From: "=?iso-2022-jp?B?GyRCJF8kPyRLGyhC?=" <mitani3@beige.ocn.ne.jp>
Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 20:12:59 +0900
Subject: Guardians Chapter 1 Disclaimers
Source: direct

*Disclaimers - Please read one from part one. Thank you.


Prescott Hospital Jake's Room
Los Angels, CA
Next Day 8AM

"Agent Scully?" Skinner's voice summoned her back to the waking world of
living.
	"Yes, sir?" She replied, quickly getting onto her feet. Everything was
as it was before, at least from what she could see in the room. The Enya
CD Mulder fetched for her from her apartment kept playing on 'repeat'
mode. She turned off the soothing music and faced the Assistant
Director.
	"We have another problem. The local fire department just passed their
word to us. The offices of the doctors in question had been ransacked
sometime last night, and their houses are going up in flames as we
speak."
	"What?! Again?!" Not caring for her manners, she stashed her budge,
glasses, and her gun in their designated places. She saw that Skinner
brought in one of his agents, and knew she was to follow Skinner to the
locations.
	"You haven't heard the worst part, yet. One of the houses was
booby-trapped, and it blew up with an entire SWAT team inside."
	"How many did they get?!" Recalling old cases with Max Fenig and
Patrick Modelle, she could almost smell the burned flesh through her
memories. 
	"We don't know just yet. They're all heading here right now, and the
entire ER staff is on alert with the burn unit." 
	"Couldn't they get to any of the other doctors' places?"
	"Just one. My team's securing it, and they're checking for bombs." 
	"Thanks you, sir." Scully was already busy thinking about how to break
the news to Mulder.
	"No need. Agent Hall is supposed to join us at the scene." Skinner said
as he pressed the elevator button. But when she tried to get out of the
door after Skinner, his firm hold on her shoulder stopped on the spot.
	"Sir?" She turned her questioning gaze on him. Skinner shook his head
'no' again.
	"Not this time, Agent Scully. I requested you here, because they wanted
as many extra hands as they could get. When I said 'us', I meant me, my
SWAT team, and Agent Hall. Your presence is requested right here, and
you'll remain here until I tell you otherwise."
	"But, sir..." She hated being left behind. The recalled images from the
radiation burn cases played in her memory. That had been an exhausting
day.
	"I need you here, Agent Scully. I hate to tell you this, but it's an
order."
	"Yes, sir." There was no arguing with her boss's direct order. She
pursed her lips and turned to head out to the ER. Skinner clenched his
jaw as he watched her walk away, making a swift exit when an agent
called his name. 
	It was another five hours before Scully could take a rest from the
horrific scenes displayed in front of her. Another two hours passed
before she finally allowed herself to be out of the ER. Her business
suit, which she didn't take enough time to change from, was ruined and
she figured it would not be restored even after a hundred dry-cleaning
jobs. She changed into an official physicians' scrubs and a borrowed
white lab coat, then discarded her ruined suit into a nearby
bio-hazardous wastebasket. 
Skinner didn't return for the daily check-up, and Scully doubted he'd be
back for the duration of the day. It was difficult to decide to hold her
tongue to Mulder, but he didn't need to know about this, yet. She
wondered how he was putting up working over eighteen hours a day.
'Nothing new', she thought. But after getting a glimpse of hell, she
yearned to hear his voice and to laugh at his dry jokes. 
	When she returned to Jake's room, the agent on guard asked her if she
was all right. She told him she would really appreciate it if he could
stand guard for about three, four more hours to give her a chance to
rest. If not, she suggested him to have somebody else stand guard for
the rest of the day. The agent agreed and told her to take all the time
she needed. She thanked him and closed the door. 
She checked on Jake lightly, relieved to see the HBIG working well. Most
of the swelling subsided, and his face now looked like it belonged to
the right person. His fever also took a turn for the better. Some good
news to cherish in a day of losses.
	The empty hospital bed next to Jake's bed was ready for her to sleep in
ever since last night, though she hadn't used it until now. She kicked
her shoes off, hanged up her lab coat, and crawled inside. As an
after-thought, she took out her cellular phone from her lab coat pocket.
After hesitating for a few seconds, she pressed speed-dial 2, and spent
half an hour talking to a very worried Margaret Scully before finally
falling asleep. 



Keneally Psychological Research Lab 
Genesis International Laboratory Building
Sacramento, CA
Same Day

The day started out just fine. His deskwork was on the receiving end of
everyone's praise, and Amanda made him promise to join her for lunch. He
figured it would be beneficial to the investigation to get a little
personal with the young doctor, but he never forgot to review the
background checks ran on every lab staff by the Lone Gunmen beforehand.
Seeing that Dr. Dutton was given a clean bill of innocence by the Lone
Gunmen, Mulder told himself that all will be fine; that, he could
survive a lunch with Dr. Amanda Dutton without feeling too guilty for
lying to her through his teeth about himself. 
Mulder didn't want to seem antisocial, since most suspicious individuals
tended to be so. He needed to act very unlike him. So, he went along
with Dr. Dutton's choice of conversation topics, and he even laughed
soundly at every appropriate spot. He even as far as dancing to a couple
of tango numbers with her on the dance floor of the restaurant, in front
of a live band. However, his mind was always on the mysterious little
girl and her drawings the entire time.
	The day took a serious nose-dive when Sarah Martin entered the playroom
for another session with Mulder. She grew agitated, kicked and spat at
him, all the while raining an impressive assortment of obscenities and
bad names over him. It took Mulder only a few choice questions to her to
figure out her problems. She had been having rather violent attacks of
nightmares due to the memories she recalled during their first session.
She had yet decided on who to trust around her, and because he was
someone new to her, she began having strong suspicion that he maybe
working to lock her up somewhere for life. 
Mulder held her down on the floor from her back, and settled her into a
sitting-up position. He had his arms wrapped around and over Sarah's
upper chest and arms. His strong jogger's legs lay over hers to prevent
them from kicking him again until the orderlies came into the room to
give him a hand, but he refused to have her removed from the room. When
Sarah promised him that she would not to be violent, Mulder let the
orderlies exit the room. He only washed his hands and face in a restroom
located just next door before returning to the playroom. The observing
therapist told him it may not be a good idea, but Mulder insisted. He
silently swore he would wear his jeans, denim shirt, and running shoes
from the next session.
	Mulder focused the day's session on her childhood. On how people around
her responded to her being a cancer patient. It was just as he expected
when she told him she hardly had friends because of her long and
frequent hospital stays. Hospital beds, in Sarah's sense, were concrete
tables with shackles. He asked her if she'd ever been put in restraints.
She nodded quietly, but she didn't tell him how often that happened.
Mulder knew from the history of the woman that she practically froze on
sight of examination rooms and hardly moved. 'Learned Helplessness',
Mulder thought. 'Just like the girl' - or should he refer to her as
Vera? 
Next, Mulder asked Sarah if her mother ever volunteered to come with her
inside during procedures. She shook her head 'no', and told him Mrs.
Martin was too afraid to come with her to chemo or to radiation,
choosing instead to wait in Sarah's hospital room for hours at times.
Mulder bit his lower lip. Children needed to feel secure. This patient's
conditions would have been so much better if she had someone to trust
around her. Especially when she was too little to understand what the
machines were for, and how they worked to help her. Mrs. Martin's open
admission to Sarah about her reluctance of following Sarah to the
treatment sessions, perhaps out of the fear of witnessing her daughter's
suffering, only served to add more anticipation of fear in Sarah.
	When Mulder called their two-hour session to a halt, he felt her eyes
pleading him to stay and let her say something. Judging by her glassy
eyes, he sensed a few words of apology coming his way, but he was
surprised to feel Sarah's hands lightly touching his swollen cheeks and
the corner of his mouth where blood was drying on a cut. She didn't say
a word, but her eyes have spoken clear enough. Though as a rule Mulder
never returned the favor, he closed his eyes and grinned as broadly as
he could under the circumstances.
	"It's okay. Just ...try to let us help you. You need to let it out, so
you can let it go." Mulder spoke, never forgetting to directly look into
her eyes. It was important to earn her trust, because he had such short
amount of time. 'Oh, God', he thought as he saw Sarah exit. 'I can't
just abandon this woman in the middle of everything'. He knew that if
his covers were and Sarah found out, it could very well ruin the rest of
her life. 
This case, Mulder realized, was exactly what he needed before he would
be facing Vera again. This patient's case was a training session the
Lone Gunmen chose to throw him in. When he exited the room a few minutes
later, Dr. Keneally was standing by the door that led out to the
hallway. Mulder feared he'd be chewed out for letting the woman slip
into a panic episode. He apologized right-out for the incident, but he
was answered with the man's large hand on his shoulder. Keneally then
proceeded to tell Mulder how right it was for the man to select Mulder
as his new staff member. Thoroughly stunned, Mulder couldn't find the
right words in return, but Keneally was gone before Mulder could even
thank him.


Bionix Cancer Research Center
Genesis International Laboratory Building
Sacramento, CA
1 AM Next Day

Mulder watched as a doctor he recognized as someone working from 9 PM to
3AM walk slowly down the hallway toward his security guard desk. Mulder
watched him in the monitor even though it was easy to see the man by
simply looking up. Just as he thought, the doctor was definitely heading
towards Mulder's desk. It didn't make Mulder feel any better when the
doctor walked right up to him, nervousness creeping through every pore
on the man's skin. It wouldn't surprise Mulder if the doctor had a
substance abuse problem.
	"What can I help you with, sir?" Mulder asked, his required uniform cap
partially covering his face. The nervous doctor looked around in the
room as if he was a criminal trying to weasel his way out of prison.
	"Well. I have a ...favor, to ask you." Mulder's eyes narrowed at the
words.
	"Okay, ask me." He shrugged. The doctor smiled. 
	"There'll be a woman coming from downstairs. Her name's Chris, and
she's ...well, she is my fiance. I want you to let her in. She's a real
nice person, and I promise you, she won't cause any trouble." Mulder
tried not to burst out laughing.
	"I don't know, sir. I can get fired..." Keeping his stony expression
was very hard.
	"No, you won't. Not if you cover me and tell whoever asks you about her
that she's one of us."
	"Okay, I'll make a deal with you." Mulder grinned at the plan he came
up with. The doctor practically looked ready to jump. 'Anything', his
eyes said. Mulder grinned wider.
	"I'll let her in any time during my watch, but only if you promise me
to  keep quiet about my own dates." The doctor smiled conspicuously, and
promised Mulder  that he was game. Mulder gave the doctor a high-five,
and was about to sit back in his chair when the doctor asked if 'the
lucky girl' worked in the building. Mulder flashed one of his evil
grins, just imagining what this doctor's reaction would be.
	"No. It's a he, and sometimes there's more than one." Mulder chuckled
at the doctor's expression as the man returned to his research. The
doctor didn't need to know that Mulder's said 'date' was a group of
three extremely paranoid heterosexual men who thought that everything
and everyone was out to get them. At least Mulder now had someone to
exchange some semblance of conversations with. 
The woman in question came about fifteen minutes later. She stood at the
door, showing her building security pass that read Christy Owens. Mulder
smiled and opened the security door. Chris smiled shyly and uttered him
a quick thanks before heading toward the inner glass door. Mulder
punched in the security code from his desk and opened the door for her.
This time, Mulder was rewarded with her waving hand. 'Unbelievable', he
thought.



