SEASON 1

SEASON 2

SEASON 3

SEASON 4

SEASON 5

FIGHT THE FUTURE

SEASON 6

SEASON 7

SEASON 8

SEASON 9

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On the way back to the motel, Krycek comes running out into the street, and Mulder immediately hides the file X gave him under the seat. Where were ya, Krycek asks, because someone matching Cole's description just robbed a drug store in Queens, and police located him in a motel around the corner. Mulder refuses to answer Krycek's question about where he was.

They go speeding to the motel, where the lead investigator that Krycek talked to on the phone in the last act, Detective Horton, is waiting for the Boys. The SWAT team is getting antsy he says, although Cole didn't steal money from the drug store, he stole pills. Suddenly there's gunfire, and the Boys go running up the stairs (Alex in the lead) with Horton behind them. Krycek shouts out that there's an officer down, kinda like he sounds upset, and then we discover there are two officers down, both critical. Mulder glances out the window, but doesn't see Cole hiding in the alley below. Krycek wonders what's going on, because the officers shot each other. I'd also like to point out that the Boys are both sweaty and panting while they're talking to each other, in the interest of being thorough in my recap.

Scully is typing away, with the top-secret file open in front of her on the desk. Mulder must have somehow gotten it to her. She's describing its contents, about a surgical procedure designed to induce a permanent waking state. The doctors cut part of the brain stem -- which explains that horizontal scar on the back of the soldiers' necks -- and they were given synthetic supplements after the surgery to make up for the lack of sleep. It seems Cole stole anti-depressants to mimic the effect of the supplements. The drugs help maintain serotonin levels in the blood, which is the primary substance produced during sleep. Wow, this is making me sleepy, and not just because we're discussing serotonin. Damn, Scully, modulate your voice a little more! She doesn't think this type of procedure could work, and can't say more until she sees more evidence. Such a stickler.

Then Mulder calls (ah, he faxed the reports) from the hospital, saying that the second officer is still in a coma, so they can't ask him what happened. Scully is amazed about the sleep eradication experiments, but they don't explain what happened to Grissom or Willig. Mulder says he learned some interesting info (to use at cocktail parties, no doubt, if he ever went to them) at the sleep clinic, and tells Scully about the stimulation of the subjects' brains to cause hallucinations. She knows all about it, hell, a first-year med student could tell you that. Oh yeah? But what if that stimuli came from a remote source, huh? Like if Cole could project his unconscious? How 'bout them apples, Scully? Well, she asks if Mulder is suggesting that Cole killed those people with telepathic images. Mulder says that perhaps all those years without REM sleep allowed Cole to bridge the gap between the waking world and the dream world, and by existing consciously in the unconscious world he's been able to develop the ability to externalize his dreams and alter reality. Here I must wonder why he's wasting his time killing people. Shit, there'd be externalized dream orgies all over my place if I could do that. Scully takes the logical approach to the Cole problem by suggesting Mulder work up a profile. I can't remember her ever suggesting that the guy who was the golden boy for the ISU ever do a profile before. He agrees, and while Mulder is finishing his conversation Krycek comes up to the nurses' station in the background and knocks on the desk to get his attention. Mulder tells Krycek that he'll be right there, and Scully asks where he's going. Mulder says that he and Krycek are going to check out the last surviving member of the Recon squad still left alive, that Salvatore Matola guy. Then we get that other classic M/K line, in which Scully says that it seems as though Krycek is working out. Mulder says that's he's all right, but that he could use a little more seasoning (Mmm, like hot sauce? Rowr!) and some wardrobe advice, although he's a lot more open to extreme possibilities than Mulder assumed he would be. Scully says it must be nice not having someone questioning Mulder's every move and poking holes in his theories. Mulder says jokingly that it's great, and that he's surprised he put up with her for so long. Scully chuckles, but she seems depressed that she's not out there with him. She says she'll go over the report again and see what she can come up with. Awww, she's lonely. And of course, he hangs up without saying goodbye, as usual.

At 2Jays Cafe in beautiful downtown Vancouver (and what the hell? I see blue sky!), Salvatore is cleaning the counter when the Boys walk in. Mmm, one of the specials is grilled pork chops for $4.50. A bargain. When Mulder reaches in to his jacket to pull out his badge, Sal thinks Mulder is going to shoot him. See, this wouldn't happen if Mulder was a good agent and never used his gun hand to take out his badge, the way the FBI teaches its agents, but this is TV. Sal has similar red-tinged eyes like Willig did, and he's looking kinda worse for wear. Mulder asks if he heard about Grissom and Willig, and Sal said when he read about them in the paper, he figured "They" were finally killing them all off. Mulder asks if Sal can spare a few minutes, and Sal says yeah. As he turns around we see that horizontal scar across the back of his neck like Willig and Cole have.