Hello?
Who is that?
Are you Ghouli?
No.
- You are. - No...
I'm not, I swear.
That's what Ghouli would say. You're trying to trick me.
Look, I can prove it. Just stay where you are. I'll come find you.
Not if I find you first.
- No! Aah! - Ugh.
Most people believe there are two states of consciousness:
Sleep and wakefulness.
But there is a third state, hypnagogia...
characterized by dreamlike visions and strange sensory perceptions.
It was in this borderland that I found myself frozen on a stranger's bed.
What the hell is going on?
Sounds like sleep paralysis. REM atonia.
Did you hear hissing or buzzing? Did you feel an electric current running through your body?
No, it was different, Mulder.
I mean, after the initial jolt of fear, I felt compelled to follow the dark figure.
Dark figures are usually meant to be avoided. Where was it leading you?
There.
That's the same boat.
That's an open X-file, Scully.
Chimera.
"Dreams are today's answers to tomorrow's questions."
That's a quote from Edgar Cayce. He was called The Sleeping Prophet.
Like you, he received visions in a hypnagogic state.
- He believed those visions were messages sent. - He also believed in the lost city of Atlantis.
Another reason to love the guy.
You've been receiving visions through seizure. Maybe this is an evolution of the form.
No, but you're onto something, Scully, I'm sure of it.
We're being followed. Since the airport.
- Detective Costa. - Agent Scully.
- Agent Mulder. - Pleasure.
So the victims and the perpetrators were two female high school seniors.
Different schools, no past criminal history. They were good students.
We talked to their families and checked their social media.
No indications that the girls knew each other before the attack.
Crime scene photos indicate that the wounds were made with a sharp blade.
We found two knives at the scene. They cut each other up pretty bad.
- What's the condition of the girls now? - Both lost a lot of blood.
The one, Brianna Stapleton, was a millimeter away from having her carotid artery severed.
Both girls are unconscious in the hospital, but doctors are confident they'll pull through.
Who reported the attack?
Anonymous 911 call. Didn't leave a name.
But the voice was male, and sounded panicked.
Forensics has a complete workup with pictures and measurements...
but this was left otherwise untouched.
There's no blood leading to or from the spot where they were discovered.
Seems like once they started, they were gonna finish.
Hmm.
Mulder, the way they attacked each other indicates an extreme emotional response.
It suggests that they did know each other.
If they didn't know each other, that response could be an indication of extreme fear...
like a lizard brain thing.
Either way, this meeting was surely not a coincidence.
All right. Okay, thanks.
Hey, guys, there was one other thing.
The EMT said that he heard something when he was treating the victims.
He said that the girls asked him if he found Ghouli.
Is that Ghouli with an H?
It looks typical. The teeth, the mucous.
Ghouli probably feeds on human flesh. Yawn.
The site's only been active for the last couple of months.
Mostly fan fiction.
This is my problem with modern day monsters. There's no emotional investment.
You know, like Frankenstein or the Wolf Man.
Not only did they inspire bowel-clenching fear, but there was pathos.
Frankenstein, he was afraid of fire and he just wanted a friend. You know?
There's a lot of money to be made in scaring people.
Maybe the girls were manipulated to attack each other in order to goose traffic.
Most of the stories are written by an @Rever.
Oh. The girls have regained consciousness. We can talk to them at the hospital now.
Bob. Double shot cappuccino, extra foam.
- Thank you. - No worries, buddy.
Bob?
Like I wanted to explain "Fox" for the millionth time.
Ghouli's real.
I saw it. It was closer than you are to me. I was scared. I had to defend myself.
The thing was an inch from my face.
So close, I could smell its breath.
It had rows of sharp teeth, and this goo was dripping from its mouth.
What did it smell like, its breath?
Like... cinnamon.
- And how did you find this Ghouli? - I fell into this hole into its lair, I guess.
I heard something jump down, and when I turned around, it was screaming.
- What about Brianna Stapleton? - I didn't see anybody else.
She was on the floor, next to you. Also injured.
I don't know any Sarah.
Okay? All I saw was Ghouli.
- So how did you know to go to the ferry? - You're gonna think I'm crazy.
- I had a dream. - But it wasn't a dream.
It felt real, like I was really living it. At first it was scary because I couldn't move.
Like I was in bed, but it wasn't my own bed.
Someone was next to me. I couldn't see him. It was a dark figure.
And I jumped out of bed and chased him.
It wasn't even my own house.
I would run through the hallways and try to get to the living room to get outside.
- I would just end up back inside again. - Like a maze.
Where no matter which door you open, you end up in the same place.
