As soon as we're in position we'll be on a count of five.
- Excuse me, that's my house. - OK, let her through.
- What's going on? - Mrs Budahas?
Your husband's violated security procedure and stolen an armed military vehicle.
Team One moving in.
You've got to let me talk to him.
What the hell...?
We got him. But he's gonna need a doctor.
Or something.
Hi. I got your message.
Sorry for the run-around. Can I buy you a drink?
It's two in the afternoon, Agent Mulder.
That's not stopping the rest of these people.
- I got something to show you. - Something you couldn't show me at work?
Let's get a table.
That's Colonel Robert Budahas.
He was a test pilot for the military, stationed at Ellens Air Base, Idaho.
Four months ago, Colonel Budahas experienced a psychotic episode...
...and barricaded himself in his home. Military police were called in.
Budahas was removed and hospitalised for the treatment of his condition.
Which was what, exactly?
The military will not comment on the cause, nature or status.
In fact, the military will not comment on Colonel Budahas at all.
What do you mean?
Mrs Budahas has neither seen nor heard from her husband in over four months.
Last month, she contacted the FBI and reported it as a kidnapping.
Why would the military kidnap one of their own pilots?
That's the $64,000 question, Scully.
Since 1963, six pilots have been listed missing in action from Ellens Air Base.
The military say these pilots accepted the risks of flying experimental aircraft.
It's rumoured they were shot down at high altitudes...
...while they were penetrating Russian air space.
There were other rumours.
I've been tracking this case since it came through the Boise office.
Last week it was de-prioritised.
They shelved it without an investigation.
So...
So we're going to the spud state to investigate a kidnapping.
I don't get it, Mulder. Does this have something to do with an X-File?
I thought you only liked those paranormal-type cases.
Am I missing something here?
Let's just say this case has a distinct smell to it.
A certain...
...paranormal bouquet.
Excuse me.
Leave this case alone, Agent Mulder.
What?
The military will not tolerate an FBI investigation.
Who are you?
I... uh... can be of help to you. I've had a certain interest in your work.
Sorry.
How do you know about my work?
Well, let's just say that I'm in a position to know quite a lot of things.
Things about our government.
Who are you? Who do you work for?
It's unimportant. I came here to give you some valuable advice.
You are exposing yourself and Agent Scully to unnecessary risk.
- I advise you to drop the case. - I can't do that.
You have much work to do, Agent Mulder.
Don't jeopardise the future of your own efforts.
You OK, Mulder?
Yeah, I'm fine.
Hello.
Mulder. I checked on that file you gave me.
- You failed to tell me a few things.
This isn't some UFO goose chase you're leading me on, is it?
- Are you there, Mulder? - Yeah.
The Bureau has it out for us already.
It would make us appear stupid if my field report read like a tabloid story.
I don't wanna talk about it on this line.
I'll talk to you about it on the flight out, OK?
Hello?
- Mrs Budahas? - Yes.
We're from the FBI.
Oh, yes. Please, come in.
I started noticing it about two years ago.
Bob developed this rash under his arms.
We'd been doing some renovations
so we thought it was a reaction to the paint stripper.
But then everything just went crazy.
How do you mean?
Bob's whole personality... It was so unpredictable.
He started... doing things.
- What kinds of things? - It was embarrassing at first.
We were having this dinner party once and, um...
...he sprinkled Tetra Meal D over his food.
That's fish food flakes.
- Have you talked to him about this? - I tried. It was extremely difficult.
Bob would get so angry.
He'd yell at the kids for no reason
and then he would shake like he was having a seizure.
- Did he ever talk about his work? - It was never discussed.
Even before the problems.
I knew he worked on top-secret projects. Word gets around.
Bob was always a patriot first.
He took loyalty to his country as an oath...
...and now they treat us like strangers.
I just want my husband back.
The government is not above the law.
They cannot withhold information.
And then I think, what if he's...
How would I support the family?
You said "word gets around".
Have you ever heard of this happening to anyone else?
Yeah, Verla McLennen's husband. He went kinda crazy.
But it's not like he didn't get to come home.
- How long has he been... - Almost two years.
The fly-fishing idea was his brother Hank's. I was upset at first.
But when you're the wife of a test pilot,
you thank God just to have them home alive.
Mrs McLennen, has anyone ever offered to explain what caused this?
Stress, I guess.
You have to understand. The military deals with things in a certain way.
They've given him plenty of therapy and treatment and I'm thankful for that.
