Character-labelled dialogue prepared from the official DVD subtitle track.
That many of you here tonight came home... Not to a hero's welcome but to the hostility of the American people... Is a shameful fact of history, one that I will never understand or forgive. But it also underscores our sacred duty, not just today, but forever, to honor those who served with honor... And to remember those who fell, men and women whose ultimate sacrifice... Must never be forgotten. There is probably no audience... That understands better that our freedom is not free.
All right, you're my eyes out there. Talk to me. Positions report.
Sector three clear.
No sign of him in four.
Sector six, report.
It is our duty to remember them.
Mulder?
He's here. I feel him.
Then where is he?
Hold on. I think I have him in section four.
Can you confirm that, Scully?
[ general continues, indistinct ]
Positive ID he's heading toward you, three.
Positions hold. Three and four, do you have eye contact?
I have him in three. He's coming toward you, Scully.
Don't take your eyes off him, Scully.
Mulder, he saw me. He's heading toward the sound booth.
Copy that. I'm cutting him off.
Talk to me, people. Does anybody have him?
This memorial is a place where we can come and thank those men and women--
What's happening, Scully?
I'm closing on him.
Do you have him in three?
Negative.
I'm always struck by something as I walk through--
Scully? Scully!
I lost him. You got him, three?
I don't see him, Scully.
What's happening, agent Scully?
I can't see him anywhere.
He must be headed your way. You got him, Mulder?
Not yet. I got him. I lost him.
Pick him up, Mulder. He's right in front of you.
He's got a gun!
General, get off the stage!
I can't see him. I can't see him!
[ shouting ]
Good morning, sir.
All right! Let's go!
Who the hell are you?
[ gun cocks ]
How did you get in here? What the hell are you--
[ gunshot ]
Lieutenant general? Sir?
Lieutenant general peter MacDougal was shot dead... At extreme close range at 0600 this morning. FBI forensics reports the wound was not self-inflicted. The murder weapon has not been recovered. The general's driver, private first class gus Burkholder, is currently being held on suspicion of murder.
It says here n.a.a. Tests confirm the private did not do the shooting.
There is suspicion of an accomplice, based on the one piece of evidence found at the crime scene, a so-called death card used by soldiers in Vietnam to mark their kills... And by private Burkholder's possible ties to a radical paramilitary group... Called the right hand whose stated aim is violent revolution. After speaking with general Bloch, he believes we have a high probability of opportunity for a group like this, a unique situation that could result in the very public loss of lives. Dozens of high-ranking military officials are in Washington today... For a rededication of the Vietnam veterans war memorial. Unless we can determine a clear motive, we will consider any one of them to be a target.
What if private Burkholder is telling the truth, that he's innocent?
Until we can find another suspect, the FBI will pursue the right hand... And their leader, an ex-marine named Denny Markham, in a preemptive strategy to put a stop to any other plans they may have made. You all have Markham's file in front of you. For obvious reasons, our strategy includes keeping this from the media. You'll be working in teams of two. If you encounter any resistance, do not engage. Surveil and call for backup. Agent chandler has your assignments and field warrants. We have less than 12 hours to prevent any further execution or loss of life. Understood?
All right, beckwith and fontana, you're going to Virginia beach. Jackson and miller, you're going to alexandria.
Was that for the benefit of the general, or have you been able to develop a real strategy?
Right now I'm flyin' by the seat of my pants.
You mean there's no procedure outlined for an invisible assassin?
Did you talk to private Burkholder?
I interviewed him and convinced him to take a polygraph test.
And?
He passed. The nature of his claims would suggest a false positive. The tester admitted that the results are highly interpretive.
You heard his story?
I found his story compelling personally, but then again I believe the warren commission.
If I have to devise a strategy around that story, then there is no strategy. Somebody killed the general, which means somebody is not telling the truth.
The man who heads the right hand, Markham? Do you have a warrant for him?
Yes, why?
Let Mulder and I serve it.
One misstep and Markham smells a shakedown, he's going to disappear or find another way to push the button. And I've already seen more dead soldiers than I ever want to see.
[ door opens ]
[ buzzes ]
Mr. Markham?
Who is it?
Agents Mulder and Scully with the FBI
What do you want?
It's extremely urgent that we talk to you now, sir.
Mr. Markham?
Gate's unlocked.
[ barking ]
Now you wanted to see me about?
The murder of general peter MacDougal.
am I under suspicion? -
No, but your group is and private first class Burkholder.
