From: shinkai@mlode.com (Susan Shinkai)
Date: Tue, 1 Dec 1998 23:13:32 -0800
Subject: New Story: IM Files #20 -Second Generation Monsters (1/1)

Title: The IM Files #20  SECOND GENERATION MONSTERS
Author: Shinkai
E-mail Address: shinkai@mlode.com
Rating: R+
Classification: SR
Spoilers: Nisei, 731
Keywords: Scully/Mulder romance, alternate reality
Summary: The tension between Mulder and Scully strains to a breaking
point as they investigated a bizarre mail order alien autopsy video.
Mulder chases after a mysterious boxcar while Scully uncovers the
truth about her abduction. 20th installment in the IM Series.

Intro: To understand the Mulder and Scully in this story, you must
have read "Meeting the Invisible Man" and at least the IM Files
History page at my website.
Http://www.mlode.com/~shinkai/fanfic/xffanfic.htm .    Nisei is the
Japanese word for 'Second Generation' and refers to the first
Japan-Americans, born in the United States to parents from the
motherland. The Nisei hope is to be the best of both worlds, new and
old.  The fear is the conflict, misplaced loyalties, and unrealistic
expectations.  Such can be said for any new generation born in a new
world. The same can be said for the new genesis of an old relationship
as it becomes reborn in a different realm of possibilities.

Thanks all those who have encouraged the continuation of this series.

Disclaimer: The characters and situations depicted in this story are
not the legal property of the author or her agents. This use is not
intended to be an infringement on the rights of the legal owners. Use
and distribution of this story is for not-for-profit entertainment
purposes only.
__________________________________

SECOND GENERATION MONSTERS

    The family and friends of Melissa Scully gathered in the cemetery
for a final farewell.  As per her request, her remains were divided
among the elementals  fire, water, wind and earth. After her body was
consumed in fire, one third of the ashes had been scattered in the sea
to join her father, and another third had been sent a drift into the
wind above the mountain to set her spirit free.  Now the final third
was set to rest under the earth to give her a permanent home, which
she never had in life.  Only this burial ceremony was open to those
other than immediate family and the gathering was larger than anyone
expected.  In her own way, Melissa had touched more lives more deeply
than she ever realized.

     Only a few words were spoken.  The genuine sorrow that filled the
hearts of the gathered friends and family was the true testament to
her life.  It gave her mother and her sister some comfort to know
Melissa's life had a richness even she took for granted. Of course,
the sadness of her death was that she was only beginning to understand
that what she truly wanted, she had already achieved  to make a
difference in people's lives.

     Maggie Scully believed with all her heart that God had a reason
for taking her daughter but she had seen so much suffering already, it
was hard to not feel as if she was being punished for her own sins.
What comfort and strength could she offer her remaining children with
her soul so saddened and guilt ridden?  Then a kind touch and strong
voice helped her find her strength again.

    Walter Skinner touched Maggie's shoulder and spoke softly.  "I
know there is a place for her beyond death. And for those who survive,
she gives us a glimpse of the greater purpose that lies beyond the
loss." He spoke in memory of his fallen comrades in Vietnam and his
colleagues in the FBI, and of his own near death experience.

    Maggie sighed and took his hand, hear truth in his word.  After
her husband died, Dana opened up to her and Fox became part of the
family again. When Dana was on her death bed, it brought Melissa back
to the family.  And now Melissa's death was nothing short of a
sacrifice to protect Dana and Fox.  And strange as it seems, her death
also bought to Maggie the one man who could give her the strength to
deal with the loss.  Skinner escorted Maggie away from the gravesite
and towards the waiting limo.

     Bill Jr., Dana and Charlie remained silently by the grave, still
stunned by the finality of her death.  Childhood memories of her
playfulness and more recent images of her hopeful spirit filled their
hearts and minds. Now and forever more  only memories.  Bill and
Charlie had left their families at home but Mulder had accompanied
Dana.  In his own way, he was closer to Melissa than her brothers.
She was perhaps the only person, other than Dana, who could bring
light into his darkness and make him whole.

    Mulder approached Dana quietly and placed his arm around her
shoulder, gently nudging her away from Bill.  Bill reacted
immediately, glaring at Mulder as if he'd violated an unspoken vow of
loyalty among the Scully family. "You don't belong here, Mulder. Leave
us alone." Bill growled.

   Dana came to Mulder's defense. "We belong together."

   "So he can get you killed like he did Melissa?" Bill roared angrily
as he grabbed Mulder's shoulder and spun him around to face him.
"Admit it. You're the one responsible for her death.  You forced Dana
into this crazy quest of yours?"

    Mulder shoved Bill back without a word but his expression read
'hate' from every angle.  He only restrained himself out of respect
for Melissa and Dana.  Charlie quickly moved between the two men,
holding his brother back but glaring at Mulder as if to echo Bill's
sentiments. Dana finally broke the heavy silence. "When Melissa was
shot, Mulder was believed to be dead himself.  If you have to blame
someone, blame me."

     Mulder turned to look at her pained expression. She truly felt
she deserved the blame. "Dana, don't?" he implored.

    "No, Mulder. I choose to believe in you. I choose to follow you.
And the consequences are my own." Dana proclaimed as she turned to
Mulder and Bill so she knew they both understood. Mulder tightened his
embrace. Every word only made him love her more and he wanted to
shield her from any harm, even the accusation of a grieving brother.

     Bill finally backed away but continued his cold stare at Mulder.
"Well, Dana may be free to make her own choices? but Hope didn't
choose you as her natural father. And now that I'm her legal father, I
'll make damn sure you never see her again."

    Dana gasped but Mulder broke away from her and charged at Bill.
Charlie and Dana held him at bay as he yelled. "How dare you! We
practically gave her to you because we knew she'd be safer with you
and Tara."

    "And that's why I'm not letting you near her." scowled Bill in
reply.  "Face it, Mulder. Everything you touch is cursed.  Look what
happened to Dana and Melissa? Do you want that for Hope? "

    Mulder fumed and shouted back, "I'd never do anything to hurt her.
She's my daughter, I love her!"

    "Isn't that what you said when Dana was dying?" Bill retorted.
Mulder turned pale was he realized Bill was right. He'd never been
able to protect Dana and Hope was even more vulnerable.  Bill would
guard Hope jealously against anyone who might harm her without the
distraction of some personal quest.  Without a doubt, he had taken her
in as his own daughter and wanted what was best for her.  There was no
place for another father in her life. Bill sensed Mulder resignation
and stood his ground sternly as Mulder quietly lead Dana towards their
car.

     Scully whispered to her husband, "Mulder, he has no right?"

     "Yes he does." Mulder interrupted sadly. "He has every right,
legally and morally to protect her."

     Bill followed the couple as they left. Bill spoke loudly without
shouting. "Dana, some day you'll see I'm right. I just hope you
realize it before it's too late." She turned to argue with her brother
but it was clear he sincerely feared for her safety. "He's going to
get you killed.  It doesn't matter that you love him or that he loves
you."

    Scully replied bravely from her heart. "No, Bill. Love is the only
thing that matters." Mulder tightened his grip on her and lead her
away as tears clouded his eyes and gratefulness flooded his heart.
_______________________________

    A young man stood in the driveway and stopped the limo bearing
Maggie Scully from the cemetery.  She recognized him as the man who
came to see Melissa at the hospital.  Skinner, Mulder and Scully would
have recognized him as Alex Krychek. Maggie opened the window to him.
"I'm sorry you missed the service.  I know you cared very much for
her."

     Krychek kneeled at the window, scanning the horizon for familiar
faces.  It seemed anyone who knew him, wanted him dead. Everyone but
Mrs. Scully. He bowed his head respectfully and said. "Mrs. Scully, I
just wanted to tell you how sorry I'm about her death. I?. I loved
Melissa and? uh? I'm sorry."  He had no idea what he was saying but he
had to talk to someone to express his loss and guilt.

     The gentle woman touched his forehead and said "Thank you.  I'm
sure Melissa can still feel your love."  She was about to ask him his
name but before she could say another word, he kissed her hand and
vanished across the street. <Melissa's life remained a mystery to the
end. > she thought to herself as she drove away.

    Krychek returned to the cemetery and, from his hiding place,
watched the altercation between Bill Scully and Mulder.  He saw the
look of guilt cross Mulder's face over Melissa's death. <You're just
as guilt as me, you son-of-a-bitch.> Krychek thought. <We both deserve
to die. They'll get me soon enough but not before I see you rot in
Hell.> He looked around again and saw several suspicious men hovering
near the gravesite. He knew they were waiting for him so he said his
final farewell from a distance and disappeared once again.
____________________________

     Mulder and Scully carried on as partners and spouses, finding
moment of intimacy between the fears and self doubts they shared.
They remained at their best when they worked together.  They managed
to stay clear of the conspiracies that drew them into the ill-fate
events involving the stolen DOD files, but their cases still put them
at odds with the conventional legal machine.

    With each case, Scully remained skeptical of Mulder's strange
theories but each time the evidence bore out the possibility that the
fantastic might be true. Such was the case with Clyde Bruckman, Virgil
Incanto, and Neech Manly. She never apologized for questioning him
because that was her job. Even so, Mulder became increasingly distant
from her, trying to separate their conflict at work from the fragile
union of their home life.  Until one case crossed the line and Mulder
couldn't find it in his heart to forgive her.

    A girl was kidnapped and Mulder became convinced that a young
woman named Lucy Householder, the victim of a brutal kidnapping
herself, could 'see' through the current victim's eyes.  The evidence
indicated to Scully that the woman was most likely an accomplice to
the crime but Mulder protected Lucy as if she was the victim.  He
hoped that if he could win her trust, her visions would provide the
clues they needed to find the missing girl.

    Mulder confronted Scully with her own experience. "It's not any
different than Clyde Bruckman, except he saw through the killer's eye'
s instead of the victim's.  You didn't suspect him of the crimes; why
have you singled Lucy out?"

    "We've never had any concrete proof that Bruckman's 'hits' were
anything more that coincidence." Scully argued.  "Granted, it seemed
as if he had real psychic abilities but Bruckman never tried to hide
from us or conceal what he knew. Lucy Householder has refused to
cooperate from the beginning even when you tried to show her some
kindness."

    "Bruckman dealt with his visions since 1959.  For Lucy, this whole
thing is like a terrifying flashback. Is it any wonder she doesn't
want to have anything to do with it, or with us?" Mulder insisted.

     "Look at her history, Mulder. She's been in trouble with the law
ever since she's been on her own."

    "And that's another reason she doesn't trust us." he rebutted.
"You're so closed minded, you can't even see how she perceives us. How
can you ever accept how she see the kidnapper."

    "But I know how you see her and the victim." Scully replied. "You
look at their plight and you see Samantha all over again. And this
time you want to atone for not saving her, by saving them."

     Mulder became enraged. He insisted that his whole life was not
motivated and skewed by a single pivotal event in his childhood. Such
an over-simplified conclusion insulted him and he expected more from
Scully.  He claimed this was a different issue, that he wanted to
protect Lucy and save the girl for their own sake, not for his.

    Scully remained silent for a moment.  Finally she shattered the
quiet with her own thoughts on the matter of life-altering moments.
"You may be right, Mulder.  Maybe you're not thinking of Samantha at
all and you sincerely want to help these two.  But either way, we have
to question Lucy and she needs to give us answers if we have any hope
of finding this girl." Mulder nodded reluctantly. "But as far as a
single pivotal event being the focal point for all your perspectives
and the motivation behind all your action, it's true. It happens. It
happened to me. If I had never been raped, I would have never been
able to become so detached from the horror of the violence I see in
this job nor would I have pursued a career in law enforcement.  But
most of all, I would have never allowed myself to fall in love with
you."  Mulder was crushed and stunned. Scully left the room before he
had a chance to respond, as if he could.

