The X-Files s03e17 Episode Script
Pusher
Let's get this show on the road.
Federal agents! Get down! Get down! Turn this thing off.
- You're Pusher, I presume.
- You must be Frank Burst.
You know, I gotta tell you.
You got the greatest name.
Agent Collins, read him his rights and let's get him out of here.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.
- Think youre gonna hold me? - I want him in a waist chain and leg irons.
I want him in a car with a cage.
Loudoun County unit whatever.
I'll ride shotgun.
You know, it'd really help me out if you gave us your name.
Pusher is good enough.
You know, Deputy, I just gotta say that your uniform is really the most soothing shade of blue.
I'm not kidding you.
I notice those things.
It's a sky blue.
Very calming.
Very tranquil.
I think the word for that particular shade is "cerulean, "actually.
Cerulean blue.
- Okay, we get it.
It's a nice shade of blue.
- Cerulean blue.
Cerulean makes me think of a breeze, a gentle breeze.
- Hey, Mr.
Blackwell, put a sock in it.
- Cerulean is a gentle breeze.
Cerulean, a gentle breeze.
Stop! When the truck hit us I was knocked unconscious.
Deputy Scott Kerber was mortally injured.
Before he succumbed, he managed to pull himself out of the car, dig his keys out of his pocket, and his last breath was spent unlocking my prisoner who, despite his own injuries, managed to escape on foot.
He calls himself Pusher.
- What's his story? - He cold-called me about a month ago.
He confessed to a series of contract killings going back over the course of two years.
- He wanted to turn himself in? - No.
It was a game.
He was bragging.
See, the thing about these murders is nobody considers them murders.
They went down in the books as suicides.
- So you think he was just a crank? - No.
He knows too much about each case, too many details that were only in the police reports.
What connection did this dead deputy have with him? None, as far as I can tell.
Kerber was a good cop.
Then why did he free him? Pusher kept rambling about cerulean blue- kept saying how it reminded him of a breeze or something.
"Cerulean blue is like a gentle breeze.
" Over and over.
And then Kerber pulled into the truck and blammo.
So you think that Pusher somehow talked him into doing this? - He willed him into doing that? - Willed him? How? No kidding.
How? Youre guess is as good as mine on this one.
See, Pusher likes to leave clues.
- " Ronin.
" - Ronin.
It's a samurai without a master.
- Still, what does it mean? It means I bet I know ten to one what this guy's got stacked on the back of his toilet.
- Agents, here's volume ten.
- Oh, thanks.
I'm sorry.
I couldn't help noticing.
I was in Georgetown this weekend.
A guy knocked me down and stole my purse.
- They get him? - Do they ever? No offense.
Excuse me.
Mulder, I'm still not sure what we're looking for.
- Samurais without masters have to advertise.
- Yes, but advertise for what? I mean, how- How did this Pusher convince an otherwise honest deputy sheriff to free him? I mean, I'm sure you have a theory.
Suggestion is a powerful force.
The science of hypnosis is predicated on it as are most TV commercials.
I mean, they're designed to plant thoughts in your head.
Inducing someone to buy hair color is a little different than inducing them to drive in front of a speeding truck.
But the mechanism of suggestion is the same.
Its just a lot more powerful in this case.
I mean, this guy calls himself Pusher.
Can't we take that to mean that he pushes his will onto other people? Well, even if he could push his will, why would he cause an accident when he himself was in the car? Maybe he really didn't want to go to jail.
Look at this.
"I solve problems.
O.
S.
U.
" Ohio State University? No.
It's a northern Virginia area code.
I've seen this add in all these magazines dating back to April, 1994.
The time span of the murders.
O.
S.
U.
O.
S.
U.
Osu.
It's a Japanese word.
It means, "to push.
" I say we run down those telephone numbers.
Hey, I think you drooled on me.
Sorry.
What time is it? Twenty to 3:00.
No luck, I take it.
No.
Nothing here, nothing at the other two pay phones.
I checked in with Burst.
He's beginning to think it's a wild-goose chase.
- Hello? - Are you two just gonna sit there all night? Don't bother hunting around for me.
I'm far away.
- Although I was watching you up until about an hour ago.
- They're on the trace.
You and your pretty partner seem awfully close.
- Do you work well together? - Who is this? - What's your name? - Sorry, G-man.
It's not that easy.
You have to follow my little bread crumb trail.
Prove your worth.
So far, you're doing all right.
Why do I have to prove my worth to you? You think this is a game? What, do you want to be found? - All right.
Where's my next bread crumb? - Right in front of you.
- Let your fingers do the walking, G-man.
Okay.
Not a complete trace.
They think he was using a digital scrambler.
Let your fingers do the walking.
Phone book.
You know, what if Pusher was the last person to use this phone? - Can you redial on these kind of phones? - Hang on a second.
Yeah, it's me again.
- We want the last number dialed out from this location.
- Okay.
- Just ring it on through.
- Give me a second.
Okay.
Hi.
You've reached Teetotalers Golf Driving Range and Pro Shop.
Our hours of operation are 7:00 a.
m.
to midnight Monday through Saturday and 7:00 a.
m.
to 10:00 p.
m.
on Sunday.
So he's a killer and a golfer.
Rings a bell, huh? Let's go, G-woman.
Oh, yeah.
Strong shot.
Good shot.
Whoo-hoo! All right, gentlemen, I'm using this here non-sanctioned ball.
It's got a core of uranium- or some damn thing.
I don't know what.
It gets up there like Sputnik.