Is that a name I should know?
He's on the mailing list for the right hand.
Two thousand names on that list. I can't keep track of every one of 'em.
I would like to go over that list with you, sir.
No way in hell you'll be getting that from me.
We already have a copy, if you'll just come with us.
I'm not going anywhere.
Sir, we have a warrant for your arrest... If you don't cooperate. Under the new antiterrorism law, we can and will hold you until we get the information.
[ growling, barking ]
[ sighs ]
There goes the neighborhood.
You can make this as easy or as hard as you wish, sir.
The right hand believes in empowering the individual... Over a corrupt and corrupting federal government. We're prepared for the time when armed resistance will be necessary. Lives will have to be sacrificed, but that day has not yet come.
Would you take a polygraph, mr. Markham?
My word's good enough.
What's your "word" on this?
Where'd that come from?
I'd like to ask you that.
More men are gonna die.
[ barking ]
This guy's a one-man threat to national security. I'll bet he's got more weapons and ammo than most third-world armies.
He told me to pull this photo from his file cabinet.
Who's this?
He says that's who killed general MacDougal.
Name's Nathaniel Teager, 26 confirmed solo enemy kills, a veritable killing machine. Left for dead by the same government that created him.
Left for dead?
He belonged to green beret detachment b-11, the squad known as the bloody sabers. In 1971, the b-11 was being transported in-country when their chopper was shot down. No survivors.
When was this photo taken?
December, 1995, just a few hours after the right hand liberated him... From a p.o.w. Camp just outside the u minh forest.
I'm sure you're aware in 1973 the defense department... Determined there were no more p.o.w.'s in Vietnam.
Maybe that's why they tried to kidnap sergeant Teager when we brought him home.
The government kidnapped a u.s. Prisoner of war?
I said they tried. Had their commandos board our plane in san diego. When they broke into the cargo hold where we hid him, he was already gone. I never did figure out how.
I think I've heard enough. You don't believe him, do you?
But what if he's telling the truth?
A phantom p.o.w. Left for dead comes back to avenge the injustices?
Maybe the war ain't over.
Maybe not Denny Markham's war.
Given the facts of the case and private Burkholder's polygraph test, it's the closest thing to an explanation that we've got.
Or it's just a clever story being proffered as a cover-up... For what is actually an elaborately orchestrated conspiracy.
There is that possibility too.
Let Markham take the polygraph.
And what if he passes?
He won't.
Mrs. Davenport? Renee Davenport?
Yes?
Wife of lance corporal gary Davenport of the special forces?
Yes. I'm sorry. Do I know you?
No, ma'am. I've come to act on his behalf... For the reason that gary remains a prisoner of war.
Gary's dead.
No, ma'am. May you forgive me as you forgive him, as a man and a soldier, for restoring the honor and memory of the b-11.
Oh, my God. Where did you get these? Who gave you these? Hey, where are you? Oh, my God. Where are you? Where'd you go?
Is it true she made a positive ID from the photo?
From a bad fax of it. Do you have the photo with you?
Yeah, and more copies to distribute.
We have event security checking out all vendors and workmen. We've got it out to local law enforcement, but not to the exclusion of the other suspects.
I thought she ID'd Teager.
She did, but I cannot authorize a strategy that's gonna target... A soldier who's officially dead.
Because his name is on a wall?
No, because I just got off the phone with the army forensics lab... Where sergeant Nathaniel Teager's remains have been stored... Since they were recovered from the crash site.
They have his remains?
Markham may have staged this whole thing, finding somebody vulnerable like her to pass off his lies.
Why go to all that trouble?
To create a decoy? To divert our attention? Which seems to be working.
This woman saw someone. I want to know who.
Yes, that's him.
You're sure?
Everything he said made it sound like gary was still alive. But that can't be true, can it?
You say he just disappeared?
That's what's so strange. One minute he's standing right in front of me, and then he's gone. What if he was telling the truth? What if gary is alive? I've tried to get on with my life. I've remarried. What am I supposed to tell my husband now? What am I supposed to do?
Oh, your eye.
What? Oh, my God. What's happening to me?
I think you just burst a capillary.
Oh, my God.
Scully?
Hold a tissue there.
Can we get mrs. Davenport an eye exam?
An eye exam? For what?
By all accounts, the man we're looking for, the man she saw, has a knack for vanishing in plain sight. Maybe there's a connection.
She has a simple subconjunctival hemorrhage probably brought on by her emotional state.
