Apocrypha

Episode by Frank Spotnitz and Chris Carter

Internal dating: Another typical X-Files timeline mess. There is a lot in this episode about the events of "Paper Clip" being five months ago. While "Paper Clip" aired about five months befire "Piper Maru" it was actually set in April 1995, but which these episodes took place in September or October 1995. It is possible, I suppose, to place "Nisei" and "731" in the summer of 1995 and this two-parter in September 1995, which would mean that Scully was referring to these episodes when she talks about "what we've just been though" in "DPO" and not the "Anasazi" trilogy, which was nearly five months ago anyway. By this, we can just assume that for sweeps weeks purposes the big arc episodes are taken out of their internal order. More likely, though, that we are to assume that "Piper Maru" and "Apocrypha" took place in around February 1996, when they were aired, and that someone at 1013 made a mistake. Wouldn't be the first time.

August 19, 1953. In a Navy hospital at Pearl Harbour, a badly burned man talks about his experience on the submarine (told in full by Commander Johansen in Piper Maru). "I'm the last one who knows who killed those men in the submarine," he says, saying it was a suicide mission. "I'll burn in Hell," he says, "before I tell those murderers that sent us there." Three men in suits listen to him, assuring him that justice will be done. He tells them what happened after Johansen locked them in with the captain. "That was when I first saw the enemy that was killing us," he says, as the camera, in black and white, shows the captain falling to the floor as black oily stuff oozes from his eyes and nose and slithers. "Who called this thing the enemy?" one of the men asks. "You're saying it was an entity of some sort?" The burnt man says they were told it was a wrecked bomb, but he knows it was an entity and that they were sent to guard it. "That thing is still down there," he says, desperately, grabbing at the man who'd spoken. "You've got to make sure the truth gets out. I can trust you to do that, can't I, Mr Mulder?" Bill Mulder is silent, and he and his companion look at the third man. "You can trust all of us," the third man says in Cancerman's voice, as he smokes a cigarette.

Northeast Georgetown Medical Center. Scully rushes in to see Skinner, and is greeted by Agents Fuller and Caleca, who are on the case. Skinner is wheeled by and she rushes to his side, squeezing his hand. "I've seen him before, the man who shot me," he tells her.

Mulder and Krycek fly into Dulles airport and rent a car from the good old Lariat Rent-a-car. Mulder insists that Krycek give him the key to the locker, but Krycek will give him no other information as yet. "When we get there," he says.

Talking to Agents Fuller and Caleca in Skinner's hospital room, Scully insists that guards are put at the door. They clearly think she is making a big fuss over nothing.

Mulder discovers they're being followed back from airport. Krycek is driving, and Mulder urges him to hurry, but the other car pushes them off the road. Krycek is dragged from the car by a man who demands to know where the tape is. As the other man approaches Mulder's side of the car, gun in hand, there is a blinding flash and a scream. Dazed, Mulder blinks in confusion into the light, then lets his head fall forward, unconscious.

Pendrell shows Scully as analysis of the saliva found at the scene of the shooting, from where the gunman spat on him. Even though it will take time, Scully asks him to run it against the database of all local suspects from the last few years. He looks thoughtfully after her as she goes, taking the print out of the DNA analysis with her.

Cancerman is shown two badly burnt men, presumably the ones who tried to arrest Krycek. The doctor says he hasn't seen anything like this before. "I have," Cancerman mutters, then "Have the bodies destroyed." The doctor protests, saying the men aren't dead yet. "Isn't that the prognosis," Cancerman says.

Mulder wakes up in the hospital, a neat little bandage on his forehead. "Guess I'm not dead," he mutters, and Scully shakes her head with a small smile. She tells him the police found him alone, no trace of any other person, and he tells her about Krycek, and about the bright light he saw. "That's all I remember," he says. She then tells him about Skinner, and shows him the DNA thingy from the shooter, and also another identical DNA sample. Mulder asks who this second sample belongs to. "The man who shot Melissa," she says.

