The X-Files (1993–…): Season 4, Episode 16 - Unrequited - full transcript

An embittered Vietnam War veteran who can apparently somehow make himself invisible to everyone around him is murdering military officials. In order to attempt to stop him, Mulder and Scully must first uncover his motives.

That many of you here tonight
came home not to a hero's welcome...

..but to the hostility
of the American people...

..is a shameful fact of history.

One that I will never understand...

..or forgive.

But it also underscores our sacred duty,...

..not just today but for ever,...

..to honour those who served with honour,...

..and to remember those who fell.

Men and women whose ultimate sacrifice...

..must never be forgotten.



There is probably no audience...

..that understands better
that our freedom is not free.

All right, you're my eyes out there.
Talk to me. Positions report.

- Sector three clear.
- No sign of him in four.

Sector six, report.

Mulder?

- He's here. I feel him.
- Then where is he?

Hold on. I think I have him in section four.

Can you confirm that, Scully?

Positive. He's heading towards you, three.

Positions hold. Three and four,
do you have eye contact?

I have him in three.
He's coming towards you, Scully.

Don't take your eyes
off him, Scully.

Mulder, he saw me.



- He's heading towards the sound booth.
- I'm cutting him off.

Talk to me, people. Does anybody have him?

What's happening, Scully?

I'm closing on him.

- Do you have him in three?
- Negative.

Scully?

- Scully!
- I lost him. You got him, three?

I don't see him, Scully.

What's happening?

- I can't see him anywhere.
- He must be headed your way.

- You got him, Mulder?
- Not yet.

I got him.

I lost him.

Mulder, he's right in front of you.

- He's got a gun!
- General, get off the stage!

I can't see him. I can't see him!

Good morning, sir.

All right! Let's go!

Who the hell are you?
How did you get in here?

What the hell are you...?

Lieutenant General? Sir?

Lieutenant General Peter MacDougal
was shot dead at 0600 this morning.

Forensics reports the wound
was not self-inflicted.

The weapon hasn't been recovered.

The driver, Private First Class
Gus Burkholder,...

..is currently being held
on suspicion of murder.

Tests confirm the private
did not do the shooting.

There is suspicion of an accomplice,
based on one piece of evidence,...

..a so-called death card used by soldiers
in Vietnam to mark their kills.

And by Burkholder's possible ties to a
paramilitary group called the Right Hand,...

..whose stated aim is violent revolution.

We have a high probability of opportunity
for a group like this.

A unique situation that could result
in the very public loss of lives.

Dozens of officials
are in Washington today...

..for a re-dedication of the
Vietnam Veterans War Memorial.

Unless we can determine a motive,...

..we will consider any one of them
to be a target.

What if Burkholder is telling the truth,
that he's innocent?

Until we find another suspect,
we will pursue the Right Hand...

..and their leader,
ex-Marine Denny Markham,...

..in a pre-emptive strategy to put a stop
to any other plans they've made.

You have Markham's file in front of you.

For obvious reasons, we're
keeping this from the media.

If you encounter any resistance,
do not engage.

Surveil and call for backup.
Agent Chandler has your assignments.

We have less than 12 hours to prevent
any further execution or loss of life.

Understood?

Beckwith and Fontana,
you'll go to Virginia Beach.

Jackson and Miller, go to Alexandria.

Was that for the benefit of the general,
or have you developed a real strategy?

I'm flyin' by the seat of my pants.

You mean there's no procedure
outlined for an invisible assassin?

- Did you talk to Burkholder?
- I convinced him to take a polygraph test.

- And?
- He passed.

The nature of his claims
suggest a false positive.

The tester admitted that the results
are highly interpretive.

You heard his story?

I found his story compelling.
But then I believe the Warren Commission.

If I have to devise a strategy around
that story, there is no strategy.

Somebody killed the general.
Somebody is not telling the truth.

The man who heads the Right Hand.
Do you have a warrant for him?

- Yes, why?
- Let Mulder and I serve it.

One misstep, Markham
smells a shakedown,...

..he's gonna disappear and find
another way to push the button.

And I've already seen more dead
soldiers than I ever wanna see.

Mr Markham?

- Who is it?
- Agents Mulder and Scully with the FBI.

What do you want?

It's extremely urgent
that we talk to you, sir.