Yeah.
About time.
Konnichiwa, gentlemen.
I was never here.
- Police! Get down! - Whoa.
Okay.
- Get down! - Okay.
Okay.
Relax.
Relax.
Let me see your face.
Take it easy.
Come on.
That's right.
That's right.
Hey, Collins.
Listen.
I need you to do something for me.
Will you do something for me? Mulder.
Collins? What the hell? Collins, what the hell are you doing? Collins, let it go.
Stop me! Collins! Put that down.
Light up.
Light up.
Light up.
Light up.
- Come in.
This is Burst.
Get a burn unit over here.
- Light up.
Light up.
- Yeah, Collins is down.
Bad.
Yeah, real bad.
- Light up.
Light up.
- I don't know what happened.
Get over here! - Light up.
Light up.
Yeah, get somebody over here.
Now! Collins, it's all right.
It's all right.
Take it easy.
- Federal agent! - Light up.
Light up.
Light- Light up.
Bet you five bucks I get off.
Rise and state your name and address for the court.
Robert Patrick Modell, apartment nine.
Alexandria, Virginia.
Agent Mulder, does the F.
B.
I.
believe that this defendant is responsible for 14 murders? That is correct, Your Honor.
Well, in each of the cases, the coroner's office ruled suicide.
We believe that they were indeed murders, Your Honor.
You believe? - But do you have any evidence? - We have the defendant on audiotape confessing to the murders on several separate occasions- he clearly identifies them as such.
Furthermore, the defendant knows crime scene details that were only available to the police.
Your Honor, one of these so-called murder victims threw herself under a commuter train.
This was a crowded platform.
A hundred witnesses.
Nobody pushed her.
No one was within30 feet of her.
- But your client was present.
- Which is how he knew your crime scene details.
- Make your point, Agent Mulder.
- I believe that these people died because it was the defendant's express will that they do so.
- His will? - This man admitted to being a killer for hire.
I believe he has a unique suggestive ability which makes for the perfect M.
O.
He is able to talk his victims into injuring themselves.
- I can't believe this.
- Do you want to run that by me one more time, Agent Mulder? Yesterday a federal law enforcement officer was induced to self-immolation by the defendant.
I witnessed it.
All these other officers witnessed it.
Your Honor, we have Modell's confession.
All we're asking is- Your Honor, the evidence chain to this case has been rather difficult to establish.
We're asking the court's indulgence while we complete our investigation and we'd like to have Mr.
Modell held for trial based on the strength of his taped confession.
What about this audiotape, Mr.
Modell? Did you confess to 14murders? Unfortunately, yes, Your Honor.
Not that I remember any of it.
This was, uh, basically a drunken phone prank on the part of my client, Your Honor.
A phone prank? He had the details of every case, Your Honor.
And Robert deeply regrets the distress and confusion this situation has caused.
Do you deny these charges? Absolutely, Your Honor.
I'm not guilty.
Excuse me for a minute.
I believe you owe me five dollars.
Hey, your shoe's untied.
I made you look.
How do you do it? Hey, Modell.
I know your name now.
I know where you live.
I dug up a few more things on our Robert Patrick Modell.
Let me guess.
He was an average student.
He attended an average community college.
He did an average stint in the military.
- Which branch of service? - Not his first choice.
He wanted to be a Navy Seal and then he wanted to be an Army Special Forces, Green Beret.
Promptly washed out of both, though not for lack of intelligence.
He ended up being a supply clerk at Fort Bragg.
Served two years, general discharge.
Did you know that he applied to the F.
B.
I.
? - He didn't even come close to passing the psych screening.
- You got a copy of that? Yeah.
They found him to be "acutely ego-centered.
" He has no regard for the feelings of others, instead perceiving people as objects.
He is extremely suspicious of governments and authority.
Yet he wants to be in authority.
The screener caught him in a dozen self-aggrandizing lies.
Saying that he was a master of martial arts, that he had been trained by Gurk has in Nepal and ninjas in Japan.
And ninjas are said to have the ability to cloud the minds of their opponents.
Now, are we talking kung fu movies, Mulder? He certainly clouded the mind of that judge, Scully.
Even if Modell could, he didn't need to.
We barely had a case.
Oh, we had enough to get past a simple preliminary hearing.
Modell psyched the guy out.
He put the "whammy" on him.
Please explain to me the scientific nature of the "whammy.
" I don't know.
Maybe it's some mental aspect of some Eastern martial art.
You know, the temporary suppression of the brain's chemistry produced by a specific timbre or cadence in Modell's voice.
His voice seems to be the key.
Mulder, Modell's last known employment was as a convenience store clerk.
He has never been trained by ninjas.
He has never even been out of the U.
S.
He is just a little man who wishes that he were someone big.
And we're feeding that wish.
That failed psych screening, if Modell could actually control people's minds, right now he'd be an F.
B.
I.
agent, right? He'd be a Green Beret, a Navy Seal.
Maybe the ability came to him more recently, like in the last two years.
Well, okay.
What's your big theory? How do you explain what Agent Collins did? This is a sane man, a family man, with no prior history of psychological problems.
Sets himself on fire.
You witnessed that.
How does that happen? What do you need me to say, Mulder, that I believe that Modell is guilty of murder? I do.
I'm just looking for an explanation a little more mundane than the "whammy.
" Well, he's laughing at us, Scully.
Excuse me.
Where might I find the computer records section? Fourth foor, west wing.
Thank you very much.
Can I help you? I need to know some things.
Holly.
