Monongahela, we're en route
with a male cardiac, age 62.
E.T.A. in 12.
Copy. E.T.A. in 12.
Crash unit standing by.
How's he looking, Leonard?
Up to his ass in alligators.
Is he going into arrest?
No, he's not.
What did you do?
Aspirated his chest.
He has a tension pneumothorax pressing on his heart.
It just looked like a cardiac.
Nice catch.
How did you know?
Because he's dying of cancer.
It's already eaten through one lung.
That's amazing.
How did you know, Leonard?
Leonard?
Oh, God.
Leonard.
Hello?
Pretty cozy.
Who'd ever want to leave?
Well, whoever happened to get locked in here
last night, I guess.
That would be one Leonard Morris Betts, age 34.
But it should probably be noted
that when Mr. Betts arrived here last night,
he was sans head.
He was decapitated when his ambulance crashed.
He was an emergency medical technician for this hospital--
a very good one, apparently.
A slew of commendations, write-ups in the local paper.
What about the morgue attendant?
Somebody cold-cocked him and stole his clothes.
He didn't see who.
No alarms tripped, no sign of a break-in.
It's weird, huh?
Mulder, what are we doing here?
Did I mention that Mr. Betts had no head?
Yes. So?
I mean, you're not suggesting that a headless body
kicked his way out of a latched morgue freezer, are you?
Are you? Because I think it's obvious
this is some kind of bizarre attempt at a cover-up.
Meant to conceal what?
My guess would be body snatching for profit.
There's a shortage of teaching cadavers at medical schools.
An unscrupulous medical supplier
might pay top dollar, no questions asked.
Yeah, but why take a headless one
and leave so many top-dollar bodies behind?
Sir? Those video grabs you asked for?
We found something.
These are from the emergency room camera
taken at 4:13 this morning.
There's your perpetrator
wearing the stolen uniform.
Unfortunately, you can't see very much on these.
What's all this stuff here?
Bad video.
The security system isn't exactly state-of-the-art.
And if this is our guy, what'd he do with the corpse he stole?
Well, maybe he got spooked and was forced to abandon it.
No, they combed the facility. Where could he hide
an adult body where it wouldn't be found?
I'll show you.
All hospitals operate some form of medical waste processing.
This unit disposes of surgical remains--
amputations, excised tumors.
They're ground up and heated with microwaves,
and the result is a sterile soot
that's used as road fill.
Well, then there's probably nothing there for us to find.
Well, that depends how often they dispose of their waste.
Hopefully, only once every few days.
We're in luck.
Are you sure about this, Scully? 'Cause if you're not sure,
I don't see that there's any reason
to disturb all this stuff, just...
Mulder, I think I'm going to need your help.
Your arms are longer.
Oh.
I think I got the toy surprise.
Leonard Betts.
That's his head.
Where's his body?
There's not enough room in here.
Maybe he didn't dispose of the body.
Maybe he got it out of here somehow.
Why take the time to dispose of the head?
I don't know. Maybe there's an answer here,
something we should check out.
Well, we already know how he died: in an automobile accident.
What more is there to know?
Maybe nothing, but it's all we got to go on right now.
You should see if you can find a place
where you can examine Betts's head.
While you do what?
Check out his house.
We know how he died, I want to see how he lives.
Lived.
Case number 226897, Leonard Betts.
As remains are incomplete,
all observations refer to a decapitated head.
10.9 pounds.
Remains show no signs
of rigor mortis or fixed lividity.
Nor do the corneas appear clouded,
which would seem inconsistent
with the witnessed time of death,
now... 19 hours ago.
I'll begin with
the intermastoid incision and frontal craniotomy,
then make my examination of the brain.
Oh, God!
This one?
This one here.
Thanks. I'll lock up.
Okay.
Mulder.
It's me.
Um, I've run into
kind of a unique situation here.
What'd you find?
Uh, so far, not much.
