Walter Skinner quotes from The X-Files

Mulder

What happened today? Anything out of the ordinary?

Skinner

I'm not going to play this game.

Scully

Look, it could've been anything. It could have been the slightest touch, or a handshake.

Mulder

This morning, you woke up...

Skinner

I woke up.

Mulder

Alone?

Skinner

(defensive) Yes. Alone.

Scully

Sir, there's something I'd like to try. It's a treatment called therapeutic plasmapheresis. It requires filtering all of the blood in your body. It's a radical procedure and there is a danger that your body might go into shock.

Skinner

I'm in your hands. (weakly) I think I owe you an apology, Scully. You and Mulder.

Scully

Sir?

Skinner

I've been lying here thinking. Your quest... it should have been mine.

Scully

What do you mean?

Skinner

If I die now, I die in vain. I have nothing to show for myself. My life...

Scully

Sir, you know that's not true.

Skinner

It is. I can see now that... I always played it safe. I wouldn't take sides. Wouldn't let you and Mulder... pull me in.

Scully

You've been our ally more times than I can say.

Skinner

Not the kind of ally that I could have been. (Scully touches his wrist gently)

Mulder

You don't know this man, mister...?

Walter

Uh, Suarez. Walter Suarez. (shines light at looter) Uh, no. He's not with you?

(looks at Mulder awkwardly) I'll put it back.

Mulder

Yeah. Everything in your pockets, too.

(pushing toward bathroom) Supertanker coming through.

Walter

Here, Angela, you can't go in there.

My bladder is pressing against your unborn child, Walter. He's going to have a head like a tortilla.

Walter

This thing is in the plumbing!

The volume alone could push it right back out to sea!

Do you have an appointment?

(rudely) Do you have an appointment?

Skinner

(insistent) Maybe you missed this the first time around.

Skinner

Dr. Voss, can you enlighten us as to what Dr. Scobie intended to tell the grand jury? We know it had to do with company research.

I'm sorry. Dr. Voss would be in violation of his employment confidentiality clause in answering that question.

Skinner

Dr. Scobie was your friend?

Yeah, for 14 years, mm-hmm.

Skinner

And yet you demoted him five weeks ago. You took him off a particular project. Can you tell us why that happened?

[interrupting] As before, Dr. Voss would be in violation of his confidentiality clause in answering questions regarding the nature of his work here at Morley. I'm sure you understand our cooperation cannot extend itself to revealing corporate secrets.

Skinner

[getting pissed] Yeah, I'm not sensing any "cooperation" whatsoever. In fact, I'm one more non-answer away from getting a federal warrant and searching this entire building.

Then this meeting is over. Dr. Voss. [The lawyers all begin to get up from the table. Mulder pulls an evidence bag from his pocket]

Mulder

Dr. Voss... can you tell me what that is? [He tosses the bag to Voss. Inside is the dead beetle from Jim Scobie's glass]

It's a tobacco beetle. Why?

Mulder

We found it at Jim Scobie's house.

Well, you'll find a lot of these around here. They're everywhere. There's probably a dozen in the grill of your car right now.

May I ask where you're going with this, Agent?

Mulder

[sarcastically] I'm sorry, I can't. Answering that question would violate FBI confidentiality due to the sensitive nature of our investigation.

Mulder

(on the phone with Skinner) Uh... So what are you up to right now, sir?

Skinner

I'm taking a bubble bath.

Mulder

Uh, hold on just one second, sir. (clicks over on the receiver to talk to Scully, grinning with delight) Hey, Scully, Skinman is calling me from a bubble bath.

Skinner

It's still me, Mulder.

Mulder

Uh, sir, well, hold on one second, sir. (He clicks the receiver again) Scully?

Scully

Yeah?

Mulder

Yeah, Skinner is calling me from a bubble bath.

Scully

Wow, he's really gone Hollywood.

Mulder

Totally.

Scully

You know, Mulder, speaking of Hollywood, I think that Tea Leoni has a little crush on you.

Mulder

Oh, yeah, right. Like Tea Leoni's ever going to have a crush on me.

Scully

I think that Shandling likes you a bit, too.

Mulder

Really?

Skinner

(enters her hospital room) Agent Scully.

Scully

Hi.

Skinner

Hi. How you feeling?

Scully

I'm feeling fine. They're just running some tests on me.

Skinner

Well... um... (he looks like he's in pain; he can't say it)

Scully

(almost crying) I already heard.

Skinner

(voice breaking) I lost him. I don't know what else I can say. I lost him. I'll be asked... what I saw. And what I saw, I can't deny. I won't.

Scully

(crying) We will find him. I have to. (Skinner nods and starts to leave) Sir, um... there's something else I need to tell you. Something that I need for you to keep to yourself. (she looks torn between laughing and crying) I'm having a hard time explaining it. Or believing it. But, um... (she smiles - half joy, half pain) I'm pregnant.

