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Parazone - Part 3

written by Jeroen de Jong

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About this story

Published: 1997 | Size: 43 KB (8033 words) | Language: english | Rating: PG-13
Average: 3.2/5   3.2/5 (19 votes)
Abstract:
MSCL / X-Files Crossover

based on stories and characters created by Winnie Holzman

SCENE 1

Interior Angela's room. Angela's sitting in front of her mirror, she's wearing jeans and a t-shirt. On her make-up table lay a pair of clean socks and a flashlight. Text appears: Three Rivers, Pennsylvania. April 9, 1.50 a.m. Angela is staring in the mirror.

ANGELA VO: Maybe nothing is going on. Maybe this goes only on in my mind. Maybe this is a side-effect of being so introspective. [pauses] Sure. Like I can hallucinate cars, mysterious packages and F.B.I. agents.

She reaches in her backpocket and gets out the card Scully gave her. She looks at it. It says: Special Agent D. Scully, Federal Bureau of Investigation. And then two phone numbers.

ANGELA VO: It *is* happening. Rickie and Jordan know about it. It is real. But I don't want to get involved. I just want to go to sleep, wake up tomorrow and find out that nothing ever happened.

She stands up and walks to the window. As she shoves a curtain away, she sees a beige car driving slowly through the street with no lights on. Quickly she puts the curtain back again. She looks afraid. A few seconds later she peaks through the curtains again, the car is gone.

ANGELA VO: But I guess that is just not an option right now.

She puts on her socks and grabs her flanel shirt and the flashlight. Without making a sound she gets out of her room and walks down the stairs. In the kitchen she puts on her shoes, her shirt and her orange jacket and pulls on the hood. She gets out of the house, through the back door. When she gets on to the street, she looks carefully if there isn't anything strange. Then she crosses the street and walks to Brian's house. She walks to the back of the house and tries the back door without making a sound. It's locked. She lookes around the garden with the flashlight and smiles when she sees a loose flagstone. Immediately she turns the flashlight off again. She goes to the stone, lifts it and takes the key that's under it. She walks back to the door and turns the key without making a sound. She opens the door and steps into the kitchen. She's scared, but also excited. She walks through the kitchen, into the living room and takes a quick look around. It's just a dark living room, nothing special. She looks up the stairs, but can't see much, 'cause it's really dark there. Then she takes the first steps on the stairs.

BRIAN: [loud, very nervous] Don't move. I have a gun. Put your hands where I can see them.

Angela is scared like hell at the moment, but she recovers quickly and moves her hands in the air. Brian remains invisible all the time.

ANGELA: Brian, it's me, Angela. You don't want to shoot me, right?

BRIAN: [relieved and angry] What? You have a new hobby, breaking and entering in the neighbourhood?

ANGELA: Brian, can I come up? We've got to talk.

BRIAN: No, you can't come up. Just go away. Like right now.

ANGELA: You can't just send me away. I'm involved. I saw the black car and I saw the woman putting something in your garbage can. The F.B.I. was asking me questions about you. Twice.

Angela is almost crying. She realizing how involved she is and how bad it probably is.

ANGELA: I lied to the F.B.I. For you! To cover you!

Brian turns on a little light. He's still holding the gun, but it's pointing at the floor. Even in the dim light it's clear that Brian is looking very pale. There are black circles around his eyes.

BRIAN: [softly] You did?

Angela nods. With the hood over her hair she looks like a little girl.

BRIAN: [softly] Come on up, I'll show you.



SCENE 2

Interior hospital hallway. It's quiet. Scully walks through the hallway. Text appears: University Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. April 9, 2.15 a.m. In front of a door sits a young policeman. She walks to him, shows her i.d. He nods and she gets in. Inside the room Mulder is sitting up in a hospital bed. He's wearing hospital pyjama's.

SCULLY: How are you?

MULDER: Fine. It was just a little bleeding. No remaining damage.

SCULLY: Thank god.

MULDER: So what was it?

SCULLY: It's a long story.

MULDER: Try the short version.

