The X-Files (1993–…): Season 6, Episode 21 - Field Trip - full transcript

Ugh! I got mosquito bites.

I got blisters.

I hate those new boots.

Honey,

why you so P.O.'d?

Thought we had a good time.

You had a good time.

You had a fine time

tromping around and leaving me
a half a mile behind.

Look, for future reference,
me running through the woods

after you for an entire day
is not my idea of a good time.



I'm sorry.

I've got longer legs.

I was excited, you know?

The great outdoors,
communing with nature.

Your head hurt?

Yeah.

You can hit me in
the head with a rock,

make you feel better.

Fine.

Go get one.

I'm taking a shower.

You still mad at me?

No. I'm not mad.

Come here.



So I guess we're
never going hiking again.

It's indoors forever
from now on.

Angie, honey, what's up?

Just hold me.

Oh. Ugh.

I don't know what they did
with the screen for this thing.

Now, this is
Angela and Wallace Schiff.

It's a young married couple
last seen hiking

in the vicinity of
Brown Mountain, North Carolina.

That's Angie on the right.

I should add
that this is the condition

in which their bodies were found

after being missing
for only three days,

in temperatures that
never got above 70 degrees.

Which rules out decomposition.

I'd say predation, but the...
the bones would be scattered.

Not to mention that
these skeletons are not wearing

any clothes.

Right. Well, I'd say

it looks like a double murder,

possibly one with
ritualistic overtones.

The bodies may
have been stripped

then skeletonized,
possibly by boiling

or by the use of some
kind of acid solution.

Maybe the arrangement
of the bodies

has some meaning for
the killer or killers.

Uh, at any rate, I'd
term it "ritualistic."

That's a pretty big operation
you're describing.

There was no evidence
found at the scene...

no tire tracks,
no footprints, nothing.

Well, what do you think this is?

Brown Mountain, Scully.
That doesn't ring a bell?

Brown Mountain lights?

It's a famous
atmospheric phenomenon

dating back nearly 700 years,
witnessed by thousands

of people...
back to the Cherokee Indians.

Strange multicolored lights
are seen to dance

above the peak of the mountain.

There's been
no geological explanation,

no scientific credible
explanation at all.

And what does that
have to do with these two?

Well, as I said, there's been no
scientific credible explanation,

but there are those of us
who believe

these strange multicolored
lights are really...

UFOs.

Extraterrestrial visitors

from beyond who apparently have
nothing better to do

than buzz one mountain over
and over again for 700 years.

Sounds like crap
when you say it.

I'm-I'm just wondering

if there's a connection, Scully.

I mean, the conditions
of these bodies are reminiscent

of certain Southwestern
cattle mutilations.

Those are cases where
there's no physical evidence,

and they've long been associated
with UFO activity.

Mulder, can't you
just for once, just...

for the novelty of it,

come up with the
simplest explanation,

the most logical one,
instead of automatically

jumping to UFOs
or Bigfoot or...?

Scully, in six years, how...
how often have I been wrong?

No, seriously.

I mean, every time
I bring you a new case,

we go through
this perfunctory dance.

You tell me I'm not being
scientifically rigorous

and that I'm off my nut,
and then in the end,

who turns out to be right,
like, 98.9% of the time?

I just think I've...

earned the benefit
of the doubt here.

We gave them adjoining suites.

I was ready to send
them on to Chapel Hill.

Figured the state
medical examiner

should have a look at them.

We appreciate you holding off.

The connective tissue
is more or less intact.

Unlike everything else.

I'm not sure what to make of it,

considering the
short time frame.

If you'll, um, pardon
an obvious question,

are you sure that these are
the right two bodies

and not two others that have
lain out for six months?

We triple-checked
the dental records.

Angela and Wallace Schiff...
no doubt about it.

Hmm.

And they were both found
near Brown Mountain, right?

Where exactly?

Well, I could write
you some directions.

Would you, uh, happen
to know what this is?

Well, the remains were
found in a swampy area.

Some sort of organic
material relating to that.

It's bog sludge.

I'm going to go check out

where the bodies were found.

You coming?

No.

You go ahead.

Wallace Schiff?

Wallace Schiff?

We got your gas
spectrometer results.

That stuff on the bones
I said was bog sludge...

it isn't.

Water, hydrochloric acid...

electrolytes, pepsins
and trypsins.

It's a digestive secretion.

Stomach juices pretty much...
pretty damn close to it.

Except for this.

Chitinase?

It's a digestive enzyme as well,

but it's strictly plant,
not animal.

Hello?!

I told you I'd seen this before.

These are the two
I remember anyway.

Both of these were discovered
as skeletal remains.

Right. But we saw
nothing odd in that.

Both were lost hikers
found months or years later...

whatever it says there.

It says here that the bodies

were found not far from where

Angela and Wallace
Schiff turned up.

