Colony

Colony

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Template:Infobox xfiles "Colony" is the sixteenth episode of the second season of The X-Files.

Synopsis

After three identical men are killed and their obituaries are e-mailed to Mulder, a mysterious CIA agent informs him and Scully that the killer is a bounty hunter sent to destroy the start of a colony of clones. Meanwhile, Mulder is distracted when his sister, Samantha, suddenly returns.

Summary

The episode starts with a Mulder voiceover, speaking of his sister, the vague memories of his sisters abduction, his fragile faith, and his belief that the aliens are among us are and starting to colonize....

The scene cuts to Mulder being frantically wheeled into a hospital in a state of severe hypothermia and panicking doctors. They place him into a hot tub to raise his temperature. Scully bursts through the door and desperately tries to tell the doctors that warming Mulder up will kill him and that he must be kept in the state he is.

After the opening credits, we flash back to 2 weeks prior, and in the Arctic where we see a boat that has discovered a body floating in the sea...

We are then brought to an abortion clinic in Scranton, PA. We see what appears to be a regular doctor and he oversees a news report on the body found in the Arctic. He sees the man and becomes hysterical and runs out of the room. He bursts through a set of double doors, and runs right into the same man. A tall, menacing figure, who grabs the doctor and asks where "he" is. The doctor says he "doesn't know," and the man shoves him to the ground, takes a stiletto from his pocket and plants it into the base of the doctor's neck. The doctor's neck oozes green blood, and the man starts a fire and walks out of the building, ominously...

Cut to Mulder's office, and Mulder alerts Scully to an email he received this morning: three obituaries for three separate doctors, Dr. Landon Prince, Dr. Harvey William Buchanon and Dr. Dale Gayhart, all working in abortion clinics. They all look totally identical. Scully wonders if they're triplets, and Mulder says there is no blood connection, and he can't even find any records on them at all.

Mulder then questions an officer in Scranton, who says Dr.Prince performed legal clinical abortions and went about his work quietly and that none of his family have come forward. The officer informs Mulder and Scully that they have arrested a Rvd. Calvin Sistrunk, who has apparently threatened the doctors beforehand. The officer shows them a clipping an advertisement inquiring about the whereabouts of Dr.Prince that Sistrunk was carrying. It is determined that in all 3 cases no body has been found.

Sistrunk is then brought in and shows no sympathy for Dr. Prince. Sistrunk knows nothing about the other murders and claims he found the clipping in the local newspaper. Mulder and Scully then arrive at the newspaper office, and they ask about the ad and apparently the man who placed it left no details. Scully asks Mulder why they are pursuing a case that is going nowhere and says that it makes no sense. Mulder says it sounds just like an X-File and says if they were being set up, they would have more information. Mulder suspects that there are more of these identical men and finds a pattern in the location of the murders.

Mulder then asks about the number in the ad, and the attendant courtly tells him that the bill needs to be paid. Mulder does so and dials the number. Scully says 24 people have responded and the man has been seen in Syracuse. Mulder says that north bound.

Cut to a Special Agent Weiss. He answers the phone to Mulder who asks he finds a Dr. Aaron Baker. Weiss says he'll help and contact him with an address as soon as he can. Weiss arrives at the house of Baker and goes to knock on the door, but sees something is wrong and looks through the window. He sees Dr. Baker seemingly having an argument with someone. Weiss attempts to go around the back. We see inside the house. It is the same man as before that is arguing with Dr. Baker and he insists their plans will not succeed. He then kills Dr. Baker with the stiletto, in the same way he did Dr. Prince.

Weiss then bursts through the back door and the demands that the man drop his weapon. He just looks at him, sinisterly. Weiss then looks down and sees the body of Dr. Baker corroding. The man advances on Weiss who shoots him 3 times in the chest. The man is unfazed and starts bleeding green blood. Weiss cries out in anguish, grabbing his eyes.

Mulder and Scully now arrive at the house and are greeted by Agent Weiss, no less. He informs them that the house is empty and there's 2 weeks of mail in the mailbox. Mulder says he's going to look around and Weiss goes to his car, opens the boot and we see the body of....Agent Weiss. The man is a shape shifter and turns back into the man we have been seeing and calmy strolls off.

Cut to AD Skinner's office. Skinner demands to know what Mulder was doing in Syracuse and wants to know why it was not authorized and why there is no paperwork. Mulder says to Skinner he thought they had an understanding as regards to the unusual cases he works on. Skinner says that his higher ups aren't so understanding especially when one of their agents is found dead. Skinner is furious, Mulder incredulous, and Skinner tells Mulder in no uncertain terms that his investigation is terminated and wants a full report in the morning.

Back to Mulder's office, and Scully calls and Mulder tells her what went down and wishes he knew what was going on. Scully is shocked to hear of Agent Weiss's death and tells Mulder to check his email, that she's been sent an image of another identical doctor, Dr. James Dickins, and she tells him he's right here in Washington.

