The X-Files (1993–…): Season 2, Episode 23 - Soft Light - full transcript

Morris.

Morris, I need to talk to you.

Morris, it's me.

Are you there?

Morris?

Morris, if you're in there,
open the damn door.

Morris?

Morris, open up!

Morris, I need to talk to you.

Gail Anne is dead.

It's my fault.



Morris!

Morris, I need to talk to you.

Open the door,
Morris, please.

Answer the door, damn it!

Oh, no.

Oh, no.

Oh, God, no.

God, no.

No.

No, no!

Oh, God, please, no!

Two apparent abductions
in less than a month,

and then this one
last night.

According to my contact,



the Richmond PD has
hit a brick wall,

so I told her we'd come
down and have a look.

Who's your contact?

Her name's Kelly Ryan.

She was one of
my students

when I was teaching
at the academy.

She's just been
bumped up to detective,

and she's a little nervous
about her supervisor

finding out
the FBI are involved.

Kelly. Agent Scully.

- Hi.
- Hi.

This is Agent Mulder.

- Hi. Thank you for coming.
- You're welcome.

Heard a lot
about you.

We'll talk later.

The missing man
is Patrick Newirth, age 52.

He's a top executive
with Morley Tobacco

up from Raleigh-Durham
for a meeting.

He arrived on
an evening train.

How do you know
he's missing?

He set a wake-up call
for 6:00 a.m. this morning.

When the operator tried to
place it, there was no answer.

Mmm. Scotch.

It looks like
he barely touched it.

Needless to say,
he missed his meeting.

They waited three hours

before sending
hotel security up.

The door was locked,
security chain fastened,

and when they broke in,
no Patrick Newirth.

Windows?

Locked from
the inside.

We're six stories up--
no fire escape.

No way in or out
of this room.

Agent Scully,
what are you looking at?

Uh, the heat register.

You don't think anyone
could've squeezed in there.

You never know.

You guys turn up
any forensics evidence at all?

Just this.

Scully, look at this.

- What is it?
- We don't know.

The hotel claims it wasn't here
before Mr. Newirth checked in.

And there were
similar burn marks

at each of
the previous crime scenes.

Was Patrick Newirth
a smoker?

No. According to his wife,
he loathed cigarettes.

That's strange for a man who
worked for a tobacco company.

- Did you run a test on it?
- Yes, sir.

It's mostly carbon, with some
potassium and trace minerals.

Well, could be residue
from burned human flesh.

This look like an arm
to anybody?

An arm?

What are you thinking, Mulder?

This burn mark--
it's right where I'd be

if I was standing here
answering the door, right?

- Yes.
- And I wouldn't be looking out the peephole

unless there was something
to look at, would I?

That makes sense.

Detective Ryan, could you have
this bulb dusted for prints?

Of course.

And can you run those
against Mr. Newirth's?

Do you have
Mr. Newirth's prints?

We got them from his toiletries
and check-in slip.

Okay, can you
check those against

all hotel employees
and registered guests?

Anything else?

Yeah, do you have the name
of the last missing person?

Uh... that would be
Margaret Wysnecki.

Thanks.

This should do it.

Is this your
first case, Detective?

Yes, sir.

Any idea
why they gave it to you?

No one else wanted it.

Because of the
lack of evidence,

this is still officially
a missing persons case.

Not likely to end up on the
front page of the daily paper.

I wouldn't be
so sure about that.

Can I ask what you think
may have happened?

At first blush?

Spontaneous human combustion.

You're doing just fine.

Having a little fun?

What are you
talking about?

Spontaneous
human combustion?

I have over a
dozen case files.

A human body
is reduced to ash

without any attendant
burning or melting.

Rapid oxidation
without heat.

Let's just forget
for the moment

that's there's no scientific
theory to support it.

Okay.

Hey, Scully, can you
spare a prophylactic?

Thanks.

What are the odds
of that, huh?

Darkness covers
a multitude of sins.

Check this out.

My newest tool
in the fight against crime.

$49.95 at your local
hardware store.

Neat trick.

For your birthday,
I'll buy you a utility belt.

Look at this, Mulder.

Hmm.

What do we know
about the victim?

Margaret Wysnecki,

age 66.

Widowed, retired
from Laramie Tobacco,

where she worked
production line for 36 years.

Tobacco.

Patrick Newirth worked for
Morley Tobacco, didn't he?

Yeah, but half of Richmond
earns their paycheck

making cancer sticks--
could be just a coincidence.

Yeah, you're probably right.

