From: ephemeral@ephemeralfic.org
Date: 10 Nov 2004 19:38:58 -0000
Subject: How To Avoid Seminars Without Really Trying II by Kathy Foote
Source: direct

Reply To: kmfoote@charter.net


Title: How to Avoid Seminars Without Really Trying II
Date: November 10, 2004 
Author: Kathy Foote
Spoilers: None
Summary: Mulder and Scully manage to get out of yet another 
seminar
Rating: PG
Category: minor MT, Adventure
Disclaimer:  Fox and Carter own the characters.  I don't make 
any money off this (who would pay me anyway), but I sure did 
LOVE playing with them for a while.
Archive:  Sure thing, I'd be honored, but it would be nice if you 
dropped me a note letting me know.
Thanks: To Emmy and the guys at Mulder's Refuge who 
encouraged me to write another story, to my Mom who 
tirelessly proofreads and listens to me endlessly talking about 
the story, and to Vickie Moseley, my fabulous beta who is re-
teaching me the use of past and present tense; I guess I should 
have paid more attention in English Composition...thanks :)
Note: This is not sequel to an earlier story of the same name.  It 
is merely another story in, what might become, a series of stories 
with a common theme.  You can read the first story, which I would 
love, but it is not required.  It can be found at:
http://x-files.bytewright.com/arcHo/HowToAvoidSeminars.html.

Feedback should be sent to kmfoote@charter.net.


How to Avoid Seminars Without Really Trying II 

Interstate 70, just east of Lawrence, Kansas
Early Monday afternoon

Whoever had the bright idea that Mulder and Scully should fly 
to Kansas on the morning of the seminar never considered 
delays.  The thought was that if they didn't have a lot of time 
before the seminar, they would not have time to get into any 
trouble.  That, of course, did not work out as planned.  They 
were scheduled to arrive in Kansas City at 10:30am, which 
would leave them plenty of time to drive to Topeka, get 
checked in, and make it to the opening session of the seminar by 
1:00pm.  The day started with storms in the DC area, which 
caused the initial delay.  That had delayed the flight 2 hours.  
Finally, the storms had passed the airport, moving off to the 
northeast.  

The passengers boarded the plane, only to have another flight 
delay due to an instrument malfunction.  The mechanics were 
expected shortly, so the passengers remained on board.  After 
waiting twenty minutes, the pilot announced that the mechanics 
had found the problem and were checking if they had the part in 
stock.  Twenty minutes later, the pilot announced they were still 
looking for the part and begged for everyone's patience.  
Twenty minutes after that, the pilot announced that the part had 
been found and was on the way to the airplane and as soon as it 
was installed, the plane would be on its way.  Another twenty 
minutes later, the pilot asked the flight attendants to prepare 
for departure.  That made the total delay almost 3 1/2 hours.

So it was after 2:00pm when Mulder and Scully landed at the 
Kansas City airport.  By then Scully was not in a good mood.  It 
was as if she blamed Mulder for the delays and making them 
late for the seminar.  Before they had left DC, she had assured 
AD Skinner they that _would_ make it to this seminar.

They had no trouble getting their rental car, which amazingly 
was not a Taurus.  They actually had a spot of luck.  Due to the 
lateness, the rental agency had run out of full-size cars, so they 
upgraded them to a Mercury Grand Marquis.  Scully snatched 
the keys declaring that she was going to drive.

That is how they came to be on Interstate 70 heading west 
towards Topeka.  It was now close to 3:00pm and they probably 
would miss the entire first day of the seminar.  Missing it 
wouldn't be too bad, since the first day was mostly introductions 
and they would be there for the other two days.  Scully was 
looking forward to the obligatory wine and cheese reception, 
since after the day they had had, she could use a couple glasses 
of wine.

They were making good time, even though there was quite a bit 
of road construction.  The traffic was practically non-existent, 
which helped.  All of a sudden Scully noticed something in the 
road immediately in their path.  She swerved to miss it, but 
there was just not enough time to avoid hitting the object.  
Mulder, who had been dozing lightly, woke up when the car 
swerved.

"Jeez, Scully, can't a guy catch a cat nap.  Are you having 
trouble keeping the car on the road?"

"There was something in the road.  I tried to miss it, but I think 
I caught it with the tire."

They both noticed the tell-tale feel of a flat tire at the same 
time and exclaimed in unison, "Damn!"  She slowed the car down to 
a crawl and turned on the emergency flashers. 

"What did you hit?"

"I don't know...I think it was a chunk of metal.  What does it 
really matter?  It was obviously big enough and hard enough to 
blow out the tire."

"Great!  Well, we have to pull over somewhere and change that 
tire."

"Where, Mulder?  There is no shoulder on this road.  We can't 
just stop in the right lane and change the tire.  This is a toll 
road and the next exit isn't for another 15 miles."

"Well, I don't think we can drive that far on a flat tire.  We 
have to think of something soon or we'll be driving on the rim."

"I think I saw a sign that said there is a rest area just ahead.  
Maybe we can make it that far."

"We just have to, Scully."

The car limped slowly down the right lane of the freeway.  They 
could feel the rubber tearing from the rim when they spotted the 
rest area exit sign.  Scully said a small prayer of thanks and 
pulled the car into the rest area.  She parked the car in front of 
the restrooms, which were away from the highway.

Mulder stepped out of the car and stretched out his tired 
muscles.  It seemed like he had been sitting all day long.  He 
removed his jacket, threw it into the back seat, and asked Scully 
to toss him the car keys so he could get to the spare out of the 
trunk.  "Guess I better get started."