Schuster Hotel Room #640
5AM Same Day

Mulder wiped off the layer of makeup applied earlier over his swellings
and a few scratch marks he got on his neck from the struggle with his
patient. The last time he had been spat on, man or woman, was in the
cult case where he had undergone regression hypnosis and met the woman
he believed to be his wife in their past lives. He still couldn't rid
himself of the heavy feeling that if he got there sooner, the
woman/federal witness would have been saved. Scully's case report
revealed that the woman and the cult group leader had stayed alive
slightly longer than the rest of the group. This didn't help him get his
peace of mind, because he kept wondering the 'why' and 'how'. He
eventually quit wondering about it, because he was honestly afraid of
the answer.
	Mulder sighed as he stripped off his security guard uniform and crawled
into bed. He switched on the television and watched a little of the CNN.
His eyes popped open at the report of a series of unexplained fires
being set around Los Angels. Mulder immediately grabbed his cellular,
now recharged, and speed-dialed Scully. It didn't surprise him that
Scully answered on the first ring.
	"Scully! What the hell's going on?! Why didn't you tell me about this
yesterday?!" He barked the moment he heard her voice. There was a moment
of tense silence before she replied.
	"Mulder, you were gone. Even if I did call you, there's nothing you can
do! You're stuck in Sacramento, working undercover. What the hell can
you do about whatever that happens around here? Just do your God Damn
job! I'm tired!!" Her reply was just as angry. Mulder winced and smacked
himself in the face. He yelped before he could curse himself.
	"Sorry, Scully. I've had a hell of a day ...uh, two days here, and I
just saw it on CNN. I panicked."
	"Mulder, are you hurt again? You just yelped like a dog." Regardless of
how tired she was, Dr./Special Agent Scully always remained sharp.
	"Well, not really. I just got spat on, punched, slapped, then
scratched, by my patient."
	"Oh, I'm sorry. I hope he didn't hit your arm or head."
	"No. It's a she, and it was just my face and neck. One giant bruise is
on my shoulder, but it doesn't affect my jobs. It didn't take me long to
pin her down, anyway. She's too thin and unhealthy to put up a good
fight. So what's going on with you? You're up at five in the morning,
and you are tired; meaning you've been up all night long." He scolded,
much in the same manner she did with him.
	"The burning spree got us a team of burned SWAT agents. The house they
went into was booby-trapped, and ..." Scully's voice trailed off. Mulder
closed his eyes at the mental images of burned bodies. 'Did she say they
were SWAT guys?!'
	"Oh, Scully. I'm so sorry I yelled at you. I had no idea. ...How bad?" 
	"Most of them with three, four degree burns." Mulder released another
sigh.
	"Just like last time, huh? I assume you've been down in the ER, saving
them?"
	"Yeah, just like in our Max Fenig case. We lost about six agents now.
The other four are out of the surgery and now in the recovery room."
	"At least they're not dead. Did you manage to get anything salvaged?"
	"Yeah. One of them, ...the CAT scan technician's house, is secured and
Skinner's on top of it. He's been up as long as I have been, and he's
not back yet. I doubt anything useful will come out of it, since someone
told me that the house was vacant for at least the two weeks, judging by
the gas meter readings and the stuck of mail at the front door.
...Speaking of mail, I had someone get Jake's mail. There had been a
couple of notice slip from the postal office, complaining that his mail
box was packed with them." Mulder heard her soft laughter, and wished he
could grow wings to see her laugh for himself.
	"How's Kathler and everybody else?"
	"Jake's still asleep, but he's doing better. The vaccination's working
on the HB. Stella took a downturn two days ago, but she's stabilized
now. They had a unit of matching canine blood sent from a nearby vet for
transfusion. Elly's just about to be released to a safehouse." 
	"Good." Finally breathing easier, he debated whether or not to tell her
about his patient. He didn't have to wonder for long.
	"How's your doctor duty? Lone Gunmen told me it should be just what you
needed."
	"They called? Well, they were right about that. You won't believe how
great this is going. The case profile is such a close match to our
mystery girl's. She's got phobias on machines and people in uniforms.
She's got her conditions because she's undergone cancer treatments when
she was a small child, and she didn't have anyone she trusted to watch
over her. Doesn't this sound familiar?"
	"Yeah. I guess it was good that Jake was with the girl, huh?"
	"He practically saved the girl's life, Scully. Twice." Mulder assessed
the situation, and decided they'd both calmed down enough for the bad
news. "Scully?"
	"Yeah?" Mulder hated to do this to her, but it was now or never.
	"I'm not abandoning this patient until I've prepared her for a real
therapist."
	"Excuse me?!" The sudden change of her tone sent him a warning.
	"She's in a really fragile stage right now. If I just abandon her
tomorrow when the Lone Gunmen get here, she's gonna crash. I'll destroy
her life, and as a doctor, I cannot do that."
	"Mulder, what are you saying?! You're not even a..." 
	"I know that, Scully. I do. But right now, I have to be with her. I'm
only training myself to be ready for Vera, but this woman needs someone
to trust, and I think I'm receiving it from her. She apologized to me,
and I can't afford to be wrong."
	"...Listen, Mulder. You're going way over your head. You have no
professional experience treating anyone. This is practically your first
official patient, and you're not even yourself."
	"But what I am, what my name is, and where I went to school are
irrelevant in figuring out how to help patients get better as fast as
possible." 
	"God damnit!! Mulder, you're an FBI agent! You're working undercover to
retrieve the information on Dr. Jarvis' research. Your name is Fox
William Mulder, and David Aaron Joyce doesn't even exist!" Her every
word stung him like an arrow through his heart.
 	"What does that have to do with helping the patient?" His own voice
grew bitter, but he had to fight for his patient.
	"It has to do with who and what are waiting for you out here; and out
there. We're waiting for the information, so we can be certain of what
got them killed in the first place, as well as who's behind all this. I
don't want to have to treat another burned live human being in here
again! I'm a doctor, but I'm also a forensic pathologist, Mulder! I have
six of them waiting for autopsy at the morgue. Time's running out,
remember?! Get the information as quickly as you can, and get your ass
back here."
	"I'm not a medical doctor, Scully. But we are both trained to help
people. I'll get you what you need in time, but don't expect me to just
blow my covers and butt out of here. Not until she's ready. I'm rushing
the procedures already, and if I go faster, I'll ruin her. I'll get
myself out of my night job after the Lone Gunmen and I are finished, but
not the therapy. Don't do this to me, Scully. It's irresponsible enough
that I'm treating her instead of a practicing therapist. I owe her my
very best." His voice sounded like the ocean: heavy and deep.
	"You have your precious doctor duty in less than four hours, Mulder. Go
to bed." Scully finally called the argument a quit. Mulder could picture
her motioning to hang up. He didn't want to end their precious time
together this way.
	"Wait! I... want to thank you, Scully. I've been good with other kids
as I promised. I think I bought the research team's respect, and I just
bonded with one of the guys at third floor." 
	"What?" Scully apparently didn't get it. Relieved that he got her back
in the conversation, he told her about Dr. Amanda Dutton and the young
doctor on the third floor with his pretty fiance. "Oh, you're having all
the fun." Her voice sounded less than enthusiastic.
	"I told the doctor that I'll keep quiet about his date if he keeps
quiet about mine." 
	"What?!"
	"No, Scully. I didn't mean Dr. Dutton. I told him that it's a he, and
sometimes there's more than one."	
	"Wha...? Oh, the Lone Gunmen?" It was apparent she couldn't suppress
her laughter, and Mulder basked in victory.
	"Tell them not to get scared if somebody passed by us during our escape
and I threw myself at them." Mulder winced at the image. He could
picture her wrinkling her nose.
	"That's just gross." 
	"If I have to be the one to give Frohike a French kiss in order to get
out of here alive, I'll do it. Too bad you aren't here." 
	"Go to sleep, Mulder." Her tone was flat, indicating she'd had enough.
	"Did I tell you that I was calling from my hotel bed?" 
	"Good night, Mulder." Scully emphasized 'good night' as if scowling a
child.
	"All right. I'll be in touch when I can." Thoroughly satisfied to have
saved their friendship, Mulder allowed himself a laugh. 



Prescott Hospital
Jake's Room
Los Angels, CA  
9AM

The announcement was brief, and to the point. They turned up
empty-handed. Nothing useful was found from the doctor's house; not even
a fingerprint. Not a blood stain in the kitchen, and not a single sample
of hair in the bathroom or the bedroom. 
	"I've called the team off an hour ago. There's nothing more to go on.
All we can do is clean up the mess and wait for Mulder's return."
Skinner grunted as he dropped himself into a nearby chair. Scully
couldn't have been more sympathetic to the exhausted man in front of
her, and concerning the state of this man's health, she didn't like one
bit of what she had to say.
	"Sir? Agent Mulder's not returning."
	"Excuse me?" Skinner glared at Scully, his eyebrows furrowed in
confusion.
	"He's getting the Jarvis' information for us at his night guard duty as
planned, but he's not returning here just then."
	"Agent Scully, we both know that Agent Mulder doesn't have a choice."
	"I know that, sir. But he claims that after he sends us the information
and gets out of his night job, he will remain at his therapist position
for the time being."
	"For how long?" Skinner's expression never changed, and Scully again
wondered how many more times she would be explaining her partner's
absence to this man in the future. If her cancer should claim her life,
it wouldn't be for long.
	"I don't know that, sir. But I assume it's only about a week or two.
He's been set up to treat a patient who's suffering from multiple
phobias, and I believe the case profile hit him too close to home to
give up. At least not until the patient's ready to go on with a
replacement therapist."
	"Is that what Agent Mulder told you?"
	"Yes, sir. He called me just this morning, because he saw the CNN
report of the fire. He was upset that we didn't notify him of the
development." 
	"Agent Scully, he's not even a practicing professional."
	"I know that, sir. I repeatedly warned him about that myself, but he
seems to be putting his foot down on this one." Scully resisted the urge
to shrug.
	"Just what makes him so self-centered?" Skinner's statement was an
honest question, to which Scully knew there was no easy answer.
	"Sir. Agent Mulder claims that the patient has acquired the phobias
through years of cancer treatment in her early childhood; that she had
no one to watch over her. It is his belief that the patient's phobias
are associated with the pain and stress the patient's experienced during
the treatments." Skinner's gaze turned serious, and she knew what he was
thinking. Scully broke her gaze away from Skinner and stared at her
feet. Skinner sighed and stood up.
	"You said he'll get the information delivered to us. Just how does he
suppose to do that?" The compassion in Skinner's eyes threatened to
overwhelm Scully, but she dug her heels deep and held her ground. At
least he was willing to let her off the hook, for now.
	"I believe he plans to rely on his outside sources, sir."
	"I'm going down there first thing tomorrow morning."
	"Sir?" Scully stood up, sensing trouble.
	"Tell him I'm personally coming to get whatever he gets out of there.
I'll need to have a word or two with him in person, and I won't trust
anyone outside our small circle with the level of security that this
information requires."
	"Sir, that's much too risky..."
	"Agent Scully, do you have an objection to my decisions?" He nailed her
with his iron gaze, almost daring her to challenge him and his
authority. 
	"Sir, please. At least give him another day. His sources are very
sensitive, and your arrival could put their connection to jeopardy.
They've helped us many more times than I care to count, sir. Please.
Just another day." Scully didn't care how she sounded. She was begging.
They stood frozen in their positions, staring at each other for what
felt like an eternity. Finally, Scully saw Skinner's shoulders relax.
	"One more day, Agent Scully. Then I'm sending myself down there, alone.
I'm not showing up with the welcome wagons. I just need to know what
he's doing with the case. It's my job to know what my agents are up to
at all times." 
	"Of course, sir."
	"Now, where is he?" 
	"He's staying at Schuster Hotel, room 640." 'At least he didn't ask for
Mulder's assumed name and office phone number', Scully thought. 
	"All right, Agent Scully. That'll be all." Skinner was already reaching
for the door.
	"Sir, if I may?"
	"What is it?"
	"Please keep in mind that nobody here but the two of us know about
this."
	"That's just fine." Skinner replied and left as swiftly as he came.
Scully stared at the door, questioning her wisdom of telling Skinner
everything. She quickly called the Lone Gunmen and notified them of
Skinner's pending arrival. She stressed their need to keep Mulder in the
dark about it. She made the Lone Gunmen promise they wouldn't leave
Mulder twisting in the wind alone after their job was over. 
	"Watch over him for me", she said.



Keneally Psychological Research Lab
Genesis International Laboratory building
Sacramento, CA
Same Time

"Dr. Joyce?" The closeness of Keneally's voice behind him nearly dropped
Mulder from his seat.
	"Yes, sir?" Struggling to control his breath, Mulder turned and faced
the man. Mulder detected nothing wrong from Keneally's expression, and
he loosened his stance. Amanda sat next to them, her fingers flying over
the keyboard.
	"I've called in a couple of people, and I wanted to ask you something.
Ever since..." Keneally's voice faded out inside Mulder's head. 'Oh, my
God! He found out who I am! My cover's gone!' Mulder fought not to feint
on the spot. But then, his ear caught the man's voice again. "... If you
would like to join the research teams at Dr. Johnson's lab after you're
done with ours." 
	"...Oh. That's... a wonderful offer, but..." Mulder blinked and forced
his words out.
	"You don't have to make your decisions right now, Dr. Joyce. I just
want you to think about it. You've already proven yourself worthy."
Keneally patted Mulder on his shoulder with that signature warm smile.
	"Thank you, sir. Yes, I'll definitely think about it." Mulder's heart
was still thudding furiously against his ribs. He managed to smile in
return, and even offered a handshake. The man studied Mulder closely.
	"Dr. Joyce? You look like you could use some rest. Why don't you take
the rest of the morning off? Come back here for your therapy session at
1PM as scheduled?" 
	"Oh. Thank you, sir. But I would just like to finish these files. I
don't have much more to go anyway, and I haven't yet submitted my report
to you from yesterday. I'll have it delivered to your desk by noon." 
It was a lie, but it worked well enough. The truth be told, Mulder kept
his activities to a minimum in and out of the Keneally lab, because he
didn't want anybody from the third floor to recognize him. Keneally gave
Mulder a satisfied smile and told him to take it easy or he'd kill
himself overworking. Mulder laughed at the statement, thinking how true
it was. 
Amanda asked him to join her for lunch as soon as Keneally was out of
their earshot, but Mulder declined, offering her his services to lighten
her workload instead. Amanda widened her eyes, but she accepted the
offer. Her eyes widened further as she watched Mulder take about a third
of her pile and put them at the bottom of his rapidly disappearing pile.



Schuster Hotel Room #640
Sacramento, CA
10 PM
Same Day

"Hello?" The unmistakable voice of Frohike greeted an exhausted Mulder.
	"Guys? It's me. Are you ready?"
	"Ready as we'll ever be." Langly's somewhat unsure tone of voice
followed.
	"I've just changed into my uniform. Where are you?"
	"In the basement, as you suggested."
	"Good. I checked earlier, and there's hardly any traffic."
	"Did you get the equipment we left for you?"
	"Yeah, I have them right here. It's fun wearing one of these." Mulder
adjusted the headset.
	"Adjust the camera just a little more to the right." Mulder knew that
Byers was always business first.
	"How's this?" Mulder winced as he fiddled with the small camera, now
pressing up against the healing bruise next to his left eye. He was
hoping to avoid the spot, but it looked like he had no choice. 
	"That's fine, Mulder. Let it stay there. We can see your reflection in
the mirror now. ...Jesus, what happened to you?" 'Byers, the sentimental
business man', Mulder thought.
	"Oh. I just took a dozen blows in my head and face. I'll put on some
makeup, and they'll be no problem."
	"All right. Where do we go?" Langly apparently led their way this time.
Mulder closed his eyes to concentrate.
	"Do you see a small door to your right? It should be about twenty feet
from where you are."
	"Yeah, I see it."
	"Okay, open it with the key I gave you. I stole that thing with every
intention to return it, so be careful with it."
	"Gee, you're a difficult man to please." Frohike grunted.
	"Sorry about that. I'm edgy, because I'm up against many dead-lines."
	"Okay, it's open." Byers cut off the chit-chat.
	"Start climbing up the ladder. It'll lead you straight to the sixth
floor, into the medicine storage room. I know it's a narrow passage, but
it's the safest route I could find. I don't know if you guys had time to
do your own research, but..."
	"It's fine. We've found only one more route in this building, and this
one's the quickest." Mulder could hear their footsteps making ascent. He
couldn't see them, but they could see him. He wondered why it's not the
other way around, but he soon figured the screen probably never fit into
the padded envelope he received at the hotel front desk only two short
hours ago. 
	"Guys? You've got to keep going. At the top, you'll see the air-vent
open at your left. Go through there and take a right at the third turn.
Keep going, and you'll see the exit leading to one of the supply
cabinets housing drugs for animal testing. There's a security-code
entrance at the door. Type in the code: 182DSS179." Mulder could hear
the three men trying frantically to catch up with his directions. He
knew they needed to be quick, and he knew they had little chance of
being caught, because he tried the route himself previous night. "Tell
me when you get there." Mulder said as he sat on the bed with his legs
folded, still concentrating on the mental images of the route. He'd
prefer to settle at a table and chair, but then the Lone Gunmen won't be
able to see him in the mirror on the wall directly in front of him. 
	"We're in." Byers's voice led Mulder to picture the shelves of
narcotics the three men faced.	
	"Okay. Go to the door directly in front of you. Type in the code:
182DSS180. The room you're in now is where they store the drugs for
chemotherapy. There's a small service elevator about the size that a big
hotel restaurant would use. Get in on it one at a time, and go down
three floors. The code for the elevator is 33576A."
	"Got it. I'll go in the last, guys. Hurry up." Byers ushered the other
two ahead. 
	"The elevator will drop you right to the third floor research center.
Now, this is where I need you 100%, because I'd never been able to go
that far. When I tested it, I heard someone coming and had to leave. I
know it should lead you to the floor's supply room next to three
observation rooms. Go to the room #3, it's the one right next to you. To
get out of the supply room, type in the code: 221DSS900. To get into the
room #3, type in: 221DSS800." Mulder's heartbeat upped another notch. 
	"Okay, wait for the others." Langly's voice indicated the man's own
tension. Mulder listened in closely and heard Byers's climbing out of
the elevator.
	"Just let me get you through the routine. You're almost there, guys.
The room #3 is the only room still left unoccupied. It's also the only
one with a door in the ceiling. There's no security code required to
enter that one. It should get you to the ventilation route for the three
observation rooms and any other room within the research project center.
You should be able to hear and see almost everything with the level of
your equipment."
	"Got it. Gee, this is pretty tidy with the three of us." Frohike
complained and Mulder nodded with sympathy, because he knew they've been
watching his expressions through the screen. 
	"Like it or not, that's where you'll be until I get there. I'd have
fitted in a couch and a TV for you if I could, complete with a bottle of
red wine. ...I'll reach their main computer kept in the Research Records
room. That's where they stock up all their final research reports, and
it's just beyond the first observation room. You'll have much time.
Hopefully, someone will come use the computer to give us the access
codes and the password. If not, you guys will get to have fun hacking
in." 
	"We're all in, and we have all the other access codes we used in our
reader." Langly's somewhat exhausted voice reported, and Mulder finally
released a breath of relief he had been yearning to let out.
	"Good work, boys. I'll cut the communication here, but call me on my
cellular for any emergency." Mulder smiled into the mirror, now that he
could look into it without getting nauseated. The Lone Gunmen wished him
good luck. 
	Mulder settled into a chair sat by the round glass table where his
Keneally-issued laptop computer was set up, and spent ninety minutes
typing up the day's therapy report. He then left the hotel room wearing
his uniform, but he also wore his back-up piece on his ankle for the
occasion. He stashed the headset along with his cellular phone in his
black leather backpack; followed closely by about a dozen computer
disks, his Sig-Sauer with an extra clip, and William Forrest's security
passes. He thought about bringing his FBI budge just in case, but
decided against it. 
	The plan was, after he gets to the main computer and retrieved all
needed information, he was supposed to hand over the disks into the Lone
Gunmen's hands. Then, he was supposed to help them escape from the way
they came. If any alarm goes off or someone reports some strange noise
coming through the ventilation system, he was supposed to come out and
assure everybody that it was just a false alarm. 
Next, he was supposed to go down to the first floor, where all security
tapes from every floor were updated every morning precisely at seven.
There, he would have to switch the third floor tapes with the ones from
two days ago. He knew he couldn't use yesterday's, thanks to the Dr.
Love incident. After receiving the Lone Gunmen's confirmation that they
were safe in their van, he was scheduled to return to his post and
complete his shift as usual. But the truth was that anything and
everything can go wrong. 
Their emergency plan was to make their escape from the third floor front
door, and Mulder would switch the security tapes later. If someone spot
him sneaking the Lone Gunmen out, he was to bolt with the Lone Gunmen
and act as if he was chasing the intruders but without success. Mulder
already authorized the Lone Gunmen to punch and kick him if that
happened, because they needed to "put on a show" for the crowd. If he
gets fired from this incident, it was just fine with him, because he was
going to quit the job tomorrow anyway. Then he can simply resign,
claiming that the incident was due to his shortcomings. Anything that
would get him out of the position was desirable, so he could concentrate
on his day job.
	 
