TITLE: 'The Beginning And The End' (parts 19-21 of ??)
AUTHOR: XSketch (XSketch@hotmail.com)
WEBSITE: http://thesketchfiles.bravehost.com
DISCLAIMER: See part 1 for all disclaimers.

---------------------------------------------------

In Minnesota Dana Scully was mentally awakening to the 
depths that her connection with Mulder went to.

In Pennsylvania Gibson Praise was mentally awakening to 
a new level of need to help his old friends.

In Washington DC Agents John Doggett and Monica Reyes 
were being introduced to a new brand of ally.

Yet - ironically - despite all the insight being gained 
in the three separate states, not much happiness was 
going around, and the country was still in the dark 
about the Conspiracy that was working toward its end...

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

REFLECTING POOL
WASHINGTON, D.C
12:12am

He sat alone on the bench that he knew had been their 
bench - where the two of them had regularly sat whilst 
coming up with theories.  In a way, he guessed, through 
them it had become his bench too as they had called him 
here to help with a couple such occasions.

But, anyway, that wasn't why he was here.  He was here 
because he needed to think, figure out what path he 
should be following... Find himself, really, because 
that was what had happened over the last couple of 
months: he'd lost himself and had no idea who he was 
anymore - no idea what it meant to be Chuck Burks, 
university professor and friend of two now-fugitive FBI 
agents, always eager to do the right thing and help... 
Was he really that person anymore, or was he now just a 
pawn in the game paranoid Mulder had always warned 
about?  The guy that had been approached by his boss and 
two Men in Black and asked to spy on Doggett and Reyes?  
The guy that had (practically against his knowledge) 
helped the conspirators more than he had the 'good guys'?

No.  He had to go back.  Not necessarily to how it had 
been, because he knew those days were long gone, but he 
definitely had to start helping Doggett, Reyes, Mulder 
and Scully again, no matter what it took...

A cautious glance around to check nobody was watching 
him, and then Burks slowly reached into his coat pocket 
to withdraw the lab test results that he'd had a friend 
do on the papers in the alleged Majestic 12 file.  
According to what he was reading, most of the pages 
proved positive to have been printed in 1947...except 
the one sheet he had scanned into his computer on 
Doggett and Reyes' initial visit and several others that 
contained information pertaining to UFO crash sites in 
rock quarries across the globe.  The results said that 
the paper for those pages matched no known types - not 
of present production or that of almost sixty years ago.  
It couldn't even be determined what tree the page had 
been produced from.

Burks frowned, slipped the folded letter back into his 
coat pocket and was about to reach for his briefcase 
when a figure suddenly sat down on the bench next to him.

"By the look on your face, I get the feeling we're both 
screwed."

Chuck sharply turned to see Alvin Kersh looking straight 
ahead at the pool.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Okay, I've had enough of this stupid game of 'Cat And 
Mouse' now.  I want some damn answers!"

ROOM #524
D.C GENERAL HOSPITAL

With his partner safely back in her bed, Doggett sharply 
turned to stare at the white-coated man that was helping 
Shannon McMahon back to her feet.

"No more 'I'll explain later's, and certainly no more 
piles of BS!"  He coughed - wincing at the pain not too 
far short of what Reyes had been exposed to - and shook 
his head.  Before they left for California he wanted to 
have a handle on what the hell they were doing, and he 
just hoped the No-Nonsense approach he'd always had to 
things helped him get it (even though it hadn't as of 
yet).

"That's why I came," the younger man hesitated, looking 
up.

They all watched the large wound in McMahon quickly heal 
and then puzzled, exhausted eyes turned to stare at 
White-Coat.

"I am part of the government's program and I met Agent 
Mulder...I am one of the beings that were created with 
Agent Scully's stolen ova."

"A clone," Doggett stated flatly - having read the files 
that Scully had kept at her apartment over the past year.

"A clone?" Reyes exclaimed in her choked voice.  "You're 
the ones taking over, so why do you want to help?"

Confusion warred with panic.  On the one hand this man...
thing...whatever...had helped them, but on the other he 
could be part of the ones against them; could be using 
them to get to Mulder and Scully... The two had learnt 
to 'Trust No One', and they certainly had as much reason 
to trust this guy as Shannon the supersoldier, but 
something was telling them that White Coat could be of 
some use.

"Yes, I'm a clone, and technically I am against you - 
one of the 'bad guys', I think you would say," the red-
haired man explained.  "My reasons for just saving you 
are completely selfish.  But whilst I lack any form of 
emotion - most especially toward your race - I still 
possess the inherited need to protect my family - my 
mother and brother."

"The other clones?" Monica queried.

John looked at her before returning his focus to the man 
that sat in front of him.  "Br--?"

"He's talking about William," Shannon cut in.

"William?  We keep hearing his name, and yet still we 
seem no nearer to finding him or having a full knowledge 
of his importance to any of this!"

"That's because you're not listening."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

They were meant to be.

She didn't know how and she didn't know why, but if 
there was only one thing she was sure of, Dana 
Katherine Scully knew she and Mulder were meant to be 
together.  Soulmates?  Despite what had happened during 
the Ephesian case five years ago, she guessed - with a 
deaf ear turned to the scientist inside - that that 
could be exactly what they were.  The thing that really 
did keep her guessing, though, was the inability to 
present an explanation for the depth of their connection 
- the total lack of reasoning behind her now approaching 
the rear of the truck's trailer because in her dream 
that was where she had been certain he was.

What was it he had once said?  'A dream is the answer to 
a question we haven't figured out how to ask'?  
'Something buried in your subconscious'?  What she had 
just witnessed had been too real...too close to what he 
had likely experienced out by the truck after leaving 
her in the room.  How could that be buried in her 
subconscious?  And how could she be so certain as to 
where he was now?

Maybe it was just meant to be...

As with so much else, she pushed it aside for the time 
being and stared at the large door that hung open a 
fraction.

"Scully...Scully...Scully..."

The whimpered mantra filled the still air in the trailer 
and stabbed at her. 

After hauling her small frame up into the black box, 
Scully pulled the small maglite out from the robe pocket 
she had slipped it into before rushing out here and 
whispered, "Mulder?"

Either he didn't hear her, he was too deeply lost in 
whatever nightmare was gripping him...or he had 
completely gone over the edge, because his simple, 
choked plea repeated over and over.

"Scully...Scully...Scully...Scully..."

Almost to the point of making her scream.

The small beam of light pierced through the darkness, 
bouncing against the bare walls and three of the empty 
corners.

"Mulder?" she started again, a little more loudly.

Finally, in the fourth corner - on the floor - the dim 
light reflected off something.  As she neared the far 
end of the trailer and the light increased, she realised 
it was her partner huddled into a ball and slightly 
rocking back and forth.