I, uh, did a PET scan on Leonard Betts's remains,
actually four times now,
and each time, the image has come out degraded,
like it's fogged somehow.
Like the security footage.
Well, this is cutting-edge technology here, Mulder.
The technicians say the machine is working perfectly.
They also say that the only thing that could account
for this kind of image distortion
is some form of radiation,
but I don't see how or where it could be emanating from.
What did your examination uncover?
Well, I-I haven't exactly performed an examination yet.
Why not?
Well, because I, uh...
I experienced an unusual degree of postmortem galvanic response.
The head moved.
It blinked at me.
I mean, I-I know exactly what it is.
It's residual electrical activity
stored chemically in the dead cells.
Blinked or winked?
You're afraid to cut into it.
Scully, you're not saying that...
that it's alive, are you?
No, I am certainly not saying that at all.
But has it crossed your mind that it's not quite dead either?
What do you mean?
I'm standing here in Leonard Betts's apartment.
Whoever we saw in those video grabs,
his clothes are strewn all over the floor.
He made himself at home.
Maybe he was home.
Leonard Betts?
Yeah.
Without his head?
Yeah.
Mulder, I don't even know how to respond to that.
Well, I'm going to call the local PD
and have them put the building
under surveillance just in case
whoever it is comes back.
I'll be in touch.
Michele?
Michele Wilkes?
Yes?
I'm Fox Mulder. I'm with the FBI.
You're the person on record who's responsible
for the disposition of Leonard Betts's remains.
He didn't have any family.
No friends, either, as far as I could tell.
Except you?
I liked him,
but I wasn't really his friend.
He didn't let people get that close.
I'm not sure I could even call myself his partner.
Mostly, I just stayed out of his way.
What do you mean?
Leonard was an amazing medical technician.
He could diagnose illness
better than any doctor I've ever seen.
You know how they say some people can just look at you
and tell you what's wrong? Mm-hmm.
Leonard could do that.
Especially with cancer.
I always told him
he should have been an oncologist or something.
He used to volunteer weekends at the cancer ward--
read to patients, stuff like that.
Did you ever notice anything about him-- anything odd?
No.
Well, he never got sick.
That was pretty amazing-- doing what we do.
He was the picture of health.
Was he ever injured on the job?
No. Never.
I mean, until...
Oh, yeah.
I'm sorry.
I don't know what all this
has to do with someone stealing Leonard's body.
I mean, it almost sounds like you're investigating Leonard.
No, no.
Thanks for bearing with my questions.
I appreciate your time.
This procedure is called biopolymerization.
It's basically a high-tech mummification process.
The remains are dipped in the epoxy,
and once it's cured,
the specimen can be sliced for examination.
Or you got yourself a nice paperweight.
At any rate...
we should have some autopsy answers for you soon.
I'm starting with an anterior slice
from your Mr. Betts--
one favoring the frontal lobe.
Well, this is certainly strange.
What?
Is something wrong with the image?
In a manner of speaking.
Here, see for yourself.
Hmm.
Oh, my God.
His entire brain looks like one giant glioma.
He had cancer?
He was riddled with it.
I mean, every cell in this sample, every cell essentially
in his entire head and in his brain
was... was all cancerous.
It's completely pervasive.
Could you live in this condition?
Live?
This man would have been long dead
before reaching such an extreme metastatic stage.
Well, how do you explain it?
Maybe the polymerization process distorted the sample somehow.
Maybe we're not really seeing what we think we're seeing.
Mm.
Maybe we're just seeing it clearly for the first time.
What are you suggesting?
Let's get a slice to go.
Monongahela. 136 en route with a male
age 20, not responding to CPR.
Please advise.
Dispatch, somebody pick up, please.
136, this is Allegheny Catholic 208.
Listen, I know you're up to your ass in alligators,
but it sounds like your patient...
Michele?
...may be in anaphylactic shock.
Leonard?
Confirmed to treat with...
Let's go here.
Michele, come on!
Uh, hold, 208.
