03x07 - The Walk

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I reviewed your case and your service record.

Combat duty in Panama, Grenada.

Distinguished service in the Gulf.

Great triumphs and great tragedies.

It's clear to me that these su1c1de attempts are...

Cries for help!

You've tried and failed to k*ll yourself three times in as many weeks.

Frankly, if you wanted to... You don't understand.

He won't let me.

He won't let me die! Who? Who won't let you die?

Just relax a moment. I'll be back with something to help you sleep.

Stand down, Lieutenant Colonel!

No! Not this time!

Just let me go!

Oh, my God!

Where is he? Down here. He's in there.

I told ya. He won't let me die.

I don't wanna talk about it any more.

I told them and I told them, but they won't listen.

You said that at the time of the accident you believe somebody was in the room.

It was no accident. Don't you understand?

But this person saved your life. Is that right?

Look at me. Look!

I have no life. He took it all away.

Do you have any idea who it is?

I never see him clearly.

But he looks like a soldier. Always standin' at attention.

GI? Or one of S*ddam's boys,...

..come back to hold me accountable.

Whoever it is, he knows my name.

He speaks to you?

"Your time has come" he said.

Then he started takin' it all away.

What did he start taking away? Everything.

My wife. My children.

And how did he do that? How did...

He b*rned them alive.

Now he makes me suffer.

Because he won't let me die.

Agents Mulder and Scully? May I have a word with you?

I've been asked to have you suspend the investigation you've begun.

Asked by whom? General Callahan,...

..Stans's commanding officer. Is something wrong?

Criminal investigation of m*llitary personnel is to be conducted through m*llitary channels.

We didn't sign in at the front desk? You're in breach of procedure.

Excuse me, but does General Callahan have a superior officer?

Ma'am?

If we wanted to investigate him, who would we talk to?

Investigate him for what? Whatever.

General Callahan is the senior officer here. We'd like to speak to him.

I don't know that he's available. Ask him to make himself available.

In the meantime, we'll finish up with Lieutenant Colonel Stans.

You never know when he might try and k*ll himself again.

Let's finish this, Mulder.

I keep havin' the same dream almost every night.

I know a lot of crips have the same dream: the walk.

In my dream I rise up outta my chair. I can stand.

And I look down the hallway.

Only I'm not in the ward any more. I'm at home. There's my baby girl.

Without even thinkin' about it, I take a step towards her and I take another step.

Then I pick her up and I carry her outside on my own two feet.

Outside is my little boy. We run together.

Running! Me! My legs!

Like they were before.

We play a little bit of football. I show him a few moves. Like the old man used to do.

We just walk home.

No crutches, no wheelchairs.

I know I'll never walk again, but this dream just seems so real.

I can't help but think that maybe someday...

Don't hold your breath!

We'd all be interested in your point of view, Leonard.

Oh, you really wanna know what I think? I pity all you guys. I really do.

With your handicapped basketball and your wheelchair races.

You all act like we're normal people. We are normal people.

I don't know if you've had a look in the mirror lately, my friend, but you are missing a leg.

Aagh!

I don't have any! Where... where did my arms go?

We all know how you feel. No, you don't.

How the hell could you possibly know how I feel?

There's only one way you could ever know, and I can only pray to God...

..that he'll take your legs and your arms away and give you a little taste of what it feels like!

Roach.

I'm sorry, gentlemen. Let's begin again.

What is it, Roach? What's what?

You got that "I'm freakin' out" look on your face. What's the matter?

It's nothing. I spent two years with you in a g*n turret.

I know when you got somethin' on your mind. Private, make your report.

It's the FBI, man. They're downstairs. They're askin' questions about the LC.

To hell with the feds. All right, Roach? You hear me?

To hell with them. Just forget about 'em.

General.

Sir?

Agents Mulder and Scully to see you, sir. Thank you, Captain.

General. I've had the captain...

..contact the Justice Department and let them know about the FBI's gross misconduct here.

So this isn't a good time to thank you for seeing us.

Let me assure you, this matter will not go unaddressed.

I would hope not, considering the extremity of Lieutenant Colonel Stans' case.

What case? There's no case.

Stans is a very sick man. Yes, so we gathered.

But his file is missing important facts which came out in our interview.