And then her heart broke.  So many outbursts of emotion 
had passed between them over the past month - so many 
tears and questions to the heavens above of 'why us?' 
that always resulted in the only answer of them being in 
each others' arms.  But even through his heartache he 
had always tried to lighten the load she bore...He had 
always tried to stand in the face of Hope, give a wry 
quip, assure her that it would be okay and she'd done 
the best thing by giving William away...

"Scully...Scully...Scully..."

To see him so broken now - her warrior fallen and 
defeated... She didn't know if she could pick him up 
again.

"Oh my God," she croaked, lowering herself onto her 
knees in front of him.  "Mulder?"  When he didn't 
respond Dana reached out a shaky hand to rest on his 
left forearm, hoping it would stop his incessant rocking 
and grab his attention.  As usual her touch made his 
eyes lift to stare at her, but the rhythmic pattern his 
body seemed trapped in did not falter.  "Mulder.  It's 
me - Scully... Can you hear me?"

"Scully...Scul-ly..."  His voice cracked as his eyes 
focused.  "Scully?"

"Yeah, it's me."  An attempt at a smile on her part, but 
she failed and it only made more tears form in his eyes.  
"What you doing out here?  You can't tell me it's warmer 
in here than the bed..."

He blinked and then shook his head to try and clear out 
the sound that is still ringing in his ears.  "Drumming...
Pounding...Can you hear it?  It won't--...It won't 
stop... I...I wanna...uh..."  He can't bear to look at 
her anymore - certain that he can't save her or their 
son - so he abruptly drops his head so his forehead 
rests against his knees.  "Scully, I don't know how to 
stop Them... You were right, They might be coming early, 
but I'm not so sure if I can...can protect--"

"Look at me."  Her voice gently whispers to him and 
belies the turmoil she is fighting against.  But he 
doesn't obey - instead beginning his simple mantra 
again.  "Mulder, there is..."  A pause as the impact of 
her new-found faith sets in.  "There is Hope.  I believe 
you and I know somewhere deep down you believe it too... 
This is just a nightmare in which you've misplaced that 
belief..."

"I don't--"

"I need you, partner, so please just look at me...
Please?"  He did.  "There. Is. Hope."

Suddenly - even in the poor light - she saw her 
reflection in his eyes.  Shortly after that images from 
the start of her dream played over in them.

"I don't wanna be useless," he croaked as she lost 
herself in his eyes.  "I want to be able to help.  I 
want to protect my family no matter what.  I don't want 
us to be living comfortably and then have the aliens 
come knocking at our door.  I don't wanna lose you..."

"You won't..."  She was being serious and genuine, but 
still her voice was a little distant.  "Not ever."

The tears continued to well in his eyes as she felt them 
doing the same in her own, and they continued to stare 
at one another.  She almost felt as if she was becoming 
the witness to all the pain that refused to let him out 
of its crushing grip.  No words would cure him...No 
words would cure her... What would it take to ease it?

'It's gonna be okay, I promise.'

She had believed him when he'd uttered that to her in 
Nebraska and Kansas.  She believed him now.  If she 
could just re-inject that belief into him.

"Do you remember what you said to me in your hallway 
before I was stung by the bee?"

The rocking motion of his body stopped and his head 
slightly cocked to the side before it gave a nod.

"Do you?"

"Yes...But--"

"How about what you said to me after I found you at the 
Department of Defense?  What you told me the first time 
we made love?"

"Scully, I can't...Please, I can't..."  Distressed and 
slipping away again, his head began to shake.  "Make it 
stop..."

Dana swallowed and swallowed hard.  Struggled to cling 
on to her own sanity and the burst of strength she knew 
she needed if she wanted to bring him back.

"Do you..."  Swallowing yet again.  Using her memories 
of their time together before this moment to anchor 
her.  "Mulder, do you remember what you told me just 
before you left?"

He didn't respond, but it seemed she'd at least grabbed 
his attention.

"You told me we were what kept you going...That death 
couldn't even stop you from being with us, so the 
conspiracy was definitely not worth wasting a 
millisecond of worry on."  He made her a whole person...
He was her constant and touchstone...She owed him so 
much that he refused to let himself believe.  But she 
needed him sane, dammit!  "You said you knew we both 
still had answers to look for, but William and I would 
always be your Truth.  Mulder, none of *this* matters - 
none of being fugitives or alien invasion or whatever 
happened out here tonight matters!  *None* of it!"  
Scully had to pause and calm the voice that had suddenly 
grown aggressive.  "Time and time again you've assured 
me that it's going to be okay.  You save me with your 
words and your actions and your love...I don't need you 
to be able to stop this or have all the answers.  I just 
want *you* - Fox 'Spooky' Mulder - even with all your 
annoying traits."  A weak smile.  "These last four weeks 
have been rough...Bottled emotions trying to escape 
whilst we're learning to be both the people we were and 
new people at the same time.  But I can't do the tears 
anymore, Mulder, and I need you to be strong...for you 
as well as for me...so that we can come out on the other 
side of this..."

Wet hazel eyes fixed on her once again, and she could 
see he was struggling to fight back against the 
whirlwind of emotion that had knocked him down, but he 
was losing.  She knew it was a difficult battle - she 
had internally been fighting against something akin to 
it when she'd broken down outside the motel in Nebraska 
- but she also knew she'd be there every step of the way 
to help him.

"Please, help me," Dana whispered, repeating her words 
from when she had found him at the DoD building three 
years ago, resting her forehead against his.  "The 
artifact nearly claimed both you and your beautiful 
mind...Then you were taken...and after you were 
miraculously returned you had to leave again...I've lost 
you so many times I can't...I can't...Mulder, don't do 
this now.  Please - not after all we've been through."

Both partners' eyelids slipped shut but the friction of 
his skin on her forehead let her know that Mulder was 
slightly shaking his head.

"I promised you Hope...that I'd do everything I could to 
protect you....but I can't..." he breathed.

'You're gonna have this baby, and I'm gonna do 
everything I can to protect it.  I just can't do that 
here.'  The words had haunted her soul since she'd given 
William away.

"You left us to protect us..."  She paused as the sob 
building in her throat threatened to choke her.  "You 
gave up--...gave up everything - including your own 
safety - to protect us.  You think I don't think that 
was a big enough sacrifice?"  Of course, it had done 
very little to protect them, but that was beside the 
point right now... "I watched his first smile, listened 
to his first laugh...saw the first pout of that 
inherited lower lip...and every second it killed me 
inside because I so badly wanted you there to see him 
too.  The fact that...The fact that having you there 
might mean we wouldn't be able to see him do any of 
those things at all just dealt the final blow!"

"I tried...I couldn't...I...I should at least be able to 
protect you now..."

"You *don't* have to protect me!  Did I ever say that 
you do?"  A cold, shaky hand came up to cup her cheek 
and she opened her eyes to stare at him.  "I just need 
to be able to lean on you and have you lean on me so 
that we can support each other." 