SCULLY: Right. The facts are these. In 1967 a brain researcher namend Michael Francis found out that a certain mixture of radium, uranium and ozon can create paranormal powers. He was looking for something else, but when he tested this on rats he noticed some could kill others without touching them. When he examined the dead rats, he found out they all died of a spontaneous brain haemorraghe. He called the material "parazone". When he published this in the journal Cortex, all the issues were destroyed before publishing. Francis disappeared.

MULDER: How did you find out?

SCULLY: Skinner gave me a copy of the article. But it doesn't exist.

MULDER: Right.

SCULLY: Paul David was stationed in Vietnam in 1969, from january till august. Somehow all data on his activities are gone. So are more data from his department. But I did find a picture of a biological researcher also stationed in Saigon at the time David was there. [gives Mulder some photos] See that guy, Eugene Blake? And now look at the other picture, the missing Michael Francis. [pauses, let's him take a look] It's the same guy.

MULDER: Yes. So, Francis got contracted by the army and they customized his little cocktail. In this way they could create soldiers with extreme paranormal powers. They could read minds, move big objects and kill without getting noticed.

SCULLY: Probably. But we can't prove that. The material is radioactive and lethal. Francis gives in his article some amounts and expected time to live after being given parazone. I think, even if they optimalized it, no human being could live longer than two or three weeks before getting real sick and dying.

MULDER: Except for one person.

SCULLY: Paul David. They had bad luck. There *are* people who are more or less resistant to small radioactive doses. He was one. And they couldn't kill him, because he was decorated two times.

MULDER: And he was extremely paranormally gifted. He would know if someone was going to kill him. And he himself was also capable of killing. David was a double threat to the people who gave him the parazone.

SCULLY: But he didn't go public.

MULDER: They bought him off and they probably had something against him. He had relatives or friends they could kill. Everybody is vonerable.

SCULLY: But Walden and the Branigans knew. And *they* wanted to go public.

Suddenly Mulder grabs his head again and screams. Scully frightens and grabs her gun.

MULDER: He's somewhere here.

SCULLY: Get up. Where did you have the CT-scan?

Mulder gets up and gets his gun from under his pillow. The police man enters the room.

MULDER: Four or five doors along the hallway.

SCULLY: Let's go there. [to policeman] Officer, get back-up and look out for someone who doesn't belong here. Shoot him, but don't kill him. Be real careful.

They get out of the room. The hallway is empty. Mulder can hardly walk. Scully drags him along. They get into the scanning room and Scully locks the door. Then they get in the space with the scanner and she closes that space too. Mulders sits down against the wall. His headache goes away immediately. He's bleeding out of his nose again.

SCULLY: You're safe here. Are you allright?

MULDER: [with his head in his hands, moans] Yeah. [pauses] I guess so.

SCULLY: I'm going. I'll be back in a couple of minutes. Just stay here and relax.

She stands up and leaves the space and the room. She turns her head. Scully's POV. Mulder sits on the ground in the scan space, in the hospital pyjama's. The gun lays on the ground in front of him. He's looking helpless. We see this for a few seconds and then Scully closes the door. Black.



SCENE 3

Interior Brian's room. A little light is burning. As the camera pans through the room we see Brian's bed full of clothes, books, tapes and more stuff. On his desk is his turned on computer, showing graphs and tables. Then there is an extra table in his room with a high tech microscope, several pipettes and two racks full of testtubes filled with dark red liquid. On the floor is something that looks like a little cooling box. The lid is off and we can see plastic bags also filled with red liquid. Angela and Brian enter the room. Angela looks real amazed and scared.

ANGELA: Brian [pauses] what is going on?

BRIAN: If I said I am doing this for extra credit, I guess you wouldn't believe me, right?

ANGELA: Are you breaking the law?

BRIAN: [hasty] No. Not at all.

ANGELA: Then why is the F.B.I. coming here? [impatient] *Tell* me, Brian.

BRIAN: Allright, allright. I'm doing this chemistry course at the university, you know that right?

ANGELA: Well, yes.

They sit down on the floor. Angela takes off her jacket.

BRIAN: Although I'm just 16, I'm one of the best student analysts there. One time this dr. Walden gave me a testtube with blood and asked me to find things that shouldn't be in there. So I did some test, found somethings and he was impressed. The other week he asked me to come to his office to talk about something. In his office was also another person, an older woman, mrs. Branigan. They wanted me to analyse some blood. But it couldn't be done in the hospital, since they didn't want people to find out what they were doing.

