January 27 - Summit Building Parking Deck - 8:10 p.m.
It had been a few days since that last memorable chat with Dana Scully. Mulder had attempted to call several times. He left apologetic messages on her answering machine, but never received a reply in return. Trying her cell phone number, he found it to be out of service and attempting to reach her at work, he was told simply that she was away from her desk. He could take a hint. She didn't want to talk to him. He hated for it to end on such a sour note, but he respected her decision and gave up the pursuit.
It was late in the evening, a long day at work ending with his Close Encounters group. Mulder made his way down to the parking deck where only a few cars were still in residence. His own silver- blue Lexus was easy to spot. He clicked the alarm off as he approached it, then nearly jumped out of his skin as a man stepped out suddenly from behind a nearby concrete pillar.
"Holy shit!" Mulder exclaimed as his heart pounded fiercely in his chest.
"Sorry," said the man in a nonchalant tone, "I didn't mean to startle you, Dr. Mulder."
"Then what were your intentions and who the hell are you?"
"I'm someone who's been following your work."
"Oh, a shrink groupie. You should see someone about that."
"I have something for you, Dr. Mulder."
Mulder studied the man momentarily. He wore a well tailored suit, stood close to six feet tall, with wavy, graying hair and perhaps sixty years of laugh lines etched into his features. Somehow, Mulder got the impression that this man knew the smoker, but this newcomer didn't appear to be as threatening as the other. Still, when he held out what he had for him, Mulder was slow to accept it. Only when the man smiled at him with a fatherly charm did Mulder take the index card from his hand.
"What is this?" Mulder asked after reading what was on the card.
"It's a location where you can find answers."
"What are the questions?"
"What may have happened to Agent Scully's sister for one."
"You know what happened to her?"
"I should warn you that you only have about ten hours to get to the location before it's sealed off again."
"I don't understand."
"The building has been undergoing extensive fumigation. The process was completed today, and at six tomorrow morning, the occupants will return and it will be business as usual."
"Why give this to me? Why not give it to Agent Scully?"
"I thought perhaps you might be interested in finding some answers for your Close Encounters group as well."
"What do you know about them?"
"I know you don't have much time to make your flight." From his inside jacket pocket the man pulled out a plane ticket and offered it to the doctor.
Mulder accepted it curiously, then took a look at the time and destination. "You expect me to just drop everything and go dashing off to New Mexico and you won't even tell me who you are or what this is all about?"
"You're wasting time, Dr. Mulder and I'm risking a lot just standing here talking to you. I've given you all I dare for now. You choose for yourself what to do with it." He turned and started to walk away, but remembered one important detail. "Oh, by the way, Dr. Mulder, they can still hear you and Agent Scully. Be careful of what you say and where you are when you say it."
He walked away with brisk, determined steps after that, leaving Mulder with even more unvoiced questions. He glanced at the plane ticket in his hand again, realizing he had only an hour before departure. Not enough time to go home and pack an overnight bag. He felt foolish even considering taking the man up on his clandestine offer. It could be some kind of a trap. But his gut instincts kicked in and he felt that as much as the Smoking Man seemed a dangerous element, the man he had just met was probably a necessary ally.
Roswell, New Mexico - Deserted Warehouse
His benefactor must have been very sure of himself when he had approached Mulder back in the office parking lot. Not only had he taken care of the plane reservations, but Mulder also found a reserved rental car waiting for him when he got to New Mexico. He followed the directions on the card the man had given him and about six hours after their meeting, found himself parking in the rear outside of a desolate warehouse miles from any other civilization. He shined a flashlight at the high fence topped with barbed wire that barred his entrance. Scratching his head for a moment, he came up with an idea and reached back into the rental. He pulled out the two front floor mats and carefully threw and positioned them over the barbed wire. With a good deal of effort and concentration, he was able to climb over and clear the fence without so much as snagging a thread of his coat. So far, this cloak and dagger stuff was kind of exciting.
The rear door was locked with a combination keypad. Mulder took out the card which had led him there and punched in the sequence of numbers provided. The door clicked open and he stepped inside. He was faced with a metal stairwell with no place to go but up. The first door he came to led to a long corridor with recessed doors on both sides, about twelve feet apart. He tried the handle on the first few doors but all were locked. They seemed to use a variation of the electronic lock on the rear door which he had entered, but the only combination number he had did not work on any of the doors he tried. They all displayed a bright red button, the only available light other than his flashlight and the exit sign. As he continued down the hall, he noticed that one door's light was green. It opened easily under his touch.