And how did she reach that emotional state?
What about you? What are you gonna do?
I'm gonna see if we're really chasing a dead man.
Agent Mulder?
Yes.
Dr. Benjamin Keyser. I think I located what you're looking for. It's a small miracle I found it actually. The record had been partially destroyed. Two bicuspids and a molar.
This is all that was left of Teager at the crash site?
I've seen findings made with far less. These are sergeant Teager's teeth. I cross-checked them with his dental records.
Is there any way to tell how the teeth were extracted?
I would assume they were pulled. On each of these teeth, there's a pronounced scoring in the enamel. Here. See for yourself.
Can you tell if that was pre- or postmortem?
No, not really.
Then this is presumptive, isn't it? A finding of death based on inconclusive evidence.
It was noted here, even underlined. "inconclusive."
Whoever signed off on this death chose to ignore the facts.
I couldn't tell you who that was. These records were partially destroyed.
Is there any other way to tell?
Based on the records and the reports filed at the same time, we could make a pretty good guess.
[ phone ringing ] yes? Yes, just a moment. It's for you, sir.
Hello?
I'm calling because we have reason to believe your life may be in danger.
What are you talking about?
The person or persons responsible for the murder of general MacDougal... This morning may have chosen to target you.
Based on what information?
Based on a death certificate you may have put your signature on, the death certificate for sergeant Nathaniel Teager.
I don't know anything about that, but I'm on my way to the pentagon right now.
I'm ten minutes away. I'm gonna have to ask you to trust my risk assessment on this and take every caution.
Right.
Do you know your driver, sir?
Yes, he drives me all the time.
Good. I'm going to put two FBI agents there to escort you just as a precaution. They have my mobile phone number, okay?
[ beeps ]
How many of you know what a pentagon is? No? A pentagon is a shape with five sides. And the pentagon is just that. We're standing right now in section "a." built in 1941 through an act of Congress, the pentagon is virtually a city in itself.
General, sir.
Good afternoon. Thanks.
[ buzzer buzzes ]
All clear, general.
Thank you, gentlemen. That will be all.
[ door closes ]
[ beeps ] Mulder.
I'm at the Georgetown medical center.
Did you find out what caused her eye to hemorrhage?
No, but the ophthalmologist discovered something called a transient scotoma.
Scotoma?
A floating blind spot.
What would cause that?
Any number of diseases can scar the retina. Diabetes, glaucoma, macular degeneration. In turn they create a visual field deficit. [ buzzer buzzes ] does she have any of those diseases? It doesn't appear so.
Don't you think it's odd she'd have a blind spot she wouldn't have noticed? Thanks.
Not necessarily. The processes of the brain fill in, and the visual cortex compensates conceptually.
That might account for Teager's vanishing.
I asked the doctor that and he laughed at me.
[ beeps ] hold on, Scully. [ beeps ] it's Mulder.
Agent Mulder, this is general Steffan. I found something on my desk, something very troubling.
Where are you?
In my office.
The agents I assigned to you? Are they with you?
No, no, they're just outside.
I want you to call them into your office now, general.
Who put this here?
Listen carefully. I'm on my way there. [ gunshot ] general Steffan? General Steffan? Call an ambulance.
The general's secretary had been in here organizing his desk... No more than 15 minutes before the general was shot. He never saw this card, and he never saw anyone go in and out of the office... Aside from the general and the agents assigned to him.
From my cursory exam, nothing about the general can explain your narrative.
I was on the phone with the man. He was shot at close range in the forehead. He would have seen the shooter.
Not necessarily. He could have turned and been surprised. There's far too little forensic evidence yet to know.
No scotoma?
That's beyond my capabilities here to make that kind of analysis.
I think it's beyond all our capabilities, but somebody's got to explain... How a four-star general could be shot and killed in what is symbolically... The best-guarded military base in the country.
Sir?
I need both of you out here to see something... Now.
That's him. That's Teager.
Whoever it is, I want to know how the hell this happened.
Neither of us has a clear explanation, sir.
You were on your way here. You knew the general was in danger.
I did everything I could. I put two agents with him.
This is insanity. This man is killing at will.
That's correct, sir.
He's unstoppable?
I think Teager has an ability, the ability to effectively erase himself from the visual field.
If he's invisible, then why is he on this video clear as day?
I think that he can hide himself from human sight... By manipulating something Scully has referred to as naturally occurring, a blind spot.
That is conjecture, sir.
Even when looking at him?