  

Bionix Cancer Research Center,
Genesis International Laboratory Building
Sacramento, CA
12:30 AM

He took his usual seat after a quick glance around him. He placed his
backpack underneath the desk next to his feet, quickly checking over
everything on the monitor and around his desk. When he was sure it was
safe enough, he took off his uniform cap, took out his headset out of
the bag, and switched it on. 
	"Guys?" He kept his voice low, but always a bit above whispers.
	"Hey, you almost worried us to death." Langly complained.
	"Sorry, guys. I thought you'd already know. There was an actual
break-in at the second floor. Apparently, some college kids who
mistakenly thought that was our narcotics stock room tried to play
Mission Impossible just to get high."
	"Did you get the guys?"
	"Yeah. I was just reporting to work when someone yelled for me to get
one of the guys who slipped away, through the chaos."
	"Well, we've got the security code, but not the password." Byers again
got down to business.
	"What do you mean? How does anyone..."
	"That's the problem. That young doctor you told us about? He got a
phone call just as he was about to give us the password, and he left the
room." He continued without wasting time.
	"Damnit." Mulder couldn't hide his disappointment. "How long would it
take for you?" Mulder asked, knowing they're already on top of it.
	"Just about five minutes more. ... Oh, wait! The guy's coming back in.
He might just do the job for us."
	"Let's hope so." Mulder mumbled, and kept his eyes on the monitors.
Several long seconds passed by, and he was about ready to scream when he
heard a faint beep, followed by the sweetest,
	"We have it."
	"Yes!" Mulder closed his eyes and slapped the security desk with his
palms.
	"Now, hurry up." Frohike demanded. Mulder soon left the desk wearing a
pair of latex gloves and the headset. He strapped on the camera
connecting to his headpiece, checking again for the computer disks and
his cellular phone stuffed inside his small leather carrying bag which
he took out of his backpack before leaving the security desk. He
quickened his pace to a trot as he went through the inner double door,
entering the center's main area. His black rubber sole boots made
minimum noise, and though he occasionally had to dug or hide for cover,
he was able to make a swift progress toward the Records room. Entering
the security code for the metal door, he heard someone approaching the
corner to his right, and quickly shut the door.
	"That was close." Langly's tension-filled voice came through the
ear-piece.
	"Okay, guys. This is the fun part." Mulder announced as he took his
seat in front of the computer.
	"Type in SROGERGDSS1. That's the security code."
	"Okay, done."
	"The password is TRAPPERS." Mulder's fingers flew over the keyboard,
and soon, the 'access approved' message flashed over the main screen.
	"I'm in. You guys keep alert, all right?"
	"Sure. There are two people in the Observation room #3. We're checking
out the rest of the rooms right now."
	"I'm looking for the Jarvis' files, but nothing saved under their names
are coming up."
	"Try searching by date. They were killed two years ago, and they'd been
doing researches for 12 years. Go back about two, three years."
	"I've gone back a decade, but everything from 1985 is either erased or
misplaced. ...Wait, I've got it. Beginning in 1987, the Jarvis had been
doing their own projects. I'm downloading it all. I don't have time to
look for specifics right now. It looks like their earlier researches are
centered on the relationship between all cancer cells and immune system
in humans. I can see their files summarized according to age and gender
groups. There's no mention of racial references." Mulder said as he
watched the files being downloaded into the disks one after another. As
he inserted the fourth disk and selected the next file, his hands froze
momentarily on the keyboard.
	"What? What's wrong?" Byers's worry was clear in his voice. Mulder
shook his head, and the Lone Gunmen's screen wobbled with the movement.
	"I'm in the 1990 files, and it's getting weird. The Jarvis apparently
split  with their previous research team, and only the couple's names
are listed on the titles here. These look like some kind of
side-projects, but..." Mulder pressed the download key, clicking on the
next 1991 - 1992 file in the mean time to open it. "Guys? I'm getting an
awful lot of brain tumor research files in here, starting at the end of
1992." Mulder's voice rose with tension, and it kept rising as he
continued the downloading process into 1993 - 1994. 
	His eyes now sparkling, Mulder knew he'd hit the jackpot. "Oh, this is
sweet. Their researches were exclusively on brain tumors and their
treatment." The tension was contagious to the Lone Gunmen, but Mulder
stopped abruptly at the 1994 files. Immediately pressing the download
button, he swallowed hard and began opening the final 1995 folder. He
gave its contents a cursory glance, and gasped.  
	"Are you all right?!" Frohike asked after several seconds of silence.
Mulder stayed silent. Only the sound of Mulder's rapid shallow breaths
could be heard over the noises of the disks being inserted and ejected. 
	"Are you all right? Is something wrong?" Byers asked with concern,
wanting to call Mulder by name, but resisting the urge. 
	"What did you find?" Langly persisted, now getting scared.
	"Guys, we've got trouble. With a capital T." Mulder's voice was
shaking. The Lone Gunmen looked at each other, then looked at the
computer screen which Mulder was currently viewing, and began to prepare
for their retreat. Their pack-up process was obviously audible to
Mulder, for he stopped them and assured they were still safe. 
	"That's not the trouble; it's the data. Right before the Jarvis were
killed, they called in a group of volunteer test subjects. I'm risking
precious time here, but I'm looking at the subjects' individual files
right now. These were all women of various age groups, various
occupations, and identical location of the tumor."
	"Let me guess. Between the cerebrum and the nasal cavity?" Langly said
as he stared at the screen images being copied. Their visual swayed
vertically, indicating Mulder was nodding at them.
	"Bingo." Mulder's reply sounded somewhere between resignation and
agony. 
	"What did they do with the group?" Not wanting to think about Scully,
Frohike urged on. Mulder's fingers moved rapidly on the keyboard, and
the four men watched as the computer screen flashed various images and
data. Mulder was only following the titles and a few names listed at the
bottom. All the four men swallowed hard at some of what they could read
on the screen. 
	"There's a pretty lengthy file on what looks to be the new
cancer-fighting agent, a new type of treatment. But that's all I can get
out of looking at these. They're not my specialty." Everyone knew just
whose specialty they were.
	"The people in the Observation Room #3 are heading out the door. You
better hurry." Frohike warned Mulder, who immediately began their exit
procedure.
	"So what's the trouble?" Byers knew there had to be more than just
meets-the-eye for Mulder to freak out.
	"There's an additional member joined the Jarvis' research team in 1995.
It's the first time in almost five years that the team took in an
assistant." Mulder's index finger was pointing at some list of names.
	"Someone must've sent him to spy on them." Langly said as he rubbed his
chin.
	"It's Kevin Scanlon." Mulder glared at the sadistic man's name on the
screen.
	"Scully's Scanlon?" The three men exchanged another glance. 'Trouble,
with a captal T', their eyes said. The tension in the room immediately
increased ten-fold.
	"Who else?!" Mulder hissed as he downloaded the last file. "I'm done.
I'll meet you in twenty seconds." 
	Mulder brought the computer screen back to the main menu. The Lone
Gunmen saw Mulder stand up, then they quickly packed up and began to
move just as Mulder opened the door. Byers never turned off the monitor
and kept guiding Mulder through the maze. Mulder quickly made it to the
Observation Room #3, and passed the little leather bag to them along
with the headset through the opening just as they were getting out of
the ventilation system. He stashed the cellular phone into one of his
uniform's front pants pockets, and took out the required flashlight from
its belt holster for cover before making it out of the glass door. 
	Once he returned to the security desk, all he wanted to do was to crash
in his chair and go to sleep. But just then, the pretty fiance of one of
the doctors knocked on the front third floor door and smiled at him
expectantly. Mulder grunted, because now he had to use the tape from
yesterday to switch with tonight's. But he let her in anyway, this time
getting not just a warm smile, but also a kiss on his cheek for thanks.
Mulder couldn't help a smile. Hoping the Lone Gunmen had made it out
safely, he finished the rest of his shift without much events. 
It was just when he returned to his hotel room that the Lone Gunmen
called him on his cellular, informing him of their mission's success.
Mulder thanked them and told them the tape switching procedure had been
done smoothly. He stood under the shower while fully dressed in his
security guard uniform for nearly half an hour in an effort to calm
himself down. When he finally stripped, cleaned-up, and toweled himself
off, he dropped onto the bed. Surrendering to, then welcoming in, the
comfort of sleep.