Hey, that seems to be working.
Good call, 208. Thanks for the tip.
No problem. Glad I could help.
Oh, wow!
I've never worked with a sample of human tissue before.
What exactly were you looking to find?
I'll tell you if we find it.
Excellent.
Are you ever asked to defend this
as a legitimate scientific process, Dr. Burks?
Only if you're not happy with the results.
Chuck did some of the pioneering work
in Kirlian photography in the U.S.
Although I prefer the umbrella term
"aura photography."
Basically, by applying high frequency electricity,
I am able to photograph an organism's coronal discharge.
"Coronal discharge"?
Coronal discharge, life force-- the Chinese call it chi.
It's an accepted fact in most Eastern cultures.
And the theoretical basis of holistic medicine,
of acupuncture.
But what is its application here?
It may account for the fogging of your PET scan
of Leonard Betts's head.
You know, with this equipment,
I have been able to capture phantom images
of whole leaves that were cut in half,
or the vestigial image of a lizard's tail
long after it's been cut off--
which, you have to admit, is pretty cool.
Ah, looks like we got something here.
Oh, yeah.
Now, I don't know exactly what you're looking for,
but...
Oh, yeah.
There's definitely some kind of energy happening here.
Chuck, would you believe that this man's head
had been decapitated?
Oh, come on. No way.
Way.
Are we happy with the results?
I don't know about you, Scully,
but those sure as hell looked like shoulders to me.
I don't even know how to explain that photo
or even what it proves.
What if it proves that Leonard Betts is alive somehow?
Mulder...
You said that Betts's tissue was riddled with cancer.
Now, what is cancer but normal cells
growing rapidly out of control,
usually caused by some damage to their DNA.
I don't know where you're going with this.
Well, let me say. What if there was a case
where the cancer was not caused by damaged DNA--
where the cancer was not a destructive
or an aggressive factor,
but was rather the normal state of being?
Well, even if that were possible,
he's been decapitated.
What if this man's life force-- his chi,
whatever you want to call it-- somehow retained a blueprint
of the actual man himself,
guiding rapid growth not as cancer, but as regeneration?
You think that Leonard Betts re-grew his head?
The fluid that I found in Betts's bathtub
was povidone-iodine.
It's often used by lab researchers
on reptiles and amphibians to aid regeneration.
We both know that salamanders
have grown entirely new limbs-- regenerated.
Oh, salamanders are one thing,
but no mammal possesses that kind of regenerative power.
I mean, there isn't a creature walking this Earth
that can re-grow its head.
Worms. You cut a worm in half, you get two.
Mulder, they're worms.
I'm just saying it's not unheard of in nature, that's all.
Well, unheard of or not, someone is going to great lengths
to dispose of the evidence.
Maybe Betts is trying to protect his secret.
Scully.
Yeah.
Okay.
Great. Thanks.
Well, apparently Leonard Betts did have some secrets--
one of them being
that he had an alter ego named Albert Tanner.
Who?
I had Danny run the fingerprints.
Two names came up.
The second one was Albert Tanner,
but unlike Leonard Betts,
Albert Tanner has a living relative--
Elaine Tanner, his mother,
who just happens to live here in Pittsburgh.
Huh.
Elaine Tanner?
Yes.
I'm Agent Scully.
This is Agent Mulder. We're with the FBI.
Oh. What can I do for you?
Is your son Albert Tanner?
We'd like to ask you some questions.
Please excuse me for one second.
I've got something on the stove.
Scully.
Mrs. Tanner, is this your son?
Yes. That's Albert.
We know this man as Leonard Morris Betts.
Are you familiar with that name?
No.
Do you know if your son ever used
any other names for himself?
Why are you asking me about him?
Mrs. Tanner, are you aware that your son has recently died?
What do you mean, "recently"?
When did your son die?
Six years ago.
He was killed in an automobile accident.
Why?
Would it be possible
to get a copy of the death certificate
or some form of verification?