- Mr Markham?
- Gate's unlocked.

You wanted to see me about...?

- The murder of General Peter MacDougal.
- Am I under suspicion?

No, but your group is, and
Private First Class Gus Burkholder.

- Is that a name I should know?
- He's on the mailing list for the Right Hand.

2,000 names on that list. I
can't keep track of every one.

- We'd like to go over that list with you, sir.
- No way you'll be getting that from me.

- We have a copy, if you come with us.
- I'm not going anywhere.

We have a warrant for your arrest
if you don't cooperate.

Under the new anti-terrorism law,

we can and will hold you
until we get the information.

There goes the neighbourhood.

You can make this as easy
or as hard as you wish, sir.

The Right Hand believes in
empowering the individual...

..over a corrupt and
corrupting federal government.

We're prepared for the time when
armed resistance will be necessary.

Lives will have to be sacrificed.
But that day has not yet come.

- Would you take a polygraph, Mr Markham?
- My word's good enough.

What's your "word" on this?

Where'd that come from?

I'd like to ask you that.

More men are gonna die.

This guy's a one-man threat
to national security.

I'll bet he's got more weapons
than most Third World armies.

He told me to pull this photo
from his file cabinet.

- Who's this?
- He says he killed General MacDougal.

Name's Nathaniel Teager.
26 confirmed solo enemy kills.

A veritable killing machine.

Left for dead by the government
that created him.

Left for dead?

He belonged to Green Beret
Detachment B-11

..the squad known as the Bloody Sabers.

In 1971, the B11 was being transported
when their chopper was shot down.

No survivors.

- When was this photo taken?
- December 1995.

Just after the Right Hand liberated him...

..from a POW camp
outside the U Minh forest.

I'm sure you're aware that
in 1973 the Defense Department...

..determined there were
no more POWs in Vietnam.

Maybe that's why they tried
to kidnap Sergeant Teager

when we brought him home.

The government kidnapped
a US prisoner of war?

I said they tried.

Had their commandos
board our plane in San Diego.

When they broke into the cargo hold
where we hid him, he was already gone.

I never did figure out how.

I think I've heard enough.

- You don't believe him, do you?
- But what if he's telling the truth?

A phantom POW left for dead
comes back to avenge the injustices?

- Maybe the war ain't over.
- Maybe not Denny Markham's war.

Given the facts of the case
and the polygraph test,...

..it's the only explanation we've got.

Or it's a clever story
being proffered as a cover-up...

..for an elaborately orchestrated conspiracy.

There is that possibility too.

Let Markham take the polygraph.

- And what if he passes?
- He won't.

Mrs Davenport?

Renee Davenport?

Yes?

Wife of Lance Corporal Gary Davenport
of the Special Forces?

Yes. Do I know you?

No, ma'am. I've come to act in his behalf...

..for the reason that Gary
remains a prisoner of war.

- Gary's dead.
- No, ma'am.

May you forgive me as you forgive him,
as a man and a soldier,...

..for restoring the honour
and memory of the B-11.

Oh, my God.

Where did you get these?

Who gave you these?

Hey, where are you?

God... Where are you?
Where'd you go?

Is it true she made a positive ID
from the photo?

- From a fax of it. Do you have the photo?
- Yeah, and copies to distribute.

We've got it out to local law enforcement,

but not to the exclusion
of the other suspects.

I thought she ID'd Teager.

She did. But I cannot authorize a strategy
that targets a soldier who's officially dead.

Because his name is on a wall?

Because I spoke with the army forensics lab
where Teager's remains have been stored...

..since they were recovered
from the crash site.

They have his remains?

Markham may have staged this, finding
somebody vulnerable to pass off his lies.

- Why go to all that trouble?
- To create a decoy?

To divert our attention?
Which seems to be working.

This woman saw someone.
I wanna know who.

- Yes, that's him.
- Are you sure?

Everything he said made it
sound like Gary was still alive.

But that can't be true, can it?

You say he just disappeared?

That's what's so strange.

One minute he's standing right
in front of me, and then he's gone.

What if he was telling the truth?
What if Gary is alive?

I've tried to get on with my life.
I've remarried.

What am I supposed
to tell my husband now?

What am I supposed to do?

- Oh, your eye.
- What?