Great.
just let me have the keyboard for a minute.
I'd love a printout of this.
And a cup of coffee when you get a chance.
I wish I could get my hands on the guy that did that to you.
I'd make him pay.
- Can I help you? - No.
No, thanks.
We're, uh- Were just fine.
Look.
We're in the middle of something here, so- - Who are you and what are you doing here? - Take a walk, Mel Cooley.
Let me go.
Let me go.
Shut up! Holly, call security.
Holly.
He's the one.
- He's the one who mugged you.
- Holly, call security now! - Make him stop hurting me.
- Shut up! Holly, now! - Holly.
- Holly! - Security.
- I've got a situation in here, fourth foor- Ah, God! Hurt him back.
Sir, I'm so terribly, terribly sorry.
I don't know why I- Oh, God.
I'm so sorry.
All right, let's hit the bricks, huh? Holly, can you tell us anything more that might help us understand why you attacked Assistant Director Skinner? It's like suddenly I was watching myself from across the room doing these things.
It's like he was with me inside my head.
Modell? That's the only way I know how to put it.
Excuse me, sir.
Can we speak outside? Yeah, sure.
Uh, Holly, excuse us for a minute, please.
I reviewed the building security tapes.
Modell can clearly be seen entering and leaving unnoticed.
He had the word "pass" on his lapel.
Guards that waved him by don't even remember seeing him at all.
And you're saying this same mysterious phenomenon is the reason I have a size-seven heel mark on my face? I have to agree with Agent Mulder, sir.
I can't even begin to explain how, but I think that Modell is responsible for your injuries.
Why is this guy so interested in you? - What do you mean? - He left with one file- yours.
He didn't access any others.
Now he knows where you live.
- And you know where he lives.
Go pick him up.
- Yeah, for what? About the only thing we got on him now is criminal trespass.
That's enough for a warrant.
Police! Hands up! Modell! Lights coming on.
Look me right in the eyes.
Right in the eyes.
No, please.
Let me go.
Svengali.
- All clear.
No one's home.
- Search the whole building.
And nearby buildings too.
We know that Modell likes to watch from a distance.
Check the place out.
I'll talk to the neighbors.
Hey, Scully, check this out.
Mango kiwi tropical swirl.
Now we know we're dealing with a madman.
Right.
Thank you very much.
- Tegretol.
- What's that? It's to relieve Modell's seizures.
He has temporal lobe epilepsy.
I just talked to his doctor's office.
They wouldnt give me much over the phone.
just that that prescription dates back to April, 1994.
What causes epilepsy this late in life? - A head injury, neurological disease, brain tumor or lesion.
- A tumor? The growth of brain tumors has been linked with the reported occurrence of psychic ability.
- Mulder, those reports are completely unsubstantiated.
- Just bear with me for a second.
What if Modell's suggestive ability is really a form of psycho kinesis? Brought on by the brain tumor? Well, it fits.
All those protein drinks in his fridge.
Maybe he's gotta replenish the metabolic energy that he uses in the process of controlling somebody's will.
Mulder, more to the point, if Modell did have a brain tumor, the effects on his health would be more debilitating.
It's likely that he simply wouldn't be well enough to play these cat and mouse games with us.
Maybe he isn't.
Maybe that's the whole point.
- What do you mean? - His exhaustion at the driving range.
He didn't let us capture him.
He was too sick to escape, too tired, too wiped out.
Why would a killer whos so proficient confess to murders that he'd already gotten away with? - Maybe he's dying.
- And he wants to go out in a blaze of glory.
Not with a whimper but a bang.
Get the tracing gear.
- Hello.
- Hey, hey, hey, what do you say? What's up, Modell? How you doing? Long time no see.
Told you I know where you live.
Nice apartment, Modell.
Who does your decorating, the Grinch that stole Christmas? Agent Frank Burst, the guy with the great name.
Say, Frank, are Agents Mulder and Scully there? - Yeah, we're here.
- Perfect.
Frank, how much do you weigh? - Excuse me? - About how much do you weigh? Anything to keep you talking you piece of- I don't know, about 190, 195.
Bah, 215ifyou'rea day.
You're totally the wrong weight for your height.
I mean- No offense, Frank, but youre built like a fireplug.
Yeah, and I got stubby legs that are gonna kick you in the ass.
You goin' somewhere with this? Its just that it can't be healthy.
And you look like maybe youre a smoker.
You probably take a little drink now and then.
- You eat greasy fried food- sausage, bacon, eggs over easy, - Frank.
onion rings that soak those dark stains through the cardboard.
And I'm guessing you shake on that salt like a maraca.
- Frank.
Frank, hang up the phone.
- How about it? What are you talking about, Modell? What's your point? You know what that's doing to your arteries? Terrible things, Frank.
- Terrible.
- Frank.
Waxy yellow chunks of plaque are tumbling through your bloodstream, sticking like glue to your arterial walls.
- Hang up the phone.
- Keep talking, you bastard.
- Can you feel it, Frank? - Come on, man.
Hang up the phone.
- Frank, hang up the phone! - Back off! Can you feel your aorta squeezing shut? - Frank, hang up the phone! - I said, "back off"! - Hang it up! - Finish the trace! - Mulder.
- Somebody hang up the phone! Ever hear of a medical condition called pachyemia? It's when the blood thickens up in your veins like strawberry jam.
- Finish the trace! - Frank, hang it up! Hang up! Your heart fat lines.
Frank.
You die, Frank.
Frank? Yo, Frank.