Once again he got the feeling that he was being set up for something. He questioned why he was here, why he listened to a total stranger and rushed to catch a plane without so much as telling anyone where he was headed or why. He still hadn't figured out why he was doing this. Of course, he was curious about what had happened to Agent Scully and her sister, and his patients, but to possibly jeopardize his life and career by breaking and entering may not be the smartest thing he'd ever done. But he was here now so he figured he might as well try to find some answers if indeed there were any to be found.
On the other side of the door was a long corridor housing a monstrous filing system containing wall to wall cabinets of drawers categorized by alphabet. Mulder trotted down towards the end of the corridor and found a drawer with 'Sa-Se' marked on it. He flipped through the file folders inside and came upon two with the last name of Scully. One belonged to Dana and contained nothing more than a few forms which stated her vital statistics and health status. On the first sheet in the folder in bold red letters was the word 'Reject.' Mulder took a look at Melissa's folder and found the same type of documents in it along with a few more concerning some applied tests. Stamped in red on the front of her file was the word 'Terminated.' Mulder wondered if that meant the testing had been terminated or the test subject. He got his answer when he read on and saw the final comment hand-written on the last page in the folder.
He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the wall of cabinets. He didn't really know what he had expected to find, but this was not it. They had taken a twelve year old girl away from her family, exposed her to God knows what and coldly documented the fact that she had not survived the second round of testing. Mulder drew in a deep breath and shook off the pain and bitterness he felt creeping into his soul. He took a couple of the papers from the folder and stuffed them into his pocket. He moved on, systematically looking for the names of the patients in his Close Encounters group. One by one he located them all, and each were classified as 'Ongoing'.
"Who the hell are these people?" he wondered aloud. Who could have the power -- not to mention the audacity -- to organize such a nefarious campaign; to carelessly manipulate innocent people and treat them as insignificant guinea pigs? He had already begun to speculate, but still found the whole concept so unimaginable. He desperately wished that aliens HAD been the culprit, but all that he'd witnessed so far, reeked of mankind. Before moving on, Mulder took a quick look through the 'M's just in case. He nearly giggled in relief when he saw that the drawer was Mulderless.
January, 31 - Washington D.C. - 7:33 p.m.
Driving home from the Hoover Building, Scully had become aware of a car following her. She had given the other driver several opportunities to bypass her, but each time she slowed, she could see the vehicle matching her speed. She knew better than to head straight home. She didn't want whoever it was to see where she lived and attempt an attack either once she arrived or later when she least expected it. Of course, she was well armed and competent in self- defense but she was smart enough to avoid becoming a victim. She chose an early exit and pulled into a well-lit and busy gas station on the corner. She parked in front of one of the pumps and hurried into the convenience store. As she suspected, her shadow chose to make a pit stop as well. She casually glanced through the window while pretending to choose from a wide array of snack foods.
The unfamiliar Ford Escort parked in a space furthest from the store in the darkest part of the lot. Scully strained to get a good look at the driver as he exited the vehicle, but it was too dark for a clear view. Then she became sidetracked when a small child -- a towheaded boy no more than four-years-old -- tugged on her hand and asked for help in reaching a package of Popsicles from the freezer. The child's mother was already at the cash register and yelling for her son to hurry up and get what he wanted so they could go. Scully curbed her annoyance at the mother and smiled at the boy as she handed him what he pointed to. The boy trotted back towards the front of the store as Scully turned her attention back towards the window. She gasped in surprise to see a man leaning over and peering into her car, his back to her and the store.
Scully reacted lightning fast. Pulling her gun from its holster, she dashed outside and made her presence known.
"Hold it right there! FBI. Put your hands on top of your head, spread your feet apart and lean forward onto the car."
The tall figure didn't argue. He could see her reflection in the car window and he knew she meant business. Scully cautiously approached and patted the man down for weapons. Satisfied that he was clean, she backed up slightly and instructed him to turn around slowly. Mulder turned to face her, almost too intimidated to breathe unless she gave the word.
"Dr. Mulder?"
"Am I under arrest?" he asked nervously.
Scully shook her head and blew out a relieved sigh as she put away her gun. "That was you following me?"
He lowered his hands and breathed again. "Yeah, I thought you saw it was me. I was going to pump your gas for you, if you needed it pumped."
"Why were you looking into my car just then?"
"Oh, I noticed your cassette tapes. So, you're a Michael Bolton fan, huh? I don't believe I've actually met one before."
"Why were you following me?"
"I wanted to talk to you."
"That's what telephones are for."
"I've been trying to reach you since last Monday. You haven't returned my calls."
"I've been out of town all week on a case. As a matter of fact, I just got back a couple of hours ago. I went straight to the office from the airport. And now I'm on my way home, and I'm very tired, so if you'll excuse me...."