     The case came to a dramatic end, as Lucy's vision finally led
them to the kidnapper, just as he drowned his young victim.  Mulder
shot and killed the kidnapper and immediately started CPR on the girl.
Scully checked the motionless, cold body as he continued. She knew
there was only a slim chance that the girl could be saved but made no
attempt to stop him, if not for the girl's sake, for the sake of
Mulder's sanity. Just when he was about to give up, the girl recovered
but remarkable Lucy died at the same moment, with her lungs full of
water. It was as if Lucy had saved the girl's life by sacrificing her
own.

    Scully tried to appease Mulder afterwards, telling him he may have
been right about Lucy.  Mulder felt as if Lucy had taken the only way
out of her dead-end life by saving another life from her fate.  Scully
became cross once again, unwilling to listen to any more stories of
sacrifice, trading one life for another. Mulder grew strangely quiet.

   "Dana," he said softly, "I believe with all my heart that we belong
together. In life and in death.  And I know you feel the same way. If
you can't love me, at least believe in me."

    She hugged him tightly. "But I do love you. That's the whole
point. I can't change what I've become.  We just have to find a way to
deal with it."

   Mulder nodded silently, still feeling the sting of her harsh
emotions clashing with his ideals. In between her words, he took her
message to be that she regretted their intimacy and deep down he raged
at her arrogance and independence. How they would 'find a way to deal
with it' remained to be resolved?

______________________________

    Mulder refused to 'run away' to his apartment and remained at home
with Scully every night but he distanced himself in other ways.  He
spent more time in the office, digging up old files and following
vague leads. At home, they hardly spoke all and although his
lovemaking was vigorous and passionate, it lacked the tenderness
Scully desired and had come to expect.  There were nights when
everything seemed fine and they would talk candidly about their
feelings but afterwards the deep wounds only grew wider instead of
healing.

   Scully was not surprised to find Mulder in the office engrossed in
a video, after not coming home the night before.  But the video wasn't
exactly what she expected.  It was a mail order $29.95 special of a
'real' alien autopsy.  Mulder watched the hokey footage with same
fascination he had as when he obtained the DOD files. Scully steeled
herself for another roller coaster of emotions as Mulder's passion
turned to his quest, instead of her.

    Mulder pointed out the oddities of the video. It looked authentic
but there was no body visible, no telling details of 'proof'.  Scully
tried to brush it off as a dramatic fake instead.  Mulder regained her
attention by fast forwarding to the end.  On the screen, the operating
room was invaded by armed men, opening fire at the doctors then the
screen went blank.

   Scully studies the video as Mulder re-played the final moments. It
did look real, right down to the gun shots. If nothing else it was
suspicious enough to warrant further investigations.  Mulder said that
the man selling these tapes claimed to have pulled these images from a
satellite feed at 2 AM. The rest of the video was un-viewable, as if
it was encrypted. Mulder pointed out that if a temporary problem
caused the scrambling system to go off-line, anyone could grab the
imagine. Scully glanced at the video sleeve which read "Rat Tail
Productions, Allentown, PA."  Anyone, indeed.

    "Sounds like a legitimate outfit to me, Mulder." Scully sighed
sarcastically.  "I can see it now? the award for outstanding achieve
in the field of fraud goes to Rat Tail Productions" she mocked.

    Mulder grinned slightly at her joke, worthy of his warped sense of
humor. Then he grabbed his coat and headed for the door, and said
seriously, "But what if it's not a fake?"

   "You mean like some kind of alien-autopsy snuff film?" she asked.
Mulder nodded excitedly so Scully exhaled heavily and gathered the
items she had just set down. "Then at the very least, there are
several dead 'real fake' doctors somewhere. I assume we're making a
run up to Allentown."

    Mulder smiled and answered "Haven't you ever dreamed for being in
the movies, Scully?"

    Scully frowned at his attempt to chat. "Not one of 'your'
movies..." referring to his taste for X-rated fare.  Then she glanced
again at the bootleg video. "?And especially not if the finale
consists of killing doctors as they perform autopsies on aliens."
_______________________________

     As they drove to Allentown, Mulder wanted to tell Scully that he
wasn't crazy. But when he saw the video, it brought together several
elements of alien lore that he knew to be true.  But more than that,
it came to him through ordinary means, instead of via some secret
courier.  It wasn't a set up and 'they' couldn't know he had seen it.
It wasn't like when he took the stolen DAT tape knowing it was stolen.
He could claim this as a bona fide federal investigation of video
piracy.

    Scully suddenly spoke as if she knew what he was thinking. "Do you
think Skinner will sign off on this case if we don't find any evidence
of a federal crime?"

    "Skinner knows what we're after. He'll back us." Mulder refrained
from saying any more. He was still jealous of his supervisor's
affection for Scully but Skinner had proven his trustworthiness when
they believed Mulder was dead.  Skinner tried to protect Scully and
never took advantage of her vulnerable state. So despite the tension,
Mulder aligned Skinner as an ally.

    Scully seemed even more agitated as they approached the edge of
town.  Out of the blue she asked, "Mulder, will you promise to back
down this time if the situation goes beyond our control? Like it did
over the DAT tape."

     Mulder reached over and took her hand. He felt her trembling with
fear as she recalled the events that nearly cost him his life and took
away her sister. "Dana, I can't make that promise." he replied
truthfully. "The answers are out there. If I see something within my
reach, I'll pursue it.  That's why I need you to tell me when I'm
about to leap into the abyss that nearly took me in New Mexico."

     "But Mulder what if I'm not there? or if you won't listen?"

    "Then remember what I did wrong and don't make the same mistake."
Mulder pulled the car over and kissed her tenderly. "Don't follow me
into the darkness because you love me.  Stay in the light, so I can
love you."
_____________________________________

     Once they arrived at the video distributors 'office' in
Allentown, Mulder and Scully found more than piracy afoot.  The house
was the home of Steven Zinnzer and had been broken into and ransacked.
Mulder discovered an invoice for the copy he bought pulled out from a
stack of orders. Without saying anything to Scully, he realized that
this time he may have opened the window of opportunity himself but
that he let the rats in as well. Very dangerous rats.  A man,
presumably Zinnzer, was found dead, execution style.  The body was
still warm and they immediately began looking for the perpetrator.

     Mulder spotted a man fleeing from the house and managed to run
him down into a fenced yard.  Mulder drew his weapon and identified
himself as a federal agent then ordered the man to surrender. Instead
the man attacked Mulder with a flying kick, knocking the gun away,
then landed two more kicks sending Mulder to the pavement. As the man
scrambled up the fence, Mulder drew a back up weapon from an ankle
holster and ordered him down.  This time Mulder kept his distance and
he could see the man was Asian and he was carrying a leather satchel.
Mulder tried to question him but the man replied in Japanese.
Frustrated and sore, Mulder snatched the case, picked up his other gun
and marched the man back to house.

    Scully had already called the police and they were just arriving
as Mulder returned with the Japanese man.  Mulder inconspicuously
placed the satchel in the trunk of his car as he moved the man along.
Scully could see Mulder was hurt and directed the officers to take
custody of the suspect.  She saw the gun Mulder was using, and as she
pulled him aside to check his injuries, she asked, "Is that the gun I
gave you for your birthday?"

    "Yeah, you were right.  I was getting tired of dropping my gun."
Mulder groaned as he showed her where he'd been kicked.

    Scully sighed and pressed her hand on his chest. He winced but
said nothing. "There's no broken ribs that I can tell. You should get
an X-ray to be sure." Then she checked his hand, knowing he had been
forcible disarmed. He winced again. "Same for the hand. Maybe for your
next birthday I should get you a suit of armor."

    Mulder slowly flexed his swollen hand. "Always trying to protect
me?"

   Scully replied solemnly, "That's my job, isn't it?  That's what you
said this morning."

   Mulder said nothing. She was right; he did say that. But he didn't
realized until now it had become her full time job, even off duty, to
the point of giving him weapons for a birthday present instead of
something less useful like silk boxer shorts.  Their job had taken
over their relationship or perhaps it WAS their relationship.
_______________________________

      Once the suspect was taken to the police station, the next step
was to find a translator.  Hours passed and Mulder was beginning to
feel as if the whole arrest was a waste of time.  Just then Skinner
showed up and Mulder announced to Scully, "Well look at this?a beacon
in the night."

    But Mulder's hopes of finding help were dashed when Skinner
reported that the man Mulder arrested was a high ranking Japanese
diplomat, Kazuo Sakurai.  Skinner had been called out by the State
department and the federal attorney's office to sort out the matter
before it became an international incident.  Sakurai was protected by
diplomatic immunity and had to be release right away.  The murder
victim and the paperwork would be handled by 'another agency'
according to Skinner.

     Scully looked at Skinner with disbelief. "But Sir, a crime was
committed."

    Skinner frowned. "I appreciated that, Agent Scully but it's out of
our jurisdiction. Why were you two down here anyway?" Mulder used his
video piracy excuse. Skinner returned a doubtful look then said, "I
suggest you keep your nose clean and head back to Washington, Agent
Mulder, before someone takes another swipe at it.  "  Skinner looked
at Scully as if to say he was sorry then left the two agents to speak
with the police Captain.

    Scully scowled. "So much for the Calvary."

    Mulder led her outside, being very reserved in his manner. "I was
counting on Skinner's support but it looks like he's up to his neck in
bureaucratic backwash. So Scully, I guess it's your call. Do you want
me to back down?"

    She shook her head, deep in thought. "It just doesn't track. What
would a Japanese diplomat be doing in that house with a dead man with
his head stuffed in a pillowcase?"

   "Obviously not strengthening the international relations." Mulder
was thrilled that her logic was working on his side this time but
outwardly remained calm and just shrugged. "So do we run home with our
tail between our legs or do I get some satisfaction for the $29.95 I
spent on that video?"

    "Well I think we owe it to ourselves to at least find out what the
connection is, in case we get caught up in the backwash with Skinner.
Knowing the truth is the only thing that's protected us in the past."
Scully replied seriously.  "But we've got nothing to go on but a dead
video producer and a Japanese diplomat, neither of which we'll be
allowed within 100 feet of."

    Mulder glanced around and popped open the trunk of their rental
car and pulled out the satchel. "I just remembered a piece of evidence
from the crime scene that I forgot to turn in."

    Scully frowned and raised her eye brows at him. "Why do you have
to get us in trouble before we even start the investigation?"

    Mulder opened the satchel and thumbed through the contents as he
replied, "I just believe in cutting out the middle man."

    Mulder flipped through a series of photos which appeared to be
tracking a ship. There was also a list of names under the heading of
MUFON, the Mutual UFO network.  Scully pouted her lips as she looked
over the list and saw the name Betsy Hagopian circled.  Scully showed
Mulder the list and asked pointedly, "Friends of yours?"

    Mulder glanced at the list and shook his head and wondered out
loud if this Betsy was the next intended victim of their Japanese
suspect. Just to keep things honest, he suggested she stay and follow
up on the MUFON lead while he headed back to DC 'like a good boy.'
Stuffing the photos back in the satchel he added, "There are some
friends of mine I'd like to show these to.   I'll give Frohike your
love."

    In an offhanded way, Scully remarked, "If I were you, I'd save it
for myself." The comment took Mulder off guard and he said nothing in
response when he realized she wasn't joking.
______________________________________

    Mulder brought copies of the photos to the Lone Gunmen. As they
studied them, Byers asked where Scully was.  He told them she was
following a lead up in Allentown.  Frohike teased, "You shouldn't
spend so much time apart. You'll lose some of that old magic."