Oh, my God! What's happening to me?

I think you just burst a capillary.

Scully?

- Can we get Mrs Davenport an eye exam?
- An eye exam? For what?

The man we're looking for,
the man she saw,

has a knack for vanishing in plain sight.

She has a subconjunctival haemorrhage,
probably brought on by her emotional state.

And how did she reach
that emotional state?

- What about you? What are you gonna do?
- I'm gonna see if we're chasing a dead man.

- Agent Mulder?
- Yes.

Dr Benjamin Keyser. I think
I located what you're looking for.

It's a miracle I found it.
The record had been partially destroyed.

Two bicuspids and a molar.

This is all that was left at the crash site?

I've seen findings made with far less.
These are Sergeant Teager's teeth.

I checked them with his dental records.

- Can you tell how the teeth were extracted?
- Well, I would assume they were pulled.

On each of these teeth, there's
a pronounced scoring in the enamel.

Here, see for yourself.

Can you tell if that was pre- or postmortem?

No, not really.

Then this is presumptive. A finding of death
based on inconclusive evidence.

It was noted here, even underlined.
"inconclusive."

Whoever signed off this death
chose to ignore the facts, huh?

I couldn't tell you who that was.
These records were partially destroyed.

Is there any other way to tell?

Based on the records and the reports
filed at the same time,...

..we could make a pretty good guess.

Yes?

Yes, just a moment. It's for you, sir.

Hello?

General Steffan, this is Special Agent
Fox Mulder with the FBI.

We have reason to believe
your life may be in danger.

What are you talking about?

The person responsible for
the murder of General MacDougal...

..may have chosen to target you.

Based on what information?

A death certificate you may
have put your signature on.

The death certificate
for Sergeant Nathaniel Teager.

I don't know about that, but I'm on
my way to the Pentagon right now.

Sir, I have to ask you to trust my risk
assessment and take every caution.

Right.

Do you know your driver, sir?

Yes. He drives me all the time.

I'm gonna put two FBI agents there
to escort you just as a precaution.

They have my mobile phone number, OK?

How many of you know what a pentagon is?

A pentagon is a shape with five sides.

And the Pentagon is just that.

We're standing right now in section A.

Built in 1941 through an act of Congress,...

..the Pentagon is virtually a city in itself.

- General, sir.
- Good afternoon.

- All clear, General.
- Thank you, gentlemen. That'll be all.

- Mulder.
- I'm at the Georgetown Medical Center.

Did you find out what made her eye bleed?

No, but the ophthalmologist discovered
something called a transient scotoma.

- Scotoma?
- A floating blind spot.

What would cause that?

Any number of diseases can scar the retina.

Diabetes, glaucoma, macular degeneration.

In turn they create a visual field deficit.

- Does she have any of those diseases?
- It doesn't appear so.

Don't you think it's odd she'd have
a blind spot she wouldn't have noticed?

Not necessarily.

The processes of the brain fill in,

and the visual cortex
compensates conceptually.

- That might account for Teager's vanishing.
- I asked the doctor that. He laughed at me.

Hold on, Scully.

- It's Mulder.
- Agent Mulder, this is General Steffan.

I found something on my desk.
Something very troubling.

- Where are you?
- In my office.

The agents I assigned to you -
are they with you?

No. They're just outside.

Call them into your office now, General.

Who put this here?

Listen carefully. I'm on my way there.

General Steffan? General Steffan?

Call an ambulance.

The general's secretary was in here

no more than 15 minutes
before the general was shot.

He never saw this card
and he never saw anyone go in,...

..aside from the general and his agents.

From my cursory exam,
nothing can explain your narrative.

I was on the phone with him. He was shot in
the forehead. He would've seen the shooter.

Not necessarily.
He could've turned and been surprised.

There's too little evidence yet to know.

No scotoma?

It's beyond my capabilities
to make that analysis.

But somebody's got to explain
how a four-star general...

..could be killed in the best-guarded
military base in the country.

Sir?

I need both of you out here
to see something. Now.

That's him. That's Teager.

Neither of us has a clear explanation, sir.

You knew the general was in danger.

I did everything I could.

- This man is killing at will.
- That's correct, sir.

- He's unstoppable?
- I think Teager has an ability.