Was there something you were supposed to see?
- A souvenir. - Yeah. You shake it and it snows.
- What was inside your snow globe? - A ferry.
Everybody knew where it was.
Kids would get stoned on it in the summer. Not me.
Have you ever experienced a dream like that before?
Kind of. My boyfriend and I did this fun house thing at the fair.
You have a boyfriend?
I'm not supposed to.
My parents don't approve.
They're really lame, but he's cool.
What's his name?
Jackson Van de Kamp.
The sleep paralysis, the labyrinth, the snow globe. You share the same story.
And the girls apparently the same boyfriend. Jackson Van de Kamp.
- Scully. - I know.
- Mulder, it has to be a coincidence. - No, it's not. You were sent here.
We are meant to be here. We gotta find out where this kid lives.
I feel like I'm gonna fall off a cliff.
Mulder, this is the house in my vision.
The door's open.
Scully.
All right, so you said you heard three shots?
Murder-suicide.
Jackson Van de Kamp killed his parents.
When he heard you and Scully break into the house...
he realized he was gonna get caught and killed himself.
That's a rather convenient explanation.
The kid had two girlfriends who tried to kill each other.
- There's something dirty in the water. - The back door was open.
Maybe he left it open. I don't think you worry about those details...
when you're looking to commit murder-suicide.
I mean, you were here. There was nobody else when he killed himself.
I appreciate your expertise, but I think you're trying to answer questions nobody is asking.
I appreciate your input.
Scully?
This is his room. I recognize it from my dream.
You were right, Mulder. Whoever he is, he wanted me to be here.
Look.
Birthday, Halloween, vacation.
Baseball.
It's a whole life.
It's full. And still cold.
Odd choice to crack open a can of soda before you decide to kill your parents.
Look at this.
Memoirs of a Wolf in Sheep's Clothing.
At least he had his priorities straight.
He was troubled. Maybe even schizophrenic. He was seeing a psychiatrist.
Clozapine. That's an antipsychotic, and Diazepam is to treat seizures.
They were prescribed two months ago, and they're still full...
so he was off his medication.
I have grave doubts about what appears to have happened here, Scully.
- Aha. - Malcolm X.
"The future belongs to those who prepare for it today."
Was that his hero?
We don't know that that body is William, Scully.
Mm.
Malcolm Little took the last name X...
because he wouldn't take the slave name given to his ancestral family.
Was Jackson's identity so adrift...
that he couldn't see himself as being a part of a family?
Is that why he killed his parents and then himself?
Why would he call you here just to see him die?
I need to get proof of his identity, Mulder.
I need answers.
I'll get you one.
Who are you with, and why are you following me?
- Take it easy. Nobody's following you. - We're just curious onlookers.
We saw the police cars. Something bad happened here.
What agency are you with?
Judging by your crappy rental car, I'm guessing the DOD.
You make a lot of assumptions.
I also assume it's no coincidence you're here on the night the Van de Kamps are killed.
Wow. Three bodies. What a tragedy.
Yeah.
Keep cracking wise. You have no idea my state of mind.
I don't know if you are who I think you might be.
But if you are William...
this is what I'd say.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry...
that I didn't get a chance to know you.
Or you get a chance to know me, or your father.
I gave you up for adoption not because I didn't want you...
or because you were any less loved.
I was trying to keep you safe.
I hope you know that.
And maybe...
Maybe I should have had the courage to stand by you.
But I thought I was being strong, because it was the hardest thing I have ever done.
I mean...
To let go...
and to know that I was gonna miss your whole life.
But it turns out that this is the hardest thing.
To see the outcome.
And how I failed you.
I need you to know that I never forgot you.
And I thought...
I felt...
even recently that we were gonna somehow be reunited.
I wish I could have been there to ease your pain.
Oh, my God, this is so inadequate.
I'm just so sorry.
I'm so sorry.
- Have you been there the whole time? - No, but I heard enough.
You have nothing to apologize for.
This is torture, Mulder.
I need to get the results.
Okay.
- We can get a DNA comparison at the lab here. - Okay.
- We'll be back in two hours. - Yeah.
Respiratory therapist to the ICU.
Any available respiratory therapist to the ICU, stat.
William.
Is this a message for me?
Or am I sending a message to you?
Agent Scully?
I'm Dr. Harris, the coroner.
Where did you put the body?
There's no sign anyone was ever in here.
Scully, can I have a word?
It's okay, Mulder.
- It's not good news. - I know. It's William.
His body's missing.
There's no way anyone could've taken the body out of here.
Are there any windows anywhere?
