WRITTEN BY
James Wong
DIRECTED BY
James Wong
AIRED ON
January 25, 2016
RUNTIME
44 minutes
STARRING
VIEWS
519
LAST UPDATE
2024-09-21 18:47:22
PAGE VERSION
Version 11
LIKES
1
DISLIKES
0
SUMMARY
Agents Mulder and Scully investigate the mysterious suicide of a scientist working for Nugenics Technology. Their investigation reveals that Dr. Augustus Goldman, known as "The Founder," has been conducting secret experiments on children with severe genetic mutations. As Mulder and Scully uncover the horrifying extent of the experiments, they encounter children with extraordinary abilities, leading them to question the ethical implications of Goldman's work. The episode is interwoven with personal reflections from Mulder and Scully about their own lost son, William, deepening their emotional connection to the case and highlighting the ongoing impact of their past on their present lives.
STORY
Opening Scene:
The episode begins at Nugenics Technology, a research facility in Washington, D.C. Dr. Sanjay, one of the scientists, looks increasingly disturbed as he attends a morning meeting. His coworkers speak normally, but Sanjay hears an overwhelming, high-pitched noise, like a painful ringing in his ears. He grows more agitated, trying to block the sound out. Unable to bear the intensity of the noise, Sanjay leaves the meeting abruptly, retreating to a computer lab.
Alone in the lab, Sanjay begins feverishly reviewing research data related to "Founder’s Work." As the piercing sound intensifies, Sanjay writes the words "Founder’s Mutation" on a piece of paper. He grabs a letter opener and, in an act of desperation, stabs it into his own ear, killing himself.
Mulder and Scully Investigate:
The scene cuts to FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully arriving at Nugenics Technology. They are posing as Department of Defense investigators to gain access to the facility. Inside, they inspect Sanjay’s body and are briefed by the lab’s director. Mulder is especially curious about Sanjay’s last moments and his connection to "Founder’s Work."
Mulder secretly retrieves Sanjay’s phone, and later, in his apartment, he checks the phone’s contents. He finds that Sanjay had been in frequent contact with someone listed as "Gupta." Mulder sets up a meeting with Gupta at a bar, thinking he is a scientist, but it turns out that Gupta is Sanjay’s lover. Gupta tells Mulder that Sanjay was terrified about something at work, mentioning “the kids.” Before Mulder can ask more, Gupta leaves in distress.
Autopsy and Genetic Mutations:
Meanwhile, Scully performs an autopsy on Dr. Sanjay. She discovers that the scientist had abnormal brain swelling, which likely caused his death, though the self-inflicted ear wound is what killed him. Scully hypothesizes that Sanjay may have been affected by some form of extreme sensory overload.
The agents visit Sanjay’s apartment, where they discover files on genetic mutations and children born with extreme deformities. Suddenly, Mulder starts hearing the same high-pitched sound that drove Sanjay to kill himself. The noise becomes unbearable, and Mulder collapses. As he clutches his head, he begins to hear a voice saying, “Find her.”
After this episode, the FBI confiscates the files from Sanjay’s apartment. Mulder and Scully are warned by their superior, Walter Skinner, that the Department of Defense is now involved and that the agents should tread carefully. Mulder argues that something is being covered up.
Meeting Dr. Augustus Goldman ("The Founder"):
Mulder and Scully turn their investigation toward Dr. Augustus Goldman, the mysterious “Founder” of Nugenics Technology, whose name was frequently mentioned in Sanjay’s research. Goldman’s work appears to involve experiments on children with severe genetic mutations. They arrange a meeting with Goldman at a local hospital where he funds research on pregnant women with high-risk pregnancies.
Goldman seems cooperative and shows the agents a secure wing of the hospital where these children are cared for. The children suffer from various genetic abnormalities. Goldman explains that his research is aimed at curing them and that his work is purely humanitarian. He denies any wrongdoing or illegal experimentation.
Mulder and Scully’s Hallucinations of William:
While at the hospital, both Mulder and Scully experience separate emotional daydreams about their son, William, whom they gave up for adoption years earlier. Scully imagines William as a child growing up under her care, but in her vision, he suddenly transforms into a mutant-like creature with glowing eyes, suggesting her fears about his unknown fate.
Mulder’s vision is more idyllic, imagining William as a teenager who shares his love for science fiction and space. However, his fantasy is shattered by the cruel reality that they had to give him up to protect him.
These hallucinations illustrate the deep emotional scars both Mulder and Scully still carry regarding their son’s fate.
Meeting with Goldman’s Wife:
As Mulder and Scully continue their investigation, they are approached by Dr. Goldman’s estranged wife, Jackie. She is locked up in a psychiatric facility, claiming her husband has been keeping her there to prevent her from exposing his horrific experiments. Jackie recounts the tragic story of how her child died. She explains that years ago, while pregnant, she found out that her husband was experimenting on their unborn child. Desperate, she tried to escape and drove into a lake, hoping to protect the baby from Goldman.
Jackie believed her child had died in the incident. But to her horror, she later learned the baby had survived and been taken by her husband. This revelation implies that Goldman has been conducting unethical and highly secretive genetic experiments on his own family.
The Children and the Truth:
Mulder and Scully discover that Dr. Goldman is not just experimenting on children with genetic disorders but is actively trying to create genetically engineered human beings with advanced abilities. They meet a boy named Kyle, who has telepathic and telekinetic powers. Mulder and Scully realize that Kyle is one of the "mutated" children created by Goldman’s experiments. Kyle can hear the high-pitched sound that Mulder experienced earlier, which turns out to be a form of communication that only certain genetically modified individuals can detect.
Kyle is searching for his sister, Molly, another of Goldman’s creations. She has similar telepathic powers and has been locked away by Goldman for research. With Mulder and Scully’s help, Kyle breaks into the facility to rescue Molly.
The Climax:
In the final confrontation, Kyle and Molly use their powers against Dr. Goldman, their father, who they view as the source of their suffering. Together, they telekinetically injure Goldman, and he ends up dead. Afterward, the siblings flee, disappearing before the authorities arrive.
Mulder and Scully are left to reflect on the ethical implications of genetic manipulation, as well as their own unresolved feelings about William. They wonder if their son, too, could possess abilities like those of Kyle and Molly.
Closing Scene:
The episode ends on a somber note, with Mulder staring pensively at a photograph of William, once again haunted by his son’s absence and the possibility that William might have inherited something far beyond his control.
BEHIND THE SCENES
- Founder's Mutation was supposed to be the fifth episode to air of the 10th season, but aired as the second one.
- Homage to Classic X-Files Themes: "Founder's Mutation" deals with genetic experimentation, one of the key themes in The X-Files mythology. This episode brings back the classic atmosphere of conspiracy and government secrecy that was so pivotal to the original series, while also incorporating newer scientific developments in genetics and CRISPR technology.
- William’s Presence in Mulder and Scully’s Lives: One of the emotional cores of the episode is Mulder and Scully’s hallucinations and daydreams about their son, William. This is the first time the show dives into their emotional turmoil after giving William up for adoption in the original series. Both Mulder and Scully imagine alternate realities in which they are raising William, hinting at the unresolved pain they carry about his fate.
- Darin Morgan Cameo: A fan-favorite X-Files writer, Darin Morgan (who penned classic episodes like "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose"), makes a cameo in this episode. He plays the role of Dr. Sanjay’s boss, who confronts him early in the episode before Sanjay meets his gruesome end. Morgan's involvement with The X-Files is often considered iconic, so his appearance was a fun Easter egg for fans.
- The Title: “Founder’s Mutation”: The episode’s title refers to a genetic mutation believed to be present in the children created through Dr. Augustus Goldman’s experiments. The term is also a scientific one, describing a genetic mutation that occurs in a small population and spreads rapidly through subsequent generations. The episode uses this concept to explore the ethics of genetic manipulation, especially involving human embryos.
- Return to the Dark Tone of the Series: After the lighter tone of the season premiere, “My Struggle,” which had to reintroduce the show to new viewers, "Founder's Mutation" returned to the darker, more suspenseful and gory elements of the series. The episode opens with a scientist committing suicide by stabbing a letter opener into his own ear—a shocking and intense moment reminiscent of some of the grimmer scenes from the show’s heyday.
- Use of Practical Effects: The episode employed both practical effects and CGI to create the eerie and unsettling moments in the story, particularly the unsettling scenes where characters experience piercing noises in their heads. The mix of old-school special effects with modern CGI continues the X-Files tradition of blending practical and cutting-edge techniques to create a believable yet otherworldly experience.
- Nod to Alien DNA: While the episode primarily focuses on human genetic experimentation, it subtly touches on The X-Files mythology of alien DNA. Mulder's conversation with Dr. Goldman about genetic manipulation reflects the show's long-running narrative about the government's involvement with alien biology. This episode links back to the show's greater themes of how alien influences have infiltrated human genetics.
