From: shinkai@mlode.com (Susan Shinkai)
Date: Sun, 6 Jun 1999 04:04:48 -0700
Subject: New Story: The IM Files #24-Deep Dark Secrets (1/1)

Title: The IM Files #24 - DEEP DARK SECRETS
Author:  Shinkai
E-mail Address: shinkai@mlode.com
Rating: PG for language and violence
Classification: SR
Spoilers: Piper Maru, Apocrypha
Keywords: Scully/Mulder romance, alternate reality, angst
Summary: Settling into their 'permanent' separation, Mulder and Scully
are challenged with the discovery of a mysterious deadly force deep in
the Pacific.  Skinner takes it upon himself to investigate Melissa's
death while Krycek returns to stalk Mulder for revenge.

Intro: A greatly expanded parallel story, delving deeply into the
minds and motives of Mulder, Scully, Skinner and Krycek.  To
understand 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

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.
__________________________________

DEEP DARK SECRETS

    A dark figure watched the couple leave the J. Edgar Hoover
building and drive off together.  After watching them for days, he
knew their precise movements and habits.  It wasn't difficult for him
since this couple seemed like an old friend to him.  The relationship
of Special Agent Fox Mulder and his partner Dana Scully presented no
great mysteries.  Even their separation and pending divorce was no
surprise to him.  It was a good thing he knew them so well. That way
he could appreciate each and every pain they suffered just before he
killed them. Alex Krycek had only one thought on his mind - revenge.
Because of them the only woman she ever truly loved was dead, and with
her died any hope of ever escaping the nightmare life he led.

    Being on the run from everyone wasn't anymore difficult than his
previous 'jobs'.  At least he wasn't expected to follow orders or do
anyone else's dirty work. All that mattered was his own agenda.  It
was a simple agenda -screw the Syndicate when ever possible, kill
Mulder, and if Skinner and Scully suffer as well, all the better.  It
had taken him months of black-bag operations to decode the digital
tape. The MJ files were just the beginning.  The Navajo encryption was
only the first level; Krycek managed to unlock the files which didn't
even appear in the directory. What was on there would have surely
blown Mulder's mind if he believed all of it.

    But Krycek hadn't survived this long by being stupid.  While the
secrets he uncovered were dynamite, selling less critical information
was more profitable and lower profile. Revenge was expensive business
and now he had the money to set a trap for Mulder that he would find
impossible to resist.  The timing couldn't be better. He just got word
that the investigation into Melissa's death was being indefinitely put
on hold. That meant Mulder had been an utter failure in proving
himself worthy of salvation.

     Krycek had considered taking Scully from him as poetic justice.
But she was far too much like her sister and he was afraid he might
yield to her strength of will instead of the other way around. Even
now as he watched her, his memory of Melissa's love and passion
stirred within him and he had to control the desire to surrender to
the need for intimacy in his life.  His life and his purpose had gone
beyond the needs of the flesh.

     Krycek took a deep breath and waited for another minute to pass
before driving off.  Mulder would drop Scully off, reluctantly leave
then head back home. Once at home, he'd engage in phone sex or watch
some trashy video to relieve the tension of being alone yet another
night. If he could get off, he'd get angry over his weakness and bury
his head in the couch until he nearly suffocated.  If he couldn't
reach climax, he'd call her and masturbate while they talked about the
X-Files. "Mulder, you are one sick bastard." Krycek mumbled to
himself. Of course, Krycek knew he was just as sick, following Mulder
and watching him perform his nightly ritual.  But tonight, Krycek was
a man on a mission.  The timing had to be perfect.
_______________________________

    Mulder stared at the mess he created as he fulfilled yet another
fantasy with the help of a perfect stranger. Some woman who was paid
to listen to him rant then said things back to him that made him rant
and rave even more.  No wonder Scully couldn't live with him any
longer. He was a vile animal who couldn't control his instincts.
Mulder cleaned himself up and laid back down on his couch, trying to
think of something else besides sex and Scully. He pressed the cushion
hard into his face until he could hardly breath.  The self imposed
confinement made him feel lightheaded and sensitive, almost giddy. As
he thought about her, he became more aroused but let the sensation
pass beyond the physical desire. He wanted her trust; he needed her
love. And like a good partner, Scully was there for him, everyday at
his side, giving him what he needed. The thought triggered another
orgasm but not in his groin.  Instead his heart and mind exploded with
ecstatic thrill. Mulder rolled over, breathless and fell into a deep
sleep.

    When he woke up an hour later, Mulder wearily went through the
apartment doing the necessary chores.  He sorted the mail and found
something odd that drew his attention. A piece of paper gave an e-mail
address and a password. "pmaru@usgov.org , Password: Talpus."  Mulder
recognized the password as the name of the salvage ship that the
Japanese tracked to an East Coast military ship yard.  Switching on
his computer, he logged on and configured his e-mail for the name and
password given, then he waited until he received mail. The sender's
address was his own and the message itself was unremarkable but Mulder
knew answers never came gift wrapped so he began digging for more
information.
_______________________________

    Scully stretched out on her bed trying to sleep.  Mulder had been
more and more distant lately.  In many ways, that was a good thing but
it still made her feel just a bit lonelier at night. Their bizarre
arrangement for their relationship was continuing to work and the
X-Files marched forward.  About the time she wished she had someone to
talk to, the phone rang.  Without thinking she picked it up and asked,
"Mulder, is that you?"

    There was long pause then a gruff voice with a soft edge replied,
"No, Agent Scully. It's me, AD Skinner."

