Scully informs the committee that she feels there is "a culture of lawlessness" that prevents her from doing her job. She is informed that refusing to answer the question is not an option and that she is risking contempt of Congress. The customs agent, in his fumbling authority trip, drops one of the containers which releases a black substance. As he watches in horror, the substance seems to gather itself into a mass of worm-like entities which proceed to slime their way onto his person, into his body, under his skin, and eventually work their way up into his eyes. [Krycek] claims to have hooked up with the militia guys when they found and released him from the silo on a salvage mission. He tells them, "You go underground you got to learn to live with the rats." The truth...the truth? There's no truth. These men they make it up as they go along. The scientist believes the rock contains fossil life from a primitive organism and is quite likely a meteorite...maybe even a Mars rock over 4 billion years old. [CSM] warns Skinner that withholding information is punishable under the country's laws of treason and sedition. Skinner thanks him for his concern. "I need that pouch, Mr. Skinner. And I need to know who gave them the order to intercept it. Wars have broken out over far less, Mr. Skinner." [Mulder] says that Ratboy wants "to expose the same men that we do and will go to any lengths to succeed." Scully replies, "What I'm worried about is you, Mulder. How far you'll go. How far I can follow you." We see the NASA scientist, Dr. Sacks, in a containment suit about to cut into the rock using a saw blade. As the blade cuts deeper into the material, a black oily substance suddenly kicks off the blade splattering the table and surrounding area, including the face shield of Dr. Sacks' suit. Tremors go through him and he seizes up into a comatose rigor state as we see the worm-like entities moving under his skin. Mulder arrives on the scene and makes his way, unseen, into the building where he uncuffs Krycek from the balcony and tells him they're going to walk out like nothing happened. Krycek comments that he'd like to see how Mulder's going to pull that off at which point Mulder smacks him across the head saying, "Stupid-ass haircut." Eloquence and irony, all wrapped in one. When Mulder jumps up, bent on booking an immediate flight to Russia, [Marita] offers her assistance in getting documents, passport, and visa. She tells him she is one of a group that "believe in him...believe in his search for the truth." CSM: Last night, CIA airport Intel had a man using UN credentials appear on their computers. Booked on a flight for Krasnoyarsk, Russia. WMM: Who was it? CSM: It appears to be a man fitting the description of...Fox Mulder. WMM: You fool! You stupid fool. This must be corrected. This must be handled. CSM: Well, of course it can be. You know my capabilities in a crisis. WMM: I don't think you realize what's at stake here. This will take more than just a good aim. Meanwhile, we see Scully and Skinner receiving a letter of summons from Senator Sorenson. Skinner wants to know what he has become involved with...the whole story. What have Mulder and Scully been investigating? What do they know? Scully tells Skinner that "Agent Mulder is endeavoring to get his own answers." [Mulder] tells Krycek of a fireball that fell from the sky in 1908. It was the biggest event of its kind on record and, to this day, no solid evidence has ever been gathered to explain its origin. Mulder thinks that someone has found the evidence and that the explanation is something that no one ever dreamed of. They are pursued by some of the guards on horseback who are wielding whips and quickly catch and bring down each of the men. When Mulder wakes up, he finds himself in a damp, dark cell. As [Krycek] leaves, Mulder's neighbor tells him "That man is not your friend. He speaks differently to the guards. Formal language, as if to an equal. You are deceived." The cell door is opened again and this time there are many guards and one of their superiors. They throw him to the ground and inject something into the base of his neck. As Mulder struggles ineffectually, the fluid coalesces and moves into his nose and up under his skin until we see the cloudy evidence of the entity spread into his eyes while he lays comatose on the table.