- William as a Key to the Future Mythology: Mulder and Scully’s son William, whose presence in their visions looms large in the episode, foreshadows his importance in the broader revival mythology. At the time, fans speculated how William's genetic heritage would play into the new storylines, and "Founder's Mutation" plants those seeds.
- Directed by James Wong: James Wong, a long-time collaborator with The X-Files creator Chris Carter, directed "Founder's Mutation." Wong is responsible for several key episodes of the series, including "Squeeze" and "Home." His return to direct this episode excited many fans, as Wong’s work on the show is known for its dark and cinematic style.
- Real-World Inspirations: The episode’s focus on genetic engineering and "designer babies" taps into real-world ethical debates. The idea of manipulating DNA for certain traits has become a hot-button issue in scientific circles, and The X-Files used this as the basis for a chilling “what if?” scenario.
PHOTOS
18 photos
QUOTES
Fox Mulder: What? I wasn't gonna shoot the kid. I don't do stairs anymore.
Dana Scully: Mulder, back in the day, I used to do stairs and in three-inch heels.
Fox Mulder: Back in the day. Scully, back in the day is now.
Trashman: The people on the streets, the homeless, the street people, they ain't got no voice, right? They get treated like trash. I mean actual trash. It's like this: you throw your grande cup, or your pop bottle in the right trash can under the sink, recycle's here, trash there, you tie the little bag, you take it outside, put it in the right dumpsters. Pat yourself on the head. You're a good person, yeah? You did the right thing, you fought global warming, you love all the little animals. Well Friday come, Wednesday maybe, garbage man takes the trash away it's not your problem anymore. Magic! But it is your problem, because it piles up in the landfill and the plastics leak toxins into the water and the sky, but if you don't see a problem, there's no problem. Right? People treat people like trash.
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REVIEWS
Vast improvement over My Struggle
Written by
Pike on 2017-09-06
★
★
★
This episode is a vast improvement over "My Struggle", the first episode of season 10, which was a very bad start for this new season.
It is exactly the opposite of "My Struggle":
- There is a real investigation, where the characters do not simply jump to crazy conclusions about men taking over America after hearing a witness for three minutes.
- The tone is dark.
- There is a real intriguing mystery.
- There are some cool camera effects and imagery.
- It has some disturbing scenes, which is typically x-filesish. For instance, the scene where the young girl is in the swimming pool and turning back with a smile is typically a scene that we could have seen in the first three beloved seasons of the show.
WILLIAM
The story-arc of baby William in the latest episodes of The X-Files was the worst story-arc, along with the one on supersoldiers. We had to see two complete seasons based on the pregnancy and ultimately the mystery around baby William. This was a nightmare and it was impossible to close it.
Finally, in this episode, the story of William is paying off. Who would have thought?!
This episode is at times very moving. We can connect with both Mulder and Scully in the excellent dreamy sequences, which are so typical of X-Files.
The scenes with Mulder are particularly great, with him sharing his passion of the stars with his son, while watching the cult scene from "2001: A Space Odyssey" or from trying to fire a small rocket.
MUSIC
Mark Snow is again composing a very good score for this episode.
SUMMARY
I give this episode 6 stars. A very good episode.
TRANSCRIPT
SCENE 1
ANNOUNCER WHO IS REALLY CHRIS CARTER: Previously on The X-Files...
We open with a voice-over from MULDER accompanied with highlights from the introduction to the previous episode, My Struggle.
MULDER: My name is Fox Mulder. In the 1990s, I began investigating paranormal science cases through a unit of the FBI known as The X-Files. My partner in this pursuit was Agent Dana Scully, a medical doctor and scientist. In 2001, we had a child together...
Cut to SCULLY holding baby WILLIAM
SCULLY: William...
MULDER: ... but had to put him up for adoption to hide him from those who wished him harm. In 2002 the FBI closed The X-Files. 14 years later, circumstances have arisen which demand new X-Files investigations...
Cut to clip of MULDER at the end of My Struggle after SCULLY has received her test results.
MULDER: Are you saying you have alien DNA?
MULDER: (voice-over) ...bringing Scully and I back together.
SCENE 2
Day. Extreme close up. Fingers pull down a left lower eyelid to reveal a heavily bloodshot eye which is presented to an iris scanner. We hear the scanner process the eye before a video screen confirms "ACCESS GRANTED". A computer-generated female voice greets the owner of the bloodshot eye. An ID badge is displayed on the video screen. We see it belongs to a male NUGENICS employee, DR SANJAY.
FEMALE VOICE: Good day Dr. Sanjay.
A slightly-worse-for-wear and half-asleep SANJAY fingers the strap of his bag on his shoulder and proceeds to walk through a heavily guarded security gate. He passes through a body scanner. A guard waves him past. We see a long queue of other people waiting to enter and hear guards using hand-held security wands for more thorough scanning.
SANJAY: Yeah. Good morning.
SANJAY enters the ground level of a three storey atrium in the building of Nugenics Technology. People are milling about. A friend, ROGERS, enters and noticing SANJAY catches up and walks him.
ROGERS: Sanjay! (laughs) Oh. You okay? Rough weekend?
SANJAY: A humdinger.
ROGERS: Work or pleasure?
SANJAY: I haven't known pleasure for quite some time.
ROGERS laughs.
Suddenly we hear a high-frequency piercing whine. SANJAY winces in pain and his head tilts towards his right shoulder. He stops, disabled by the sound, his hand over his left ear. He looks up towards ROGERS, who, like everyone else in the immediate vicinity, is completely unaffected by the whine. ROGERS stops and looks back towards SANJAY, concerned.
ROGERS: Are you okay?
SANJAY: (rubbing his temple) It's nothing.
SANJAY rejoins ROGERS and they head towards a busy elevator and get in.
SCENE 3
Day. A conference room in the Nugenics building. Several employees are sitting around a large conference table. SANJAY sits at the foot of the table by a window. DR HILL is standing at the head of the table and slams a stack of folders down on the table, getting everyone's attention.
HILL: The Founder looked at the data. He sent a message this morning: "Do over".
CYNTHIA: That's it? We spent months on those trials. We've tried every new source of pluripotent stem cells, including samples from amniotic fluids.
ROGERS is sitting between CYNTHIA and the standing HILL.
ROGERS: We need more than just pronouncements from above. We need direction! What about a meeting with the man?
HILL's voice starts to echo quietly. The camera cuts quickly between close-ups of the mouths of those talking.
HILL: You want the Founder to tell you how terrible your data is face-to-face?
ROGERS: (voice echoing) The guy is a recluse. No one here's even seen him for years. (distorted): For all we know, he didn't even read the stuff.
HILL's voice starts to become distorted. SANJAY tries in vain to concentrate on his colleagues. He screws up his eyes. Sweat is dripping from his face.
HILL: I can assure you that Augustus Goldman is (gradually slowing down) f-u-l-l-y e-n-g-a-g-e-d. B-u-t t-h-e F-o-u-n-d-e-r h-a-s o-t-h-e-r i-n-t-e-r-e-s-t-s t-h-a-t k-e-e-p h-i-m o-c-c-u-p-i-e-d.
CYNTHIA's voice starts to distort and s-l-o-w d-o-w-n. We hear a whine present in the background. SANJAY looks uncomfortable. His eyes more bloodshot.
CYNTHIA: Yeah, what about that? Doesn't that creep you out, that he's referred to as "The Founder"?
The camera pans outside through the large conference room windows. We see hundreds of large black birds aggregating on the lawn of a large, well kept garden. We hear cawing. Birds continue to descend to the ground and settle.
SANJAY look out of the window. His water glass starts rattling on the table in front of him. His rights hand starts to shake. He tries to pick up a pencil to write in his folder but the lead breaks as it vibrates uncontrollably on the paper. He screws up his eyes tightly.
CYNTHIA: Do it.
HILL: Now. It's necessary...
ROGERS: Data is the key.
HILL: Don't hesitate.
CYNTHIA: Go.
ROGERS: Go now.
HILL: Go!
The piercing whine gets louder and louder. SANJAY screws up his face in pain.
SANJAY: (distorted and slow): Noooooo... noooooo!
SANJAY, shaking in terror, raises his head and hands and looks to his colleagues seated at the table.
SANJAY: Can't anyone hear that?
Suddenly the sound stops. Everyone is staring at SANJAY. He notices he has his hands in the air.
SANJAY: Sorry. (Panicked) Excuse me.
SANJAY gets up out of his chair and staggers around the table to the doorway behind HILL. He leaves.
