In
Bellefleur, Oregon, sheriff's department detective Miles drives to the scene of a reported aircraft crash in the forest. When Miles arrives, his car's electricity cuts out, causing it to crash. After exiting the vehicle, an injured Miles finds a fellow
deputy sheriff, Ray Hoese, unconscious in his police cruiser. Miles is suddenly confronted by a man identical to Hoese who is bleeding green fluid, indicating he is an
alien bounty hunter. Later, in Tunisia,
Marita Covarrubias arranges for the release of
Alex Krycek from a
penal colony. Upon returning to the U.S., the two meet with the
Smoking Man, now using a wheelchair, who tells them that an alien craft has crashed in Oregon. The Smoking Man sees the crash as a chance to rebuild the
Project, but claims that finding it will be complicated. In Oregon, two teenage boys, Gary and Richie, are exploring the crash site when they encounter Detective Miles, who denies any crash or the fire that was reported in the area. While they go through the area on their own, Gary is lifted off the ground and shaken by an invisible force, and Richie, although he stands within a few feet of him, can't see him. Meanwhile, in
Washington,
Fox Mulder receives a call from
Billy Miles, an abductee from Bellefleur whom the agents encountered
seven years prior. The younger Miles tells him about Hoese's disappearance, and his concern that the abductions have begun again. The following morning, Mulder and
Dana Scully arrive in Bellefleur, where they investigate the road where the incidents took place. Upon meeting Billy, they find he has become a local
police officer. The agents also meet "Detective Miles", unaware that he is a disguised Bounty Hunter who has killed Billy's father. At the scene of Hoese's disappearance, Scully finds three bullet casings, indicating that the deputy fired his weapon before vanishing. The agents later speak with Hoese's wife and are surprised when she is revealed to be
Theresa Nemman, one of the other 1992 abductees. Later, while going through case files, Scully becomes ill. That night, Theresa is awakened by someone at her door. Mulder and Scully arrive at her house to find it being investigated by police, with Billy informing them that Theresa was taken in the night. Scully suddenly feels nauseous, much to Billy's concern, but she quickly shakes it off. Later, while investigating the crash site, Scully is lifted and shaken just as Gary was. Mulder finds her nearly passed out on the ground. Meanwhile, Billy enters his home and pulls his gun on the man who appears to be his father. After the confrontation, Billy relinquishes his gun, at which point the other man physically morphs and reveals himself to be the Bounty Hunter. At that point, Mulder and Scully pull up and walk into the house, unable to locate Billy or his father. When Mulder and Scully return to Washington,
Walter Skinner approaches them in their office, where they are joined by Marita and Krycek. Marita reveals that the Smoking Man is dying and that he wants to find the UFO in Oregon to restart the Project. Krycek informs them that the UFO is hidden behind an
energy field. The group, along with the
Lone Gunmen, find evidence pinpointing the UFO's location. Mulder makes it clear to Scully that he is concerned for her health and refuses to let her accompany him back to Oregon. Reciprocating his concern, Scully refuses to let Mulder return alone; Skinner accompanies Mulder instead. While investigating the incident back in Washington, Scully and the Lone Gunmen find evidence that it was Mulder, not Scully, who would be in danger at the Oregon abduction site. However, immediately upon discovering this, Scully becomes sick to such a degree that the Lone Gunmen have her rushed to the hospital. Meanwhile, Mulder and Skinner travel to the woods, equipped with lasers for finding the UFO. Noticing a spot where the lasers cease in mid-air, Mulder walks through the energy field. He finds and joins a group of abductees, including Billy and Theresa, standing below a pillar of light from a UFO; they are soon accosted by the Bounty Hunter. Mulder vanishes with the group while a stunned Skinner witnesses the UFO's departure. At the
Watergate, Krycek and Marita come to visit the Smoking Man, who is already aware of his plan's failure but is resigned to his fate. With Marita holding back his assistant, Krycek wheels the Smoking Man out of the room and throws him down a flight of stairs, presumably killing him. After being hospitalized, Scully tells Skinner that, although she cannot understand it — and that it is important that he keep it secret — she is pregnant. ==Production==