Scully exited the car also, to see if there was something she 
could do to help.  Mulder said he had it covered, but she could 
keep him company if she wanted.  She proceeded to engage him 
in idle chitchat, detailing her eventful weekend spent with her 
family.  Mulder removed their luggage from the trunk so he 
could get to the tire and jack.  Thankfully, he had no trouble 
with the jack and soon had the car up and was loosening the lug 
nuts on the flat tire.
 
Dan Prescott had been watching the couple, since they pulled 
into the rest area.  He had hoped someone would eventually 
stop here, but he had begun to lose hope.  It was only a matter 
of time before the authorities caught up to him.  A little over 24 
hours ago he was on a work detail from Lansing Correctional 
Facility.  He had been the ideal prisoner, never causing trouble 
and as such, was selected for numerous work projects.  He had 
been planning a way to escape from one of the work details for 
a while now.  

He could tell the car had a flat tire by the way it bumped and 
swayed as it drove across the lot.  There were two people in the 
car; looked like a woman and a man.  He didn't think they 
would be a problem.  He would just wait until they had changed 
the tire and then snatch their car.  He almost reconsidered when 
the man got out and removed his coat.  Dan immediately 
spotted the gun in the holster at the man's waist.  The man was 
probably some kind of cop and Dan could make use of his gun.  
He watched as the man removed luggage from the trunk of the 
car and finally the spare tire.  The luggage gave him an idea.  
The cop was about the same build as he was; perhaps there were 
some spare clothes in one of those suitcases.  Dan needed to get 
out of that prison jumpsuit before someone spotted him and this 
was a perfect opportunity.  

After laboring about 15 minutes, Mulder had the new tire on 
and was lowering the car with the jack.  He put the old flat tire 
back into the trunk.  Looking at his hands, he saw that they were 
covered in grime from the tires.

"Just about finished up here, Scully.  I just need to get 
everything back in the trunk and then see if I can scrub this 
gunk off my hands." 

"Ok, sounds great.  I'm going to visit the little girl's room 
while you finish up and then we can be back on our way to Topeka.  
We might still make it in time for the reception.  I don't know 
about you, but I could sure use a glass of wine."

Dan watched as she reached in the car to get her purse, made 
her way up the sidewalk, and disappeared into the women's 
restroom.  He decided this was the best time to strike.  Dan had 
found a hefty stick that he could use as a weapon.  It was no 
match for a gun, but he hoped to surprise the man.

Mulder was just putting the jack back into the trunk of the car 
when he felt a crushing blow to the side of his head.  Everything 
turned black as he dropped like a sack of cement.  Dan quickly 
removed the gun and its holster.  He felt better just having the 
gun in his hand.  He searched the pockets of his victim, finding 
his handcuffs, keys, car keys, wallet, and badge.  Opening the 
badge, he discovered the man was not a cop, but an FBI agent.  
What would an FBI agent be doing here?  Things were getting 
better and better.  He looked toward the restroom and there was 
no sign of the woman.  He needed to hurry.  

Dan shoved everything into his pockets, with the exception of 
the gun.  He rolled Mulder onto his stomach, so that he could 
cuff his hands behind his back.  He stood up and seized Mulder 
under the arms and lifted the top half of him into the trunk.  He 
grasped the agent's legs and heaved them into the trunk, when 
he felt something around the ankle.  He lifted the pant leg and 
found a second gun.  He angrily snagged it from the holster 
strapped to the man's ankle and slipped it into his pocket.  He 
couldn't believe he had almost missed the gun; he would have 
to be more careful.  He had to hurry.  He had to get to the 
woman before she left the restroom.  He threw the suitcases into 
the trunk on top of the agent, shut the trunk, and moved off in 
the direction of the women's restroom to capture the other one.

Scully was just finishing up in the restroom.  She looked into 
the mirror as she smoothed out her skirt, deciding that she 
looked presentable.  She slung her purse over her shoulder and 
turned to leave the restroom.  She found herself staring into the 
barrel of a gun being held by a man in an orange jumpsuit.  It 
looked a lot like Mulder's gun, which meant something had 
happened to him.

"That's far enough.  Drop the purse to the ground and...how 
does that go?  Oh yeah, assume the position."  He snickered as 
Scully turned to face the wall.  

He moved up behind her and shoved the gun into her back.  
"Don't move.  I don't want to hurt you, but I will."  He removed 
her gun from its holster hooked to her waist and shoved it into 
his pocket, along with Mulder's gun.  He found nothing else in 
his search, so he took her purse and dumped it on the ground.  
He grabbed her cuffs, her cell phone, and her badge.  Flipping it 
open he found that she too was an FBI agent...Dana Scully.

He threw her badge back at her, "Pick up your stuff and let's get 
moving.  I've got a _plaaan_.  First I need to change out this 
jumpsuit and I sure hope the other one brought a change of 
clothes in those suitcases."

"Where's Mulder?  What have you done to him?"

"Oh he's OK, I guess.  He's just taking a little nap.  Move!"  He 
waved the gun towards the door indicating that Scully should 
head that way.

As they moved from the restroom back to the car, Scully 
noticed the rest area was completely empty.  She could hear a 
few cars pass by on the road, but you really couldn't see them 
because of the trees that obstructed the view.  Just their luck, 
they had to pick a deserted, out of the way, rest area that was 
harboring an escaped prisoner.  This had to be Mulder's fault, 
although not directly.  She had begun to refer to it as "Mulder's 
Law"...if anything could go wrong, it would...and it 
had...again.