Schuster Hotel Room 640
Sacramento, CA
7:15 AM

The persistent knocking on his door despite the "Do not disturb" sign
yanked Mulder's exhausted body out of the realm of sleep, and into the
cruelty of the real world. Quickly pulling out his Sig Sauer, he threw
on a dress shirt that was left on a nearby chair from the previous day,
and made a careful approach for the door.
	"Who's there?" Mulder asked, standing at the side of the door. All was
silent for a long moment before another series of equally impatient
knocks came. Mulder repeated his question, now taking off the gun's
safety.
	"It's Skinner. Open the door." The firm, hurried tone of his superior
shocked him. Mulder immediately opened the door and was greeted with an
enraged Walter Skinner. Mulder tried to speak, but he couldn't find the
words.
	"Agent Mulder, just what in the hell are you trying to do here?"
	"Before I say anything; why are you here, sir? Who sent you this time?
Cancer Man?? Well-Manicured Man?? I can't trust anyone but myself, my
source, and Agent Scully with what I've found." Mulder's bitter memories
from the last such occasion  kicked in, murdering any reservations left
in Mulder from showing his own rage against the man's betrayal. Skinner
held his own anger in check upon Mulder's outburst, successfully
remaining calm and collected. However, Skinner never bothered to hide
his anger from his face.
	"I've only sent myself down here. Now, if your 'source' is really that
reliable, you should check with them yourself. Agent Scully knows I'm
here." Mulder shook his head, wondering why she kept it quiet, and
wondering at the same time just what it was that he did wrong this time.
But he didn't hesitate to call the Lone Gunmen on the spot, in front of
Skinner, just to spite the man. 
	"Turn off the tape, guys. ...You know who this is, and I have a
surprise visitor with me. He told me to check with you, because you
might already know about it." Mulder listened in and widened his eyes.
"What?! Scully told you, and you didn't have the courtesy to tell me?!
Is he even clean?! ..., ...fine. Is he alone? You actually checked?!
...Okay, that's all I needed to know. Thanks, guys." Mulder sighed his
resignation as he stashed his cellular phone into his jacket pocket. He
turned to Skinner, who now leaned against the door. Mulder nodded for
Skinner to continue. 
	"I've talked to Agent Scully two days ago, and you told her that you
wouldn't leave your patient? What is this all about?"
	Slightly arching his back, realizing what the problem was, Mulder
offered Skinner a seat. Mulder then handed Skinner a bottle of mineral
water, but Skinner eyed the bottle as if it would jump up and smack him
in the face at any given moment. Skinner kept his eyes on the water
bottle for a long moment before glancing back to observe Mulder, who now
sat facing him from across the table.
	"I have to tell you about Sarah Martin, and about Vera Maxine Jarvis,
from the beginning for you to understand the situation. I will submit to
you a full copy of Sarah Martin's file for reference; in anticipation of
when Kenearly's research team eventually finds out about who I really
am; that I was a federal agent who was working undercover. 
"My outside source whom I cannot name, put me to work at the Kenearly
Psychological Research Lab as a therapist with Miss Sarah Martin, who is
my only patient. She's in her early twenties now, suffering from phobias
to machines and uniformed people. Her phobias were induced by her
childhood memories relating to her experiences with cancer treatments
she's undergone. I've taken the challenge this case offered, and I did
so personally, since the case profile closely matched with that of Vera
Maxine Jarvis."
	"You found her family?" Skinner's expression gave nothing away. Mulder
nodded.
	"We didn't want to tell you this before confirming it as a fact. After
last night, I'm more convinced than ever that Vera Maxine Jarvis is our
little Jane Doe's real name. If this is ever proven true, then her
family, had been alledgedly murdered by a serial killer two years ago,
which makes her an orphan who supposed to have died with her parents. 
"The Jarvis had been working for over a decade at the research center I
was at for the last four days. In their research files, I found data on
some kind of new cancer treatment developed by the Jarvis. Then, this
new treatment had been tested on a group of women with brain tumors of
an unknown origin. Now, I don't know the details yet, since I don't have
the files here with me, because I handed them over to my source. I
wouldn't trust them to anybody else, for the reasons we both understand.
Especially when I know that this new treatment maybe the only chance for
Agent Scully."
	"What are you saying?" Skinner's eyebrows furrowed with concern.
	"I'm saying that these women who participated in the Jarvis' studies
are suffering from an identical brain tumor to Scully's Nasal Pharyngeal
Mass. If Jarvis' discovery was the true reason for their deaths,
including the alleged death of their only daughter Vera...Then, we need
to protect her and her parents' research files at all cost."
	"Actually, that's exactly why I sent myself down here for."
	"What?! You already knew what I came here for?" Mulder hated being
played for a fool, and right now, he felt like a joke of the month. 
	"No. All I know is that you've been checking out Bionix. I didn't know
anything about the missing kid's parents ever being included in their
staff."
	"Sir, I know that our time is precious. I will contact my source and
have them make you a copy of everything we've found so far. But forgive
me, I cannot let anybody except for my source to have the original
copies."
	"That's fine. I'm personally involved in this case, and confidentiality
of our sources will be kept intact."
	"What about Cancer Man? I know that the light from his Morley may well
have set the arson spree around the country. He might even be the one
who's responsible for the plastic explosives that blew up your SWAT
team."
	"I know that myself, Agent Mulder. I had to watch them beg me to let
them live. Some begged me to let them die and relieve them from their
suffering. I had to watch them scream, cough their guts out, and ask me
to relay messages to their families. Don't think for one second that I'm
not affected by this. 
"...Mulder, have you any clue how hard it was on Scully to experience
what I've experienced? She had to try saving these men, then losing them
despite her absolute best efforts, because everyone knew that those
agents were beyond help to begin with. She barely had a shut-eye before
she was off to do the autopsies on the agents she'd watched die in her
hands. Mulder, you had to have been there to understand what she'd been
through. I'm a retired Marine officer returned from the Vietnam War, and
still this was hard on me. 
"Mulder, you know how much I despise the man, and we both know that
Cancer Man's untouchable. Not yet, at least. I also hope that you know
how much I value you and Agent Scully's work. I didn't let you sell your
soul to the devil, and by God, I will never allow that." Skinner's eyes
were filling with pain that Mulder recognized within himself too often.
Mulder swallowed hard, recalling the phone conversation with Scully. Six
autopsies waiting for her at the Morgue, all of them whom she had either
seen or treated. Mulder suddenly felt it difficult to breathe.
	"Sir? Are you asking me to trust you, after you posed yourself as me
and got caught red-handed?"
	"You don't have a choice in the matter." Mulder thought Skinner was
smiling, but he wasn't. 
	"I guess you're right this time." Mulder said with defeat. "You will
have the copies of the disks within two days. I won't leave anything out
from the original, and I also suggest you talk to Agent Hall, because
he's the one with the detailed information about Vera's drawings inside
the VR. He's the one who continued their analysis, and I believe he's
still got Kathler's laptop."
	"He's already reported that to me, Mulder. I also have the cryptology
report and your notebook containing your analysis." Skinner saw Mulder
shake his head 'no'.
	"Sir, my handwriting in that notebook is practically unreadable. I'll
type them up for reference." Mulder never wrote a word of them with the
intention for someone other than himself to read them. But this time,
Skinner shook his head 'no'.
	"I have Agent Hall's disk, and that should be enough for now. They're
all locked up in the safe in my office."
	"Thank you, sir." Mulder nodded sincerely, watching as Skinner relaxed
considerably and reached for the water bottle Mulder offered to him
earlier.
	"What are your plans?" Skinner asked the younger agent after taking a
slug of the drink. Mulder shifted a bit hesitantly, because he wasn't
exactly sure just how far into the 'plan' Skinner needed to know.
	"I'm planning on having Agent Scully review and interpret the data in
the disks; then have her report to you and me on the findings. Should my
assumption proven correct, I would like you to recommend the new
treatment to be done on Scully. The necessary recipe and the
instructions for administering the new treatment should be included in
the file. I, in the mean time, would like to contact anyone who's
related to the Jarvis' research. The couple was working alone as a team,
but there might have been technicians in their labs, or even their
secretary who knew the details about their research projects. 
"These probably aren't reliable investigative avenues, but I can't
dismiss the possibility of them leading us to answers. I know that if my
guess is correct, Cancer Man or the Bounty Hunter will start cleaning
up. Just like they cleaned up Los Angels and San Francisco in relation
to this case; just as they had done before with the Women's Clinic and
the Gregors three years ago." 
The word Gregors rang a distant bell in Mulder's overworked mind. It had
something to do with what he saw the night before. Why does that sound
familiar? But before he could lose himself in that question, Skinner
spoke, taking Mulder out of his reverie.
	"You better move fast, Mulder. I'll give you up to two weeks before
you'll be handing your patient over to your replacement therapist and
make your full return to our current case."
	"Sir?" An idea hit Mulder, stopping Skinner from standing up to leave.
	"What is it, Mulder?" There was an unmistakable undertone of concern or
worry in Skinner's voice, making Mulder wonder if it was directed at
him.
	"I would like to request at this time to contact Karen F. Kosseff, who
is our own Licensed Clinical Social Worker; to review the caes of Mr.
Kathler and Miss Vera Jarvis to have her evaluate them."
	"For what? Adoption?" Skinner was as sharp as usual. Mulder leaned back
in his chair, his body language speaking 'yes'.
	"Or, to recommend Mr. Kathler to be Miss Jarvis's legal guardian. If
not, then at least for him to be Miss Jarvis's foster parent."
	"The state has..." Skinner shook his head 'no', but Mulder cut him off.
	"I know that Linda Lowry had been making the assessment, but she hasn't
been involved in the case for about a week now, and she has so far given
Mr. Kathler a full-round applause. This is now a federal case, since
Vera's parents were federal employees. Our jurisdiction over this case
won't be questioned, because the case was passed up to us from the local
law enforcement to begin with. Karen Kosseff has trust from both Scully
and myself. She also has an extremely high reputation from the Bureau."
Mulder remembered the Calusali case, and how Scully talked about her.
Skinner seemed to have a few words, but he simply nodded instead of
speaking, and stood up from his seat.
	"Agent Mulder, I still think you are way too personally involved with
Miss Martin and are therefore slowing down our progress in this case.
However, considering the nature of your involvement with Miss Jarvis and
what she is going to need from you, I'm going to allow you to continue
with this. I'm going extra miles in this one, Mulder. The least you can
do is trust me." Skinner said as he reached the door. Mulder was utterly
surprised. His superior, this man, actually wanted to prove himself
trustworthy. 
	"Sir?" Mulder asked, standing from his seat. Skinner turned to him.
"Thank you." Mulder said with utmost honesty, nodding slightly. Skinner
returned the nod silently and slipped out of the door, closing it firmly
behind him.