    Mulder saw no humor in the remark and replied bitterly, "You
forget. Scully doesn't believe in magic."  The trio remained silent
and continued to study the photos.

     Mulder's sullen mood improved as they told him the ship in the
photos was the Talapus, was a salvage ship out of San Diego.  It had
been in search of a Japanese sub, sunk during WWII.  The rumor was it
was carrying gold bullion.  But the photos revealed the ship never
returned to San Diego but docked at the Naval Shipyard in Newport
News, Virginia.  Mulder suspected that the ship found something far
more valuable than gold  and more dangerous.

     Mulder left to check out the navel base as the Lone Gunmen
watched their friend being his quest once again.  Langly sat back and
asked openly, "Do you think it's that bad between them?  I mean their
still living together, right?"

    Frohike grunted. "You're too young to know the difference.  Can't
you see the man's in pain."

    Langly argued, "Frohike, Mulder's always in pain. That's what
keeps him going. If he got everything he wanted out of life, he'd drop
dead from boredom. He's like us. We could all have 'real' lives if we
wanted one but we prefer to live on the edge, to live beyond today,
even beyond tomorrow."

    Byers sighed. "I'd like to have a real life, if I believed such a
thing was possible.  But Mulder is not like us.  Living on the edge is
not a choice for him. It's simply who he is. Unfortunately, he's in
love with a woman who wants the best of both worlds. Eventually, she'
ll have to choose."
________________________________

    As Mulder made his way to the shipyard, Scully found herself at
the front door of a MUFON chapter.  She wondered what kind of evidence
was necessary to convince rational, intelligent people that UFOs were
really alien visitations.  Mulder had his reasons  the memory of
Samantha disappearance, accounts of alleged abductees, anomalous data
found at supposed contact sites. But his conviction was rooted in a
childhood trauma and even he knew the evidence was not conclusive, no
matter how compelling. For all his hard work and searching, he had no
hard evidence to support the allegation. All he had was faith. The
words "I WANT to believe" came to mind. What separated Mulder from
other 'believers' was that he sought answers. Mulder's true character
came into light when one realized the pinnacle of his faith was
finding the truth, not merely confirming his beliefs.

    So who were these people at MUFON?  Nuts who chased lights in the
sky or people just like her and Mulder who sought an answer but gave
into the first one that came along?  A knock on the door started a
process which would make their position clear.  These were people
'just like her' in more ways than one.

    A woman came to door and told Scully that Betsy was not at home.
The woman, whose name was Lottie Holloway, gave Scully a strange look,
as if her thoughts had wandered off to another place. As Scully
identified herself and tried to ask about Betsy, the woman blurted
out, "I know you."

    Scully paused for a second. Was this woman familiar? After a vague
moment of hesitation, Scully insisted they had never met before.
Lottie called out to another woman, named Penny Northern. Penny came
to the door and took one look at Scully and gasped, "Oh my God. She's
one."

    Scully furrowed her brow. She had a disturbing memory of the
X-File in Delta Glen.  The town's children had been the victims of
biological experiments and the one man who felt remorse over it was a
pedophile who expressed himself by kidnapping the children and writing
'she/he is one' on their backs.  Scully asked nervously "One what?"

     "One of us." the first woman answered.

      Scully entered the house as Penny made a call 'to get everyone
over here.'  Scully, still hesitant, explained that she was an FBI
agent investigating the murder of a Steven Zinnzer.  The woman told
her that Steven was member of their chapter but still seemed more
shocked and surprised at Scully's presence than the news of Steven's
death.  When she asked what they meant when they said she was 'one of
them', they asked if she had an unexplained experience in her life
last year, a period of missing time.

    Scully was staggered.  She knew where they were leading but her
mind refused to go there. They were all alien abductees and they
believed her to be one as well. There had to be an explanation.  Maybe
it was a ploy to send her off track or implant subliminal messages to
make her believe as they did. All the alarms sounded in her head but a
small voice deep in her subconscious begged her to listen to what the
MUFON women were telling her. The voice sounded an awful lot like
Mulder and she tried to shut it out but her conscious mind logically
concluded that unless she stayed and heard them out, the investigation
was at a dead end. So she stayed and listened, and became even more
confused.

   Several more women gathered at Betsy Hagopian's house, all members
of MUFON who claimed to be abducted.  They all stared at Scully with a
mutual sadness.  Her gut feeling was that these women sincerely
believed in what they were saying and that they truly wanted to help
her. But help her do what?

     As the women related stories of the 'bright white place', Scully
experienced frightening flashbacks.  They said the memories were taken
from them but that after several abductions, the images came back to
them slowly. That's what they were there for  to help her remember.
<Could these be real memories or nightmares I concocted listening to
Mulder? > she wondered.  MULDER! That image stood out apart from the
rest. Mulder was with her as they probed and 'operated' on her. Scully
nervously asked if they recalled being alone during the procedure.
Penny Northern claimed to have been with Scully during part of her
abduction but that she was not taken at the same time.

     The story was still beyond belief then Penny asked suddenly as if
her memory came back all at once. "You were pregnant! What happened to
the baby?"

    Now Scully was completely lost. "Uh? I ?I don't know." The woman
breathed a collected sigh of sympathy. They comforted her, saying it
was OK that she was afraid to remember.  But Scully didn't want
comfort; she wanted answers.  Scully fought to hold on to her logical
and orderly world. "How do you know that you're not mistaking me for
somebody else."

    "You have the mark don't you?" they answered. Scully reached back
and touched the scar at the base of her neck. They knew about the
implant in the neck. In fact they all revealed they had found the same
implant in their necks and as proof each held up a vial or bottle
containing the odd device.

    Scully only had more questions. Was Mulder really with her and if
he was, why didn't he bear the mark?  If Penny knew she was pregnant,
why didn't she know what happened to the baby?  Why would they have
taken her only once, while taking the others several times? What
evidence did they have that this had any connection to UFO's verse a
covert experiment conducted by someone hiding behind the alien
mythology? And what did any of this have to do with a murderous
Japanese diplomat? No one could even begin to answer her questions so
she prepared to leave to find Betsy Hagopian and ask her.

     Penny and Lottie took Scully to Betsy. She was undergoing cancer
treatment at the Allentown Medical Center. The medical aspect was at
last something Scully could get a hold of but even that was bizarre.
Betsy's body was ravaged by tumors which hadn't responded to any
therapy and no focal point could be determined.  The MUFON women
claimed that they would all end up like Betsy eventually.  Penny said
ominously "We're all dying ... because of what they do to us."

   Scully felt a cold fear creep up on her. Fear of the unknown and
unexplainable.  Fear of loss of control. Fear of leaving behind
unfinished business. But not a fear of death itself.  Death was her
one ally. As cruel as it sounded, when Betsy died the answers might
finally be revealed.
__________________________

   Mulder sought his own answers at that navel shipyard.  After going
through a ream of paperwork, he was still stonewalled when he asked
about the Talapus. The Coast Guard officer who met the craft only
recalled vague details. The ship was not allowed to dock per orders
from the DEA but neither him nor his crew boarded to investigate. They
were called back and the ship left the next day.  Mulder asked is they
had a destination or heading for the vessel when it left.  The
reluctant officer said it would take some time but Mulder just smiled
and offered to wait.

     As soon as the officer left him, Mulder went sneaking around the
docks.  He discovery an unmarked ship, roughly the same size as the
Talapus and he broke into the cabin.  There he found a windbreaker
with "Talapus" printed across the back. He continued to search the
boat until several cars pulled up to the dock and a tactical team
unloaded, heading for the boat.  Mulder evaded them as they boarded
then dove into the cold water under the clock of night.

     As Mulder climbed out of the freezing water, cold and miserable,
the phrase 'wild goose chase' came to mind.   Maybe Scully was right
and he was chasing his own nightmares. But if that were true why the
gun play? What were they trying to protect? No, this was real. There
was a reason why he was risking his neck to find out what the Talapus
brought to shore.  He made his way to a guarded warehouse and crept to
the window.  Inside he saw a large draped 'something' with technicians
in containment suits and researches with clipboards buzzing around it.
It was a UFO, a downed alien vessel, so said his instincts. But once
again, he couldn't prove it, not even to himself, not without hard
evidence they could put under close scrutiny.   Scully had taught him
that  faith may lead you to the truth but truth must be able to stand
on its own.
_________________________

    Tired and disheveled, Mulder headed to his apartment since it was
closer than Scully's place. Once there, he found the door opened and
the place ransacked.  He also found Skinner surveying the damage.
Mulder instinctively drew his weapon but Skinner only told him to put
it away before some one else got hurt.

      Skinner explained that Sakurai was found dead that morning and
that the Japanese government believed he was killed over the contents
of briefcase which he had been carrying but was not logged in at the
time of his arrest. Mulder tried to avoid incriminating himself but
Skinner knew damn well he or Scully had the briefcase and just wanted
them to give it up. If nothing else Mulder owed Skinner the truth, so
he confessed that the case was in trunk of Scully's rental car but
that he hadn't spoken to her since he left Allentown.

       Skinner growled "Then you better find her, because whatever you
stepped in on this case is being tracked into my office and I don't
like the smell of it."

     Mulder brushed passed him as replied "Mind if tidy up in here
first?"

     "This is bigger than me, you, or the FBI, Agent Mulder." Skinner
stood and faced Mulder squarely. "You stumbled into this on your own
and you have no idea where it's leading.  As far as I can tell, this a
case of international espionage and out of our jurisdiction. It doesn'
t appear to be connected in anyway to the?'situation'? you and Agent
Scully became entangled in earlier. If you have anything to show me to
prove I'm wrong, let's see it."  Mulder looked at the floor and said
nothing. "I thought so. I hope you've got other names in your phone
book because I'm taking myself off the hook on this one. You're on
your own." Skinner turned to leave then added, "One more thing...
Until this matter is resolved I don't want to see you anywhere near my
office, or even in the building unless you're there to return that
briefcase. No Bureau resource are at your disposal until you do."

     Mulder angrily clenched his fist but held his temper.  Instead he
went probing for a nerve to hit before Skinner left. "You'd turn your
back on Agent Scully just like that?"

     "Unlike you, Agent Mulder, I learn from my mistakes. She's an
intelligent and independent woman. The last time I stuck my neck out
for her, she was perfectly willing to cut it off. Not that I blame
her." Skinner answered sternly, but not bitterly. "She knows what's at
stake.  She'll make the right decision."

     Mulder waited until Skinner left then kicked at the papers at his
feet. "Damn it! That son-of-a-bitch did it again!" Skinner managed to
take a stab at him while exulting Scully. Mulder was able to deal with
the jealous for her affections but as rapidly becoming of jealous of
Scully herself and the respect she attracted. Mulder fumed then
decided not to wait for Scully.  He was going ahead with this even if
he had to tap into his own personal resources.
_______________________________

      Mulder waited nervously outside the office of Senator Matheson.
They hadn't spoken since Mulder threaten him for information about
Scully's disappearance.  The following day, the Senator was rushed to
the hospital after an apparent suicide attempt.  Mulder was never sure
if the attempt was real or staged but either way the Senator had
remained tight lipped since then.  Just then, the Senator's aid
stepped out and escorted Mulder into the office.

     Reaching out to shake hands, Matheson spoke slowly and
deliberately with a slight smile on his face. "Hello, Fox. It's been a
while."

    Mulder shook hands but found it difficult to look into his eyes.
"Thanks you for seeing me on such short notice.  I know our last
meeting?"

    "?Was followed by an unfortunate circumstance." the Senator
interrupted. "But I'm fine now, really. I just needed... some time"

    Mulder heard the automatic phrases meant to hold back the truth
and began to think this wasn't such a good idea.  Before Mulder could
question the Senator's alliance, the statesman remarked, "I understand
you're in a difficult position. Caught between diplomacy and
duplicity."  Mulder's head shot upward with surprise. "Don't look so
stunned. I'm on the intelligence committee. My 'reward' for a full
'recovery'. After all, I'm a finance expert and secrets are the only
real currency we deal in."

