Rush (The X-Files) - Plot

Plot

Tony Reed and two other teenagers meet in the woods late at night in Pittsfield, Virginia, but they are interrupted by a sheriff's deputy. Moments later the deputy is murdered, killed with his own flashlight. Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) later examine the deputy's body: the blow that killed the man was so ferocious that his glasses were pushed through the back of his skull. They question the suspect, teenager Tony Reed, whose fingerprints were found on the flash light, but he denies any part in the murder. Mulder and Scully agree that Tony is innocent, although Mulder's theory of spirit involvement is not shared by Scully. Scully, on the other hand, suggests they question Tony's friends. Mulder and Scully visit Tony's school and speak with the two teenagers who were with Tony in the woods: the sheriff's son, Max Harden, and his girlfriend Chastity. Chastity seems concerned about Tony when Mulder and Scully tell her he may go to jail. However, Tony is later released when the murder weapon mysteriously goes missing from the evidence room. Mulder and Scully review video footage from the evidence room that shows the flashlight simply disappear. However, a blur on the video footage attracts Mulder's attention and later analysis by an expert reveals the blurred object is solid and matches the local high school's colors. When one of the teachers at the high school who was strongly despised by Max is attacked and murdered by an unseen force in front of many witnesses, Mulder suspects Max possesses some kind of paranormal ability and is using it to kill.

Mulder believes Harden's changing teenage hormones are giving him paranormal abilities that allow him to attack people without touching them. Meanwhile, Tony follows Chastity into a cave in the woods and stumbles upon a bizarre shaft of light. Once Tony steps into the light, he is possessed with the same abilities that Max and Chastity have, the ability to vibrate at high frequencies, allowing Tony to move faster than normal vision can detect. At the same time, however, Max collapses and is sent to the hospital where it is found he is suffering from exhaustion, withdrawal, a concussion, muscular tears and skeletal fractures - basically, his abilities are killing him. Mulder eventually deduces that he possesses superhuman speed. Chastity sneaks Max out of the hospital where he returns to the cave. Later, the sheriff finds the flashlight in Max's room and confronts his son about the murders. Max confesses and then attempts to kill his father, but Tony intervenes, taking the sheriff's gun. Tony and Max confront each other at the cave, but Chastity shoots Max, using her abilities, then allows herself to be shot by the same bullet. Afterwards, numerous geological experts examine the cave but are unable to identify anything unusual. The city then fills the cave with concrete, sealing it forever, leaving the question as to what caused the teenager-related ability a mystery.