It wasn't going to be that easy to forget or push aside, 
but for now they needed to fight it one increment at a 
time...even if it did feel as if they were taking one 
step forward and ten back.

The first increment was taken as he opened his own eyes 
yet again and - no matter how dim and questionable - she 
noticed something only she would ever be able to see or 
interpret...Watched something re-ignite itself within 
his soul: the flicker of flame and fight that made him 
who he was.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kersh fidgeted to the point of annoyance...Then again, 
Burks wasn't too happy with his moment of thought being 
disturbed as it was.

"You think you're doing the right thing...Follow the 
crowd...But there are so many crowds now..." the deputy 
director's deep voice drawled.

"I knew which side was the good side - the right side...
But somewhere I just--... The line got fuzzy..." came 
Burks' distant reply as he shook his head and continued 
to stare at the dark water.  "Well...I mean, I didn't 
help the bad side...But I began to drift..."

Alvin Kersh realised that somewhere he'd lost himself 
too.  He'd never cared for the X-Files or the rogue 
agents he had to watch over...The only thing he had 
really cared about was his career path and serving the 
Institution he had so admired since his early childhood.  
But *never* had he intended on letting power manipulate 
him so much, even in the face of justice.

*There are forces inside the government now that a man 
would be foolish to disobey.*

His head lowered and his eyelids slipped shut as Suveg's 
words echoed in his memory.

The image of the Toothpick Man slicing off the general's 
head, though, was enough to bring him back to attention.

"I tried to get AD Follmer to help track down that 
woman..." he eventually confessed, turning to face 
Burks.  "The one that was helping Agents Doggett and 
Reyes..."

"The one that gave them the MJ file?"

Kersh had forgotten about that, and both eyebrows 
raised.  "You still have it?"

"I ran a test on it...I know she said not to waste time 
checking, but....Anyway, the file is genuine, but..."  
Burks' voice faltered as he shot a glance down at the 
jacket pocket in which he had quickly shoved the test 
results.  "She said they needed to research the ancient 
tribes and geological sites...All the pages relating to 
those things are on paper that can't be identified..."

"Does Agent Doggett know that?"

"Not yet...I haven't seen them recently...I got a 
little...side-tracked..."

An understanding nod from Kersh.

"But I intend on getting back on the right path."

Yet another agreeing nod of the deputy director's head.  
"And I intend to do the same...even though it'll 
probably be the last thing I do... I just wish I'd been 
able to convince Follmer of what I had been blind to for 
so long..." 

And then silence as they both looked back out over the 
reflecting pool and tried to plan their next move.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

CONNELSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA
1:02am

It wouldn't stop.

He couldn't turn it off, and he knew that if it didn't 
stop soon it would drive him crazy.

So again Spender tried to reach up and remove the 
batteries from the damn smoke alarm that had suddenly 
set itself off for no apparent reason.

The constant, loud ringing was the least of Gibson's 
worries.

Unable to break the connection with Mulder and Scully 
that was still overriding his senses, he slowly slipped 
into bed and then turned to stare out at the star-lit 
sky through the open window.

He knew Agent Scully was trying to help her partner 
regain his strength...and was gradually succeeding with 
a lot of effort.

He knew Agent Mulder had learnt that there was a lot 
more Truth they still needed to learn.

He just didn't know what the hell he was supposed to do 
about any of it!

*You have to help them.  You have to protect them so 
that they can protect you.*

Gibson's head snapped round at the sound of the familiar 
(slightly unintelligible) voice, only to find himself 
face to face with his old friend Thea.  He opened his 
mouth to say something, but she shook her head and he 
closed it again.

*Agent Spender doesn't need to know--...he *can't* know 
until the time is here, but you have to know because it 
involves you...your connection to Them,* the girl's 
voice penetrated his brain without a word ever passing 
her lips.

The boy frowned in confusion, and yet at the same time 
it all seemed to somehow make sense.

*Mulder and Scully.  Some of them know what They are to 
the Process, but none of them are ready to either 
believe it or understand it,* he sadly sighed 
telepathically.

*And you - your importance.*

His head briefly lowered.  It was a fact he couldn't 
avoid no matter how much he tried.  *As far as they 
think they know William is the only one that needs to be
...protected...and they're right.  The aliens only fear 
me because of the threat of exposure I hold.*

*They fear you because you could be like William,* Thea 
uttered.  *It's how you hold such a connection with 
Scully and Mulder.  They fear you because you can stand 
up against them, even though - genetically - you should 
be following them.*

*It's starting, isn't it?*

*It will be.  Soon.  There are many still wondering what 
side to fight on, and many will try to trick you so that 
they can capture you...change you so you'll follow them.  
But you need to follow what's in your heart.*

Gibson looked away again to consider the words.  Was 
what he felt in his heart so much different to the 
genetic material that flowed through his veins?  It had 
to be because he knew who he would stand with, but what 
if his heart grew too weak?

His head turned back and what he saw almost brought 
tears to his eyes.  Instead of Thea, at the side of his 
bed knelt the shadowed figure of the woman that had 
brought him up...The woman he had considered as 'Mom'.  
He couldn't remember her that much (he couldn't even 
recall how she had died), but he knew and he wondered if 
this would be what William would feel like several years 
from now, after never knowing his parents. 

*You were always so special, Gibson,* the dark haired 
spectre telepathically sighed.  *Share that.  Save the 
humans and then lead them - conquer them.  Help them 
find the vaccine and help them live.  Help them find 
their son so that they don't have to go through the same 
pain I had to go through when I lost you.*  As 
impossible as he thought it would be, he saw tears 
trickle down the ghost's pale cheeks. 

*But how can I help?  I know what I am, but I'm also 
just a kid!* came his defiant exclamation through the 
sleep that was fogging his brain. 

The woman gave a nod.  *Go with Agents Doggett and 
Reyes, meet with Mulder and Scully, and then stay with 
them.  Send the others back to Washington to fight the 
fight here.  When you feel deep down inside that the 
time is right, let them know where the child is so that 
they can rescue him.  It is not his destiny to save or 
destroy humankind, but he should be with the ones who 
can, and the ones that love him the most.*

*But I don't know where he is!*

*Yes, you do.*  Her hand outstretched and rested against 
his chest.

As sleep finally claimed him, he heard an address 
whispered to him, followed by the gentle words, *I love 
you.  Trust no one but your heart.*

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

FROM THE JOURNAL OF FOX MULDER...

August 30th, 1997

They took those women just to kill them.  They...Jesus, 
they took Scully just to let her die when they'd 
finished with her, those bastards!  They stole her ova 
and then used it to create hybrids!

Why couldn't they be happy just with that?  They stole 
these womens' chance to conceive and have the lives they 
deserved to lead.  Why did they then have to let them 
suffer with Cancer?  Why did they have to assign fucking 
doctor's to make sure they all died?!