We cut to SANJAY moments later seated at a computer in a computer lab. He is typing frantically. The screen shows a secure terminal and a secure file transfer is in progress to an external hard disk. A classified Nugenics document is displayed on the screen.
He stars hearing the voices from the conference room in his head.
CYNTHIA: Do it.
HILL: Now.
ROGERS: Data... is the key.
SANJAY is trying to concentrate on his task, screwing up his eyes to try and ward of the voices.
We hear a muffled voice and banging coming from the other side of the secure door into the lab.
ROGERS: Sanjay! Sanjay! Sanjay, come on! Open up!
The banging continues
HILL: (muffled) Open the door, Sanjay!
ROGERS: (distorted) Sanjay!
HILL: Sanjay, open the door!
ROGERS: It's not opening! Open the door! Sanjay!
HILL: Something's wrong with the system!
ROGERS: Sanjay, open the door!
SANJAY turns around in the chair and stares back at ROGERS and HILL. Suddenly the piercing sound returns and SANJAY falls forward onto the floor, his hands holding his head. A security guard is trying to open the door by drilling out the lock. SANJAY is on all fours on the floor.
He knocks a pot of pens from the desk onto the floor. He picks up a pen and frantically scribbles something onto his left hand. The piercing tone intensifies further and SANJAY cries out in pain, his hands on his temples.
He picks up a metal letter opener off the ground, knocked out of the pot when it fell. He holds it, pointing directly into his right ear. The door is still locked. ROGERS and HILL look on in horror.
HILL: Sanjay!
ROGERS: Sanjay!
Out of options, SANJAY suddenly drives the letter opener into his ear a few inches but then stops, wincing in pain. Recovering, he drives it in all the way, leaving only the handle visible. His hopeless, lifeless body falls to the floor beside the desk.
Opening Titles Opening Titles Opening Titles Opening Titles Opening Titles
THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE
SCENE 4
SANJAY's lifeless body on the floor of the computer lab. A forensics photographer takes 3 shots of the scene, the flash recharging noisily. MULDER, suited and booted, enters the lab and kneels beside the body. SCULLY enters and stands to the side.
MULDER: What do you make of this, Scully?
SCULLY: Well, it seems that Dr. Sanjay had a psychotic break and committed suicide. Note the letter opener sticking out of his head.
MULDER: Noted.
SCULLY: All the witnesses I spoke to have consistent accounts.
MULDER stands, looking around the lab.
MULDER: I mean the room. He chose the most secured place in the building to kill himself. He was trying to access something. These are isolated servers, so, the only way to get to the data is through this terminal, which is also protected.
MULDER picks up the external hard disk which is lying on the desk.
SCULLY: Is that why we're here? You're interested in the server? What are you looking for, Mulder?
MULDER drops the disk into an evidence bag. An officious-looking man with an ID badge hanging from a jacket pocket, LINDQUIST, enters the lab and heads straight for MULDER.
LINDQUIST: Unhand the hard drive, Sir.
MULDER: This is evidence.
LINDQUIST: It's classified.
He snatches the evidence bag from MULDER.
SCULLY: The reason why we're investigating, rather than the local police is because we have security clearance.
LINDQUIST: To be in the room. Not to look inside this. (Holding up evidence bag) That is property Department of Defense.
MULDER: We need to conduct a few more interviews then, before we conclude our investigation.
LINDQUIST: The individuals pertinent to this incident have already been interviewed by your colleague.
MULDER: We'd like to talk to Augustus Goldman.
LINDQUIST: That's impossible. Dr. Goldman was not even on campus when this happened.
MULDER: Well, if you won't let me look at the drive, then I have to talk to Goldman about what the deceased was trying to access before he died.
LINDQUIST: I'm not authorized to confirm that I have knowledge of the whereabouts of the Founder.
SCULLY looks up and notices a small, round security camera on the wall. As SCULLY is checking for other cameras, MULDER is checking SANJAY's pockets for evidence.
SCULLY: (Pointing at the camera) Can you confirm that you have security cameras watching over the entire complex? There's that one, and I saw a few more out there.
LINDQUIST: Yes.
MULDER find SANJAY's cell phone is his pocket. He surreptitiously touches the phone's fingerprint scanner to one of SANJAY's lifeless fingers to unlock it.
SCULLY: In that case, I'd like to see all of the tapes. As soon as possible.
LINDQUIST: All right. I'll have those sent over. But for now, remove this body so we can secure this room.
SCULLY: Sorry, we're not finished...
MULDER: (Walking out) Oh, we are finished. (Nodding to SCULLY as he passes her). We are finished.
MULDER pulls off his latex gloves and leaves the lab. SCULLY follows.
(Outside the lab on one of the higher levels MULDER pulls out SANJAY's phone and starts scrolling through his contacts list. We see entries for:
Biomedical Imaging
Cheryl
Andre P
Ross F
Chem Analysis Dept
Dr Hill
Rogers
Kulwinder
Scott
I.T. Services
HILL, ROGERS and the Chemical Analysis Department are marked as favourites.)
SCULLY: (whispering) Mulder, that's not your phone.
MULDER: You know me, Scully. I'm old-school.
SCULLY: Riley vs. California. The Supreme Court ruled that you needed a warrant to search a mobile phone.
MULDER: That's for a suspect. Sanjay's the victim.
SCULLY: Well, there is no victim. He killed himself.
MULDER: Well, then, I'm sure he won't mind me talking to some of his friends.
A young janitor passes MULDER pushing a cleaning cart. They make eye contact.
MULDER: Here's someone he talked to every night. Gupta.
SCULLY: Dr. Sanjay is from western India. Gupta's a Marathi word. It means "secret."
MULDER: (Impressed) How do you know that?
SCULLY: I'm old-school, Mulder. Pre-Google.
SCENE 5
A bar. A blues song is playing in background. Several patrons are still dressed smartly in their work clothes. MULDER enters alone and walks around the bar towards the back of the room.
MULDER spots a young Indian man, GUPTA, sitting alone at a table and nursing a glass. He's late thirties, about the same age as SANJAY. MULDER approaches.
MULDER: Gupta? (Extending his hand) Thanks for meeting me. My name is...
GUPTA: No... no names, please. (He eyes up MULDER.) You're Sonny's friend?
MULDER nods. He notices GUPTA looking towards two men drinking He turns to look. One of the men is looking at him.
GUPTA: Is that guy bothering you?
MULDER: Not yet.
GUPTA: What... do you... want?
MULDER: I want to talk. Can we go somewhere more private?
GUPTA: (Defensive) I don't... know you well enough.
MULDER: I'm safe. You can trust me.
MULDER motions with his head for them to get up. GUPTA finally acquiesces.
GUPTA: Come on.
GUPTA takes the lead. MULDER follows. They pass the open door to the bars' kitchen, before heading through a fire door marked "Keep Closed". GUPTA pulls a cord. A bare bulb turns on. MULDER closes the door behind them.
GUPTA suddenly drops to his knees in front of MULDER and quickly reaches for MULDER's belt. MULDER is taken aback and quickly fends off GUPTA's unwanted advances.
MULDER: Oh, whoa, whoa, no.
GUPTA: (Confused) W-Well... you said you wanted to "talk."
MULDER: Yes. I... I don't think that means exactly what *you* think it means. Or... or I'm not...
There's a lot of hand-waving from MULDER.
GUPTA: (Getting back to his feet, ) You guys are all alike, you know? You say you want to walk on the wild side, but when it comes down to it... you're repressed. I finally let go of all that, that self-loathing and that judgment and I'm free. Stop tormenting yourself. The truth (tapping MULDER's chest by his heart) is in here.
MULDER: Yeah, I've-I've heard something like that.
MULDER starts to process what just happened (or didn't). GUPTA heads towards the fire door and opens it. He turns as MULDER holds the door for him.
MULDER: Hey, listen, I-I-I gotta tell you... (clearing his throat) Sanjay is dead.
GUPTA looks at MULDER, shocked.
SCENE 6
FBI MORGUE
WASHINGTON, D.C.
An overhead shot of SANJAY lying supine on a trolley, a pressed white sheet covering him up to his neck. The letter opener is still sticking out of his right ear. SCULLY approaches, hands gloved, and starts her voice recorder.
SCULLY: Deceased is a male, 35 years old. (Looking at her notes.) Five foot eight and three-quarters inches. 180 pounds.
She sighs loudly, looking at SANJAY's head wound.
SCULLY: The probable cause of death is the introduction - self-propelled - of a letter opener, into the cerebral cortex by way of the ear canal.
She slowly withdraws the letter opener. She sighs, a mixture of shock and surprise at the size of the tool.
SCULLY: I will now commence with my overall external examination.
SCULLY pulls the sheet down to expose SANJAY's chest and starts to look down the body, but her eyes drift and she notices some of the writing inside his clenched left fist.
