The X-Files s03e15 Episode Script

Piper Maru (1)

Gauthier? Gauthier.
Gauthier! Gauthier! Hold the elevator.
Hold it! Hold it! Agent Scully, can I see you for a few minutes? - Kimberly, would you excuse us please? - Certainly, sir.
A memo came across my desk last night.
I debated whether or not - to call you at home but I decided to- - And it concerns me? Yes, and your sister.
It's been five months and there have been no new leads or evidence in her murder investigation by the D.
C.
Police team or the Bureau.
I've been told the case is to be made inactive until further notice.
- I see.
- I don't think there's anything to be read into this.
I think it's a case of manpower and workload.
I want you to know, though, that I am going to appeal this decision, and I am gonna go back over all the evidence again myself to make sure that nothing has been overlooked.
You know, it's strange.
Men can blow up buildings and they can be nowhere near the crime scene, but we can piece together the evidence and convict them beyond a doubt.
Our labs here can recreate, out of the most microscopic detail, the motivation and circumstance to almost any murder, right down to a killer's attitude towards his mother and that he was a bed wetter.
But in a case of a woman, my sister, who was gunned down in cold blood in a well-lit apartment building by a shooter who left the weapon at the crime scene, we can't even put together enough to keep anybody interested.
I don't think this has anything to do with interest.
If I may say so, sir, it has everything to do with interest.
just not yours and not mine.
Yeah? Sorry I'm late.
- Anything up? - No, it's nothing.
What did you want to talk to me about? Something interesting came into my attention last night.
A French salvage ship, the Piper Maru, Limped into port in San Diego yesterday, all the way from the North Pacific.
Why is that of interest? Using the National Weather Service satellite system, I was able to track its course.
This was its original position.
At longitude 171 east, latitude 42 north.
Yeah, that's where the boat we know as the Talapus pulled up what you believe was a Russian sub, - and what I believe was the remains of a UFO.
- Oh, Mulder- Look, Scully, I don't know what it is, but something is still down there and now the French are looking for it too.
- So what? - So why all the attention paid to this site? - What information are they acting on? - Why don't you just ask them? I would, but the entire crew is being treated for radiation burns.
From exposure to what? The French government is keeping that information classified.
Could it have anything to do with their resumption of nuclear tests? I checked.
It's thousands of miles away from any test site.
What? I'm just constantly amazed by you.
I- You're working down here in the basement, sifting through files and transmissions that any other agent would just throw away in the garbage.
Well, that's why I'm in the basement, Scully.
You're in the basement because they're afraid of you, of your relentlessness, and because they know that they could drop you in the middle of the desert and tell you the truth is out there, and you'd ask them for a shovel.
Is that what you think of me? Well, maybe not a shovel.
Maybe a backhoe.
That's good, because there's some garbage in San Diego I want you to help me dig through.
- Dr.
Seizer? - Yes.
Special Agent Mulder.
This is Agent Scully.
You're here about these French sailors with the radiation exposure? - How are they doing? - Not real good.
It’s been difficult to determine a proper course of treatment, because there's an air of secrecy around what happened.
The source of their exposure is still undetermined.
These symptoms, would you characterize them as acute or somatic? I'm a medical doctor.
They're somatic, although I don't think we’ve seen the worst of it.
The effects are degrading rapidly, spontaneous internal bleeding in the mouth sand intestinal tracts, blood in the urine.
All these men are suffering severe delirium, the pre-advanced stages of coma.
What kind of exposure are we talking about here? Two hundred, maybe four hundred roentgens, with a high rate of absorption.
That's verging on the levels the victims of Hiroshima suffered.
Whatever these men came in contact with, it was manmade.
Levels like this just don't appear in nature.
Not on this planet.
Did you get the chance to talk to any of them? No, they were in pretty bad shape by the time they got tome, except for one man, and this was strange, because he was the only one who seemed to be completely unaffected.
I held him for the first day, but I detected none of the symptoms of the others.
His leukocytes and erythrocytes were high.
- Actually, he was in very good health.
- How could that be? With that level of radiation, how could one man not be exposed? Doesn't make any sense.
But it's lucky for these men because he was the one who piloted the boat in.
And none of these men could've done that in their condition.
Would it be possible for us to talk to him? You could if he were still here, but he discharged himself this morning.
He’s a Frenchman, has a San Francisco address, his name is Gauthier.
