While at the prison yard, Pinker and Bo Merkle were assigned to put boards up before a tornado arrived. Merkle annoyed Pinker, who then nailed his hand to the wall. As punishment, Pinker was locked in a tiny compartment called "the box" for the duration of the storm. However, he was able to escape and kill the warden. Mulder and Scully were brought in to investigate the warden's mysterious death, which resembled spontaneous human combustion. The agents were able to pursue Pinker by following a series of similar deaths.