SCENE 7
MULDER and GUPTA are sitting at the bar. GUPTA has a tumbler of spirits, MULDER a brown bottle of beer.
GUPTA: The last couple of weeks, he was... he was distant; he was... he was troubled. I... I thought it was me, you know? We hadn't gotten together for a while. I mean, he'd call me every night, but nothing... (looking into his glass) physical.
MULDER: Did he talk to you about his problems? About work?
GUARD: Yeah. Yeah, he said he was upset about his kids. He said they were dying.
MULDER: His kids? He was single.
GUPTA: I didn't push it. I just tried to make him feel better.
MULDER: Well, I saw where he lived. There was nothing there. He lived an antiseptic life.
GUPTA: He lived two lives. In two separate places.
MULDER's cell phone starts to vibrate.
MULDER: Excuse me.
He answers.
MULDER: Yeah.
SCULLY is back in the lab. She has managed to prise open SANJAY's clenched palm to reveal the scribbled writing.
SCULLY: Mulder, you gotta see this.
Later. MULDER has joined SCULLY in the lab. He walks over to look more closely at the writing.
SCULLY: I had to break his fingers to pry them open. But he wrote that on the palm of his hand before he died.
MULDER: "Founder's Mutation."
SCULLY: The Founder is what they called Dr. Goldman at Nugenics. Is that why you wanted to talk to him?
MULDER: I don't think that's the mutation Sanjay was referring to. Did you find anything else on the autopsy?
SCULLY: Well, there were no abnormalities in Dr. Sanjay's brain. The opener destroyed the acoustic nerve and then went into the cerebral cortex.
MULDER: It's weird, because the opener goes in at 90 degrees and then it veers off at 60 degrees up into his brain, like he was... hunting for something.
SCULLY: Yeah. It ended up in the auditory cortex. You know... he blurted something out at the meeting, before his suicide. He said: "Can't anyone hear that?"
MULDER: Hmm.
SCULLY: But nobody else could hear a thing.
MULDER: Well, ultimately, hearing is just nerve impulses interpreted by the brain. What if those same impulses could be generated without actual vibrations striking the ear drum?
SCULLY: Hmm.
MULDER: Well, anyway. If he left a note on his hand, maybe he left other clues.
SCULLY: But where? We've checked out every square inch of his apartment.
MULDER: Well, he leased a place that only Gupta knew about. I think we should go to where he actually lived.
SCENE 8
DUPONT CIRCLE
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Night. A Ford SUV drives slowly down a backstreet. It's MULDER and SCULLY. SCULLY is driving. Again. The in-car navigation system states the time as 12:19. The temperature is 72 degrees. SCULLY engages the car's front parking cameras as she readies to pull out onto the street.
SCULLY: It's hard to imagine, in 2016, that Sanjay had to keep his lifestyle preferences a secret.
MULDER: Being gay wasn't his only secret.
As she pulls out of the sidestreet SCULLY looks down at the camera display, completely ignoring a young male pedestrian crossing in front of the car. He pushes off the SUV's bonnet to avoid the impact and SCULLY immediately throws her hands up in apology. He continues on his way. Paying more attention, SCULLY slowly pulls out onto the street.
SCENE 9
Night. SANJAY's apartment. They open the door and enter the darkness. SCULLY holds a torch already shining brightly. She hands MULDER another torch. They separate to check the apartment.
SCULLY: (In another room) Mulder? I found something.
MULDER heads over to join SCULLY in a side room. She is staring at a wall covered in black and white photographs of children with all manner of deformities.
MULDER: His kids?
SCULLY: Yeah.
MULDER: Sanjay was afraid they were dying. These kids, they look so young. None of them look older than ten. Look at the backgrounds.
SCULLY: It's a clinical setting. It looks like it might be a hospital.
We see red and blue flashing lights on the street outside, through the apartment. A car door shuts nearby.
SCULLY: (looking through the window) The police are coming up. We must have triggered a silent alarm.
MULDER: All right, look around. He's bound to have kept some information on them somewhere.
MULDER and SCULLY start going through various drawers. Suddenly we hear the high-frequency piercing tone that we heard earlier. MULDER hears it too. He drops to one knee, holding onto a desk, his left hand covering his ear. He winces in pain. SCULLY notices and rushes over.
SCULLY: Mulder? Mulder, are you okay?
We hear a distant door open. Footsteps approach.
SCULLY: They're coming. Mulder.
A voice shouts out outside the apartment.
MAN: Police officer!
Voices suddenly become distorted again. The piercing sound louder. This time for MULDER, who is still in agony and covering his ear with his palm.
OFFICER: Lady, put your hands where I can see 'em!
SCULLY: FBI.
MULDER scrapes his nails on the desk. His face shows his agony. A bead of sweat drops from his brow onto the floor with an exaggerated "Plop".
The piercing tone subsides. MULDER concentrates hard, gradually starting to make out voices again as SCULLY and the OFFICER talk near the doorway.
SCULLY: Find her.
OFFICER: (To SCULLY) Help me.
SCULLY: Find her.
The piercing tone returns again, its high pitch increasing uncomfortably.
SCULLY: (her voice echoing) Find her... Find her... Find her...
Suddenly it's quiet again. Fade to black.
SCENE 10
SKINNER's office at the FBI. MULDER and SCULLY sit opposite him. He's reading their report on the case.
SKINNER: Do you have anything to add to this, Agent Scully?
SCULLY: If you look at the files that we found in Dr. Sanjay's apartment...
SKINNER: No, I can't look at those.
SKINNER looks off to his left. SCULLY's eyes follow his. At a table in the corner of his office sits MURPHY, a DoD official, pouring a glass of water. SANJAY's files sit on the table in front of him.
SCULLY: (motioning to them) They're right over there.
MURPHY: These files are classified. They're the property of the Department of Defense.
MULDER: Well, I've had a look at them. Those files are the medical records of children with grave genetic abnormalities. How those children relate to Dr. Sanjay's suicide is the object of our investigation.
SKINNER: Well, considering the fact that you just lost access to those files, your investigation is closed. I'll submit the report on the suicide to the proper authorities. We're done here.
MURPHY: (clearing throat) Let me remind you, Agents Mulder and Scully, dissemination of any classified material - either internally or publicly - will be dealt with harshly.
MULDER: (smirking to himself) I'm familiar with Edward Snowden.
MURPHY leaves the office, closing the door behind him.
SKINNER: (leaning forward) I assume you made copies.
MULDER: I managed some top sheets before the DoD took over. I think those children are failed experiments.
SKINNER: So you suspect the Department of Defense is experimenting with genetic modification on humans? (To SCULLY) What do you think?
SCULLY: I think there were many troubling details to this case, and, um... if Agent Mulder has nothing more to add...
MULDER: I don't.
SCULLY: ...then I think we need time to prove his theory.
SKINNER: The bureaucracy in the FBI has become increasingly complex and inefficient. It might take days for your incident report and order to close the investigation to make it through the proper channels. Welcome back, you two.
MULDER and SCULLY relax after the reaffirmation that SKINNER is on-board 110%.
SCENE 11
The X-Files office in the basement of the FBI. MULDER enters. SCULLY is already seated, watching a monitor and typing on a keyboard.
MULDER: Surveillance footage?
SCULLY: Yeah, from Nugenics. I've been working on syncing all the cameras to the exact time code of Dr. Sanjay's suicide. (Exhausted) There.
She hands MULDER the computer keyboard.
SCULLY: What happened to you at Sanjay's apartment, Mulder? (He looks at her, but then turns away). I can understand why you wouldn't want to tell Skinner, but I was there, I saw you on your knees in pain.
MULDER: I heard sounds. It was a high-pitched frequency, like - like a steel spike being driven through my head. And then it focused into two words: "Find her."
SCULLY: There were no sounds. I didn't hear anything.
MULDER pulls up security footage showing the birds congregating on the lawn outside the conference room window.
MULDER: Look at those birds.
SCULLY: Maybe they seeded the lawn that morning.
MULDER: Infrasounds, Scully. Vibrations inaudible to the human ear but known to drive the worms up through the soil to the surface, in response to them.
SCULLY: Mulder, how are these connected? The birds, the suicide, the kids, the genetic anomalies. What are you hiding?
MULDER: Augustus Goldman is the only one who might know how it all fits together. We gotta talk to him. (A pause) What are *you* hiding?
MULDER hands the keyboard back to SCULLY. She brings up the camera footage from inside the computer lab showing SANJAY's body collapse to the floor.
SCULLY: Sanjay heard sounds - right before he committed suicide. That could be you, Mulder. This is dangerous.
SCULLY looks concerned for MULDER. MULDER scoffs at the notion.
MULDER: When has that ever stopped us before?