Prescott Hospital
Conference Room #2
Los Angels, CA Same Day 3PM

Agent Hall requested the hospital to vacate the small conference room
for the Bureau use. The hospital, knowing the publicity as well as the
money this federal case brought them, gladly allowed the use of the room
and even provided the agents with free bottomless coffeepots and trays
of pastries. Scully widened her eyes when they had the same volunteer
worker who's been filling up their coffee supplies, brought in deli
sandwiches for dinner. Skinner's agents were tightly guarding the
witness rooms, allowing any law enforcement official with a direct
involvement to their investigation to create their temporary
24-hours-open office. 
	Skinner returned to Los Angels just an hour ago and relayed Scully the
messages from Mulder. Scully thanked her superior, feeling her
excitement breaking through the roof at the news of possible cure to the
cancer. Skinner returned to the ER where the families of some of the
recently deceased SWAT team members gathered quietly to hear the
inevitable from him. 
Scully turned in her autopsy reports upon Skinner's arrival to the
hospital, therefore was aware that he knew what she'd found: traces of
plastic explosives, kerosine, fragments of materials from the walls,
glass windows, and various furniture that were deeply embedded inside
the bodies of those men. Some even reached through the bones, to lungs,
heart, and other vital organs including brain tissues. 
	The Lone Gunmen called on her cellular just as she was about to call
Mulder. They requested her to be at a used bookstore located in a nearby
shopping mall around 7 PM, so that they could deliver the disks to her
personally. They made her promise to come alone, and to have no one
following her. She promised to them to take every precaution, and didn't
even identify the caller to anyone who asked her. It surprised her that
Mulder actually allowed himself to trust Skinner again, and was even
more surprised that Skinner told Mulder about the hell they'd been
through in this hospital the day before. 
	"Mulder, are you sure we can trust him?" She asked him repeatedly, and
got the same answer.
	"Not completely, yet. But I give that he's right. We have no choice in
the matter, and he's going extra miles for us. He's trying, Scully, to
regain our trust. Cut the man some slacks." Scully arched her eyebrows
at her partner's words.
	"He's going to let me review all the files, and the Lone Gunmen's going
to deliver me the disks personally. Apparently, there are two sets of
them, because the originals stay with them. The meeting's going to be in
a book store near a shopping mall at seven tonight. Dare I assume
there's a lot to learn?"
	"Yeah, you won't be disappointed, Scully. You've got ten disks worth, a
total of twelve years of cancer research data. The last five years are
the juicy stuff. They've got the..."
	"I know. A possible cure for our cancer." Scully said appreciatively,
cutting Mulder off in the process. Mulder stayed silent for a long
moment. "Mulder, are you all right?" She asked, knowing he was loaded
with an emotional turmoil.
	"I'm fine, Scully. The question is how are you? I mean, really. I know
you had to smell a lot of crap yesterday, and some of the smoke you
inhaled could cause a damage..."
	"Mulder, I'm fine. ...Ugh, damn it. I had a couple of nosebleeds, but
only because of the stinging smell of the smoke. I haven't had a decent
sleep in days, and I'm experiencing fatigue. Are you satisfied now?" She
sighed, knowing Mulder asked for the trouble.
	"Not really, but that's not your fault. I suggest that when you review
the files, start from the most recent ones. You'll get the cure first
that way. You decide whether or not to try it out with your oncologist.
Please call me as soon as you find anything that I should know. I'm
counting on you with this." The tension in Mulder's voice was
unmistakable, and Scully unconsciously brushed her mouth with her hand,
trying to fight off the emotions welding up inside her.
	"Sure, Mulder." She barely spoke aloud before hanging up on him. When
she returned from the mall with the disks, she immediately confined
herself in the privacy of Jake's room. She left the agent posted right
outside the door as their guard. She was happy for the opportunity to
finally remove her gun holster and change into her casual outfit
consisting of sweatshirt and a pair of leggings. She kept her cellular
phone beside her on the small round table positioned in front of the
windows. The table was set against the wall opposite from where Jake's
bed was located, which allowed Jake an undisturbed view out of the
window. After she unwrapped her turkey sandwich and sat down in front of
her laptop with a can of root beer, Scully was ready.
	She worked diligently until she was so exhausted, she could barely
remember her own name; but she was so fascinated with the documents,
that she never noticed when she fell asleep in spite of herself. She
woke up at the sound of someone calling her name. 'Mulder? That voice
sounded like Mulder.' She raised her head and looked around. The laptop
screen was now on a screen saver, and a dragon was spitting out balls of
fire around in the dark square space. She smiled, but it froze on her
face when she heard the voice again from the general direction of...
"Jake?" Scully jumped out of her chair. His eyes were open and fixed
onto her eyes. Jake nodded a confirmation and stretched out his hand
toward her. Scully took it in hers, mentally checking over the machine
readings and Jake's expression. His eyelids were still looking droopy,
but she couldn't miss the burning intensity that was concealed behind
those beautiful eyes. He was clearly determined to clear away every one
of his questions and doubts.
	"You've been asleep for awhile, and I didn't want to wake you. I see
you were busy." His voice was a little hoarse, but intact. She saw that
half the water in the pitcher sitting on the nightstand was now empty.
Her smile was radiant.
	"How are you, Jake? We've been worried about you." Scully said, trying
to find a way to break all the news to him. He nodded as if he
understood her troubles.
	"Dana, I know they took the girl, because I heard them take her. I also
know that they tossed me down the waste..."
	"Bio hazardous waste chute, Jake. You've been suffering from Hepatitis
B, influenza, and bronchitis viruses. You are almost fine now. You had a
fairly high fever, which is why you've been on a pain medication
combined with the general vaccines and fever-reducing medications. You
were pretty much gone for the last week." Scully smiled again and
reached out to smooth out his fine hair.
	"Mmmm... I guess I've had enough rest to last for a month. How's
everything around here? I know my partners must be raising hell. ...Oh,
how's the...?"
	"Mr. Chunovic is fine. He's still depressed, but he's not on suicide
watch any more. He's actually trying to come back to work, so he could
get some of his strength and his life back. The kids are doing better,
too. One of them is almost ready to be released. They also buried Mrs.
Chunovic together just three days ago. I'm so sorry you missed her
funeral, Jake. I know how much you wanted to go." Scully kept her voice
neutral, not wanting to make this any more painful for Jake. He closed
his eyes at the last statement, slowly taking a deep breath. Scully
reached out her hand again to his head. 
	"Careful, Agent Scully. If you keep doing that, I'm gonna lose it."
Scully could already see his eyelids rapidly growing moist. She withdrew
her hand.
	"Jake? There's a lot more you need to know, and none of it is a happy
news." Scully felt guilty for what she had to tell him would do to him.
Jake's eyes fluttered open, fear clear in his eyes. She took an
inaudible deep breath to brace herself. "Your house is currently under
repair. A couple of your walls took healthy dozes of bullets from an
automatic weapon that Mulder fired when returning fire. The weapon
originally belonged to the intruders; the same people who attacked you
and kidnapped the girl, plus an unidentified man who was working with
the other four."
	"What?!" Jake nearly jumped off the bed with shock, but Scully gently
pushed him back down on the bed.
	"Jake, please. Let me finish. ...There were five men who broke into
your house immediately after you were attacked. Mulder had enough sense
to return to your house as you were carried to the ER. He went there
without a backup, and Agent Hall had already been taken out of the house
when he got there. I was here when it happened. Mulder fired and hit
three of the five intruders, but he only managed to apprehend one of
them. 
"This man is currently listed as a wanted criminal along with his
friends, because he escaped on the way here. He had the assistance of
his accomplices who drove in an unmarked van. They approached the
ambulance that was carrying the wounded sniper and Elly, then attacked
the ambulance. It was good that they only had enough time to fetch their
injured before hauling their asses off. 
"I'm very sorry to tell you this, too, but they took your desk computer.
The laptop was saved, because Agent Hall took it for a professional
cleaning job. I hope your work won't be affected severely by this. The
FBI can cover whatever the damages caused to your house, and as I
mentioned earlier, it's being repaired as we speak." Deciding it was the
best to give him all the news at once, she kept on.
	"Mulder told me that the intruders took Elly as a hostage and
threatened to shoot her if he didn't give himself up, so he did as
requested. Mulder always does this regardless of the consequences.
...They'd bound and beat up on Elly pretty badly. She's also got a
dislocated jaw, because Mulder had to take the gag out of her mouth.
Mulder's got two bullet scratches and a dozen bruises from this
incident. 
"...I have to tell you about Stella. She got off the worst, because she
jumped to take a bullet meant for Mulder's head. She's with Agent Hall
now. We've told the trauma surgical staff that Stella is a trained
police canine, and that they'll be very sorry if they didn't treat her
with the same level of care required for human patients. A long time
physical therapy will be necessary for her full recovery. I'm very sorry
to have to tell you this, Jake. I hope you know that the nobleness of
her actions will be appreciated, and honored by the entire Bureau as
well as the State of California. They'll present her with honors upon
your release." 
The rapid change of expressions on Jake's face finally settled into the
one of sorrow. Despite Jake's previous warning against losing his
composure, Scully reached out to him again and caressed the side of his
face. Her other hand stayed in his, and he squeezed it tightly. 
	"How's... How's Elly now?" Jake's voice was barely audible, obviously
wrestling against his raging emotions with a series of deep slow
breaths. Scully kept her tone deliberately smooth, though she doubted it
helped either of them.
	"Don't worry, Jake. She's already discharged and is in a safe-house
secured with a top-level security. Skinner's keeping up with all the
updates himself. She's as safe as she can get, and so are you."
	"I'm sorry, Dana." Jake blurted out, shaking his head. Scully stopped
her caressing hand.
	"For what?" She honestly didn't know. 
	"For what you go through every day." His answer was just as direct.
Honest. She shook her head 'no'.
	"We're used to it. It never gets easier, though. But Mulder was in it
since he was twelve. Well, actually, he was neck deep in it since the
moment he was born." 'Because of Cancer Man's deep involvement in Mulder
family's lives, and because of Bill Mulder's involvement in the scheme
of this global conspiracy', she silently added.
	"But seems to me like you're the one with the most trouble." Jake said,
gazing at her hand; no doubt talking about her being abducted five times
in the past. Scully again answered 'no'.
	"I chose to be in it. It's not Mulder who hurt me. It's them who took
me, and took my sister's life mistaking her for me." She said
matter-of-factly, then asked him if he wanted a nurse to check him over.
Jake shook his head 'no'. 
	"But eventually, you'll need to get checked out." She insisted and
returned to her task at hand. Jake stayed silent before asking her if he
could see Stella. Since Elly had been discharged, Scully promised Jake
she'd request Stella to be transferred into their room. Jake thanked
her, then asked her for a permission to give his business partners a
ring. Scully handed him his cellular phone and told him to take as long
as he wanted, because she was wearing her headphone to listen to music,
therefore his privacy was secured. 
Jake began dialing the number, but he stopped and asked her how and
where Mulder was. She only said he was in Sacramento, working
undercover. She had to be absolutely sure before breaking him the news
about the missing girl's identity, or the nature of Mulder's undercover
operation. Plus, she still had to decide how to explain her findings to
Mulder. She knew that the Lone Gunmen would already know what she'd
learned, and she knew them well enough to know that they would spare her
the room to make the report to Mulder and Skinner.
	The subjected cancer treatment method explained a new cancer-fighting
agent to be delivered directly into the tumor via a series of
injections. She had the formula, and she had a part of the instructions.
But the actual step-to-step procedural guide was missing; possibly
erased by Scanlon. She wasn't really surprised to find the evil doctor's
name on the list, considering the Jarvis had been murdered not long
after Scanlon joined the study. She had no clue to how the Jarvis' came
to recruit him into their research. After all, the Jarvis never allowed
an outsider to be a primary.
What Scully found to be the most disturbing was the data of alledged
female volunteer subjects. Scully had their bios, but none was listed
their names, social security numbers, nor the place of their births.
Even in the Red Museum case she and Mulder investigated, the test
subjects' bios left a list of credit card numbers. In this case, Scully
simply had no idea just who these female subjects were. She immediately
recalled the case of MUFON women. Scully vividly recalled about their
being under the care of Scanlon, including Scully herself, before the
doctor's evil deeds came to light and the man successfully disappeared;
possibly dead. 
	She needed to have the complete treatment analysis. Who knows if
Scanlon or Consortium hadn't modified the formula to speed up the
progress of their cancer? She missed Agent Pendrell. He would have
created the formula for her and run the test himself to prevent any
tampering. She still remembered the fallen agent's memorial service, and
the funeral service in which she had attended with Mulder. She couldn't
help shedding a tear or two as she read her speech at the memorial
service. Mulder had been seated at the second row, silently giving her
his reassurances that she would get through the entire speech without
breaking into pieces. 
	She knew exactly what Mulder was doing or planning to do at this
moment. He was going after anyone who participated in the Jarvis' study,
and had access to the lab results. She hoped Cancer Man would lose his
cigarette lighter long enough for Mulder to get what they needed in
time. 
	She didn't have to keep her vigil for long. Mulder gave her a ring,
claiming he could only spare a few moments. He quickly gave her the
names with either an address or a number to contact for the research
technicians who worked for the Jarvis. He was gone the moment she told
him she wrote them down. Recognizing the urgency, she directly relayed
the messages to the Lone Gunmen and then to Skinner. The tension-charged
AD personally requested his team a rush to track down the research
staff, successfully delivering their findings under three hours.
	"Of the seven people Mulder reported, all but one have died from both
natural and unnatural causes. One victim died from a car-jack attempt,
one killed in a robbery, one was a victim of a hit-and-run, one died of
an undiagnosed cancer, one accidental death from a severe allergic
reaction to penicillin, and one died of a narcotics over-dose. The only
surviving staff member is in Vancouver, British Columbia, with his
family." Skinner finished as he dropped a stuck of police reports and
medical records. Each case file included the autopsy reports with the
standard police reports. Scully looked through them quickly and set them
aside, though her gaze never left them.
	Soon, she felt a warm gentle hand on her shoulder and looked up to find
Skinner's eyes filled with nothing but concern. In their eyes, their
shared disappointment for yet another loss was apparent. 
"Agent Scully, I could send some of my agents to check things over. This
surviving man is our important witness. We can take his statement, or
even a taped deposition due to the time constraints. Should you choose
to go, I will get your the paperwork and push it through."
	'Canada', she considered the option. But before she answered, Skinner
dropped another file in front of her. "This is the official report for
the Jarvis' murder case. As Mulder speculated, their daughter Vera was
listed as one of the 'deceased'. But I've looked into the last
photograph taken of the girl, and one look at that file is all it takes
to prove the case report wrong. 
"I've already contacted Karen Kosseff at Agent Mulder's request. She
will be arriving sometime later tomorrow afternoon to make initial
assessments on Kathler and Vera. It is an official federal case, and
Miss Lowry is now off the hook. She had already had her name taken off
the case, so there shouldn't be any conflict over jurisdictions. She can
still provide her opinions, but that's about all she can do."
	"I'll be happy to meet Karen Kosseff, sir. If that'll save some time."
Jake's voice suddenly cut through their conversation, making the agents
turn to face him. Jake was now trying to sit up on his bed, smiling his
'eavesdropping: guilty as charged' smile.
	"Hello, Mr. Kathler. I see that you're awake." Skinner said and shook
Jake's offered hand.
	"Jake. You should stay laying down." Scully gently reminded him, but
Jake shook his head 'no'.
	"It's okay, Dana. I almost feel perfect." He smiled wider, then quickly
turned serious and met Skinner's eyes. "You've found her family." It
wasn't a question. Skinner nodded. Scully continued.
	"Yes. I have just received confirmation on the missing girl's identity.
Her name is Vera Maxine Jarvis, and she'll be a ten-year old within ten
days. Her entire family had allegedly been the victims of a serial
murderer, but now that we know Vera's alive, she could lead us to
whoever held her in captivity. We believe that the kidnappers had Vera
for a total length of at least two years. 
"It is Mulder's theory that Vera had been abducted by extraterrestrial
biological entities to be used as a test subject to experiments of an
unknown nature. He came to this theory, because the girl is
extraordinarily intelligent in the field of art and language, judging
from the EPT results and the recovered original psychological
evaluation. I can't tell you more right now, but maybe I'll be able to
after my return from Canada." Scully turned to face Skinner, who nodded
in agreement and left the room to arrange the paperwork.
	Scully gave the Lone Gunmen a ring soon as Skinner was gone, and asked
them to find out whatever else they could about the new cancer
treatment. She also asked them to check out Clive Shaw, the last
surviving member of the research assistants, because she was flying
there to personally meet him. The Lone Gunmen agreed to put a rush on it
before asking her if Mulder was all right. She told them she hadn't
contacted Mulder, since there's no news that was urgent to Mulder at the
moment. She figured Mulder would need the time to get Sarah Martin ready
to be handed over. 
The Lone Gunmen reported her about Mulder resigning from his security
guard position for letting in an unauthorized personnel into the third
floor main area twice. This incident was proven true from the others'
witness accounts. But the Lone Gunmen figured Mulder had done it on
purpose, since he needed to quit the job anyway. Scully snickered,
knowing exactly who got her partner a forced resignation and why. 
The Lone Gunmen, as Scully guessed, commented about Mulder demanding his
bosses and the director of the lab never to punish or reprimand the
doctor, nor his fiancee for asking Mulder to break the security rules.
He'd reportedly done so in exchange for Mulder resigning without
entitlement to pay or a benefit from his services to the institution.
Considering his job well done in the recent break-in attempt by the
college students, his bosses let him and the 'accomplices' go without
further fuss. This show of chivalry was so-like Fox Mulder, Scully could
almost picture Mulder delivering his speech and making arguments with
his 'superiors'. 
	Skinner arrived back in less than an hour and watched as Scully filled
out the paperwork. Since she had little to pack, she spent the
three-hour waiting time before she left the hospital for Castro Valley
Airport finishing up the review of the files on the new cancer
treatment. Although she had a great deal of hesitation, in the end she
decided to review the folders delivered by Skinner during the flight.
She again decided not to call Mulder to report about her leaving
California, opting instead for Skinner to tell him if Mulder called for
anything. However, she insisted she would be the one to call Mulder if
she found any vital information.
	Stella's transfer order came through just as Scully was leaving, and
she watched as Stella was wheeled into the room to be settled into a bed
placed next to Jake's. 
	"Stella! Hey, girl! It's so nice to see you." Jake greeted her as he
reached for her and patted her head. Still groggy under the effect of
the drugs, Stella was incapable to return him anything more than a
pleading look and a few licks to his hand. Scully also patted Stella on
her head, and gave her a kiss on her forehead before leaving the room.
Scully hauled a cab, produced her FBI budge for effect and told the
driver to 'step on it'. Once airborne, she began reading the case files
only to find a series of errors, mistakes, full of holes on essential
clues and theories that had been reported in almost every investigation.
	The car-jacking case had no witness who was credible enough to be
called one. Two intoxicated prostitutes and a Chippendale dancer whose
mouth could be bought weren't credible witnesses in anyone's common
sense. The robbery case had the suspects' fingerprint evidences
misplaced and nowhere to be found. 
In the hit-and-run case, the vehicle matching the eyewitness'
descriptions was found, and the sample of the subjected vehicle's
scraped paint had been recovered from under the victim's nails. The car
was found in a nearby river with the bodies of the driver - and his dog
- rotting inside the vehicle two weeks later. 
In the fatal accidental penicillin allergic reaction that had occurred
in an emergency clinic, a nurse was allegedly ordered by a doctor to
administer penicillin for the unfortunate patient. The nurse claimed she
hadn't read anything about the patient being a diabetic in the chart.
The doctor, whose signature was found at the bottom of the slip, swore
in court that he gave no such order; that the signature written at the
bottom was not even his own, and the doctor turned out to be right. They
terminated the investigation when the nurse had allegedly committed
suicide from her guilt over the case. Anyone could have killed the
nurse, especially before she gave out the description of the impostor
who gave her the penicillin injection order. The police report stated
that the nurse forged the doctor's signature and administered the
penicillin. The report never once mentioned the nurse's motive for
committing the crime.
	The narcotics overdose death case had been labeled a murder case from
the beginning, and Scully found the signs of a struggle noted in the
autopsy report. The woman had been first drugged, raped though there was
not a trace of DNA evidence, and then shot in the right temple. However,
what killed the woman was a cocktail of narcotics, and all the rest had
been done post-mortem. Scully read the report of the homicide detective
stating his findings from interviews with her colleagues, her parents,
her husband, and her neighbors. All claimed the victim never did drugs,
never smoked cigarettes nor cigars, never chewed tobacco leaves, and
never drunk a drop of alcohol beverages. 'She hated them all', they
said. The perpetrator had never been caught, and the case file remained
open, though it had been labeled inactive a long time ago.
The liver cancer death had also been investigated with holes, since
Scully reviewed the man's medical record. He had been extremely
aggressively treated with chemotherapy and radiation - before being
loaded onto a surgical table without surviving through it. Scully
remembered her own experiences with Dr. Scanlon, and felt her blood run
cold. No chance of surviving an operation after being attacked by the
said treatment methods. It was a naturally existing, inherited condition
that had been taken advantage of. 
	The completion of the liver cancer file review finally led Scully to
the last remaining case file. Scully took a deep breath as she picked up
the folder, gazed at it for several seconds, and closed her eyes.
'You're an FBI agent, damnit!' Scully ran her fingers over the sleek
manila surface of the folder, feeling her mind swim with the myriad
emotions, questions and memories that ganged up to pounce on her. She
ordered herself to calm down and open her eyes. 'Mulder needs this.
Skinner needs this. Reading this will take us one step closer to put
Cancer Man where he belongs. Vera needs this. ...I need this.' When her
eyes finally allowed themselves to be opened, Scully the investigator
teamed up with Scully the medical doctor. She slid her fingers in
between the smooth yellow cover and the thick papers that lay inside. 
	The plane landed just when Scully finished reading, and the plane
cleared just in time for her to place the documents securely back into
her briefcase and join the other passengers on their way to the exit.
She checked her weapon for the second time that day, and made sure that
she had her back-up piece strapped to her sigh with an elastic belt. She
even had a backup clip for the weapon along with the clips for her Sig
Sauer. She hoped she wasn't going to need either of them. 
Skinner was true to his word about making safe travel arrangement. As
soon as she exited the gate, two escorting agents approached her and
showed her to the awaiting Cessna. She thanked them, and watched as the
door to the tiny aircraft was closed shut. The pilot guaranteed to take
every short cut to her destination known to man. When they arrived to a
small airfield in what seemed like the middle of nowhere, a jeep that
had been waiting for her to take her to the man's address greeted her.
The vehicle was guarded closely by two agents. Impressed though not
surprised with Skinner's thoroughness, she called him for an update.
Skinner wished her the best of luck. She thanked him and entered the
beautiful modern-country, three-story mansion. 
	Clive Shaw was a very polite and slender man in his late thirties.
Scully shook his hand and took the seat in an offered chair across from
the couch he was seated in. She gave him a quick over-view of their
investigations and indicated his being their only hope to testify in
court, or in a form of taped deposition about Jarvis' researches. 
	"I'm willing to do whatever is necessary, Agent Scully. The only
question is whether I have enough time to accomplish what you're asking
me to do. Just get whatever out of me that you need before it's too
late. Also, I do ask you to protect my family's lives or you lose." 
'Very straight forward', she thought as she nodded, promising him that
the bureau would do everything in its power to support him. She also
told him that she would like to take him back to the United States to
place him under a heavier protection. Shaw shifted nervously, but Scully
assured him that the other agents would be there to protect his family.
The man requested his own oncologist - who was also staying in the
mansion at his own will to care for the man, to accompany them on the
trip. Scully got Skinner's okay on this last-minute addition. 
	When she asked Shaw if he had anything for safekeeping regarding the
research over the dinner that had been prepared for her by his own
personal chef, he carefully observed Scully. She held the man's gaze,
trying everything she could to prove herself trustworthy. Finally, Shaw
nodded and told her about a safety deposit box rented in a bank in
downtown where he had hidden two card board boxes full of what the
Jarvis and other assistants had left for him. 
	"They all knew. Each and every one of them knew that they were going to
end up dead no matter what they did. I already had the cancer, and
whoever took care of them knew that I was just one of the victims
they've created for their own selfish purposes." Shaw stared at Scully.
When she asked him whether they all knew about Scanlon; especially about
who he really was, Shaw looked at her briefly before nodding. "We
noticed Scanlon was very... How do I say...? Well, his behavior was very
suspicious around us. He was talkative and he was approachable enough to
arouse no serious doubts, but he never really did anything in the lab.
That is, except to watch over everything we've done, and then tell us
what to do. We had a nickname for him: Scanlon the Scanner. But he was
our superior, and he seemed to be getting along all right with both Dr.
Jarvis." Shaw shifted in his seat and studied the pattern on the carpet
in front of him. Admittance of guilt was clear in his eyes. He pursed
his lips and slightly shook his head. 
	"We sort of passed these stuff around, until I was the only one left
with the remaining of our research materials. The Jarvis' didn't tell us
who was threatening them, but they were terrified. They told us
something about their daughter being held as insurance to keep them
quiet. There are some personal journals they left behind, but none of us
had the guts to read them. We had our own problems of protecting our
families and ourselves. I could tell that the Jarvis' didn't enjoy what
they were doing in the lab. But I also knew that they were trying to
find a cure for Dr. Jarvis, ...Mrs. Jarvis, that is; and for their
daughter, because she carried the cancer gene that she inherited from
Mrs. Jarvis. They didn't talk too much about their personal lives, but
if you spend almost every day for five years with the same person,
you'll learn a thing or two."
	"Yes, I know what you mean." Scully said, noting the man's need for a
breather. She sipped her tea and watched a housemaid clear their table
before returning her attention to the exhausted, dying, and incredibly
brave man sitting in front of her. 
	"They had a group of women in their studies as you indicated. We never
knew their names or where they came from. All we had were their serial
numbers, ages, and the types of cancer they had. Most of them were
suffering from Nasal Pharyngeal Mass. Their ages and ethnic backgrounds
varied, but they were right along the U.S. Demographic statistics. They
were all supposed to be volunteers, but I doubted it and so did the
Jarvis. I mostly worked in the lab and hardly saw them, but the Jarvis
came into our work area from time to time and told me that I was doing a
good job. They... The Jervis were such wonderful people, Agent Scully.
They didn't deserve to die in such a horrific manner. A serial
murderer?! Give me a Goddamn break!" 
	"Did they give you any hint of where their daughter was or who she was
with while in captivity?" Scully wanted to cast the course of
questioning away from the issues of cancer for a while, fearing for
Shaw's already deteriorating health.
	"No. They were extremely tight-lipped when it came to questions about
their daughter. We didn't even know her birthday." Shaw watched as
Scully took out the police file regarding the Jarvis murders, and saw
her flip through the pages until she stopped. He knew what she was
looking at, and the fact that the Jarvis' violent deaths had been
reduced to a single plain folder gave him a shudder. Scully held up the
page that she was giving a cursory glance for Shaw's benefit, pointing
to a photograph of a girl for emphasis that wasn't really needed.
	"Does this girl look familiar to you? Perhaps the Jarvis had a copy on
their desk or in their wallets?" Scully asked, handing him the file. He
stared at the photograph for a few moments, then finally nodded. 
	"Yes, she looks familiar to me. I've never met her personally, of
course. But... I think Mr. Jarvis showed me her photo just before their
final Christmas together. She looked a little smaller and her hair was
very short. But... I'd say that's her." Shaw spoke solemnly. Scully
nodded and closed the folder. When she looked at the time, she realized
the man needed his sleep, and so did she. Just as she closed her
briefcase, she remembered to give Shaw two of her business cards. She'd
written her cellular number on their backs and told Shaw to give one to
his personal doctor, an old man named Dr. Claiborne.
	"I cannot thank you enough for your cooperation, and your hospitality.
I'll call it a day, and we'll go to the bank tomorrow." Scully said as
she shook Shaw's hand and went into her assigned guestroom located right
next to Shaw's master bedroom. Once in the relative comfort of privacy,
she updated Skinner. He thanked her, then asked her how she was doing.
She told him she was fine, but knowing the man, she allowed that she
felt a little nervous. He then gave her a direct order to go to sleep.
She had to smile, thinking how he was like Mulder, sometimes. 
	Once she was out of the shower, she dove directly into the bed and
stared at the wood-panel ceiling. She was finally alone, after living
nearly two weeks without privacy. Somehow it felt odd. She held her
cellular phone in her hand, and toyed with it for while trying to decide
whether or not to call Mulder. She missed him. She also missed Jake,
Vera, and Stella. Hell, she even missed 'the three stooges'. But most of
all, she missed her mother. 
Scully decided to take care of business first, and called the Lone
Gunmen to have them check out Dr. Claiborne. They agreed and promised to
give her the results within an hour. Scully thanked them, wondering how
to keep herself awake until then. She knew it was outrageous to call her
mother at such an ungodly hour. But then, she knew that her mother was
mostly alone in the house, having her sons out in the sea and her other
daughter laid to rest six feet down the ground. She pressed the second
speed-dial button, and got her mother on the third ring. 
	"Dana? Oh, how nice to hear your voice! How are you doing, dear?" She
sounded a little sleepy, but it was apparent that her mother was not
about to hang up without getting her peace of mind.
	"Hi, Mom. I'm sorry to call you so late at night, but I just wanted to
hear your voice." She answered honestly. No use lying to her. She heard
the signature soft laughter of her mother.
	"Oh, you know that you can call me at any time. Where are you now? Your
voice sounds a little... distant." 'Mom, only if you knew how far away
from home I really am.' Scully groaned inwardly. At the snail's pace
that this investigation was going so far, there was no telling just how
long it would be before she is standing at Maggie Scully's doorstep.
	"Well, I'm in Vancouver for a case. But, don't you worry about me. I
won't miss my appointment." She didn't want to bring up her own cancer
issues now, but it was what Margaret asked about with each time that her
only remaining daughter went out of town, much less out of the country. 
	"Dana, I know you're being very careful. How is your case going? I know
that you have Fox to watch over you." Another tender spot was nailed to
the floor.
	"Mom? He's not with me here. It's a long story, but he sent himself to
work undercover as a psychotherapist in Sacramento. I haven't seen him
in about a week, and I haven't heard from him in two days. I worry about
him a little, because this case hits very close to home for the both of
us. But you know he does what he has to do." She could picture her
mother's concerned expression. 
	"I know Fox is a strong young man, Dana. But you also know that he
needs you. You two are so much alike." Scully smiled at the comment and
nodded to herself. In her heart, she knew her mother didn't have to see
it to know what she just did.
	"Mom, I'll be returning to Los Angels probably as early as tomorrow.
Mulder should join us back there in a week or so. We'll both be fine,
and you know you can call me if any emergency comes up. If you want to
come visit me at the hospital during my regular treatment session,
you're welcome to." 
	"I might take you up on that offer. I haven't seen you in more than
two, almost three weeks, Dana. ...Are you sure you wouldn't mind?"
Knowing her daughter's reluctance to let her mother see her weakness,
she always asked for permission. Scully reassured her that it was fine. 
Once they said their good nights and she was off the line, she stretched
out over the incredibly comfortable mattress. She lay there quietly,
thinking just how to report her findings to Mulder. When the phone rang,
neither the Lone Gunmen nor she wasted time. The Lone Gunmen gave Dr.
Claiborne a clean bill of innocence. After hanging up, she rested her
phone next to her weapons and her budge.  Finally breathing easier,
Scully pulled the down covers and allowed herself to drift into sleep.


