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Experiment Gone Wrong
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Summary:  This is a continuation of "Experiment in Solitude." This story picks up where "Solitude" left off and shows the residual effects of Mulder's two weeks of solitary incarceration.  It also points out who was responsible for his abduction and why.

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Thursday, May 2, 1996 Scully's Apartment 12:57 a.m.

Scully's living room had begun to resemble the office in the FBI  basement. The shiny wood of the coffee table was no longer visible.  It  was now hidden by open folders, scattered photographs of crime scenes  and the life story printouts of several suspects.  An open pizza box sat  between the two agents on the sofa.  Having gone all day without  eating, both had sated themselves with side salads, iced tea and  pepperoni pizza with extra cheese.  No one was willing to fight over the  last cold, stale slice of pizza still remaining.

She wasn't sleepy yet, but Scully had definitely grown tired of the  endless search for clues among the ordered chaos surrounding them.   She looked at Mulder who had immersed himself in some information he  had downloaded on his laptop.

"I'm surprised, Mulder."

"Mmh?" he responded without tearing his eyes away from the scrolling  words on the flickering monitor.

"These are the files we were working on before our forced vacation."

"Your point?"

"I had assumed that you would have gotten the files on Danny and  Author Avery from the task force that was looking into your abduction.   You do plan on investigating further, don't you?"

"Of course, I plan on investigating.  But I won't need the files on the  Averys.  They weren't responsible."

"And how did you come to that conclusion?"

He took off his glasses and turned his full attention to his partner.   "Because believing that they *were* responsible is the most obvious  conclusion," he stated matter-of-factly.  "And you know that I never  focus on the obvious."

"So what *are* you focusing on?"

"This." Mulder picked up the slice of cold pizza from the box and held it  briefly in front of Scully's nose.  "What do you know about pizza,  Scully?"

"A rhetorical question, I'm sure."

"What you may not know is that if smashed into the wall just so, it  makes a pretty interesting looking Van Gogh-like design."  Mulder  smiled and fought back the desire to slap the pizza onto the pastel  painted wall behind him.  "I'll rephrase the question," he said as he let  the food plop back into the box.  "What do you know about pizza  delivery?"

"Thirty minutes or it's free?"

"Twice, I was served pizza... with anchovies," he added with a frown.    "But I noticed that it arrived hot and fresh."

"So wherever you were being held was within thirty minutes of a pizza  parlor.  Mulder, do you have any idea how many pizza parlors there are  within the city limits alone?"

"A lot.  But I'm only interested in the ones that are within a five-mile  range of a mental hospital or clinic.  I've already got Teresa in research  checking it out.  She's also coming up with a list of distributors of  automatic sinks and toilets."

"Your cell had an automatic sink and toilet?"

"Installed within the past year or so, I'd say."

"What makes you think it was a hospital or clinic?  It could have been  one of those posh, minimum security prisons for politicians that get  their hands caught in the bureaucratic cookie jar."

Mulder shook his head emphatically.  "The place was spotless, Scully.   Sanitized.  I was kept like you'd keep a lab rat.  You'd give it a clean  cage to start and plenty of food and water.  Then you sit back and  monitor its reactions to the stimuli you give it... or don't give it."

Scully gave a minor nod of her head, indicating that she was willing to  give his theory some consideration.  "But you said you never heard any  other voices or sounds.  Wouldn't you have heard the other patients on  the floor if it had been a mental institution of some kind?"

"I heard footsteps," Mulder spoke in a suddenly somber voice, his eyes  focused somewhere on the pile of paperwork on the table.  "I tried to  imagine what the person looked like by their footsteps. I think day shift  could have been a woman.  She wears a white lab coat and turtle shell  glasses, and keeps her graying hair pulled back into a tight bun.  Night  shift is a man.  He's about my height but heavyset with bushy hair and  thick glasses...."  He looked to Scully again as he added, "I know what  your footsteps sound like too.  I listened for them, but you never came."

Scully wondered if he realized just how accusatory his eyes were just  then.  It hurt to think that he felt she had not done all she could to find  and rescue him.

"You look tired, Mulder.  Maybe we should call it a night."

Mulder glanced at his watch.  "Yeah, I guess you're right.  I should be  going."

He spoke the words but made no attempt of actually following through.   He stared at the still silent television screen which had yet to be tuned  from the Cartoon Network.  No sound was needed to see that Scooby  Doo and Shaggy were being chased by someone in a monster costume.   Scully watched Mulder watching the cartoon with solemn eyes.  He  grinned briefly at the antics of the heroes capturing the fake ghoul and  uncovering the human villain beneath the disguise.

"If only it were that simple," said Mulder sadly.

"I'll get you a pillow and some linen.  You can sleep here," said Scully  as she rose from the couch.

Mulder didn't bother to object.  He unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off,  placing it on the back of the chair with his jacket and tie.  The T-shirt  came off next.  He was working on removing his pants when Scully  came back in with the linen.  She had expected him to pull his trousers  back up when she appeared, but her presence didn't seem to faze him.   She had to avert her eyes when his boxers came off as well.

