07x06 - The Goldberg Variation

[bunniefuu]

Three.

Gimme two.

Two.

Can I have five cards, please?

Five? What, are you serious?

Fours the limit. Let's see your ace.

If Mr Weems wants five... give him five.

Dealer takes two.

Four.

Nuh-uh.

How much is that? Four grand keeps you in.

You and your five shiny new cards.

Here's 4,000.

And four more.

Let's make this interesting. I'm raising you 15 large.

I wouldn't do that. This is all I need.

You're gonna need Depends after you see this hand.

Now we show each other our cards?

Four kings.

That's a straight flush, right?

Beginner's luck.

What the hell do you think you're doin'? Going home.

No, no. Not so fast.

We expect a chance to win some of our money back.

Guys, there's over $100,000 here.

You're damn right there is.

A hundred thousand's all I need. Sorry.

I had fun, though.

Where can I cash out?

Guys, I think we're going up instead of down.

Guys?

Guys, this is not what I meant by "cashing out".

Hey!

Hey!

Hello?

Yeah. Mulder, it's me. What now?

Are you in Chicago? Yes, I'm in Chicago.

I'm on the northeast corner of 7th and Hunter just like you asked.

Only you're not here. So where are you?

Oh, around. Yeah?

Hey, nice outfit.

Hey.

What's down there?

Before you check down there, check up there.

Top two floors are leased to Jimmy Cutrona whose name you might be familiar with.

Organized crime. The Bureau's been trying to build a racketeering case against him.

Gambling, extortion, m*rder.

That's why last night there were two agents parked in surveillance.

They witnessed a man being thrown from Cutrona's roof at 10.40 p.m.

This man fell for 30 floors. plus the distance down this shaft because these doors were open.

Straight through, nothin' but net.

Ouch.

I'm guessin' that's what he said.

After he got up, climbed out of here, and scampered off into the night.

Mulder, you keep saying "this man". Who is this man?

No idea. He got away. The agents gave chase, but no clear description.

Was this basement thoroughly searched? No.

Technically, falling 300 feet and surviving isn't a crime.

And your theory is?

What if this man had some kind of special capability?

Some kind of genetic predisposition towards rapid healing or tissue regeneration.

So, basically, what if we were looking for Wile E Coyote?

You're saying that he is invulnerable.

Right? Y...

In 1998 a British soldier plummeted 4500 feet when his parachute failed and he walked away with a broken rib.

What's your point?

My point is that if there is a wind gust or a sudden updraught and plus if he landed in exactly the right way, I mean...

I don't know, maybe he just got lucky.

What if he got really, really lucky? That's your big scientific explanation, Scully?

How many thousand variables would have to convene for that theory to hold water?

I don't know. No. Thousands.

Mulder? Yeah.

Look at this.

If this cart were on the platform when he hit it'd explain the condition of these wheels.

What if this whole thing had just enough give to save his life?

We'd have to find him to ask. Yeah, we have to find him.

Looks like maybe we've found part of him already.

I think you're taking a flier here, Mulder.

There must be 600 people with prosthetic eyes in the Chicago area.

Yeah, but only this Henry Weems made an appointment this morning to get a new one.

Maybe he can't see his way to the door.

Come on, Scully. I'm feelin' lucky.

Can you help me? It's an emergency.

Ma'am, we're not plumbers. I didn't say you were.

I just want the damn water turned off so I can go to work.

You gotta be stronger than me, right? The valve's under the sink.

Your building super, Henry Weems, he isn't around?

Mr Dependable? Might as well wait for Jimmy Hoffa to show up.

You're turning it the wrong way.

Hey, Richie, sweetheart, back in bed. But Mom...

"But"s are for sitting and I want yours back in bed.

He's right. Clockwise.

I know that.

Clockwise.

You OK, Mulder?

Yeah, it's all right. My ass broke the fall.

Guess who I've found.

Henry Weems. I presume?

Next time leave the plumbing to a professional.

Oh, uh...

You wanna try this on for size, Cinderella?

Mr Weems, why were you hiding in a vacant apartment?

Not hiding. Avoiding.

Avoiding whom? You people.

Now you've found me, let's get it over with.

No way am I testifying against Jimmy Cutrona.

Last night Cutrona had you thrown off the roof of 1107 Hunter Avenue.

