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A policeman in Cleveland discovers a dead woman discovered with a mucus-like slime. Mulder and Scully are asked to assist the Cleveland police with solving the case. Mulder connects the case to a series of similar killings in which female victims -all of whom answered personal ads in local newspapers- died in similar manner. The body is so badly decomposed that positive identification is difficult, but finally they make it; the womans name was Lauren Mackalvey. Mulder visits her roommate, Jennifer, and she explains that Lauren had met a man on the internet, who called himself "2Shy". Meanwhile, Scully is not able to do an autopsy of Lauren's body. . .because there is no body to perform an autopsy on, only tje skelleton is left. But she was able to find out that a great deal of her body fat was missing after the murder.

Meanwhile, the killer, Virgil Incanto, continues with his murders. When his new online friend, Ellen, don't show up on their first date, he kills a prostitute. During the struggle, the prostitute scraps Incanto with her nails, leaving rake marks on his arm.

When examinating the killer's e-mail correspondence to Lauren, Mulder discovers quotes from rare Italian poems. This books are difficult to get hold of, therefore, Mulder thinks the killer must be a college professor or translator. Detective Alan Cross in the Cleveland police assembles a list of people in the Cleveland area with such credentials. Chemical analysis of the killer's skin sample found beneath the prostitute's fingernails shows no oils or fatty acids, which leads Mulder to the conclusion that the killer uses his victim's bodies to replenish a chemical deficiency in order to survive.

Meanwhile, using Cross's list, the agents interview possible suspects. But it is Cross who ends up interviewing Incanto, and in the process, notes a bandage on his arm. Incanto kills Cross, then arranges another date with his e-mail friend, Ellen. When Ellen and Incanto drives home, he discovers someone inside his apartment. It is Incanto's nosy landlady, Monica. She discovers Cross's decomposed body inside the apartment, but Incanto kills her before she can scream. But Monica's blind daughter, Jesse, enters the apartment looking for her mother. Though Incanto insists Monica has not been in his apartment this day, Jesse smells her mother's perfume. Jesse calls 911, and the agents rush to the apartment building. But Incanto has disappeared.

The agents access Incanto's computer, hoping to find clues about his next victim. Meanwhile, Incanto talks his way into Ellen's apartment, apologizing for his hasty exit during their date. As Ellen sends a computer message to a friend, a message from the FBI, warning about Incanto, pops up on her screen. Incanto sees the message and attacks Ellen. After cracking Incanto's computer hard drive, Mulder and Scully contack women who are his potential next victims. Unable to reach Ellen by phone, the agents drive to her apartment. Mulder and Scully, acting from a tip from a neighbour, burst into Ellen's apartment. As Mulder searches for Incanto, Scully stays behind with Ellen, who's covered with mucus but still alive. Suddenly, while Mulder is outside looking for Incanto, Incanto jumps out of the shadows of Ellen's bathroom and attacks Scully. Ellen, however, regains consciousness, and shoots Incanto. Incanto doesn't die of the wound, but he gets arrested.

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