"I'm just gonna go use the bathroom," he told her as nonchalantly as he  would have if he'd been fully dressed.  Scully's mouth fell open in  astonishment as she watched him with wide eyes, stroll out of the room,  stark naked.

After relieving himself, Mulder stood in front of the sink and held his  hands beneath the faucet.  He waited several seconds before realizing  that the water would not be turning on automatically.  He had done that  several times during the day and still felt mildly annoyed at having to  turn the water on manually.  As he washed his hands, he glanced up at  his image in the mirror and became painfully aware of his recent actions  in front of his partner.  He squeezed his eyes shut and let his forehead  fall against the mirror.

"Idiot!  Idiot!  Idiot!" He symbolically banged his head against the  mirror with each whispered outburst.  "What the hell were you  thinking?"

He closed the door which he had absent-mindedly left wide open, then  sat down on the edge of the bathtub to ponder his next move.  It wasn't  as though Scully had never seen him naked before, however those times  had been medical in nature.  Odd, though he thought, he had just  stripped naked in front of her and she had not uttered a word.   Hopefully, her back was turned and she hadn't noticed, but more than  likely she *had* seen him and was just too stunned to say anything.

"Mulder, are you all right in there?" she called to him from just outside  the door.

"I'm fine," he lied.

"I thought you might need this."

The door opened a crack and her hand came in holding up a terry  bathrobe.  Mulder quickly took it from her and slipped it on.  For  Scully, the robe was ankle-length and roomy.  On him, it was barely to  his knees, tight around the shoulders, and the sleeves were at his  elbows.  But it served its purpose.  He secured it close with the belt tied  about his waist.  Afterwards, he took in a deep breath and prepared to  face the music.  Scully was leaning against the doorway to her bedroom  with arms folded as Mulder came out of the bathroom.  He wasn't aware  of the nonjudgmental expression her face bore.  Unable to deal with the  embarrassment, he simply cast his eyes to the carpet and shrugged  sheepishly.

"Sorry, I...uh... I guess I sort of forgot I wasn't alone anymore."

"No, Mulder, you're *not* alone anymore."

Those words had a soothing effect on him.  It was obvious that Scully  knew and understood far more than he would ever be able to verbalize.   He was finally able to look into her soft, blue eyes and return her caring  smile.

"'Night, Scully."

"Good-night, Mulder."

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Thursday FBI Headquarters, A.D. Skinner's Office 9:45 a.m.

Scully had received a call from Skinner's secretary to come to his office  at once.  Since Mulder had not been summoned as well, she had a pretty  good idea what the subject of conversation would be.  When she  entered through the door, she found her superior signing his signature to  a mountain of paperwork.  He finished off one more form before turning  his attention to her.

"Good morning, Agent Scully."

"Good morning, sir."

"Have a seat."  He waited for her to sit, then inquired, "How's your  partner?"

Although she suspected that her boss wanted a more detailed reply, she  answered him simply with, "He's fine, sir."

"He stopped by yesterday to pick up his gun and the personal effects we  had been holding as evidence.  I have to admit, he looked surprisingly  well, although...."

"Although what, sir?"

"He didn't seem quite like himself.  Have you noticed anything odd  about his behavior?"

"In what way?"

Skinner realized that even if she had noticed something out of the  ordinary concerning her partner, she would never divulge such  information to him or anyone else.  He decided to let the issue drop and  go on to something more pertinent.

"Never mind that.  Mulder told me about his theory regarding his  abduction.  He believes that neither Author Avery or his son was  involved.  Instead, he feels that he was being used as a guinea pig in  some kind of covert experiment.  Has he informed you of such?"

Scully nodded her head once. "Yes, sir, he has."

"And what is your opinion in the matter?"

"Well, logically it would seem that, of course the Averys are the ones  responsible for his kidnapping.  They had the greatest to gain from his  temporary imprisonment."  She paused, taking the time to formulate her  next words carefully.  "On the other hand, Mulder's off-the-wall theories  *have* at times held more than an ounce of truth to them.  There is  definitely that possibility that he's merely being more paranoid than  usual.  However, I'd like to keep an open mind in this case."

By the expression on her boss's face, it appeared that he was prepared to  keep an open mind as well.  He leaned back in his chair and tapped a  pen lightly on his desk as he mused over his own thoughts.

"Although Author Avery *is* our number one suspect, we still haven't  come up with anything that can tie him to this.  Therefore, I'm giving  Agent Mulder the chance to investigate this as he sees fit.  He'll have the  full cooperation of the bureau.  I trust you'll do what you can to assist  him."

Scully was almost speechless.  Although it was understandable that the  bureau would do all it could in a case affecting one of its own, it seemed  a bit much to give Mulder free reign based on such an implausible  theory.  She wondered where the A.D.'s suspicions truly lie.

"Of course," she replied, hoping not to seem too flabbergasted.  "I'll do  whatever I can to help, sir."

"Also, I don't know if he told you this, but Agent Mulder is scheduled to  talk with a company shrink today at two.  A Dr. Nettles.  It's merely a  formality, but I'd appreciate it if you'd make sure he keeps the  appointment."

"Yes, sir."

"That's all, Agent Scully."