Watch that perimeter! Okay, let's wrap it up and get in the truck.
I'm getting no answer at this man Gauthier's home number.
Try the I.
N.
S.
or the French Consulate, see what you can pull on him.
Right there! Yes, could I have the number for the French Consulate please? - Agents Mulder and Scully, F.
B.
I.
- I'm Wayne Morgan.
- I'm with the Navy's investigative services unit.
- Have you turned anything up? No, nothing, but I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to be looking for.
- The crew of this ship is being treated for radiation.
- Yeah, we got all that.
We had a hazmat team poring over the boat.
- Didn't find a trace.
- Nothing? We have divers in the water going over the hull, put probes down the bilge.
Couldn't detect the slightest level.
- So it's okay for us to go on board? - Sure.
Probably get more radiation off your cell phone.
Generator’s back up.
- That better? - Yeah.
Thanks.
Is this the way you found this room? Nothing’s been touched, not since she’s been tied up here anyway.
- It's a mess, huh? - Feels like home.
Feels like somebody was looking for something.
Any idea what? - No.
I'm looking for the V.
C.
R.
- What for? The dive suit has a video camera.
What the hell is that? Looks like the fuselage of a plane.
It's a North American P-51 Mustang.
Yeah, it sure is.
- I just got very turned on.
- It's the shape of the canopy.
I used to watch my father and brothers put together World War II model planes as a kid.
Would it have been carrying anything radioactive? - No.
It was just a fighter.
- Then what was it those men were exposed to? I don't know, but I might know somebody I can ask.
You’re home! I was so worried about you! Why didn’t you call me? There were these men here from the Consulate.
They said there'd been an accident.
Why aren’t you answering me? Why aren’t you answering me? Hi.
I'm here to see Commander Johansen.
- Name, please.
- Special Agent Dana Scully, F.
B.
I.
- Do you have an appointment? - No.
Uh, he use to be a friend of my father's.
I'm out here from Washington.
I wanted to surprise him.
- Let me give you directions.
- I know my way.
Thanks.
Five, six.
Got it! Good, Dana! Mr.
Gauthier! - Mr.
Gauthier, open the door.
It's the F.
B.
I.
Mr.
Gauthier? Mr.
Gauthier? Salvage.
Mr.
Gauthier? I want you to lie still.
I'm with the F.
B.
I.
- What happened? Did you fall? - I don't know.
How did you get here? I can't remember.
I was on the boat.
The Piper Maru? That's the last thing you remember? Yes.
I was on a dive.
Okay.
Do you know where you are now? I'm at home.
Where's my wife? Nobody else is home, but somebody's been here going through your papers.
- Where’s Joan? - She's not here.
Look, I- You need to be careful.
You've got some kind of oil all over you.
What's going on here? I want you to try to remain calm, okay? I'd like to ask you a few questions about a letter, about a J.
Kallenchuk Salvage Brokers.
I don't recognize that name.
Well, somebody did, and I think you know why.
I would like to speak to the French Consul General.
I have nothing more to say.
He'll be right out.
Yes? Commander Johansen? - Yes.
- I'm Dana Scully.
I used to live three doors down.
My father was Captain William Scully.
I went to school with your son.
I'm sorry.
Um- My memory isn't quite what it used to be.
Richard doesn't live here anymore.
- Actually, sir, I- I came to see you.
- Oh.
I work for the F.
B.
I.
now, and there's a question that I'm hoping that you can answer.
Oh, well, would you come in? - Do sit down.
- Thank you.
- Would you like something to drink? - No, thanks.
I know that you were an officer in the Pacific theater during World War ll.
I wanted to ask you about a plane that's been discovered.
- Discovered? - Yes.
A P-51 Mustang at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean with the, uh, call numbers JTTO 111470.
Well, those are not the call numbers of P-51.
There was an illustration on the fuselage with the words "Drop Dead Red.
" I'm sorry.
Would the words "Zeus Faber" mean anything to you? No, but as I said, sometimes my memory is not so sharp.
Well, would you know anybody I might be able to talk to? Someone who might be able to give me that information? I wish I could help you.
I wish you could too.
There's a number of French sailors who may die from radiation exposure.
If we knew more about the plane, we might be able to understand why.
Anyway, it was very good to see you again, sir.
Oh, say hello to your father for me.
I wish I could.
He's passed away.
I'm- I'm very sorry.
I have to say this place brings back memories for me.