No pulse.
Get an ambulance.
We need an ambulance to 3083 Roseneath Ave.
, apartment nine.
A possible cardiac arrest.
- Modell? - Hey, Mulder.
How's Frankie boy? What is it, Modell, really, that you want? A worthy adversary.
It's obviously not that fat lump lying at your feet.
No, I'm hoping it's you.
Why me? I've read all about you.
You're a top criminal profiler.
Oxford University grad, all-around bright young man.
You know what makes guys like me tick, right? You think you see right through old Bob Modell.
Sick old Bob Modell, right? You're dying, arent you, Bob? What, do you want to take a few innocent people with you before you go? Biology tells us were all dying, and original sin tells me ain't nobody innocent.
Yeah, and some are more innocent than others.
Why don't you just tell me where you are? You want the phone number? Sure, just, uh- It's 555-0197.
You know, it's just a payphone.
In two minutes, I'll be gone.
You mean you killed this man for nothing, you sick bastard? Me? No, havent you caught on, Mulder? They all kill themselves.
- Where's Modell calling from? - A gas station parking lot.
Its payphone, just like he said.
Fairfax Mercy Hospital is right down the street from there, huh? Fairfax Mercy Pharmacy.
" Fairfax Mercy Pharmacy.
" He must need regular treatment, Mulder.
Well, let's go find out.
Keep moving in.
Two is ready.
Here they go.
We found Modell's car.
The engine's still warm.
He's probably in the building.
All entrances covered.
Do we hold or goin? Hold.
- Hold.
- Roger.
The outpatient office says Modell is scheduled for a 2:30 M.
R.
I.
That's right now.
- How do you want to play this? - I think I should go in alone.
- Why? - My team can flush him out.
What if Modell turns one of your men against the others in a crowded hospital? - I think we should give him what he wants.
- You.
We stand a better chance if were separated.
I'll go in miked.
That way youll know what hes doing, where he is at all times.
You got a radio, something to keep my hands free? I got just what you need.
Two lux video camera.
It can practically see in the dark.
It's designed for bomb disposal wards to keep only one officer at risk.
See? Think I can get The Playboy Channel? Smile, Scully.
- Take it.
- No.
I wouldn't want to end up pointing it at anybody except Modell.
Let's get the show on the road.
Federal agent.
Go about your business as usual.
Scully, do you read me? I'm with you, Mulder.
Nothing out of the ordinary.
SWAT team, hold outside.
SWAT team still holding.
Mulder.
- Two shots fired.
- SWAT team- No, not yet.
Everybody keep moving.
Federal agent.
- Let me see what the hell is going on in there.
- Mulder, I'm losing you.
- Damn.
- Mulder.
Agent Mulder.
Wait.
Agent Scully.
Are you, uh- you getting this back there? - Mulder, what happened? - Looks like the guard shot the technician, then he shot himself.
His gun is missing.
Brophy, tell your men Modell may be heading your way.
SWAT team, suspect is armed and is possibly making his way out of the building.
We copy.
We're ready for him.
Mulder, wait- wait.
- Get closer to the computer monitor.
- Over here? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Right there.
There.
That light mass in his temporal lobe.
Right here.
You were right, Mulder.
Now check around you.
Modell's chart should be somewhere around there.
We're batting a thousand, Scully.
Modell's dying.
He's got nothing to lose.
Mulder, just get out of there.
Go.
Mulder.
Mulder! We think they're three doors down.
We've got both ends sewn up tight, but there're six critical care rooms we can't get to.
If we gas the halls, we might kill those patients.
Why do we keep giving this guy exactly what he wants? just wait for a signal from me.
You're clear.
Mulder.
Thanks for joining us.
We've got a dozen law enforcement officers outside in the hall, another 30 in the parking lot.
A regular convention.
So whatever youve got planned, it's not going to work out the way you want it to.
You don't know what I got planned.
Two warriors of equal skill fight to the death.
One is a student of Japanese budo- the way of war.
Budo teaches the warrior to leave himself outside the battle.
In other words, to disregard his own death.
Because of that, the budo warrior always wins.
I am that warrior.
I don't fear my death.
So I- I'm gonna give you one pull of the trigger against me.
A one-in-six chance.
One.
One pull.
Wait.
Mulder, look.
There's pure oxygen in this room.
Theres no telling what could happen if you pull that trigger.
Piece of cake.
Your turn.
Mulder, no.
Mulder, yes.
- Go.
- Mulder, listen tome.
Give me the gun.
We can stop this thing right now.
You and I can just walk outside of this room.
No! Damn you! You bastard! Mulder, hand me the gun- Mulder, you don't have to do this.
You're stronger than this.
Your turn, Scully.
Gotta play by the rules.
Pull the trigger, Mulder.
Mulder, fight him.
You can fight this.
Come on.
Pull the trigger, Mulder.
She shot you.
I read it in her files.
Payback time.
Shoot the little spy! - I'm gonna kill you, Modell.
- Yeah.
Pull the trigger.
You get another crack at me.
Scully, run! Scully.
Federal Agent.
Get down! Get down! Get down! There's no telling how long he'll hang on, but he'll never regain consciousness.
You know how we thought he was undergoing treatment? We were wrong.
- What do you mean? - Read his chart.
The M.
R.
I.
s were a way to gauge how much life he had left, but he consistently refused treatment.
The tumor remained operable right up until the end, but he refused to have it removed.
- Why? - I think it's like you said, he was always such a little man.
This was finally something that made him feel big.