Oh, Mulder, answer your phone.

The cellular
customer you are trying...

Do me a favor.

I want you to forward
a sample of that secretion

over to the FBI lab at Quantico.

I want them
to run a complete analysis.

You got it.

And, uh, in the meantime,
could I borrow your truck?

Please...

...don't take me.

Hey, come out here.

Step closer.
I won't hurt you.

You're not one of them?

One of who?

Are you Wallace Schiff?

Well, I hate to tell you this,
Wallace,

but you're supposed to be dead.

They found your skeleton

not 200 yards from here.

It's fake.

They put it there.

Who put it there?

You know who.

The Brown Mountain lights.

They abducted us...
me and my wife Angela.

They took us on board their...

Oh, God.

Wallace...

Wallace?

They found

your wife Angela, too...

lying right alongside
your skeleton.

No.

Don't you get it?

They-they faked our deaths!

They have
that kind of technology.

Who the hell would be

looking for us if they thought

they'd already found our bodies?
You see?

They returned me, but Angela,

she's still up there

being experimented on,
and I-I can't...

I don't know what to...

What do I do?!

Mulder?!

First things first...

we got to find a way
out of here.

Right behind you.

What the hell is going on?

That was solid rock

a minute ago.

- Now there's nothing there.
- Oh, God.

It's them.

They're affecting your head.

Maybe mine, too.

What if I can't even tell
what's real?

Wallace, let's get out of here.

Come on, Wallace.

They're out there, man.

It's them!

Wallace!

Mulder?

Mulder!

Don't let them see you!

They're gone.

Yeah, for now.

Thank God they didn't find us.

They should have.

Maybe they came
for something else.

Oh, my God!

Oh, my God, Angie.

They brought her back.

Angie, can you talk to me?

Do you remember what happened?

Can you tell me?

It's all fuzzy and...

You were with your husband,
you were with Wallace.

There was a light.

A bright light.

Where was that light
coming from?

From the mountain?

Over Brown Mountain.

There were strange lights
dancing over the peak and...

...and they took me.

And Wallace, too.

And then what happened?

Oh, just...
it all went black.

And when I woke up, I
didn't know where I was,

and I couldn't see
Wallace anymore.

They returned me first.

This... this place
that they took you to...

can you describe it to me,
tell me what it looked like?

It was white.

A white place.

It was featureless.

I was lying on a table,

and I couldn't get up.

I mean, nothing
was holding me down,

but I couldn't move.

Were there men there?

Yes, there were men

standing over me,

but I couldn't see their faces.

Did they perform tests on you?

Yes. They did tests.

Terrible... tests.

What?

You have a, uh...

you have a scar back here
on the back of your neck.

What?

What scar?

It's fresh.

What is that?

It's an implant.

I've seen this before.

Yes.

The drill...

I remember the drill.

I couldn't see it at first.

That was the worst part.

But I could hear it spinning,

and it was coming
out of the light!

Oh, what did they put in me?!

Is there one in me?

No, male abductees
don't usually report this.

And everything she's
said so far is textbook,

down to the last detail,
except for one.

What?

Two skeletons we found that were

identified as yours and Angie's?

I don't understand that.

- Doesn't make any sense to me.
- Maybe they're like

the cattle mutilations
you hear about.

Maybe they're somehow related,

maybe they're
part of their tests.

I had that thought,

but there's no precedent for it.

It's in none of the literature.

Well, they didn't want
anybody to find us.

I guess they didn't want you

to know the truth.

We got to get
out of here right now.

Oh, no way.

They're out there.

They're always watching.

If they find us, if we leave,

they'll take us again.

We're leaving right now.

Gather your things.

Angie, I'll help you up.

They're coming.

I can feel it.

- They're here!
- Hide!

They'll take you, too!

We've got to hide!

No!

No!

Scully.

Mulder.

Why the hell did you
leave North Carolina

without telling me?

Long story.

You disappear,
and then I get a furtive call

that you're back here in D.C.?

I'm sorry. Does anybody
know you're here?

No.

Scully, this is...

Angela... and
Wallace Schiff.

But, Mulder, it can't be.

This is my partner,
Agent Scully.

Mulder, I I.D.'d
their remains myself.

Yeah, I think you were meant to.

Agent Scully,
the aliens planted decoys

so you would think we were dead.

The aliens?

Scully, I want you to...

put aside your scientific
bias for a moment.

'Cause what I'm
about to tell you

is going to change
your life forever.

Your life, my life,

the life of everybody
on this planet.

Mulder...

I was out there...

and I found it.

What?

The truth.

This couple...

they were abducted by a UFO...

Brown Mountain lights.

They took me to a white place.

There were men there.

They put an implant in my neck.

Just like what happened to you.

Mulder, from what very little
I understand about this case,

this is not what happened to me.