Correct? You didn't hear it from me.

I'm not letting you people move me to Muncie, Indiana to milk cows.

More to the point, you survived a GOO-foot fall, essentially unharmed.

I don't know. Maybe the wind was just right and I landed on a bunch of towels.

No biggie. You got lucky.

Yeah, I guess, except you should look at my bruise.

Oh.

Plus, I didn't get to keep my poker winnings.

That's what you were doing, playing poker?

Cutrona thought I was cheating. I wasn't. But like I said, you didn't hear it from me.

It must have been a high-stakes game, I imagine. Did you win a lot of money?

I don't know.

A little.

What is that? Did you make it?

Uh-huh.

Sort of a hobby.

Mm-hm? Mind if I...?

Ah.

That's craftsmanship. What does it mean?

It doesn't mean anything. I just sorta... I don't know.

It's cause and effect.

So are we done here?

Mr Weems, can I ask you to reconsider testifying against Cutrona?

Nope. No way, José. Well, it would be in your best interest.

He's tried to k*ll you once and he will do it again.

Yeah, we can protect you.

I'll take my chances.

So, here's the plan as I see it.

We inform the Chicago field office about Weems, leaving it to them to secure his testimony.

You change your clothes.

We fly back to DC by sunset, and all is right with the world.

Are you gonna dump this case just as it's getting interesting?

Interesting, Mulder, was when we were looking for Wile E Coyote.

Come on, Mulder. This guy just got lucky. There's no X-File here.

Maybe his luck is the X-File.

Stairs.

Oh. What?

Car keys. Must have lost them when I fell.

So, you get many of these?

So, uh, I searched the entire building and there's no sign of Henry Weems.

I'm guessing that he's on the run.

Our dead man's name is Angelo Bellini, AKA Angie the Animal.

He's an enforcer for the Cutrona family and I don't think his visit was friendly.

You think Weems could have k*lled him in self-defense?

A skinny guy with no depth-perception against a man nicknamed the Animal?

I don't think so. We both know Weems didn't k*ll anybody.

Besides, we were gone for two minutes. This guy doesn't have a scratch on him.

I'm thinkin' it was a heart att*ck.

What the hell happened here, Mulder?

Cause and effect.

Meaning? OK. 80... watch.

So Bellini kicks down the door - poised to k*ll Weems, right?

Just as he's about to pull the trigger a noise startles him.

The buzzer, when I buzzed to be let back in the apartment.

So when he does pull the trigger his aim is off, right?

And he hits the lamp, which falls over and knocks over the ironing board.

So as the b*llet ricochets Weems dives over the sofa.

When Bellini goes for him he trips over the ironing board, bounces off the chair, flips end over end and his shoelace gets caught in the fan. QED.

Cause and effect. Seemingly unrelated and unconnected events and occurrences that appear unrelated and random beforehand but which seem to chain-react in Henry Weems's favour.

Dumb luck? Yeah. He seems to have tapped into it.

He won big at poker. He survived getting thrown off a skyscraper, and now this.

Hang on a second.

Hey! Your name's Richie, right? Yeah.

I'm Dana. Hi.

Why don't we, uh, head back to your room? I'm sure that's what your mom would want.

So, I'm guessing you're a sports fan.

Which one's your favourite?

Well... it used to be basketball, but now the Bulls suck, so I think maybe baseball.

I like baseball too.

Did Henry make this for you?

That's pretty neat.

Yeah. He made it for me when I was in the hospital.

He said... it's cos... everything happens for a reason.

Only just sometimes it's hard for us to see.

You went to the hospital because of your liver?

It doesn't work so good.

Police looking for Henry?

Yeah.

They just wanna talk to him.

Do you have any idea where he might have gone?

Mm-nm.

Since I got sick he hardly ever goes out.

Boy give you any leads? He knows nothing.

Mulder, as to your theory... Mm-hm?

Why would the world's most supernaturally lucky man be a building superintendent?

Why doesn't he run down to the Illinois State Lottery, enter and, you know, he'd win automatically?

How you feelin', pal? I'm OK.

The police are lookin' for you, though.

How come?

Uh, you know...

You do folks a favour, wire the joint for free cable...

Don't worry about it.

You're gonna be OK by yourself for a while?

Where are you goin'?

There somethin' I gotta do I've been puttin' off.