Tunguska (part 1 of 2) The episode opens with Dana Scully taking an oath before the Senate Select Subcommittee on Intelligence and Terrorism. Skinner sits behind her at council's table. She opens with a statement but they quickly interrupt to ask of Mulder's whereabouts. Her answer is that she can't answer that question since it would endanger his life. Scully informs the committee that she feels there is "a culture of lawlessness" that prevents her from doing her job. She is informed that refusing to answer the question is not an option and that she is risking contempt of Congress. Scully holds her ground as we cut to the credits. Honolulu...ten days earlier. A diplomat, carrying a briefcase tells an airport representative that he is traveling from Japan and Russia on government business. She forces him to submit to a check through customs which he balks at, stating that he has diplomatic papers. For his trouble he is treated to a strip search and body cavity check courtesy of a friendly customs agent. He is then shown to a locked room where another agent demands that he unlock the briefcase and reveal its contents. He refuses and they break the lock only to discover some mysterious containers holding what he claims are biohazardous agents. The customs agent, in his fumbling authority trip, drops one of the containers which releases a black substance. As he watches in horror, the substance seems to gather itself into a mass of worm-like entities which proceed to slime their way onto his person, into his body, under his skin, and eventually work their way up into his eyes. The effect is to leave the customs agent in a comatose state of rigor with his eyes clouded by the oilien-type entity. New York City. We see Mulder, Scully, and a group of agents staking out a warehouse acting on a tip that Mulder got from an un-named source. This source provided Mulder with receipts for bomb making materials and papers for this storage space and a rental truck. Mulder thinks they might have another "Oklahoma City" on their hands. The agents are decked out in SWAT gear and packing heat. When the suspects arrive on the scene in the rental truck, a huge shoot-out ensues ending in the truck attempting to flee. Mulder and Scully pursue on foot and as they chase down the retreating truck, there is a shot from within that appears to kill the driver sending the truck out of control. Mulder approaches from the passenger side and orders the occupant out and finds himself face to face with Alex Krycek. Being Mulder, he proceeds to gut-punch him. Krycek seems offended that Mulder isn't more appreciative since he claims to have handed Mulder the bust on a silver platter. He claims to have hooked up with the militia guys when they found and released him from the silo on a salvage mission. He tells them, "You go underground you got to learn to live with the rats." After Mulder takes the opportunity to push Ratboy around, Scully asks the pertinent question. What does Krycek want? Ratboy: Same thing you do. To try to find the man who tried to kill me. (looking at Mulder) Same man responsible for your father's death. (looking at Scully) Your sister's. Scully: You want this man brought to justice? Ratboy: You can't bring these men to justice. They're protected. The laws of this country protect these men. These men, they fear one thing. Exposure. Mulder: The only thing that will destroy this man is the truth. Ratboy: (laughing) The truth...the truth. There's no truth. These men they make it up as they go along. When Mulder begins to walk away, disgusted, Krycek tells him this is only one bomb. He claims to know where others are. He tries to convince them that his cooperation is indispensable. Acting on info from Krycek, they all take a trip to Dulles airport with Krycek in cuffs. He tells them to look for someone carrying a diplomatic pouch arriving on a flight from Russia. When they spot the man, he runs and in the ensuing chase he ends up dropping/ditching the pouch but gets away himself. When they open the pouch, they find only a rock. Mulder takes Ratboy to Skinner's apartment and requests a safehouse for this "witness who has info about right-wing militias that could save lives of Americans." Skinner claims that he'll be safe at his residence then immediately proceeds to gut-punch Ratboy. This is becoming a habit for these "professional" agents. He then cuffs Ratboy to his balcony and leaves him out in the cold overnight. NASA Goddard, Department of Exobiology. Mulder and Scully take the rock to a scientist to get his opinion on what it is and if it has any value. (In case anyone wants to review the tape, I am thoroughly convinced the rock is shaped like a rat.) The scientist believes the rock contains fossil life from a primitive organism and is quite likely a meteorite...maybe even a Mars rock over 4 billion years old. He asks and receives permission from the agents to cut into the rock to get a core sample. Meanwhile, we see CSM catching Skinner outside his apartment building. He wants the pouch. He claims it has created a problem in foreign policy circles. He wants to know what Skinner knows. He warns Skinner that withholding information is punishable under the country's laws of treason and sedition. Skinner thanks him for his concern. "I need that pouch, Mr. Skinner. And I need to know who gave them the order to intercept it. Wars have broken out over far less, Mr. Skinner." Up in Skinner's apartment, we see the man who had been carrying the pouch with the rock break in and begin searching. Krycek sees the man and goes over the balcony (that he is still handcuffed to), waits for the man, then somehow (defying the laws of physics and leverage) manages to haul the man over the balcony and throw him down to his death. Scully returns to the basement office and finds Mulder who has discovered the