I say we don't let him take up another minute of our time.
I made this!
Federal agents! Get down! Get down! Turn this thing off.
- You're Pusher, I presume.
- You must be Frank Burst.
You know, I gotta tell you.
You got the greatest name.
Agent Collins, read him his rights and let's get him out of here.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.
- Think youre gonna hold me? - I want him in a waist chain and leg irons.
I want him in a car with a cage.
Loudoun County unit whatever.
I'll ride shotgun.
You know, it'd really help me out if you gave us your name.
Pusher is good enough.
You know, Deputy, I just gotta say that your uniform is really the most soothing shade of blue.
I'm not kidding you.
I notice those things.
It's a sky blue.
Very calming.
Very tranquil.
I think the word for that particular shade is "cerulean, "actually.
Cerulean blue.
- Okay, we get it.
It's a nice shade of blue.
- Cerulean blue.
Cerulean makes me think of a breeze, a gentle breeze.
- Hey, Mr.
Blackwell, put a sock in it.
- Cerulean is a gentle breeze.
Cerulean, a gentle breeze.
Stop! When the truck hit us I was knocked unconscious.
Deputy Scott Kerber was mortally injured.
Before he succumbed, he managed to pull himself out of the car, dig his keys out of his pocket, and his last breath was spent unlocking my prisoner who, despite his own injuries, managed to escape on foot.
He calls himself Pusher.
- What's his story? - He cold-called me about a month ago.
He confessed to a series of contract killings going back over the course of two years.
- He wanted to turn himself in? - No.
It was a game.
He was bragging.
See, the thing about these murders is nobody considers them murders.
They went down in the books as suicides.
- So you think he was just a crank? - No.
He knows too much about each case, too many details that were only in the police reports.
What connection did this dead deputy have with him? None, as far as I can tell.
Kerber was a good cop.
Then why did he free him? Pusher kept rambling about cerulean blue- kept saying how it reminded him of a breeze or something.
"Cerulean blue is like a gentle breeze.
" Over and over.
And then Kerber pulled into the truck and blammo.
So you think that Pusher somehow talked him into doing this? - He willed him into doing that? - Willed him? How? No kidding.
How? Youre guess is as good as mine on this one.
See, Pusher likes to leave clues.
- " Ronin.
" - Ronin.
It's a samurai without a master.
- Still, what does it mean? It means I bet I know ten to one what this guy's got stacked on the back of his toilet.
- Agents, here's volume ten.
- Oh, thanks.
I'm sorry.
I couldn't help noticing.
I was in Georgetown this weekend.
A guy knocked me down and stole my purse.
- They get him? - Do they ever? No offense.
Excuse me.
Mulder, I'm still not sure what we're looking for.
- Samurais without masters have to advertise.
- Yes, but advertise for what? I mean, how- How did this Pusher convince an otherwise honest deputy sheriff to free him? I mean, I'm sure you have a theory.
Suggestion is a powerful force.
The science of hypnosis is predicated on it as are most TV commercials.
I mean, they're designed to plant thoughts in your head.
Inducing someone to buy hair color is a little different than inducing them to drive in front of a speeding truck.
But the mechanism of suggestion is the same.
Its just a lot more powerful in this case.
I mean, this guy calls himself Pusher.
Can't we take that to mean that he pushes his will onto other people? Well, even if he could push his will, why would he cause an accident when he himself was in the car? Maybe he really didn't want to go to jail.
Look at this.
"I solve problems.
O.
S.
U.
" Ohio State University? No.
It's a northern Virginia area code.
I've seen this add in all these magazines dating back to April, 1994.
The time span of the murders.
O.
S.
U.
O.
S.
U.
Osu.
It's a Japanese word.
It means, "to push.
" I say we run down those telephone numbers.
Hey, I think you drooled on me.
Sorry.
What time is it? Twenty to 3:00.
No luck, I take it.
No.
Nothing here, nothing at the other two pay phones.
I checked in with Burst.
He's beginning to think it's a wild-goose chase.
- Hello? - Are you two just gonna sit there all night? Don't bother hunting around for me.
I'm far away.
- Although I was watching you up until about an hour ago.
- They're on the trace.
You and your pretty partner seem awfully close.
- Do you work well together? - Who is this? - What's your name? - Sorry, G-man.
It's not that easy.
You have to follow my little bread crumb trail.
Prove your worth.
So far, you're doing all right.
Why do I have to prove my worth to you? You think this is a game? What, do you want to be found? - All right.
Where's my next bread crumb? - Right in front of you.
- Let your fingers do the walking, G-man.
Okay.
Not a complete trace.
They think he was using a digital scrambler.
Let your fingers do the walking.
Phone book.
You know, what if Pusher was the last person to use this phone? - Can you redial on these kind of phones? - Hang on a second.
Yeah, it's me again.
- We want the last number dialed out from this location.
- Okay.
- Just ring it on through.
- Give me a second.
Okay.
Hi.
You've reached Teetotalers Golf Driving Range and Pro Shop.
Our hours of operation are 7:00 a.
m.
to midnight Monday through Saturday and 7:00 a.
m.
to 10:00 p.
m.
on Sunday.
So he's a killer and a golfer.
Rings a bell, huh? Let's go, G-woman.
Oh, yeah.
Strong shot.
Good shot.
Whoo-hoo! All right, gentlemen, I'm using this here non-sanctioned ball.
It's got a core of uranium- or some damn thing.
I don't know what.
It gets up there like Sputnik.
Yeah.
About time.