Who was Doctor Scanlon?  Are there other doctors like 
him?  There were five others working at that facility, 
but none of them can be tracked down.  Are they all dead 
now?  Killed by the men that employed and used them?  Or 
are they out there, doing more dirty work and destroying 
more innocent lives in the face of evil?

And what of Kurt Crawford?  What am I to make of him and 
the other hybrids at that facility?  He told me that 
they were trying to stop the men doing this, and yet 
they were products of the project.  Does that make him 
good or bad?  Should I trust any of what he told me?  
They wanted to subvert the project but not destroy the 
hybrids still in the tanks...Why?

I know the Truth is still out there - it has to be.  But 
for now there are too many questions piling up, 
hindering my search - throwing me off course.

And the only thing that scares me right now?  That I 
won't be able to save Scully.  These past four years 
she's covered my back so much...If I lose her to this 
and the lies, I know I'll have lost myself, and that'll 
be the time to end the search once and for all - 
pointless, without closure, and one too many innocent 
lives lost to the cause.

~~~~~

D.C. GENERAL HOSPITAL
WASHINGTON, DC

"And here was me thinking I was all ears when it came to 
this subject!" Doggett sniped, staring aggressively at 
the supersoldier.

"You listen only to what you want to believe, and search 
for answers to the things you already know," Shannon 
retorted.

The male FBI agent made sure he was firmly sat on the 
edge of the hospital bed before clasping one of Monica's 
hands in his and finishing, "Well, why don't you tell us 
what we're not believing and what we don't know?"

"I was the result of a Project developed by the men you 
know as the Shadow Government to be the new race to 
conquer this planet when the aliens come to colonise; 
the product created with genetic material from women 
that had been abducted and had their ovum removed.  We 
were used to continue the work - produce more of 
ourselves - but, as lacking in emotions as we may be, we 
felt it was wrong and had to be stopped.  That the women 
had to be saved.  So we begun plans to subvert the 
project...which is when one of my 'brothers' met Agent 
Mulder and used him - without his knowledge - to help."

"I've read the files and you're repeating everything I 
know already!" Doggett scoffed.

"What you don't know is that the project was not 
stopped," Crawford quickly replied.  "That I and three 
of my brothers were used to continue.  Dr Scanlon was 
killed, as were two of his colleagues at the Lombard 
Facility when they became too exposed.  However, one 
doctor was left to watch us whilst two others were 
promoted in the hierarchy of the project to work with 
alien foetuses."  The red-haired man paused.  His 
brothers - the one that had initially met Mulder and the 
others on the project that had stood fast to destroying 
it - had been killed.  If he was found here with these 
people, he knew the same would happen to him.  In the 
end he guessed it didn't matter, though: even if he said 
no more the end would come, and the men that were doing 
this would be able to continue their work.  "Doctors 
Pete Jeffers and Joel Spitz."

Both agents glanced at each other with questioning 
frowns - neither recognising the names.

"They were given the changed names of James Parenti and 
Stephen Lev respectively."

"The doctors experimenting with alien embryos?  Agent 
Scully's obstetrician..." John practically gasped.  "But 
we already knew he was tampering with DNA - that there 
was a risk there might be something wrong with Scully's 
child.  There wasn't though - he's normal...human?"  He 
couldn't avoid the level of query that crept into his 
voice at the end of the sentence.

"Yes and no," Shannon sighed.

Monica sharply turned a dubious glance on the 
supersoldier.  "Why were the supersoldiers trying to 
kill him?  They destroyed the work those doctors were 
doing with the embryos...If William was the result of 
those experiments, why not kill him the second he was 
born?"  None of this made sense and she knew her own 
questions contradicted each other, but she had to ask 
them.  "I was...I was there in Hope Springs when Scully 
gave birth...They just turned away..."  Her voice 
faltered and she had to take a shaky breath as the pain 
in her throat increased to an unbearable level.  "Why 
then come back and try to kill him?"

"They..."  McMahon paused and chose to change her choice 
of wording.  "*We* never planned to kill the baby.  That 
only occurred when Mulder was brought back from the dead 
and prevented from becoming one of us."

The prophecy Agent Comer had told Scully echoed in 
Monica's head.  And then she remembered the sheriff's 
voice in Georgia.

<'This child will be born'>

If they wanted either Mulder or the baby dead, why had 
they then been so eager for it to be born?

"Because we needed to be sure of what he was," McMahon 
answered the unspoken question.  "But when we saw him we 
thought he was a successful result of the secret 
experiments to produce a baby supersoldier."

"He's far from," Crawford cut in.  "Somehow Agent Scully 
became pregnant through natural conception with Mulder.  
What the doctors attending to her did not know was that 
all attempts to change the child were being rejected by 
its inherited immunity to the alien virus."

"On the ship that crashed in Roswell back in '47, there 
was a passage that described the coming of a child that 
would be born to either lead or destroy the re-
colonisation.  It's documented in the MJ file that I 
gave you."  The supersoldier gave the agents a cold 
stare.  "What the inscription didn't say is that the 
miracle child would be an immune human with two alien-
fighting parents."

"Maybe it was in the small print," Doggett grumbled.  
And then, louder, "So, let me get this straight...What 
you're saying is that William's human, but because of 
his parents he has alien DNA in him - that that isn't 
because of the work Dr Parenti was doing?  And that he 
poses a threat to the alien colonisation because of his 
immunity and the fact that he was a miracle?"

"And his powers," Reyes added, a little distantly.  "I 
saw what he could do with his mind - move objects.  You 
wanted to use that for your own devices."

"If we had been able to kill Mulder, the prophecy stated 
we would be able to use the child to lead us...Yes, his 
powers would have been an important factor.  But we all 
know he doesn't possess those now, don't we?  And Mulder 
is alive.  So now he is just an unexplainable miracle 
with the ability to fight back and resist."

"Resist?"  Doggett's brow furrowed even more.

"It all starts now, and those that survive will only be 
left with two options: resist or serve.  There is no way 
Mulder and Scully will serve," McMahon sighed, glumly.  
"And even if it is still believed they're dead, what's 
to say William won't inherit their resistance?"

"But you don't want any of them dead?" Monica fixed 
McMahon in a serious stare.

The supersoldier simply nodded and then looked down at 
where she had been injured.

"And why are you here?" Doggett queried the hybrid.

"There's word William may not have lost all his powers 
after all, and that They are closing in on his location."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

No matter how much you want to avoid the pain they 
cause, sometimes repressed emotions only make things 
more painful.  As a psychology graduate this was a fact 
Mulder had effectively used when dealing with both 
criminals and victims alike.  When it came to his own 
feelings and memories from the past eleven months and 
the loss of his son, however, he just could not open up 
- scared that voicing the words would make the hurt even 
more real, and petrified of how his feelings would 
affect Scully.  She already harboured enough guilt...He 
couldn't break her anymore...

And so the darkness had fallen.  Trapping.  Smothering.  
Conquering.  Leaving him nowhere to turn but to the old 
friend he knew well as Loneliness.  His partner had kept 
him afloat - had renewed his faith and resolve upon 
their reunion - and calming her had helped calm him, but 
turning in circles only ends up with you drilling 
yourself into a hole in the end.

What he had heard out by the truck had started to pile 
the soil in on top of him.

"Please, help me."

Which of them had said that?  He knew his eyes were 
begging hers for help, but her lips were moving...

This wasn't about melodrama or nervous breakdowns or 
even longing.  They had what they both wanted: each 
other.

...And that was part of the problem, because the last 
time they had gotten used to being together, he had had 
to leave.  Separation could never be an option again, 
but they had to talk, otherwise they would only end up 
closing off from one another.

"I watched his first smile, listened to his first 
laugh...saw the first pout of that inherited lower lip...
and every second it killed me inside because I so badly 
wanted you there to see him too."

Mulder could hear from the choked voice that it was 
killing her to say the words now - to speak so openly 
about the greatest pain they both bore.  But she was 
doing it; was voicing the words to help heal the 
reality.  She was doing this for him and for herself...
Resetting their give-and-take partnership.

"...We can support each other."

His eyes fixed on her.  Despite their happiness at being 
together again, the strain of their new situation had 
gotten the better of them and too many tears had been 
shed - leaving no room for words.  It was time to come 
to terms with what was happening and what was set to 
happen, to enjoy the life they could now have and talk.  
It was time to be them.