ANGELA: And you just said "yes"?

BRIAN: Of course not. I wanted to get out of there as fast as I could. But they told me more. About a secret research program in the Vietnam war. Hundreds of American soldiers were used as guinea pigs and that they covered it up.

ANGELA: But why you? I guess they have analysts themselves.

BRIAN: That's what I asked. But they said that they were being watched, and if it happened somewhere in the hospital, they would be noticed and in danger. Then I said yes. Because I thought it was important, but also because I've always felt like my life was waiting for something to happen. And this was it. My chance to make a difference.

ANGELA: And what was with the black Mercedes?

BRIAN: That was the woman I met at Walden's office. The first time you saw her she brought the microscope. The second time the blood.

ANGELA: Did you see the blue car yesterday?

BRIAN: Yes. At first I thought it were the real bad guys, from the army or whatever, so I hid in the attick with the gun. But this afternoon I found out that it was the F.B.I.

ANGELA: And the beige car?

BRIAN: [scared] What? Is there a beige car?

ANGELA: It drove through the street with no lights on, real slowly. Just half an hour ago.

BRIAN: But it didn't stop?

ANGELA: No. I guess it was too dark to notice the skid marks.

Angela looks around the room again. The combination of Brian's messy room and the laboratorium stuff is strange. Ironic, in a way. Brian is put into a highly grown up situation, while in fact he is just a kid. A smart kid, but still a kid.

ANGELA: So, did you find anything out?

BRIAN: Yes. I just finished. [proud] There was a combination of ozone, radium and uranium in the blood. And that's really strange. Radium and uranium are radioactive. I guess you can't live long with that in your blood.

ANGELA: [a little jumpy] Shouldn't you be working in one of those safety suits, then?

BRIAN: [smiles] No, it's such a low dose. It's only dangerous if you get a lot of it in your blood, I think.

ANGELA: O. [pauses] And now what?

BRIAN: I was going to call mrs. Branigan, but then I heard you coming in. I thought it was one of them.

ANGELA: Allright, call her now.

He walks out of the room. Angela picks up the gun that was lying on the floor. It's a small revolver. She looks at it with great interest.

ANGELA VO: Even now I'm really part of something, something big, I'm still the one standing at the side-line. Brian did something both important and amazing. I just stuck my big nose in, but can't be of any help.

Angela stands up and walks around the room. She looks at the computer monitor, reading what's on it.

ANGELA VO: I guess I should make Brian some tea and something to eat. That would be really nice of me. [pauses] Maybe that's my part in this whole thing, being nice and taking care of the hero. [sighs, aloud] Well, that's just fantastic.

She walks out of the room.



SCENE 4

Interior hospital. The scan room. Mulder is lying on the scan bed. Scully comes in. Mulder gets up.

SCULLY: He's gone. In a beige Buick. I didn't let the police follow him. If they would have got him, they all could have gotten haemorraghes.

MULDER: Yeah. That's right. Let's get my clothes, I want to get out of here.

SCULLY: Can you?

MULDER: If you can find me some aspirin.

Cut to hospital room where Mulder was before. He's getting dressed.

MULDER: So, is there anything more I need to know?

SCULLY: Well, the Vietnam biologist Blake disappeared after the war.

MULDER: That's a surprise. And what about Branigan?

SCULLY: She went to France. We know for sure she got off the plane in Paris, but from there we lost track of her. And that's all I could find out, before I had to come back to you.

MULDER: You did a better job than me. The hairs did match, but that was no surprise. Well, and then the Krakow family. Bob is a Freudian psychiatrist, Bereniece is a behavioral psychologist and Brian, the kid, is really smart. He's a sophomore - all A's - and doing chemistry material analyses classes at Pittsburgh University. He's real smart. Aaah, could you get me some aspirin right now?

Scully takes a little pillbox out of her inside pocket. She gets out two blue pills and gives them to Mulder. He swallows them with some water.

SCULLY: Better than aspirin.

MULDER: Thanks. And the girl, Angela Chase. Well the car was indeed her boyfriend's. I think you were right about that.

Scully looks serious at once.