I'm sure everything germane to Stans' situation is on file.

Except for any mention of the death of his family in a house fire three months ago.

Well, it was a tragic accident. No doubt. But there is no record...

..of any criminal or arson investigation. Stans tried to save his family that night.

According to him, he was prevented from doing so by some kind of phantom soldier.

Look, I've known Stans a long time and there's no doubt that he has suffered terribly.

Not unlike Staff Sergeant Kevin Aiklen.

You knew Sergeant Aiklen. Isn't that correct, sir?

He served under me in the Gulf, yes.

Six months ago Aiklen also lost his family to a house fire.

He received psychiatric treatment for delusional behaviour.

He said he wanted to die but somebody wouldn't let him.

Before throwing himself into a woodchipper.

Unless that's procedure, the coincidence of detail has been strangely overlooked, sir.

Hold on. Just who's under suspicion here?

Look, I make no excuses for the sadness of these men's lives.

They are casualties of w*r. Once brave men who we can do little but feel sorry for.

If you think there's more to it, you are seriously mistaken.

That's your conclusion.

But I'd hope you'd allow us the opportunity to come to our own.

You really think he's got something to hide?

No. I think he's got everything to hide.

You don't think he's closing ranks to protect his men?

I know it's not what drew you to this case, but I think it's clear what's going on here.

What's that?

The general is protecting his men from prosecution for the m*rder of their families.

Why would he do that? I don't know.

But I can think of several reasons. They were his soldiers...

..and he feels responsible for the tragedies?

That could be one.

He may know the secrets to their madness:

..the biological weapons they were exposed to during the w*r. The cause of the effect.

Considering the government's disavowal of Gulf w*r Syndrome,...

..I'd say it's a pretty good reason to prevent our investigation.

But you're not buying it.

What I can't figure out is why a man who deliberately set out to commit su1c1de...

..would leave the one entrance to the room unsecured.

Then again, I obviously have a feeble grasp of army protocol and procedure.

Come in.

I want to apologise, sir. I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that.

I know that, Captain. This whole situation is unfortunate.

Is there anything more I can do? No. Go home and get some rest.

We'll deal with it in the morning.

Relax, Captain. That's an order.

Yes, sir.

Your time has come, k*ller.

All right, that'll be fine. Thank you, gentlemen.

General Callahan.

One of the detectives is saying Captain Draper's death wasn't accidental.

There are bruises around her neck and her shoulder roughly the size of finger marks.

Someone drowned her? The bruises and surrounding oedema...

..are consistent with a struggle.

Will you be contacting her family? She had no family.

The army was her family.

I'm sorry. Truly.

I talked with security.

Other than Draper, they saw no one enter the pool and no one leave.

The officers are saying she was drowned. General, do you have a family of your own?

Yes. Why? If the pattern we've seen is consistent,...

..you and your family may be in danger. Based on what? The death of my adjutant?

Just keep an eye on 'em. Watch out for anything out of the ordinary.

You're serious? This is a m*llitary base.

They've got security everywhere and no one heard a thing.

It's not so hard to believe. Her screams would have been muffled underwater.

It also fits the MO of Lieutenant Colonel Stans's phantom k*ller.

Agent Mulder, what did you mean by that?

It was just a word to the wise, sir. No, I mean "anything out of the ordinary".

Any unusual or unexplained phenomena.

Last night I saw someone in my office.

He said my name, but when I turned around he was gone.

Then my phone machine went all snaky again.

Again? It's happened before? No, not what I saw.

But the phone calls, yes. Twice before, at my home.

Mom! Mail's here!

Mom! Mom!

Mom! Mom!

Mom! What is it?

What is it, honey? Mom, there was a man here.

Who?

Thank God! I was trying to reach you. Trevor saw someone in the house.

Just a few minutes ago. Is he all right?

He's in his room, but he's terrified. I'm shaking, myself.

Frances, these people are with the FBI. Is it about the break-in?

Check on Trevor. I'll be right up. Why? What's happening?

Frances, please. We'll talk upstairs.

This way.

It just comes on. The phone doesn't even ring.

At first I thought it was a prank.

Did you save the other ones? No. I erased 'em.

I even called the phone company, had them check the line.

They checked the whole house. They couldn't find anything wrong.