She also noticed that there was no sign of Mulder.  The tire had 
been changed and everything had been put up.  They moved to 
the back of the car.  "Here", Dan got her attention and pitched 
her the car keys.  "Open it up and get his suitcase."

She opened the trunk and gasped when she saw Mulder.  There 
he was, handcuffed and crammed in the trunk of their car.  The 
suitcases had been tossed haphazardly in on top of him, 
obscuring her view of his head.  She removed his suitcase and 
dropped it on the ground beside the car.  She turned back to get 
a better look at Mulder and saw that he was bleeding from a 
wound on the side of his head.  It probably looked worse than it 
was, at least she hoped so, but there was a lot of blood.  He 
appeared to be breathing all right, but he was unconscious.  She 
started to reach into the trunk to check him out, but Dan hooked 
her arm and shoved her back toward the restroom.  "He'll live."  
Dan slammed the trunk lid closed and removed the keys.  
"Come on!  Grab that suitcase and get moving." 

They walked back toward the restrooms, this time entering the 
men's restroom.  Dan cuffed Scully to the pipe behind the men's 
urinal and got to work.  Opening Mulder's suitcase he let out a 
satisfied sigh.  "This is better than I thought.  He has 
everything I need.  This is going to work out perfect."

"What is going to work out?"

"Lady, you're getting a new partner."  With that, he proceeded 
to get cleaned up.  He scrubbed off the dirt, shaved, combed his 
hair, and finally, donned one Mulder's fine Armani suits.  He 
stood before the mirror, admiring the view.  He hadn't looked 
this good in years.  "I got to hand it to the fibbie, he's got 
great taste in clothes.  I have no idea how he can afford them on 
a government salary, but I sure like it."

He hooked the holster to the waistband of the slacks and turned 
to model for Scully.  "How about it?  Think I could pass for an 
FBI agent?"

She was amazed at the difference some cleaning up and a suit 
could make.  From a distance, she would have mistaken him for 
Mulder.  "You do realize that this is kidnapping, impersonating 
an officer, not to mention assault.  I don't know what you hope 
to accomplish."

"What I hope to accomplish is to get out of here...first.  Second, 
we are going to collect what is mine, and third...I don't 
know...I haven't decided that yet.  Let's get the hell out of 
here."

Dan put everything back into Mulder's suitcase.  He released 
Scully from the cuffs and they made their way back to the car.  
Again, he pitched the keys to Scully and ordered her to open the 
trunk.  Mulder was still there and still unconscious.  He did look 
like his head had stopped bleeding.  "Please let me check him 
out...make sure he's OK", she pleaded.

"He's fine.  I need something to tie up his feet.  You got any 
hose in that suitcase of yours?"

"Why do you need to tie his feet?  He isn't going anywhere."

Dan just pointed the gun at Mulder's head, "I guess I could 
ensure he stays put another way.  Would you prefer that?"

Scully shook her head as she reached for her suitcase, opened it, 
and pulled out a pair of hose.

"Get that shirt too.  We need something to use as a gag."  She 
grabbed the shirt, shut the suitcase, and threw it further into 
the trunk.  She tied Mulder's feet with the hose.  When she put 
the gag on him, she used the opportunity to check his pulse.  She 
placed her fingers on his neck and was relieved to find a strong, 
steady pulse.  She noticed that his head had stopped bleeding, 
but there was blood all over his neck and shirt.  Her fingers 
were stained with his blood from where she had placed them on 
his neck.  Finally, she placed the blouse into his mouth and tied 
the ends around his head.

Dan checked her knots.  Satisfied with her work, he slammed 
the trunk closed.  "Let's go.  You drive."

Scully took the keys from the trunk lock and moved to the 
driver's side door.  She kept an eye on Dan, who was also 
keeping an eye on her.  He opened the passenger door and got 
in the car.  Scully followed him, getting into the driver's side.

"Where to?"

"We're going to get back on the highway and head west.  If we 
get stopped, we're just two FBI agents...what the hell are you 
two doing here in the first place?"  

"We were on our way to a training seminar in Topeka."

"All right.  We're just two FBI agents on our way to a training 
seminar.  Don't try anything and everything will be OK.  Don't 
forget I have the guns."

Scully started the car and drove through the rest area back onto 
the highway.  They were headed west toward Topeka and, she 
wondered, where after that?


Interstate 70, westbound towards Topeka, Kansas 
Late Monday afternoon

Suddenly, the shrill sound of a cell phone ringing began.  Scully 
recognized it as Mulder's phone.  Dan followed the sound until 
he found the phone in the pocket of Mulder's jacket, which had 
been thrown into the back seat of the car.  He retrieved the 
phone and looked at the caller ID.  "Skinman?  Who the hell is 
Skinman?"

"Oh, just one of Mulder's crazy friends", she lied; not wanting 
him to know it was their boss.

"I guess they'll just have to chat with him later, seeing how he's 
all tied up."  Dan laughed, as he switched off the phone and 
stuffed it in his pocket.  

Scully needed to find out who this guy was, where he had come 
from, and, more importantly, what he had planned.

"So what's your name," she asked without taking her eyes from 
the road.

He smiled at her, "It's Fox Mulder, but you can call me _Fox_."

She looked at him, and if looks could kill, he'd be a dead man.  
"I meant your real name.  I refuse to call you Fox."

He thought about how to answer.  He might as well tell her, 
because she would probably find out anyway.  "Dan...Dan 
Prescott.  Happy?"

"Ecstatic!  So tell me Dan, how did you come to be wearing that 
fashionable orange jumpsuit?"  She looked over at him again 
and smiled, "...and, where can I get one?"  Mulder must have 
been channeling through her for her to make such an 
antagonizing statement.