They embraced for a long time - clutching at one another 
as if their lives depended on it.

"Hold me," he whispered against her neck.  "I don't 
wanna leave again.  I don't--...I jus--...I...I wanna 
stay here, like this...We'll find him, but for now just 
hold me, please..."

"I'll hold you even after we've gotten him back," came 
her sniffed reply.  "As long as you hold me."

"Always."

Twenty minutes later they were back in the warmth of the 
motel room, and sat on the bed staring down at the dog-
eared photo Mulder still had.

"How did you get this?" Scully quietly asked, tapping 
the picture and then gently stroking a gentle finger 
down the captured image of their son's face.  "When you 
were caught at the base...Your clothes were taken....
How--?"

"When Skinner came to tell me about--...He came to see 
me in the cell to tell me about what had happened to you 
and William during my absence," came her partner's 
explanation, "and he brought that with him.  Apparently 
he was able to get access to the suit they'd taken off 
of me and retrieve this from my pants' pocket."  He 
glanced up in time to see her silently nod her head.  
"After he went, I stared at it - just sat there staring 
until my imagination made us move in the picture - and 
then I realised something."

Dana lifted her head and once again they locked visual 
contact.  "What?"

"I realised that maybe...maybe we weren't supposed to 
have him..."  Her sharp intake of breath made him regret 
his words, but he soldiered ahead nevertheless.  "We 
were gifted with the greatest miracle imaginable...By 
who or what higher power, I don't know or care to find 
out... But maybe we were given him to bring us together 
again, enhance our beliefs or save the planet.  Maybe we 
were only gifted with him to experience those few days 
of 'normalness'... Maybe we're just not meant to get out 
of the car," he finished, flatly, glancing down at the 
photo in her hands.

Scully gave an imperceptible nod as she broke eye 
contact.  Life had pitched her so many curveballs since 
joining the FBI, and she had come to blows with her 
belief in God on so many occasions, but still - no 
matter how short-lived - she had survived with the help 
of miracles everyone else took for granted; her cure 
from cancer, his rescue from the box car, her return 
from her abduction, his return from the dead, their 
forever increasing closeness, William... Even the fact 
that they were both still alive was a miracle in and of 
itself.  It proved sometimes there was payback for all 
the bad shit they had to deal with.

But what the hell could reward them for dealing with 
what they had to now?  What could possibly warrant them 
having to deal with so much pain, guilt, anger, 
confusion and defiance?  Right now she just wanted to 
walk up to God and shove His miracles up where the sun 
most certainly did shine from.  And she was far from 
ready to accept her partner's musings - no matter how 
much she also thought he was right.

"I don't believe any of that anymore, though," his deep 
voice suddenly shot out - surprising her and making her 
abruptly look up.

"Wh--"

"That's a pile of crap, Scully - why shouldn't we be 
allowed to live a proper life?  We shunned it for so 
long so that we could help others, so why can't we 
finally do the same?  I want us.  I want our son.  I 
want the life I thought I'd never have until you came 
along.  I want us to grow old together in a little 
cottage overlooking the sea and not have to worry about 
stopping alien colonisation.  God, I want everything and 
*dammit* I think it's time for us to cash in!"  The 
solid conviction in his tone left her wondering if the 
man beside her was the same one not forty-five minutes 
ago she had found cowering in a far corner of the 
deserted truck trailer; if it was the same uneasy, 
hyper-sensitive one she'd been travelling with for the 
last month.  She saw the cracks begin to appear in his 
defensive wall, however, as her partner continued, "I 
want it all, but out by that truck the possibility of 
ever getting any of it was pulled out from beneath me, 
and I couldn't--...I wish you hadn't seen me like 
that..."  The red flare of embarrassment across his face 
was unmistakeable, even in this dim lighting.

"Why?" her only answer.

"I don't wanna be like that again...I don't want you 
going through that.  I felt like I was only pretending 
it would be okay, and when I saw that light and the 
thrumming sound wouldn't leave me alone..."  Scully 
thought he might slip away from her again as his eyes 
clouded over.  But he quickly snapped back, continuing, 
"I heard Them say there was no hope for any of us, and I 
believed it, even after all we've discussed.  I couldn't 
take it...I couldn't--...I miss him, Scully, and I've 
missed you so much.  I want to finally celebrate being 
together again..."

"We have.  And we will - every single day," Dana 
sniffed.  "But I need you with me.  No more ditching?"

"Never."  He paused, and then, frowning: "How did you 
know I was out there?"

She didn't answer straight away - wrapping her arms 
around his neck and tightly embracing him.  Dream?  
Reality?  "I just knew."  Deep connection?  Lost time?

From the press of her body against his, he could tell 
she was trying to make him lie down, but instead he 
pulled out of the hold a fraction and stared at her.  
"Tell me."

"I don't know...I was asleep and then I dreamt you were 
there..."  She didn't want to get into the details of 
what else had filled her dreams.  "And then I realised 
you weren't in the bed--"

"No," he corrected, shaking his head.  "Tell me what 
happened while I was gone.  Tell me what you dream of...
What you want..."

"Mulder, I don't think you're in any state to--"

"Show me yours, I'll show you mine," he half-chuckled, 
half-sniffed.

"Mu--"  He didn't say anything, but she cut herself off 
and nodded in silent agreement.

They had already spoken of regret back in Nebraska, 
addressed the injustice of it all in Rochester, and 
considered what they would do when colonisation arrived 
late last night.  But this...

This was about finally letting the healing truly begin.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

4:06am

Tired but far from ready to slow down, let alone stop, 
John Doggett sped along the quiet street.

After further listening to McMahon and Crawford's 
narratives, it had become clear that not only was it no 
longer safe for Monica to be at the hospital, but they 
also needed to get out of the state as soon as possible 
to pass what they had learned on to Mulder and Scully.  
So, against medical advice (to the point that in fact no 
doctors even knew they were leaving) Doggett had helped 
his partner out of DC General Hospital and then driven 
them to his house...

...Where they had encountered both Chuck Burks and Alvin 
Kersh.

"We ain't got time for half-assed explanations or 
screwed up theories!" John had snapped, jumping out of 
the car and pushing past the men that blocked his path 
to the house's front door.  "So if you feel threatened, 
get out of town...Don't come running to us for help - we 
got problems of our own!"

"The file's been replaced," Burks shot out.

The male agent skidded to a halt and abruptly turned on 
his heel.  "What did you say?"

"I've read the contents of what you gave me - every word 
on every page.  Anything referring to likely sites of 
Magnetite reserves is printed on paper that even my 
friend at the Smithsonian couldn't determine the 
production of."

Doggett shot the woman that still sat in his car 
(asleep) a confused frown and then looked back at the 
short professor.  "Meaning?"

"Meaning those pages were never there when the file was 
originally created.  The Canadian report on the 
magnetics experiments is genuine and pertinent to what I 
believe you're after, but the rest..."  Burks trailed 
off and shook his head.

"Are you telling me it's of no use whatsoever?"

"Far from...My friend looked further at the pages and 
discovered that - whilst I had believed the paper wasn't 
watermarked - deeply ingrained is encoded text.  
Fortunately he was able to crack it, but..."

"'But' what?"

"It's written in Navajo, just as the version on the 
digital tape you mentioned to me was.  You'll have to 
find a proper code talker to translate the whole thing, 
but my friend said the few words he could pick out 
referred to co-ordinates of something..."  Chuck 
finished and took a deep breath - proud of his find (no 
matter how little sense it made) and happy at the 
prospect that he may have redeemed himself for not 
jumping at the chance to help before.

Wide eyes stared at Chuck as John tried to absorb what 
he had just been told.  He hadn't had a decent night's 
sleep in God only knew how long, his partner had almost 
been killed, not three hours ago he too had almost been 
killed by the same supersoldier and now they had to get 
out of state. Finally he was being offered the ray of 
light on a silver platter!

"Thank you so much, professor," he smiled with a sigh of 
relief.  "Do you have any of that text with you so we 
can get it translated?"

Chuck pulled the envelope that contained the test 
results and what other little information he'd managed 
to gain from the inside pocket of his jacket, and then 
handed it over.  "It's all in there."

After giving an appreciative nod, Doggett had turned his 
attention on the deputy director.  "And what you doing 
here...Sir?"

"I've been doing some research of my own," Kersh 
muttered - wishing he'd been more successful getting 
Follmer to help track down Shannon, "about your friend 
and some of the people she's conversing with at the 
bureau.  We need to find her."

"I--...Get in the car.  I'm dropping you both off at the 
airport - you can explain to me what you know on the 
way."

