ZERO SUM

At a postal routing center in Virginia a woman is killed by a swarm of bees in the bathroom while taking a cigarette break. Assistant Director Skinner, working for the Cigarette Smoking Man, covers up the death by deleting the file on the case from agent Mulder's computer, cleaning up all the evidence at the scene, burning the woman's body in an incinerator and replacing the police's blood sample for the case by posing as Mulder. As he leaves the police station, Skinner is chased down by Detective Roy Thomas, who believes he is Mulder. Skinner tells him there is nothing on the case worthy of his continued involvement, and leaves.

Shortly after Skinner arrives home he is met by Mulder, who tells him about the case and the fact that someone is going at great lengths to cover it up. Mulder reveals that Detective Thomas was killed execution style, which shocks Skinner. Mulder tells Skinner that Scully is undergoing tests regarding her cancer. Skinner tells Mulder he'll help him find who is responsible. Later that night Skinner meets with the Cigarette Smoking Man, who is accompanied by Thomas's murderer, the Gray Haired Man. Skinner is upset at the fact that Thomas was murdered and wants to end their arrangement, which the Cigarette Smoking Man says is something that is not easy to walk away from. Mulder calls Skinner, telling him about the woman's body being burned and the blood evidence being tampered with. Mulder tells Skinner that he does have the gun that Thomas was killed with, which is currently being looked at by ballistics. Skinner searches his drawer and realizes that his gun was missing and is the one that Mulder was telling him about. Skinner, realizing he's been set up, calls the Cigarette Smoking Man, who confirms that Thomas was killed with his own gun and that by going to the police Skinner would end up implicating himself in the murder. The Cigarette Smoking Man refuses to provide any details on what he's covering up.

Skinner returns to the routing center where he tears a hole in the wall and finds a large honeycomb of dead bees. He visits an entomologist to look at one of the bees and is told that agent Mulder visited him approximately six months ago about a similar subject. Skinner visits Mulder's office and finds Mulder's file on the matter, copying down the contact information for Marita Covarubias. Mulder tells Skinner that a Bank near the police station took a picture of the Detective, which shows him with Skinner, but too obscured for Mulder to tell that it is him. Skinner visits Covarrubias, who doesn't have any evidence to provide him at this time. The entomologist is killed by a swarm of bees. Mulder and Skinner look at his body the next day, which has come down with smallpox, the first case in over seven years, transmitted by the bees. Skinner visits the co-worker of the postal worker who died, who tells him she was pressured to not say anything about what happened and that they demanded a damaged package. At the photo lab Mulder analyzes the photo, which reveals Skinner's identity.

The Cigarette Smoking Man meets with the Syndicate about the matter, who appear to be using the bees for a sort of trial run. Soon afterwards a swarm of bees attacks a nearby school, and one of the teachers dies as a result. Skinner heads to the hospital, where he is met by Covarrubias. She demands to know what he knows about the matter. He tells her he believes that the bees are being used as a carrier for some sort of experiment. Skinner returns home where he is confronted by Mulder, who now suspects that Skinner has been working against him all this time. Skinner is able to convince Mulder that he wouldn't have forced his own drawer lock open and hence couldn't have been the murderer. Convinced of Skinner's evidence, Mulder turns in the gun with the serial number filed off so Skinner isn't blamed for the murder. That night Skinner confronts the Cigarette Smoking Man in his apartment, angry that nothing's been done for Scully. The Cigarette Smoking Man convinces him that Scully will die if he kills him, and Skinner leaves without killing him. Shortly afterwards Covarrubias calls the Cigarette Smoking Man, who tells her to tell Mulder what he wants to hear.

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