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As she entered their office in the basement, Mulder looked up from an  opened file folder and eyed her knowingly.

"Why didn't you tell me about Skinner buying into your little delusion  and giving you carte blanche to the bureau?"

"I wanted you to witness an unexplained phenomenon first hand."

Scully spoke as she settled down behind her desk. "I'm beginning to  think that Skinner has a soft spot for you, Mulder."

"You think he'd mind if I started calling him Uncle Wally?"

"Uncle Wally wanted me to remind you of your appointment today at  two."

"Remind me of it or make sure I show up for it?"

Scully didn't bother to reply to that one.  She knew Mulder was already  aware of the answer.  "So, what direction are we taking today?"

"Teresa came up with a list of places we can check out.  Out of  fifty-three mental hospitals and clinics in the city and surrounding  counties, forty-eight are near pizza parlors.  And of those forty-eight,  only twenty-two of them have automatic plumbing; fifteen of those were  installed within the last eighteen months."

"My... Teresa's quite efficient when she wants to be."

"Skinner told her to make any requests I ask of her, top priority."

"Do you think Skinner knows something about this case?  That maybe  he has an idea about who's really behind it?"

"You mean like our buddy with the nicotine-stained fingers and black  lungs?  I thought about that too."

"You know, if Cancerman is behind it, Mulder, then we're probably  wasting our time going any further.  I'm sure he's covered all his tracks  by now."

Mulder sat staring blankly at the list Teresa had given him.  "Probably...  possibly... maybe," he mumbled, then became lost in thought after that.

Scully reached over and took the list from him.  After a quick  once-over, she stated, "We'll cover more ground if we split up.  You  take the north side and I'll take the south."

"I thought you were suppose to make sure I made it to my appointment  on time.  How you gonna do that on the other side of town?"

If she hadn't known Mulder as well as she did, she wouldn't have caught  on to his vaguely disguised plea.  He wanted her to accompany him on  his search.  They had spent very little time apart since his return, and he  wanted to keep it that way.  He hadn't had time to recover from his  ordeal yet, and the thought of waltzing into the place where he may  have been held captive must have been terrifying for him.  He managed  to camouflage his fear with a lop-sided grin, but Scully's x-ray  Mulder-vision allowed her to see through his facade.

"Guess you have a point there," she said.  "Besides, I really wouldn't  know what to look for, would I?  Do you?"

"I'll never forget it."

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Ridgeview Institution 1:05 p.m.

With the first couple of stops they made, it was easy to see at a glance  that they had come knocking at the wrong door.  Listed as mental health  clinics, each were located in a small office complex consisting only of a  few rooms where patients could be interviewed by two or three roving  doctors.  The third place on the list, proved to be a bit more intimidating  to Mulder.  The Ridgeview Institution was an immense, brick building,  on several acres of land, surrounded by a high security fence.

Scully found herself doing all the talking.  Mulder stood to the rear,  studying the place carefully, as his partner explained to the administrator  their reason for being there.  Dr. Gruber was very open and friendly as  he personally took them on a tour of the facility.  He informed them that  they did indeed have private rooms that fit the description, and he didn't  hesitate in leading them to the fifth floor to have a look.

Mulder could tell as they strolled down the hallway, that this wasn't the  place.  Instead of white cinder blocks, the walls were smooth plaster,  painted a soothing pastel green.  The doors were similar to the one in  his room, but with obvious differences.  And the sounds... there were  plenty of sounds to be heard.  There was crying, laughter, screaming,  singing and some other sounds not easily discernible.

When Scully looked to Mulder for a verdict, he merely shook his head,  turned and quickly walked away.  Scully thanked the doctor for his  assistance, then hurried to catch up with her partner.  Mulder had  boarded the elevator at the end of the hall and was standing with his  finger on the "Open" button.  When Scully joined him, he still didn't let  go of the button.  His eyes had zeroed in on the tiny, red light of the  security camera above the door.  Beads of nervous perspiration were  dripping from his forehead, and his breathing was heavy and irregular.

"Mulder?"

He jumped at the sound of her voice, not noticing until she spoke that  she was even present.  Scully glanced up at the camera and realized that  being alone in this small, white cubical must have reminded him of his  recent imprisonment.  She eased his hand away from the button to allow  the elevator doors to close, then pressed the button for their floor.

"Mulder, are you sure you want to do this?"

"What?"

"Maybe we should wait at least a week or two.  You've been through a  terrible ordeal and you haven't given yourself time to recoup from it.  I  understand you want to move on this before the trail gets cold, but I'm  not so sure you're ready for this."

"You're worried about me, aren't you?" asked Mulder with a hint of a  smile.  She was going to answer him in the positive, but she halted when  he looked deeply into her eyes and reached a hand out to caress her  cheek.  "I'm sorry I make you worry, Scully.  I don't mean to."  He spoke  in an eerily serene voice that made her worry all the more.

The elevator doors opened as they reached the ground floor, and Scully  had to coax him along with a hand at his elbow.  "We should start back  now," she told him.  "You don't want to be late for your appointment."

"This is kind of a nice place though," said Mulder as they headed  towards the exit.  "If I ever have to be committed, I'd like to come back  here."

 

end part 1