46th Street, New York City. The large Consortium Elder (the one who spoke to Scully in "731") has called the Consortium together to discuss the "disturbing reports" about the French sailors, suffering from radiation burns after visiting the "site where we recovered the UFO." They wonder how the French knew where to look. "It seems we have an information leak, gentlemen," the Elder says. Well-Manicured Man asks if "our associate in Washington" has looked into it, and the Elder says he has "responded to the situation" in a way none of them would have anticipated. He has seen summoned to explain himself to the group.

Scully visits Skinner, telling him about the link to Melissa's shooting. He isn't surprised, telling her about the men who warned him off reopening Melissa's case. From this she realises that Melissa's case was closed, not because of lack of evidence, but because "they" didn't want it solved. He warns her to be careful about any accusations she makes, and tells her the man who shot him was the man who, with Krycek, attacked him in the stairwell and stole the digital tape (in "Paper Clip") Anger is a luxury you can not afford right now," he warns her, saying that, if she gets angry, she'll make a mistake, and they'll take advantage of that. "If you can't keep your head, it's all right to step away," he tells her. "That's exactly what they want," she says.

Scully writes her report, saying she has had no success in getting her sister's case reopened. Krycek holds the key, she says, and is petitioning to have full Bureau resources devoted to finding him.

Scully enters the X-File office to find the diving suit in the middle of the room. "It looked great on me in the store," Mulder says, telling her about the oily deposit found everywhere. It's similar to the oil that would have been used in the World War 2 plane, he says, but subtly different. He believes it's a medium by which an alien entity can body jump, and that it's now in Krycek. "Is anybody not looking for Krycek?" Scully smiles. The important thing is, Mulder says, to find out what this thing is looking for itself.

Discovering that the key Krycek gave him belongs to a locker in an ice rink, Mulder sends the Lone Gunmen in to investigate. Frohike opens the locker, removing a brown envelope with a square object in it. "We show talent for these G-man activities," Langly says, back in the car, as Mulder opens the envelope and finds only an empty case.

Cancerman is watching television when Krycek comes in and throws down the digital tape. "Where is it?" Krycek (or, rather, the thing controlling him) asks. Cancerman tells him he's been expecting him, as Hispanic Man comes in from behind and points a gun at Krycek's head. "I have what you want," Cancerman says.

Cancerman arrives at the Consortium offices and is rebuked for acting on his own and moving the salvaged UFO to another location. "Why not bring it to Nevada, like the others?" one man asks (Nevada being the home of Area 51), but Cancerman says the base in Nevada is unviable, due to security leaks and public interest. Well-Manicured man is angry about the shooting of Skinner, showing Cancerman a composite of the killer in the newspapers. "He's one of yours, isn't he?" he demands, saying this is a very serious exposure for them all. He's ordered to get the shooter out of the country as soon as possible, as an arrest could seriously compromise "the secrecy of our work and the security, as you so arrogantly assert, of our project's future." "It will be handled," Cancerman says.

Frohike discovers the imprint of writing on the envelope they recovered from the locker. As the Lone Gunmen talk among themselves about the latest high-tech method used in the FBI labs, Mulder rubs at the writing with a pencil and finds out it's a New York phone number. "Don't drop that," he says, handing Frohike the pencil. "This is a finely calibrated piece of investigative equipment." "I'll be damned," Frohike mutters.

Mulder calls the number, getting through to the Consortium offices and talking to Well Manicured Man. "Who gave you this number?" Well Manicured Man asks. Mulder says it was Krycek - "Nice guy. Killed my father." "It's Mr Mulder, isn't it?" Well-Manicured Man says, arranging to meet him in Central Park in three hours, then arranging to have the number disconnected.

Scully and the other agents put a name and face to Skinner's shooter - a Nicaraguan called Luis Cardinale. Beyond that, they still have nothing. "They think they can just get away with it," Scully says, angrily. The agents say they would need a sign from God to catch him. "I've seen stranger things, believe me," Scully says, leaving. "I believe she has," says Pendrell, watching her go.

