As soon as we're in position, we'll be on a count offive.
Excuse me. That's my house.
- What's going on? - Stand by. Mrs. Budahas?
Your husband commandeered a militaryvehicle and is armed.
Oh, my God.
You've got to let me talk to him.
What the hell--
We got him, but he's going to need a doctor...
or something.
( Breathing Heavily )
Hi. l gotyour message.
Sorry for the runaround. Can l buyyou a drink?
lt's 2:00 in the afternoon, Agent Mulder.
That's not stopping the rest ofthese people.
l got something to showyou.
Something you couldn't show me at work?
Let's get a table.
Okay.
Mulder: That's Colonel Robert Budahas.
That photo was taken lastyear
when he was a test pilot for the military
stationed at Ellens Air Base.
Four months ago, Budahas experienced a psychotic episode
and barricaded himselfin his home.
The military police were called in.
Budahas was removed and hospitalized
for the treatment ofhis condition.
- Which was what? - The militarywill not comment
on the cause, nature or status.
- The militarywill not comment at all. - What doyou mean?
Mrs. Budahas has neither seen nor heard from her husband in over four months.
Her inquiries have gone unanswered.
Last month, she contacted the F.B.l.
and reported it as a kidnapping.
What reason would the military have to kidnap one oftheir own pilots?
That's the $64,000 question, Scully.
Since 1 963, six pilots have been listed
missing in action from Ellens Air Base.
The militarywill say
only that these pilots accepted the risks
offying experimental aircraft.
Yeah, there are rumors those pilots were shot down at high altitudes
while theywere routinely penetrating Russian airspace.
There were other rumors too.
l've been tracking this case
since it came through the Boise office last month.
Last week, it was deprioritized.
They shelved this case without an investigation, Scully.
So--
So we're going to the Spud State to investigate a kidnapping.
l don't get it, Mulder.
Does this have something to do with an X-File?
l thoughtyou only liked those paranormal-type cases.
Am l missing something here?
Let'sjust say this case has a distinct smell to it.
A certain
paranormal bouquet.
Excuse me.
Leave this case alone, Agent Mulder.
What?
The militarywill not tolerate an F.B.l. investigation.
Who areyou?
l, uh... can be ofhelp toyou.
l've had a certain interest in yourwork.
( PoundingAtDoor )
How doyou know about mywork?
Let'sjust say that l'm in a position to know
quite a lot ofthings-- things about our government.
Who areyou? Who doyou work for?
lt's unimportant. l came here to giveyou some valuable advice.
You are exposing yourself and Agent Scully to unnecessary risk.
l adviseyou to drop the case.
l can't do that.
You have much work to do, Agent Mulder.
Don'tjeopardize the future ofyour own efforts.
You okay, Mulder?
Yeah. l'm fine.
( Phone Ringing )
Hello?
Scully: Mulder, l checked on that fileyou gave me.
You failed to tell me a few things.
This isn't some U.F.O. goose chase you're leading me on, is it?
Areyou there, Mulder?
Yeah.
The Bureau has it out for us already
and it would make us appear pretty stupid
ifmy field report read like some tabloid story.
Listen, l don't want to talk about it on this line.
l'll talk toyou about it on the fight out, okay?
( SonicBoom )
- Hello? - Mrs. Budahas?
- Yes. - We're from the F.B.l.
Oh, yes. Please, come in.
l started noticing it about twoyears ago.
Bob developed this rash under his arms.
We'd been doing some renovations on the house
so we thought it was a reaction to the paint stripper
but then everything just went crazy.
Scully: How doyou mean?
Mrs. Budahas: Bob's whole personality-- it was so unpredictable.
- He started doing things-- - What kinds ofthings?
What kinds ofthings?
Mrs. Budahas: lt was kind ofembarrassing at first.
We were having this dinner party once
and he sprinkled Tetrameal D all over his food.
Hmm?
That's fish food fakes.
You ever talk to him about this?
l tried. lt 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?
lt was never discussed, even before the problems.
l knew that he worked on top secret projects-- word gets around--
but Bob was always a patriot first.
He took loyalty to his country as an oath
and now they treat us like strangers--
l just want my husband back.
You know the government is not above the law.
They cannot withhold information.
And then l think...
well, what ifhe's--
How would l support the family?
You said word gets around.
l'm sorry.
Haveyou ever heard ofthis happening to anyone else?
Um... yeah.
Verla McClennon's husband-- he went kind ofcrazy
but it's not like he didn't get to come home.
- How long has he been-- - Almost twoyears.
The fy-fishing idea was his brother Hank's.
l was upset at first
but when you're the wife ofa test pilot
you thank God just to have him home alive.