They've taken good care of us. And they do volunteer for their jobs.
Really, Anita, bringing the FBI to my house.
I've called all the numbers a thousand times.
Let me know what you find out.
We'll be staying at the Beach Grove Motel if you need anything, OK?
What did you make of Uncle Fester?
It's called stereotypy. It's a syndrome produced by extreme stress.
POWs have suffered from it. They've studied it in zoo animals.
Yeah, but these guys are test pilots.
They're not supposed to fold under pressure.
Ever hear of the Aurora Project?
That's the unacknowledged code name for a Defense Department surveillance project.
The Pentagon has admitted they've been testing
a secret class of sub-orbital spy craft.
Maybe these guys are flying those planes. Maybe they're washouts.
You saw the photos in there. Budahas received a presidential commendation.
He's never washed out of anything in his life.
I've been on hold with the base for 45 minutes. How about you?
Yeah, somebody named Colonel Kissel will meet with us... a week from Friday.
Yeah, right!
Did you say Kissel?
- Colonel Kissel? - Yes.
Can I talk with you? Special Agent Mulder, FBI.
I've got nothing to say. This is an invasion of my privacy!
- Talk to us about Colonel Budahas. - Get the hell out of my yard!
- Good thing we kept that appointment. - Hi!
Are you the FBI agents?
Paul Mosinger. I work for the local paper. We live near Verla McLennen.
She said you're investigating Budahas.
We're just looking around.
I got you. A lot of people out here are just looking around. UFO nuts, mostly.
- But it's not every day we get FBI.
By the time you hear them they're already gone.
So, about Budahas. Getting anywhere?
We're not at liberty to comment.
Well...
Paul, right?
You've lived in this area a while. You ever seen a UFO?
Never. Bunch of hooey, if you ask me. People see what they wanna see.
But if I wanted to talk to one of those UFO nuts...
...where would I go?
F-15 Eagle, pulling about four Gs.
Those boys think they are such hotshots.
Get a few drinks in 'em, you'd think it was them up there flapping their wings.
- Who's the photographer? - Various and sundry.
- I took the one on the end there. - You're kidding? Where?
Out on the back porch.
Taking out the garbage, and there it was, just hovering.
Quiet, like a hummingbird.
I thought it was gonna land in the parking lot
and I was gonna have to serve 'em lunch.
I'm selling limited-edition prints. 20 dollars.
Down to my last five if you're interested.
Put it on my tab.
Sucker.
What would be the chances of someone like me seeing a UFO?
Catch you outside.
Do you wanna see something weird? Ellens Air Base isn't even on my map.
I know. Let's go.
You know?
- Where are we going? - We got our own map. Sucker!
What do you honestly hope to see?
I don't know. Maybe nothing.
Is this why we came out here, Mulder? To look for UFOs?
Yeah, this is gonna look real good on my field report!
Scully, wake up!
You gotta see this!
What are they?
I don't know. Just keep watching. It's unbelievable.
That's unreal. I've never seen anything like it.
They've been doing that for half an hour.
Aircraft can't manoeuvre like that.
What else could they be?
I don't know.
Lasers being shot from the ground, reflecting up off the clouds.
Oh, my God!
Here comes another one.
That's not a plane. That's a helicopter.
- Hey! - Let's get outta here!
- Don't shoot! - Stay right there.
We didn't do anything.
Come on!
That was extreme.
- Let's go. You're coming with us. - What?
So what exactly were you guys doing in there?
Well, we were... um...
- We kinda have this spot. - You know, we kinda kick back...
...listen to some tunes and watch the air show.
- Were you ever chased out before? - No, first time.
Our friend showed us a hole in the fence.
One time they dropped these bombs. Whoa!
Yeah, it was kinda heavy.
There's a place called the Yellow Base, where they store all this stuff.
And my friend said that there's land mines all around it.
I've got a 20. Over.
Roger, Red Bird. Assume fallback position. We're opening the cage.
Red Bird out.
Sometimes they come in real low and just put on the skitters.
It's like and then they just hang there
and hover without making a sound.
And you just think, you know, who turned down the volume, right?
What do you think they are?
OK. Everybody thinks that they're UFOs.
But I think it's some kind of Star Wars, cybertech, newfangled hardware, right?
They're probably rolling out for Desert Storm Il or something like that.
Cruise right over Saddam's house, it'd be like...
Do they look anything like this?
No.
They look exactly like that.
- Thanks. - Later, dude.