Of course.
Confused yet?
Yeah.
Good night.
Excuse me.
Um, I'm looking for an EMT, the man driving unit 208.
The new guy.
Yeah. 208's over there.
He just went off shift, but you might catch him.
Thanks.
Leonard?
Oh, my God!
It can't be.
How can it be?
Leonard, is it you?
Hey, Michele.
It's okay.
I just wish you hadn't found me, that's all.
What are you talking about?
Leonard?
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
Hey! You, there!
Hold it!
Come back here!
Stop where you are!
Stay there... you son of a bitch.
Ronnie?
Oh, pick up, man.
Go ahead.
We got a situation in the parking lot.
This guy just attacked some woman.
She's up in the ambulance parking area.
Better get a doc down here right away.
I'm going to check on that guy.
Siskel or Ebert?
What's the story?
Michele Wilkes was murdered, but, uh, we wouldn't know that
if the security guard hadn't witnessed it.
Why is that?
I found a spent autoinjector in the grass.
She was given a lethal dose of potassium chloride.
It's an electrolyte found naturally in the body,
and a coroner doesn't usually check for it.
Betts was here, Scully. She must have discovered that,
and then he had to kill her to protect his secret.
Well, security guard did I.D. him as her attacker.
He worked as an EMT, but his coworkers said
his name was Truelove.
Do you know how this man escaped?
He tore off his thumb, because he knew
he could re-grow another one.
Mulder, it just doesn't work that way.
But is it unimaginable?
Is Betts's ability to regenerate any greater a leap forward
than our ancestors' ability to communicate with language
or to walk upright?
But-but language, evolution--
it-it's a process of steps, not leaps.
Recent evolutionary theory would disagree.
What scientists call "punctualism"
or "punctual equilibrium"--
it theorizes that evolutionary advances
are cataclysmic, not gradual.
That evolution occurs not along a straight, graphable line,
but in huge fits and starts,
and that the unimaginable happens in the gaps--
the gap between what we are and what Leonard Betts has become.
But what you're describing is someone so radically evolved
that you wouldn't even call him human.
On the other hand, how evolved can a man be
who drives a Dodge Dart?
Oh, my God.
Myeloid sarcoma, epithelial carcinoma--
these are all cancerous tumors.
This is surgical waste that's been tagged for disposal.
What do you think he wanted with them?
You may not want to know.
Scully, there's a great possibility
that Leonard Betts not only is cancer...
But that he needs it for survival?
So, you're saying that this is...?
Snack food.
I mean, wouldn't it make sense
that evolution or natural selection
would incorporate cancer--
the greatest health threat to our species--
as part of our genetic makeup?
Why do I think that Charles Darwin
is rolling in his grave right now?
why is Leonard Betts an EMT?
Why does he regularly visit cancer wards?
Access.
Car's registered to one Elaine Tanner,
3108 Old Bank Road.
Betts's mom.
Do you think mom knows
her dead son is tooling around in her car?
Elaine Tanner?
We have a warrant to search the premises.
Mrs. Tanner, we know that your son is alive,
and that you're in contact with him.
You need to tell us where we can find him.
Last night, he murdered a woman in cold blood.
By lying to protect him,
you are considered an accessory to murder.
Can you tell me
what you use this for?
It's a pretty big bottle.
You get a lot of cuts?
When my son was eight years old,
there were two boys who picked on him because he was different.
He just ignored them.
He knew he was better than they were.
One day, they cornered him walking home.
Beat him up.
He didn't even try to fight back--
just lay there taking the blows.
So I don't believe you
when you tell me he killed anyone.
But if he did, he had his reasons.
What reasons, Mrs. Tanner?
God put him here for a purpose.
God means for him to stay, even if people don't understand,
and that's all I've got to say.
Excuse me.
I'm sorry, but you've got something I need.
Scully?
You find something?
No sign of him, not even a stray sock.
Just this.
Receipt for a storage locker.