There's more.

Doesn't like the light.

Who?

I abducted him.

It's a gray.

Speaks to me.

We communicate

telepathically.

Told me everything.

I... I can hear him.

Yeah.

Oh, my God.

I, uh...

I don't know what
to say, Mulder.

Where to begin.

I mean, you...

you were right.

All these years, you were right.

You think so?

You were right
about the grays, about...

about the abductions,
about the UFOs...

the lights, the Brown
Mountain lights.

What about the skeletons?

They were... they were fake.

They were decoys.

You're buying that decoy theory?

What about
that organic substance

we found on the skeletons...
that goo

you were so interested in?

It was nothing.
It was bog sludge.

That, uh...

doesn't sound like you, Scully.

It, uh...

God, I can't believe
you're buying this.

Mulder, I'm admitting
that I was wrong.

Are...

are you all right?

How are you feeling?

Uh, this doesn't make any sense.

What?

These two.
Their story.

Their skeletons.
None of it.

Mulder, if I, of all people,
can believe this,

then why can't you?

Did you go inside the cave?

Yeah. I looked. It's empty.

It's as if he just vanished.

He's got to be around.

We'll catch up to him.

I know this area pretty well.

Doctor...

it's more of that
digestive material.

Looks like it's coming up
from out of the ground.

Agent Scully?

I got tracks

going in and out.

They were only

going in before.

Oh, I guess you missed him.

How? I mean, this-this cave's
not much more

than a hole in the rock.

Agent Scully?

The courier just arrived.

They brought
your partner's charts.

I'm sorry.

I know it's difficult.

That, um...

that digestive secretion
that we keep finding...

could it... could it
have done this to him?

I'm not sure I follow.

Well, it's... it's
chemically similar

to gastric juices, right?

I mean, maybe he
fell in it or...

may-maybe it's
a product of a...

of a particular vegetation
that grows in the area.

That all sounds
plausible, I guess,

except for one thing.

There's no sign of it
on these remains.

It... it was
on the Schiffs.

I just think we need to look
for the simplest explanation.

The most logical.

What is the most
logical explanation?

I'd say we're looking
at a murder...

one with ritualistic overtones.

I think his body was stripped

and then skeletonized.

Possibly by boiling
or use of an acid solution.

Don't worry, Agent.

We'll take care
of the arrangements.

What arrangement?

We'll have the remains
sent on to Washington.

I appreciate the thoroughness

of your report.

Especially given
the circumstances.

Might be best if you
took some time off...

a short leave.

Agent?

Sir...

you're satisfied with
my conclusions in this case?

Absolutely.

I take it you're not.

Well...

I was unable to determine
a clear cause of death,

nor was I able to fully account

for the condition
of Agent Mulder's body.

You concluded he was a victim
of a ritual killing.

No.

I mean, that was

one possible scenario
that I mentioned, but...

in my mind, it-it was
the least plausible.

Not only is it plausible,
it's-it's...

it's likely.

Why are you questioning
your own findings?

My role in the X Files
has always been to provide a...

a rational scientific
perspective

to cases that would seem
to defy explanation...

a counterpoint to Agent Mulder.

And you have done that.

You have performed admirably.

Have I?

How many X Files

has my scientific approach

fully and satisfactorily
explained?

Your reports have consistently
made sense

of his conclusions.

Sir, this one makes
no sense at all.

Are you suggesting this is
anything other than a murder?

That's what Agent Mulder
would have thought.

You think
he would have been right?

Given Mulder's life work,

it's tempting to attribute
his death to the paranormal,

the unexplained, the unknown,

but that's simply
not the case here.

You need to see this
for what it is.

And given that,

I promise you we'll get
the bastard who did this.

I'm sorry.

Agent Scully, how
are you holding up?

I, uh...

I still can't believe it.

Neither can we.

I half expect Mulder to
come knocking at that door.

"Surprise."

This will dull the pain.

No, thank you.

Just so you know...

...we've launched our
own investigation.

I was beginning to think
that I was the only one

who was a little suspicious.

We'll find him.

We'll find him,
and we'll make him pay.

Find who?

The son of a bitch
who killed Mulder.

I hope you're not offended,

but we, uh, managed
to get ahold of your report.

I must say, we were impressed

by the thoroughness of it.

Especially given
the circumstances.

I don't understand.

We concur with your findings.

Clearly, this was
a ritualistic murder.

Those were not my findings.

You guys believe that, too...

that Mulder was murdered?

It's the obvious answer.

No, it is not
the obvious answer!

We believe
his body was stripped,

then skeletonized,
possibly by boiling

or the use of an acid solution.

We'll make that monkey pay.

What the hell is wrong
with everybody?!

You guys, there are
unanswered questions here!

Am I the only one
that's asking them?!

I could use a drink.

