ACT TWO

From the annoyance of the commercial break...

FADE IN:

INT. EAST 46TH ST. - NEW YORK - MORNING

The room isn't smokey today... WELL-MANICURED MAN WINS! FANS GO WILD! WOO!

The room isn't filled with the usual Syndicate members, only a small portion of them... Alex Krycek, Marita Covarrubias, Well-Manicured Man, Deep Throat, and the mysterious man known as Quiet Willy.

Quiet Willy sits in the corner of the room listening very intensely.

Krycek stands, he seems very powerful. Marita sits in a chair, listening and very thoughtful. The Well-Manicured Man sits... very much in command. Deep Throat also sits.

WELL-MANICURED MAN
The Resistance is in our grasp.
Now is the time to proceed.

MARITA
Should I talk to her?

WELL-MANICURED MAN
This must be done carefully
and at the right time. If he
gets to her first, then there
is nothing we can do.

KRYCEK
And what if she refuses
to accept the truth and
exposes us to him?

DEEP THROAT
Even if she vaguely remembers
us, there won't be any problems.

MARITA
She may have already been
contacted by him. We must
approach this as if he has.

Marita looks to Krycek.

KRYCEK
I can take care of him.

WELL-MANICURED MAN
Don't interact with him, Alex.

Deep Throat looks to Quiet Willy. Quiet Willy knows what he has to do. He leaves. Krycek watches him leave... he and Marita exchange a look.

WELL-MANICURED MAN
(to Marita & Krycek)
You will tell her tonight.

CUT TO:

INT. HANGAR 22 - DAY

HIGH WIDE ANGLE - CRASH REMAINS

Scattered pieces of Flight 194 are spread out inside the hangar. NTSB members are scattered among the debris trying to find clues as to why the flight crashed. A certain section of the debris is surrounded by yellow crime scene tape.

CAMERA PANS DOWN

following Mulder and Scully being lead to the section blocked by the crime scene tape, by the Head Investigator.

Mulder looks a bit irritated.

HEAD INVESTIGATOR (O.S.)
... and really our main concern
is this section (beat) a burn
isolated to this area. (points at it)
Seat 27F.

All three of them squat down to get a closer look.

Mulder pokes around.

SCULLY
Have you taken any of
it to a lab to be analyzed?

HEAD INVESTIGATOR
Yes, in fact we did. We
found traces of radiation.

Off their looks...

HEAD INVESTIGATOR
Of course we recovered the body
that occupied 27F. We thought
perhaps the passenger had carried
something on, to cause this (beat)
but it was a young girl, carrying
only a few coins. When she was
examined by our medical examiner,
he found radiation burns, she was
the only one of the bodies recovered
with these burns-

MULDER
(points at Scully)
E-excuse me, but would Agent
Scully be able to take a look
at the passenger's body?

The Head Investigator doesn't see why not.

HEAD INVESTIGATOR
I'll inform them that you'll be coming.

He walks off, Mulder watches as he approaches a group of important looking men. Scully is looking at Mulder.

SCULLY
What's on your mind?

MULDER
I don't know.

Mulder's expression indicates that he knows that they will find something from inspecting the passenger's body. Scully gives him a look that suggests that she doesn't want to believe what Mulder is suggesting... alien abduction.

SCULLY
(irritated)
Mulder, not every plane
crash is caused by an
alleged alien abductee.

MULDER
I'm not suggesting. I'm
positive that's what caused
this crash.

Off her look.

MULDER
Why else would a radiation burn
be found on this section of the
plane, and on only one of the
recovered bodies. The plane dropped
perfectly horizontal into the ocean,
after losing power. (beat) Scully, we've
seen a case similar to this one before,
one involving the alleged abductee, Max
Fenig.

Scully doesn't know what to say, their conversation is interrupted by the Head Investigator.

HEAD INVESTIGATOR
I'm sorry Agents, but access
to the body has been denied.

Scully looks to Mulder.

MULDER
Thank you for your time.

Mulder hands him his FBI card.

MULDER
Contact me if you come
across any new information.