Yeah, and a key on his key ring
with the number 112 engraved on it.
Let's check it out. Mm-hmm.
Scully.
Mr. John Gillnitz.
Death from massive blood loss
due to what I can only describe
as a skillful removal of his left lung.
It's Betts.
Doing what? Guaranteed, Scully,
this man's medical records will show he had lung cancer,
and Leonard Betts was in need of what he had.
How would he have even known that?
His partner told me he had
an exceptional ability to diagnose cancer.
Maybe his need provided a heightened sense.
Well, whatever he was doing,
he is taking the secret to his grave.
Yeah, for the second time.
Mulder, Leonard Betts is dead.
Of that, I am absolutely certain,
and he is not coming back.
You would have said the same thing about Albert Tanner.
I don't understand.
Six years ago, Albert Tanner dies in a car accident.
His mother buries him.
Several days ago, the same man shows up as Leonard Betts.
Explain that to me.
Obviously, someone's lying.
Maybe the first death was staged.
You want to bet on that?
Will the real Leonard Betts please stand up?
Mulder, these men may be no more than monozygotic twins.
I don't think so, Scully.
I think that what we're standing witness to here
goes way beyond the regeneration
of a thumb or a limb or even a new head.
Mulder, I don't know what you're getting at here.
Regeneration of an entire body?
I don't know why I'm standing here listening to this.
Because I think that the fiery crash
that killed this man was a ruse, a decoy,
and that this man lying here is actually still at large.
I'm scared, honey.
The FBI--
they seem to know all about you.
They dug up the coffin.
They found your friend.
I don't think they're ever going to leave you alone.
And you're weak.
You have to restore your strength.
You know what you have to do.
I'm your mother,
and it's a mother's duty to provide.
If this man really exists,
what makes you think he'd come back here?
The only person connected with Betts
who knows his secret is his mom.
If we're going to get him, it'll be through her.
Get out of the truck!
Federal agents!
Get out of the truck!
Whoa! Whoa! What the hell?
What are you doing here?
We-we got a call-- elderly woman,
massive chest trauma and blood loss-- 3108 Old Bank.
Believe me, that's all we know.
Stay here.
Mulder,
get the EMTs up here!
You guys, get in here!
She has an open wound, a surgical cut.
Three guesses what was removed.
He did this to her, and then he called an ambulance.
Judging by the response time, he might still be here.
Betts is gone.
He must have taken off on foot.
Well, she's going to be okay, Mulder.
She's not out of the woods, but I think we might
be able to get where he went out of her.
You stay with her.
I'll call local PD and have them
cordon off the area. Okay.
This is Special Agent Mulder with the FBI.
I've got an emergency situation in progress.
I need all available units to 3108 Old Bank Road.
I'm searching for a murder suspect.
Mulder, it's me.
We've got Mrs. Tanner going into the E.R.,
but she took a downturn en route.
They defibrillated her to try and get her heart back,
but there's no chance of getting anything cogent from her.
Not tonight anyway. What about on your end?
We're going house-to-house here.
That's the only thing I can think to do.
We got a chopper coming in,
but until then, I'd say
Betts has got a pretty good chance of getting away.
If he steals a car or gets a ride,
he could get away for good.
I mean, he obviously worked this thing out pretty well, Scully,
so if there's anything you can get
out of Mrs. Tanner tonight, anything at all,
at this point, we don't have much else to go on.
Mulder, get over here right now.
What?
Get over here right now.
I'm sorry...
...but you've got something I need.
Oh, my God.
Let's get a crash cart.
They pronounced Betts ten minutes ago.
He's dead?
As near as anyone can tell.
His mom's alive though, mainly due to the fact
that Betts dressed her wounds so carefully.
She's going to pull through, at least for the present.
Cancer?
Yeah.
It's, uh...
metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma, to be precise.
She was treated for it previously,
but got a clean bill of health about three months ago.
You did a good job, Scully.
You should be proud.
I want to go home.