You might not be able to see him. Isn't it true u.s. Soldiers reported... The unexplained appearance and disappearance of v.c. Guerrillas? I've read the dispatches myself. Maybe Teager learned something from his captors in 25 years of isolation.
We've got four Miles of crowded streets where 31 military officers... Are staging for a parade into freedom square. If what you're saying has any truth to it, I can't protect these men.
Call it off.
Parade or no parade, those men are vulnerable. The only way to stop this killer is to catch him.
How?
By finding his next victim before he does.
I am major general benjamin Bloch.
He did it again, didn't he? I told them he would.
According to the FBI, you know the man they're looking for. Maybe you can tell me why they can't seem to find him.
The same reason you can't, which I imagine is the same reason you're here right now.
I am here because people are dying-- soldiers who dedicated their lives to the defense of this country.
I guess that's one way of lookin' at it.
As it stands, you are facing charges of conspiracy to commit homicide and treason. But if both those fall through, there is still enough evidence to convict you... For possession and transport of illegal arms.
Are you threatening me?
No, I am offering you a deal... For you and the people you represent.
If you think I've got any sway with Teager, you're mistaken.
I just need to know what he wants.
You know what he wants, and we both know you can't give it to him, whatever you do to me won't change his mind, general. He's sending a message and makin' damn sure everyone hears it loud and clear.
Band! Band! Time!
[ chattering ]
Driver, prepare to move them out.
Yes, sir!
I'm after you.
All right, move them out.
You told me you were in a rush.
Crosstown traffic's all snarled up because of the parade.
You need information on American prisoners of war.
A man named Teager.
I have no information on him.
Then why did you come here?
Tell me what you know.
A p.o.w. Named Teager may be back home carrying out death sentences... Against the men that left him in Vietnam.
Who are those men?
Generals. Steffan and MacDougal.
They have a connection.
What is that?
A recent news story extremely embarrassing to the u.s. Military... About the disposing of south vietnamese soldiers.
Men employed by our government as spies and commandoes... And then left behind enemy lines to certain capture and death. The operation was disavowed, and their lives were erased from the records.
By a secret three-man commission who may now be facing charges, whose testimonies might be used in the calculation of reparations.
Are you saying that our government wants these officers dead? Why would they ask us to protect them?
Because they know you can't.
Well, who's the third man? I need a name.
General Bloch!
General, sir! Stop the car!
What's going on here?
We need you to get out of the car, sir, for your own safety.
Why?
We received information your life might be in danger.
From who?
Shooter! Get down!
Where? Where is he?
He was there. I saw him. I-- it was him, sir. It was the man in the photo.
Are you sure?
I saw him, sir. It was him.
Are you sure?
Hut! Mount!
Call when you find out.
Scully. I heard what happened. They told me you saved general Bloch's life.
He's doing all right. He's over there.
They told me you saw somebody on the parade route?
I'm not really sure.
You saw him, didn't you? You saw Teager.
I told you I'm not sure.
But you drew your gun. You must have been a little more convinced than that.
How are you so convinced that general Bloch was his next target?
I found out about general Bloch from the same person... Who told me that we were never meant to save Bloch's life or the other generals.
What are you talking about?
This case. Why do you think it was dumped in your lap, unless heading up an antiterrorism detail is all of a sudden part of your job?
That doesn't prove he was set up.
They knew about Teager. They've known that he'd be unstoppable from the beginning.
They wanted Skinner to fail?
And us. Given the nature of the case, they knew you'd bring us in.
The government is not about to sacrifice... The lives of ranking military officers just to discredit us.
Discrediting us, in this case, in only secondary.
Secondary to what?
To maintaining their secret policy of denial about p.o.w.'s, which required silencing the men who made that policy.
Markham's story is having its intended effect. You're buying into the lie.
Markham may be the only man in this case who's telling the truth. If you don't believe me, ask general Bloch.
Ask me what? I can't wait here any longer. I'm delivering the keynote address in five minutes.
You might want to reconsider.
He won't reconsider. Not going out would be an admission of guilt.
We still have reason to believe your life is in danger.
It's your job to protect me still, isn't it?
That's what we're trying to do.
Then do your job.
General! All right, people, listen up, because we don't have much time. You all know your responsibilities. You have your sectors and assignments.
It gives me great pleasure to introduce a very special man. Wounded and decorated for gallantry in Vietnam, he had an idea,
Teager?
A vision... To create a national memorial...
Hey, man, is that you?