SCULLY: [fast] Mulder, Brian Krakow probably has got the blood. And if the haemorraghe guy can read minds also, he probably knows by now. We got to get there. Now.

Mulder gets up, puts on his jacket, grabs his gun and they hurry out of the room.



SCENE 5

Interior Brian's house. Brian is standing in his parents's bedroom on the phone. He's writing something down on a piece of paper.

BRIAN: Thank you.

He puts the phone down and picks it up again, looks at the piece of paper and then he pushes a long number.

BRIAN: Mrs. Branigan? - Yes, thank god. - I found it. - O.K. - I call you tomorrow.

Cut to the dark kitchen. Angela does water in a kettle and puts in on the gas. She leaves the whistle off it. The she starts making sandwiches. After a few moments she sees a silhouet of a man through the white lace curtain (pretty similar to 'Pressure') and she's scared like hell. She gets low, to be invisible from outside and runs up to Brian. She bumps in to him in front of his room.

ANGELA: [out of breath] Brian, there's a man walking around the house.

BRIAN: [scared and nervous] Did he see you?

ANGELA: I don't think so.

Angela walks into Brian's room and peaks through the curtains. In front of the house, right next to the skid marks (visible in the lamppost light), stands the beige Buick. Brian is almost shaking with fear. Angela grabs him by his shoulders and looks in his eyes.

ANGELA: Brian, listen. [pauses] Just sit down, stay calm. Nothing's gonna happen. He's just looking around, he doesn't know what to look for.

She pushes Brian down, so he sits on the floor.

ANGELA: What did mrs. Branigan say?

BRIAN: [trembling voice] I should put everything that proves what I found in the fire proof box she gave me.

ANGELA: O.K. Do that. Can you?

BRIAN: Yes, I can.

ANGELA: Right. You've come so far. Now where gonna do the rest together. I'll be right back. I'm gonna call someone, o.k.?

Brian nods, he looks like he is in trance. But then he starts to put things in the metal box. Angela looks around the room. She sees the gun and picks it up. Then she walks out of the room to Brian's parents's room. There she gets out Scully's card, picks up the phone and dials Scully's number. Scully picks up.

SCULLY: [off-screen] Hello?

ANGELA: Agent Scully?

As they talk the shots go from Angela to Scully. Scully is with Mulder in the car, Scully's driving.

SCULLY: Yes. Who is this?

ANGELA: [trembling voice, stuttering] It's Angela Chase. The red haired girl. I'm sorry I lied to you, but you really got to come over here fast.

SCULLY: O.K. Angela, we're already on our way. Where are you?

ANGELA: At Brian Krakow's house. [crying] There's someone walking around the house, he's got a beige car. Something big is going on. Maybe he wants to kill us.

SCULLY: Hang on Angela, I'm gonna give you to my partner Mulder, I'm driving. Bye.

ANGELA: Bye.

MULDER: [takes phone from Scully] Angela, this is agent Mulder. Has Brian got the blood?

ANGELA: Yes.

MULDER: And did he find out what was in it?

ANGELA: Yes, something radioactive he said.

MULDER: Allright. Tell him to put the proof in a safe place. Fire proof if that's possible.

ANGELA: He's already doing that.

MULDER: Great.

Brian screams at the background. It's horrible.

ANGELA: [yelling] Brian?!

Brian stumbles into the room with the metal box in his hands. He falls to the floor and grabs his head.

MULDER: [out of Angela's phone] Angela! Angela!

ANGELA: [fast] Yes, Brian's going crazy. What's going on?

MULDER: Brian's heamorraghing. The guy outside can do that.

ANGELA: What? Is he dying?

MULDER: No. You have got to distract the guy outside. Try to stab him with a knife. If *he* has pain, he can hurt Brian less. But do it now, Angela. We'll be there in a minute. Go now, go!

Angela throws the phone down. Takes a look at Brian, who is crying and screaming on the floor. Then she gets the gun and walks down the stairs, to the kitchen. Then she gets the fright of her life, 'cause the man is already standing in the kitchen. He's about 55 years old, tall and looking ill. She points the gun at him.

ANGELA: [screaming] Stop what you're doing to Brian, or I'm gonna shoot you.