He frowned at her last comment.  "Oh well, I might as well tell 
you since there isn't a thing you can do about it.  I have been a 
_guest_ of the Kansas Correctional Facility up in Lansing for 
about three years.  I took some money that didn't belong to me 
and they seemed to object to that.  It was bad enough that I 
robbed the bank, but when I wouldn't divulge the location of the 
loot, they doubled my sentence out of spite.  There was no 
chance of parole unless I gave up the money, which I had no 
intention of doing.  Anyway, I played the model prisoner for the 
last three years, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to make 
my escape.  It wasn't that hard to get away from the work detail.  
I made my way to that little rest area and just waited for 
someone to happen by.  Oh yeah, thanks for that."

"Not a problem; glad we could be of assistance.  So where did 
you stash the money?"

"You'll see.  Just keep driving."

They had been driving for about 30 minutes in total silence, 
when they spied the flashing lights ahead.  "OK lady, now just 
play it cool.  We're just a couple of FBI agents on our way to 
Topeka.  No tricks."

A million ideas rushed through Scully's mind, but none of them 
were any good.  He had the gun and she didn't think he would 
hesitate to use it on her.  He seemed pretty desperate.  She just 
had to get through this roadblock and then look for another 
opportunity to get his gun.  Correction...guns.

She slowed down and moved in line behind several other cars.  
When they pulled up to the officer, she rolled down her 
window.  "Afternoon ma'am", said the young officer as he 
peered into the window.

She had her badge ready and flashed it to the officer, "Special 
Agent Dana Scully and this is my partner Fox Mulder."  Dan 
followed Scully's lead and showed his badge to the officer.  
"What's this about?"

"We have an escaped prisoner from up in Lansing, ma'am.  Dan 
Prescott.  Have you seen anyone suspicious?  Six foot, dark 
hair...last time he was seen, he was wearing an orange 
jumpsuit."

"No sir.  We have been on this road since Kansas City and 
haven't seen a thing."

"What's the FBI doing out this way, if you don't mind me 
asking?"

"We're headed to a training seminar in Topeka.  Listen, we'll 
keep our eyes open and let you know if we seen anything."

"Thanks ma'am.  You two have a good day."

With that, Scully moved on through the blockade of cars and 
slowly picked up speed as they continued on down the turnpike.

Dan clapped his hands, "Very good, Agent Scully.  I'm 
impressed.  That worked out better than I had hoped.  I might 
just have to keep Agent Mulder's ID even after I get my money.  
It could come in handy."

After another thirty minutes, they came to the tollbooth in 
Topeka.  "Now what?" she queried.

He removed a couple of bucks from Mulder's wallet and handed 
it to Scully.  "Just pay the toll and take the turnpike south 
towards Wichita."

"We're going to Wichita?"

"Actually, Agent Scully, we're headed for a little town called 
Medicine Lodge southwest of Wichita.  Just stay on the 
turnpike.  I'll tell you where to turn."


Interstate 35, just northeast of Wichita, Kansas
Late Monday evening

Mulder finally came around, slowly regaining consciousness.  
His first sensation was a pounding in his head.  Next, was that 
he couldn't move.  He could feel the bite of metal around his 
wrists, which could only mean handcuffs.  His feet were bound 
and he had some type of gag in his mouth.  He slowly opened 
his eyes to darkness.  Well, not total darkness.  There was a 
reddish tint to everything.  He started to turn his head to get a 
look at his surroundings and immediately regretted it.  He felt 
queasy and struggled not to lose the contents of his stomach.  
He closed his eyes and willed the feeling to subside.  After a 
few minutes, his stomach stopped feeling the need to rebel and 
he opened his eyes again.

He realized that he was in the trunk of a car, but was totally at 
a loss as to how he got there.  Last thing he remembered was 
changing the flat tire on their car.  Was he in their car?  Who 
tied him up?  Where was Scully?  He could tell the car was 
moving, because he felt the steady sway, but where was it 
headed?  He decided that eventually the car would stop and he 
needed to get untied if he hoped to mount some kind of defense.  
First, he had to get his cuffed hands from behind his back.  
Thankfully, the trunk was of a good size and allowed him more 
room for movement.  Maybe he was in their rental car, 
remembering the unexpected upgrade to a larger vehicle.  Now 
he had another reason to be grateful other than the increased 
legroom.  However, one usually wouldn't consider the amount 
of maneuvering room in a trunk when selecting a rental car.  He 
managed to roll onto his back and keeping his weight off his 
cuffed hands, began to slide them down under his hips.  The 
cuffs pulled painfully at his wrists and he knew they would be 
sore.  After what seemed like hours, he was finally able to get 
his hands under his hips to the crook of his knees.  He had to 
stop and rest.  He had broken out into a sweat from all the 
exertion.  Moving one's hands from behind your back to the 
front was a lot harder than people realized.  Maybe it wasn't 
hard for an escape artist like Dr. Blockhead, but for normal 
6-foot people, it was difficult to say the least.

Actually, as it turned out, moving his hands from behind his 
back to behind his knees had been the easy part.  With his feet 
tied together, slipping them through his cuffed arms proved to 
be much harder.  Lying on his side, he brought his knees as 
close to his chin as possible and began working his feet through 
his cuffed hands. 

Before they actually got to Wichita Dan ordered Scully, to take 
the exit to highway 54 towards Pratt.  "We're getting closer 
now; maybe a couple more hours.  It will be over soon."

Over? thought Scully, that sounded ominous.  "What's going to 
happen to us when we get to Medicine Lodge?"