The first missing person,
Gail Anne Lambert,

was an engineer
for Polarity Magnetics, Inc.

They didn't find
any prints in here

or anywhere else
in the house.

What makes you think the prints
on the bulb mean anything?

I don't know.

Oh, look at this, Scully.

Someone forgot to
empty the trash.

M. Wysnecki, round-trip
to Hampton Roads, Virginia.

Return train dated March 17.

That's the same day
she disappeared.

Patrick Newirth came into town
by train, didn't he?

And Gail Anne Lambert...

Uh, no, it doesn't say
anything here

that puts her anywhere near
the Richmond train station.

Maybe that was a detail
that was overlooked.

Well, even so,
what's the significance?

Maybe these people
aren't just disappearing,

maybe they're being hunted,

and the hunter's working
the train station.

And whatever happened
to spontaneous human combustion?

Maybe it's not so spontaneous.

Get on the phone

to your young detective,
and tell her to get a detail

down to the train station.

56, this is 64.

Suspicious male loitering in the
alley behind the train station.

I'm going to
check him out.

Roger that, 64.

I'm on my way.

Sir, can I speak
with you?

Hold on!

I only want to ask you
a couple of questions!

All right,
stop right there.

Don't move.
Just hold it.

Put your hands
in the air, sir.

Stay away from me.

What do you think
you're doing?

All right, come
on out of there.

We just want
to talk to you.

Stay away from me!

I don't want to hurt you.

Move it!

Hands where we can see them.

Please, I'm warning you.

I'm a dangerous man.

Keep moving, pal.
Out where we can see you.

All right, I want you to lie
face down on the ground.

Don't come any closer.

Get down
on the ground, sir.

Now!

Please.

You don't understand.

Oh, God, no!

Barney?

Don't! No!

Stay away!

Oh, God.

No, no.

Oh, God, not again!

Oh, God!

Oh, no!

No!

What happened
here, Kelly?

I sent two patrolmen down here
last night like you told me.

They lost radio contact
with them just after midnight.

All they found
this morning was

two more scorch marks
on the pavement.

Nothing else?

No. Suddenly, this looks like

it could be a cop-killer case,
and I'm indirectly responsible.

Well, you were just
doing your job.

Yeah, well, they want to know

on what suspicions
I sent these men down here.

If I tell them I've involved
the FBI, they're going to snap.

The prints you pulled
from that lightbulb...

I ran it against
all the hotel staff and guests,

then through
the national databases.

No match.

Some first case, huh?

You just make sure you
hang on to this case.

I'm sure something
will turn up.

These ideas of yours, Mulder,
you care to share them?

Not yet.

You don't have
a clue, do you?

He was here, Scully;
I was right about that.

All right,
where does this leave us?

Maybe with enough
to identify the killer.

How?

He was here
last night.

He was also probably here
on March 17 and 31.

Those are the dates
that Margaret Wysnecki

and Patrick Newirth
disappeared.

That leaves us with three days
of train station videotapes

to cross-reference and hopefully
find out who this guy is.

That's assuming
we're looking for a guy.

Either way,

the security camera's
our only witness.

It could be
any one of these people, Mulder.

Or none of them.

We've gone through
the entire week,

and I'm still not sure
how you expect to find him.

That's it for March 22
on the arrival deck.

Okay, let's go back
to the terminal tape.

Again?

He's got to be on at least
one of these tapes.

Chances are,
he's not walking around

carrying a sign
with an arrow on it.

There you go.

See, this guy right here--
he's always here.

What's he doing?

Looking at the floor.

Why's he doing that?

Probably the same reason

he spends his whole afternoon
in the train station.

Can you freeze this
and blow it up 200%?

Sure.

Okay, can you reframe
and blow it up some more?

He's got something on his jacket
right there.

I'll see if I can
pull it up.

Polarity Magnetics.

That's where
the first victim worked.

Looks like
it's been closed up.

Yes?

We're Agents Mulder
and Scully with the FBI.

We're looking for a man
who may have worked here.

When was this taken?

March 22.
Do you know him?

Sure, I know him.

Dr. Chester Banton.

He was my
business partner.

You mean he's not anymore?

I don't know.

I would assume not.

This is the first I've
seen of him in five weeks.

I wondered if he wasn't
going to turn up dead.

How's that?

Chester was involved in
a terrible accident here.

Polarity Magnetics does--
or did--

primarily two kinds
of research.

Mostly, we were designing
mag-lev applications--

people movers, bullet trains--

but for Chester, that was
just a way to pay the bills

for the really theoretical stuff
he was interested in.