MAN: [laughs] *You* can't stop me.

Angela suddenly screams and grabs her head. He's doing it to her now. But she fights it. She sees the kettle on the burning stove and reaches for it. In one fast move she grabs the kettle and throws it at the man. The kettle misses and hits the window, but a lot of boiling water gets in his face. He screams. Angela's pain goes away immediately. Then she pulls the trigger. But there's no bullet. She does it again and again, but the gun is completely empty. As the man recovers from the water, she panics.

ANGELA: [screaming] Brian! Brian! [to the man, still screaming] You can kill me and Brian, but the F.B.I. is coming and we've got proof of the radioactive stuff in the blood. So you're never getting away with it.

MAN: [laughing sardonically] I wouldn't bet your little red head on it, honey.

Angela throws the gun at him. He ducks and the gun flies through the already broken window. Angela gets the headache again, but this time it's just a little one. When she wants to run away to the living room, she slips and falls to the ground. The man is with her in a second. He leans over her and grabs her shoulders. His face is only inches away from Angela's.

MAN: I guess you're the one who's not getting away with it, honey.

Angela screams as she's having the headache again. She tries to kick him, but without much succes. Then the backdoor slams and we hear Scully's voice.

SCULLY: F.B.I.! You're under arrest. Leave the girl or I'm gonna shoot you.

Scully enters the kitchen. Angela's still screaming, blood comes out of her nose. Then the man pulls her up, and puts her in front of him. But he's tall, so Angela doesn't make a good human shield for him.

MAN: [to Angela] I heard something like that before, right?

Angela's weak and doesn't say a thing. Though she shows a faint smile when she sees Scully.

SCULLY: Leave the girl and put your hands where I can see them, Francis. Or should I say Blake?

FRANCIS: [irritated] Well, agent Scully, I couldn't care less. I'm unarmed and I think your life is over if you're gonna shoot me now.

Angela starts to scream again. Scully knows it's getting serious with her.

FRANCIS: And I'd suggest you'd get away, because any minute this place is gonna burn like hell. [to Angela, in a sweet voice] You really thought I didn't see you when you were in the kitchen making sandwiches? I just couldn't get in yet, 'cause I had to make some preparations for the bonfire we're gonna have.

With her all strenght left (which isn't much), Angela gets loose, turns around and hits Francis's balls real hard with her fist. He moans from pain. As she's doing this, she whispers, barely hearable.

ANGELA: [whispering] I guess you're not gonna get away with it either. Bastard.

Angela falls down and as soon as she can Scully shoots Francis in the stomach. He falls down and a lot of blood covers his white shirts instantly. But there is strenght left in him. He does his thing on Scully. She grabs her head and falls to the floor. Her gun drops on the floor. Blood comes out of her nose immediately. Francis crawls away to the living room. When he's just out of the kitchen, Mulder gets in through the backdoor and sees Scully and Angela lying on the floor. He reaches for Scully.

SCULLY: [whispering] Follow the blood. Kill him. There's no other way.

MULDER: The ambulances are on their way. Hang on.

Mulder walks to the living room and screams immediately. Francis is sitting against the front door, blood all over his white shirt. He's looking at Mulder. Mulder is moaning from pain, but manages to point his gun.

FRANCIS: [breathing heavily] So, agent Mulder, I guess it's third time lucky with you.

MULDER: [grimly] I guess so.

Mulder shoots three times in Francis's chest. Francis's body shocks with the bullet impacts. Then he stops moving. Mulder's pain goes away. For a few seconds he sits down, exhausted. Then he looks up. He's smelled something. He runs into the kitchen.

MULDER: Scully! The house is on fire!

Scully is sitting up against a kitchen cupboard, with Angela in her arms. Scully's looking dizzy, Angela's got her eyes closed. Angela is whispering something. Scully gets her ear closer.

SCULLY: [to Mulder] Brian is still upstairs. Get him.