Mrs. McClennon
has anyone ever offered to explain what caused this?
The stress, l guess. You have to understand
the military deals with things in a certain way.
They've given him plenty oftherapy and treatment
and l'm thankful for that.
They've taken good care ofus.
And they do volunteer for theirjobs.
Really, Anita--
bringing the F.B.l. to my house.
Here. l've called all the numbers about 1 ,000 times.
Please, let me know whatyou find out.
We're at the Beach Grove Motel ifyou need anything.
Thanks.
So what did you make of Uncle Fester?
lt's called stereotypy.
lt's a syndrome produced by stress.
P.O.W.s have been known to suffer 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 ofsomething called the Aurora Project?
That's the unacknowledged code name
for some defense department surveillance project.
They've been testing a secret class
ofsuborbital spycraft over the western U.S.
Maybe these guys are fying those planes.
Maybe these guys are the washouts.
You saw the photos.
This guy Budahas received a presidential commendation.
He's neverwashed out ofanything in his life.
Been on hold with the base director ofcommunications.
How aboutyou?
Somebody named Colonel Kissel will meet with us...
a week from Friday.
Yeah, right.
Did you say Kissel?
- Colonel Kissel? - Yes?
Can l talkwith you?
Special Agent Mulder, F.B.l.
l've got nothing to say. This is an invasion ofmy privacy.
Why don'tyou talk to us about Colonel Budahas?
Why don'tyou get the hell out ofmyyard?
Good thing we still kept that appointment.
Hi. Areyou the F.B.l. agents?
l'm Paul Mossinger. l work for the paper.
We live nearVerla McClennon.
You guys are looking into this Budahas thing?
We'rejust looking around.
l gotyou. Right.
A lot ofpeople out here just looking around.
U.F.O. nuts mostly but it's not every daywe get F.B.l.
( SonicBoom )
By the timeyou hear them, they're already gone.
So this Budahas thing-- areyou getting anywhere?
l'm not at liberty to comment.
Well--
Paul... right?
You've lived in this area a while. You ever seen a U.F.O.?
Never. Bunch ofhooey ifyou ask me.
People see what theywant to see.
But ifl wanted to talk to one ofthose U.F.O. nuts
you referred to earlier, where would l go?
( SonicBoom )
F-1 5 Eagle, pulling about four G's.
Those boys think they are such hotshots.
Get a few drinks in them, you'd think it was them up there
fapping theirwings.
Who's the photographer?
Woman: Various and sundry.
l took the one on the end there.
Mulder: You're kidding. Where?
Out on the back porch. Taking out the garbage.
And there it was... just hovering.
Quiet like a hummingbird.
For a minute there, l thought it was going to land
and l was going to serve 'em lunch.
l'm selling limited edition prints-- $20.
Down to my last five, ifyou're interested.
- Put it on my tab. - Sucker.
What would be the chances ofsomeone like me seeing a U.F.O.?
Catch you outside.
You want to see something weird, Mulder?
Ellens Air Base isn't even on my map.
l know. Let's go.
You know? Where are we going?
We got our own map, sucker.
What doyou honestly hope to see?
l don't know. Maybe nothing.
ls this whywe came out here, Mulder?
To look for U.F.O.s?
Yeah, this is going to look real good on my field report.
( Rattling )
( Screams )
Scully, wake up! You gotta see this.
What are they?
l don't know.
just keep watching. lt's unbelievable.
That's unreal.
l've never seen anything like it.
They've been going at it for halfan hour.
That can't be aircraft.
Aircraft can't maneuver like that.
- What else could they be? - Lasers, maybe--
being shot from the ground, refecting offthe clouds.
Oh, my God.
Here comes another one.
That's not a plane. That's a helicopter.
- Hey! - Let's get out ofhere!
- Okay, don't shoot. - Stay right there.
We didn't do anything.
( HelicopterApproaching )
Come on!
( Chuckling )
That was extreme.
- Let's go. You're coming with us. - What?
So, what exactlywereyou guys doing in there?
We were, um-- We werejust--
We kind ofhave this spot.
You know, we kick back and listen to some tunes
and watch the air show.
Wereyou ever chased out before?
No. Our friend showed us the hole in the fence about a year ago.
One time they dropped these bombs-- Whoa.
lt was kind ofheavy.
Oh, uh, there's this place
called the Yellow Base where they're supposed to store all this stuff.
My friend said there's land mines
all around it andjunk like that.
l've got a 20. Over.
Roger, Redbird. Assume fallback position.
- We're opening the cage. - Redbird out.
