His request is denied. Some time later, at the hospital, a mysterious woman leaves behind a pack of cigarettes containing the Smoking Man's address. Mulder secretly enters the Smoking Man's apartment and puts a gun to his head. The Smoking Man reminds Mulder that if he dies, he takes all the secrets with him. Realizing he has arrived at a dead end, Mulder turns in his resignation.
Skinner refuses to accept it.
Later, Mulder is approached by X and given information that an illegal search by government operatives will occur at his apartment. Mulder is instructed to kill the intruders and claim self-defense. As Mulder waits in the darkness for the agents, Melissa appears at his door. She tells him that Dana's condition is deteriorating, and that now more than ever, Dana needs him at her side. Mulder visits Scully's bedside and gives her words of encouragement.