connection between the pouch they intercepted and the first courier who was carrying a "toxic soil sample". Mulder thinks the two are linked and that the rock points to answers beyond the existence of extraterrestrial life. He believes that Krycek has given them a pivotal piece to a larger plot. Scully says Alex Krycek "is a liar and a murderer" but Mulder, who gets tunnel vision in cases such as these, seems to overlook this point in pursuit of his Truth. He says that Ratboy wants "to expose the same men that we do and will go to any lengths to succeed." Scully replies, "What I'm worried about is you, Mulder. How far you'll go. How far I can follow you." After giving her a guilt-inducing look and saying nothing in reply, Mulder turns his back on Scully and walks out of the office. She follows him. We see the NASA scientist, Dr. Sacks, in a containment suit about to cut into the rock using a saw blade. As the blade cuts deeper into the material, a black oily substance suddenly kicks off the blade splattering the table and surrounding area, including the face shield of Dr. Sacks' suit. Although his suit should provide a self-contained, unbreachable environment, Dr. Sacks suddenly reacts as the customs agent did. Tremors go through him and he seizes up into a comatose rigor state as we see the worm-like entities moving under his skin. Mulder and Scully are en route to meet with Dr. Sacks to hear the latest on the rock when Mulder receives an urgent call from Skinner. The police have contacted him about a dead body outside his apartment. He tells Mulder to get his butt over there so Mulder tells Scully to pursue information on the rock and let him know what she finds out. Skinner is questioned outside his building and as he talks to the detective in charge, he learns that aside from the dead body on the pavement, people have mentioned a man dangling from his balcony. As Skinner squirms, Mulder arrives on the scene and makes his way, unseen, into the building where he uncuffs Krycek from the balcony and tells him they're going to walk out like nothing happened. Krycek comments that he'd like to see how Mulder's going to pull that off at which point Mulder smacks him across the head saying, "Stupid-ass haircut." Eloquence and irony, all wrapped in one. Ratboy tells Mulder that if they are going for a ride, he suggests they follow the pouch. Right about this time Scully calls Mulder to tell him that whatever was in the pouch, it appears to be lethal. She explains Dr. Sacks' state and comments that she's not sure if he's dead or alive. Mulder says he thinks she better find out then tells her he wants her to get him an address in New York using the bureau's resources. We next see Mulder arriving at the apartment of Marita Covarubbias, his UN contact. Since he's caught her at such a late hour, she is wearing a pair of silky pajamas and a belted robe. The music accompanying this scene is a gag-inducing combination of soap-opera and feminine hygiene commercial (my apologies to Mark Snow). He asks for her help and explains the pouch and the two dead men. "I need to know why." She lets him in and, as he naps in a chair, she makes some phone calls to track down the routing on the pouch. She determines that it traveled to a province near Tunguska, Russia. When Mulder jumps up, bent on booking an immediate flight to Russia, she offers her assistance in getting documents, passport, and visa. She tells him she is one of a group that "believe in him...believe in his search for the truth." She makes it sound like a knitting circle that meets on Wednesday evenings for potluck. After his travel arrangements are set, Mulder heads back down to the car which he's left parked on the street outside the Uniblonde's apartment with Krycek handcuffed to the dash. When Krycek complains about being left in the dark, Mulder punches him in the face. Very sporting. Following the pouch, they head to the airport where Mulder seems prepared to leave Krycek handcuffed in the car in long-term parking while he jets out of the country. As Mulder walks away, Ratboy yells and swears in Russian at his retreating figure. Mulder goes back to the car and asks if Krycek can speak Russian. He says yes, that is parents were Cold War emigres. So Mulder decides to take Krycek along. I guess he just happens to have a spare set of documents and a ticket for Ratboy. Back at NASA Goddard, Scully has roped Pendrell into helping her in the examination of the comatose Dr. Sacks. They don level 4 containment suits and enter the isolation suite where Dr. Sacks stands rigid and apparently not breathing. As they stare into his face shield, he suddenly moves as a tremor seems to pass through him. "He's still alive," Scully says. Pendrell says it's not possible since he's not breathing. Although they don't know what has caused his coma state, Scully feels they need to get him out of the unit and try to stabilize him to save his life. We see the Well Manicured Man near the stables and paddock of what appears to be his country get-away in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is watching a