Mulder and Scully walk off.

SCULLY
(hushed tone)
Well now what?

MULDER
I have another way.

The Head Investigator watches them leave, a look of concern on his face.

CUT TO:

INT. MARITA & SCULLY'S APARTMENT - KITCHEN - 2PM

Marita and Krycek are the only ones there. Krycek is seated a the table. Marita is getting herself a glass of water. It's a little too quiet. Marita takes a seat across the table from him. She takes a sip of her water. Marita looks upset.

KRYCEK
(senses her feelings)
How do you think we should tell her?

Marita shrugs and looks away from him. There is a beat before anyone speaks.

KRYCEK
I think the easiest way
would be just to drop
it on her.

Marita shrugs again, she takes another sip of water. Another moment passes before anything is said.

KRYCEK
(understanding, caring)
Marita (places his hand on hers), I
know you don't want to do this (beat)
but you know what could happen if we don't.

MARITA
(a bit angry)
Yeah (pulls hand away from him), our
lives become a living hell, and we
go under the orders of the devil
(beat) he wins.

Krycek understands where she is coming from. He leans back in the chair.

MARITA
(upset, standing up)
Why do this to her? (beat)
Why take away the life she knows.

KRYCEK
(stands up, trying to comfort her)
You've gotten too close to her. (beat)
You shouldn't have.

MARITA
(raising voice)
How could I have avoided
it? I was meant to live
with her, befriend her,
keep an eye on her-

KRYCEK
-and you did. (beat) i-it
just happened you gained a
friend from it, our ally.

In the background, the apartment door opens and Skinner walks in. O.S. Skinner can hear Marita and Krycek arguing. He walks toward the kitchen.

SKINNER
(cautious)
Hello...

MARITA (O.S.)
-and how do we know th-that
this is exactly what the
Smoking Man wants us to do?!
We tell her and-

KRYCEK
-but she is vital to our survival!

Skinner enters the room, Krycek and Marita don't notice.

SKINNER
I hope I'm not interrupting anything-

Marita and Krycek stop arguing, all goes quiet. A tense atmosphere.

SKINNER
I was just stopping by to
see if Dana was home yet and-

KRYCEK
She's not.

Skinner nods his head and looks to Marita, she turns away from them, she's very upset about what's going on, she's about to cry and doesn't want Krycek and Skinner to know how close she has gotten to Scully... but she's not the only one.

SKINNER
What's going on here?

No one answers him.

SKINNER
The time has come, hasn't it?

Their looks answer his question. Skinners exits the apartment.

TIME CUT TO:

INT. SKINNER'S OFFICE - 2:45pm

The ashtray is being used. Someone O.S. taps his cigarette on the ashtray.

The door to the office opens and Skinner enters noticing someone is seated at his desk...

CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
I've been waiting for you.

SKINNER
(controlled anger)
For what?

CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
(evil grin)
I think you know why.

Smoking Man takes another drag then puts out his cigarette in the ashtray. He stands up. Skinner is cautious.

CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
(approaching Skinner)
So how are things with Dana?

SKINNER
What do you mean?

CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
(evil grin)
I think you know very
well what I mean.

The Smoking Man lights up another cigarette and puffs some smoke into the air. He glances down at Skinner's hand at his engagement ring.

CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
You two have gotten closer than
we planned. (beat) It's more than
just an assignment for you now.

SKINNER
I've got things under control.

CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
How sure of that are you? (beat)
She's a powerful woman. (takes a drag)

SKINNER
You should know.

CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
(smiles again, twinkle in eye, sly)
Should I?

After an awkward silence that leaves Skinner wondering exactly what was meant by that...

CIGARETTE-SMOKING MAN
I have some business to attend
to. (puts out cigarette) (re:
Skinner's engagement ring) I
trust you'll do the right thing.

The Smoking Man leaves the room. Skinner glances at the door and sits down at his desk and rests his head in his hands, he knows he's in deeper than he originally thought.

FADE OUT:

END ACT TWO.

Continue To Act Three