You get some rest.

That's it? You got nothing else?

OK. Thank you.

Henry Weems has no police record. I assume.

He has no record of any kind. He doesn't earn enough in a year to file tax returns.

He has no savings account, no checking account, no insurance.

He doesn't even have a video rental card. He doesn't even have a driver's license.

I mean, it's like he's intentionally stayed off the radar.

He's retired from the world.

Ever since December 1989.

When a commuter jet crashed into Lake Michigan carrying 21 passengers.

There was one survivor. Henry.

Yeah. It's how he lost his eye. Snowy night, Christmas rush.

He'd been bumped from three flights before they found a seat for him on that plane.

And guess what seat number. 13?

On flight seven. More good luck, you're saying?

Good or bad, but maybe that's where it all started.

What if a brand-new Henry Weems was plucked from the wreckage?

One whose fortunes had been irrevocably, permanently changed.

Before 1989 Henry held down a job for nine years at a train yard.

But after the accident, it's like he just disappeared off the face of the earth.

He severed ties with all of his friends and moved out to Melrose Park.

There are millions of reasons for that, including survivor's guilt.

I mean, what doesn't track for me is why Henry Weems would drop off the map just because he suddenly became very lucky.

What doesn't track for me is why he's resurfaced, why he's suddenly decided to use his luck in this way.

All right, take care of yourself, brother. Later.

Hey, what's the lottery up to? 28 million.

I don't need that much. How much do you need, Rockefeller?

More like a hundred grand.

Here goes. One dollar.

These suck.

A Melrose Park building superintendent is wanted for questioning in a case some sources term "an unusually vicious gangland slaying".

You did it! You won a hundred grand!

Where do I collect the money? Man, they'll mail it to you.

$8200 a month for 12 months. Yeah!

That's too long.

No, please. I wouldn't do that. Oh, baby! Oh, sweet baby!

Anything in the trash can is the store's property.

Yeah, right. In your face. No, just throw it away.

Something bad is going to happen.

So long, suckers.

I did it! I won! I won the lottery!

A hundred grand, fools! A hundred grand!

On three. One, two, three.

So, let me get this straight.

This is the man who initially won the money.

Mm-hm. Uh-huh.

Once you and he ascertained the accident victim was still alive, this man fled on foot.

Mm-hm. OK.

After which the man who was hit by the truck handed you the lottery card and said...

"Maurice, I want you to have this."

Mm-hm.

Thank you, Mr Albert, I think that will be all. Thank you.

For such a fortunate man a lot of unfortunate things happen in Henry Weems' wake.

Maybe that's part of the package. Can't have one without the other.

So, Mulder, Henry Weems came here to buy a lottery ticket. Why?

Maybe it's like you said. Why wouldn't the luckiest man in the world enter the lottery?

Actually, that's exactly what you said, about an hour after you said it.

Well, he's not in his place and he's not with Richie.

You think he hid in there? He doesn't hide, he avoids.

And pretty damn well, I'd say.

That thing must go all over the building, Mulder.

I'll start with the roof if you wanna start with the basement.

Hey! Hey!

Watch the rough stuff!

Henry Weems, you're a hard man to track down.

I'm workin' here. Oh?

You and I are gonna have a talk. Just sit right here and don't move, OK?

Tough guy.

Oh, crap. Not again.

Uh!

Let's get him up to OR 40.

Coming through. Excuse us.

Does it hurt? Stings a bit.

But I'll live.

Come over here, Henry. I wanna try something.

What's that about? I haven't a clue.

Nine of clubs. You go.

What for? I think you know.

Oh! You win. Double or nothin'.

Ooh! Tough to b*at.

You win again. Mulder, what does that prove?

It proves that if we played this 10,000 times in a row he would win 10,000 times in a row.

He's incapable of losing.

How does it feel to be the luckiest man in the universe, Henry?

It's a nightmare. You've no idea.

No, no, I do.

Cos when you get lucky... really, really lucky... the people around you tend to suffer. Is that right?

I think it's a balance thing.

Something good happens to me and everybody else has to take it in the keister.

So you stay close to home mostly, keep a low profile, but recently you've ventured further.

You played poker with those mobsters. I figured they could stand the trimming.

Bunch of goombah jerks. They got issues, man.