SCULLY: I might know how to get to Goldman.
SCENE 12
OUR LADY OF SORROW HOSPITAL
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Day. SCULLY and MULDER are walking down a hospital corridor in the presence of SISTER MARY, a senior member of staff at the hospital.
SISTER MARY: Augustus. Yes, I know him well, but he's a very private person. Some would say reclusive. Without him, we wouldn't have the resources to help these women in need. He's a true champion of the unborn.
SCULLY: Dr. Goldman is a blessing. (SISTER MARY smiles) That's why we're here today. I've become aware of a situation that I wanted to share with you. Dr. Goldman is under investigation.
MULDER: Obamacare.
SCULLY: We wanted to spare him the indignity of having the government knock at his door unannounced. I was wondering if we could meet with him in private.
SISTER MARY: Dana, I'm afraid Our Lady of Sorrows cannot be a conduit for the FBI to one of our biggest donors.
SCULLY: Sister Mary, I've worked here for seven years. You know me.
SISTER MARY: Yes, and I know your heart's in the right place.
SCULLY: I wouldn't ask if it weren't important.
SISTER MARY: I have a number I can call. I'll agree to relay a message.
SCULLY: Thank you.
MULDER: Ask Dr. Goldman if he'll talk to us about the Founder's Mutation.
SISTER MARY nods.
SISTER MARY: Stay here.
SISTER MARY heads off, leaving MULDER and SCULLY standing together in the corridor. There is a tap on the window on the Common Room. It is AGNES, a young brunette. She is well into her third trimester of pregnancy.
AGNES: I got to get out of here.
MULDER: What's your name?
AGNES: Agnes. You got a car?
SCULLY: Do you want to call someone?
AGNES: You think if I could call someone I would be asking you? Just forget it. I knew you weren't gonna help me.
SCULLY: Agnes. Wait. I'm a doctor. You can tell me anything.
AGNES: I don't belong here. Not with these sheep. I don't care what I signed.
SCULLY: The hospital is only concerned with the health of the mother and the baby.
AGNES: My baby.
SCULLY: Of course, your baby.
AGNES: I changed my mind. I'm not giving it up. I don't care if he's sick.
MULDER: Sick?
AGNES is clearly agitated. She notices SISTER MARY lurking outside the common room in the corridor.
AGNES: My baby's not right. They saw it on the... ultrasound thing, and I had a feeling, you know, ever since I got pregnant. But everybody here has the same story. Just don't say anything. I was just kidding around, okay?
MULDER: If you ever want to talk.
MULDER slips AGNES one of his FBI cards. She takes it and turns away as SISTER MARY enters the room with a warm demeanour.
SISTER MARY: I've spoken to Augustus. He said he'd be happy to meet you.
She hands SCULLY a piece of paper.
SCULLY: Thank you.
MULDER: Sister Mary, how are the patients chosen to be here?
SISTER MARY: They're homeless, damaged in one way or another. Alcohol, drugs, no fathers in the picture. Men and their lies. No offense. Desire is the Devil's pitchfork. But as long as there's a need and an innocent child, we'll provide for each and every one.
AGNES is standing back, but listening. A Planet of the Apes movie is playing on the Common Room television.
SCENE 13
A short while later. MULDER and SCULLY are talking as they exit the hospital emergency entrance on foot.
MULDER: It's insidious, Scully. A ward for pregnant women paid for by Augustus Goldman, the founder of a company with deep ties to the Department of Defense. This could be another phase of the project - their experiments in eugenics. Those women in there... could be incubators.
The stop walking and SCULLY turns to face MULDER.
SCULLY: Mulder... I'm not a fragile little girl.
MULDER: Scully...
SCULLY: This is what you suspected all along, but were afraid to articulate. Is this what you believe happened to me 15 years ago? When I got pregnant, when I had my baby? (MULDER sighs heavily.) Was I just an incubator?
MULDER: You're never "just" anything to me, Scully.
SCULLY: Do you ever think about William?
MULDER: Yes, of course I do, but I've... I feel like I've had to put that behind me.
Her pain is visible. She can't look at MULDER as she thinks about William. She turns her head.
SCULLY: He'd be 15 years old now. And I've missed every single year of his life. And sometimes... I hate myself that I didn't have the courage to stand by him.
MULDER: You did what you did to keep him safe. His adoption is secret, his location is unknown because you had to protect him.
The turns her head back to MULDER.
SCULLY: Do you believe he was an experiment?
MULDER: I don't know.
SCULLY: What if he's out there somewhere, like one of those kids on Sanjay's wall? Fighting for his life?
MULDER: All we can do, Scully, is pull the thread. See what it unravels.
SCENE 14
It's the start of the day. We're outside an elementary school. A bell rings, welcoming children and their parents. We see SCULLY and WILLIAM, hand in hand, approaching the school building along a winding path. We're inside SCULLY's mother-fantasy.
SCULLY: It's the first day of school. Are you nervous? Your hands are sweaty.
WILLIAM pulls his hand out of SCULLY's and looks at it.
WILLIAM: Ew! That's you.
SCULLY laughs in a most un-SCULLY-like way. Uninhibited happiness.
SCULLY: What's the most important thing to remember?
WILLIAM stops and counts off the three most important things he knows. SCULLY turns to face him.
WILLIAM: Sit still, listen, say "excuse me" if you fart.
SCULLY laughs again, verging on giggling.
SCULLY: The most important thing to remember... is that I love you. That's all you have to remember. (She kisses WILLIAM on the top of his head) Come on, let's go say "Hi" to your teacher.
They reach the bottom of the steps up to the school entrance. They climb the steps together. Another parent holds the door for them.
SCULLY: Thank you.
The red school doors close behind them.
Later. The red school doors burst open at the end of the day, children streaming out down the steps. We see WILLIAM. SCULLY is waiting for him at the bottom of the steps.
WILLIAM: Hi, Mom. (He gives a wave to SCULLY as he descends the steps. He doesn't stop.) Bye, Mom.
She calls out as WILLIAM heads off down the path.
SCULLY: Be home in time for dinner!
She watches, proudly. She fingers her crucifix whilst smiling at her son as he disappears into the distance.
A cold wind suddenly blows through her hair and SCULLY turns, as if something is wrong. We cut to a suburban road. Boys WILLIAM's age are walking down the road, skateboards in hand. We see SCULLY jog past them. We see an ambulance at the side of the road. SCULLY jog around to the back of the vehicle, where we find WILLIAM lying on a gurney, being attended to by an EMT. He has a nasty break to his left forearm and cuts to his face.
She calls out to her son quietly as she reaches him.
SCULLY: Will...
WILLIAM: I'm scared.
SCULLY: You're gonna be fine. You've just broken your arm. Does it hurt anywhere else? (WILLIAM shakes his head.) Okay, we're gonna get you to the hospital, and take some X-rays to make sure you don't have a concussion, okay, honey?
WILLIAM: Mom!
The scene changes again. WILLIAM and the EMT fade away. We're now inside SCULLY's house. We can hear WILLIAM calling out from his bedroom.
WILLIAM: Mom, please! Mom!
She walks along the corridor and enters his room. WILLIAM is looking at himself in a mirror on the wall.
WILLIAM: What's happening to me?
He turns to SCULLY. His face is featureless. His eyes black. He's frightened. SCULLY looks aghast.
Back to the present day. Real life. It is evening. SCULLY is sitting at a table in her home. She's forlorn, breathing deeply. She takes a moment to collect her many thoughts. She opens a drawer and retrieves a photo of WILLIAM as a young baby, lying on his front holding his head up with arms outstretched. She lovingly caresses his image as she holds it in her hands.
Fade to black.
SCENE 15
GOLDMAN TECHNOLOGY
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Inside the glass-fronted low-rise Goldman Technology building. MULDER and SCULLY are walking with the company's founder, AUGUSTUS GOLDMAN, down a corridor. They are accompanied by his assistant.
GOLDMAN: "Founder's Mutation." Intriguing message.
MULDER: It's what Sanjay wrote on his hand.
GOLDMAN: Yes, before his unfortunate act of self-destruction. Very dramatic, but meaningless.
SCULLY: I've read everything you published, Dr. Goldman. It seems your research deals primarily with genetic manipulation?
GOLDMAN stops and turns to SCULLY.
GOLDMAN: Let me try to explain to you what we do here. It's no secret. We're trying to save children.
He carries on and motions to the others to follow him down the corridor.
GOLDMAN: I won't tell you their last names, to protect their privacy, but I can tell you what they are fighting against.
GOLDMAN leads them past a series of windowed hospital rooms, each containing a young child with a clearly-apparent physical deformity. They pause in front of each window.
First a young oriental girl with grossly-oversized lower legs and feet drawing on the wall at the back of the room. She looks back at them over her shoulder.