I remember all the kids used to play a game called beckons wanted right out there.
Well if you talk to your son, will you tell him I stopped by? Thank you.
Who is it? My name is Mulder.
I'm with the F.
B.
I.
It's open.
Can I help you? - I'm looking for Mr.
Kallenchuk.
- I’m sorry.
Mr.
Kallenchuk's out of town.
Perhaps I could help you with something.
Maybe you can tell me where I could find him.
Sure.
The Far East.
Well, I've got a letter here typed on his stationary.
Maybe you typed it for him.
Sorry, I don't type.
- What did you say your name was again? - Mulder.
Mr.
Mulder, I'd be happy to relay any message you have for him, but I really have no way of contacting Mr.
Kallenchuk just now.
Okay, well, why don’t you just have him call me as soon as he can? Sure.
The F.
B.
I.
Yes.
What did you say your name was? - Geraldine.
- Thank you, Geraldine.
- Agent Scully, would you step out of the car please? - Why? just turn off the engine and step out of the car, please.
- What's this about? - You’re being detained.
Pull over there.
What's going on? I can't give your regards to my son, Miss Scully.
He was killed in a training accident during the Gulf War.
I'm sorry.
There's something else, isn't there? We bury our dead alive, don't we? I don't know if I understand.
We hear them every day.
They talk to us.
They haunt us.
They beg us for meaning.
Conscience- it’s just the voices of the dead, trying to save us from our own damnation.
You know something about that plane, don’t you? I know because I was sent to find it as an officer in a submarine called the Zeus Faber.
Okay, you're all set.
Flight 114.
Gate 2.
- Have a good trip.
- Thank you.
Next in line, please.
- Mulder.
- Mulder, it's me.
Where are you? - San Francisco Airport.
Where are you? - Miramar Air Base.
I think I just found out what those men were exposed to, - what the Piper Maru was out there looking for.
- What? That P-51 Mustang was part of an escort for a B-29 carrying an atomic bomb, just like the one we dropped on Hiroshima, - only this one never reached its target.
- Says who? Says one of the men originally sent to find it on a submarine called the Zeus Faber.
That was the name we saw written on that dive chart, right? It all makes sense, Mulder.
Why would they build a nuclear weapon when they can salvage one? Why, if they knew about it, why wait 50 years to try to recover it? And why was the only person not exposed the diver who was sent down to find it? I don't know.
- Why don’t you try to find out? - What about you? - I gotta go to Hong Kong.
- Hong Kong? Yeah.
Look, I'm gonna miss my fight, so, uh, I gotta call you back, okay? Hi.
Anything good here? Anything not on the menu? You'll have to ask the waitress.
You gentleman have a problem? When something's not on the menu, Mr.
Skinner, there's usually reason, wouldn't you say? I'm sorry.
I didn't come here for the conversation.
A hierarchy exists in the F.
B.
I.
, isn't that right? A man has status, like yourself, the assistant director, those under him obey his orders, right? Who are you guys? We work for the intelligence community.
Remind me not to move there.
You take your orders like those below you, Mr.
Skinner.
A case is made inactive- the death of an F.
B.
I.
agent’s sister- maybe that's because those above you have done the hard work of arriving at that decision.
Thanks for the enlightenment.
I'm gonna go now.
It helps to remember these things when a man looks forward to his career, to his plans for future.
We all joined thinking we'd come home heroes.
That's me.
The rest of the men in the picture, a month later, they were all dead.
The madness we planned to unleash on the Japanese, we ended up setting it loose on ourselves.
- Radiation killed those men? - The men you say had burns on their bodies, that's how it began with us.
Awful burns.
We'd found the sunken squadron when a Japanese destroyer moved into the area.
But rather than attempt to return home, Captain Sanford ordered us to go to silent running.
After three days, the burns started to appear.
Baker got them first, then Vorce and Innocenti.
No one had seen burns like these before, but a lot of us began to suspect they had something to do with the planes that we’d been sent to recover.
The men were all frightened of dying.
As the X.
O.
, I urged the captain to return to port, but against all reason and good sense, he refused to leave the area.
Captain Sanford? I'm not an M.
D.
, but I know a lost cause when I see one.
These men are all dying, and there's nothing that I can do to stop it.
just do your damn job.
Sir, I'm trying, but if we stay down here any longer, none of us are going home.
You're the X.
O.
You've gotta get us to the surface.