"I haven't decided yet" and then added with a laugh, "but hey, 
you will be the first to know."

Scully's mind was working in overtime, sorting through her 
options.  Mulder was out of the picture; at least she couldn't 
count on any help from him.  Dan had all the guns.  Eventually, 
the car would stop and perhaps that would be her best chance.

Mulder struggled to get his feet through his cuffed hands.  He 
stretched the cuffs as far as they would go.  He felt the metal 
cutting into the flesh of his wrists.  Finally, he was able to get 
his cuffed hands over his feet.  He was exhausted and his wrists 
ached from the abuse they had received.  He closed his eyes 
against the pain and lay there panting through his nose.  
Everything from wrist to shoulder ached.  He was drenched in 
sweat from the heat in the trunk, plus the exertion expended in 
struggling to free his hands.  He moved his hands to his mouth 
to remove the gag and inhaled a lung full of stale air.  His arms 
were killing him, but he needed to get his feet free from their 
bindings.  He again brought his knees to his chest and reached 
his hands down until he felt his bound feet.    His fingers moved 
over the material around his ankles until he felt the knot and 
began to work it loose.


US-160, just outside of Medicine Lodge, Kansas
Monday night

Scully saw the sign that announced they were entering the city 
limits of Medicine Lodge.  The town was dark, even though it 
was only a little after 9:00.  Little towns usually shut down 
early in the Midwest.  All the inhabitants of this town were 
probably already home, preparing to go to bed.  The streets 
were deserted; not a car to be seen.

Scully was deep in thought and was startled when Dan finally 
spoke.  "Turn left up here."  He hadn't spoken for at least an 
hour.  She turned left onto what she thought was a seldom used 
cow path.  The road had seen better times and was extremely 
rough.  She wondered if Mulder had awakened and how he was 
faring in the trunk from the bumpy ride.

Mulder had freed himself a while back and was just lying there, 
resting.  He cradled his injured wrists against his chest trying 
not to move his arms too much.  He came alert as the car 
slowed.  The left turn signal blinked brightly in the darkened 
trunk, as he realized the car was turning.  He was unprepared 
for the change as the car left the smooth paved surface and 
drove across what he thought must be an open field.  He 
bounced violently around in the trunk, repeatedly landing on the 
other objects in the trunk.  The ride was treacherous as he was 
hit with everything that was not secured in the trunk.  

After what seemed like an eternity, the car slowed to a stop.  
Mulder was thankful for this reprieve.  His head was again 
pounding from the numerous hits it had taken against the trunk 
lid, the floorboard, and what he thought was his suitcase.  
Basically anything that had not been tied down had banged into 
him at some point.  He moaned from the pain in his head, but 
became silent as the engine shut off.  He strained to listen as he 
could finally hear voices.

"We might need some light...got any flashlights in here?" came 
an unknown man's voice.  Mulder had never heard that voice 
before.

"I have a small pocket flashlight in my purse."  Mulder 
recognized Scully's voice.  He let out a huge sigh of relief as he 
silently thanked God that she was all right.

"Get it and get out!" demanded the unknown voice.  "You're 
going to help me get my money".

"Money?  What the hell was that about?" Mulder thought.  All 
he knew was that Scully was in trouble and he would have to 
get out of the trunk, if he was going to help.  

Dan pointed the gun at Scully and took her arm with his other 
hand, dragging her from the car.  He grabbed the flashlight and 
turned it on, illuminating the worn path through the trees.  
"Let's go!"  Scully stumbled forward on the uneven path, trying to 
stay on her feet as she watched where the small flashlight lit the 
way.  After about 50 yards, they came upon a darkened cabin.  
There were no cars in the area, so she assumed it was empty.  It 
looked well kept, so she doubted it was abandoned.

Dan had no trouble breaking open the front door.  Obviously, 
the owner had never heard of sturdy dead bolts.  Dan motioned 
for her to enter the house and then shoved her into the room.  
He switched on a table lamp and the room was bathed in bright 
light.  "Good.  Now I won't need your flashlight."  He threw the 
unneeded flashlight onto the floor.  

They were standing in a large room with a massive fireplace 
that took up most of the far wall.  There was a couch, coffee 
table, a couple chairs, and end tables.  The room had a cozy, 
lived in feel.

"Come here" Dan called to her.  Scully moved closer, as he 
pulled her handcuffs out of his jacket pocket.  "Turn around."

She eyed him for a moment, weighing her options.  If she were 
cuffed again, she would stand little chance of escaping.  As if he 
could read her mind, he raised the gun, pointing it at her chest.  
"Don't test me.  I don't really want to hurt you, but I will _do_ 
what ever it takes to get what is mine."

She continued to stare at him, not making any movement to 
comply with his command.

"Fine.  I'll just go drag your boyfriend out the trunk and see if 
he can get you to turn around."

He noticed a change in her eyes, as if he had struck a nerve.  
Maybe these two were more than partners.  That would be a 
handy tactic if he had trouble with her in the future.  
Acquiescing to his demands, she slowly turned and placed her 
hands behind her back.  He fastened the cuffs around her wrists 
and pushed her towards the corner. "Sit down and do _not_ 
move."  He moved the couch and coffee table out of the way 
exposing the floor beneath.  He took the fireplace poker and 
began to pry up the floorboards.

Mulder waited until the voices and footsteps faded away.  The 
man obviously thought Mulder was still unconscious or had 
forgotten how easy it was to get out of car trunks these days.  
Waiting until he was sure they were out of sight, he pulled the 
handle located inside the trunk that released the trunk lid.  He 
carefully opened the lid a fraction so that he could scan the 
area.  When he was sure no one was around, he let the lid open all 
the way and slowly moved to get out of the trunk.