Sometimes they come in real low and put on the skidders, right?
lt's like... ( Screeches )
Then theyjust hover
without making a sound, and youjust think
who turned down the volume, right?
What doyou think they are?
Okay, everybody thinks they're, like, U.F.O.s
but l think it's some kind ofStarWars-cybertac
newfangled hardware, right?
Probably roll it out for Desert Storm ll.
Cruise right over Saddam's house. He'd be like, what?
Do they look anything like this?
No.
They look exactly like that.
Thanks.
Later, dude.
- What's that? - Evidence.
( Music Playing )
Kids today, huh?
You believe it all, don'tyou?
Whywouldn't l?
Mulder, did you see their eyes?
- lfl were that stoned-- - lfyou were that stoned, what?
You could have shown him a fying hamburger
and he would have told you that's exactlywhat he saw.
l want to showyou something.
This is a photo ofa U.F.O.
that reportedly crashed in Roswell, New Mexico in 1 947.
Now, l know you don't believe that story
butjust hear me out.
Now, Ellens Air Base, where we're at right now--
the same base that doesn't appear on your U.S. Government map--
is supposedly one ofthe six sites where parts ofthe wreckage were shipped.
Mulder, areyou suggesting that the military is fying U.F.O.s?
No. Planes built using U.F.O. technology.
Mulder, come on!
You've got two blurry photos
one ofthem taken almost 50 years ago
and another oneyou purchased today, in a roadside diner.
You're out on a big limb.
Tell me there isn't a remarkable resemblance.
Tell me one good reason why either ofthese photos is authentic.
You saw what l saw tonight. What doyou think theywere?
just because l can't explain it
doesn't mean l'm going to believe theywere U.F.O.s.
Unidentified fying objects.
l think that fits the description prettywell.
- Tell me l'm crazy. - Mulder, you're crazy.
And it still doesn't explain to me
what happened to Colonel Budahas.
( Knocking )
You didn't come to raid my mini-bar, did you?
- You ready for this? - What?
We got a message from Mrs. Budahas.
Her husband came home last night.
- We gotyour message. - ( Sniffling )
Mrs. Budahas, areyou okay?
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 areyou talking about? - lt's okay.Just relax.
l'm Special Agent Mulder from the F.B.l.
We're investigating your disappearance, Colonel Budahas.
l'm wondering ifyou have any explanation
ofyourwhereabouts over the past four months.
- l was in the hospital. - Here? On base?
l think so.
Colonel Budahas, doyou mind ifl askyou your birth date?
November 21 , 1 948.
- And the names ofyour kids. -Josh and Leslie.
They're right there.
Yeah.
- Green Bay fan. - Yes, sir.
Betyou remember the Super Bowl of'68, huh?
- Don Chandler. - Kicked four field goals.
Lombardi's last game. Why do l have to answer these questions?
lt's not him.
Colonel Budahas, you're a pilot, isn't that right?
- Yes, sir. - Betyou've fownjust about everything with two wings.
l got this hotshot pilot friend
who said he could do an lmmelemann at a sustained eight G's.
ls that possible?
l... l don't--
l can't--
Anita.
l can't remember.
No.
Mulder, would you explain to me what's going on?
l think they rewired that man's brain--
some kind ofselective memory drain.
The brain doesn't work like that. You can'tjust erase certain files.
- Then you explain it. - There are types ofamnesia--
This is not amnesia. lt's something far more deliberate and insidious.
The science or medical technology
to do whatyou are suggesting does not exist.
And neither does the technology to fy the aircraft we saw last night.
They can do this.
That man should have known the answer to the question.
ltjust wasn't in his head anymore.
Scully: Eveniftheycould, why would they?
To control information.
l think after his psychotic episode Colonel Budahas became a security risk.
lt couldn't be that he had a nervous breakdown with a concomitant memory lapse?
l think men like Colonel Budahas are incapable
ofdealing with the stress offying that aircraft.
We're talking about a technology so sensitive and advanced
that it's taken almost 50 years to make it work.
U.F.O. technology, Scully.
- What the hell is this? - Hold on!
Please, step outofthe car.
You think ifmaybe we ignore him he'll go away?
Please, step outofthe car.
Guess not.
Special Agent Mulder, F.B.l.
We're federal agents.
You want to tell me what this is about?
National security. Now get in your car.
You'll be escorted back toyour motel.
You'll pack and leave town immediately or assume the consequences
ofintense indiscretion.
Nothing under ldaho plate CC1 356?
No plate registered under that number?
( Sighs ) Thanks, Gail.
No, no, no. l'm sure the other one's bogus too.
Bye.
So who were those guys?
l don't think it was those kids
theywere chasing away from the base last night.
l think it was us.