Scully

I don't believe this.

Skinner

This isn't about finding Mulder - this is about Kersh covering the FBI's ass.

Scully

Why do I get the feeling they'd be happy if we never found him at all?

Skinner

Look... I saw what I saw. I have to make a statement in there. I'm not going to tell them it didn't happen.

Scully

Well, you heard Kersh. They don't want the truth. You give them the truth, and they'll hang you with it.

Skinner

They can hang me with a lie, too. I'm not going to sell Mulder out.

Scully

What good are you to Mulder if you give them the power to ruin your career? (he doesn't answer) We will find him.

Skinner

This has gone too far, Scully.

Scully

No. That's what's wrong here. It hasn't gone far enough. I need those car keys.

Skinner

And what do you think you're going to do?

Scully

(tearing up) Look, we are being hampered here by the FBI, by John Doggett, by doubt, by our own mistrust. Whatever it is, it is working... as long as we let it.

Skinner

You told me Mulder wouldn't allow it. Wouldn't let me ruin my career over this. Over him. But what about you, Scully? I mean, my god, you've got even more at stake.

Scully

(voice cracking; nearly crying) I-I can't take the chance that I'm never going to see him again.

Doggett

If I'm working this case, I'd appreciate a heads up before you tell the Deputy Director any more science fiction stories.

Skinner

Hey, I don't have another explanation.

Doggett

Those guys in there are right. This whole story doesn't make a damn bit of sense.

Skinner

I'm supposed to give those guys in there answers, Agent Doggett. You're supposed to help me do that.

Doggett

Tipet's on the run. Find him, and we just might.

Doggett

I'm a good investigator but you know as well as I do I'm not the Agent that should be investigating this case.

Skinner

Agent Scully can't be here.

Doggett

You spoke to her?

Skinner

Tonight. She told me to tell you she's fine. She's taking some personal time.

Doggett

I've got 22 people dead, and she's taking personal time? (he picks up the phone, frustrated; Skinner grabs it to stop him)

Skinner

(firmly) You're not listening to what I'm telling you. Do your best without her. (hangs up the phone and walks off)

Doggett

Were you aware Mulder carried a second weapon, a Walther PPK?

Skinner

Yeah, in an ankle holster.

Doggett

I found it hidden under his sink. The clip was three rounds shy.

Skinner

What's this about?

Doggett

Three shots were fired in a house where Mulder investigated a case last May. He never filed a report on the case or the discharge of his weapon. Do you know any reason why?

Skinner

If Mulder did these things, he would've reported them.

Doggett

Mulder submitted case reports, all right but they indicate he was here in Washington on days his cell phone records prove he was in Pennsylvania.

Skinner

Are you calling Mulder a liar?

Doggett

(pointing to computer screen) This is the muzzle of Mulder's pistol. You see that there?

Skinner

It's blowback.

Doggett

Macrospatter of dried blood in a semi-circular pattern, which indicates Mulder fired close-range at something or someone.

Skinner

I've heard enough. (starts to leave)

Doggett

Where are you going?

Skinner

It's where you're going, Agent Doggett. You're trying to build a case that what? Mulder killed a man and then made himself disappear? That's not what happened. I told you before, he was abducted. I saw it!

Doggett

Agent Mulder signed falsified case reports.

Skinner

(angry) Oh, come on, John, this isn't about Mulder, it's about you! Your career. You give the FBI a narrative for Mulder's disappearance, you're off the X-Files and back on the fast-track to the directorship.

Doggett

I'm just trying to find the truth.

Skinner

You want the truth? Then ask Agent Scully!

Doggett

I can't do that.

Skinner

Why not?

Doggett

Because she... (sighing) she signed those case reports, too.

Skinner

(looks at the file; flatly) You take that story to OPR, the accusation alone could cost Scully her job.

Doggett

I'm not taking it to OPR. I'm taking it to you.

Scully

(weakly) What if he's dead? (He doesn't respond; she's embarrassed) I'm sorry. I just had a bad dream.

Skinner

(pauses) Let me get some clothes on. (She nods; he closes the door then comes out to join her in the parking lot.)

Scully

...I once had a talk with Mulder about starlight. How it's billions of years old. (Both of them look upwards.) Stars that are now long dead whose light is still traveling through time. It won't die, that light. (Skinner watches her as she looks up.) Maybe that's the only thing that never does. He said that's where souls reside. I hope he's right.

Skinner

(long pause; he puts his arm around her shoulders) If you're trying to prepare yourself I want you to stop. Nothing says that we're going to stumble over him in some field. Nothing says he won't be fine.

Doggett

What is this place?

Skinner

An illegal medical facility for the purpose of human cloning. It goes on from here. In fact, it occupies the entire warehouse.

Doggett

You read about these things but you don't imagine they exist.

Skinner

Yeah, just like aliens.