GOLDMAN: Proteus syndrome...
Next, a young fair skinned girl with abnormal facial features. She has pink and purple flowers in her long, blonde hair and is combing the end of a pony-tail.
GOLDMAN: Crouzon syndrome...
Then, a young boy with dark green tumours covering his entire face, lower right arm and hand.
GOLDMAN: all kinds of cancerous tumors, epidermal dysplasia...
A dark-haired boy sitting at a desk with grossly-deformed and drooping facial features. His mouth, and lower jaw - well over a foot wide - rest on the desk. He is feeding himself porridge slowly with his hands.
GOLDMAN: Pitt-Hopkins syndrome...
Next, a bespectacled boy sitting on the side of his bed, bouncing a small blue rubber ball against the floor and window we are peering in through. A few of his shirt is open to reveal the top of his chest.
GOLDMAN: ichthyosis, Marfan syndrome...
Then, a dark-haired boy sitting on the floor on a sheet covered in paint. He's spreading pools of paint around with his massively-oversized hands. Another Proteus sufferer?
GOLDMAN: ... among others. We are a cutting-edge research facility for these unfortunate patients. There's absolutely no cost involved to be treated here.
SCULLY stops in front of the last window. She stares. We see a young, hairless boy wearing a white, buttoned-up Nehru shirt, sitting at a desk. He is holding half a pair of black-rimmed glasses to his face and concentrating as he strokes something on the desk in front of him.
GOLDMAN: (to SCULLY) Would you like to talk to him?
SCULLY: Sure.
GOLDMAN activates an intercom on the wall in front of the window and speaks into it.
GOLDMAN: Adam? You have a visitor.
SCULLY moves to the door and talks through the large glass window, her voice relayed via the intercom.
SCULLY: Hi, Adam.
ADAM gets up off the chair and moves in front of the door. He waves to SCULLY with his free hand. SCULLY waves back.
SCULLY: My name is Dr. Scully. How long have you been here, Adam?
ADAM: Forever.
SCULLY: And where are your parents?
ADAM: I don't have any.
GOLDMAN: He was sent to us as a baby. Adam has a form of Crouzon syndrome.
SCULLY: And why is he in a sealed room? All of the children. He has a genetic disorder. He's not contagious.
GOLDMAN looks over SCULLY's shoulder into the room and motion to ADAM, who goes back to his desk.
GOLDMAN: Thank you, Adam.
GOLDMAN: We are working with therapies unavailable anywhere in the world. We need to eliminate the environmental factors that could affect the outcome. I am searching for the key that was the seed to all of these terrible genetic abnormalities.
SCULLY: Alien DNA? Is that why the Department of Defense is funding your research?
GOLDMAN: Dr. Scully, I was told that you were the rational one.
They are suddenly interrupted by a disturbance down the corridor. A brunette, teenaged girl, MOLLY, is being restrained around the waist from behind by a JANITOR. Items of food and drink are being thrown up in to the air around them from a food cart in front of them.
MOLLY: No! Let go!
JANITOR: Molly! Oof!
MOLLY: Let go of me! No! No! No!
GOLDMAN looks on at the scene, concerned but controlling his emotion.
GOLDMAN: I'm afraid that that is all the time that I have. Sarah will show you out.
GOLDMAN walks over to the disturbance. His assistant, SARAH, directs MULDER and SCULLY down the corridor in the opposite direction.
SARAH: This way, please.
SCULLY: (Turning to MULDER) He didn't answer my question...
Through a pair of closing glass doors, we see MOLLY being forcibly moved into a side room. GOLDMAN is there, along with the JANITOR and another nurse. She's fighting all the way.
MOLLY: Let go of me! No! No! No! Nooo!
Molly continues screaming and yelling as she's taken into the room. MULDER and SCULLY head back along the corridor, walking several steps behind SARAH just out of earshot.
SCULLY: Did you see that Mulder?
MULDER: Interesting.
MULDER's phone beeps, signalling a new text message. He pauses, takes his phone out and reads the message.
beeping
MULDER: Something's happened to Agnes.
SCENE 16
Night. Inside a lit road tunnel. Red and blue lights bounce around the inside of the concrete structure. We see the aftermath of a crash. Ambulances. Police. MULDER and SCULLY are walking into the tunnel accompanied by a plain-clothed policeman, DETECTIVE GORDON, who is holding a small white piece of card.
OFFICER GORDON: We found the victim with your card in her pocket. Hit and run. Car was moving pretty fast.
MULDER, SCULLY and GORDON continue into the tunnel and we see a female body lying in the middle of the road.
OFFICER GORDON: Skid marks from back there...
He motions backwards towards the tunnel entrance.
OFFICER GORDON: ... up to the point of impact.
We see AGNES's body lying supine in the road, her legs twisted. She has a bloodied face and a huge dark red bloodstain on her shirt over her abdomen. We hear another siren approaching the scene.
OFFICER GORDON: We're checking cameras in the area. No witnesses.
SCULLY, then MULDER, kneel down beside AGNES's body. GORDON remains standing.
SCULLY: What about the baby?
OFFICER GORDON: What are you talking about?
SCULLY: (concerned) She was pregnant...
MULDER: (staring at AGNES's abdominal wound) The baby's gone.
SCENE 17
Police station. MULDER is sitting at a computer, browsing the Police Records Database. SCULLY enters dressed in scrubs, straight from AGNES's autopsy.
SCULLY: Mulder...
MULDER: Hmm?
SCULLY: Agnes died from blunt force trauma. Most likely from the impact of the car. Her right ulna was broken in two places, her lungs were lacerated by broken ribs, and her skull was crushed.
MULDER: What about the baby?
SCULLY: Surgically removed. I couldn't tell if the fetus was still alive when it was taken from her womb, but... they took it, Mulder. To get rid of evidence. Agnes wanted to talk. She left the hospital. That baby was the only proof that she was part of Goldman's experiment.
MULDER: What if the baby was still alive?
SCULLY: Mulder, that car hit her so hard that a, an adult woman with the benefit of a mature skeletal structure wasn't able to survive the impact. It's highly unlikely that the baby would remain viable.
MULDER: Unlikely for human foetuses.
MULDER gets up out of his chair and walks over to printer to retrieve a document. SCULLY walks over to join him.
MULDER: In 1973, the Syndicate was convened to assist in a project to colonize the world by creating alien/human hybrids. The project was ultimately unsuccessful. I doubt they ever stopped trying.
SCULLY: But what you're talking about is changing the genetic makeup of a population. That's the next step in evolution.
MULDER: Every new species begins with a Founder's Mutation. One child with the correct combination of DNA could be a start.
SCULLY: There was a study published last year in Nature Communications, by Batini and Hallast, that found that Y chromosomes in the majority of European men could be traced back to just three individuals from the Bronze Age.
MULDER: I did some digging around the police archives, looking for anything related to Goldman. 17 years ago, Jackie Goldman was remanded to St. Elizabeth's hospital as a forensics patient. She was adjudicated criminally insane.
SCULLY: Dr. Goldman's wife?
MULDER: She was convicted of murdering her baby. That body also was never found.
SCENE 18
SAINT ELIZABETH HOSPITAL
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Day. MULDER and SCULLY are sitting at a circular table in a common room with MRS GOLDMAN. She has a tray of food on the table in front of her, but sits motionless, her palms resting on the edge of the table, staring off to the side.
MULDER: Mrs. Goldman, we'd like to ask you a few questions about your husband. (Leaning in, trying to get a response.) About his work?
SCULLY: Mulder, she hasn't said anything in ten minutes.
A long-haired cat walks into the room through an open door. MRS GOLDMAN notices and picks up her large red apple, tossing it at the cat. The apple bounces off the wall just above the cat before rolling back along the floor. The cat rushes out of the room with a large yowl.
MULDER and SCULLY share a look, half shock, half surprise.
MULDER: You don't like cats?
Pause.
MRS GOLDMAN: What do you want?
SCULLY: Can we ask you a few questions, Jackie?
MRS GOLDMAN: Not about my husband. He is the one still keeping me here.
MULDER: Do you miss your daughter?
MRS GOLDMAN remembers, smiling.
MRS GOLDMAN: Molly.
We cut to a younger MRS GOLDMAN at home, heavily pregnant. Friends and their young children fill the kitchen and family room. She cradles her bump with her hands.
YOUNGER MRS GOLDMAN: (To friends) You should see, uh, that one, that one.
MRS GOLDMAN: (present day) I love my daughter. But... there was... something odd... about her. I felt it from the day she was born. I-I didn't know for sure... until she was two.
We see the YOUNGER MRS GOLDMAN slowly realising that her daughter is not in the house, that she can't see her.