younger woman (love interest?) as she takes a turn around the paddock on her horse. CSM arrives on the scene and complains that WMM is hard to contact. CSM: Our courier is dead. WMM: Yes, I heard. Pushed out of a window. Can this expose us? CSM: No, of course not. Our necessary and plausible denial is intact. WMM: Then what is your concern? CSM: Last night, CIA airport Intel had a man using UN credentials appear on their computers. Booked on a flight for Krasnoyarsk, Russia. WMM: Who was it? CSM: It appears to be a man fitting the description of...Fox Mulder. WMM: You fool! You stupid fool. This must be corrected. This must be handled. CSM: Well, of course it can be. You know my capabilities in a crisis. WMM: I don't think you realize what's at stake here. This will take more than just a good aim. Meanwhile, we see Scully and Skinner receiving a letter of summons from Senator Sorenson. The summons is for Mulder, Scully, and Skinner. Skinner wants to know what he has become involved with...the whole story. What have Mulder and Scully been investigating? What do they know? Scully tells Skinner that "Agent Mulder is endeavoring to get his own answers." Skinner asks her where but she offers no reply. We cut to Tunguska...the Siberian Forest. Mulder and Krycek have hitched a ride and are now hiking five kilometers into the forest. In search of what? That's what Ratboy wants to know and finally Mulder decides to share the information. He tells Krycek of a fireball that fell from the sky in 1908. Some thought it might be a comet, meteorite, or maybe even a piece of antimatter. It was the biggest event of its kind on record and, to this day, no solid evidence has ever been gathered to explain its origin. Mulder thinks that someone has found the evidence and that the explanation is something that no one ever dreamed of. After digging under a razor-wire fence, the two come upon a group of men under guard who appear to be working a mining detail. But they appear to be closer to slaves than miners. Suddenly, they hear approaching hoofbeats and it's every man for themselves as they run for it. They are pursued by some of the guards on horseback who are wielding whips and quickly catch and bring down each of the men. When Mulder wakes up, he finds himself in a damp, dark cell. The man in the adjoining cell is whispering in Russian through a chink in the rock wall. When Mulder tells him he doesn't speak Russian, he says, "Then no one has told you. That you were brought here to die. To wish you were dead." "What is this place," Mulder asks. "A gulag. A place where the guilty rule the innocent." The door to Mulder's cell is then thrown open and a panicky Krycek is shoved inside. He tells Mulder that they've got to get out. That they will be tortured. He says they questioned him and tried to get him to admit to being a spy but he told them they were just stupid Americans, lost in the woods. Mulder slams Krycek against the wall and Ratboy warns Mulder that he needs him, his ability to communicate with the guards. When Mulder reluctantly lets him go, Krycek says, "Don't touch me again." Senate Executive Office Building. Senator Sorenson thanks Scully and Skinner for accepting his invitation to which Skinner points out their inability to decline. The senator asks them if they understand obstruction of justice and Scully wonders aloud if that is a rhetorical question. Getting to the point, the senator brings up the death of the man at Skinner's apartment building and how it's raised some questions. Scully tells him that they intend to file a full report once they understand what it is they're investigating. Senator Sorenson bluntly asks where Mulder is and Scully says he's in the field "seeking answers to the questions you are asking." "And where is he seeking those answers," the senator inquires. Scully and Skinner exchange a look but don't answer. Guards enter the cell holding Mulder and Krycek and Ratboy begins to converse animatedly with them. He tells Mulder that he's asking them if he can talk with their superiors. They seem to be a bit reluctant and suspicious but take him away. As he leaves, Mulder's neighbor tells him "That man is not your friend. He speaks differently to the guards. Formal language, as if to an equal. You are deceived." The cell door is opened again and this time there are many guards and one of their superiors. They throw him to the ground and inject something into the base of his neck. We next see him strapped to a table under chicken-wire, completely immobilized. He is in a room with two rows of similarly restrained prisoners. As we pan up his body we can see a small, bloody bandage covering a wound on his upper left arm. As the prisoners begin to scream, we see a black oily substance being released from a delivery system above the tables. It sprays the oily liquid directly onto the faces of the prisoners. As Mulder struggles ineffectually, the fluid coalesces and moves into his nose and up under his skin until we see the cloudy evidence of the entity spread into his eyes while he lays comatose on the table. To be continued...