Schuster Hotel Room #640
Sacramento, CA
12:45 AM

His cellular phone was demanding attention. But after cramming his
over-worked brains with text books and notes from numerous phone
conversations with his Oxford professors and this nation's leading
psychiatrists, he had no desire to even look at the phone lying next to
him on the table. 
	But he felt it stubbornly calling to him. 'Something is wrong', the
trills said. Fox Mulder sighed and took the call. He was going to hang
up if it was the opening of another useless debate about therapy
techniques. He wanted advises and answers. Not more questions.
	"Hello?" Not forgetting to remember his current identity, he suspended
the habit of answering calls with his last name.
	"Fox?" Mulder's hazy mind tried to place the familiar, welcoming tone
of the voice. When he didn't answer, the woman's somewhat concerned
words followed. "Fox? This is Margaret Scully." Mulder's eyes finally
lit up with realization.
	"Oh? ...Oh! Hello, Mrs. Scully. I'm sorry, I'm just... I've been..." He
couldn't find the right words.
	"That's okay, Fox. Dana told me you were working undercover in
Sacramento." This puzzled him. He furrowed his eyebrows, trying to
figure out what was going on.	
	"Mrs. Scully, this is a confidential information. I didn't realize Dana
talked to you about this. I haven't heard from her in about three days
now, and..." 
	"Fox, I think Dana is in danger." Margaret cut him short, freezing
Mulder on the spot. He knew about the dreams she has, particularly
before something bad happened. He swallowed hard.
	"Do you know why? Do you have any idea when...?" He trailed off.
	"No, I don't. I just... had a bad dream. I was just talking to Dana on
the phone. She called me in the middle of the night and I could tell
that she was very nervous about something. She said she was in
Vancouver..."
	"Vancouver? Did she tell you why?" This thoroughly puzzled Mulder. She
was on to something, and she wasn't telling him. He licked his lower lip
and stared at the ceiling. He failed to remain calm.
	"She said she was on a case, but nothing more. She told me she'll be
back for the treatment, and she told me to visit her at the hospital if
I wanted to. She never invited me for any of her sessions except for the
first time. Fox? She's scared about something." Mulder wanted to scream,
realizing why she kept him in the dark. "Fox? Fox, are you all right?"
Margaret's tone was now worried for him. 'Great.' Mulder grumbled. 'Fox
Mulder on panic attack. This is just what she needs.' 
	"Yes. Yes, Mrs. Scully. I'm okay. We've lost touch, because we were to
call only on emergencies." Mulder hated himself even more for being able
to come up with a smoother reply. "I'll check with Skinner right now,
and find out whatever is going on. I'll do whatever I can for you two
from here." The last two words drove into his gut like a pair of spikes.

	"Thank you, Fox. She doesn't show it too often, but I know she misses
you." Margaret's smile could be 'heard' anywhere, and it never ceased to
soothe him. She then told him she was going to wait up for any news.
Mulder quickly dialed Skinner's cellular number, eliciting a reply that
was something close to a groan from the man.
	"What is it, Mulder? This better be important." Mulder knew from
Skinner's tone that he had been awake, probably getting as little sleep
as Mulder had of late. 
	"Sir, what's going on with Agent Scully? Why did she go to Vancouver?" 
	"Oh, that." Skinner gave Mulder a quick catch-up with the
investigation. The police reports, more cover-ups, and the last
remaining witness alive from the Jarvis' research staff member. Mulder
thought he'd feint after being bombed with so much shock. 'No wonder
Mrs. Scully felt it', he thought.
	"Sir? I can't explain this in detail, but I just got a panic call from
Mrs. Scully, telling me that Scully's life is in danger. She senses
these things before they happen for real, and she's never wrong."
	"What are you trying to do, Agent Mulder?" Skinner was annoyed, but was
somehow willing to listen. Mulder remembered Skinner telling him about
his near-death experience in a mission gone awry in the middle of a
jungle during Vietnam War. 
	"Sir? With all due respect, I'm only trying to assure my partner's
safety. I know it sounds spooky, but just for our peace of mind, will
you double the security assigned in Vancouver?" The line was silent for
several seconds.
	"Agent Mulder? Do you have any idea what security level I've already
assigned to them?"
	"Yes, sir. Not enough." Mulder put his foot down. Skinner again stayed
silent for several tense seconds. Mulder held his breath until he heard
Skinner's resigned sigh.
	"All right, Agent Mulder. I will take your suggestion into
consideration, but only because she's the only one with a full knowledge
of this case. You, mister, better get everything packed up and be ready
to drag your ass back to Los Angels." Skinner didn't bother hiding his
short temper and Mulder hadn't expected him to. Mulder thanked Skinner,
hoping that the man knew how much he appreciated all the man had done
for the X-Files. 
	 As soon as he was off the line, he called back Margaret Scully and
told her the good news. Margaret thanked him dearly, then asked him for
Skinner's number. Mulder gave it to her off the top of his head, knowing
Margaret Scully was no threat to the Assistant Director's safety, or the
national security. He was surprised she didn't already have all of
Skinner's numbers. He picked up the dreaded phone again, motioning to
press the first speed-dial, but stopped himself tad short. 
The truth was, no matter how much he missed her, he knew she had an
awfully big day to finish without his assistance, and she was already
exhausted beyond belief. She needed every minute of rest spared for her,
and if he actually wanted to talk to her, he needed to be a better
therapist, so he could leave Sacramento as early as possible. It hurt
him that Scully hadn't updated him, thus making him useless to her. But
then, he now had someone's life in his hands. Somebody who would have to
live her life confronting fears that sprang on her from practically
everywhere she looked.  
	The truth be told, he never thought it would be this hard to
'de-condition' learned behaviors. One of the text book examples he'd
read in Oxford on his second year psychology class looked very simple: a
dog was set in body braces and placed in front of a wall with a small
window. It's wearing a tube that was going out of its mouth to catch the
saliva. A bowl of dried meat powder was produced in front of the dog,
and out of reflex, it starts to salivate. Then the experimenter will
ring a bell behind the dog. 
When the meat powder disappears, the salivation stops. By repeating this
procedure regularly, the dog will soon begin salivating at the sound of
the bell alone. But in this experiment, the test subject was a dog, and
the test itself was done on the typical Classical Conditioning process.
If only the bell keeps sounding and no meat powder was produced, the dog
would eventually unlearn the process and stops salivating. 
Mulder would give almost anything to have such a basic case at hand, but
life was always unfair to Fox William Mulder, and it certainly was
unfair on Sarah Martin. First of all, Mulder couldn't tell her to stay
away from hospitals in case she needed medical care. He couldn't tell
her to avoid every restaurant or glossary store in town. He most
certainly couldn't tell her to avoid every single police station, police
officers, and security guards. 
	He typed up his letter of resignation to Keneally after the last
session, and told Keneally that all he could do with the patient was to
get her prepped; that the case would take years by him, and the woman
didn't have years. Keneally, who observed the progress of the sessions,
actually knew how hard the case was. David Joyce / Fox Mulder actually
lasted much longer than anyone expected him to. Mulder thanked the older
man and told him that he'd do the best he could. 
Mostly, Mulder knew he was excellent at gaining people's trust
regardless of whether they were witnesses, suspects, or patients. He
knew before he got her as a patient, that Sarah didn't even like the
idea of therapies. But now, she was not only motivated, but was actually
responding to the treatment. Mulder just needed to find how to lead her
away from him and into her own method of finding answers. 
Right now, Sarah Martin was expecting for him to pull a miracle out of a
hut. He couldn't leave. At least not until she was confident that she
would make through the therapies regardless of who came to help her. To
get to that point, she needed to understand that she was the true
driving force in her own life, and that she was the only one who could
pull her out of the water. He knew that if he bolted on her now, she
would think he just locked up her case and threw away the key. 
	In his bathroom, Mulder nearly tore off his clothes and sat under the
spray of scalding-hot water until it turned cold. He had to do better.
He toweled off and barely made it to the bed before blacking out with
sheer exhaustion. His last thought was of Scully, reading the thick
medical file of the cancer-ridden federal witness she has to protect. He
thought he saw her close her eyes, her expression rigid while she sat in
an airplane seat.
  

