 Upon his return to Washington , Mulder is admonished by Assistant Director Walter Skinner and the Smoking Man for his actions . Mulder claims he still had enough evidence with the days missed to prosecute the subject of his assigned wiretap , and that his own phone calls were being monitored . Skinner then demands that the Smoking Man leave the room , and decides to not discipline Mulder . Investigating the tape reel , Mulder finds it blank due to a power surge during the storm , but vows to continue his work regardless . 