"So you don't need me to pump gas?"
"No, I don't. Thank you." She brushed by him on the way to the driver's side of the car.
"I have something important to tell you."
"Call me tomorrow."
"I believe it's something you'd rather hear face to face. Have you eaten? I noticed there's a pizza place down the road there."
She sighed again. Dammit, she was hungry. She knew there wasn't anything at home to cook, not that she even felt like cooking. She had planned on stopping off at a fast food place anyway. She nodded silently in compliance to his suggestion and led the way in her car to the pizzeria two blocks away. Fifteen minutes later, she was sitting across from her ex-doctor in a booth with a large, sausage pizza with extra cheese, between them.
"So you really didn't know it was me?" asked Mulder after finishing off his first slice of pizza. "Not even when I got out of the car?"
"Well I never got a clear look at you from the front and I didn't recognize the car. Where's your Lexus?"
"I swapped with my sister. She had some kind of fancy dinner function to attend and she didn't have time to wash and clean out her car and she didn't want to ride on the back of her date's motorcycle."
"Well, you gave me a little scare there, especially when I saw you leaning over and peering into my car."
"I gave you a scare?" Mulder snorted. "I'm just thankful I have such excellent bladder control."
He was happy to see her smile for the first time that evening. He hated to spoil her good mood, but he had plenty to tell her. However, before he began, there was one important matter he had to take care of first. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small electronic device that looked like a garage door opener. He purposely chose a moment while she was tearing off another bite of pizza with her teeth. With her mouth occupied, she couldn't ask what he was up to. He put an index finger up to his lips to signify to her to both keep quiet and be patient. She watched silently, with highly arched brows as he pointed the gizmo in her direction. He took a few seconds to check his little gadget, then pointed it to the left side of Scully where she had stashed her coat and purse beside her on the bench. She noticed a dim, flickering green light appear and showed even more interest when the doctor picked up her coat and scanned it with the gadget. Not getting the results he wanted, he pointed to her handbag, and she silently handed it over to him. When he pointed the scanner at the purse, the green light became brighter but still flickered.
'You mind?" Mulder asked before opening the bag.
Scully was more intrigued than bashful about the contents of her purse. She gave him quiet permission to continue. Mulder opened the bag and carefully dumped the contents onto the table. He scanned the items with the electronic device until the green light became steady and bright. He picked up her compact and opened the top. It looked completely normal. Mulder picked up a fingernail file and used the metal tip to pry open the bottom of the case. Pleased with himself, but at the same time disgusted with what he found, he showed Scully the listening device that had been hiding beneath her makeup.
Stunned, then furious, Scully felt like screaming at the top of her lungs just so whoever was listening might end up with a broken eardrum. But she managed to remain calm and scoop her belongings back into her purse. Taking the compact from Mulder, she informed him that she had to go to the ladies' room. She returned one minute later, the anger not quite as evident on her face.
"Looks like I'll have to buy a new compact. I accidentally dropped my old one in the sink while the water was running."
"That's a shame," said Mulder, matter-of-factly.
"That's a neat little gadget you have there," said Scully, eyeing the device as it lay on the table.
"Yeah, it's good for home, office and car. If you'd like to borrow it...."
Scully easily got his meaning and accepted the bug finder with a tired smile. "Thank you."
"I apologize," said Mulder.
"For what? That wasn't your doing."
"No, not that. I was apologizing for frightening you this evening and for upsetting you the last time we spoke."
"You didn't upset me," Scully lied.
"Well, judging by the skid marks you left in my driveway, I thought I had."
Scully blushed with minor embarrassment. "It's just that... I just never met anyone who actually believed in flying saucers and spacemen. And coming from you of all people, it just threw me for a loop."
"You thought I was crazy?"
Scully merely shrugged and shoved another bite of pizza into her mouth to keep from giving a verbal response.
"Everyone has their little peccadilloes, but I believe now that I did indeed jump to conclusions involving not only you but my Close Encounters group as well."
Scully perked up and took notice when he said that. "Are you saying that all of a sudden you don't believe in little green men?"
Mulder downed a big swig of his tea before answering. "I had a visitor the other night. He met me in the garage at my office building when I was getting ready to go home. Much like our smoking friend, he seemed to know a great deal about me and about you. But unlike Smoky, this man seems interested in helping, not harming. He gave me a round trip plane ticket and an index card with a location on it. I ended up at a government operated facility in New Mexico."
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out several sheets of paper folded together. Pushing the pizza slightly to the side, he made some room on the table to open up the small stack of papers and smooth them out in front of Scully.