Exact Location Unknown
Vancouver, British Columbia
9AM Next Day

They arrived at the subjected bank promptly at nine. A fully armed Dana
Scully followed Clive Shaw on his right, ready to tackle him down to the
floor and open fire if necessary. Looking at these two, it was almost
inconceivable that federal agents who stood guard at every entrance and
exit were surrounding them. She communicated with them through wire and
the earpiece she wore. Clive Shaw wore a bulletproof vest underneath his
sport jacket, and tried his best to behave as if everything was
perfectly normal. 
They made their way quickly down to the basement, followed closely
behind by another agent. Scully had to keep her FBI budge in her left
hand at all times, showing it to every passing bank employee. They
loaded into the elevator and watched the door reopen. Shaw led their way
and Scully kept a keen eye on everyone inside the office as they
entered.
	The agent behind them had a portable folding cart for the research
materials awaiting them behind the metal door of the deposit box. The
safety deposit box was rather a cabinet, and the evidences were
carefully stored in standard office cardboard boxes. Scully was
thoroughly amazed as she watched the assortment of research data,
journal books, and samples in glass jars neatly crammed into the small
space. The accompanying agent loaded them onto the cart as if they were
cases of raw eggs made of gold. 
Scully let the agent lead their way back, and once they were in the
elevator, requested to have a few agents standing guard to come give
them a hand. Scully only concentrated on protecting Shaw. She knew all
the agents assigned for their protection had the photos of Scanlon and
Krychek with them. Krychek wasn't a suspect in the case, but considering
the natures of this X-File, Scully couldn't be too careful. 
	They made a quick exit from the building, their moves undetectable to
most of the customers. Scully rode in the backseat with Shaw, while Dr.
Claiborne sat in the passenger seat next to the agent who was assigned
the duty of a driver. Their car was sandwiched in between two more cars
full of federal agents. The retrieved research materials had also been
stored in the trunk of the middle car. 
Just when they took the highway route leading to the airport, Scully
finally noticed Shaw staring at her with a mix of understanding, sorrow,
and anger. Scully held his gaze for several seconds before asking him
what was wrong. Shaw moved his gaze toward Scully's back, or rather, the
back of her neck. She released a faint gasp, realizing that her ponytail
was allowing the scar on the skin at the back of her neck to show. She
silently cursed herself for forgetting just whom she was with. She had
been prepared for a possible combat situation, and figured her hair
would be in the way. She was wearing a pair of flat heeled, black
leather lace-up shoes that would allow her to bolt if and when she
needed to. 
	"I'm sorry I stared at you like that. I didn't know you had it." Shaw's
apology sounded like a shock of thunder to Scully's ears. She didn't
want to fall apart right now. When she didn't speak, he hunched his back
a little and leaned closer to her. "Do you have the brain tumor?" Shaw's
question was kept deliberately low, so that the driver wouldn't hear it.
Scully swallowed hard, deciding that lying was inappropriate. A nod of
admittance was enough, and Shaw released a long sigh. " I'm sorry. You
didn't want me to know. No wonder you care about this case so much."
Shaw stared out of the window. Scully stared at her hand and stayed
silent.
	"Don't worry, because I'll keep everything confidential. But if you
want advises from my oncologist, you know that he's with me 24 hours a
day." Very much aware of Scully's discomfort, he didn't elaborate on the
subject.
	"Why did he stay?" Scully had to ask, for her own reasons.
	"Because he cares too much." Shaw said simply, staring at the back of
the old doctor's head. They were silent for the rest of their trip to
the airport. It turned out that ever since last night, the other agents
assigned to Shaw had their instructions to inform the witness of their
need to move quickly. Thus, Shaw was packed and ready to leave the
mansion before Scully ever arrived. She was informed of this at their
breakfast table. When the cars came to a halt in front of an airfield
located next to the airport, they quickly transported the documents from
the car and onto the aircraft. She was expecting the same Cessna that
she boarded before; never the rear-jet that was parked in front of them.
This was no 'extra miles'. Skinner must be out running a full marathon
for them. Scully watched as the other agents busily checked the
aircraft's every nut and bolt.
	 It was another half an hour before Scully and Shaw had been allowed
aboard. She had one foot on the top third step, following Shaw to the
door when she felt a burning sensation on her right arm, then on her
right breast. The force knocked her sideways, the impact smashing her
body directly into Shaw's lower back and sending him onto the floor of
the aircraft's entrance. It wasn't until she felt herself sliding down
the stairs that she felt any pain. 
All around her, people screamed and fired their guns at general
direction of a tiny storage. It was a tiny building where the light
sticks and the uniform vests had been stored for people on their night
duty. The bullet had come from the right side of the stairs, from a
silencer equipped long-range rifle. A group of agents took cover behind
their three parked vehicles, and the remainder of them hauled Scully to
her feet. But she was already getting her weapons ready to fire, and
refused to be taken into the plane. 
	"Go! Go! Go!!" She shouted, pointing franticly at Shaw, who was trying
to get himself back onto his feet. "Go secure the witness first! Get the
plane ready for take-off! I'll follow you! Move!!" She yelled as she
pushed two agents toward the stairs. Sensing her tension, they complied
and grabbed Shaw by the belt loops to haul him inside. The storage unit
exploded, the flying fragments raining on them from the wind. At a short
distance away in the nearby brush, Scully saw movement and yelled for
the agents behind the car to watch for it. 
Just when her warning was given, three men in combat suits jumped out
from their cover and opened fire. Three agents were immediately down,
their view obscured by the tall grass. Scully plunged herself toward the
parked cars, taking her cover by lying flat over the trunk door and the
rear window. She was careful to place her body directly behind the
driver seat's headrest, and she aimed her weapon over the roof of the
car. It was the best position that she could think of at the moment. The
snipers were obviously trained for the mission, and she wouldn't want to
risk getting her ankles shot from underneath the car, nor to place
herself at the center of the rear window glass, exposing herself from
the space in between the front seats. 
She knew she had at least one sniper, judging from the scream heard from
approximately fifteen feet away. Another scream followed and she saw
another sniper fall, taken down by the three remaining agents firing at
once. Her right chest hurt like nothing Scully had ever experienced, but
she knew she was still well enough to fight. 
	"Don't worry, Dana Katherine." She spoke aloud. "None of the vains
exploded. No vital organ's been damaged. Focus." The aircraft's wheels
began rolling, leading the plane away from the firing range. Scully
continued to signal a 'go', throwing her arm toward the runway. Her
briefcase was aboard with the documents, so she knew that if she never
made it out, either Skinner or Mulder would get what she'd found and
Shaw would still be there to assist them. She soon emptied the gun and
fed it the extra clip. There was only one sniper left, but he could be
anywhere. 
	"Cease fire! Hold your fire!" Scully yelled, quickly commanding the
three able-bodied agents to pick up the injured. "Get them one by one!
I'll cover you! Go, move now!!" Scully ordered the stunned agents.
Knowing her size and condition, they quickly understood that Scully
wouldn't be much of help in carrying a heavy load. Seeing their efforts,
the rear-jet turned its wheels back toward them. Scully frantically gave
them a 'no'. Quickly grabbing a radio lying on the ground a few feet
away, she hopped back onto the trunk of the car and barked orders to the
pilot.
	"No!! Don't turn around! Keep going! I'll send one of the cars loaded
with injured agents. Keep your wheels rolling." Turning toward the
agents who heard her command, she jumped off of the car she was on.
Quickly killing her scream of pain, she opened the vehicle's front door
with her injured arm. Her left arm kept firing the gun for cover while
the three agents moved the injured agents. She saw one of them climb
into the driver's seat while another moved to shut the rear door. Just
then a rifle fire was heard, and Scully saw the agent limply lean
against the open rear door. She grabbed her back-up piece while jumping
off of the car, then gritted her teeth and motioned for the driver to
take off. The car shot through the other two cars, and began its chase
of the aircraft.
	"Keep going!!" Scully, now taking cover behind another car, barked into
the radio. She then saw a camouflage jacket move through a thicket of
the brush, no doubt aiming for the fleeing car. She never missed the
chance. Dropping flat on the ground, she fired rapidly from underneath
the car. The last remaining agent also saw the sniper's movement through
the grass, and rapidly emptied his weapon from behind the open front
door of the other car. 
When neither found the sniper was down, they jumped into one of the
remaining vehicles and chased after the cavalry. She asked for the
driver's primary weapon, indicating the inadequacy of her back-up piece
in this combat situation. The agent quickly pulled it out and handed it
to her along with his last clip. She leaned her body out of the open
window, the gun aimed over the roof and her feet securely holding
position under the passenger seat. Her knees and thigh muscles were
doing most of the work on holding her weight. 
When she heard another gunfire, she saw that the bullet bounced off the
jet's wheel, but it luckily missed the tire. When their car caught up
with the other speeding car, she quickly commanded to have both cars
going side by side in front of the jet's wheels to guard them. She kept
her watch on the field, but she almost missed the camouflage jacket
moving behind a further end of the brush, almost into the distant
forest. She fired quickly, but the sniper disappeared. 
	When she was sure this battle was over, she commanded the jet to slow
down. With the help of the three awaiting agents, they hauled in the
three injured, one dead, agents on board. When the jet was finally
airborne, six of them including the pilot remained unharmed. Scully was
still panting when she fell into the long couch next to the three
moaning and groaning agents. They all tried to make her rest, get the
first aid ahead of the others. But again, they were met with her
objection.
	"I'm the medical doctor here. I'll take care of the patients first."
She claimed firmly and took out the doctor's bag she carried everywhere
with her. The other agents stared at Scully with awe, but as soon as she
began ordering them to remove the patients' clothing and start control
the bleeding, they assisted her as requested. 
The pilot used the in-house communication system to tell Scully that the
Assistant Director had been informed of the casualty. He also told her
they were now under the AD's direct orders to fly to Los Angels with a
stop in Seattle to drop off the injured agents. Scully nodded and
thanked him. Shaw, now somewhat recovered from the shell-shock state,
approached the agents and assisted them with the first aids. Scully
thanked him, and to Dr. Claiborne who was helping them from the start.
She thought it was very lucky that the three injured agents received
only one shot each, considering the number of the bullets fired at them.