     Mulder answered hopefully, "Then you know what I'm up against."

    "Perhaps better than you do." sighed the Senator.  He showed
Mulder to a chair then stood behind his desk, shuffling some files.

     Mulder asked the Senator's advice on how to proceed and he
recommended returning the satellite photos.  Mulder argued that if he
did surrendered the photos he'd be dragged into the criminal case,
giving 'them' time to cover up what he had seen.  Matheson tried to
convince Mulder that there was something much greater at stake here
than some shrouded vessel in an isolated warehouse. The look of doubt
on Mulder's face told the Senator that he needed to earn the wary
agent's trust once again. He gave Mulder the names and photos of four
Japanese doctors who had been murdered last week in Knoxville while
engaged in a highly classified project.  Matheson couldn't confirm or
deny that their project involved the autopsy of an EBE but he did hint
that the doctors' past deeds spoke for themselves.  He also warned
Mulder that he had little time to uncover the exact nature of their
present day treachery. Even if he did give up the briefcase, by the
time anyone came to detain him regarding them, all evidence of the
doctors and their work would be gone.

      The message was ominous but unclear. Mulder whispered across the
desk, "What am I on to here?"

     The Senator squared his jaw and answered solemnly "Monsters
begetting monsters."

     Mulder's mind raced with possibilities.  Genetic experimentation,
just like Klemper and the WMM man had said. But instead of Nazi
scientists, this time we took advantage of the Japanese researchers.
Mulder rose and shook the Senator's hand again.  "Thank you. Sir.  I'm
glad you still believe?" The Senator held up his hand to quiet Mulder.

       "Don't thank me yet," the Senator said seriously.  "I can't
help you once you leave this office. I'm risking my life telling you
this much but I feel I owe you that much."

    Mulder nodded. "I understand, Sir.  Consider all past debts paid
in full.'

   "I'm a politician, Fox. Even my old debts can come back to haunt
me." Matheson replied sadly.

____________________________________

    Scully returned from Allentown, still stunned by her encounter
with MUFON, only to find the office empty with no messages waiting.
She called Mulder's cell phone but there was no answer. She was ready
to ask Skinner about her partner's whereabouts when the AD came to the
X-Files office instead.

     "I came as soon as I heard you were in the building." Skinner
explained.  "This mess that Mulder has you both involved in is about
to explode into an international incident.  Sakurai was found dead and
a briefcase containing official documents is missing.  For Agent
Mulder's safety as well as yours, I ordered him to stay away from the
office."

    "I suppose that means you're here to escort me from the building?"
Scully responded harshly.

   "Not exactly.  I told Mulder to stay away. You on the other
hand..." Skinner knew she was about to protest so he cut her off
before she argued. "Listen, he told me you have the briefcase. If you
turn it over to me now, I'll make sure you have full access to FBI
resources.  Of course, you will cooperate fully in the State
Department's investigation."

   Scully knew, in his own way, Skinner was trying to help but she
wasn't sure how her cooperation would protect Mulder.  "Sir, are you
suggesting that I distort the facts to lead the investigation away
from Agent Mulder?"

      "No, Agent Scully, I'm just suggesting that you do your job and
follow due process. It's the only way you can demand that they do the
same." Skinner answered. "You've seen the contents of the briefcase
and I'm sure you've already check-out where those clues lead.  But you
and Mulder will both be dead in the water if you allow them to hold
this over your head." He added dangerously, "I can only make so many
deals."

    Scully had hoped to have the briefcase checked for trace evidence
but since it had been handled so much she was doubtful how helpful it
would be. Skinner's offer to allow her access, even in light of any
pending investigation, was tempting. "What assurance do I have that
your offer is real?"  she asked nervously.

    "None.  Just my word." Skinner held his hand out to shake hands
with her.  Instead she placed the handle of the briefcase in his hand.
Unsure of the meaning of her sudden change of heart, Skinner gazed
into her eye.  They were clear and determined but most of all, they
were gazing back like a mirror to his own soul.  She and he were both
trying to do what was 'right'.

    "I have to find Agent Mulder." Scully said curtly as she headed
for the door.

    Skinner silently blocked her path and closed the door.  With a low
thud, the door locked, keeping the Agent and her supervisor in the
dark office. Scully resisted the urge to go on the defensive and
instead, just waited for Skinner to show his intentions. He stood so
close she had to tilt her head back to see his face. He broke the
silence with a whispering voice that rumbled like distant thunder.
"He won't understand but you've got to make him see; you had no
choice. Not if you care about him and his work."

    Scully sighed.  "Our work. It's our work. I'm just as much a part
of it as Agent Mulder." She touched the scar at the back of her neck
and added, "Maybe more."

    Skinner drew a sharp breath and nodded then opened the door.
Instead of dashing out at the first opportunity, Scully walked out
with an air of confidence and conviction that defined her personal
strength. Skinner wanted to reach out and embrace her to let her know
he truly cared but such actions were too easily misunderstood as just
a physical attraction.  How could she know that Skinner found himself
becoming more and more a part of the X-Files himself?
_______________________________

     Scully found Mulder in her apartment, trying to sort out the
shambles left by the men who had ransacked Mulder's place.  She
wandered in with an expression of disbelief. "My God, Mulder! What
happened?"

     "Apparently someone decided to do a little redecorating." Mulder
mused as he tried to soften the shock.  "They did a number on my place
but I guess the party was just starting."  Helplessly setting down a
box of broken items, Mulder righted a chair and frowned. "Someone
knows we have it."

   "The briefcase?" Scully asked as she shuffled into the mess.
Mulder nodded sadly. "Well, they're too late.  I handed the satchel
over to Skinner."

     "You did what?" Mulder shouted. "What were you thinking? Not only
did you throw away our evidence, you implicated us for obstruction of
justice."

     "We've already lost that battle, Mulder." She argued back, "By
not turning in the briefcase at the time of arrest, we destroyed the
trail of evidence, rendering the case and its contents useless as
evidence. It was nothing more than a source of information, clues we'
ve already followed up on.  But now, retaining that satchel has become
a liability and the only logical choice is to cooperate."

   "Damn it, Scully! You don't understand!" Mulder shouted, knocking
over the box he so gently set down moments before.  "I found
something.  Something they'll try to hide.  A truth they don't want us
to see.  And you've given them the means to hold us at bay."

    "Mulder, I've given us the means to understand whatever it is you
think you found!" Scully's voice became low and threatening. "We
decided before we need the resources of the FBI to prove anything to
anyone else.  More than that Mulder, I need those resources to make
sense of what I found in Allentown."

     Mulder culled his anger for the moment and growled, "What did you
find?"

     Scully explained about the women of MUFON and how bizarre the
whole incident was.  There was a 'great unknown' at work and she had a
gut feeling that it was the key connection to making sense of this
mystery.  Mulder's mind became quickly engaged in speculations about
extreme possibilities, only to be interrupted by Scully's soft voice.
Her words trembled uncharacteristically as she told him about Betsy's
medical condition and the prediction at all these women would suffer
the same fate.

     "But you're fine, aren't you?" Mulder asked confidently.

     "Am I? I don't know." Scully replied with dangerous uncertainty.
"It was freaky."

     "Don't you mean 'spooky'?" Mulder taunted.  Scully turned away
trying not to let him see know much his lack of concern hurt her but
Mulder knew exactly what was going through her mind.  He tried to make
amends as he gently placed his arms around her and kissed the back of
her neck. "Listen, I don't care what those women say. You're case is
different. You were taken just to hurt me.  You nearly died when they
brought you back, not like the others at all.  I don't think you
should freak out until we find out what that implant is."

      "Can I freak out after we get it analyzed? " she said tightly.

      "Only if I don't freak out first." Mulder murmured softly as he
nipped at her neck. As his teeth touched the spot the implant was
removed from, she suddenly pulled away.  "Sorry.  I wasn't thinking?"

     Scully frown and rubbed the back of her neck. "I know, Mulder.
That's why I'm so upset.  Without any proof of what they say, I don't
know what to believe.

     Mulder grunted. "Well I do.  I know what I saw. Listen? I have
evidence from my own sources.  Maybe it will convince you that I'm not
crazy." He showed her the photos the Senator gave him.  She looked at
them and shrugged not knowing the significance. "Come with me to talk
to the people who can help you make sense of this.  You trust the
guys, don't you?"  Scully nodded weakly.  "Look, even Whiz Boy
Pendrell can't figure out that implant in less than a few hours."

      Scully signed and looked at her ruined apartment.  What choice
did she have but to listen to Mulder? All too often he was right about
the dangers they faced. What nagged at her was how often he was wrong.
________________________________

     Mulder paid another visit to the Lone Gunman, accompanied by his
partner.  The Lone Gunmen seemed glad to see them together again but
they could tell Scully lacked her usual sharpness.  It was as if she
had forgotten something very important. Their relief at seeing the
pair working side by side was short lived as they realized Mulder was
oblivious to Scully's distraction.

     The Lone Gunmen were able to provide Mulder with the past deeds
of the doctors identify by Senator Matheson.  They worked with a
Japanese military medical unit during WWII, Unit 731, which conducted
experiments on human victims.  Their work was comparable to the
atrocities committed by the Nazi and just like the ex-Nazi war
criminals, these doctors were continuing their work, here in the US.
Mulder confirmed that 'according to his source' they were murdered in
Knoxville, Tennessee.  He went on to speculate that it was our
government that ordered the execution.  Scully immediately challenged
his logic.

     "Mulder, one minute you're saying our government is collaborating
with them the next you're saying they killed them." Scully argued. "It
doesn't make any sense."

     Mulder snapped back, "It does if you open you mind to the
possibilities!  A salvage ship found something?a vessel or ship. I saw
it.  Our government is hiding it under our very noses! What if the
Japanese had their own claim on it as well and withheld information so
they could study the biological entity that piloted that ship for
their own purposes. The autopsy, Scully. You saw it. "

     "Mulder, I saw a video of men in full surgical garb gathered
around a table doing 'something'.  That's all that I saw. What you're
proposing is science fiction, conjecture based on your own beliefs and
expectations." Scully was upset but trying not to be angry. "Believing
is the easy part. I need more than you.  I need proof."

     An uneasy silence fell on the room. Mulder glared at Scully and
said bitterly, "What about faith? in each other? You think believing
is easy?"  He turned away from her and handed a video capture photo of
the 'autopsy' to Langly. He nodded and passed it to the others. Langly
agreed that this was a case of 'box car' work - research conducted in
specialized self contained labs housed in railroad cars.  This secret
government railway could move around the country virtually undetected
and could gather test subjects and resources en route.  If the
Japanese planned to hide their research from the very people
sponsoring it, this would be the way to do it the Lone Gunmen agreed.

    Something in the Lone Gunmen's description of the 'box-car' work
suddenly distracted Scully.  She shuffled through Mulder's evidence,
including the photo of the doctors of Unit 731 and insisted that she
had seen one of the doctors before. Instead of being encouraged by her
involvement Mulder seemed annoyed and brushed off her remark. "Well it
wasn't at the class reunion. That's Takeo Ishimaru and he's been dead
since 1965.  You probably saw him in a medical text while you where in
school under the chapter on torture for fun and profit. It'll come to
you sooner or later.  In the meantime?" Mulder pulled out a photo or
what appeared to be a train yard with a box car circled. "It's here.
The boxcar where the alien autopsy was performed.  Where these men
were murdered. Proof that what I say is the truth."