YOUNGER MRS GOLDMAN: Where's Molly?
Outside the house, the shimmering surface of a large swimming pool. We can make out the dark silhouette of a body at the bottom of the pool.
MRS GOLDMAN: (present day) She fell in the pool and nobody noticed. Molly was underwater for at least ten minutes. She should've been dead.
YOUNGER MRS GOLDMAN dives into the pool and swims towards her daughter. We see MOLLY slowly turn. She's alive, treading water, smiling with her eyes wide open.
MRS GOLDMAN: (present day) I never told anyone else this. Not only was she alive... she was breathing in the water.
YOUNGER MRS GOLDMAN recoils in shock. She tries to speak.
MRS GOLDMAN: (present day) The other moms thought it was a miracle. But I knew what it was. My husband... did... something to the embryo. He used our own daughter for his research. I was nine months pregnant at the time - I was not about to let him have my son. I had to get away from that monster.
Cut to a panicked YOUNGER MRS GOLDMAN at home, racing downstairs in a darkened hall. Her husband, AUGUSTUS GOLDMAN is standing in the hallway beside the staircase.
GOLDMAN: Please... don't go. I love you.
YOUNGER MRS GOLDMAN is holding her handbag. She pulls out a large kitchen knife. She points it at her husband.
YOUNGER MRS GOLDMAN: I want my daughter, Augustus.
GOLDMAN: She is safe, so are you, right here with me.
He walks slowly towards her, hands raised in front of him.
YOUNGER MRS GOLDMAN: What did you do to her?!
He moves forwards, trying to grab her hand which is holding the knife.
GOLDMAN: Jackie! Jackie!
She fights back.
YOUNGER MRS GOLDMAN: No!
There is a struggle. Her hand gets free. She slashes with the knife across his left upper arm. He winces. Blood starts dripping from inside his cufflinked shirt sleeve onto the floor.
YOUNGER MRS GOLDMAN makes her way quickly along the hallway to a door leading into the garage.
MRS GOLDMAN: (present day) He took Molly away. He hid her from me. So I got in the car and I drove. I just drove, no idea where to go. I knew there was no chance they would leave me alone. I had another baby in my belly.
MULDER: "They"?
MRS GOLDMAN: The government. Augustus worked for them. I couldn't trust anyone. Especially the police. I was so scared. I was going too fast. And there was an animal in the middle of the road.
We cut back. Night. The disemboweled body of a deer is lying the road. We see a car, flipped on its roof, its wheels turning slowly before coming to rest.
MRS GOLDMAN: I panicked and I crashed.
The camera pans over the car. We hear moaning. A handbag is thrown from the driver's window. We see an arm, then another. YOUNGER MRS GOLDMAN is crawling out of the wreckage, moaning in pain. She rolls over onto her back.
MRS GOLDMAN: I thought I was gonna die.
We see her gasping for breath, her face bloodied.
MRS GOLDMAN: But that's when I heard the sound.
YOUNGER MRS GOLDMAN suddenly hears the high-pitched piercing sound. She starts screaming in agony.
MRS GOLDMAN: It was so loud... and... piercing. It hurt. (Pointing to her left ear) It was in my head.
The piercing tone continues. She screams in agony. She looks down to her abdomen.
MRS GOLDMAN: He was talking to me in the only way that he knew how. And I knew what I had to do.
YOUNGER MRS GOLDMAN reaches into her handbag and retrieves the kitchen knife. She pulls her shirt up to reveal her abdomen. She steadies the knife, holding it in two hands over her body, before starting to cut into her abdomen.
MRS GOLDMAN: They said I killed my baby. (Shaking her head) I didn't.
We see a small foetal hand reaching out of YOUNGER MRS GOLDMAN's open abdomen.
MRS GOLDMAN: I let him out.
SCULLY: Do you know what happened to your son?
MRS GOLDMAN: Passed out from loss of blood. Woke up in a hospital. I never saw my boy again.
MRS GOLDMAN: I think about him every day.
MULDER turns to SCULLY, who understands her plight completely and looks back at MRS GOLDMAN with compassion and sadness.
SCULLY: A mother never forgets.
SCENE 19
Later. Saint Elizabeth Hospital. MULDER and SCULLY are walking along a corridor.
SCULLY: All my training, everything that I know about psychology tells me that she's delusional. But Mulder, there's something about her that I trust.
MULDER: She heard a tone in her head, a screech. That's what happened to me.
SCULLY: Are you saying that you think the baby that communicated with her communicated with you?
MULDER: Wouldn't be a baby anymore...
A JANITOR passes MULDER in the corridor, pushing a cleaning cart. MULDER stops and turns to him.
MULDER: Excuse me. Uh, er, you don't work for the hospital, do you? You're a subcontractor?
JANITOR: Yeah. A-1 Janitorial. We're all over the city.
MULDER: Thank you. Thanks.
SCENE 20
The X-Files office. MULDER and SCULLY are looking at a large widescreen monitor showing two camera feeds from the Nugenics building. One of DR. SANJAY in the server room. Another of a janitor in an office.
MULDER: A-1 Janitorial also services Nugenics. You'll recognize the uniform. He's cleaning the office directly above the secured servers vault. He's no more than 15 feet away from Dr. Sanjay at the time of his death.
MULDER presses a few keys on the keyboard. The camera feeds start to play. We see DR. SANJAY collapse as he starts to hear the piercing tone. The janitor leans forwards and steadies himself on the office desk.
SCULLY: Action, reaction.
MULDER's cell phone text message alert beeps.
MULDER: I made a request for the name of the janitor on duty. Turns out he also worked at St. Elizabeth's last month. High school dropout Kyle Gilligan. (MULDER nods.) We got him.
One feed shows SANJAY lying motionless on the floor, the other feed the janitor straightening up and pushing his cleaning cart out of the room.
SCENE 21
MULDER and SCULLY's SUV comes to a halt on a paved driveway in the country. SCULLY exits the driver's door, MULDER the passenger door. They approach a weather-beaten white house, IDs out. The front door opens as a middle-aged blonde woman steps out, arms crossed, onto a small verandah.
SCULLY: I'm Special Agent Scully. This is Special Agent Mulder. We'd like to speak with Kyle Gilligan.
MRS GILLIGAN: I'm his mother.
MULDER: Is he around? We'd like to ask him a few questions about an incident at work.
MRS GILLIGAN: The suicide?
MULDER: You heard about that.
MRS GILLIGAN: (Proudly) There's not a thing that goes on in my son's life that I don't know.
SCULLY: Well, we'd still like to speak with him.
MRS GILLIGAN: He's got nothing to say.
SCULLY: Why don't you let us decide that?
MRS GILLIGAN: I don't like to expose my son to stressful situations. It's not good for him. He doesn't understand it. He's simple. And he's a minor. And I won't allow it.
She turns and starts to go back inside.
MULDER: You didn't give birth to Kyle.
SCULLY speaks quietly, not wanting MULDER to press the issue.
SCULLY: Mulder...
MRS GILLIGAN: (Indignantly) What did you say?
MULDER climbs a couple of steps towards MRS GOLDMAN.
MULDER: After the accident, where'd you find him?
MRS GILLIGAN turns back and stops at the top of the steps up to the verandah.
MRS GILLIGAN: Get the hell off my porch.
MULDER: Your son is unique. Have you ever wondered why?
MRS GILLIGAN: (shouting) Get out!
SCULLY: Mulder, she's making it pretty clear...
We hear, and then see, dozens and dozens of black birds circling overhead and settling in the adjoining garden.
MRS GILLIGAN: (worried) Bad things happen when the birds gather.
MULDER hears the high-pitched piercing tone. He instinctively puts both hands over his ears. The tone gets louder. MULDER collapses onto the steps, before rolling down a couple onto the concrete tiles at the foot of the steps where SCULLY is standing.
MULDER: Arghhh!
MULDER lies prone on the ground, writhing in agony as the tone gets louder.
SCULLY: Mulder! Mulder!
SCULLY: (To MRS GILLIGAN) Where is he?
MULDER continues to writhe around on the ground in agony, covering his ears. SCULLY approaches MRS GILLIGAN in desperation.
SCULLY: Where is he?!
MRS GILLIGAN looks off in the direction of the birds. SCULLY races off into the garden, drawing her weapon.
Birds continue to caw loudly. SCULLY jogs carefully through a tree-filled garden, looking for KYLE. MULDER is still on the ground in agony.
SCULLY slowly enters a dark barn, gun drawn. She carefully searches the barn as she moves through it. She notices someone. She trains her gun on the figure.
SCULLY: Whatever you're doing, stop right there.
From a look of deep concentration, KYLE straightens up and inhales deeply.