You three, of all people!

You should be all
over this, not buying

the party line.

Look, something else

is going on here.

Am I the only one
who thinks that?!

Are you all right?

I think you need

to go home and get some rest.

I'll call you a cab.

What have you done with him?

Scully, you're
emotionally distraught.

You need to calm down
and get some rest.

Where is Mulder?!
Where is he?!

What have you done with him?!

Listen to me. He's gone.

You need to accept that.

Look, something else
is going on here!

Where is he?!

Where's Mulder?!

Scully.

We were in the cave
when the light came.

It was a blinding,
blue-white light.

Then they took me.

I was abducted.

I found myself in some
kind of medical bay.

It was white, featureless.

It was just

as the Schiffs had described it.

Mulder, the Schiffs are dead.

No, actually, they're not.

Mulder, their remains
were discovered in a field.

That's... that's what
brought us to this case

in the first place.

I found your remains
in that same field.

Me... I'm here.

How did you get here?

Aliens brought me back here.

From North Carolina
direct to your apartment door?

Mulder, you don't remember
getting here, do you?

Neither do I.

Doesn't change what happened.

Mulder, why did you knock?

This is your apartment.

And you don't seem

the least bit surprised
to find me here.

And what about the Schiffs?

I mean, if they're... if they're
alive, as you say, then...

...then where are they?

Where'd they go?

Mulder, five minutes ago...

this room was filled with people
attending your wake.

Well, what can I say, Scully?

I'm here. I'm real.

Mulder, this is not reality.

This is a hallucination.

It has to be.

And either I am having it
or you are having it

or we are having it together.

Brought on by what?

Something that we found
in that field, Mulder,

because that's where it began.

Wild mushroom.

Wild mushrooms, Mulder.

They were growing there.

I stepped on one,
and it gave off spores.

Several varieties
of-of mushrooms

are known for their
hallucinogenic properties.

If we inhaled it...

Whatever happened

to the most logical explanation?

This is it, Mulder.

What if we're still there,

if we're still in that cave
in North Carolina...

that we're not here

in this apartment right now?

Whoa, Scully.

No, Mulder, bear with me.

I think this is making sense.

I think that Angela
and Wallace Schiff

were digested by that substance

that I found
all over that field.

That they were dissolved
and then expelled up

out of the ground.

What if that substance

and this hallucinogen are
from one and the same organism?

A giant mushroom?

A giant fungal organism, Mulder.

We already know that they exist.

Biologists have found
specimens that range

dozens of acres,

that weigh hundreds of tons.

And what if this one
needs to feed

on living tissue, Mulder?

There is carnivorous plant life.

There's the Venus flytrap

and the pitcher plant.

Mulder, what if this one
puts off an hallucinogen...

To lure its prey into the cave?

To make it complacent.

To keep it still
while it devours it.

What if we're still
underground, Mulder?

What if we're moving
deeper into the cave?

Or being moved?

Mulder,
what if we're being digested?

Right now.

The exact size of this organism
has yet to be determined?

That's, uh, correct, sir.

We know that the organism
extends for at least ten acres.

Though it's mostly subterranean,

so it may be far larger.

We've contacted
Fish and Wildlife.

We've contacted
the North Carolina

State Health Department,

as well as the local
FBI field office in Raleigh.

And we've contacted
a mycologist at the Smithsonian

for good measure.

We think we have
our bases covered.

The lab results determined

that the spores
we were exposed to

have a chemical structure
similar to LSD.

They also contain

an alkaloid which induces
a state of narcosis.

It's a rare day

when the two of you sign off
on the same report.

Agent Mulder?

I'm just thinking.

Uh, I'm not exactly clear

on how we escaped.

What's not clear?

Once you recognized

that we were under
a chemical influence,

then it simply kind of...
broke its spell?

That's right.

Scully, how could we simply

will ourselves out of
a chemical hallucination?

Well, the fact remains, we did.

Did we?

Can you name me
one drug that loses

its effect once the user
realizes it's in his system?

I assume the effects

wore off to the point
that you were

both able to make your escape.

Scully, how long
were we underground?

Hours? Half a day?

How come our bodies
don't show any effects

of being burned
by the digestive fluids?

We were covered in
hydrochloric acid,

yet look at our skin... nothing.

Agent Mulder,

where are you going with this?

Scully...

...we never escaped.

We're still trapped underground.

Mulder, we did escape.

I think you're suffering
from post-traumatic stress.

No, I'm not.

This is not real.

You, you're not real.

Mulder, I...

I'll prove it, Scully.

Prove it.

Mulder!

Over here!

Here!

Hey!

He's alive.

Hurry up!

Get him out! Get him out!

Keep digging!

She's down here!

Pull her up.

Get her out!

Mushroom.

We found it.

Just take it easy, Agent.

I made this!