Scully's POV. Mulder runs off, up the stairs. Scully, still weak from Francis's attack, gets up and holds Angela. They stumble to the backdoor. Angela's looking real pale, drying up blood covers all the skin between her nose and her lips. Her face is close to Scully's. Their white skin, red hair and the blood make a both tragic and real beautiful picture. In this shot they really look a lot like each other. Angela is gaining conciousness again. She's mumbling. As they walk through the door, they see the fire starting along one side of the house. But it's still rather easy for them to get away. As they reach the street, the ambulances are arriving. The back of the house is burning big, while the front is just starting. From the outside we notice that someone is trying to get out of Brian's house through the front door. We hear banging on the door. But it's not working. Then there are several gunshots and the door opens. Mulder gets Brian out first and lays him on the grass. Brian is still holding the box. Then he gets Francis's dead body and lays it somewhere else. He gets back to Brian and talks softly to him. We can't hear it. He takes the box. The ambulances stop and the paramedics get out. Patty and Graham (and five or six other neighbours) are getting carefully closer. Two policecars arrive. The house is burning more and more. Patty and Graham get to Angela and Scully. Patty's crying, Graham is looking real concerned. Scully is still holding Angela. Patty caresses Angela's hair. Angela looks up to her, a faint smile. Patty takes her over from Scully.

PATTY: [trembling voice] Honey, are you allright?

ANGELA: [weak voice] Hi mom.

SCULLY: [less weak voice than Angela] We got to get her to a hospital. Fast.

GRAHAM: [fast, insecure] What's going on. Who are you?

SCULLY: I'm with the F.B.I. I'll explain later.

Camera pans to paramedics riding Brian on a brancard into the ambulance. Mulder talks to the cops for a few seconds and shows his badge. Other paramedics get to Francis's body.

MULDER: [to paramedics] He's dead. Take the girl first.

He walks over to Scully, Angela, Patty and Graham. The paramedics take over Angela. Patty is not letting go of her. Patty's looking real bad.

PARAMEDIC: [comforting voice] Ma'am, let us take her over. You can ride in the ambulance with us. Come on.

Patty lets go of Angela and the paramedics put her on a brancard. Patty gets with them into the ambulance. Both the ambulances drive away with sirens. A third one arrives and also the fire trucks.

SCULLY: [to Mulder] We should go to the hospital too.

Danielle suddenly stands between them. Graham puts his arm around her.

DANIELLE: Daddy, what's going on?

GRAHAM: [absent minded] I wouldn't know, honey. [to Scully and Mulder] You want a ride to the hospital?

Mulder nods. The house is burning heavily. The firemen start to extinguish the fire. Danielle takes hold of Graham's hand and the four of them cross the street. The camera pulls away and we see them get in the Chase station wagon from above and drive away. They pass the beige car in front of Brian's house. It's weird to see all this activity in Angela's street. Policecars, an ambulance, firetrucks, all with flashing lights on. And there are also a lot of people on the street. We see two paramedics putting Francis's body on a brancard and covering it with a white blanket. Two cops are marking off the space with the plastic police ribbon to make sure nobody is getting in the way of the firemen. Fade to black.



SCENE 6

Interior hospital. Scully and Mulder are sitting in an office. They're looking tired. Text appears: Memorial Hospital, Three Rivers. April 9, 6.45 a.m. The door opens and assistant director Skinner comes in. He sits down.

SKINNER: You're allright?

MULDER: [impatient] We're fine. Only a slight headache. How far does this goes up?

SKINNER: Pretty far.

SCULLY: Can we take anything to court?

SKINNER: There's not gonna be a trial. Military intelligence is going to admit what happened. An official apology is being prepared.

MULDER: Already? Four hours after we shot Francis?

SKINNER: They probably saw it coming.

SCULLY: What are they going to admit?

SKINNER: That prozone existed, that Francis or Blake existed, that there were experiments in Vietnam. [pauses]

MULDER: But?

SKINNER: They are also going to say that Francis didn't tell anyone of the risks. That they didn't know prozone was lethal.

SCULLY: How many soldiers were given Prozone?

SKINNER: They say fifteen.

MULDER: [angry, but resigning] Right. And how do they explain Francis going crazy the last couple of days?

SKINNER: He hasn't got to do anything with the army since 1972. They say he acted on his own.

SCULLY: So he injected himself with prozone and started to kill the people who probably knew about it. That really makes sense. [pauses] And we were tapped. You don't tap someone all by yourself.

SKINNER: Well, that's just it. But they're grateful you stopped Francis.