Later. MULDER bundles the hand-cuffed KYLE into the back of the SUV. MRS GILLIGAN slowly approaches the car, crying and pleading with MULDER.
MOTHER: Don't take him! Don't! Please don't take him! He didn't know what he was doing! He was just trying to protect me!
Later. The SUV is driving along the road. SCULLY is driving. MULDER turns to KYLE in the back seat. KYLE avoids his gaze and stares out of the open window.
MULDER: Is that true, Kyle? That you don't know what you're doing? Why did you kill Dr. Sanjay?
KYLE: I didn't want him to die.
MULDER: You made him kill himself.
KYLE: No! I would never. He was... was helping me.
MULDER: You got inside his head. You got inside my head. You can make people hear things. Like you just did. Like you did to me in Sanjay's apartment. But you can't control it.
KYLE: I just want to find my sister.
SCULLY thinks about it for a second or two.
SCULLY: Molly?
MULDER: (Putting it together) At the hospital, where you worked. You heard Jackie's story.
KYLE: She told me that he has her. And Jackie is my real mother, okay? I have to find my sister.
MULDER: Kyle, nobody knows where she is.
SCULLY: (Way ahead of MULDER) I know who knows.
SCENE 22
An examination room inside the Goldman Technology building. GOLDMAN is using a pen torch to test KYLE's pupil responses, his gloved hand holding each of KYLE's upper eyelids open in turn as he shines the light into them. MULDER and SCULLY are present, standing in the background.
GOLDMAN: (satisfied) Hmmm. (To KYLE, with more than a modicum of menace) Would you mind if I took some blood?
GOLDMAN ties a piece of rubber around KYLE's arm as a tourniquet.
KYLE: Where's Molly?
GOLDMAN looks at KYLE over the top of his glasses.
GOLDMAN: How do you know that name?
KYLE: My... (He winces as GOLDMAN inserts the needle into his arm) mother told me to find her.
GOLDMAN: And what would you do... once you found her?
KYLE: I don't... know.
MULDER watches as the tube of KYLE's blood fills. GOLDMAN withdraws the needle, pressing on the wound.
GOLDMAN: I'm gonna let you meet Molly.
SCENE 23
Night. Inside Goldman Technology. Inside her room we see a brunette girl with long hair, lost in her own thoughts. GOLDMAN holds the door open for KYLE, who enters, followed by MULDER and then SCULLY. KYLE slowly approaches the girl, full of nervous excitement and apprehension.
KYLE: Molly?
KYLE laughs nervously as she looks at him.
GIRL: What's your name?
KYLE: Kyle. (He laughs again)
MULDER and SCULLY watch on in anticipation. KYLE slowly approaches the GIRL. She smiles back. He stops. His warm expression turning to one of anger.
KYLE: No. You're not my sister. No!
KYLE retreats, before turning and barging past GOLDMAN into the corridor. SCULLY calls out after him.
SCULLY: Kyle?!
KYLE is jogging along empty corridors, searching for his sister, calling out her name.
KYLE: Molly?
He turns a corner. He sees a room at the end of the corridor. He slows to a walk as he approaches. We see MOLLY sitting on the side of her bed as he nears her door. She gets up to meet him, separated by the glass pane in the door.
KYLE: You're Molly.
She smiles at him. She raises her left hand, putting it on the glass. We hear her thoughts, but her lips don't move.
MOLLY: I didn't know I had a brother.
KYLE: I can hear you.
KYLE raises both of his hands to meet hers on the opposite side of the glass. He looks into her eyes.
KYLE: Are you ready?
She nods. They lock eyes in concentration. The lights flicker and buzz. MULDER and SCULLY appear from around the corner and race towards MOLLY's room.
MULDER: Kyle!
The security glass in MOLLY's door cracks. Windows along the corridor shatter and fall to the ground. MULDER and SCULLY duck and take cover as they approach. The glass in MOLLY's door now gone, KYLE and MOLLY interlock their fingers. The electrical crackling continues as GOLDMAN appears from around the corner. He races past MULDER and SCULLY, towards MOLLY's room.
GOLDMAN: Molly! No! No!
MOLLY: Daddy, just let me go!
GOLDMAN: Get the hell away from her!
KYLE looks angrily at GOLDMAN. The piercing tone starts. GOLDMAN stops in his tracks, dropping to the floor, screaming in agony. SCULLY approaches slowly, gun drawn.
SCULLY: Kyle!
MOLLY stares intently at SCULLY, before flicking her head to one side. SCULLY's gun flies out of her hand. SCULLY flies back into the wall, hitting it hard, before dropping to the ground unconscious.
MULDER: Scully!
MULDER immediately goes to her aid. MOLLY directs her gaze on him, flicking her head back. MULDER is thrown backwards, sliding uncontrollably all the way back along the corridor until he hits a closed door.
KYLE and MOLLY finally turn their attention to GOLDMAN, who is on all fours in agony on the ground. The piercing tone gets louder. Blood starts running from his eyes, his nose, his ears, his mouth. He screams out in pain. KYLE and MOLLY don't let up. Blood is now running from his face.
SCENE 24
Night. Outside the Goldman Technology building. An armed SWAT team circle past. SKINNER is talking to MURPHY, the DoD official. A helicopter circles overhead.
MURPHY: Skinner, keep your people behind the red tape.
SKINNER turns away and walks over to MULDER and SCULLY who are standing nearby.
SKINNER: Department of Defense has control of the facility. It's now classified as top secret. We no longer have jurisdiction here.
SCULLY: Have they found Molly or Kyle?
SKINNER: You were the last one to see them, Agent Mulder.
MULDER: I blacked out after Goldman's eyes popped out of their sockets. Believe me, you can't unsee that.
SKINNER: Well, they're gone. There's no trace of them anywhere.
SKINNER walks away. MULDER pulls the tube of KYLE's blood out of his trouser pocket and shows it to SCULLY.
SCULLY: Kyle's blood.
MULDER: A trace.
He puts the tube back into his pocket and they leave.
SCENE 25
Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" is playing on a TV. We see MULDER and WILLIAM at home, sitting on a couch, WILLIAM cradling a large tub of popcorn. It's time for MULDER's father-fantasy.
We hear screeching and howling coming from the TV.
WILLIAM: Monkeys...
MULDER: Yeah, that's... well, that's early man, William.
More screeching and howling.
MULDER: And that's the monolith.
WILLIAM: What's a "mommomyth"?
MULDER: Some people think it represents our first contact with aliens. Other people think it represents the beginning of human knowledge. I... I think one day you'll probably have your own ideas about it.
Outside in the garden as the sun is setting. A small model rocket sits atop a launch structure on the grass. MULDER kneels at it, preparing it for blast-off. WILLIAM calls to him from a picnic bench a few metres away.
WILLIAM: Dad...
MULDER: (engrossed in his rocket) Hmm?
WILLIAM: My fin broke.
MULDER: (looking over to WILLIAM.) Oh.
MULDER walks over to WILLIAM, who is holding his broken rocket.
WILLIAM: Space is hard.
WILLIAM hands the broken rocket to MULDER, who reinserts the fin into the bottom of the rocket.
MULDER: (quoting William Bradford) "All great and honorable actions are undertaken with great difficulty..."
MULDER: (quoting President John F. Kennedy): "We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do other things, not because they are easy...
TOGETHER: "... but because they are hard."
They chuckle to each other.
MULDER: That's right.
WILLIAM: (eagerly) Come on, let's light this candle. We'll do yours first.
MULDER: Okay.
MULDER puts the mended rocket on the picnic table and hands WILLIAM the launch key and control unit.
MULDER: There you go. You ready?
WILLIAM: Yep.
MULDER starts the countdown.
MULDER: Five, four, three, two, one. Ignition.
The rocket ignites, launching skywards leaving a trail of smoke in its wake. MULDER and WILLIAM stare up into the sky with wonder.
WILLIAM: I'm gonna go up there someday.
MULDER hears his son call out to him. We see MULDER running towards WILLIAM's bedroom door, lit from behind, along a dark hallway. We hear rumbling. MULDER opens the door. The room is bathed in bright white light. WILLIAM is suspended horizontally in the air over his bed. He looks at MULDER.
WILLIAM: Dad!
MULDER calls out to his son. The rumbling is loud.
MULDER: William!
There's a flash of white light and crash of noise.
MULDER: No!
Suddenly MULDER is standing alone in the room, his son gone. The rumbling fades. The light is gone.
SCENE 26
Present day. MULDER is sitting at his kitchen table. He's holding the baby photo of WILLIAM in his hands. He stares at it longingly.
Fade to black.
2024-09-21 18:47:22 -
Pike:
Added some actors.
2024-09-12 18:12:05 -
Pike:
Added the story.
2024-09-12 18:08:35 -
Pike:
Updated the trivia.