~~~~~

And here they were now - having listened and shared 
information on McMahon with Kersh and disposed of the 
two men at the nearest airport - turning onto the easily-
missable back-road in Connelsville that lead to Jeff 
Spender's home.

"You doin' okay there?" Doggett croaked, glancing over 
at his partner.

Monica nodded and struggled to perform a throat-
cleansing swallow, but then silently reached out to 
touch the growing bruises on his own neck.

"Agh, it's nothing," he replied, swatting away her hand 
and shrugging as he noted the concern that continued to 
crease her features.  "I've been blasted with a shotgun 
before - you think I can't deal with a little 
throttling?  Anyway, have you still got that case?"

Unconvinced that he was feeling as 'OK' as he was 
letting on, Reyes huffed and then reached for the silver 
flight case that rested between her knees.  She hauled 
it up onto her lap and then - clicking the metal latches 
- opened it.  Inside were five syringes filled with a 
dark red/brown compound.

Magnetite.

"Does that mean I get to play 'Buffy'?" she weakly 
joked, looking back at John.  "'Monica' doesn't quite 
have the same ring to it, but dusting supersoldier asses 
could be a lot more dangerous and exhilarating than 
boring vampires!"

"Huh?  Di--...When does that medication wear off?  Or - 
more likely - when does it kick in?!"

Reyes shook her head pitifully.  "All I'm saying is it's 
like slaying vampires but with syringes."

"All I know is it worked on Billy Miles, and hopefully 
it'll be enough to help til we can get this new 
information in English or - at least - catch up with 
Mulder and Scully so that we can fill them in." Doggett 
grumbled, looking back at the headlight-lit road.

"So we're definitely trusting Shannon now?"

"No, I'm trusting me and I trust you and that's about 
it."  John paused and considered what he had said before 
constructing the wording of his next sentences.  "If we 
are to believe what we're being told by DD Kersh, we 
would be following the idea that Shannon is helping us 
because she's part of a committee against re-
colonisation.  If we listen to Professor Burks, one 
member of said group seems to be out for himself and 
striking his own deal.  Whereas, if we follow what Ms 
McMahon is saying... Well, that's anyone's guess.  So, 
whose 'truth' is the real one?"

"Maybe it's all of the above - an amalgamation?"

"Bingo!  That's what I'm thinking.  But, if that is the 
case, we're all screwed because even the good guys are 
helping turn over the planet!  We just follow what we 
think is right, at least it'll be our fault alone if the 
whole thing goes to hell."

Funny how things are easier said than done...

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING

The black limousine pulled into the FBI parking lot and 
a tall figure emerged from its depths - pulling a pack 
of cigarettes from its coat pocket as the car screeched 
away.

"What took you so long?"

The figure looked over its shoulder and then casually 
threw away the lit match as he muttered, "Some of us 
have work to do.  Pretending to be on one side whilst 
really being on the other isn't exactly the easiest 
thing to do."

"You're not the only one, and I've had no complaint from 
the others."

A drag on the cigarette, and then the shadowy figure 
that had just flown back from Roswell turned round 
completely to face the Toothpick Man.  "No, but then I 
*am* the only one actually doing something.  Have you 
considered that maybe the other 'fake defectors' are 
actual defectors pretending to be servers?"

The grey-haired supersoldier frowned and then 
approached.  "Who?"

"Both of them," came the flat reply.

"Bryant let the professor go, but I still don't doubt 
his allegiance - he did turn over McMahon."

"You can believe all you want, but remember we already 
knew where her interests lay and she is still alive!"

There was a pause for thought before the Toothpick Man 
finally sighed, "Maybe it's time to finish it for good, 
then."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

INTERSTATE 5
SIX DAYS LATER
2:09pm PST

Of course, it was his fault again.