SCULLY: Sure. We did the dirty work. [getting real angry, not her usual behavior] Branigan and Walden died, those two kids nearly died. And they say, "sorry, that's not our fault". *They* made Blake.

Scully stands up and walks out of the office. Skinner looks at Mulder.

SKINNER: It's the best we can get.

Mulder just nods.



SCENE 7

Exterior hospital. Scully is sitting on a wooden bench, near the entrance. She staring at the pond with ducks in front of the hospital. It's another beautiful morning. Mulder comes through the automatic glass doors, carrying two cups of coffee. He sits next to her and hands her the coffee. She takes it. They drink and say nothing. After a while Scully speaks.

SCULLY: [thoughtful] I'm gonna take some time off.

Mulder waits a while before he replies.

MULDER: We've had a haemorraghe. You don't have to *take* time off, you *get* time off. It's called sick leave.

She smiles and takes another sip of her coffee. We hear the real easy song 'Sunday morning' by Velvet Underground. They both stare at the pond.



SCENE 8

Interior hospital room. Music started in scene 7 keeps going through the entire scene, softens during the dialogues. Sunlight is coming through the half open blinds. It's a room with two beds. Angela is sitting up in one of them. Patty leans on the bed from a chair, she's asleep. Brian is in the bed on the other side of the room. Also asleep.

ANGELA VO: So maybe I was on my bus, without knowing that I was. [pauses, looks around the room] Next time, I guess I should go by foot.

Scully enters the room and smiles when she sees Angela. Patty wakes up. Scully walks to the bed.

SCULLY: Hello Angela.

ANGELA: Hello agent Scully.

PATTY: [concerned] Are you allright, sweetheart?

ANGELA: [smiling] Yes, I'm fine. The headache is gone.

PATTY: [re-assured] O.K. [pause] I'm gonna call your dad and Danielle, to tell them you're allright. [to Scully, friendly] Excuse me.

Patty leaves and looks back at Angela before she goes through the door. Scully sits down on Patty's chair.

SCULLY: It's good to hear that you're allright.

ANGELA: Yeah. The doctor said that Brian and I need to rest for a week or so and after that take it real easy. [pauses] But what about you and agent Mulder?

SCULLY: We just had little bleedings. We guess he used most of his strength on you and Brian. [pauses] But it's all over now.

ANGELA: It is?

SCULLY: [more quiet] Look Angela. I can't tell you everything, but the woman who delivered all the stuff to Brian can. She'll come to the hospital pretty soon and then ask her. In a couple of days the army intelligence will apologize for what happened. Francis worked for them in Vietnam. Listen carefully to what they say, but don't believe it all. Francis was not working on his own.

ANGELA: He wasn't? Are we still in danger then?

SCULLY: No. Francis going crazy is just what the army needed to close this chapter. It *is* over.

ANGELA: [thoughtful] But somebody can still make what was in the blood Brian analysed, right?

SCULLY: That's right. But let's hope no one will find out how to.

They don't say a word for a few seconds. Then Angela takes Scully's hand.

ANGELA: Thank you, agent Scully. For saving my life.

Scully doesn't know what to say. People usually don't get emotional around her.

SCULLY: You're welcome. [pauses] But I should thank you too.

They remain silent again for a few seconds.

ANGELA: [smiling] Can I ask you something?

SCULLY: Sure.

ANGELA: Like last night, is that like really your work?

SCULLY: [faint smile] Well, [short pause] yes.

ANGELA: [big smile, hairtuck] Just wondering.

SCULLY: Allright. [pauses] I'm going back to Washington. Get well soon, Angela. Goodbye.

ANGELA: Goodbye.

Scully starts to walk away.

ANGELA: Agent Scully?

SCULLY: Yes?

ANGELA: Do you have another card? I lost mine last night.

Scully walks back to the bed and reaches in her inside pocket. She gets out a card. She hands it to her.

SCULLY: Here it is.

Angela takes it and looks at it. It the same as the one she had before.

ANGELA: Thanks a lot.

SCULLY: I really got to go. See you later, Angela.

ANGELA: [smiling] Yes. See you.