For all americans who gave their lives in the Vietnam war.
Where ya goin'?
Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pride...
Hey! Where ya goin'?
That I give you the founder... Of the Vietnam veterans memorial fund, mr. Jan Scruggs.
Teager?
Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. We are here to rededicate... This memorial on this important day. We especially remember those who cannot share this day with us, the soldiers, the airmen, the sailors.
Hey, Teager! It's me, Leo Danzinger. I saw you, man. Where are ya?
Behind ya.
I-- I thought you were dead. That's what they told us.
'cause that's what they wanted you to believe.
I don't understand.
You will... After tonight.
What are you talkin' about?
I waited for them, Leo. I waited for them to come. But they never came.
Maybe they didn't know.
They knew. They just figured letting me die off was easier than admitting the truth.
It's all over, Teager. It's been over for a long time now.
Not for me, not for the others.
You're tellin' me there's more?
[ paper rustles ]
What are you doin', man? Where are ya?
It is a distinct honor to present to you now... Another great American and a brother in arms. Major general benjamin Bloch.
[ crowd cheering ]
Admiral leitch, senator baine, fellow americans... And especially the veterans. There is probably no audience that understands better that our freedom is not free.
All right, you're my eyes out there. Talk to me. Positions report.
We owe that freedom to the selfless sacrifice...
Sector three clear.
To those whose names are on this wall.
No sign of him in four.
And for that, it is our duty to remember them.
Hold on. I think I have him in section four.
Can you confirm that, Scully?
Their sweat, their long hours, their blood.
Positive ID he's heading toward you, three.
Positions hold. Three and four, do you have eye contact?
I have him in three. He's coming toward you, Scully.
Don't take your eyes off him, Scully.
Not for themselves, but for their country.
Mulder, he saw me. He's heading toward the sound booth.
Copy that. I'm cutting him off.
Talk to me, people. Does anybody have him?
When they were in Vietnam. This memorial...
What's happening, Scully?
Is a place where we can come and thank those--
I'm closing on him.
Do you have him in three?
Negative.
Scully? Scully!
I lost him. You got him, three?
I don't see him, Scully.
What's happening, agent Scully?
I can't see him anywhere.
He must be headed your way. You got him, Mulder?
Not yet. I got him. I lost him.
Pick him up, Mulder. He's right in front of you.
He's got a gun!
General, get off the stage!
What's going on? Can't see him.
Mulder! Mulder--
I saw him out of the corner of my eye.
He's gone. He's gone.
There's no cause for alarm, ladies and gentlemen. Just a minor disturbance. Let's try and keep some order.
Where's general Bloch?
He's with Skinner.
We gotta stop 'em.
What's going on here?
I think he can only hide himself in somebody's direct line of sight.
When looking directly at him?
That's why he killed MacDougal and Steffan at close quarters. MacDougal in his car and Steffan in his office. Get away from the car. He's in the car. Teager's in the car.
Get down!
[ gunshots ]
Come out with both your hands in the air! It's over, Teager. Come on out.
[ engine starts ]
Get an ambulance over here!
Ow! Teager, Nathaniel jr. Sergeant, green beret detachment b-11. Service number 82278. Date of birth, march 7, 1952. Teager, Nathaniel jr. Sergeant, green beret detachment b-11. Service number 82278. Teager, Nathaniel jr. March 7, 1952. Teager--
The pentagon is claiming that the man who was killed was a thomas lynch. He's a vet who's been in and out of v.a. Psychiatric hospitals for the last 15 years.
And a sometime member of the right hand. His name was on Denny Markham's mailing list. Markham made a positive ID
They must have gotten to him.
Army forensics claims to have multiple confirmation.
You heard him! We both did. It's happening all over again. They're covering the lies with more lies, trying to make him invisible. We've got to subpoena Markham and general Bloch, and we've got to petition the state department to release Teager's body.
I can't do that.
Why not?
This investigation has been turned over to c.ID it's no longer our jurisdiction.
Don't let them do this.
Let it go. You did your job.
So did Nathaniel Teager.
You found the man you were looking for, but now he's dead. It's over.
Is that what you believe? Is that what you really believe? They're not just denying this man's life. They're denying his death. And with all due respect, sir, he could be you.
Try another character, phrase, or keyword.
The dialogue comes from the official DVD subtitle track supplied by Boggsfiles. Speaker and scene attribution was cross-checked against character-labelled reference material. Subtitle wording is preserved while capitalization and spacing are standardized for easier reading.