Mulder meets Well Manicured Man in Central Park. "Tell me what you know and I'll consider giving you Krycek," Well Manicured Man says. Mulder demands he answer a few questions first, like what was pulled off the ocean floor. Well Manicured Man says it was a UFO - a foo-fighter - downed in World War 2, but it passed off as a third atom bomb bound for Japan. There were various salvage operations, such as the submarine in 1953, in which most of the crew died. "No-one knows what killed that crew," Well Manicured Man says. "I know," Mulder says, offering to tell him in exchange for Krycek. Well Manicured Man says he's given Mulder so much already and Mulder's given him nothing, but Mulder says he's given him nothing he didn't already know. Well Manicured Man asks him why he didn't kill Krycek when he had him, and Mulder says it was because he had the digital tape - the tape he was selling secrets off. "Ah yes, the tape," says Well Manicured Man, clearly not knowing until now that Cancerman had never retrieved it. Mulder releases that Well Manicured Man doesn't know where Krycek is either and has been tricking him into giving information. "Mr Mulder, anyone can be gotten to," Well Manicured Man says. "Certainly you have no doubt about that."

Prompted by Well Manicured Man's words, Mulder calls Scully, asking her to check the guards outside Skinner's room. Scully rushes to the hospital and finds Skinner has just been transferred. She catches up with the ambulance and gets inside, and is this able to thwart an assassination attempt by Luis Cardinale, who flees through the traffic. She gives chase and managed to hold him at gunpoint. "You shot my sister!" she yells, furious. He begs her not to shoot, saying he knows where Krycek is. She doesn't shoot, and the police rush up and drag Cardinale away.

Scully calls Mulder to tell him what happened, and that Cardinale says Krycek is heading towards and abandoned missile site in North Dakota. Mulder asks her to get two tickets to North Dakota and meet him at the airport.

Mulder and Scully descend into a deep missile silo. Scully says it should be full of concrete, but it isn't, contrary to a disarmament treaty. Deep below ground they find a badly burnt man. "He's here," Mulder mutters, but then a large team of armed men burst in and Mulder and Scully are apprehended and led out.

As they are pushed outside, Cancerman gets out of a car. "He's here," Mulder shouts, saying there's a salvaged UFO here and Krycek - or, rather, the entity controlling him - has come after it. "I don't owe you any answers," Cancerman says, denying any knowledge of Krycek since five months earlier. "You won't get away with this!" Mulder shouts, as he's hustle towards the car. "You can't bury the truth!"

Deep underground, Krycek kneels on a triangular ship-like thing while the oily thing drips from his eyes and mouth and snakes towards a hole in the ship.

Skinner, walking with a cane barely days after his shooting, comes into the X-File office. Helping him to a chair, Mulder thanks him for what he did - for sticking up to "them" even at the cost of getting shot. "I think you're proceeding from a mistaken impression," Skinner says. "What I did I did because it was my job." "From what I understand you put your job and your life on the line for Scully," Mulder says. Skinner says it was not his crusade. He simply saw a case in which a woman was murdered and he mistakenly thought the killer could be brought to justice. "What do you mean mistakenly?" Mulder asks.

Scully puts flowers on Melissa's grave. ("Melissa Scully. Beloved sister and daughter. 1962-1995") Mulder drives up with a bouquet of his own and they stand in silence a while. Scully tells him what Johansen said - that the dead speak from beyond the grave as our conscience. She said she'd thought she'd feel some sort of closure when they brought her murderer to justice, but no knows that "no punishment is ever enough." Mulder tells her that Cardinale has been found dead in his cell, a death made to look like suicide. He also assumes Krycek will be got to as well. "I think the dead are speaking to us," Scully says, sadly, "demanding justice.... Maybe that man was right. Maybe we bury our dead alive.

Deep below ground, in room 1013, Krycek pounds at the door of the silo, crying out to be released. No-one comes.

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