No sign of damage on the outside.
That window is always locked.
Well, then it must've been opened from the inside.
Scully.
Can I talk to you?
Yeah.
I know what you're thinking.
And I want him to be alive, every bit as much as you do.
And in my heart, I never thought that we'd have to face this moment.
But here we are.
And hope is not a fact.
And I'm always the first to jump to extreme possibilities, but this is not as simple as that.
Mulder, I had another vision.
And I saw this.
Did you take that from his room?
I don't know why I did.
I just needed to hold on to something tangible.
All right, I'll check the video surveillance.
But this doesn't change anything. Not yet.
He wants us to find him, Mulder.
I know it.
- Oh. Aah! I'm sorry. - Aah! Oh.
I'm sorry.
It cracked. The stuff leaked out.
- No, it's my fault. I'm sorry. - It's okay.
You were distracted.
You like windmills?
I like this one.
Who are you?
Don't give up on the bigger picture.
Nothing on the surveillance cameras and nothing here.
No history on ghouli.net, no porn.
How many 17-year-olds with two girlfriends have a search history that clean?
Maybe he wiped his history.
I got this from the dark web.
It retrieves the browser history from the hard drive.
If we can find the right computer. He's hiding it here somewhere.
I think our investigation is about to get hijacked.
Got it.
Teenage girls have secrets too.
Look at that. Hundreds of posts to ghouli.net.
And a back door to some files at the DOD.
Agents Mulder and Scully.
We are commanding you to cease all activity and exit the property immediately.
The FBI has jurisdiction over this investigation.
I suggest you leave the premises until I can get an order from a countermanding authority.
That's straight from the DOJ.
Now scram.
Step away from the desk.
Everything in this house is now under the jurisdiction of the DOD.
Oh! Never a good idea to keep an open beverage by electronics.
Mulder, how is it the only updates I've received about what you're doing...
come through complaints by other agencies in the government?
- Let me guess, the DOD. - And the DOJ.
They filed a memo documenting obstruction and tampering with evidence.
Nothing will come of those complaints...
because the DOD is involved in a conspiracy they're trying to cover up.
Does it have anything to do with a missing dead body, a Jackson Van de Kamp?
I'll tell you more when I know more.
You need to come back so we can discuss your activities.
No, actually you're gonna need to come here.
I'm not going to Norfolk.
- Bob? - Skinner, you're breaking up. I can't...
- Bob? - Mulder...
- Double cappuccino, extra foam? - Yeah. Yeah.
Mulder, I can hear you perfectly.
I'm gonna have to call you back when I get a better connection. Hello?
Mulder?
Mulder is close.
I suspect he'll be interested in Project Crossroads.
We'll be able to find what we've been looking for.
Mulder, why did you wanna meet out here? It's cold and it smells.
This is where it all started.
When two young girls were attacked by a monster only they could see.
You're wrong. This is the end of the road.
It started decades ago.
When they decided to combine alien and human DNA to create hybrids.
Listen to me, I came out here to warn you and Scully.
Drop this investigation.
I'm listening.
After the crash at Roswell...
our government's interest in alien technology exploded in all directions.
And finally, in the '70s, our science caught up to our ambition.
A eugenics program was initiated by a Dr. Masao Matsumoto...
using components of alien technology, hybrid DNA.
Project Crossroads. I read the report.
It was ultimately deemed a failure because they couldn't predict...
what attributes the test subjects would get from the hybrid DNA.
That's correct. The project was defunded 15 years ago.
Dr. Matsumoto burned all the files pertaining to the subjects to save their lives...
and then he disappeared.
The DOD has tried to track them down ever since.
That's why they were following us.
- We found one of their own for them. - Jackson Van de Kamp.
Now do you understand?
Jackson Van de Kamp was our son, Skinner.
He was named William before he was adopted.
I checked his DNA against Scully's.
Oh, my God. I am so sorry. Mulder, I...
Thank you.
For your warning.
It just came too late.
I find it hard to believe Jackson would harm anyone, much less his parents.
He loved them very much.
And we never discussed any suicidal ideation. Your claims don't describe the patient I know.
You prescribed medication for seizures.
Jackson had symptoms that coincided with extreme electrical activity in the brain.
But can you tell me, did he have...
visions?
What he saw was specific and detailed.
That's all I'm willing to say, Agent Scully, unless you come back with a court order.
His visions were apocalyptic.
A pandemic was spreading across America.
Hospitals were overwhelmed.
People were panicking.
A vaccine was needed.
One that had to be created with a combination of human and alien DNA.
And Jackson himself was the key.