Scully walks out of the room. As soon as she's gone, Brian's getting up in the other bed. The music (still "Sunday morning") swells. He blinks his eyes and looks around. Looks at Angela, not sure what is going on.

ANGELA: [smiling] Hey Krakow, next time *I* pick the place for a sleep-over.

He rubs his eyes and smiles vaguely.



SCENE 9

Exterior Angela's street. The sun is shining. It's one week later. Brian and Angela are walking towards Angela's house. We see the Krakow house. Only the first floor is black. The fire could not have reached the second floor. But it looks terrible anyway.

BRIAN: I guess we can't continue acting like we did before.

Angela scares a little. She's not sure what Brian's referring to.

ANGELA: What do you mean?

BRIAN: I mean, you saved my life. We can't go back to yelling at each other.

ANGELA: [some what reliefed] No, you're right.

BRIAN: [half joking] But I can't just be *nice* to you, can I?

ANGELA: [laughing] Sure you can. You did that before.

BRIAN: [surprised] I did? Like when?

They both laugh and walk up to Angela's door. We - but they don't - see Jordan's car coming down the street. Angela opens the door and there they all are: Rickie, Rayanne, Sharon, Danielle and Patty. The room is decorated with streamers and balloons. They start yelling "welcome home". Angela and Brian are really amazed. They look happy.

PATTY: [to everyone] Calm down, calm down. They're not fully recovered yet.

Graham enters with a big cake with burning sparklers. He puts it down at the small table by the couch.

GRAHAM: [to Angela] I couldn't wait untill you were ready for your first lesson.

Angela smiles. They all sit down. Danielle rushes to sit next to Angela. Graham starts to cut the cake.

RAYANNE: So, how was it?

ANGELA: What?

RAYANNE: The hospital dinners. [fake irritated] *Come on*. What do you think? [little pause] *The* night, of course. Patty would not let us go to the hospital because you two really needed to rest. We've been dying to hear the story at first hand.

DANIELLE: [excited] Tell her about the gun and the burning water. That's my favorite part.

PATTY: *Danielle!* Relax.

Danielle sighs. Angela laughs and pulls Danielle to her. Then Jordan enters through the door that was left open. He doesn't get noticed right away. He's standing in the doorway, feeling uncomfortable.

JORDAN: [softly] I'm not late, am I?

Everyone looks at him. Angela smiles one of her most beautiful smiles.

ANGELA VO: No you're not. You're never late.

GRAHAM: [cheerful] Jordan! Sit down and have some cake.

Jordan walks over to them.

JORDAN: Yeah. Thanks. [to Angela] Hi.

ANGELA: [whispering] Hi.

Jordan sits down and takes a long look at Angela. Brian is a little uncomfortable, but then Sharon gently pokes in his ribs and smiles at him in a comforting way.

DANIELLE: [sighs] Brian, could *you* tell about the gun?

Brian looks around. Then he clears his throath and starts to talk.

BRIAN: Well, I wasn't there when Angela -

Brian keeps talking and everybody's listening carefully. Some MSCL music starts to play and sort of drowns out his voice. Camera pans from Brian to Angela, passing Sharon, Jordan, Rickie, Rayanne, Patty, Graham and Danielle. Angela's looking happy.

ANGELA VO: Maybe this is enough. For the moment. Maybe not all the busses come around at the same time. Or whatever. I am sure that my "own sweet skill" will reveal itself. Or maybe it has to be revealed. By me. With force. Because everybody has got be good at something.

Then Graham gives her a postcard. The others are listening to Brian and don't pay much attention to Angela.

GRAHAM: [softly] This came with the mail yesterday.

She takes it. The postcard is the same as the "I want to believe" poster in Mulder's office. Angela turns it. It reads:

The truth is out there.

Waiting for you.

Hang on.

agents Mulder and Scully

A thoughtful smile appears on Angela's face. After a few seconds the screen fades to black.



THE END

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104.1 - Part 1 by Jeroen de Jong
Published: 1997 | Size: 47 KB (8498 words) | Language: english english | Rating: PG-13
Average: 3.3/5   3.3/5 (6 votes)
MSCL / X-Files Crossover

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“I cannot bring myself to eat a well-balanced meal in front of my mother.”

Angela Chase, Episode 1: "My So-Called Life (Pilot)"