     The Lone Gunmen grabbed the photo. "Bingo, Mulder. That's it.
Where'd you get this photo?"

     Mulder scowled at Scully, "From someone like you who wants proof
but is also willing to believe."

       The Lone Gunmen shifted their sights to Scully to watch her
reaction.  Scully did not like to be chided, especially by her
partner. But there was something even more disturbing about these
Japanese doctors that she couldn't quantify or even identify.  She
voiced her concerns with an edgy tone. "Mulder, I think it's important
that we check into this Dr. Ishimaru first.  If there's a connection
between him and Dr. Klemper, it might involve the project your father
was involved in.  If that's true..."

     Mulder cut her off rudely in mid sentence. He growled back, "We
already have the evidence we need to follow. This isn't about my
father."

      Scully folded her arms and faced him. "No, this about me and the
evidence someone implanted in my neck, without my knowledge or
consent! We know that's related to his work!"  Mulder stood fuming mad
but she continued, just as angry as him. "If you think you'll find the
truth chasing invisible box cars, fine. I suggest you go now.  I have
an appointment with Agent Pendrell to discuss what I believe is the
key issue here."

      "If you're trying to make me jealous, think again." Mulder
roared.

       "Mulder, not everything is about you." Scully replied sharply
as she headed to the door. Suddenly she stopped and sighed heavily.
Turning back to Mulder, her face and her voice became apologetic.  "I
know we both have our own reasons to believe in what we're doing and
how we're approaching it. But I don't understand what you expect to
find so I can't help you."

     Her soft tone calmed Mulder down slightly. Without yelling he
asked, "So what are you looking for?"

      "The connection between Ishimaru, Sakura, MUFON, and whatever
was on that salvage ship." Scully answered professionally.

      "And their connections to you?" Mulder said seriously.

        Scully looked down, as if she was afraid to admit he was
right.  "I'll call if I find anything helpful." she said quietly and
left the room.

      The Lone Gunmen had been forgotten in the fray until Frohike
gently touched Mulder's shoulder.  "Hey, you need any help? We're not
much in the field but..."

     Mulder smiled at his friends and said slowly, "I'll be all right.
Thanks.  Scully's right. I can't help her now and she's not ready to
believe me this time.  I just have to find the proof to convince her."
He took a few more notes on the rail yard then left, alone.

      After Mulder was gone, Langly closed his files and spoke sadly
to his comrades.  "You were right.  It's never going to be the same
between them."
______________________________________

      Scully approached Pendrell in the lab and he jumped out of his
seat when she surprised him by touching him on the shoulder.  "Agent
Scully!" he greeted her briskly. "I have the initial data on that
device.  Do you want to wait for Agent Mulder?"

       Scully shook her head. "Agent Mulder is pursuing his own
investigation. He's not at liberty to have access to the FBI resources
until Skinner clears him."

      Pendrell nodded sympathetically. "It must be tough. You know,
working alone." He looked at her with anticipation, almost hoping she
would ask him to assist her in the field. He would gladly leave the
safety of his lab to be at her side.

      But Scully just smiled politely and said, "It's not so bad.  I'
ll get together with Agent Mulder when I've reached some conclusions."
Pendrell nodded again and slipped back into his 'lab-boy' role.

      What Agent Pendrell revealed to Scully shocked her to the core.
The implant in her neck was a computer chip, just as she suspected but
it was no ordinary chip.  The complexity and design were state of the
art, but a specific manufacture couldn't be identified. When Scully
asked about the possible applications, he explained these chips could
be used for anything from video games to bio-mechanical interfaces for
the disabled, using direct electrochemical links to the brain.

      The implications gave Scully cause to worry. "Agent Pendrell,
could you narrow down the possibilities if I told you that device was
taken for the subcutaneous layers at the base of my neck?"

     Pendrell nearly fell over at the news. Regaining his composure he
stuttered, "Y-yes, that? that would?uh?narrow it down.  I? I'd need to
run some tests."

     "I'd really appreciate it." Scully said sincerely. "Look, I know
there's no paperwork on this case but?"

     "Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it right away. I know
how important this is to you." Pendrell offered readily.

     Scully smiled then looked at him rather seriously. "I hope you
don't think I'm trying to take advantage of your concern for me."

     Pendrell looked slightly wounded that the thought even crossed
her mind. "Why would I ever think that?"

     Scully pursed her lips and answered, "Because Mulder would."

Pendrell rested his hand next to hers as she leaned against the
counter. "Then he doesn't know you as well as he thinks he does."
Scully glanced at his hand and he quickly pulled it back, but smiled
and nodded to her to emphasis his point.

     Scully smiled at his kindness. "Thank you for your faith, Agent
Pendrell. Let me know when you have something. I'm anxious to find out
what's really happening."

     Pendrell watched her walk down the hall and let out a sigh. "Not
as much as I am."
________________________________________

    As Scully sought her answers so did Mulder. Tracking the boxcar in
the photo, he observed several Japanese men escorting someone in a
medical contamination suit into the boxcar. Mulder caught a glimpse of
the face and it was nearly void of any human characteristics.  It
looked more like the creatures he was trapped with in the boxcar in
New Mexico. Something big was going down but the train pulled away
before he could catch it.  He had to call Scully to let her know the
chase was on.

(Continued?)
__________________________________________

Title: The IM Files #20  SECOND GENERATION MONSTERS (2/2)
Author: Shinkai
E-mail Address: shinkai@mlode.com
Rating: R+
Classification: SR
Spoilers: Nisei, 731
Keywords: Scully/Mulder romance, alternate reality
Summary: See part 1
Disclaimer: See Part 1
__________________________________

(Continued)

      Scully felt a terrible wave of guilt wash over her. Had she
betrayed Mulder's trust? Was she being so unreasonable to ask for more
proof?  What was she missing that was so obvious to him? She went to
his apartment to review his files again. There she found the video and
watched it again.  One of the doctors punched a key pad that opened a
door then he removed his mask. It was Ishimaru. Suddenly Scully had a
vision  a glimpse of her lost memory.  The bright light place. The
doctors leaning over her, speaking in Japanese. Then a distant cry, a
voice screaming her name. It was Mulder! Suddenly her cell phone rang
and shocked her back to the present.

     Mulder told her what saw and she told him that she had found Dr.
Ishimaru on the video.  She couldn't during herself to tell him about
her vision but swore she knew the doctor from somewhere else.  Mulder
didn't have time to wonder what she meant but told her that he would
pick up the when it hooked up with a Canadian passenger train in
Cincinnati.  They had both uncovered frightening truths but neither
knew how closely they were connected.
________________________________

     As Scully looked over Mulder's files, she began to wonder if her
flashbacks were true memories.  Could Mulder have really been with her
during her abduction, even for a short time? Or was it more likely
that she imagined him with her to give her some sense of control in an
unknown world? She was afraid that if she told him of her visions,
Mulder would go off pursuing a truth that didn't exist, in search of
his own destiny. As for now, Mulder was already in danger, working
alone, following clues that had already gotten four doctors murdered.
Just to find the proof she demanded for the truth she questioned. She
cursed herself for not going with him.

    Suddenly she heard a sound in the hall just outside his door.
Moving close to the door with her gun at the ready, she quickly pulled
open the door. The dark man she knew as Mulder's informant, X, stood
there slightly startled.

      "What do you want?" she questioned holding the weapon on him.

      "Why did you let him go alone?" X demanded.

      "I have no idea what you're talking about." Scully replied
nervously.

      X stepped inside the apartment, mindful of her weapon but
unafraid. "Agent Mulder is tracking a train. You can't let him get on
it."

     Scully pressed the weapon forward. "That's far enough. Why should
I trust you? You've lied to us before."

     "You have to get word to him. You're wasting time when his life
is in danger."  X suddenly and swiftly pinned her hand and her weapon
to the wall, while drawing his own. "If you had done your job I wouldn
't have to be here."

     "What job? What do you mean?" Scully insisted despite her
compromised position.

     "You're his partner. You should have been there for him." X
hissed, then lowered his gun and released Scully. Scully let her
weapon rest by her side. In a voice of hard compassion X said, "I know
what it means to lose a partner to the truth."

      Scully suddenly understood and quickly called Mulder's cell
phone. The call reached him as he stood poised to catch the train the
hard way. Having missed it at the station, he was prepared to jump on
board a moving train from an overhead trestle.  Barely audible above
the roar of the train below him, Scully tried to tell him that they
knew where he was and what he was doing. When he asked how she knew,
she looked at X knowing she couldn't compromise him. Her silence made
Mulder question her reasons.

     "I have to do this, Scully. I know what I saw." he shouted as he
prepared to jump.

     Turning away from the accusing eyes of X, Scully pleaded with
Mulder. "I want to believe in you, Mulder, but it's too dangerous.
You have to let it go."

     "I can't. And neither can you." he replied in a shout then the
phone went dead.

     "Mulder! Mulder!" Scully shouted into the phone but there was
only static. Hanging up the phone she turned to X, who looked back
with venom in his stare. Unshaken Scully demanded to know what was on
the train. He just turned away saying it didn't matter anymore.  She
tried to get confirmation of the things Mulder had discovered but he
brushed her off, again.  "You came here for a reason, damn it!" Scully
finally shouted.  "You believed in Agent Mulder too. At least tell me
what the Japanese have to do with it. How a man named Ishimaru is
involved."

     "That I don't know." X answered with his hand on the door.

     Scully stepped back and raised her weapon again. "Don't tell me
you don't know, you lying sack of shit."

     X knew he could take the weapon. So did Scully for that matter.
But they both knew how desperate she was.  "There are limits to my
knowledge. What are you going to do? Shoot me? Just like the men that
shot your sister?"

     Scully lowered her gun in defeat "You know them too?"

     X looked straight into her eyes and said, "I know your sister's
death wasn't an accident. There were always two intended targets."
Scully gasped slightly then X added, "You want to know what's on that
train? Who killed your sister?  You find out what they put in your
neck. It holds more than I could ever tell you. Maybe everything you
need to know."

    Scully watched the mysterious man disappear down the hall as she
struggled with her choices. Pendrell would have the report ready
shortly about the implant. It could be the vital information she
needed to save Mulder. But unless she went in search of him now, she
might never be able to track him.  X had implied she failed Mulder by
allowing him to go too far.  Mulder had implied he was doing it for
her as well as for him.

     Scully suddenly shouted out loud, "To hell with them all!"  She
couldn't plunge head long into a search for Mulder without having some
idea of what she might encounter. What good was she as a partner if
she just followed him blindly?  There was no real evidence he was in
any immediate danger and if X really wanted to protect him, he'd
contact her again. For now she needed the answers only science could
provide.
________________________________________________

     Mulder's train ride so far was rough but not life threatening.
When he jumped, he lost the cell phone but he was unharmed and entered
the train without a problem. The doorway to the boxcar itself was
locked with a coded key pad. Identifying himself as an FBI agent,
Mulder tried to secure the help of the conductor but even he didn't
have access to the car.  He did direct Mulder to the compartment of a
Dr. Shiro Zama, a Japanese doctor who appeared to be traveling with
the car.

      The compartment was deserted but Mulder found a briefcase with
notes written in Japanese.  He asked the conductor to secure the
briefcase and handed him his backup gun.  Removing the clip, Mulder
ordered the conductor to detain Zama when he returned.  Then he added,
"Don't pull the trigger. That will kind of give away the game. And don
't lose it. It was a birthday present from my wife."

     The conductor's eyes widen.  He looked at the weapon then at
Mulder and said, "You must have a very interesting relationship."

    Mulder sighed heavily, "You don't know the half of it." He wished
Scully was with him to back him up, even if she didn't really believe
it was an alien in the box car. All she ever really needed was a
reason to believe in him. There was a feeling of emptiness as he
realized he had failed her by taking her for granted and expecting her
to follow him through hell. Dana had made promised to always be there
as his lover, not as Special Agent Scully.