It ends with a UFO, hovering over the 14th Street Bridge.
That's what he saw, Dr. Scholz.
How is it possible you know?
So you think a shared vision means that it's more likely to come true?
What if I didn't get a glimpse of the future?
What if I was just a receptacle for his message to me?
Just like my dream to come here.
Hey, Bob.
It's an alternate reality. Fox doesn't exist in coffee shops.
No.
It's a false reality, Scully. Just like everything we've seen so far.
I've been going over the forensics of the case.
The police think Jackson killed his parents, then himself.
But the spatter pattern tells me different. It tells me there were two shooters.
Her body was moved after she was shot to make it look like there was one shooter.
Scully, I believe that through the Smoking Man...
you were an unwitting participant in a eugenics program called Project Crossroads...
spearheaded by Dr. Masao Matsumoto.
He disappeared two years after William was born.
I believe our son was one of his test subjects.
- Let's go. - Jackson knew he was being hunted.
So he hid the only way he knew how. He created an alternate reality playing dead.
So he made us hear the shot...
and see the hole in his head.
Yes. And those two girls thought they saw a monster.
And so, Mulder?
Where is he now?
Heh. Jackson.
Thank God. They told me you were dead.
Not yet.
Oh, babe.
These look sick.
It's horrible. I'm so sorry.
Where have you been?
I've been hiding. There's these people, they're after me. I...
Look, I just came to apologize. I didn't mean for any of this to happen.
I didn't think anyone would get hurt. I thought it'd be funny.
Like a prank. Like, you'd see the Ghouli and you just run away.
- Are you Ghouli? - No. There's no such thing as Ghouli.
- I made up everything on the website. - No, Jackson.
That thing attacked me. And the other girl.
You attacked each other. You saw what I projected into your head.
All right, it's like...
this...
This power, I was learning to control it, okay?
I just couldn't stop it in time. There was so much blood.
It was all just a blur.
- That's really messed up. - It is.
All right, it started when I had my seizures. I...
I'd see things.
Terrifying things like UFOs.
And it would hurt like hell.
And...
But when I was in pain, I could share it. Kind of. Like mentally.
With who?
This woman. I don't know, she was...
maybe my birth mother.
Look, I came back, because...
everyone around me is in danger.
My parents are dead, Bree.
But I wanted to say goodbye. Okay?
Okay.
Oh, no.
They found me.
Take it easy, agents. You guys can relax. You can relax. It's under control.
- You have Jackson Van de Kamp in custody? - Not yet.
I don't understand how a dead guy can be up on his feet.
But he's in there, exits are covered.
- How do you know he's inside? - I got a text from Sarah Turner. That's him.
I'd like to ask you to keep your officers outside so we can be the first to go in.
Agents from the Department of Defense are already inside.
Excuse me.
Gee, Sarah.
You were kissing her.
So I wanted to hurt you.
So I... And I texted them. I'm so sorry.
I should be the one saying sorry.
Are you gonna be in trouble?
They... They wanna kill me.
It's my fault.
- This is... This is all my fault. - No, no, no. Look.
I'm gonna be all right. Okay?
He's coming your way.
Evacuate the floor.
Subject is heading your way.
Hey, don't move.
Move!
FBI. Put your weapon down.
Stay out of my way.
I know you're here, boy.
Stop.
They shot each other.
Well, who were they shooting at?
He's here.
Jackson. It's safe. It's over.
Jackson, we just wanna talk to you.
Make sure you're okay.
Anything?
He's disappeared.
Oh, boy.
Yeah, I'm sorry...
Do we need gas?
I could use a bathroom.
Mm.
- Are you following me? - Hey.
- Didn't I see you at the hospital? - It must be kismet. Heh.
But I doubt we'll be seeing each other again. I'm driving across country.
Oh. Anywhere in particular?
No. I just wanna see the world.
Things are about to change.
Hey.
- Are you Dr. Masao Matsumoto? - A doctor?
Heh. No. I never finished high school.
You seemed like a nice person. I wish I could know you better.
Well, safe travels.
If you don't stand for something...
you'll fall for anything.
Who's that?
Just a friendly old guy.
But he seems so familiar.
- The Pick Up Artist. - What are you talking about?
That book in Jackson's room. I think he's the author.
- What did he say? - He gave me a piece of advice. He said...
He said, "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything."
That's a Malcolm X quote, Scully.
Scully.
We need to see your surveillance video now.
Right there.
Are you Dr. Masao Matsumoto?
A doctor? No, I never finished high school.
You seemed like a nice person. Heh.
- I wish I could know you better. - Well, safe travels.