Billy
Miles' remains are brought into a medical examiner's lab. The body
was crushed after falling into a garbage truck. In the pulverized
remains, the doctor finds what appears to be a metallic vertebra. He
leaves it on the counter when he leaves the room. The piece of metal
spins of its own accord. Each time it spins, it multiplies itself,
as if creating a new backbone - apparently Billy's body is
rebuilding itself out of almost nothing.
Scully is riding in
a car drives by Reyes. They are in Georgia, where they hope Billy
cannot find them. Reyes is concerned that she has never delivered a
baby and there will not be facilities where they are going. At FBI
headquarters, Mulder and Doggett are with Skinner and Krycek in
Skinner's office. Video from a surveillance camera shows Billy Miles
leaving the morgue. Doggett doesn't believe it is possible. Krycek
can't explain it, but says Billy is somehow a human replacement -
some new kind of alien, created to aid in the repopulation of the
planet. The aliens think Scully's baby is a threat to their plans.
Agent Crane gives Doggett the message that Knowle Rorer wants to
talk to Doggett. They meet and Knowle tells Doggett that both Billy
and Scully's baby are products of a cold war effort to create a
super soldier. Scully's abduction was by the military, and the chip
in the back of her neck was used to make her pregnant with the first
organic version of the super soldier. Knowle wants to stop Billy
before he can get to Scully.
Scully and Reyes
arrive at Democrat Hot Springs, an abandoned community in Georgia
where Doggett was born. It used to be a popular spot among the rich.
Only Doggett knows where they are. It is night and the rooms are
dark and dirty. They begin making plans for Scully's labor. Outside,
Reyes sees some kind of bluish light in the distance. Billy shows up
in the FBI building causing Krycek and Skinner to run. Skinner
barely escapes Billy by jumping into an elevator and Krycek, already
in the elevator, does not lift a hand to help Skinner. Skinner is
seriously wounded. Mulder is with Skinner in the hospital when
Doggett arrives. Doggett tells Mulder about his conversation with
Knowle, making clear that Doggett doesn't trust Knowle. Mulder
doesn't want Doggett to tell anyone where Scully is - not even
Mulder. Doggett is wondering whether the fact that he knows where
Scully is will catch up with him. Mulder points out that Knowle
didn't say HOW they intend to stop Billy.
Reyes has the house
cleaned up and arranged for the labor, impressing Scully. Reyes
talks about needing mood music, suggesting whale songs, reminding
Scully of her sister, Melissa. Reyes sees someone outside. It turns
out to be a female park ranger. The ranger is skeptical of the
claims that she is talking to two federal agents hiding from a very
dangerous man, but she eventually gives them the benefit of the
doubt and volunteers her first aid kit, and to go get further
supplies. Scully asks Reyes if she is feeling any
"vibrations." She says something feels "off,"
but she can't identify it. Reyes goes outside to get water from a
pump well. The glowing blue light is still there in the distance.
Billy appears out of the dark and attacks her but the park ranger,
who has just returned, shoots Billy, saving Reyes. Scully comes
outside to see what is happening, but feels her first contraction.
Her labor is beginning.
In the FBI parking
garage, Mulder and Doggett see Knowle in a car with Krycek. Doggett
follows Knowle when Knowle leaves the car and Mulder watches Krycek.
Doggett sees Knowle talking with Agent Crane outside Deputy Director
Kersh's office. Doggett slips downstairs to Skinner's office -
Skinner is there, even though it is at night. He just got out of the
hospital. Doggett phones Mulder to tell him that Knowle is talking
with Crane - Crane must be the one getting people past FBI security
and feeding information to Billy. Crane, Knowle and Krycek must all
be in league. Doggett calls Reyes from a phone inside the FBI, and
Crane must have tapped the call. They know where Scully is, Mulder
concludes.
Mulder says he has
to get to Scully and protect her. Doggett relents and directs Mulder
to Democrat Hot Springs in Northern Georgia. Mulder tells Doggett
that Knowle and Crane may also be human replacements and that he and
Skinner are in danger. Krycek interrupts the call by smashing the
window of Mulder's car. He is holding a gun on Mulder and indicates
that he plans to kill Mulder. Krycek says they have been on the same
side all along and could have killed Mulder many times, but he hoped
Mulder would win somehow. As Krycek begins the pull the trigger,
Skinner, who has entered the parking garage unobserved, shoots
Krycek. When Krycek continues to reach for the gun that has fallen
out of his hand, Skinner shoots him twice more, the last time in the
forehead. Krycek's last words are that it would take more bullets
than Skinner can ever fire to win this game. Mulder still needs the
exact location of Democrat Hot Springs from Doggett. Skinner sends
Mulder off to find Scully, saying that he will "get it."
Upstairs, Doggett
encounters Knowle and Crane, running to escape them. He runs
downstairs, Crane chasing him. Doggett bursts out into the parking
garage, encountering Skinner who turns and runs with him. They jump
into Skinner's Blazer. Crane and Knowle run into the garage. Crane
runs for the truck while Knowle runs for his own vehicle. Crane
jumps on top of Skinner's car and beats in a window, grabbing at
Doggett's throat. Skinner ends up driving past a roof support
pillar, knocking Crane off the truck. Crane begins to get up, but
Knowle drives through, his car bouncing right over Crane. The car
bounces into another support pillar and explodes in flame.
Scully is in labor.
The park ranger is helping more than Reyes, but Reyes notices a lump
on the back of the ranger's neck. Reyes chooses her moment and
smashes the ranger over the head with a pot in which they have been
boiling water. Several other cars drive up and the ranger, now with
facial burns, says, "This baby will be born." Reyes sees
Billy getting up from the ground. Scully is in great distress. Billy
and the others have all entered the room and are watching the labor.
As she screams with pain, Scully is also screaming to not let them
take her baby. The baby is born. Billy and the others leave.
Outside, Mulder is approaching in a helicopter. He lands as the cars
are driving off and Reyes summons him to the building where Scully
is. Scully is OK, but she needs to get to a hospital, Reyes says.
Doggett and Reyes
are in Kersh's office. He is expressing skepticism about their
report. Who even assigned Reyes to the X-Files, anyway? Doggett
answers that he assigned her because he is investigating Kersh's
office for a late night meeting between Kersh, Knowle and Crane,
both of whom are missing and presumed dead. Kersh is left without
anything to say. Doggett and Reyes leave.
Mulder arrives at
Scully's apartment. The Lone Gunmen are there, delivering presents.
They don't understand how Mulder arrived in time to save Scully.
Doggett told them that Doggett never reached Mulder with specific
directions. Mulder says, "there was a light, I followed
it." The Gunmen leave. Scully shows Mulder her son - he is
perfectly normal. She has named him "William, after Mulder's
father. Mulder holds him. Mulder jokes that the boy has Scully's
coloring and her eyes, but that he looks suspiciously like Skinner -
a reference to the bald head. Scully doesn't understand why they
didn't take her son from her. Mulder isn't sure, but maybe little
William isn't what they thought he was. That doesn't make him any
less a miracle, though. From the moment Scully became pregnant, she
was afraid about how and why it happened. Mulder says that there
were many possibilities, but they both know the truth. "Which
is what?" she asks. Wordlessly, Mulder kisses Scully on the
mouth.