You don't mind so much if a few criminals get hurt but... then you went and you played the lottery, um...

I knew I shouldn't have done that. I needed the money.

For what?

For Richie, right?

It's the complications from his hepatitis.

He's on every donor list they got but he's got a rare blood type -

B negative.

And he's CN... something.

CMV negative. Cytomegalovirus.

There's no way they're gonna find a donor in time.

There's a treatment programme in England.

A hundred grand gets him in.

It's experimental but it's the best chance he's got now.

Am I under arrest? No.

However, you will need protection from Cutrona and his men.

I'd say they need protection from me.

I'm sorry, Mulder. That was utterly irresponsible.

You're feeding the delusions of a man who has had three attempts made upon his life.

You're supposed to talk him into protective custody, not out of it.

I'd agree with you if I thought his life was in danger.

As it is, he's doing a better job on Cutrona's organization than the FBI.

I wonder if we should make him an honorary agent.

Mulder, you're putting an astounding amount of faith in coincidence and luck.

Essentially, you’re betting a man's life on it.

And even if you believe in so-called lucky streaks, you have to know they all eventually end.

Luckiest man in the world?

No, Mulder, I just b*at him.

Mulder? Come on, Scully.

Henry!

You're supposed to be resting. I am resting.

Playing on the floor doesn't count.

Don't you ever get tired of this thing? Henry said it's educational.

Yeah, well, I don't want you believing everything that Henry says.

Do you know the police are looking for him? He said it's no big deal.

When did you see...?

Mom.

What's wrong?

How's he doin'? Well, he's got a bruised rib and a black eye.

It certainly could have been worse. And don't tell me he just got lucky.

Far from it.

Maybe what you said about streaks is right. It looks like his has just about run its course.

I don't mean to make light of his misfortune but maybe it knocked some sense into him.

He's agreed to testify against Cutrona.

What? Our guy from the justice department called.

They're filing a federal warrant today. This mook Weems...

This mook Weems was street pizza last I heard from you.

He was. I don't know what it is.

Maybe he has some special ability.

He's impervious, or somethin'.

Anyway, we can't get to him. They got cops all over the hospital.

Who says we have to get to him?

I want the toy Henry made me, Mom. Can you please go get it?

Uh, sure, honey.

We gotta go. All right, Richie, I will bring it.

I will follow you there. I will meet you at the hospital, OK?

Mm.

Did you find her? No.

You know Cutrona took her to keep me from testifying.

We're focused on him, but there's no sign of a kidnapping, no ransom note.

He's too smart for that. It makes it hard to obtain a search warrant.

We'll get one, though. When?

Tomorrow? Next week?

Could someone sit with him, at least? Hold up.

Henry, what if what I said before wasn't true, that your luck hasn't changed?

Maybe all this is happening for a reason.

So you're saying Maggie getting taken is a good thing?

No, I'm saying that what looks like bad luck may not be bad luck, but we can't tell yet.

We're not in that position. We can't see the forest for the trees.

How is he?

Not good. If they don't find a donor in the next few hours...

What if everybody that becomes involved in Henry Weems's life somehow becomes an integral part of his luck, including you and l?

Mulder, you're speaking as if we're all trapped in one of those contraptions that he built.

What are you doing? Looking for Maggie Lupone.

Luck is the overreaching force in this investigation.

I say we roll with it.

Yeah, let's call that a dry run. Yeah.

Look who came calling.

I wanted to tell you personally that there's no hard feelings.

I'm not testifying against you.

Just let Maggie Lupone go.

Maggie. I don't know anybody named Maggie.

You know anybody named Maggie?

Fellas, don't jerk me around.

Jerk you around?

You try to cheat me out of a hundred large, you k*ll Angie, you put Sal in the hospital, I'm jerkin' you around?

I apologize for my choice of words.

Please, just let her go.

Her kid's really sick.

I don't care what happens to me.

You'll care.

By the time I'm finished... you'll definitely care.

Henry! Richie - how is he?

Not that one. Use the small one.

Hey!

Henry!

Don't you hurt him, you son of a bitch!

Shut her up!

Henry!

What are the odds for Cutrona being a perfect match? A thousand to one? A million to one?

Maybe higher.

Maybe everything does happen for a reason.

Whether we see it or not.

Maybe your luck is changing.

Maybe.

I made this!