The ability to erase himself
from the visual field.

If he's invisible, then why is he
on this video clear as day?

I think he can hide himself by manipulating
what Scully refers to as a blind spot.

That is conjecture, sir.

- Even when looking at him?
- You might not be able to see him.

US soldiers reported the unexplained
appearance and disappearance...

..of VC guerrillas.
I've read the dispatches myself.

Maybe Teager learned something
from his captors in 25 years of isolation.

We've got four miles of streets
where 31 officers...

..are staging for a parade
into Freedom Square.

If what you're saying is true,
I can't protect these men.

Call it off.

Parade or no parade, the only way
to stop this killer is to catch him.

How?

By finding his next victim before he does.

I am Major General Benjamin Bloch.

He did it again, didn't he?

I told them he would.

According to the FBI,
you know the man they're looking for.

Maybe you can tell me
why they can't find him.

The same reason you can't.

Which I imagine is the same reason
you're here right now.

I am here because people are dying.

Soldiers who dedicated their lives
to the defense of this country.

I guess that's one way of lookin' at it.

As it stands, you are facing
charges of conspiracy

to commit homicide and treason.

If both those fall through, there is
still enough evidence to convict you...

..for possession and transport
of illegal arms.

Are you threatening me?

No.

I am offering you a deal,...

..for you and the people you represent.

If you think I've got any sway
with Teager, you're mistaken.

I just need to know what he wants.

You know what he wants, and we
both know you can't give it to him.

Not without dragging that nice, clean
uniform of yours through the mud.

Whatever you do to me
won't change his mind, General.

He's sending a message, and makin' damn
sure everyone hears it loud and clear.

Band!

Band!

Time!

You told me you were in a rush.

Crosstown traffic's snarled up
because of the parade.

You need information on prisoners of war.

- A man named Teager.
- I have no information on him.

- Then why did you come here?
- Tell me what you know.

A POW named Teager may be
carrying out death sentences...

..against the men that left him in Vietnam.

- Who are those men?
- Generals. Steffan and MacDougal.

- They have a connection.
- What is that?

A recent news story extremely
embarrassing to the US military...

..about the disposing of
South Vietnamese soldiers.

Men employed by our government
as spies...

..and then left behind enemy lines
to certain death.

Their lives were erased from the records.

By a secret three-man commission
who may now be facing charges.

Whose testimonies might be used
in the calculation of reparations.

Are you saying that our government
wants these officers dead?

- Why would they ask us to protect them?
- Because they know you can't.

Well, who's the third man? I need a name.

- General Bloch!
- General, sir! Stop the car!

What's going on here?

Get out of the car, sir, for your own safety.

- Why?
- Your life might be in danger.

From who?

Shooter! Get down!

- Where? Where is he?
- He was there.

I saw him. I...

It was him, sir. It was the man in the photo.

Are you sure?

I saw him, sir. It was him.

Are you sure?

Hup! Mount!

Call when you find out.

Scully, I heard what happened.
You saved General Bloch's life.

He's doing all right. He's over there.

- You saw somebody on the parade route?
- I'm not really sure.

- You saw him, didn't you? You saw Teager.
- I told you I'm not sure.

But you drew your gun.
You must have been convinced.

How are you so convinced
that Bloch was his next target?

I found out about Bloch from the person...

..who told me we were never meant
to save Bloch's life.

- What?
- This case.

Why has it been dumped on you?

ls heading up an anti-terrorism detail
part of your job?

- That doesn't prove he was set up.
- They knew Teager would be unstoppable.

- They wanted Skinner to fail?
- And us. They knew you'd bring us in.

The government is not about to sacrifice the
lives of military officers just to discredit us.

- Discrediting us is only secondary.
- Secondary to what?

Maintaining their policy
of denial about POWs,...

..and silencing the men
who made that policy.

Markham's story is having
its intended effect.

You're buying into the lie.

Markham may be the only man
in this case who's telling the truth.

- If you don't believe me, ask General Bloch.
- Ask me what?

I can't wait here. I'm delivering
the keynote address in five minutes.

You might reconsider.

He won't reconsider. Not going out
would be an admission of guilt.

We still have reason to believe
your life is in danger.

It's your job to protect me still, isn't it?

- That's what we're trying to do.
- Then do your job.

General...