When wasn't it?

Except this time she was happy to blame him.  After all, 
he had been the one to persist until she'd agreed to let 
him buy the blasted thing for her!

"I told you not to get it, but do you ever listen?" she 
had sniffed after their last impromptu stop in Everett.

It had all started five days ago at the ballgame in 
Minnesota.  Everything had been great - nice, peaceful - 
but shortly after the seven-inning-stretch a hot-dog 
vendor had walked down the steps by where they sat 
boasting the best food and biggest 'dogs in the park.

"Go on, Sc--...Paula," Mulder had dared - only just 
remembering to use her fake name, "let me buy you one...
See which of us can eat the whole thing!"

Casting a doubtful, disgusted eye over the greasy bun 
the young, just-as-greasy vendor was holding out to her, 
Scully had shook her head and then turned to face her 
partner.  "You can't be serious!  You're telling me 
that's cooked?  I've seen more sightly, edible organs in 
an open autopsy!"

"Players swear by 'em, ma'am," the now-beyond-annoying 
boy had insisted with a smile.

"Yeah, they probably look at them and say 'What the 
hell's that?'!"

The kid had looked offended, but continued to offer her 
the odious object.  Mulder had remained silent, instead 
turning on his pleading puppy-dog look (knowing all too 
well, like a little boy, that he could make her do 
anything with that look).

And so she did.

They had both eaten the jumbo hotdogs - Scully only just 
making it past halfway before she'd had to give up and 
concede him as the winner.

...But then the bastard had a stomach made of steel, 
didn't he?  She - on the other hand - wasn't as 
fortunate, and just as they were crossing the Minnesota 
state line she had started to suffer badly from the 
effects.

Every hour since then they had needed to stop the car to 
let her empty her stomach.

And it was all his fault.

The sign board welcoming them to Dewey in the state of 
Washington passed - promising their arrival in their new 
hometown little more than an hour and a half from now.  
Mulder looked up at its reflection in the windscreen 
mirror and smiled before diverting his glance to the 
weak woman that sat beside him huddled up.  Thank God 
they'd had that talk their last night in St. Paul, 
otherwise this would have been unbearable and possibly 
even have pushed him over the edge of sanity 
permanently; as it stood, though, her mood was 
reminiscent of the ones she'd had early in their 
partnership, so he was definitely more happy to deal 
with this Scully that he understood.

"How the hell does that little stomach of yours empty so 
often anyway?" he wryly commented, trying to maybe pick 
her up.

There was no reply.  But then her pale face appeared 
from behind the veil of auburn hair and her eyes fixed 
on him - as if truly seeing him for the first time in a 
long, long while.

"After all the injuries and illnesses we've suffered..."  
Dana paused and shook her head.  "Food poisoning just 
seems mundane in comparison....I know we talked of a 
normal life, but--"

"Somehow the unexplained is more interesting," her 
partner smirked.  "Agent Scully, I do believe I've 
turned you into something unrecognisable!"

Shaking her head yet again, Scully turned away and 
looked out through the side window.  "I'm neither well 
enough or in a good enough mood to retort to that one.  
All I'll say is that you're certainly not the same man I 
was assigned to debunk all those years ago."

"What are you trying to say?"

With an enigmatic raised brow and lift at the corner of 
her mouth she let him know there would be no answer to 
that one and he'd just have to find his own 
interpretation. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

St. PAUL, MINNESOTA
4:27pm CST

"And then there was this big almighty flash!  I swear I 
hadn't touched a drop o' the liquor that night!" the 
insistant voice exclaimed.

"And you say you didn't find anything out here when you 
came to investigate?"

"Uh-unh."

Briefly glancing over at her partner, who appeared to be 
struggling with his questioning of the shorter man, 
Monica Reyes smiled and then continued to investigate 
the area around the Freightliner truck that was still 
parked opposite the dingy motel.

"Mr Lucke, you say this happened on the seventeenth?"  
Doggett paused and waited until the motel manager nodded 
his head.  "That was nearly a week ago, sir...Why didn't 
you call me and my partner until this morning?"

Actually, he probably shouldn't complain too much.  
After collecting Gibson from Spender's house, they'd 
driven to Charleston, West Virginia and then gotten the 
soonest plane out from Yeager Airport.  The last two 
days had entailed a steady drive across the country and 
numerous false travel bookings on buses and planes.  
They had been about to leave Iowa when the call from the 
motel owner had come.  At least they hadn't been too far 
away...

"Well, see, I put the number down, but then misplaced it 
and...I don't exactly have all the time in the world to 
go looking 'round for some number while tryin' to run 
this place!" Lucke snorted, gesturing toward the handful 
of rooms.

Doggett gave a nod as he inspected the view the manager 
presented him, and was about to question further when 
his partner's voice suddenly called out, "Agent Doggett?  
Would you come look at this, please?"  Grateful for the 
distraction, he turned and moved to where Reyes was 
crouched on the road.

"What is it?" he quietly asked, kneeling beside her.

With a cautionary glance over at the manager that still 
stood on the grassy bank, Monica lowered her voice and 
pointed at the localised dark patch on the tarmac.  
"Scorch marks," she simply replied.  "And that."  Still 
mindful of the stranger watching them, she slowly lifted 
the same hand to point at the small, metallic object 
that had rolled a little way underneath the truck's 
trailer.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Strughold paced back and forth in the small room, 
occasionally glancing over at his two aides.  Something 
wasn't right.  They were supposed to have been here by 
now.  In fact they should have been here nearly an hour-
and-a-half ago so that they could commence yet another 
meeting to look at the possibilities of stopping 
colonisation.

Now there was an irony, and the short man had to snort 
at it as he looked out one of the room's few windows.  
Little over three weeks ago he had been in Sri Lanka 
overseeing the harvest of the crops that were being used 
to help the black oil virus. And now here he was 
conferring with renegade replicants that wanted to shut 
the whole process down.  Ha!  If only those other fools 
of the Syndicate could see him now!

Another glance at the other two men in the room.  
Another glance down at his watch.  Yet another ten 
minutes gone by without a sign of any of them.

He knew at least one of the group members was a spy.  
That was to be expected, of course - these aliens were 
not beings to deal with lightly, and he'd certainly 
gained some bad vibes off the tall, dark-haired, smoking 
one...

...Could he be why the others hadn't shown up yet?  Perh--

Suddenly the two aides raised to their feet, and 
Strughold turned to see them intently staring at the now-
open doorway...

...Where the tall, suspicious supersoldier stood. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

They were slipping back into their old routine, but it 
was also a moderated one to accommodate their changed 
relationship and situation.  For that Scully was very 
grateful.  Too much of the past couple months on the 
road had been surreal, and their lives unrecognisable to 
a painful extent.  Since awaking after their long talk 
back at St. Paul, though, familiar traits in their 
attitudes toward life and each other had reappeared, and 
the intense emotions swallowing them whole had been 
tended to.