Once the bleedings were under control and clean-out procedures were
taken care of, Scully handed Dr. Claiborne a suture kit. At the old
man's blank expression, she asked him if he remembered how to stitch up
wounds. The man nodded, but admitted that he hadn't done any for
decades. "Oh, well. You're gonna have to do it anyway. It's just like
riding a bike." She said as she took her first patient. 'Desperate
situations take desperate measures.' She thought as she injected the
anesthetic into the patient. The man screamed, but he gritted his teeth
until the drug took its effect and made it through the rest without
another scream. She then heavily and tightly bandaged the area with
dressing gauze and gave him some pain pills though she knew it would do
no good. 
When she was bandaging the second patient, Dr. Claiborne was getting
ready to dress the third man. Seeing that her turn had arrived, Scully
told the doctor that he wasn't doing bad, and began removing her suit
jacket. When she actually looked at the black ruined jacket for the
first time after the shooting, did she realize how much blood she'd
lost. The bullet had nicked muscle tissues from her upper right arm,
slipped under her armpit, and was no doubt embedded somewhere in her
right breast. 
She had just sprung to climb the stairs when the shot was fired, making
the bullet travel in such way. She got off much easier than she'd
expected, though. 'At least I still have my arm, and nothing vital was
affected', she thought. She could have gotten the bullet past to her
neck, making her choke in her own blood. Or take it at the shoulder and
lose her arm. Or the bullet could have slipped through her underarm and
injured her lung. 
The other passengers including Shaw had the courtesy to turn away as
Scully stripped from the waist up, and had Dr. Claiborne attend to her
wounds. When her arm was done, she sat down on one of the passenger
seats. The two chairs were facing each other, allowing Dr. Claiborne to
sit across from her. Scully saw the old doctor wincing, and asked what
was wrong. She almost wished she'd never asked when the doctor informed
her that they were now out of the anesthesia. Her doctor's bag was
slightly larger than that of Dr. Claiborne's, but still it didn't carry
enough of the drug to take care of so many people. Claiborne's bag was
strictly for his only patient, and surgical anesthesia wasn't a popular
item in cancer treatment. 
Fully anticipating the inevitable attacks of blinding pain, Scully
grabbed her blood-soaked, bullet-holed jacket and tore the ripped sleeve
off of it. She then placed the rest of the jacket behind her back, and
pressed the button at the side of the chair to fully recline the seat.
Dr. Scully just knew how to make things easier. The old doctor in front
of her watched in astonishment as she stuffed her mouth with the torn
sleeve and gave him a 'go'. 
None of the agents heard anything more than loud gasps during the
gluesome cleaning and bandaging procedure, and none of the blood stained
the pale gray seat. Through her blurring vision, Scully thanked the
doctor and assured him she would be fine at least until they arrive in
Seattle. The surgery to have the bullet taken out of her would have to
be done by surgions, at a hospital equipped with a radiology and
surgical department. 
	After her breaths returned normal and the swelling from her eyes
subsided, she had Shaw hand her the over-night bag. She pulled out the
pantsuit she wore the previous day, and a navy dress tee shirt to wear
underneath. When she was changed, she took a bottled mineral water from
a refrigerator and took three painkiller pills from its container. She
finished off the entire water bottle in less than ten minutes. She
stuffed the soiled suit back into the over-night bag, not forgetting to
place them into a plastic bag first for evidence. 
When she returned to her reclined seat and lay down, she took out her
cellular phone that she retrieved out of her briefcase. She realized
where she was at the last minute, and reached instead for the in-flight
phone. She needed to call Skinner. She preferred talking to Mulder at
that point, but she knew he was probably in a session, thus even Skinner
wouldn't be able to reach Mulder. She knew Mulder never would take a
cellular into the therapy room, and she knew it would be turned off
while he was in the Bionix building. When she got Skinner on the first
ring, she had no idea what she was going to say to the man, except to
report that she was fine.
	"Agent Scully, are you sure?" Skinner asked her more than once.
	"Yes, sir. I'm in pain, but I have no damaged vital organ, nor a broken
bone. I was extremely lucky, and the other surviving agents also have
only one bullet in each of them. Thank you for the increased security
measures, sir. I wasn't expecting it to be such a big deal. But..."
Scully trailed off. She could hear Skinner's rapid breathing, no doubt
suffering an extremely high blood pressure. 
	"Agent Scully, it was Mulder who requested to double the security."
	"What?" She couldn't help herself from raising her voice. 'Why Mulder?'
	"Yes, Agent Scully. He called me after midnight, claiming that your
mother gave him a panic call and reported her dream about your life
being in danger." Skinner's voice never faltered, but it grew
considerably lower. When she didn't answer, he spoke with the gentleness
that she very rarely heard in the man. "Agent Scully, Mulder told me
your mother had such dreams before, and that she was never wrong. I'm
glad I took their advice, or you may not be talking to me right now." 
	"Sir?" Her voice failed to disguise its tremble. "Has Agent Mulder been
contacted? I know that he would never carry his cellular to disturb his
therapy session, but I was wondering if you had any luck." Ordering her
voice to stay with her, she tried to speak louder. It worked. 
	"No. I'm afraid he's turned off the phone, but I believe he's still
carrying it with him." Judging from the fact that her mother had called
Mulder with the panic, she thought Skinner was right.
	"It's fine, Sir. I'll try to reach him myself. I've lost blood, but not
enough to drop me unconscious at any time."
	"If it helps, Agent Scully..." Skinner paused, no doubt desperate to
deliver her some kind of good news. "He called me this morning and told
me he'd turned in his letter of resignation to Dr. Kenearly." She could
feel Skinner's anger toward her partner's recent behaviors as it
radiated through the phone line.
	"Sir? With all due respect, this wasn't Mulder's fault. Even if he had
been here to cover my back, if he hadn't called you last night, I doubt
if any of us would have survived. My mother didn't have your cellular
number, and..."
	"She called me last night after Mulder did to thank me for taking their
advice." This puzzled Scully before she realized Mulder probably gave it
to her mother when he called her back.
	"Sir, I'm sure Mulder gave her your number. I know Mulder will be back
as promised, and he's been through another hell of his own. This is a
particularly hard case for him, given its nature. I'm certain he
wouldn't give it anything less than his very best, and more." Scully was
afraid if Skinner was ready to send Mulder to another wiretap
assignment. But when she heard another exhausted sigh, she knew that
their partnership was going to be all right.
	"You don't have to defend him, Agent Scully. But if he doesn't get here
by midnight tomorrow, I'm personally yanking his ass out of there, and
in to Seattle. Tell him that." Scully exhaled her breath of relief and
thanked her boss. Already imagining the protests she was to get from
Mulder for taking herself way, way over the edge on this fiasco, she
closed her eyes for a brief rest. 



Keneally Psychological Research Lab
Genesis International Laboratory Building
2PM
	
The good-bye wasn't short and sweet. It was downright nasty. It was
still fine as he said his good-byes to everybody at the lab, and gotten
out only with a round of their disappointments and miss-yous, plus one
near-forced dinner date with Dr. Dutton. However, all luck changed when
he faced Sarah Martin. Until this day, their morning sessions had been a
series of rather rushed sessions. As he'd expected, the extent of her
phobias, almost twenty years in the making had made accomplishing their
goal far more difficult than either had ever imagined. Mulder had been
spending the last two hours trying to convince Sarah Martin that she was
ready for the higher level of her soul-searching; that his role in her
life was now to end, though he won't ever forget what he'd learned from
her. 
	Mulder's attempt to cut the ties with her very damn nearly sent her
into another panic attack episode. But she calmed down when he took her
hands, the first time he'd voluntarily touched her since the last
episode that resulted in some degree of violence.
	"You taught me so much, Sarah. More than I ever expected. But now, you
have to try and reach the higher goal. You're an incredibly strong
person, and where you are going is somewhere I can't follow. I don't
have anything more to give to you, Sarah. You need much, much more than
I can ever give. I'll be honest with you. You may have already noticed,
but I've been wracking my brains just trying to find the best way to
help you, because you are worth it." 
Mulder meant every word, and each word was true. He'd been blown up in
his face from time and time again by the hardship of treating a patient.
But Mulder's natural craving for knowledge and his addiction for a
challenge had taught him to bear it all; because pretty soon, he would
need to apply everything he'd learned from treating Sarah into Vera. At
least Jake would help the girl through the emotional issues Sarah didn't
have anyone to share and bear with.
	Sarah sat in front of him, in the same cross-legged position she was in
since the start. Well, except for the time she punched him in the face
and scratched his neck. 
	"Sarah, listen to me. I'm not your savior. You are. In the end, you are
the only person who can help you. We are only your helpers. Sometimes we
guide you to help you find the answers to your questions. But that is
only if you let us. I've been with you, because you let me in. But I did
all that I could with you. 
"Think of this like when you're in school. You learn from certain
teachers, all gifted in their own level and specialty. But after you
pass the classes and go up to another class, you'll have different
teachers. But that doesn't mean that the teachers want to throw you away
along with your trust because they don't need you any more. That's not
how this works. I'm only saying that you are ready for more than I am
trained to help you with. But you have to keep going regardless of what
or how long it takes." 
	"But, I hate school." Sarah's tone made her sound like a lost child. He
dropped his hand to his lap.
	"This isn't a school, Sarah. This isn't a nice version of a prison
torture chamber. All of this is whatever you make it out to be, and
whatever you want it to be. This is a small room, I know. But it's a
fine place for your mind to find answers you need. It can be an
adventure for your mind and your soul. This very room can and will be
your own battlefield, where your past will demand challenges, which I
know you will bravely take. But this room also can and will be a nice
comfortable place with every small step you take forward. 
"I need you to realize understand that anything... Anything that you
find within yourself during your stay in this place ...will be yours for
life." Mulder indicated the small room with his hands, and for the first
time, saw a spec of hope in the young woman's eyes. Mulder wasn't going
to lose that. "I wish I could be of more help to you, Sarah. But you are
already much more than when we first started. You learned things. You
taught me things. Now, you're ready to learn more things, and teach more
things. But, not with me." 
	"So, you keep teaching and learning, too?" Sarah's penetrating gaze
never allowed room for a lie. Mulder nodded. 	
	"Yes, I will. In my own way, I always will." Mulder had no idea how
much of help he would be to Vera, but he knew that he had to try. Vera
won't allow herself to trust a total stranger for a therapist. Mulder
held Sarah's gaze. A very rare sight of a radiant smile slowly broke
over his face.
	"Promise?" Sarah asked, and Mulder resisted himself from reaching out
to her for an embrace. He wanted to. In fact, he wanted to fall to
pieces and break into sobs right in front of this troubled woman. She
never deserved the cancer or her inconsiderate birth parents that ruined
such a wonderful person's life. 
	"Yes, I promise."  Mulder nodded, fighting tears. He offered her his
hand to shake. It was a brief, firm symbol of a promise made; an undying
trust established. "Thank you, Sarah. For all you've done." With this,
Mulder declared finality and stood up. Sarah stood up after him, but
didn't followed him out of the door. Instead, she watched as Mulder
walked away whistling. Mulder didn't care who stared at him. He had
survived the challenge. 
	He returned to his shared office, all souvenirs including a few
good-bye and good-luck cards laying atop the assortment of copied
reports and taped sessions of therapy to be submitted to Skinner. On his
way out, Mulder stopped Keneally, who told him again that if Mulder ever
want to come back, his old job was always his. Mulder just had to laugh
at the statement. Then they exchanged a firm handshake for a good-bye,
though never in spoken words, because then it would be forever. 
In truth, Mulder had nothing but respect for Keneally. If he had met the
man while he was still enrolled in Oxford, he wouldn't have joined the
FBI. That was a scary thought when he thought about it.
	


Schuster Hotel Room 640
Sacramento, CA
3:30 PM

He finally made it to the door with the heavy load he carried. His arm
was ready to be rid of the stitches, and he had only a little trouble
for him to carry the box. He had to make a few trips around the building
while turning in his security pass and the lab coat as well as
completing the necessary paperwork for leaving. The moment he placed the
heavy box on the hotel table, his cellular phone summoned his attention.
He'd only turned it back on fifteen minutes ago, which was when he'd
gotten into his rental car. He picked it up and was greeted by Scully's
voice.
	"Hey, Scully! Just who I wanted to talk to!" Mulder couldn't hide his
excitement for leaving the city, and thus teaming up with her again. If
he'd been listening to her more closely, he'd have detected the
exhaustion hiding behind her all-business tone.
	"Oh, so you got out?" She asked, sensing his unusually cheerful mood. 
	"Yes! I'm heading your way right now. You're still in Vancouver,
right?" He spoke rapidly, the relief of getting a mission accomplished.
When she stayed silent, though, a very familiar sick nausea quickly
killed his good mood. "Scully, what's wrong? ...Didn't Skinner take my
advice?!" Recalling his earlier phone conversation with Margaret Scully,
Mulder resigned to the fact that good times never last long enough. 
	"He did. He sent us the bureau's rear-jet for our trip back to the
States with Clive Shaw. We've got two cardboard boxes full of documents
to prove us right. Shaw's with Skinner, under the AD's personal
protection. I'll join him soon."
	"So you came back. Does this mean you're back in Los Angels?" His voice
turning serious, he tried to read every bit of trouble she wasn't
telling him. There had to be a lot for her to avoid direct answers.
	"No, I'm in Seattle for the time being. With four other agents."
'Seattle? What now?' Mulder thought, telling himself to calm down.
	"Why Seattle? Quit stalling, Scully, and please tell me what's going
on." 
	"Mulder, we've lost an agent. He was shot in the back, and the bullet
penetrated his spine before plunging itself into the heart."
	"What?! Scully, are you all right?!" He really wished he had a pair of
wings, so he could fly this very moment and tell her how sorry he was
for not being there.
	"Mulder, listen to me. Three or more professional snipers ambushed us.
The small storage unit located twenty feet from away from our jet was
booby-trapped. They might have thought we'd go there for cover, but we
used our cars. Good thing we did, because it exploded when other agents
fired at it. But... Well, it's a very, very long story that finished in
less than ten minutes, so I'll tell you more in person." Mulder detected
a very small gasp in her voice as she moved around. He could tell from
the background noise that Scully was indeed in a hospital.
	"Scully? Don't ask me how I know this, but I know you're hurt." 
	"Mulder, stop your worrying right now. I'll give that I am hurt, but I
was incredibly lucky. There are three other agents who didn't get so
lucky. They're all in surgery right now. I'm already out, and I was
moved into my own room just an hour ago." Mulder landed on his rear on
the spot, unable to remain standing. 
"Oh, my God. Scully..." Words, even his breath were fighting their way
out of him. His mouth was suddenly dry, and his throat felt clogged.
	"Mulder, listen. I requested them to use local anesthetics, so I would
remain awake. It's not bad at all. I'm well enough to rejoin Skinner and
Shaw. The bullet that took me came from the side. It nicked my upper arm
much like you had yours, only it got me on my right arm. Then, it
slipped under and came to rest in my right breast about an inch deep. It
was fired from a long-range rifle, equipped with a silencer. But the
other three snipers that fired at us didn't have silencers. That made it
easier to identify where the shots were fired. 
"Mulder, I have no broken bone. There was no damage in any of my
internal organs, and I didn't have any ruptured artery. I just have a
bad scratch on my arm, and an inch-deep hole in my breast. I also have
bruises, scrapes and cuts; but they're scattering everywhere on my body,
and none of them was major. I have the extracted bullet in my possession
for the ballistics. Thanks to you and Mom. You both saved our lives
today." 
	"Uhm... Okay." Mulder barely managed to utter the words.
	"Mulder, listen to me. My mother's been contacted, and she's already on
her way to Los Angels to join us. I know that you're going directly to
the airport because you got this call. Don't kill yourself getting
there. Make damn sure to stop at every red light and stop sign, because
I'm not coming to bail you out of jail if you get caught this time.
...I'm alive and well, Mulder. I'll be quite sore for a couple of weeks,
but I'm far better off than the others. 
"I also need to remind you, that I'm well enough to continue with this
investigation. There's a lot to catch up here, Mulder. You just work on
getting yourself back in Los Angels safely, and in one piece. We'll take
the rest from there." Her surprisingly calming tone was contagious, and
Mulder breathed easier. But earlier, he thought he'd have a heart
attack, or even a stroke like the one his mother suffered. 
	"All right, Scully. I'm sorry I lost it again. It's me who should be
comforting you right now, for God's sakes." Mulder got back on his feet
to start packing. 
	"Well. I'm used to your over-protectiveness and your tendency to go on
a rampage. Until now, you were doing something that someone had to be
ready for. There's nothing to be feeling guilty about." Scully's voice
was much more relaxed now, and Mulder could feel his own tension
retreating into the darker recesses of his mind. 
	"I can't thank you enough, Scully. But can you go easy on my wallet and
settle for a dinner?" Mulder asked, just wanting to make her smile. 
	"I'm pretty much famished. Sure, we'll be tied up over Jarvis' research
material anyway. Shaw's unharmed, by the way. Nothing is out of control,
yet. Just come on down here as fast as you can without causing trouble,
and we'll take it all from there." Mulder was in awe, again, at his
partner's capacity to be so giving. So understanding, and so incredibly
strong.
	"Good work, Scully. You amaze me. I, uhh..., ...I'll see you in a
couple of hours." He knew nothing was as easy as she tried to convince
him. 'A hole in her right breast? That had to hurt like hell!' Mulder
dialed Skinner's number and reported himself officially back on duty.
When he requested Clive Shaw on the line, Skinner told him to save the
fun. Mulder apologized for his earlier behavior, and promised Skinner
his full involvement with the case.
	Next he called Amanda on her pager, and when she returned his page, he
told her that he had a family emergency. She playfully asked him if he
was trying to get rid of her. Mulder denied it flat-out, telling her
that there had been an accident and he was flying to Los Angels in less
than an hour. But he thanked her for all the time they spent together,
and wished her the best of luck. Amanda, remembering all the tedious
analysis work he'd done for her, forgave him and gave him her good-luck
wishes with a light good-bye kiss over the phone. Mulder blushed and
considered himself fortunate that Amanda Dutton wasn't there to see it.