He moved slowly, as every muscle and joint in his body ached 
from being in such a position for what must have been hours.  
He noticed it was fully dark now and it had been afternoon 
when they had stopped to change the tire.  He had absolutely no 
idea where they were, but he could make out a cabin partially 
hidden in a stand of trees.  There was a light burning in the 
windows.  He quietly crept up the cabin and peeked in one of 
the front windows.

He could see Scully sitting in a corner with her hands behind 
her back.  There was a man in the center of the room, wearing 
what looked like one of Mulder's suits, intently digging at the 
floor.  He looked like he was trying to pry up the floorboards.  
Mulder spied his gun lying on the ground beside the man.  He 
wouldn't get a better chance.  He silently slipped into the cabin 
through the busted front door and made his way toward the 
man.

Scully noticed Mulder as he entered the house, but showed no 
reaction on her face.  She needed to distract the prisoner, so 
Mulder would have a chance at a surprise attack.

"Dan?  I don't understand how you expect to get away with any 
of this.  You can't just kidnap two federal agents and expect to 
just disappear.  They'll come after you."  Dan had turned his 
head to look at her as she spoke.

Good work, Scully.  The distraction she caused allowed Mulder 
to get close to the guy.  He brought his cuffed hands down on 
the back of the prisoner's head and Dan fell forward to the floor.  
Mulder tried to muster all the strength he could, but it was not 
enough.  Dan began to rise from the floor shaking his head to 
clear it.  Realizing his mistake, Mulder lunged for the gun, but 
didn't make it.  Dan responded by slamming the fireplace poker 
across Mulder's gut, which brought him to his knees.  Dan tried 
to reach for the gun, but Mulder managed to kick it away...in 
Scully's general direction.

Dan brought his fist around catching Mulder directly on the left 
side of his face, which drove him to the ground.  Just as Dan 
moved to attack him again, Mulder kicked out with his right 
foot and caught Dan just above the knee.  Dan dropped like a 
rock as he screamed at the pain in his knee.  Before Mulder 
could move, Dan pulled one of the guns from within his pocket 
and pointed it directly at Mulder's face.  That froze Mulder in 
his tracks.  It was Scully's gun.

While Dan and Mulder were battling on the floor, Scully 
worked to get her cuffed hands from behind her back, so that 
she could help Mulder.  When she got her hands in front of her, 
she reached for Mulder's discarded gun and then aimed it at 
Dan.  "Freeze!"

Stunned, Dan turned and attempted to bring his weapon to bear 
on Scully.  She shot him in the shoulder, which drove him to the 
ground and caused the gun to fall out of his hand.

"I said freeze," she repeated as she moved forward to cover the 
downed man.  Mulder rummaged through Dan's pockets and 
removed everything, including his keys, which he used to 
unlock his own cuffs.

"On your stomach."  Dan was stunned by this turn of events.  
How had everything gone to hell in a matter of seconds?  He 
weighed his chances against the man and his armed partner.  
"Now!" Mulder ordered.  Dan removed his hand from his 
wounded shoulder and managed to roll onto his stomach.  
Mulder pulled Dan's hands behind his back, eliciting a gasp of 
pain, and cuffed him.

Mulder and Scully both let out a sigh of relief in unison.  Scully 
kept the gun trained on Dan until her concentration was broken 
by the jingle of keys.

"Here, Scully, let's get those cuffs off."  Scully held her hands 
out to him, so Mulder could unlock the cuffs.

As he neared her, she noticed the bruising on his face and his 
rapidly swelling left eye.  She placed her hand on his chin, so 
she could turn his face and get a better look.   She saw the dried 
in blood in his hair and where it had dripped down his neck to 
his shirt.  "Mulder, are you OK?  What happened to your head?" 

"That guy hit me with something...big...and hard...when I was 
putting the jack back in the trunk.  That's all I remember."

"Mulder, help me get him off the floor and into a chair so I can 
examine that shoulder.  Then I want to take a closer look at 
you."  He seized Dan by his good arm and pulled him into a 
standing position, then pushed him into one of the chairs.  He 
picked up all the items he had removed from Dan's pockets and 
placed them into his own, and then he himself dropped onto the 
couch, the adrenaline rush rapidly wearing off.

Scully checked out Dan's shoulder and determined that he 
would live.  "He'll be all right.  The bullet went straight 
through.  Come on Mulder, let's have a look at you."

"Whatever makes you happy, Scully, but first I have to know a 
few things, like what in the _hell_ happened?  What's this about 
money?  Who is this guy and why is he wearing my clothes?  
Are we still even in Kansas?"

Scully had a closer look at Mulder's injuries as she explained 
everything that had happened from the time he had changed the 
tire until now.  "Looks like you are going to need a few stitches 
here."  Mulder only moaned at the prospect.  "You're also going 
to have quite a shiner.  How are the ribs?"

"A little sore, but I think they are fine.  So Scully, do you 
think the money is under the floor?"

"He said it was.  Why don't you see if you can finish prying up 
the floorboards?"

Mulder retrieved the fireplace poker and resumed the job Dan 
had started.  After he had three boards removed, he used the 
discarded flashlight to peer beneath the floor.  He spotted 
something white.  He reached into the hole and removed the 
white canvas sack with the name First National Bank of Wichita 
Kansas emblazoned on the side.  He opened the top and looked 
inside.  Letting out a whistle, he reached in and pulled out a 
bundle of hundred bills.  "Look at this Scully", said Mulder 
holding up the bundle of bills.  "There must a couple of hundred 
thousand in here.  No wonder Dan-o here was willing to take so 
many risks."