"I found evidence that indicates that all of the members of my group have been abducted, but not by aliens. These are some forms I found. The place was packed full of these filing cabinets that must have held in the hundreds of thousands of file folders on individuals. People who were experimented on over a period of years without their knowledge."
Scully shook her head and grunted in disbelief. He had apparently jumped from one conclusion right into another. "How could anyone be experimented on for a period of years without their knowledge?"
"I feel that they were probably hypnotized into believing that they had been abducted by aliens. I also conclude that they were given that post-hypnotic suggestion so that if they ever did try to tell someone what had been happening to them, no one would believe them."
"But you believed them," Scully pointed out.
"Which is the reason I think I was specifically chosen."
"Chosen?"
"The man who brought all of this to my attention, told me that he had been following my work. I don't think it's a mere coincidence that those five people found their way to me. The first one I've known for three years. She claims to have been abducted twice since she's been seeing me. One of those times she was missing for a three day period, the second one was for a whole week. I think during her time with her abductors, she must have mentioned my name, or perhaps they had been watching her closely all along. At any rate, and despite the abductions, she was doing quite well mentally under my care. So others were sent to me to look after. Maybe it was the fact that I was feeding into their psychosis, as you put it. I think someone wanted to keep it that way."
Scully wasn't sure how she felt about what he'd just told her. It sounded slightly better than the alien abduction theory but it also sounded extremely paranoid. She inquisitively leafed through the documents he had laid before her. It appeared as though he had merely grabbed a handful of incomplete forms from different areas. She saw a number of dates, the mention of injections with a compound name she didn't recognize along with blood and urine analysis that didn't quite add up.
"I understand what you're saying, but I think you're still jumping to conclusions. To think that our government is conspiring to do secret tests on the general population --"
"Secret government testing has gone on for years using select pockets of minorities, the poor and mental health patients, even American soldiers. Ever hear of the Tuskeegee Study, the Philadelphia Experiment, Agent Orange?"
Scully looked at him, unable to argue with him on those counts. "Okay, so someone's doing some testing on unsuspecting people. Obviously, something needs to be done about it. I could run a background check on the facility if you have the name of it for me."
"No, it didn't have a name. I'm not so sure it even has an address. I had been provided with detailed directions of how to get to it, but there was no indication of a road even leading in that direction on the local map."
"Makes it a little hard to check out then," said Scully. "I'm not so sure how we should proceed now."
The fact that she had used the word "we" had not escaped him. He smiled lightly knowing that she no longer feared him and had basically deemed him her partner in this. He watched her wipe her hands on a napkin and push away the small plate which held the remnants of her second slice of pizza.
"Would you like something else?" he asked. "How about some ice cream for dessert?"
Scully grinned and shook her head. "You know, if I keep hanging around you, I'm going to be as big as a house. Why do you enjoy watching me eat so much?"
She caught him by surprise with that question. With raised brows, he asked, "What... uh, what makes you think I enjoy watching you eat?"
"How many of our little get-togethers so far have involved chewing? You said that I reminded you of your late wife. Is that why you're always trying to feed me?"
Mulder was mute for a moment, taking in her words and carefully processing them. "I uh... I really hadn't noticed. I just...."
When his words faltered miserably, Scully could see that he actually had not been keenly aware of what she considered to be ulterior motives. "I'm sorry," she blurted out, not knowing what else to say for putting her foot in her mouth.
He didn't like having the focus on himself, so Mulder abruptly changed the subject. "I have something else to tell you," he stated in a rather ominous tone.
"What is it?"
Mulder got up and crossed to the other side of the booth so that he could sit close beside her on the cushioned bench. From a different pocket he pulled out two more folded sheets of paper. Before handing them over to her, he paused to explain.
"I came across two more names I recognized in those files. I have a lot more documents at home. I haven't had time to go through them all but from what I could tell, many children were taken, especially young girls. They apparently had to meet certain criteria." He gave her the top sheet of paper and time to study it. "Apparently, you were deemed undersized."
Scully's eyes grew wide and damp as realization began taking root. "And my sister?" she whispered.
"Your sister Melissa was more of what they were looking for. Unfortunately, she uh... she didn't survive the second set of tests."
Scully silently accepted the creased paper which held the answers to her sister's fate. She stared at the words blankly, seeing only the ones that mentioned her sister by name and the date which would end up on her tombstone. She had always known the odds of discovering her sister was already deceased was a good ninety-nine percent probability. Even her family had pronounced her dead and planted a headstone for her in the family plot. But Scully had never given up completely. She had wanted and needed proof of her non-existence. Now finally, she had what she thought she had wanted all those years.
"I'm very sorry," someone with a deep, velvety voice murmured into her ear.
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