Trust, Alliance and Necessity

SCENE 15 

AN AQUARIUM; WASHINGTON, D.C.

(Mulder is standing at the shark tank, watching them swim. Deep Throat comes over.)

DEEP THROAT: 

Why didn’t you leave for Fort Benning?

MULDER: 

The photograph was a fake.

(No response.)

At least you’re not insulting me further 

by feigning appaled surprise.

DEEP THROAT: 

On the contrary, I think a compliment is in order. 

That photo was performed by our very best.

MULDER: 

I thought you were my ally.

DEEP THROAT: 

Oh, I am.

MULDER: 

Yeah, imagine if Eisenhower told the rest of the Allies 

that D-Day would take place in Belgium.

DEEP THROAT: 

(angrier) 

Mr. Mulder, I place my life in great jeopardy every time we speak.

(Mulder looks away, calmer.)

I’ve been a participant in some of the most insidious lies and witness to deeds that no crazed man could imagine. I spent years watching you from my, uh, lofty position to know that you were the one I could trust.

MULDER: 

Then why did you lie to me?

DEEP THROAT: 

I needed to divert you. 

You and Scully 

are excellent investigators 

and your motives are just. 

However, there are still 

some secrets that should remain secret – 

some truths that people are just not ready to know.

MULDER: 

Who are you to decide that for me?

DEEP THROAT: 

The World’s reaction 

to such knowledge would be 

far too dangerous.

MULDER: 

Dangerous. 

You mean in a sense of outrage 

like the reaction to the Kennedy assassinations 

or M.I.A.s or radiation experiments on terminal patients, 

Watergate, Iran-Contra, 

Roswell, the Tuskegee experiments, 

where will it end? 

Oh, I guess it won’t end as long as… men like you decide what is Truth.

 That transcript you gave me of the Iraqi pilot, that was The Truth, wasn’t it?

DEEP THROAT: 

Hmmmp. 

(in agreement.)

MULDER: 

Why’d you even bother 

to show it to me?

DEEP THROAT: 

Well, I knew that 

you were onto the truck 

so I knew that down the road 

I would have to steer you away, 

That I would have to Lie to You. 

And A Lie, Mr. Mulder, 

is most convincingly hidden 

between Two Truths.

(Mulder starts to walk away.)

Mulder.

(Mulder turns back.)

When A Shark 

stops swimming, it will die. 

Don’t stop swimming. 

I’m not responsible for 

the electronic surveillance 

but I do know They can 

still hear you.

(Deep Throat walks away. Mulder watches the sharks swim.)