They knew we were coming before we ever arrived
and they returned Colonel Budahas as a decoy.
- There's something l didn't tell you. - Something else?
A man in D.C. warned me to stay away from this case.
He didn't give me his name and my phone was being tapped.
- What? - Whywould they go to all this trouble?
Out ofa need for security? Security ofwhat?
l think there's a huge conspiracy here, Scully.
They've got a U.F.O. here and they'll do anything to keep it a secret
including sacrificing lives and minds ofpilots because what ifthat secret got out?
lf-- If-- that were true
it would be a national scandal.
No. You're not thinking big enough. lfit were true
it would be confirmation of the existence ofextraterrestrial 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 ofa better machine?
These are questions we have no business asking.
Our kidnap victim is no longer outstanding.
Let's get out ofhere, Mulder, whileyou still have ajob.
Aren'tyou even curious?
Um... l'm going to shower, l'll pack
and then we'll get out ofhere.
( EngineStarting )
Mulder! Where areyou going?
( TiresSquealing )
Right here.
Hey, aren'tyou guys coming?
No. We've only gone in at night.
Okay. This spotyou told me about where you watched the air show, how far is it?
Uh... 45 minutes?
- Will l be able to find it? - Girl: Stay on the path.
What about this other place-- Yellow Base with the hangar there?
Don't. lt's like... ten miles.
Nobody's ever been that far!
Hey, don't go past the edge ofthe tall weeds.
Oh, man.
Did we tell him about the land mines andjunk?
Hey!
Go, go!
- No! - Come on. Hold him.
Yeah, l'm trying to make a call to Washington, D.C.
and l can't seem to get a long-distance line.
Hello? Hello?
Excuse me. My phone's not working.
- Can l useyours to make a credit card call, please? - Sure thing.
Thankyou.
- 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. l wasjust looking foryou.
l knocked, but l saw the doorwas open.
l was in the lobby trying to make a call.
- Phones down again? - Yeah.
Whatareyoudoing?
( Tapping On Window )
Excuseme.
There'snothing in there.
( Grunting )
( HammerCocking )
Against the car! Hands on the car! Do it!
Put the gun down, and we'll talk.
l said hands against the car.
Who areyou?
You're a long way from home. Nobodywants to come to violence now.
Where's Mulder?
- We took him to the base. - We waited for him.
Get on that walkie-talkie and find out where Mulder is.
- l don't think l can. - l thinkyou can
or l'm going to have every newspaperwriting aboutyour experimental aircraft.
There are otherways to go about this.
Yeah, l've already seen whereyou get with tears and a sad story.
- (Man Over Walkie-Talkie) - Roger.
- What are we doing? - Waiting.
l want the car running.
l said start the car!
And putyour hands on the wheel where l can see them.
You do anything stupid and this situation could get big in a hurry.
Youjust keep telling yourselfthat.
Keep the car running
and step out ofthe car.
Get in the car, Mulder.
Get in the car!
l just want to say
everything you've seen here is equal to the protection we give it.
lt's you who have acted inappropriately.
You okay, Mulder?
l think so.
Scully, l--
What?
How did l get here?
- Mulder: Hi. - Hello.
We came by to see howyour husband was doing.
Oh, he's fine. He's getting much better now.
Doyou think maybe we could see him?
Um, well, he's resting now.
Budahas: Whoisitnow?
Thankyou foryour concern.
They got to her, Scully. Theywere here.
- They threatened her-- - That's enough, Mulder!
We don't know anything--
anything more than when we got here
and that's what l'm going to write in my field report.
Let's get out ofhere, Mulder
as fast as we can.
Scully: Lieutenant ColonelRobert Budahas was returnedtohishome
thoughhisknowledge of his disappearanceandwhereabouts
is vagueandinconclusive.
SpecialAgentMulder's insistence thatBudahasmayhavebeena testpilot
ona topsecretproject
involvingaircraftusing "recoveredU.F. O. "technology
andmayhavesufferedsevere stress-relatedtrauma
by flying theseaircraft isalsoinconclusive.
Though this agentcan corroborate AgentMulder's eyewitnessaccount
oftwo unidentifiedflyingobjects
in thenorthernsky overEllensAir Base
their exactnature ordesign couldnotbe determined.
Barring further authorizedinquiry...
- Your lives may be in danger. - Why?
You've seen things that weren't to be seen.
Care and discretion are now imperative.
As l said, l can provideyou with information
but only so long as it's in my best interest.
- What is your interest? - The truth.
l 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 U.F.O.?
Mr. Mulder, why are those likeyourself
who believe in the existence ofextraterrestrial 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.