     Mulder eventually found Zama, dead and stuffed in the restroom.
As he suspected, Zama was really Ishimaru.  Whoever wanted to
eliminate Unit 731 had been successful, and the prize waited to be
collected from the boxcar. Once 'they' had it, the whole operation
would go underground again and Mulder would have to wait for another
breech before he had a chance to reveal the truth.
_____________________________________

     Scully returned to the FBI lab and received a full report from
Pendrell.  Her concerns were multiplied when he demonstrated how the
chip stored and mimicked neuron activity generated by the brain.  As
an artificial neural network, it could theoretically record a persons'
thoughts.  There was even a small possibility that it could alter
thought processes or generate new memories.  As far out as it sounded,
the technology wasn't unprecedented although the chip itself was far
more complex than anything Pendrell or his tech heads had seen before.

     Scully wrinkled her forehead and touched the scar on the back of
neck where the implant had been.  The look on her face worried
Pendrell, for he had never seen her frightened or uncertain.  He
offered what support he could by touching her arm and saying, "It's
out now. It can't hurt you."

      "I'm not so sure." Scully frowned as she recalled Betsy Hagopian
and the other women of MUFON who were dying even though the implants
had been removed. Pendrell was at a loss of what to say next, so he
told her what he found out about the chip itself. Although the chip
itself was damaged trying to study it, there a code in the matrix that
indicated it was manufactured in Japan.  No record of the actual maker
or user existed but he was able to locate a manifest coded to the
chip.  It indicated a single shipment to Dr. Shiro Zama at a research
facility in West Virginia. Scully nodded thoughtful. Pendrell had
stumbled on the first clue to the connection she suspected with
'Operation Paper Clip', also based in West Virginia. She took the
information and congratulated Pendrell on his good work.

     Pendrell awkwardly thanked her and blurted out a meaningless
parting remark that Scully never even heard. What she did hear was his
self criticism regarding his remark. "What a doof." he mumbled under
his breath when he thought she was gone. "I'm no match for Mulder. Why
do I even bother?"

     He was startled when she reappeared in his doorway, looking upon
him with sincere kindness and appreciation. "You bother because you
truly care.  Thank you." she said softly then she smiled just as
softly and left. It took Pendrell a good 10 minutes pick his jaw off
the floor and get back to work.
_____________________________________________

     Scully raced off to the facility in West Virginia where the chip
had been delivered. It turned out to be The Hansen's Disease Research
Facility, a leper colony. But the only people she found were horribly
disfigured victims of the disease who had contracted it before
effective treatment existed. They were living in fear, hiding in an
underground shelter.  They told her Dr. Zama and the medical staff had
all left, just before the death squads began arriving and eliminating
'the others'. The lepers described 'the others' as test subjects who
had been brought to the facility, disfigured much like they were. But
after 'the tests' they returned even more grossly altered. They showed
her the mass grave piled with bodies hardly recognizable as human,
bearing the same features Mulder would have described as 'alien'.  She
was told that there were many of more graves on the compound.  The
lepers were the only ones left alive in the area.

      The darkness of night was suddenly banished by bright search
lights and the sound of helicopters. The death squads had returned and
flushed out the lepers.  Scully was captured as she watched the
frightened outcasts die one by one.  She was taken to a holding
facility expecting to be questioned or tortured. She wondered if this
was how Mulder had changed from the man she married 14 years ago to
the man she knew now; how his youthful anger had been forged into
paranoid obsession.  Just like him, she had gone into the darkness
seeking answers to her own past, only to find more questions. The
truth was not merely buried but obscured with layers of lies actively
perpetuated and ruthlessly eliminated when they could no longer be
sustained.  Even though it wasn't a boxcar she was chasing, Mulder had
been right  she couldn't let it go.

     Her solemn reflection was interrupted as she was taken to see a
heavy set man who was clearly in charge, the First Elder of a secret
society of men who sought to write the future as they buried the past.
Without revealing his name or alliance, he told Scully he knew most
everything about her.  The eerie presumption in his voice reminded her
of the CSM and the WMM, and she had no doubts that they were in league
with one another. She realized some of Mulder intuition was rubbing
off on her, or perhaps it was his paranoia. At least it made her feel
less alone.

    The First Elder 'explained' the lepers and the others had been
exposed to 'terrible things' by Ishimaru, working under the guise of
Dr. Zama. But Ishimaru began to work secretly, unwilling to share his
findings with his benefactors.  Scully's terrifying flashback of
Ishimaru prompted her to ask if she had been exposed as well.  The
First Elder claimed he didn't know. Then she asked if Mulder had been
exposed and he answered cryptically, "Agent Mulder only knows what he
believes. That is his reality.  Please, I'd like to show you something
that will give you your answers."  With no recourse, Scully followed
the man outside.

     She was taken to an adjacent train yard and lead to a box car. As
she stepped in and the bright lights came on, a cold dark fear gripped
her heart. The same fear that swallowed her the night she was raped
twelve years ago, and once again when Duane Barry kidnapped her. The
same fear that tried to tear her control away from her life whenever
Mulder went insane.  The brightness illuminated a forgotten horror, as
she remembered the second rape of her body as a test subject at the
hands of men like Zama.
________________________________________

     Back on the train, Mulder ordered the conductor to tell the
engineer not to stop the train until he located Zama's killer. When
Mulder went to check the boxcar, he found the door ajar. Cautiously
walking into the darkened car with his weapon ready, he saw the same
lab he witnessed in the video. Then he saw another door at the other
end, a stream of light shining through a small opening in the drape
covering the window on it.  He carefully approached the door and
peered inside.  'It' was in there - the creature he saw them loading
into the boxcar. Mulder stared at the alien features yet was haunted
by the humanity of its expression of fear and confusion as it cowered
in the corner.

     Mulder was stooped over with eye was pressed close to the
peek-hole as the creature moved towards him. Sudden something streaked
in front of peek-hole and Mulder was staring into a dark blue human
looking eye. He jerked back then suddenly felt a powerful arm seize
his neck as his body was slammed forward, forcing him to drop his gun.
The grip was replaced by a thin taut wire stretched across his throat
as his attacker threw him down to the ground.  Mulder struggled
helplessly as the garrote bit into his neck and cut off the vital flow
of air. There was no time to think or pray or hope. Even Scully couldn
't save him now.  Miraculously, she did.

      The conductor appeared and ordered the attacker to stop,
threatening him with Mulder's back-up gun, the one Scully gave him.
The attacker released Mulder who felt gasping to the floor. Mulder
quickly saw that his assailant was a red-haired man with a face with
deadly intentions.  The red-haired man identified himself as a Nation
Security Agency operative and tried to show the conductor his ID but
the conductor panicked and ran.  The red-haired man dropped Mulder and
charged at the conductor, saying he was making a big mistake. The
conductor threw the empty weapon at the man as a last ditch effort to
stop him then slammed the door to the cabin shut. The red-haired man
shouted angrily gripping at the edges of the sealed door.

    Mulder had recovered enough to grab his weapon and bring it to
bear on the red-haired man.  The man seemed calm despite the threat
and warned Mulder that he had no idea what he was interfering with. He
stated again that he was with the NSA and Mulder remarked
sarcastically, "The N.S.A.? Since when did they start issuing you guys
piano wire instead of guns?"

    "Since we learned there's a bomb on this train." The red-haired
man answered seriously then tossed Mulder his ID.

    Mulder studied the ID then accused him of lying to cover up
'whatever is back there.' Mulder wasn't sure if he was NSA or not. It
would make just as much sense if he were working for our government.
What bothered Mulder was the fact that this 'NSA operative' tried to
kill him without question just because he saw 'it'.  The other thing
that nagged at Mulder was who or what was in the back of the car
besides the strange being.

      The red-haired man admitted he killed Zama because he was trying
to smuggle his secret experiment out of the country. But the wary
doctor rigged the boxcar with a bomb to prevent anyone else from
getting it if he was unsuccessful. The red-haired man was certain that
the bomb was armed as he entered the car using the key card and punch
code that Zama gave him before he died. Zama didn't realize the NSA
knew about the bomb so he assumed they would use the same code to
exit, detonating the device. The man smugly told Mulder that using the
firearm in the car might trigger it as well. When Mulder replied "I'll
take my chances," the red-haired man finally realized the kind if
obsessed man he was dealing with.

      Mulder didn't want to believe the red-haired man even though his
story matched the one Mulder had predicted. If Mulder accepted the
story it meant he would probably die in a fiery explosion that would
destroy the evidence and leave more questions than answers for Scully.
The first question would be 'Why didn't Mulder listen to me when I
said don't get on that train?'  Mulder often teased Scully that her
job was to keep him alive but Scully took the role very seriously.
Had he not questioned her faith, she might be there to finish that
job.  But now Mulder had no choice but try to open the door with the
same code the red-haired man used to get in, and risk setting off the
bomb.

     Before Mulder finished punching in the code, he and the
red-haired man heard an electronic shrill that made them both leap for
cover.  It was nothing more than a cell phone the red-haired man was
carrying. But Mulder was surprised again when the call turned out to
be for him. What didn't surprise him was that on the other end was
Scully, still trying to keep him alive.

     Scully explained that the secrets Mulder stumbled upon were not
about aliens and space crafts but about atrocities committed by men
like Zama, sanctioned by our government, on individuals without their
knowledge or consent, in an effort to create a new breed of human 
monsters begetting monsters.  Mulder tried to argue and convince her
to find out who these men really were and why they were telling her
this.  But she had all the proof she needed in her own memories.
Mulder was suddenly silent when she told him she and the women of
MUFON were among the victims, and that it was Zama who placed the
implant in her neck.  She went on to say the 'UFO' he saw was just a
piece of a Russian sub and that they were using him to perpetuate the
lie to cover-up the truth.

     "Why would the military want to put an implant in your neck?"
Mulder argued.

    "That implant is a complex micro-processing chip capable of
recording and possibly transmitting data directly from the central
nervous system." Scully stated analytically. "Can you imagine the
ramifications of weapons that can be operated by a direct neural
interface. They were field tests, lies that go beyond the boxcars and
warehouses, into our homes and minds."

     Mulder finally challenged her. "You have your memories of your
abduction, just like I have my recollections of my encounters but mine
tell me another story. What proof can you offer me?"

     "It's not science fiction, Mulder. It's old news. " Scully said
sadly. "Two weeks ago, the President made a public apology for secret
radiation tests that had been conducted on innocent citizens up until
1974. Only guess what?"

    "Those tests never ended." Mulder answered with resignation.
Scully told him one such subject who had been exposed to a dangerous
contagion was on that car along with a bomb. Mulder half chuckled as
he explained he found out about the bomb when he got trapped in the
boxcar with it but that he would appreciate some constructive advise.
With her help guided by the First Elder, he found the bomb and
according to the timer he had a little over and hour and a half to
stop it. She implored him to stop at the next station to so they could
a bomb squad out but he broke off the connection instead, pretending
he couldn't hear her.

     Scully hung up and closed her eyes, shaking her head in
disbelief.  She knew he still didn't believe her and that he suspected
the test subject on board the train was an alien-human hybrid. He was
taking a gamble that the threat of disease was another lie so others
would keep their distance and 'they' would come looking for it before
the bomb went off.  When the First Elder asked where the train was now
she told him that they weren't on the map, putting her faith in Mulder
once again and hoping 'they' would find him before it was too late.
Unexpectedly the First Elder thanked her, apologized for not being
able to do more and asked the guard to escort her back to her car.

     "You're just going to let him die?" she protested. "You'll risk
the death of thousands from hemorragic fever just to continue the
 lie?"