Which was what?

Researching dark matter.

Quantum particles, neutrinos,
gluons, mesons, quarks.

Subatomic particles.

The mysteries
of the universe.

Theoretically, the very
building blocks of reality.

Except no one knows
if they truly exist.

Chester was sure they did.

So sure, he bet
his life on it.

This is where
it happened.

Chester was working
to isolate a new particle.

He'd been working
on it for a year.

This is a particle accelerator.

One-fifth the power
of the Texas supercollider

in a space
the size of a Walmart.

Powered by what?

Couple billion megawatts.

Virginia Power loved us.

Exactly what happened here?

The work involved the
bombardment of beta particles

with an alpha target--
negative against positive.

Chester had everything set

and had started
the countdown

when he realized
he'd made a mistake.

There was something that needed
readjusting in the target room.

Except, you can't stop
the countdown once you've begun.

There was time
to safely make the change,

but I'd left the room
for a minute

when Chester decided to go in.

I didn't realize
until it was too late

that the door had locked
behind him.

Look at this.

As far as I can tell,

it burned Chester's shadow
right into the wall.

How did he survive?

All I can figure is,
the quanta liberated

off the target
have virtually no mass--

that they slid
right through his body.

Like getting an X-ray.

A two-billion-megawatt X-ray.

When I looked
at the monitor

and saw what was happening--

that Chester was trapped
in here-- I panicked.

I cut the power,
but it was too late.

I remember looking
and seeing Chester.

He was perfectly calm.

Almost like he wanted it
to happen.

Like he was

finally going
to experience

the dark matter
he had theorized

in some kind of physical way.

As if the truth might
come into him.

Excuse me.

What do you think, Scully?

Well, this looks like
the same kind of material

that they found at
each of the other crime scenes.

Maybe what we're dealing with is

some kind of spontaneous
human combustion.

I'm less convinced
of that now.

What do you think it is?

I don't know.

Whatever it is,
it's connected

to the person of
Dr. Chester Ray Banton--

maybe even part of him.

Well, whatever it is,
we have to find him.

Well, I know of only one
place to start looking.

There's no sign
of him, Mulder.

Maybe he's moved on.

What are you
looking at?

In the videotape, Dr. Banton
kept staring at the floor,

and I'm trying to figure out

what he might
have been looking at.

Well, maybe the exposure
affected his mind.

Nonsensical,
repetitive behavior

is a common trait
of mental illness.

You trying to
tell me something?

I called
Detective Ryan.

She's having the prints
on the lightbulbs

checked against Banton's.

Did you tell her about
Dr. Banton's accident?

No, I only told her
that he was a possible suspect

and that it was a bit too early
to get her hopes up.

And that right now,
we have more questions

than we do answers.

Like?

Like a motive.

Like a murder weapon.
Like...

What if Dr. Banton...?

Look here.

There are hardly
any shadows cast.

What do you mean?

The lighting in here
is diffused.

It's soft light.

What if that's what
Dr. Banton was looking for?

Looking for
his shadow?

Dr. Banton.

Stop right there!

Dr. Banton!

Please... just leave me alone.

We're federal agents,
Dr. Banton.

You don't understand.

You're making a big mistake.

Stay away from me.

Wait!

It'll kill you.
It doesn't care who you are.

Oh, thank God.

I thought
the orders were

to keep this patient
in the dark.

He insisted
on soft light.

It's the only way he'd
let us open the door.

How can you even begin

to understand
what it's like?

We're trying
to understand.

Living in a train station
day and night,

living like a bum.

Afraid to fall asleep
because of what might happen.

The accident
in the lab--

the quanta
bombardment--

you believe that
altered you physically?

You could...
you could say that.

Can you tell us how?

Even if I could,
you wouldn't understand.

But it has something to do
with dark matter?

It has everything to do
with dark matter.

My shadow...

isn't mine.

It's...

it's like a black hole.

It splits molecules
into component atoms.

It unzips electrons
from their orbits,

reduces matter into pure energy.

That's how you killed
Gail Anne Lambert?

Wasn't me.

Gail Anne was my colleague.

She...

The night after the accident,
I went to see her.

I was just standing
in the doorway.

I was...

I was looking
right at her,

and then she was gone.

You have no control over it?

If I could control it,

do you think I would let it
go around killing people?

All I can do is...

study it...

try and divine its true nature
before they do.

"They"?

The government.

They're after me.

And when they find me,

they're going to do
the brain suck

they've just been dying to do.

"Brain suck."