Have you noticed any other type of electronic interference, like the radio or the television?

No. Not a thing.

There's someone in the backyard.

I saw someone out here. I'm sure of it.

Look.

You better call the police, General.

You're gonna feel a little stick here.

There. That's fine.

I'll be back in a minute.

That was too close, man. Too close. I ain't doin' it any more, you understand?

What? I said I ain't doin' it any more.

You owe me, Roach. I wouldn't be in this damn chair if it wasn't for you.

Hey!

This isn't about you and me, man.

This is about all the grunts and all the crips and all the boys who came home in a box!

The enemy must be defeated, and we're gonna do it.

You're gonna do your part and I'm gonna do mine.

Nurse!

Hey!

What do you do, man, when I rap on the t*nk?

Get some, get some, fire at will. Good.

You're all right.

Nurse! Come on!

This is killin' me here!

What a mess. You've got to learn to sit still.

How about you never do it right?!

There. That'll hold it.

Find anything?

No, but I'm really beginning to like the tune.

Whoever's targeted the general didn't just leave footprints.

They left fingerprints as well. Really? Where?

Forensics lifted two indexes and a thumb.

One on the mailbox next to the front door and one on the door leading to the backyard.

We'd better go run 'em. They're on their way to the NClC.

FBI! Open the door!

Hands up! Hands over your head! Don't sh**t!

Turn around! OK, OK.

Put your hands down behind your back. Cuff him.

You are under arrest for suspicion of m*rder.

You have the right to remain silent.

Anything you say can be held against you in a court of law. If you want an attorney...

Captain Janet Draper. Staff Sergeant Kevin Aiklen.

Lieutenant Colonel Victor Stans. General and Mrs Thomas Callahan.

We've got him, Mulder.

Watch your left flank there.

OK.

Trevor? Hey, Trevor!

We have enough evidence to place you at each of the crime scenes.

In addition to accessory to m*rder, you're looking at conspiracy,...

..commission of a felony... Can I get a cigarette?

We know you weren't acting alone, Quinton. We know you had an accomplice.

How did he do it, Quinton?

I don't know what you're talking about. How did he get past the guard?

How did he k*ll him? Trevor was only eight years old!

I don't know. I didn't k*ll anybody.

I'm just the mailman.

What does that mean, you're just the mailman?

Rappo's mailman.

Leonard Trimble, right? If that's the man they call Rappo.

Well, that's him. What's he done?

He's a suspect in two homicides.

Rappo? You must be making some kind of mistake.

How's that? There.

See for yourself. He's a quadruple amputee.

Dammit!

He lied to us. He said he was the mailman.

What did he mean? I don't know. I'm adding it to the list.

Are you coming? No. I'll catch up with you later.

He knows this place. He can find me here!

He knows this place!

He's been here before! I'm not safe here!

Hey! Keep it down in there! Let me outta here!

He's gonna k*ll me! I'm a dead man!

Let me out! Let me out!

I'm not gonna tell you again.

He's gonna k*ll me!

He's here! He's here!

You don't wanna get him started again. He was pretty worked up about an hour ago.

Not as worked up as I'm gonna be.

Visitor. On your feet.

Problem. Wait.

How'd it happen? The sheet was stuffed down his throat.

Nobody'd been in? He did it all by himself.

Not likely. Not likely?

He had help, Scully. I think the man that k*lled him was Leonard Trimble.

Rappo? He can't even walk, let alone k*ll somebody.

See this? This is a dental x-ray plate. You've had it since we got here.

The ones I've been walkin' around with I already had developed at the hospital.

This is the one I had when we first met Stans, this one in the rehab room,...

..in the pool, the general's office, his house. All exposed to some kind of radiation.

From what?

From Stans's phantom soldier. I came down here wondering if what Stans described...

..was a case of astral projection.

You're saying Rappo is leaving his body and floating around k*lling people?

Practitioners claim that the astral body can detach itself and float virtually anywhere,...

..sometimes invisible, but sometimes appearing as an apparition.

They claim that it has psychokinetic capabilities greater than the corporeal body.

Mulder! Then why would he need Quinton Freely?

Maybe he needs a psychic connection to a place. A thing or an object. A letter.

Quinton called himself the mailman. It's insane.

Sometimes the only sane response to an insane world is insanity.