      "If the train is 'off the map' as you say, the risk is
minimally, given the original intention of the device was to destroy
the evidence." he answered calmly. "I trust Agent Mulder will order
the separation of the car from the passenger train to reduce the
mortality. As far as the unfortunate test subject locked in that
boxcar, this is the most mercifully way to dispose of him and the
madness that Zama created.

     Scully was livid. "Why did you show me this and let me talk him,
if not to save him and whatever it is on that train?"

    "I felt we owed you some answers. An least an apology." came his
empty words.

     "You're lying, you filthy bastard." she yelled.  "I don't want an
apology. I want my partner."  She looked accusingly at him. "It wasn't
just Zama. It was all of you conducting these tests!"

       The guards held her tightly as the First Elder approached.
"Miss Scully, we can detain you if we wish. Then you can discuss your
theory with him until he dies?in 90 minutes.  But I recommend that
instead of wasting time, you marshal whatever resource you have if you
truly want to save him."

     Knowing he was right, Scully said nothing more and dashed off as
soon as they released her.  She rapidly called the Lone Gunmen but
they said all tracking data was currently 'off-line'.  It could mean
'they' were tying it up looking for the train or it could mean nothing
at all.  She told them to keep trying then called Skinner but there
was even less that he could do.

    "Agent Scully, I'm just short of being under house arrest."
Skinner answered angrily.  "I realize Mulder's life is in danger but I
can barely make a phone call without a load of lawyers telling me to
shut up.  The Japanese claim the briefcase was missing certain
documents and they're implicating me.  I can run interference for
another day but they'll be after you next."

     "Sir if I can't get help in the next hour, it doesn't matter what
happens tomorrow." Scully hung up quickly, trying to think of who to
ask next.  Just then her phone rang.

    "Scully, it me." Mulder said softly. Sitting on the floor of the
cabin with the red-haired man at gun point and the phone perched on
his shoulder, Mulder picked up his back up gun that the conductor
threw in self defense.  "How about for my next birthday you get me my
own implant so you can track me wherever I go?"

    "Don't think I haven't thought about it." she replied as calmly as
she could. "Right now I just want to make sure you make it to your
next birthday." Mulder told her they would have never made it to the
next station and that he had the car isolated as far in the middle of
nowhere as possible, just in case she was right about the hemorragic
fever. He still expected 'them' to come. Scully assured him she was
busy trying to get anyone to him.  She got his number and told him she
would call as soon as she had anything.

   "Dana?" Mulder said quietly before she hung up. "A brilliant and
beautiful woman once told me evidence is worthless if your dead, then
she saved my life." he said recalling when she came to Puerto Rico to
rescue him.

   Scully took a deep breath and replied with conviction, "The same
woman learned that life without meaning is just as worthless.  I know
why you're there and I respect that. I just don't want you to die
there."

     Mulder hung up and stared the red-haired man watching him.  The
'NSA operative' nodded and said "Touching scene. Too bad you're going
back to her in million pieces."

    Mulder waved the weapon at him and said seriously, "She can handle
my death." Glancing towards the strange being in the other end of the
car Mulder added, "I'm not so sure she can handle that."
______________________________________

     Scully franticly looked through Mulder's apartment for anything
that might help. She called Senator Matheson's office only to be
turned away.  She even called her brother Bill to see if he could
access any military information. She placed an "X" in the window as a
distress sign to the strange informant that warned her earlier but
hoped he was already on his way to help Mulder.  Finally she went to
the source of all her problems, the autopsy video, and fast forwarded
to the view of Zama.  He was punching a keypad then left before the
death squad arrived.
______________________________________

     As the time passed it became clear that Mulder, the red-haired
man, and any other occupants of the boxcar were going to die alone.
With less than 20 minutes left and nothing left to lose, Mulder
threaten the 'NSA operative' with a slow painful suffering before
dying in the bomb blast. The red-haired man had nothing left to lose
either, so he talked.  He implied that the being created by Zama was
the next phase in nuclear warfare  radiation resistant troops. Mulder
carefully looked in the peep hole at the sad solitary figure. He saw a
second shadow moving behind the creature.  Mulder instantly began
banging on the door and shouted, "Hey, you in there?are you all
 right?" The shadow vanished as the creature cringed and Mulder turned
to the red-haired man. "What's going on?  Who the hell is in there?"

     "How should I know? I work alone." the man answered tight lipped.
"Maybe you're cracking under the pressure, thinking about that partner
of yours and what she's going to do after you die."

     Mulder knew the remarks were a ploy to make him angry enough to
let down his guard.  Mulder concentrated his focus and tried again to
get more answers. Stepping back and gesturing towards the doorway with
the window covered, Mulder ordered, "Open it!"

     "It requires another key card. Here?see for yourself." Swiping
the card in the lock, the dull tone indicated it was rejected.  Mulder
asked how he planned to capture the creature if he couldn't get in.
"That's what I was considering when you came into the cabin."

     Mulder looked through the peek hole again. "You're lying again."
he said flatly.

     "How can you tell?" he asked brashly.

    "You moved your lips." Mulder sneered. "There's something more
happening here. More than even you were prepared for."

    The red-haired man shrugged. "Good theory. You have eight minutes
to prove it."

     Before Mulder could think of a good answer, Scully called and she
told him she may have found the code they needed on the alien autopsy
video.

     Mulder hid his nervously as he joked, "You mean I might get my
twenty-nine ninety-five's worth after all?"

     "Plus postage and handling." Scully added. Scully played the
video in frame by frame mode, reading the numbers out loud as Zama
punched them in. Mulder took the key card from the other man and
nervously followed along until she got to the last number when she
hesitated. "I think it's a one."

    "You think it's a one? Are you sure?" Mulder asked sharply.

     In the next second, Scully's mind asked the same question a
hundred times. < Are you sure? > and the answer each time was a
resounding < NO! > As if he could hear her thoughts Mulder whispered,
"Dana, all you have left is faith."

    Scully silenced the fears of being wrong and watched again. "It's
a one." she said decisively.  Mulder punched the 'One' and the door
unlocked. Scully heard the beep and the sigh of relief but then she
heard the awful sound of a skull cracking against a solid object.
"Mulder? Mulder!" she yelled but he couldn't answer. He was lying
unconscious at the feet of the red-haired man who attacked him as soon
as the door open.

    The red-haired man stomped on Mulder a few more times as a little
payback, hoping he'd suffer through the last moments of his life.
Then the man looked back at the room holding the 'test subject' and
the other man who dared to get in the way.  There wasn't time to take
care of him so he would let the bomb do that job.  As he stepped off
the car, he was blown back by a gun shot to the abdomen.

    X stepped over the dying man who was in agonizing pain and entered
the car. He found Mulder beaten severely, blood covering his face. For
X, saving Mulder was a bonus to his primary mission of recovering the
hybrid.  He walked to the rear of the car and saw the door ajar.
Peering in cautiously, he saw the 'thing' lying dead or unconscious on
the floor.  It's condition made no difference to him. As he kneeled to
pick it up, he was knocked over by someone, hiding in the shadows, who
dashed out the door.

    As the mysterious figure dashed out the door, X spun around and
brought his weapon to bear on the assailant.  "You!" he said coldly as
he recognized the man he knew as Alex Krychek trying to drag Mulder
out of the car. "Drop him!" X ordered.

    Krychek grabbed Mulder's weapon and pressed it against the agent's
battered head. "I don't give a fuck if I die as long as he goes
 first." Krychek tried to pull the trigger but couldn't. Melissa's
legacy haunted him and made it impossible for him to kill anyone. He
knew in a second X would fire so he used Mulder as a shield and
dragged him from the car.

   X grabbed the hybrid and followed him out. "Krychek! You can't do
it, can you? You can't kill him!" he yelled.

    "Yeah but I can avoid you for another minute and then we're all
dead." Krychek screamed back pointing to car train ready to explode.

     "Are you sure the blast will kill you both? Agent Mulder has
uncanny luck when it come to survival." X said in a steady calm voice
as he moved closer.  Krychek looked panicked knowing his former
colleague was right. X dropped the hybrid to the ground and pointed at
it.  "A trade. This is leverage you need to disappear."  Krychek
looked at the body then at Mulder trying to decide. "Do what you do
best, Krychek  survive."  Krychek dropped Mulder and picked up the
hybrid then ran before X had a chance to shoot him in the back. X
picked up the agent and walk away in the opposite direction. He didn't
even turn to look as he heard the bomb blast and felt the concussion
wave roll past him.
_____________________________________

    Krychek collapsed to the ground dropping the hybrid with a thud.
It was still breathing but wheezed as if it was in its death throes.
Krychek regarded it with disgust and yelled at as if it was
responsible of his plight. "I tracked Mulder all the way from West
Virginia, even got on the train before he did. Then I screwed-up when
I thought it was him sneaking inside your damn boxcar. At least when
that bastard threw me in with you, I got the key card from him. When
that exit code worked on our door, I knew I had Mulder even if the
train didn't blow. I had him then my old comrade decides to play
rescue ranger.  So now I'm stuck with you, what ever kind of freak you
are. Do you hear me, freak? Do you understand, huh?"

    The creature looked at him with sad dying eyes.  It may not have
understood his words but it understood his pain.  Krychek sucked in
short breaths as he looked into the inhuman eyes and saw pity.  The
wretched creature knew it looked upon a soul even more tortured than
its own.  Krychek filled with a twisted sense of gratefulness for its
pity, then fired twice to put it out of its misery.  He dug a secret
grave and began to plot his revenge. Even though it was just a mercy
killing, Alex Krychek now knew he could set aside Melissa's influence
and become a killer once again, as was his dark destiny.
_________________________________

     Mulder had no idea how he had been rescued.  Scully could only
tell him someone called 911 and the ambulance found him, unconscious
and beaten. There was no record anywhere of an explosion or of the
missing boxcar.  Senior Matheson was not available to help and his
office reported he was 'out of the country' until further notice. All
Mulder's proof had gone up in smoke.

     Just as quickly as the 'international incident' erupted, it
ended.  Skinner was absolved of any misconduct while Mulder and Scully
received only a warning for withholding evidence since no case was
brought to court. When they were returned to duty, Mulder was anxious
to try to find any last scrap of evidence.  The briefcase he took from
Zama's cabin was retrieved from the passenger train and brought to the
X-Files office but once he saw it, he knew it had been switched.
"They're getting away with it, Scully." he swore angrily.

   "They've gotten away with it, Mulder." The mass graves of deformed
bodies were gone.  There was no evidence left but her own memory and
Mulder's wounds. No where did she see aliens. She tried to tell him
again that he was being used to cover up the truth. "What they can't
cover, they apologize for. Apology has become policy."

    Mulder threw the bogus journals across the room. "I don't need an
apology for the lies. I want them accountable for what did happen. I
want an apology for the truth."

   "And how will you know which is the truth without proof?" Scully
questioned harshly. Mulder walked out and slammed the door behind him.
She shook her head and sighed heavily. < Why won't he listen? It's not
just a matter of trust. It's just a matter of being right. > Scully
thought to herself.  Then she slowly opened the door to leave, and
Mulder was still standing there, his back to her.  She gently wrapped
her arms around him and whispered, "I haven't lost faith in you,
Mulder. I believe in all that you are as a man and as my husband. But
it's not a blind faith. I have to see and prove before I can know."

    "Then why did you tell me the last number in the code was a 'one'
?" Mulder asked pointedly.  "I watched the video. There's no way you
can tell." He turned to face her and looked challengingly into her
eyes.

    Scully took a deep breaths and confessed, "Despite everything I've
ever said and all that I stand for, I still believe in miracles. Our
love, our life, is the greatest miracle of all.  Together as one, Fox?
One." She held up one finger to emphasis her point. The harsh stare
melted from his eyes as he leaned down to kiss her fingertip. His
kisses moved down her finger to her hand and arms, entwining her body
with his into one life.