For the purpose of...?

For the purpose of stealing

what has taken me years
to accomplish.

And don't think they wouldn't
kill to get it.

But if they...
if they killed you,

then wouldn't
your shadow just...?

Disappear?

Who knows?

That's why you have
to get me out of here.

If I die,

there could be
nothing left

to tether this thing.

Excuse me.

I'm going to have to ask you
to discontinue

your interrogation
of the suspect.

This is
Detective Barron.

He's the primary
on this case.

Yeah, I was just wondering
what your involvement is here.

We caught the guy.

I appreciate that.

But no one seems
to be able to recall

inviting the FBI
in on this case.

Agent Mulder and I

are here strictly in

an unofficial capacity.

Then who brought you in?

We were curious

about the unexplained
nature of the case.

Well, Banton's prints place him
at two of the crime scenes,

and Transit Authority tapes show
him in the immediate vicinity

of two of the most
recent victims.

So I say this case is looking
pretty much explained.

Really?

Have you talked to Dr. Banton?

I hope you're not trying
to interrogate me, Agent Mulder,

because I'm not the suspect.

I don't think you know
anything about this case,

which is why you stuck it

with Detective Ryan.

And I think you should allow her
to decide how to proceed.

Detective Ryan
is handling this case.

She's done well,
and I see no reason

not to continue
to let her prosecute it

once the prisoner
has been transferred.

Transferred? Where?

To the city jail,

in preparation
for his arraignment.

I don't think you fully
appreciate this man's condition

or the danger that he poses.

I don't think
you have the authority

to tell me or anyone else
in my unit how to do our job.

I think we can handle it
from here, Agent Mulder.

We'll call you

if there's
anything more you can do.

Come on, Mulder, let's go.

Soft light.

He needs soft light.

Hope you know what
you're doing, Scully.

What do you mean?

Putting Detective
Ryan's ambition

- ahead of all good sense in this case.
- Ambition?

She's a woman trying to survive
the boys' club, Mulder.

Believe me,
I know how she feels.

The difference is, you never put
yourself ahead of your work.

And that's
what's happening here.

Look, the fact is,
we have no jurisdiction here.

We were called in as a favor.

And as a favor,

we just handed over the A-bomb
to the Boy Scouts.

I'm sure all the necessary
precautions will be taken.

And I'm sure
that Robert Oppenheimer

got similar reassurances
from his government--

the same government that
Dr. Banton is afraid of.

You don't believe
all this paranoia

about brain sucking, do you?

That man is scared,

and it's not just
of his own shadow.

Mulder, as brilliant
as Dr. Banton may be,

he is also
clearly delusional.

He demonstrated just about every
textbook indicator back there.

We've both seen
the physical evidence, Scully.

Look, I don't know
how to explain it,

but that's not our job.

I don't know
what else we should do.

I think I do.

All you've given me is a name--
Chester Ray Banton.

Dr. Chester Ray Banton.
Do you know him?

No. Should I?

He's being held by
the Richmond Police

in connection with
several bizarre murders.

He's a physicist,
researching quarks, gluons--

dark matter.

He believes the government
is out to get him.

It's tax season.
So do most Americans.

He believes his
life is in danger.

Is he a dangerous man?

Yes.

Where is he being held?

At the Yaloff Psychiatric
Hospital, but not for long.

I'm afraid I can't help you.

Why?

The last time I helped you,
I bloodied my fist

and regrettably exposed
my identity

to associates of yours.

Yes, I know. And you can
trust them as you trust me.

I promise.

Dead men can't keep promises.

The next time, the blood
and regret could be yours.

I'm not at your beck
and call, Agent Mulder.

I have nothing to gain

and everything to lose
by helping you.

Promise you won't
contact me again

unless absolutely necessary.

Promise.

Frank, are your lights on
down there?

Ours just went...

Hi.

We're here to transfer
Chester Ray Banton.

I have orders he's not being
transferred until tomorrow.

Due to the power outage,
there's been a change of plans.

No one's supposed
to go in there!

Here.

Quickly.

Who are you?

No, don't do this.

Please. Please, no.

No, don't.
Leave me alone.

Mulder.

What did you
find out, Scully?

Richmond PD had two officers
outside watching the entrance.

They didn't see anybody come in.

According to the floor nurse,
there were three men.

Three?

The power was disconnected at a
substation two blocks from here.

Somebody posing
as a city engineer.

Somebody who would have access
to plans for Virginia Power

so they could take it
off the grid

without affecting
surrounding facilities.

Somebody from the government
coming for Dr. Banton?