"Well, what do we do with him and the money?  Maybe we 
should call Skinner."

"I guess we should, but he's going to ream us about missing the 
seminar or at least for being late."  Mulder removed his cell 
phone from his pocket and turned it on.  It immediately beeped 
that he had three messages.  He dialed his own number to listen 
to the messages.  The first one was from Skinner.

"Mulder?  Skinner.  Where the hell are you two?  The seminar 
registration was 2 hours ago.  You better have a damn good 
reason if you miss another seminar."  He pressed 7 to delete the 
message.  The next message started the same.  "Mulder?  
Skinner".  Mulder skipped the rest of the message and deleted 
it.  He did the same with the third.

"Skinner sounded pretty mad about us not being at the seminar 
on time.  Maybe we could just call the local cops for 
assistance."

"In Medicine Lodge?  Mulder this one horse town probably 
doesn't even have any local cops.  I think our best bet is to 
notify Skinner, turn over Dan and the money, and get you 
checked out."

Mulder dialed Skinner's home number, since it would be close 
to 11:00pm in DC.  It rang twice before he answered.  "Mulder!  
Where the _hell_ are you?"  Mulder winced when he heard the 
tone of Skinner's voice.  He, correction, they were in deep 
trouble.

"Uh sir...uhmm, I can explain.  It really wasn't our fault this 
time."

"It's never your fault, Mulder.  Where are you and Agent Scully 
right now?"

"We're in a little town in not far from Wichita called Medicine 
Lodge."

"Medicine Lodge?  Agent, the seminar started 10 hours ago and 
I was informed that you and Agent Scully were not there.  I 
have tried yours and Agent Scully's cell phones several times 
today and no one answered.  Why aren't you at the seminar?  
Dammit, this is getting ridiculous."  Skinner stopped to take a 
deep breath and let it out.  "All right, let's hear your tale, and 
Agent?  It better be good!"

"Well...sir...it started with the bad weather in DC.  Our flight 
was delayed for several..."

"Skip ahead Mulder.  I know you landed in Kansas around 
2:00."

"Oh...uh...OK...uhm", Mulder stalled trying to regain his 
thoughts.  "Well, we had a flat tire and when we stopped at a 
rest area to change it, we were accosted by an escaped prisoner.  
He knocked me over the head and stuffed me in the trunk.  He 
then assumed my identity and made Agent Scully drive across 
Kansas to Medicine Lodge.  The prisoner, named Dan Prescott, 
had been jailed for bank robbery.  He had stashed the money 
from his robbery under the floorboards in this cabin on the 
outskirts of town.  I managed to free myself from the trunk.  
Agent Scully and I managed to take down the suspect and 
recover the money.  The prisoner was wounded in the exchange, 
but he will be all right.  That's about it...sir"

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few 
seconds before Skinner finally spoke.  "I swear to God Mulder, 
I don't know how you and Agent Scully always manage to fall 
into these things.  Are you two all right?"

"Usual aches and pains, sir.  Scully says I might need some 
stitches, but other than that, we're fine."

"How far from Wichita are you?"

"A couple of hours, I think, sir."

"All right.  There is a Jurisdictional Office in Wichita.  I want 
you to head there, with the prisoner and the money, and I will 
make arrangements to have some local agents meet you there.  
They can also see that you get medical attention.  After that, I 
want you and Scully to hightail it to Topeka and try to attend 
some of the seminar.  Oh, and Mulder?  Try not to run into any 
more trouble on the way there."

Mulder relayed the gist of the conversion to Scully.  They 
bundled Dan and the money into the car and headed to Wichita.  
Scully drove while Mulder kept an eye on their prisoner.


FBI Jurisdictional Office, Wichita
Early Tuesday morning

It had been a long night for the agents.  They finally arrived at 
the FBI office in Wichita around midnight.  True to his word, 
Skinner had several Kansas agents meet them there.  The 
Kansas agents wanted to take them immediately to the Wichita 
Police Department to book Dan Prescott, but Scully insisted that 
he and Mulder needed medical care first.  Scully being Scully 
and damned determined, the group made a stop at the Wesley 
Medical Center Emergency Room.

Dan, in the custody of the Kansas agents, was seen by the ER 
doctors.  The bullet went straight and, amazingly, did little or 
no damage.  He didn't even lose enough blood to warrant a 
transfusion.  His wound was cleaned and dressed and he was 
discharged to the Kansas FBI agents.

As Scully had predicted, Mulder needed 5 stitches to close the 
wound on the side of his head.  He now had a nice little shaved 
area on his head.  It would take a while for his hair to grow over 
the spot.  The doctor also checked out his face and ribs.  The 
bruising would not cause any problems other than discomfort 
and he was told to take Tylenol for any pain.  He had bruises 
and abrasions on his wrists from the cuffs and they had been 
cleaned and wrapped in gauze.

They finally made it to the Wichita Police Department around 
3:00 am.  Dan was booked and placed into a cell awaiting 
transfer back to Lansing.  The money was processed and was 
now the responsibility of the Wichita Police Department.  The 
amount of money in the bag totaled $220,000.  The president of 
the bank in Wichita had been informed and was ecstatic to get 
the money back, even though it would be a while before it could 
be released.

Several hours and half-a-dozen cups of coffee later, Mulder and 
Scully had finally finished their statements.  Mulder folded his 
arms across the table where he sat and lay his head down.  He 
wasn't sure when he had ever been this tired.  His head was 
throbbing despite the Tylenol.  Everything was sore and hurt.  
He just wanted to drop into a bed and sleep.  "I hope we get out 
of here soon, Scully.  I don't know how much longer I can last."