Know anything about backwards masking? Messages recorded backwards in songs?

Yeah. Or on the general's answering machine. Check this out.

Your time has come, k*ller. Your time has come.

Leonard Trimble? No, it's Fred Astaire.

Mr Trimble, we'd like to ask you a few questions about Quinton Freely.

Roach? What's he done now?

He's dead.

Oh.

Well... serves him right. How's that?

He's only the guy who turned me into second base by gettin' my arms and legs blown off.

Other than that, he was a real good guy. Then why'd you k*ll him?

What's wrong with this picture? We read your medical records.

We know you've refused all efforts at rehabilitation, even prosthetic limbs.

Maybe I don't want any of that crap. Maybe because you don't need it.

Because you can leave your body any time you want, k*ll anybody you wanna k*ll.

If I could leave my body now, I could think of somethin' else I'd rather be doin'.

Like k*ll General Callahan's boy? Lieutenant Colonel Stans's family? Sergeant Aiklen?

You're a real trip. Because I figured you out? You're a soldier.

You knew what you were gettin' into when you enlisted.

Why you wanna blame your COs? I blame 'em for what happened to all of us!

You don't know what it was like.

You sat at home and watched the w*r on cable TV like it was a damn video game.

You had no idea about the guys that d*ed, about the blood in the sand.

What it feels like when a hit comes.

The thing is, you just don't care, do ya?

You got your crude oil. Just change that station, right?

k*ller got his prime time, LC got his fancy little medals.

Now take a good look at me. What did I get?!

Nobody knows how I feel.

They took my life away.

Yeah. So you took theirs.

If I only could.

Now, if you're through questioning me, I'd like to get a little shuteye.

No sleepwalkin'.

That's good. I haven't heard that one yet.

Hardy-har-har.

What do you wanna do? Warn Callahan to stay out of his house.

Frances?

Honey, leave that.

No, I know how it upsets you when his... toys are spread all over the place.

We can handle this, Frances.

I don't wanna handle this.

I want my son back.

Frances!

Oh... my God.

No one's answering. The machine's not picking up.

General?

Lieutenant Colonel.

What are you doin'? You were right, Victor.

He won't let you die. Sir?

He kills our wives and children,...

..but he won't let us die.

I know who he is, General.

I know who he is.

General Callahan, sir! I've been waitin' for ya.

Who are you? One of your boys, General.

You k*lled my wife. That's right, sir, I did. And the boy too.

Come on, k*ller.

Come on, k*ller Callahan! Get some! Get some!

Come on, k*ller! Do it! Fire at will!

Come on, k*ller. Do it!

Come on, k*ller. You can do better than that. Come on!

You're gonna suffer like the rest of us.

Oh, you think I'm gonna let it end this way? Do ya? Is that what you think?

General?

He wanted me to k*ll him. I stood down.

I'm done here.

Scully.

He's having some kind of a seizure. No, I don't think so.

Nurse!

General Callahan!

k*ller.

Come on, k*ller.

Your time has come.

General Callahan!

General Callahan!

He's nonresponsive. Come on.

Put him on the monitors. He's going into cardiac arrest.

And make sure the...

Lieutenant Colonel!

Get the keys. We have to open the door.

Open the door! Lieutenant Colonel, open the door!

General Callahan, are you hurt?

I'm OK.

No physical evidence linked Trimble to the deaths of Callahan's wife and son.

Officially, the investigation remains open, the murders unsolved.

Leonard Trimble's family requested his burial at Arlington National Cemetery.

The army denied this request.

Trimble was cremated, his ashes interred at a civilian cemetery...

..in Tannersville, Pennsylvania.

Leonard Trimble's mission was not to k*ll his enemies,...

..but to shadow their lives, to keep them alive to suffer the pain that he felt,...

..to see the view from his wheelchair.

Amputees sometimes feel the pain of phantom limbs,...

..ghosts of hands still clenching, legs still aching.

Is it not possible that Trimble developed a phantom soul,...

..a malevolent psyche that took its violent revenge on those he held accountable?

It was w*r that destroyed Leonard Trimble's body.

But his wounds went deeper than the loss of his limbs.

What destroyed those parts of him that make us human beings,...

..those better angels of our nature,...

..I cannot say.

I made this!