- We are under the captain's orders.
- He's losing his mind.
The Japanese are shadowing us.
That destroyer is doing wide circles above our position.
You have to take control of this sub, sir.
You have to make a decision.
We're all gonna die! All of us! We're dying! Can't you all see that? You've gotta get us out of here! Our silence had been shattered by the gunshot.
The only command that could save us from the Japanese destroyer now was the command to return home, an order I knew the captain would never issue.
Johansen! Open this door! Open this door! Johansen! I knew mutiny was our only chance for survival.
But I also knew, by sealing that door, I was sealing the fate of the men locked behind it.
By luck or the grace of God, we made it to Pearl Harbor.
What happened to Sanford and the sick crewmen? When they opened that door, those that were not dead were dying.
There were 144 men on that boat.
Only seven of us survived.
Whatever killed them, I was allowed to live, to raise a family, to grow old.
None of us ever got an explanation why.
This seat taken, Miss Kallenchuk? Geraldine Kallenchuk, isn't it? jerry, with a "J.
" I noticed you few first class.
Must be good money selling classified government secrets.
It's a bull market, hon, and I'm Miss Popular.
Let's make a deal.
How much for the location of that P-51 Mustang you sold the French government? - Why should I tell you? - Actually, I'd rather know who sold you the secrets.
I'm a middleman, Mr.
Mulder.
Pardon my gender type.
I take a cut.
A thin slice off the top.
It'd be bad business to divulge my sources.
- Why'd you run off to Hong Kong? - To meet with the buyer.
- To sell him what? - Pardon your gender type.
- Oh, your buyer's a woman.
- Actually, you know, it's none of your damn business.
Actually, you know, it is my damn business, because whatever it is you're selling is killing half a dozen sailors in a California hospital, which is why I'm gonna arrest you.
Arrest me? With what? Your chopsticks? This is Hong Kong, Mr.
Mulder.
They don't allow handguns here.
They took yours away at the airport.
Hey! Hey, you can't do that! I just did it.
Now let's make a deal.
You're violating my civil rights.
You gave up your civil rights when you committed treason.
You can't force me to do anything.
Open it.
Pardon my gender type, but after you.
Where are the lights? Right here.
Krycek.
I thought guns were against the law here.
Yeah, well, you know what they say.
When guns are outlawed- Why don’t you take that gun and shoot yourself in your head like you shot my father? Great.
High Noon in Hong Kong.
Why don’t you just shut up! No! My God! No way to treat your business partner, especially since she seems to be moving those secrets you're selling so well.
Looks like she's your partner now.
Damn! - Is the coffee hot? - Yeah.
- How's the blue plate? - Looks good.
I'll have one medium rare, please.
You got a pay phone that's out of order.
Nobody complains? I'm complaining.
- I’m sorry, sir.
I'm sure it's been called in.
- You're sure? Meanwhile, I'm going to miss the phone call.
That's gonna cost me time and money.
Who's gonna call that in? I’m sorry, sir.
I don't know what else to say.
Say you're gonna pay me the $1.
75 the phone ate.
- You’ll have to deal with the phone company, sir.
- You deal with them.
I want my money.
Is there a problem here? Yeah, there is a big problem! Chupa dura, amigo.
Oh! I'll call911! - Scully.
- Agent Scully, this is Kim Cook from the director's office.
- Yes.
- We’ve just got some bad news.
A.
D.
Skinner's just been shot.
- When? - About an hour ago.
He's been taken to Northeast Georgetown.
I'm on my way.
That's for your partner.
This is for me.
- And this is for my father! - No! - I didn't kill your father.
- Now you tell me.
- It wasn't me.
- Oh, yeah? Then who was it? - I don't know.
- Either way, Krycek, you're a liar.
Come on.
Finish it, Mulder.
Come on! Finish it! Do it! I want that digital tape.
- I don't have it.
- Like hell you don't.
That tape contains the secrets you were selling as well as everything else our government knows about the existence of extraterrestrial life.
How could I sell anything? The tape was encrypted.
- Obviously, you found a way.
- I don't have it, but I'll give it to you if you let me go.
Where is it? D.
C.
In a locker.
No.
If you let me go, I'll tell you.
You put that tape in my hands, and we'll talk about it.
Why don't you go to the bathroom and clean yourself off? If you’re not out of there in three minutes, I'm coming in there to kill you.
Feel better?
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