All right, people, listen up,
because we don't have much time.

You all know your responsibilities. You
have your sectors and your assignments.

It gives me great pleasure
to introduce a very special man.

Wounded and decorated for gallantry
in Vietnam, he had an idea.

Teager?

To create a national memorial...

Hey, man, is that you?

..for all Americans who gave their lives
in the Vietnam War.

Hey, where ya goin'?

Hey!

Hey, where ya goin'?

The founder of the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial Fund,...

.. Mr Jan Scruggs.

- Teager?
- Welcome, ladies and gentlemen.

We are here to rededicate this memorial
on this important day.

We especially remember those
who cannot share this day with us.

- The soldiers, the airmen, the sailors.
- Hey, Teager!

It's me - Leo Danzinger.

I saw you, man. Where are ya?

Behind you.

I... I thought you were dead.

That's what they told us.

That's what they wanted you to believe.

- I don't understand.
- You will. After tonight.

What are you talkin' about?

I waited for them, Leo.
I waited for them to come.

But they never came.

- Maybe they didn't know.
- They knew.

They just figured letting me die off
was easier than admitting the truth.

It's all over, Teager.

It's been over for a long time now.

Not for me.

Not for the others.

You're tellin' me there's more?

What are you doin', man?
Where are ya?

It is an honour
to present to you now...

..another great American
and a brother in arms,...

.. Major General Benjamin Bloch.

Admiral Leitch,...

..Senator Baine,...

..fellow Americans,...

..and, especially, the veterans.

There is probably no audience...

..that understands better
that our freedom is not free.

You're my eyes out there.
Positions report.

We owe that freedom
to the selfless sacrifice...

- Sector three clear.
- No sign of him in four.

And it is our duty to remember them.

Hold on. I think I have him in section four.

Can you confirm that, Scully?

Positive. He's heading towards you, three.

Positions hold. Three and four,
do you have eye contact?

I have him in three.
He's coming towards you, Scully.

Don't take your eyes
off him, Scully.

Mulder, he saw me.

- He's heading towards the sound booth.
- I'm cutting him off.

Talk to me, people. Does anybody have him?

What's happening, Scully?

I'm closing on him.

- Do you have him in three?
- Negative.

Scully?

- Scully!
- I lost him. You got him, three?

I don't see him, Scully.

What's happening?

- I can't see him anywhere.
- He must be headed your way.

- You got him, Mulder?
- Not yet.

I got him.

I lost him.

Mulder, he's right in front of you.

- He's got a gun!
- General, get off the stage!

I can't see him!

Teager's here. I saw him.

He's gone. He's gone.

No cause for alarm, ladies and
gentlemen. Just a minor disturbance.

- Where's Bloch?
- With Skinner.

- We gotta stop him.
- What's going on?

He can only hide himself
in somebody's direct line of sight.

That's why he killed MacDougal
and Steffan at close quarters.

Get away from the car! Teager's in the car!

Get down! Get down!

Get out of the car with your hands in the air!
It's over, Teager. Come on out.

Get an ambulance over here!

Teager, Nathaniel J.

Sergeant, Green Beret Detachment B-11.

Service number 82278.

Date of birth March 7, 1952.

Teager, Nathaniel J.

Sergeant, Green Beret Detachment B-11.

Service number 82278.

Teager, Nathaniel J.

March 7, 1952.

Teager. ..

The Pentagon claims that the man
who was killed was Thomas Lynch.

A vet who's been in and out of VA
psychiatric hospitals for 15 years.

A sometime member of the Right Hand.
He was on Denny Markham's mailing list.

- Markham made a positive ID.
- They must've gotten to him.

Army Forensics claims
to have confirmation.

You heard him! We both did.
It's happening all over again.

They're covering the lies,
to make him invisible.

We've gotta subpoena Markham and Bloch,

and petition for the release
of Teager's body.

I can't do that, Agent Mulder.

Why not?

This has been turned over to CID.
It's no longer our jurisdiction.

- Don't let them do this.
- Let it go. You did your job.

So did Nathaniel Teager.

You found the man,
but now he's dead. It's over.

Is that what you believe?

Is that what you really believe?

They're not just denying this man's life.
They're denying his death.

And with all due respect, sir,...

..he could be you.

I made this!