the innocent."
Keys jangle in the lock; the door to Mulder's cell bursts open. Two guards escort Alex Krycek into the cell, shoving him to the ground. He's been stripped of his coat, sweatshirt and baseball cap, left in a sweaty, dusty T-shirt and jeans. As the men move to exit the cell, Krycek yells at them in Russian. They are unimpressed, and simply slam the door shut, locking it.
Krycek seems to be a bit panicked: "We gotta get out of here. They're gonna torture us." Mulder watches him warily as Krycek scurries about the cell, scanning for a way out, pulling on the door, testing the strength of the bars on the windows. Mulder wants to know how Krycek knows what they'll do.
He stops searching and stands face-to-face with Mulder: "They were questioning me. Trying to get me to confess." Mulder's expression doesn’t change: "[Confess] to what?" Krycek says they wanted him to confess to being a spy. That pisses off Mulder. He slams his forearm against Krycek's throat, forcing him up against the wall, and demands to know what Krycek told them. Krycek clutches at Mulder's arm and grits out, "That we were stupid Americans lost in the woods." Mulder doesn't move his arm; he searches Krycek's face, probably trying to figure out if he's lying.
Krycek: (panting) "Mulder, you're gonna need me in here."
Mulder lets go of him. Krycek's face and voice turn deadly serious: "Don't touch me again." Mulder looks like he wants to eye roll at the threat, but he says nothing. The two men face off for a few seconds, eye to eye, chest to chest, until Mulder turns away in the direction of the door, his face obscured by shadows, as Krycek turns towards the window, still trying to see a way out.
***
ACT 4
SCENE 2
Loyalty is a beautiful thing to behold.
SENATE EXECUTIVE OFFICE BUILDING
Scully and Skinner are escorted into Senator Sorenson's office. (Wow, that's kind of a tongue-twister.) The man wastes no time: "Are you familiar with the penalties for obstruction of justice?" Scully wants to know if that's a rhetorical question. Heh.
Sorenson wants to know about the man who died outside Skinner's apartment building. He wants to know why the man was on Skinner's balcony, and helpfully reminds Skinner about the penalties of perjury, especially for an F.B.I. agent. Skinner glances at Scully, torn, possibly at a loss as to how to handle this mess at the moment. Scully tries to help him out: "We intend to file a complete report on this matter, sir, once we fully understand what it is that we're investigating."
Sorenson seems to accept this for the time being, switching gears to pushing for the whereabouts of Agent Mulder. Again, Scully steps up: "Agent Mulder is in the field, sir, seeking answers to the questions you are asking." Sorenson pushes for an exact location. Scully looks to Skinner; both agents look down at their hands. Sorenson asks again. Scully swallows, but says nothing.
***
ACT 4
SCENE 3
Trust no one.
Back in the gulag, Mulder & Krycek's cell.
A small metal flap in the lower portion of the door opens; a tin bowl filled with what looks like dirty beige water is pushed through the gap. Krycek immediately picks it up and takes a sip. Another bowl is pushed through; he picks it up and offers it to Mulder.
Mulder takes a drink, but suddenly spits it out, reaching inside the bowl to pull forth what appears to be a live cockroach. He shows it to Krycek, and both men fling their bowls to the ground, spilling the disgusting contents. Krycek's bowl hits the door. Apparently the guards are sensitive about people dissing their hospitality, as one of the gulag men opens the door and yells at Krycek. He pulls Krycek to his feet, pushing him against the wall with his baton. Krycek's hands are up in submission, and both men talk over each other in Russian. Mulder watches carefully, not understanding what either is saying. Krycek says something that causes the guard to grab him by the front of his t-shirt, but the more Alex talks, the less certain the guard seems. He lowers his baton and lets go of Krycek's shirt.
Mulder: "What did you say?"
Krycek: "That I want to see his supervisor."
The guard looks back and forth between a very confused Mulder and a confident Krycek, before wagging a finger at Krycek, saying something else in his native tongue. He jerks his head at Krycek, motioning for him to exit the cell. Mulder stares as the guard holds the door open. Krycek looks to Mulder and says, "Da svidanya." He leaves and the guard shuts the door in Mulder's face. Mulder shakes his head, frustrated.
The cellie who earlier whispered at Mulder speaks up: "That man is not your friend. He speaks it differently to the guards. Formal language, as if to an equal. You are deceived."
Mulder: "Who are you?"
Mysterious Prisoner: "A prisoner, like you. But I have committed no crime."
Mulder: "Then why are you here?"
Mysterious Prisoner: "To do the work, like the others. Like them, I will die in an experiment... when there is no longer any use for me."
Mulder: "What kind of experiment?"
Oh, Mulder. I wish you hadn't asked that. There is a pounding out in the hall. The door to Mulder's cell opens again. An older, bald man with wire-rimmed glasses enters the cell, shouting in Russian what seem to be orders to two guards. Mulder struggles, but the men hold him down. Bald Russian Guy brandishes a syringe at Mulder, who struggles even harder to break free and avoid the needle. Bald Russian Guy pushes the contents of the syringe into the base of Mulder's neck as Mulder cries out, helpless. In seconds, everything goes dark.
***
ACT 4
SCENE 4
Oh, SHIT.
Mulder comes to consciousness, struggling. He has been stripped of his shirt, shoes and socks. He's stretched out on a metal frame 'bed,' his entire body tightly surrounded by chicken wire, even pressed against his face. He can barely move a muscle. As the camera pulls back, we see the shadowy room is filled with rows of men, all stripped and bound in this manner. It is a creepy sight.
The camera pans up Mulder's arm, revealing a bloody square of gauze taped to his skin. Traveling back up to focus on his face... Mulder struggles against the wire cage, but stills his motions as a guard passes. The guard looks up and nods. We see the Bald Russian Guy standing with two other men in some sort of observation area. Mulder struggles again but stops as he hears what sounds like a valve being turned. His eyes widen as men around him begin to scream. He looks up; directly above his head is a rusty pipe.
Suddenly, black sludge begins to pour from the pipe, hitting Mulder directly in the face. He squeezes his eyes shut and scrunches his mouth, trying to avoid swallowing any of the disgusting substance. He tries to hold his breath, choking, until he has no choice but to gasp for air. Mulder's hand is shaking.
Bald Russian Guy looks out over the room of men, observing with a sickeningly pleased look on his face.
Mulder's shaking hand slowly stills, as if he is now paralyzed. As black worms wriggle their way up his nose and into his face through his skin, Mulder’s eyes widen in complete terror. He's frozen in place, enduring this frightening torture, worms everywhere under his skin. As the camera closes in, the whites of his eyes cloud over, completely shrouded in black oil.
TO BE CONTINUED...
NOOOOO! Damn it, Chris Carter! You can't stop it there!
The story arc continues with the next episode, "Terma."
If you've made it this far, thanks for reading. You're fantastic, and I adore you.
Contemplative thought for the day: Do you think Mulder really would have left Krycek in his car for a week? ;)
