The Beginning (The X-Files) - Plot

Plot

A scientist working for Roush Industries in Phoenix, Arizona is exposed to the black oil alien-virus and an alien gestates and bursts from his body the next day.

In Washington, D.C., Agent Fox Mulder appears before an FBI panel regarding his experiences in Antarctica. Meanwhile, The Smoking Man (William B. Davis) reports to the Syndicate on the alien in Phoenix, confident that he'll be able to kill it. Assistant Director Walter Skinner tells Mulder, who is working on restoring the burned X-Files, that Mulder and Scully have been denied reassignment on the X-Files, but that Mulder should seek out a folder left on the desk in his old office. Mulder goes there, only to discover that Jeffrey Spender and Diana Fowley have been assigned to the X-Files. Feeling betrayed by Fowley, Mulder leaves, but not before stealthily taking the folder with him.

The Smoking Man seeks Gibson Praise, who is undergoing brain surgery at that very moment. Mulder and Scully head to the home where the alien gestated, finding an alien's nail in the wall. The Smoking Man arrives soon after with Gibson, who tells him that the alien is no longer there. At the nuclear power plant, the alien kills another person, but Mulder and Scully are denied access by Spender and Fowley. Upon returning to their car they find Gibson inside, who has escaped from The Smoking Man. Later that night, Fowley tells Mulder she was offered the X-Files and is protecting his interest. Mulder leaves Gibson with Scully and heads off with her. Mulder and Fowley believe the alien is seeking heat, which is why it is in the nuclear power plant. Inside they find organic material on the ground and cooling pipes.

Scully brings Gibson to the hospital, where it is determined that he has the alien virus in his blood. The Black-Haired Man (Scott Eberlein) kidnaps him soon after, and brings him to the power plant. They find the alien, who attacks the Black-Haired Man but not Gibson, as witnessed by Mulder from outside the locked door. Mulder and Scully are ordered to not associate with the X-Files and are re-assigned under Assistant Director Kersh. Spender is visited by The Smoking Man in his office. Mulder continues to work on restoring the X-Files, and is told by Scully that Fowley's report does not reflect what really happened. Scully tells Mulder that the alien virus DNA is also part of all human DNA, but in Gibson the DNA is active. In the power plant, Gibson is trapped inside with the alien, who sheds its skin, revealing the traditional grey alien form.