"I got your back, partner," she had smiled, stroking a 
palm down the rough stubble on his cheek.

"Even through the insanity?  When I should really be 
locked up in a mental institute?"

"Mulder, you were certifiable years ago.  I'm keeping 
you out of those places because I couldn't trust any of 
those doctors or patients to watch out for you.  I've 
seen what happens when you're left alone for too long."  
A hesitant pause before - slightly flushed - she wryly 
finished, "Plus, I may have to confess a small perverse 
pleasure in being with a nutcase."

With a wide grin he'd nodded his head.  "I don't want 
any of this to be hard.  I'll happily work for something 
to make things better, but I don't want it putting you - 
*us* - in jeopardy, like in the past..."

"Let's just get to our new home and let the past rest 
for a little whilst we do likewise.  As for 'jeopardy'?
...Well, that can just kiss my ass and scamper away.  
It's time to make time for each other."

"When Jeopardy's finished, can I kiss your ass?" he'd 
asked with the old, long-believed-dead glint in his eye 
- swooping his head down to nuzzle against her neck.

"Mul-der...I was trying to be serious!"

"I was!"

"It's time we opened up so that things can't push us 
over the edge again..."

Mulder had stared at her thoughtfully before asserting, 
"That includes you."  He knew witholding feelings was a 
habit they would both find hard to get out of, but he 
also knew how much moreso it would be for her.  No 
matter how many times he was able to break through the 
emotional barrier and send it crashing to the ground, 
her guarded heart always managed to rebuild a new one.  
"No more 'I'm fine's unless you mean it."

She was far from 'fine' now and he knew it, but she 
couldn't seem to fight against the anger she was feeling 
for him.  She guessed in a small way it wasn't his fault 
she'd eaten the 'dog - she did have a mind of her own, 
after all, and he'd just been being nice by buying her a 
treat... And yet...

"How much further, Mulder?  Trying to sleep in this car 
isn't exactly helping me...I need to lay down."

There'd been no more motel stops since leaving Minnesota 
- Mulder had driven the whole way, with only a couple 
short stops so that he could rest his eyes.  He'd known 
she disliked sleeping in the car as much as she'd hated 
the crummy places he'd taken her to on past cases, but 
that last comment had certainly come a long way out from 
left field... So far, it even shocked her.

His head snapped round and regarded her for a moment.  
Seeing her this ill was torture enough for him, but he 
didn't know if he could deal with this mood.

"We *can* stop if you need to?  I asked back in 
Bellevue, but you said as long as I was okay to go on 
for a little longer, you'd rather get to the new place," 
he defended, pouting.

God, she was being a bitch to him, but she didn't know 
why.  Maybe a hormonal imbalance was to blame - 
irritated even more by her empty, unstable stomach.  But 
it seemed a weak excuse, considering how little sleep 
he'd had and how much time to mull things over in that 
brilliant but ridiculously guilt-ridden brain of his.

"I know. I'm sorry," Dana apologised, moving in her seat 
so that she could lean against him.  "I just--...This 
sickness has completely knocked everything out of me, 
and...I don't know...Something - beyond being on the run 
- doesn't feel right...or is that just me?"

Giving a nod of agreement, Mulder chanced taking his 
eyes off the road yet again to look at her.  He felt his 
blood run cold, though, as he watched her reach up a 
hand to rub the back of her neck.

Where the chip was...

It had been a primary cause of concern for him since 
they'd embarked on this journey - fearful of how their 
pursuers could use it to either track them down or make 
her ill again - but he hadn't thought (perhaps too 
blinded by wishful thinking) that it would have been 
used yet.

Maybe there really wasn't time to stop and get out of 
the car after all. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
COLLEGE PARK

"Where are they?" Strughold seethed through grit teeth.  
"Where are the rest?"

The supersoldier entered the room, closed the door 
behind him, and then gave a nod to one of the aides.

A signal.

One second later, the blonde-haired aide turned, sharply 
drew his silencer-equipped pistol and blew out the 
unsuspecting brain of the man beside him.

"Wha--"

"Comrade Strughold, you were already suspicious of me.  
You can't tell me you're surprised?" the tall, cigarette-
smoking supersoldier remarked casually.

"I knew none of you could be trusted."  Not moving from 
where he stood, the Sri Lankan glanced over at the 
bloodied, lifeless body that lay in a crumpled heap at 
the end of the room.  "That dealing with any of you 
would be like a child playing with fire."

"And yet still you're here!  There's an irony..."  The 
supersoldier's smug grin was so vomit-inducing, 
Strughold could almost imagine it being more effective 
as a murder weapon than the gun used to take down one of 
his goons.

"You won't win.  You can't.  Mankind has established 
itself on this planet for millions of years.  We will 
fight for it."

"That's one of your many failures, though... You humans 
are so egotistical you believe this is yours and that 
your little toy guns and tanks and vaccines can save you 
- destroy us," the Smoker barked, advancing on the 
older, shorter man.  "But what you forget is that we 
were here first, have better technology, are almost 
completely invincible" - a cold hand reached up and 
pressed against Strnghold's oesophagus - "and can crush 
you or infect you as we choose."  With ease, the Sri 
Lankan's body was lifted one-handedly into the air - his 
face beginning to brighten in redness and his eyes 
beginning to bulge as the hand around his throat started 
to squeeze.

The traitor goon just stood still and watched.

"Those we can't infect - like your precious Fox Mulder 
and the other immune ones - will be easy enough to hunt 
down and destroy."

"Fo--...Mul-der al'eady de--"

"From what I've found and learned, he and that bitch of 
his may be far from."

Strughold's eyebrows sharply raised and his eyes filled 
with shock as the words sank in.  Not even those 
fighting the good fight had known that...If the 
replicants taking over knew, that could only result in a 
lot of trouble.

Maybe that was why a move had been made now to dispose 
of the rebels.

Blood began to pour from Strughold's nose, and his feet 
kicked helplessly at the air as he regained control of 
his senses and tried desperately to gasp for breath - 
all in vain.

"Th-Th-ey'll...w--...Sp-spread immu-...-munity...
Vaccine..."

Those would be the ex-Conspiracy member's last words as 
the sound of cracking bones echoed in his heartbeat-
filled eardrums.

"It's just a shame not all of us share the same 
beautiful vision of re-colonisation, and that you won't 
be there to see it!"  A sweat never breaking out on his 
face, the Smoker used the index and middle fingers of 
his left hand to penetrate straight into Strughold's eye 
sockets, whilst the grip on his throat increased so much 
that the hand sliced through and separated the head from 
the torso that sharply dropped to the floor.

Still the second aide did not move.  Nor did he blink 
once at the sight of the supersoldier holding onto 
Comrade Strughold's head as if it were a bowling ball.

"One down."


XXXXXXXXXXXXX
TO BE CONTINUED...