Just because you're paranoid
doesn't mean

they're not
out to get you, Scully.

But my guess is
he was unsuccessful,

and Dr. Banton's
on the loose.

That's what
Detective Ryan thinks.

Yeah, I just
saw her leave.

She was in charge
of Dr. Banton's transfer

and arraignment this morning.

She's in some
pretty hot water.

Well, maybe that was
an appointment

he was never
meant to keep.

- Let's go.
- Where?

Mulder, wait.
Where are we going?

You heard what Dr. Banton
said last night.

I heard him say
a lot of things.

Put yourself in
his head, Scully.

I think the only
reason he hasn't tried

to kill himself is
because he's afraid

his death will release
the dark matter.

Wait a second.
That's still just a theory,

and it's a pretty
wild one at that.

Whether or not
Dr. Banton is actually

telling the truth,
he believes he is.

And apparently,
so does whoever it is

who tried to take him
last night.

All that he's been trying
to do since the accident

is try to control
this thing.

And if he escapes,
he's going to go to

the one place where
he thinks he can do that,

We got to get
there first.

Don't turn
on the light, Chris,

unless you want to die.

Chester, what the hell
is going on?

The FBI have been
looking for you.

Where have you been?

There's no time to explain.

Just come with me.

What's this about, Chester?

You're acting crazy.
Talk to me!

We found the dark
matter, Chris.

It's real, we found it.

What are you talking about?

Don't you understand?!

I'm it.

It's... it's in me.

The accident?

They're coming for me, Chris.

We have to destroy this thing
before they get here.

No, you can't go
back in there, Chester.

Police!

I am placing you
under arrest, Dr. Banton.

A lot of people will die
if you do this.

Step against
the wall, sir.

I'm begging you.

I don't want to hurt you.

I said step against the wall.

Now.

I'm sorry.

Let's go.

We don't have much time.

Chester!

No matter what they
say to you later,

you're doing
the right thing.

Lock it up, Chris.

All right, let's get
the accelerator online.

I'm afraid not, Chester.

You can do it, Chris.

I can, but I'm not.

No, Chris.

Tell me you're not
working for them.

Wish I could, Chester.

You son of a bitch!

Careful. We don't want you
to hurt yourself.

I'll die before
I let them use me!

You're lightning
in a bottle, Chester.

We're not about to let you die.

Chris, don't do this.

Listen to me!

This is wrong!

You're making
a terrible mistake.

I've got him.

He's not going anywhere
till you pick him up.

Chris!

Chris? Chris?!

What's happening?

Chris?! Chris?

We're not the first
ones here, Mulder.

That's Detective
Ryan's car.

I was afraid of this.

Mulder.

Oh, damn it.

What's that noise?

It's the accelerator.

Mulder!

Scully, look at this.

He must have killed her
and then killed himself.

He couldn't have.

This chamber's been
sealed from the outside.

By who?

Agent Mulder.

I thought you had agreed not
to contact me again about this.

You lied to me.

About?

About Chester Ray Banton.

You knew who he was,

and you used me to
lead you to him.

You were the one
who contacted me, Agent Mulder.

I won't be your stalking
horse, or the government's.

You seem to be mistaken
about the amount of control

you exercise
over this arrangement.

You killed Dr. Banton!

Have you lost your mind?

A nurse at the hospital
identified you.

A young detective is
dead because of you.

Who do you answer to?

Despite my loyalty
to my predecessor,

I've never made you
any promises.

All right. Promise me
something right now.

Promise me this will
be our last meeting.

We're finished.

You're choosing a dangerous time
to go it alone, Agent Mulder.

Mulder?

I didn't kill him.

Mourners are invited
to pay their respects

to the family at the Ryan home.

How you doing?

I'm not sure how to
feel about this, Mulder.

She was my student,
and she came to me for help.

I know it must be hard.

This shouldn't have happened.

This never should have happened.

I'm sorry I'm late.

I got hung up
at the Richmond PD.

Doing what?

A missing person report was

filed this morning
by a Dr. Morris West.

He's a physicist affiliated
with Polarity Magnetics.

I'm not sure I follow you.

The missing person was
Dr. Christopher Davey.

He hasn't been seen or heard
from since Banton disappeared.

Do they have any leads
or know where he might be?

No, none.

But you do.

I've been wondering,

what if it wasn't Banton we saw
in the particle accelerator?

Well, if Banton's not dead,
then where is he?

Dr. Davey would have
been helpful to us.

We'll be studying this
man for a long time.

I made this!