Arriving at Scully's apartment, Mulder is approached by an Agent Ambrose Chapel, working for the CIA. He says he needs to speak about the case Mulder is working on and says he has a story to tell. Ambrose tells Mulder and Scully that they've known about the identical men for a decade and that the Soviets have been working on the genetics of identical twins and isolated the twins their features and reproduce it. Scully asks if the men are clones and Ambrose says yes. The clones are code named Gregor and that the first Gregor came in the 1970s and managed to bring a cadre of clones into the country and have infiltrated the medical industry for the purpose of sabotage and contamination in the event of war. Ambrose continues, saying that in a secret agreement, someone has authorized the systematic termination of the clones, by a supposed Russian spy, in exchange for the science that created it. Ambrose believes that it is the Gregors that have been contacting Mulder based on his reputation and that he may protect them and bring the truth to light. Mulder wants to know how Ambrose knows they've been contacted, and Ambrose shows them the newspaper ad that he placed. Ambrose says that they are dealing with government-authorized murder, and if they get to the Gregors, maybe the truth can be heard at last.

We cut to Germantown, Maryland, nighttime. We see a rundown warehouse and inside is a Gregor clone. He is in a laboratory with tankers filled with green fluid and monitoring equipment. He takes one last look at the tanks, and leaves and gets into a waiting SUV being driven by a young lady. They pull up outside an apartment block and Mulder and Scully knock on the door. Dr. Dickins answers and Mulder says he believes he's been trying to contact them. Before he can respond, Chapel appears and the doctor with a look of terror runs away and leaps right through his apartment window and several stories down. Mulder looks out the window, Scully says she'll dial 911 and the man gets up and runs away! Mulder and Chapel give chase through the streets. Mulder closes in just as Dickins reaches a busy street, Mulder gets hit by a car and is winded. Scully checks on him and Mulder tells her to stay with Dickins and don't lose him.

Dickins runs into an alley, cornered. Chapel arrives, Dickins desperately looks for an escape, and makes a run for a fire escape. Chapel grabs him however, and the camera pans down to Chapel, only to see the ominous man once again. Scully arrives, gun drawn and once again we see Chapel who claims that Dickins blindsided him and went up the fire escape. He tells Scully he's going to try and get on the roof and runs off. Scully checks the scene but finds nothing except some green goo which she pays no major attention to. Bemused, she walks off to rejoin Mulder. As she leaves, the camera pans back to the green fluid and it evaporates......

The next day, Scully goes into Mulder's office to see how he's doing. He darkly asserts that he should have used the sidewalk. He tells Scully that if Chapel's story is true, a massive conspiracy can be brought to public eye. Scully says that this whole case is unbelievable and Chapel's story likewise. Mulder says he did a check on Chapel and he is a 17 year old veteran with an exemplary record. Scully simply asks why would such an experienced man need their help and how could he let the doctor escape so easily. She then says that Dickins wasn't running from them. He was running away from Chapel. Scully then suggests Chapel killed Agent Weiss and Mulder angrily asks Scully is that what he should tell Skinner. Scully then says Mulder will chase a case til insanity and the line must be drawn. Mulder simply says that she should step away and that everyone draws their own lines. After a short, tense silence, Scully shows Mulder a pair of shoes she has only had one week, yet she stepped in a pool of green liquid last night that ate right through the sole. "Maybe I'm being paranoid, but it was in the exact same spot where Chapel said the Doctor escaped," she says coldly. Mulder suggests she send it to the lab and she also run an autopsy on the field agent as no clear cause of death can be established.

In the morgue, Scully and Mulder are examining the body and all the tests are clean, apart from the bloodwork. There is a massive build-up of red blood cells. According the doctors who conducted the autopsy, the blood 'curdled like jelly' and something causes it to clot prior to death. Scully speculates the use of a coagulating agent but this would have shown up in the tests. Mulder then says that Chapel mention the Gregor clones were intending to contaminate the blood supply and one of those could have been used to kill the field agent. Scully has no idea, and all she can do is inspect Dr. Dickins' bag, which was recovered from his apartment. Then, Mulder is summoned by A.D. Skinner. Scully tells him Skinner will want to know why he hasn't filed his report. Mulder says he'll tell him the truth, that he was hit by a car.

Mulder arrives in Skinner's office, apologizing for his late report. Skinner says that's not why he asked for Mulder. He tells Mulder that his family has been trying to reach him urgently. Mulder leaves and calls his father. However, his mother answers. Mulder is surprised and she tells him she will put him on to his dad. His dad picks up and tells Mulder that he received a very strange phone call and that he should come home as soon as possible. Mulder promises he will, and after Scully tells him she has found an address, he abruptly leaves, saying he has to go home.