- What's that? - Evidence.
Kids today, huh?
You believe it all, don't you?
Why wouldn't I?
Did you see their eyes? If I were that stoned...
Ooh, if you were that stoned what?
You could've shown him a picture of a flying hamburger...
...and he would have said that's what he saw.
I wanna show you something.
This is a photo of a UFO that reportedly crashed in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947.
Now I know you don't believe that story, but hear me out.
Ellens Air Base, the same base we're at right now...
...the same base that doesn't appear on your US government map...
...is supposedly where parts from the wreckage were shipped.
Mulder, are you suggesting that the military is flying UFOs?
No, planes built using UFO technology.
Mulder, come on. You've got two blurry photos.
One of them taken almost 50 years ago.
And another one you purchased today in a roadside diner.
- You're going out on a pretty big limb. - Tell me there isn't a resemblance.
Tell me one good reason why either of these photos is authentic.
You saw exactly what I saw in the sky tonight. What do you think they were?
Just because I can't explain it, doesn't mean I'm going to believe they were UFOs.
Unidentified Flying Objects. I think that fits the description pretty well.
- Tell me I'm crazy. - Mulder, you're crazy.
And it still doesn't explain to me what happened to Colonel Budahas.
- Thanks. - You're welcome.
You didn't come to raid my minibar, did you?
- You ready for this? - What?
We got a message from Mrs Budahas. Her husband came home last night.
We got your message.
Mrs Budahas, are you OK?
Come inside.
What is it?
What? What's wrong?
That... is not my husband.
Honey, who are these people?
That is not him. That is not my husband. They've done something to him.
- What are you talking about? - It's OK. Just relax.
I'm Special Agent Mulder from the FBI.
We're investigating your disappearance.
Can you explain your whereabouts over the past four months?
- I was in the hospital. - Here? On base?
I think so.
Colonel Budahas, may I ask your birth date?
November 21st, 1948.
And the names of your kids?
Josh and Leslie. They're right there.
Yeah.
Green Bay fan.
Yes, sir.
Bet you remember the Super Bowl of '68, huh? Don Chandler...
Kicked four field goals. Lombardi's last game.
- Why do I have to answer these questions? - It's not him.
Colonel Budahas, you're a pilot, isn't that right?
Yes, sir.
Bet you've flown just about everything with two wings.
I got this hotshot pilot friend who said he could do an Immelmann at a sustained 8 Gs.
Is that possible?
I-I don't...
I can't...
Anita?
I can't remember!
No!
Mulder, would you explain to me what's going on?
I think they rewired that man's brain. Some kind of selective memory drain.
The brain doesn't work like that. You can't just erase certain files.
Then you explain it to me.
- There are types of amnesia... - This is not amnesia!
It's something far more deliberate and insidious.
The science or medical technology
to do what you are suggesting does not exist.
Neither does the technology to fly the aircraft we saw last night.
They can do this. He should've known the answer to the question.
It just wasn't in his head any more.
Even if they could, why would they do it?
To control information.
Maybe after his psychotic episode Budahas became a security risk.
It couldn't just be that he had a breakdown with a concomitant memory lapse?
No, I think men like Budahas are incapable...
...of dealing with the stress of flying the aircraft we saw.
Of doing those manoeuvres.
We're talking about a technology so advanced...
...that it's taken almost 50 years to make it work. UFO technology, Scully.
- What the hell... - Hold on!
Please, step out of the car.
Do you think if we ignore him he'll go away?
Please, step out of the car.
Guess not.
Special Agent Mulder, FBI.
Federal agents.
Wanna tell me what this is about?
National security.
Now get in your car. You'll be escorted back to your motel.
You'll leave town immediately...
...or assume the consequences of intense indiscretion.
Nothing under Idaho plate CC1356? No plate registered under that number?
Thanks, Gail.
No, no, no. I'm sure the other one's bogus, too.
Bye.
So, who were those guys?
I don't think it was those kids they were chasing away from the base last night.
I think it was us.
They knew we were coming before we ever arrived.
And they returned Colonel Budahas as a decoy.
- There's something I didn't tell you. - Something else?
I was approached by a man in DC who warned me to stay away from this case.
He didn't give me his name...
- ..and my phone was being tapped. - What?!
Why would they go to all this trouble? Out of a need for security?
Security of what?
I think there's a huge conspiracy here, Scully.
I'm sure they've got a UFO here. They'll do anything to keep it secret.