EPILOGUE

    One week later, Mulder still filtered through the evidence and his
memory again and again. Could Scully be right? Was his whole life
pursuit nothing more than an elaborate cover-story to divert attention
away from a covert military operation? Or was Scully too afraid to
face any other possibility? Her implant was frightening enough if it
had been placed there by human experimenters but the ideas of alien
studying our brain waves was unthinkable.

    Scully seemed willing to talk about the implant but there was
still something she was holding back.  When he confronted her, she
withdrew her emotions completely. For days she offered him nothing but
facts and figures, refusing to even give her opinion if it conflicted
with his. She was denying him what he needed most from her  her
passion for justice, her desire to make a difference.

   Without warning, Mulder left home, not in search of some clue, but
in search of himself.  Eventually, he found his way back to Albert
Hosteen.  Albert had helped him find the way before and now, Mulder
felt even more lost.  Albert's son and grandson welcomed Mulder into
their home as if he were an omen of hopeful days ahead. But Albert
greeted him with more reserve and some hesitation.

     "I respect your search and your dedication but I promised Mr.
Skinner that I would reveal the contents of the secret file only upon
his orders." Albert told Mulder cautiously. "It is the only way we may
use it as weapon against the men who seek to stop you."

    Mulder nodded his head vigorously. "Yes I understand but that's
not why I came to you.  I came because I didn't know where else to
turn."

     Albert touched Mulder's shoulder knowingly and motioned for him
to join him outside.  "Then I will show you." he said simply.

     Mulder explained his conflict with Scully. Despite their deep
love for one another, or perhaps because of it, they had built up
walls around themselves and those barriers were keeping them from the
truths they both sought.

     Albert nodded thoughtfully as he looked off into the distant
horizon.  "What do you see out there?" he asked Mulder as he pointed
towards the vast desert.

     Mulder shrugged. "Truths, lies, everything and nothing."

     "But no walls, no barriers?" Albert asked.   Mulder nodded as if
he understood but Albert smiled. "Turn around. What do you see now?"
Suddenly Mulder was looking at the front of Albert's home and it
blocked any view of the desert behind it.  "Our home protects us,
gives us comfort.  But we must leave it to see what it protects us
from. To appreciate its true beauty, we must stand away from it.
Otherwise, it will become nothing but a wall obscuring our vision."

      Mulder closed his eyes as he took in the old man's wisdom.  The
answer was painfully clear.  It was the same decision he and Dana had
made twelve years before and it was no less devastating this time.
But this time, it was more than their insanity at stake.  The 'Truth"
demanded another sacrifice.
_______________________

        Mulder had been gone for three days. Scully was prepared to
break her promise and start looking for him.  When he told he needed
some time alone to sort things out, she agreed that it was good idea.
She needed some time as well but three day without so much as a word
was excessive.  She was about to run a check on his credit card and
ATM activity to track his whereabouts when he called.  "I'm coming
home." was all he said.
_______________________

       Divorce.  The word hit like a ton of bricks then hovered above
them, preparing to crash down again. "Fox, I don't understand.  You
say you love me more than ever then you say you think we should get a
divorce?"

      Mulder held her tightly.  "I know it sounds crazy but I think
our marriage is ruining our friendship.  And our partnership.  We can'
t let go of the fear of separation and we'll do anything to avoid it.
Even lie to ourselves."

      Scully pushed him off, still stunned and hurt. "So this is your
solution? You took three days to come up with this?"

       "I spoke with Albert Hosteen.  He knows what we're searching
for. He's seen the truth. And I trust him. I owe him my life. I
thought?"

     Scully stood defiantly and spoke clearly.  "Let me tell you a
thing or two about Albert.  First, I am eternally grateful for what he
did to help us and save you. But he is not immune to the same
delusions and presumptions as the rest of us." Mulder took offense to
her remark but she continued anyway.  "Albert is a Navajo. A proud
nation and justly so.  But their history is one of war and conflict,
enemies and allies. I did some research on the Navajo and the Anasazi.
Do you realize 'Anasazi' is a Navajo word. Some say it means the
'ancient one' or 'ancient strangers', aliens if you will.  But others
say it means 'ancient enemy.'  The Navajos who coined it didn't know
when or how the ancient people vanished.  The legend persists even
today."

    "The Anasazi are gone but not without a trace. But not the way you
and Albert think.  All the evidence points to a breakdown of their
society secondary to successive seasons of drought.  They returned to
their nomadic ways in search of a new life.  Their descendants are the
Hopi and the Pueblo Indians, aliens only to the Navajo that competed
with them for resources. The very word 'Anasazi' is right now begin
removed from the history books to be replaced with the term 'Ancestral
Puebloans." Scully took a deep breath and waited for Mulder's reaction
to her interpretation  of  history.

    "So maybe the Anasazi weren't abducted, like Albert believes."
Mulder admitted.  "What's your point? How does that change the logic
of his solution for resolving our problems?"

    "Don't you see, Mulder? Logic that starts with a flawed assumption
will lead you to flawed answers. Just because he saved your life, you
can't take everything he says as gospel."  Scully took his hand and
spoke softly, "Albert is a kind and gentle man, with a wisdom all his
own. But just like you, he wants to believe. I want more. I don't just
want to believe, I need to KNOW.  I said I believe in miracle but
there's no logic in them. Logic only comes from understanding."

     Mulder shook his head. "So what does your logic tell you about
our marriage? It's not working.  We can both see that."  Scully
frowned but didn't argue. "Our work with the X-Files is forcing us to
choose and as much as I love you, I know our vows are holding us back,
making us afraid to face our own truths."

    "You're referring to my disappearance and my lost memories."
Scully stated plainly. Mulder nodded sadly. Scully turned away to hide
the tears that were forming in her eyes. Pursing her lips tightly, she
sighed and said, "Remembering bits and pieces is even more painful. I
need those memories. I need to regain control of my life." She bit her
lip trying to stay strong but her body shivered was she told Mulder
her deepest fears. "When Agent Pendrell told me that chip implanted in
my neck might actually be able to record or even alter my brain
waves?when I saw those women in Allentown staring at me with such
pity, I don't know if I'm in control of my life anymore. And you? I
saw you in my flashbacks? there, when they did the 'tests'."

      Mulder spun her around and shook her, unaware of his own
strength. "What! You saw me? That's not possible! I don't remember?"
Mulder stopped himself in shock when he realized that he didn't
remember anything from those final moments before he lost her.

     Scully wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his
chest. "I want my life back. I want OUR life back."

      Mulder kissed her gently. "So do I.  But there's too much in our
way.  We need to make a new life together. We can't divide our energy
trying to hold on to the old one and searching for the truth.  We
could lose everything."

     Scully thought about what she said about their love and their
life being 'one.'  She didn't want to lose her miracle. "Then a legal
separation but not divorce." Scully replied with determination.
"Nothing final until we know what's right for us.  I don't want to
spend another ten years trying to find you again."

       Mulder hugged her so tightly she could barely breath. "We can
suspend our marriage but I can't divorce myself from my feelings.  I
still love you and I'll never leave you.  I need your strength and
compassion and even your damn logic, to make me whole."

     Scully gasped for breath and kissed him lightly.  "As long as you
believe that being my husband interferes with being my partner, it
will keep us apart.  So I'll agree to a separation for now. But at
some point we have decide if the truth has any value to either of us
alone, or if it only has meaning when we're together.  Marriage is not
about traditional roles and expectations but about commitment to the
bond we share."

      Mulder sighed heavily and nodded.  "I need time to see things
that way because all I see now is you ? trapped behind a wall of
broken promises and lost dreams. And I feel responsible for every
 one."

     "Then let's start with a clean slate. No promises, no vows, no
expectations. Just us." Scully said pulling away from him.  "You can
stay tonight if you want or you can go back to your apartment. And
tomorrow you'll make the same choice. And every night after that until
we agree otherwise.  We'll take it one day? one moment at a time."

     Mulder wordlessly gave his answer as he tugged at her arm,
leading her to the bedroom.  They said nothing else for the rest of
night.  It was almost impossible for them to lie side by side without
experiencing  the mutual sexual attraction.  Far from being an
automatic response, they began with tentatively caresses as if they
were together for the first time. Each response was brand new and
together they re-discover their deepest love, beyond the raw passion.
They made love gently and slept in the security of each other's arms.

     In their dreams, they hoped for a future that would be as
successful as their love-making.  By abandoning their expectations,
they hoped to find the truth that eluded them.  But could long can two
people so closely connected live without expectations?  Would the
burden of choosing each day to be together force them apart?  Is love
without commitment nothing more than truth without justice, faith
without trust?  It was a risk Mulder and Scully were willing to share
but were only beginning to understand.  How could they know what kind
of invisible monsters would be born with their new life.

END
_________________________________________
_________________________________________

      Once again Mulder and Scully must separate their lives to stay
sane but this time they must also stay together to remain alive.  The
bittersweet resolution cannot last for long. But for how long?  Stay
tuned?

STORY NOTES:
-See INTRODUCTION about the Nisei. Oddly enough, the most decorated
American unit in WWII was the 442 nd Regiment made mostly of Nisei. As
they fought bravely in Europe, back at home their parents and families
lived in military run "Relocation Camps" by order of the President.
It wasn't until 1988, that the United States government formally
apologized and made monetary redress to those whose Constitutional
rights were violated.  Apology is policy. Although not directly
related to the X-Files, it is related to me. I'm a third generation
Japanese-American and both my parents were interred during WW II.

-Bill Jr. threats and the Lucy Householder case set Mulder up to
distance himself from Scully out of guilt but also out of resentment.
The resentment build throughout the rest of the story until he
realizes he still needs and loves her. Scully is no better off,
pushing Mulder away because of the terrible truths he represents in
her most frightening memories of her rape and her abduction.

- The bit about the encryption of the satellite feed answers a
nit-pick about how careless the Japanese are about their secret
experiments. The same about Mulder finding the invoice with his name
helping to explain why they waited 2 weeks before killing Zinnzer.

-The reference to 'She is One' in the "Red Museum' may be more than a
coincidence in X-File lore. The actress who portrayed Beth Kane in the
earlier episode, played Penny Northern in 'Nisei'.

-I wrote the Scully/Skinner scene before "Triangle" aired but I can't
help but see the similarity between them.  Makes me worry that I'm
getting too much into what CC is thinking.

-Pendrell deserves to be more than a puppy-dog lab nerd. His gentle
and genuine affection for Scully serves a counter-point to the
overbearing Skinner and the volatile moods of her mate. Some future
possibilities now that they're separated?

-I changed Scully's threat to X from "Don't tell me you don't know,
you smug son of a b?" to something more colorful based on a slip of
tongue made by Gillian Anderson, featured on one of the blooper out
takes. Gillian was VERY embarrassed but it works for me.

-The appearance of Krychek and his trade with X gives me a future
option which will help get X in trouble later and gives Krychek
leverage to get out of the missile silo.

-Scully is Catholic (even if she is not actively practicing) and has
been ingrained with the nature of miracles. Her medical training only
confirms that sometimes 'miracles' happen. Even she recognizes the
contradiction but is not afraid to admit it, knowing that it is the
exception, not the rule.

-Scully's bit about the Anasazi and the Navajos is taken from findings
and conclusions outlined at the 1991 Anasazi Symposium, in Mesa Verde.
This should not be interpreted to reflect negatively on the Navajo
people or their history but it does take a stab at the ignorance and
arrogance of those who lump 'Indians' into one category. I learned all
this in a recent vacation to Colorado (Even my vacations are
X-Files.)