She sat beside him and absently ran her fingers through his hair, 
"It shouldn't be much longer, Mulder.  We've given our 
statements.  There's nothing more we can do here."

The door to the room opened and two of the Kansas agents 
entered.  "You two look dead on your feet", observed one of the 
agents.

Mulder lifted his head with some difficulty and looked at the 
agent who had spoken.  "Yeah, well it has been long day.  
Nothing that a few days of rest won't cure."

"Would you like us to get you a hotel room here in town so you 
can rest?"

Mulder started to respond in the affirmative, but Scully jumped 
in, "No!  We have a seminar to attend in Topeka and baring any 
more confrontations with escaped bank robbers, we are going to 
make it.  I think we'll be heading to Topeka when we're through 
here."

"Well, I believe we have everything wrapped up here.  We can 
always contact you in DC if we need anything else, so if you 
want to head out, feel free."

"Thanks.  Come on Mulder.  If we leave now, we can be back in 
Topeka by 9:00.  We will have all day to rest and still make it to 
the last day of the seminar."

"Fine, as long as you're driving.  Oh, and Scully?  No more flat 
tires.  That last one almost killed me."


Capital Plaza Hotel, Topeka
Tuesday morning

Scully finally pulled into the Capital Plaza Hotel parking lot.  
It had been a long drive from Wichita, but uneventful.  Mulder 
had slept the whole way.  He dozed off the minute he was 
buckled in and had not moved for the last 2 hours.  She had 
checked on him several times during the long boring ride, but 
he was simply sound asleep.

"Mulder?  Mulder?"  She reached over and stroked his cheek.  
"Come on sleeping beauty, wake up.  We're here."

"Jus' a few more minutes, Scully.  'm so tired." Mulder 
mumbled as he swatted at her hand.

Scully regretted doing it, but she pinched his ear lobe, which 
instantly brought him wide-awake.

"Hey!  Why'd you do that?"

"We're here Mulder.  Come on, let's get checked in, so we can 
_both_ get some sleep."

"Oh...yeah."  Guiltily, he looked at her, "Sorry Scully.  You're 
right."

They took their suitcases from the trunk, entered the hotel, and 
walked to the registration desk where they caught sight of 
themselves in the mirror behind the desk.  They looked like 
death warmed over.  Scully's hair was a mess, as was the suit 
she was wearing.  Mulder was worse.  There was blood on the 
collar of his shirt and the rest of him was covered in grease and 
dirt.  His left eye was practically swollen shut and you could 
just make out the bandage on the side of his head.  They had 
both seen better days.

The desk clerk stepped forward and eyed them cautiously.  
"May I be of assistance?"

Mulder took the lead without skipping a beat, "Yes, you may.  
We have reservations.  Agents Mulder and Scully."

The desk clerk snorted, somewhat in disbelief, but he checked 
the computer and found their reservations.  They were FBI 
agents there for the seminar.  He stared at them in amazement.  
"You're late, but we still have your rooms.  Adjoining rooms as 
requested."

While they signed the registration forms, the desk clerk kept 
staring at them.  They obviously had run into some trouble.  
"Are you all right?"

"We're just fine, thank you." Scully replied.  "We just had a 
little...uh...car trouble."

With keys in hand, they headed across the lobby to the bank of 
elevators, when they had the misfortune of running into the 
Seminar Registrar.  "Agents Mulder and Scully?  Is that you?"

They stopped and looked at the person who had confronted 
them.  She gasped at their appearance.  "Where have you been?  
What happened to you two?"

Scully was not in the mood for this, so she stepped in.  "Look, if 
you don't mind, we have been up all night.  As you can see, we 
need to clean up and we're in desperate need of some rest"

Not to be squelched, the registrar continued, "AD Skinner has 
been trying to get hold of you two since yesterday.  He asked 
that _I_ have _you_ check in with him immediately upon 
arrival.  That is, _if_ you actually made it to the seminar, 
which, of course, he had serious doubts about, given your track 
record.

Mulder just stood there like he was watching a tennis match, his 
head moving between Scully and the Registrar.  He knew Scully 
would win, but he couldn't believe the woman simply wouldn't 
back down.

Scully narrowed her eyes and gave the woman a look that 
would make a cold-blooded killer back down.  "We have been 
in contact with the AD and he has been apprised of our 
situation.  For your information, we have just spent the last 18 
hours apprehending an escaped convict and nearly getting 
killed.  We _will_ be attending the final day of the seminar, so 
technically we won't miss it."

The woman's eyes widened in surprise at Scully's revelation.  
Sheepishly, she looked away and then back at Scully.  "I'm 
sorry, Agent Scully.  I didn't know.  Unfortunately, the final day 
is really just wrap up and award presentations for the groups 
that participated in the activities.  It probably won't do you 
much good to attend.  You've already missed all the important 
stuff.  Maybe you should get some rest.  I'm sure everyone will 
understand why you missed the seminar...you know...given the 
circumstances."  She moved away as fast as she could.

Scully pushed the elevator button with more force than she 
needed, expressing her displeasure.

"Scully?  You okay?"

She turned on Mulder.  "Dammit, Mulder.  We missed another 
seminar.  This has got to be a record of some sort."  At that 
moment, the elevator arrived and she stepped inside.  "Looks 
like you've another chapter for your handbook on avoiding 
seminars, Mulder."

He followed her into the elevator, immediately defending 
himself, "Hey, it wasn't my fault this time...you were driving..."

The End