Konnichiwa, gentlemen.
I was never here.
- Police! Get down! - Whoa.
Okay.
- Get down! - Okay.
Okay.
Relax.
Relax.
Let me see your face.
Take it easy.
Come on.
That's right.
That's right.
Hey, Collins.
Listen.
I need you to do something for me.
Will you do something for me? Mulder.
Collins? What the hell? Collins, what the hell are you doing? Collins, let it go.
Stop me! Collins! Put that down.
Light up.
Light up.
Light up.
Light up.
- Come in.
This is Burst.
Get a burn unit over here.
- Light up.
Light up.
- Yeah, Collins is down.
Bad.
Yeah, real bad.
- Light up.
Light up.
- I don't know what happened.
Get over here! - Light up.
Light up.
Yeah, get somebody over here.
Now! Collins, it's all right.
It's all right.
Take it easy.
- Federal agent! - Light up.
Light up.
Light- Light up.
Bet you five bucks I get off.
Rise and state your name and address for the court.
Robert Patrick Modell, apartment nine.
Alexandria, Virginia.
Agent Mulder, does the F.
B.
I.
believe that this defendant is responsible for 14 murders? That is correct, Your Honor.
Well, in each of the cases, the coroner's office ruled suicide.
We believe that they were indeed murders, Your Honor.
You believe? - But do you have any evidence? - We have the defendant on audiotape confessing to the murders on several separate occasions- he clearly identifies them as such.
Furthermore, the defendant knows crime scene details that were only available to the police.
Your Honor, one of these so-called murder victims threw herself under a commuter train.
This was a crowded platform.
A hundred witnesses.
Nobody pushed her.
No one was within30 feet of her.
- But your client was present.
- Which is how he knew your crime scene details.
- Make your point, Agent Mulder.
- I believe that these people died because it was the defendant's express will that they do so.
- His will? - This man admitted to being a killer for hire.
I believe he has a unique suggestive ability which makes for the perfect M.
O.
He is able to talk his victims into injuring themselves.
- I can't believe this.
- Do you want to run that by me one more time, Agent Mulder? Yesterday a federal law enforcement officer was induced to self-immolation by the defendant.
I witnessed it.
All these other officers witnessed it.
Your Honor, we have Modell's confession.
All we're asking is- Your Honor, the evidence chain to this case has been rather difficult to establish.
We're asking the court's indulgence while we complete our investigation and we'd like to have Mr.
Modell held for trial based on the strength of his taped confession.
What about this audiotape, Mr.
Modell? Did you confess to 14murders? Unfortunately, yes, Your Honor.
Not that I remember any of it.
This was, uh, basically a drunken phone prank on the part of my client, Your Honor.
A phone prank? He had the details of every case, Your Honor.
And Robert deeply regrets the distress and confusion this situation has caused.
Do you deny these charges? Absolutely, Your Honor.
I'm not guilty.
Excuse me for a minute.
I believe you owe me five dollars.
Hey, your shoe's untied.
I made you look.
How do you do it? Hey, Modell.
I know your name now.
I know where you live.
I dug up a few more things on our Robert Patrick Modell.
Let me guess.
He was an average student.
He attended an average community college.
He did an average stint in the military.
- Which branch of service? - Not his first choice.
He wanted to be a Navy Seal and then he wanted to be an Army Special Forces, Green Beret.
Promptly washed out of both, though not for lack of intelligence.
He ended up being a supply clerk at Fort Bragg.
Served two years, general discharge.
Did you know that he applied to the F.
B.
I.
? - He didn't even come close to passing the psych screening.
- You got a copy of that? Yeah.
They found him to be "acutely ego-centered.
" He has no regard for the feelings of others, instead perceiving people as objects.
He is extremely suspicious of governments and authority.
Yet he wants to be in authority.
The screener caught him in a dozen self-aggrandizing lies.
Saying that he was a master of martial arts, that he had been trained by Gurk has in Nepal and ninjas in Japan.
And ninjas are said to have the ability to cloud the minds of their opponents.
Now, are we talking kung fu movies, Mulder? He certainly clouded the mind of that judge, Scully.
Even if Modell could, he didn't need to.
We barely had a case.
Oh, we had enough to get past a simple preliminary hearing.
Modell psyched the guy out.
He put the "whammy" on him.
Please explain to me the scientific nature of the "whammy.
" I don't know.
Maybe it's some mental aspect of some Eastern martial art.
You know, the temporary suppression of the brain's chemistry produced by a specific timbre or cadence in Modell's voice.
His voice seems to be the key.
Mulder, Modell's last known employment was as a convenience store clerk.
He has never been trained by ninjas.
He has never even been out of the U.
S.
He is just a little man who wishes that he were someone big.
And we're feeding that wish.
That failed psych screening, if Modell could actually control people's minds, right now he'd be an F.
B.
I.
agent, right? He'd be a Green Beret, a Navy Seal.
Maybe the ability came to him more recently, like in the last two years.
Well, okay.
What's your big theory? How do you explain what Agent Collins did? This is a sane man, a family man, with no prior history of psychological problems.
Sets himself on fire.
You witnessed that.
How does that happen? What do you need me to say, Mulder, that I believe that Modell is guilty of murder? I do.
I'm just looking for an explanation a little more mundane than the "whammy.
" Well, he's laughing at us, Scully.
Excuse me.
Where might I find the computer records section? Fourth foor, west wing.
Thank you very much.
Can I help you? I need to know some things.
Holly.
Great.
just let me have the keyboard for a minute.