Including sacrificing the minds of those pilots. Because what if the secret got out?
If... if that were true...
...it would be a national scandal.
No, you're not thinking big enough.
If it were true, it would be confirmation of the existence of extraterrestrial life.
Did you ever stop to think that what we saw was simply an experimental plane...
...like the Stealth bomber or this Aurora Project?
Doesn't the government have a right and a responsibility to protect its secrets?
Yes, but at what cost?
When does the human cost become too high for the building of a better machine?
These are questions we have no business asking.
Our kidnap victim is no longer outstanding.
Let's get out of here, Mulder, while you still have a job.
Aren't you even curious?
I'm gonna shower. I'll pack and then we'll get out of here.
Mulder! Where are you going?
Right here.
Hey, aren't you guys coming?
No, we've only gone in at night.
This spot where you watched the air show? How far is it?
45 minutes?
- Will I be able to find it? - Just stay on the path.
What about Yellow Base where they hangar them?
Don't! Don't even. It's like... ten miles.
Nobody's ever... nobody's ever been that far!
Hey, don't go past the edge of the tall weeds.
Oh, man!
Did we tell him about the land mines and junk?
Hey!
Go! Go!
No!
C'mon! Hold him!
Oxygen!
I'm trying to call Washington, DC...
...and I can't seem to get a long-distance line.
Hello? Hello?
Excuse me, my phone's not working. Can I use yours to make a credit card call, please?
Sure thing.
This one's not working either.
Phones are undependable around here. People say it's the military interference.
But they say that about everything.
Thanks.
Hi. I was just looking for you.
I knocked but I saw the door was open.
- I was in the lobby trying to make a call. - Phones down again?
Base to Red Bird. Your position? Over.
Red Bird, do you copy?
What are you doing?
Excuse me. There's nothing in there.
Get in the car! Hands on the car! Do it!
- Put the gun down and we'll talk about it. - I said hands against the car!
Who are you?
You're a long way from home. Nobody wants this to come to violence.
- Where's Mulder? - We took him to the base.
We waited for him.
Get on that walkie-talkie and find out where Mulder is.
I can't do that.
You can. Or I'll have every newspaper in America out here...
...writing about your experimental aircraft!
Vitals?
Respiration...
There are other ways to go about this.
Yeah, I've already seen where you get with tears and a sad story.
- Your package is arriving. - Roger.
- What are we doing? - Waiting.
I want the car running.
I said start the car!
And put your hands on the wheel where I can see them.
You do anything stupid and this situation could get big in a hurry.
Just keep telling yourself that.
- Intruder arriving. - Copy.
I want you to keep the car running and step out of the car.
Get in the car, Mulder.
Get in the car!
I just wanna say
everything you've seen here is equal to the protection we give it.
It's you who have acted inappropriately.
You OK, Mulder?
I think so.
Scully, I...
What?
How did I get here?
- Hi. - Hello.
We came by to see how your husband was doing.
Oh, he's fine. He's getting much better now.
- Could we see him? - Um...
- Well, he's resting now. - Who is it now?
Thank you for your concern.
They got to her, Scully. They were here.
- They must have threatened her and... - That's enough, Mulder!
We don't know anything!
Anything more than when we got here.
And that's what I'm gonna write in my field report.
Let's get out of here, Mulder, as fast as we can.
Colonel Budahas was returned to his home...
..though his own knowledge of his disappearance is vague and inconclusive.
Agent Mulder's insistence that Budahas may have been a test pilot...
..on a top-secret project involving aircraft using recovered UFO technology...
..and may have suffered stress-related trauma
by flying these aircraft, is also inconclusive.
Though this agent can corroborate Agent Mulder's account...
..of two unidentified flying objects in the northern sky over Ellens Air Base...
..their exact nature or design could not be determined.
Barring further authorised inquiry, this case - file #DF101364 - is closed.
Your lives may be in danger.
Why?
You've seen things that weren't to be seen.
Care and discretion are now imperative.
- I saw something... - I can provide you with information...
...but only if it's in my best interest.
What is your interest?
The truth.
I did see something.
But it's gone. They took it from me.
They erased it.
You have to tell me what it was.
A military UFO?
Mr Mulder...
...why are those who believe in the existence of extraterrestrial life on this earth...
...not dissuaded by all the evidence to the contrary?
Because...
...all the evidence to the contrary is not entirely dissuasive.
Precisely.
They're here, aren't they?
Mr Mulder, they've been here for a long, long time.
Susan Voas