Scully drives to the address. It is the same warehouse we saw Dr. Dickins in earlier. She enters, gun drawn. She again steps into the green liquid. She looks around the corner into the heart of the warehouse. We see none other than Chapel, smashing the canisters full of fluid we saw earlier and stepping on some strange objects which ooze green liquid. Chapel rises his head, seems to be have been alerted to Scully's presence and runs out towards the front. Scully is already pulling away in her car. Back at Scully's apartment, she calls Mulder only to reach his answering machine. Scully tells him that she is worried she in in danger and that she has been followed. She also informs him that she has some very important information.

Mulder pulls up at his home in Martha's Vineyard, MA. He runs up the steps towards the house and finds his dad at the door. He tells Mulder that his mother needs some time and after a tight handshake, he tells Mulder that his mother asked him to come. Mulder's dad said its a hard time for them all and that certainty becomes a comfort and it allows us to move on. Mulder glances through the window and sees his tearful mother and a young lady. Mulder's dad says they've buried their memories so deep after everything they've lost. Mulder asks who his mother is talking to. His dad simply says, "Your sister." A shocked Mulder runs into the sitting room and sees the young lady for himself. She simply greets him with "Fox," and a shell-shocked Mulder can simply stare....

It is early morning and Mulder is tucking his worn out mother into bed. She says after so many sleepless nights now she can barely stay awake. Mulder tells her to get some sleep and closes the curtains. His mother asks that it is really Samantha. Mulder says he doesn't see who else it can be. Mulder steps out onto the porch and joins his sister. She asks him is it too late for a game of Stratego. Mulder replies its 22 years too late. He asks her to start from the beginning. She says she was 9 or 10 when she was "returned" and she had no memory, but was placed with a family who raised her. She knew they weren't his parents but couldn't remember her parents, or Mulder. She then says she started having problems a few years ago, a problem which diagnosed as anxiety and nothing worked for her. Until she had regression hypnotherapy. Suddenly, she remembered everything, the abductions, tests, everything.

She then tells Mulder that she is in danger. She and her father (Dr.Dickins) are being hunted by a man. She then says they are visitors here, aliens. A bounty hunter has been sent to kill them all and she tells Mulder that he's met him and that his lies have hurt many. He won't stop til they're all dead and he will come for her soon. The next morning, Scully leaves her apartment in a tracksuit and the phone rings just as she leaves. It's Mulder. He tells her that Agent Chapel cannot be trusted and to call her soon. Samantha tells him that Scully won't recognize the bounty hunter as he can disguise himself, as anyone. She says a normal person cannot recognize him, but she can. Cut back to Scully, who is jogging through town and gets on a bus. She calls Mulder and again reaches his answerphone. She leaves a message saying she doesn't think she's been followed and that she'll be staying at the Vacation Village in Germantown. She hangs up and the camera pans to the left and sitting several seats down is none other than the Bounty hunter!

Scully returns to the warehouse and inspects all the destroyed equipment, including some sort of bag containing what seems to be a small alien. She looks around and sees yet another clone. He runs off but he catches up with her and holds him at gunpoint. He says she won't shoot him and she insists he put his hands up the wall but the clone says she can't harm him. He opens a secret door and 3 more identical clones emerge. The first doctor says these 4 are the last and unless they're protected they're already dead. We then see each man being driven off by the police under Scully's insistence that they be held in maximum security and protected around the clock. The police chief asks who they are, and Scully simply tells him when she knows she'll tell him. Each man is driven off, however observing on the roof of a nearby building is the bounty hunter.

Mulder calls Vacation Village, and asks for Scully. The clerk says there is no-one there under that name. Mulder tells the man that when she does check in, that she must call Mulder. The clerk says he will, and goes to write the name down but his pencil snaps and forgets the name almost right away. Scully then enters and asks for a room.

At the maximum security compound, we see each doctor safely held in cells. The police chief enters, relieves the guards and locks the door behind him. He walks towards the first cell and straight away the doctor realizes what is going on. We hear the familiar sound of the stiletto and the camera cuts...

11.21pm, Mulder knocks on Scully's door, she opens the door and lets him in. Just then, her phone rings, she goes to answer it and none other than Mulder is on the other end of the line! Shock and terror is etched across Scully's face as the camera cuts and we get the 'To be continued' screen.

References

Scranton; Pennsylvania; Woman's Care Family Services & Clinic; Landon Prince; Alaska; Dale Gayhart; New York City; Harvey William Buchanon; Tea Neck; New Jersey; Arson; Abortion Clinic; Syracuse; Aaron Baker; James Dickens; Cold War; Gregor Series; Maryland; Central Intelligence Agency; Martha's Vineyard; West Tisbury; Massachusetts; William Mulder; Samantha Mulder; Stratego; Bounty Hunter; Alien; Vacation Village Motor Lodge; Virginia; Clone

Background Information

Cultural References

The name of the CIA agent in this episode, “Ambrose Chapel”, is a reference to the 1956 Hitchcock classic, The Man Who Knew Too Much. In that movie, James Stewart is searching for his kidnapped son and incorrectly assumes that a name found in a note, "Ambrose Chapel", is the name of a man who can help him but it is actually the name of a church in London where the kidnappers are holding his son.