I'd love a printout of this.
And a cup of coffee when you get a chance.
I wish I could get my hands on the guy that did that to you.
I'd make him pay.
- Can I help you? - No.
No, thanks.
We're, uh- Were just fine.
Look.
We're in the middle of something here, so- - Who are you and what are you doing here? - Take a walk, Mel Cooley.
Let me go.
Let me go.
Shut up! Holly, call security.
Holly.
He's the one.
- He's the one who mugged you.
- Holly, call security now! - Make him stop hurting me.
- Shut up! Holly, now! - Holly.
- Holly! - Security.
- I've got a situation in here, fourth foor- Ah, God! Hurt him back.
Sir, I'm so terribly, terribly sorry.
I don't know why I- Oh, God.
I'm so sorry.
All right, let's hit the bricks, huh? Holly, can you tell us anything more that might help us understand why you attacked Assistant Director Skinner? It's like suddenly I was watching myself from across the room doing these things.
It's like he was with me inside my head.
Modell? That's the only way I know how to put it.
Excuse me, sir.
Can we speak outside? Yeah, sure.
Uh, Holly, excuse us for a minute, please.
I reviewed the building security tapes.
Modell can clearly be seen entering and leaving unnoticed.
He had the word "pass" on his lapel.
Guards that waved him by don't even remember seeing him at all.
And you're saying this same mysterious phenomenon is the reason I have a size-seven heel mark on my face? I have to agree with Agent Mulder, sir.
I can't even begin to explain how, but I think that Modell is responsible for your injuries.
Why is this guy so interested in you? - What do you mean? - He left with one file- yours.
He didn't access any others.
Now he knows where you live.
- And you know where he lives.
Go pick him up.
- Yeah, for what? About the only thing we got on him now is criminal trespass.
That's enough for a warrant.
Police! Hands up! Modell! Lights coming on.
Look me right in the eyes.
Right in the eyes.
No, please.
Let me go.
Svengali.
- All clear.
No one's home.
- Search the whole building.
And nearby buildings too.
We know that Modell likes to watch from a distance.
Check the place out.
I'll talk to the neighbors.
Hey, Scully, check this out.
Mango kiwi tropical swirl.
Now we know we're dealing with a madman.
Right.
Thank you very much.
- Tegretol.
- What's that? It's to relieve Modell's seizures.
He has temporal lobe epilepsy.
I just talked to his doctor's office.
They wouldnt give me much over the phone.
just that that prescription dates back to April, 1994.
What causes epilepsy this late in life? - A head injury, neurological disease, brain tumor or lesion.
- A tumor? The growth of brain tumors has been linked with the reported occurrence of psychic ability.
- Mulder, those reports are completely unsubstantiated.
- Just bear with me for a second.
What if Modell's suggestive ability is really a form of psycho kinesis? Brought on by the brain tumor? Well, it fits.
All those protein drinks in his fridge.
Maybe he's gotta replenish the metabolic energy that he uses in the process of controlling somebody's will.
Mulder, more to the point, if Modell did have a brain tumor, the effects on his health would be more debilitating.
It's likely that he simply wouldn't be well enough to play these cat and mouse games with us.
Maybe he isn't.
Maybe that's the whole point.
- What do you mean? - His exhaustion at the driving range.
He didn't let us capture him.
He was too sick to escape, too tired, too wiped out.
Why would a killer whos so proficient confess to murders that he'd already gotten away with? - Maybe he's dying.
- And he wants to go out in a blaze of glory.
Not with a whimper but a bang.
Get the tracing gear.
- Hello.
- Hey, hey, hey, what do you say? What's up, Modell? How you doing? Long time no see.
Told you I know where you live.
Nice apartment, Modell.
Who does your decorating, the Grinch that stole Christmas? Agent Frank Burst, the guy with the great name.
Say, Frank, are Agents Mulder and Scully there? - Yeah, we're here.
- Perfect.
Frank, how much do you weigh? - Excuse me? - About how much do you weigh? Anything to keep you talking you piece of- I don't know, about 190, 195.
Bah, 215ifyou'rea day.
You're totally the wrong weight for your height.
I mean- No offense, Frank, but youre built like a fireplug.
Yeah, and I got stubby legs that are gonna kick you in the ass.
You goin' somewhere with this? Its just that it can't be healthy.
And you look like maybe youre a smoker.
You probably take a little drink now and then.
- You eat greasy fried food- sausage, bacon, eggs over easy, - Frank.
onion rings that soak those dark stains through the cardboard.
And I'm guessing you shake on that salt like a maraca.
- Frank.
Frank, hang up the phone.
- How about it? What are you talking about, Modell? What's your point? You know what that's doing to your arteries? Terrible things, Frank.
- Terrible.
- Frank.
Waxy yellow chunks of plaque are tumbling through your bloodstream, sticking like glue to your arterial walls.
- Hang up the phone.
- Keep talking, you bastard.
- Can you feel it, Frank? - Come on, man.
Hang up the phone.
- Frank, hang up the phone! - Back off! Can you feel your aorta squeezing shut? - Frank, hang up the phone! - I said, "back off"! - Hang it up! - Finish the trace! - Mulder.
- Somebody hang up the phone! Ever hear of a medical condition called pachyemia? It's when the blood thickens up in your veins like strawberry jam.
- Finish the trace! - Frank, hang it up! Hang up! Your heart fat lines.
Frank.
You die, Frank.
Frank? Yo, Frank.
No pulse.
Get an ambulance.
