Episode Summary
An audio cassette hidden in his morning paper brings Mulder to request the case of a scientist's death consistent with burning, despite the lack of any evidence of any flames or burns. He is given his request... along with a new partner. But together they must find the murderer before the case can be laid to rest.
Episode Details
- Writer: Howard Gordon
- Director: Rob Bowman
- Original Broadcast: AU: 08.03.1995 US: 07.10.1994
Cast
- Scully Gillian Anderson
- Mulder David Duchovny
Guest Cast
- Dr Francis Girardi David Adams
- Lieutenant Reagan Paul Bittante
- Smoking Man William B Davis
- Dr Grissom Claude de Martino
- Salvatore Matola Jonathan Gries
- Dr Charyn Anna Hagan
- MTA Officer Anthony Harrison
- Detective Morton Mitchell Kosterman
- Special Agent Alex Krycek Nicholas Lea
- Assistant Director Walter Skinner Mitch Pileggi
- Dr Pilsson Michael Puttonen
- Henry Willig Don Thompson
- Augustus Cole Tony Todd
- Mr X Steven Williams
Quotes
Mulder: The article makes no mention of a fire.
Skinner: Yes, Agent Mulder, I can read.
Krycek: Agent Mulder.
Mulder: Yeah.
Krycek: It's your 302. Assistant Director Skinner just approved it.
Mulder: There's a mistake here. There's been another agent assigned to the case.
Krycek: That would be me. Krycek. Alex Krycek.
[Extends a hand which Mulder ignores]
Mulder: Skinner didn't say anything about taking on a partner.
Krycek: It wasn't Skinner. Actually I opened the file two hours before your request, so technically it's my case.
Mulder: Listen, I appreciate the show and tell, and I don't want you to take this personally, but I work alone. I'll straighten things out with Skinner.
Krycek: It's my case, Agent Mulder. Look I may be green, but I had the case first so I'm not going to give it away so quickly.
Mulder: Alright I'll tell you what, I got some work to finish up around here. Why don't you go down to the motor pool and requisition us a car and I'll meet you down there.
Krycek: That's all? I mean, you don't have a problem with us working together?
Mulder: Hey, it's your party.
Krycek: Well, I'll get the car.
[Scully is called away from an autopsy to answer a phone call from Mulder using the name George Hale]
Mulder: So, it's actually possible to alter somebody's dreams?
Dr Charyn: In theory, yes.
Krycek: I paid off your cab. I don't appreciate being ditched like somebody's bad date.
Mulder: Sorry if I hurt your feelings.
Krycek: Where do you get off copping this attitude? I mean, you don't know the first thing about me.
Mulder: Exactly.
Krycek: You know, back at the academy, some of the guys used to make fun of you...
Mulder: Oh, stop it, or you're going to hurt my feelings.
[Scully has just weighed a 3.99 kg organ]
Mulder: Spleen? Or pancreas?
Scully: Stomach. I was just about to start on it.
Mulder: Oh. Uh, this is Alex Krycek, we're... working the case together.
Scully: Good to meet you.
Krycek: You too.
[Scully walks past Krycek's outstretched hand]
Scully: Somehow this man suffered all of the secondary but none of the primary physiological responses to having been in a fire.
Mulder: Any theories?
Scully: I can't ever begin to explain what could have caused this. I mean, it's almost as if...
Mulder: What?
Scully: As if his body believed it was burning.
Mulder: What's this scar right here?
Krycek: According to his medical history, the only surgery he ever had was an appendectomy.
Mulder: Well, unless they got to his appendix through his neck...
Dr Pilsson: We've had to house Mr Cole in this section of the ward because he was interfering with the treatment of the other patients.
Mulder: How was he interfering?
Dr Pilsson: He was disrupting their sleep patterns.
Mr X: Closing the X-Files, separating you and Scully, was only the beginning. The truth is still out there. But it's never been more dangerous. The man we both knew... paid for that information with his life. A sacrifice I'm not willing to make.
Mulder: Is he [Augustus Cole] alive?
Krycek: He was alive when the night manager saw him.
Scully: [on phone] I'm going over the reports you faxed me. They're incredible.
Mulder: The military already sent troops through radioactive mushroom clouds. I guess they figured they had to top themselves, right?
Scully: [on phone] Even if you're right, you'll have a much better chance of finding Cole if you work up a profile and try and surmise his next move.
Mulder: Alright, I'll sharpen my pencils and I'll see you later...
Scully: [on phone] Sounds like your new partner's working out.
Mulder: He's alright. He could use a little more seasoning and some, uh, wardrobe advice. But he's a lot more open to extreme possibilities than —
Scully: — than I was?
Mulder: Than I assumed he would be.
Scully: Must be nice not having someone questioning your every move, poking holes in all your theories?
Mulder: Oh oh, yeah... It's great, ah, I'm surprised I put up with you so long...
Scully: You better go... I'll read over this report again and see what else I can come up with.
Mulder: What's the problem?
Krycek: You still haven't answered my question. About what happened.
Mulder: I told you. I thought I saw Girardi.
Krycek: Oh come on. You just about killed someone back there. We both know I'm covering for you by keeping this between us.
Mulder: All right, what do you want to know?
Krycek: Just the truth. You know there's things you're not telling me that I need to know.
Mulder: It's just that my ideas usually aren't very popular.
Krycek: I told you. I want to believe, but I need a place to start.
Mulder: I think that Cole possesses the psychic ability to manipulate sounds and images to generate illusions that are so convincing they can kill. How's that for a theory?
Krycek: Puts a whole new spin on virtual reality. At least it begins to explain some things.
[Krycek sees Augustus Cole holding a gun on Mulder. Mulder sees Augustus Cole has a bible in his hand. Krycek shoots Augustus Cole]
Augustus Cole: Good... night...
Krycek: He had a gun. he was going to shoot you.
Mulder: You did the right thing.
Smoking Man: What about Scully?
Krycek: Reassigning them to other sections seems only to have strengthened their determination. Scully's a problem. A much larger problem than you described.
Smoking Man: Every problem has its solution.