We need an ambulance to 3083 Roseneath Ave.
, apartment nine.
A possible cardiac arrest.
- Modell? - Hey, Mulder.
How's Frankie boy? What is it, Modell, really, that you want? A worthy adversary.
It's obviously not that fat lump lying at your feet.
No, I'm hoping it's you.
Why me? I've read all about you.
You're a top criminal profiler.
Oxford University grad, all-around bright young man.
You know what makes guys like me tick, right? You think you see right through old Bob Modell.
Sick old Bob Modell, right? You're dying, arent you, Bob? What, do you want to take a few innocent people with you before you go? Biology tells us were all dying, and original sin tells me ain't nobody innocent.
Yeah, and some are more innocent than others.
Why don't you just tell me where you are? You want the phone number? Sure, just, uh- It's 555-0197.
You know, it's just a payphone.
In two minutes, I'll be gone.
You mean you killed this man for nothing, you sick bastard? Me? No, havent you caught on, Mulder? They all kill themselves.
- Where's Modell calling from? - A gas station parking lot.
Its payphone, just like he said.
Fairfax Mercy Hospital is right down the street from there, huh? Fairfax Mercy Pharmacy.
" Fairfax Mercy Pharmacy.
" He must need regular treatment, Mulder.
Well, let's go find out.
Keep moving in.
Two is ready.
Here they go.
We found Modell's car.
The engine's still warm.
He's probably in the building.
All entrances covered.
Do we hold or goin? Hold.
- Hold.
- Roger.
The outpatient office says Modell is scheduled for a 2:30 M.
R.
I.
That's right now.
- How do you want to play this? - I think I should go in alone.
- Why? - My team can flush him out.
What if Modell turns one of your men against the others in a crowded hospital? - I think we should give him what he wants.
- You.
We stand a better chance if were separated.
I'll go in miked.
That way youll know what hes doing, where he is at all times.
You got a radio, something to keep my hands free? I got just what you need.
Two lux video camera.
It can practically see in the dark.
It's designed for bomb disposal wards to keep only one officer at risk.
See? Think I can get The Playboy Channel? Smile, Scully.
- Take it.
- No.
I wouldn't want to end up pointing it at anybody except Modell.
Let's get the show on the road.
Federal agent.
Go about your business as usual.
Scully, do you read me? I'm with you, Mulder.
Nothing out of the ordinary.
SWAT team, hold outside.
SWAT team still holding.
Mulder.
- Two shots fired.
- SWAT team- No, not yet.
Everybody keep moving.
Federal agent.
- Let me see what the hell is going on in there.
- Mulder, I'm losing you.
- Damn.
- Mulder.
Agent Mulder.
Wait.
Agent Scully.
Are you, uh- you getting this back there? - Mulder, what happened? - Looks like the guard shot the technician, then he shot himself.
His gun is missing.
Brophy, tell your men Modell may be heading your way.
SWAT team, suspect is armed and is possibly making his way out of the building.
We copy.
We're ready for him.
Mulder, wait- wait.
- Get closer to the computer monitor.
- Over here? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Right there.
There.
That light mass in his temporal lobe.
Right here.
You were right, Mulder.
Now check around you.
Modell's chart should be somewhere around there.
We're batting a thousand, Scully.
Modell's dying.
He's got nothing to lose.
Mulder, just get out of there.
Go.
Mulder.
Mulder! We think they're three doors down.
We've got both ends sewn up tight, but there're six critical care rooms we can't get to.
If we gas the halls, we might kill those patients.
Why do we keep giving this guy exactly what he wants? just wait for a signal from me.
You're clear.
Mulder.
Thanks for joining us.
We've got a dozen law enforcement officers outside in the hall, another 30 in the parking lot.
A regular convention.
So whatever youve got planned, it's not going to work out the way you want it to.
You don't know what I got planned.
Two warriors of equal skill fight to the death.
One is a student of Japanese budo- the way of war.
Budo teaches the warrior to leave himself outside the battle.
In other words, to disregard his own death.
Because of that, the budo warrior always wins.
I am that warrior.
I don't fear my death.
So I- I'm gonna give you one pull of the trigger against me.
A one-in-six chance.
One.
One pull.
Wait.
Mulder, look.
There's pure oxygen in this room.
Theres no telling what could happen if you pull that trigger.
Piece of cake.
Your turn.
Mulder, no.
Mulder, yes.
- Go.
- Mulder, listen tome.
Give me the gun.
We can stop this thing right now.
You and I can just walk outside of this room.
No! Damn you! You bastard! Mulder, hand me the gun- Mulder, you don't have to do this.
You're stronger than this.
Your turn, Scully.
Gotta play by the rules.
Pull the trigger, Mulder.
Mulder, fight him.
You can fight this.
Come on.
Pull the trigger, Mulder.
She shot you.
I read it in her files.
Payback time.
Shoot the little spy! - I'm gonna kill you, Modell.
- Yeah.
Pull the trigger.
You get another crack at me.
Scully, run! Scully.
Federal Agent.
Get down! Get down! Get down! There's no telling how long he'll hang on, but he'll never regain consciousness.
You know how we thought he was undergoing treatment? We were wrong.
- What do you mean? - Read his chart.
The M.
R.
I.
s were a way to gauge how much life he had left, but he consistently refused treatment.
The tumor remained operable right up until the end, but he refused to have it removed.
- Why? - I think it's like you said, he was always such a little man.
This was finally something that made him feel big.
I say we don't let him take up another minute of our time.
I made this!