   Sighing with disappointment, Scully said, "Can I help you, Sir?"

    Skinner's voice cracked as he said, "I debated whether or not to
tell you tonight." He paused again and said seriously, "Dana, I just
got word tonight...I thought you should know..."

     "Sir?" Scully rarely heard any hesitation in Skinner's voice but
something had clearly rattled him. That thought alone frightened her.

  Skinner sensed her anxiety so he cleared his throat and the air of
confidence returned to his voice. " It's concerns you ...and your
sister. It's been 5 months and there have been no leads or new
evidence on her murder investigation by the DC police team or the
Bureau. I've been told the case is to remain inactive until further
notice."

      At first she couldn't believe what she was being told.  Skinner
tried to explain that it was probably just a matter of man-power and
promised that he would check into the matter himself.  He even
promised to review the evidence for anything that may have been missed
by the investigative team.

    Scully nodded numbly as the reality set in.  'They' were pulling
the strings and the men who killed Melissa would never be caught,
despite Skinner's best intentions. She wondered that if the bullet
intended for her had found its true target, if there would have been
an investigation at all.  There was bitterness in her voice as she
pointed out the flawed logic of how a crime committed in broad
daylight with physical evidence left all over the scene, including the
murder weapon, couldn't hold anyone's interest.

    Skinner replied apologetically, "I don't think this has anything
to do with interest."
   Scully shot back, "If I may say so sir, it has everything to do
with interest. Just not yours, and not mine."

    "I hope you know...your interests are mine." Skinner remarked
sincerely.  "As your direct supervisor and as a friend, I owe you more
than reports on what other people are deciding about this case.
Everyone else seems to have forgotten that this murder case was also
an attempted murder of a Federal Agent."

    Scully sighed as she realized Skinner was the last person she
should be angry at.  In fact if it hadn't been for his intervention,
she could have died the same day as her sister. "Sir, I do appreciate
that you'll be following up on this. And I'm sure my mother would be
grateful as well."  Skinner offer to call her mother but Scully
decided it was her responsibility. She ended the conversation saying,
"Even if you're not able to make any headway, it's reassuring to know
that you do care.  My family appreciates it, me most of all because I
know what your putting at risk by doing this."

    Skinner bit down hard on his lip to avoid saying anything he might
regret. Finally he answered as honestly as he could. "I'd rather risk
my career, my reputation, even my life, than risk losing your
respect."
_____________________________

     Scully had spared her mother the bad news until the next morning.
<Let her have just one more night, praying for justice. > Scully told
herself.  Maggie took the news well especially after she learned
Skinner had promised to do everything he could.  Because she stopped
by her mother's place, Scully was running a bit late. An anxious
Mulder called her cell phone just moments before she reached DC.  When
she reassured him she would be there soon, he remained anxious and
excited.  " Don't worry about stopping for coffee; I've got it
waiting. Just get here as soon as possible. There's something I came
across last night that I've got to show you."

     When Scully entered the office 20 minutes later, Mulder
immediately tossed a file at her and told her about a French salvage
ship named the 'Piper Maru' which docked in San Diego the previous
day, after a leaving a remote site in the North Pacific.  Scully
seemed distracted and unimpressed as Mulder gleefully explained that
the ship had been conducting salvage operations in the same area the
Talpus had recovered something just a few months ago. What it
recovered was still a mystery. Mulder was convinced it was a UFO;
Scully believed it was a Russian sub.

    Scully sadly recalled how their disagreement over the cargo of the
Talpus became the wedge that drove them apart, finally ending with
separation.  She wasn't prepared to argue again and risk him running
off alone. Instead she allowed him to explain his own theory.  To her
surprise, he conceded that it might not be a UFO.  But whatever it
was, the French were after it as well.  It was unclear if they
actually recovered anything because the entire crew of the Piper Maru
was being treated for severe radiation burns and the French government
had classified all the information regarding the operation. Scully
asked if it might have anything to do with recent nuclear weapons test
but Mulder had already run down that possibility.

    So they had another mystery on their hands, Scully thought to
herself. A real X-Files. Uncovered by the meticulous research of a man
who took a simple one line e-mail and tracked it back to a possible
international scandal. One man who believed in the truth.  The same
man who worked for an agency which had chosen to turn its back on the
truth about her sister's murder. The comic irony caught her off guard
and a small laugh escaped her lips.

    Mulder felt slightly offend by her laugh, thinking maybe she
thought he was off on another wild UFO chase. "What? You think I'm
over the line again?"

   Scully affectionately squeezed his hand and said. "No. I'm just
constantly amazed by you.  You're working down here in the basement,
sifting through files and transmissions that any other agent would
just throw away in the garbage."

      Mulder frowned sadly as if admonished. "Well that's why I'm in
the basement, Scully."

     Scully gazed at him and said seriously, "You're in the basement
because they're afraid of you, of your relentlessness.  And because
they know that they could drop you in the middle of the desert, and
tell you the truth is out there, and you would ask them for a shovel!"

    Mulder blushed slightly with an odd sense of embarrassment over
his obsessive nature. "Is that what you think of me?"

    Scully gave him a knowing smiled. "Well, maybe not a shovel. Maybe
a backhoe."

     Mulder answered with a kiss and pulled her into his lap. "Well
that's good because there's some garbage in San Diego I want to dig
through and I'm fresh out if backhoes." He handed her two tickets to
San Diego on a flight leaving at 1 PM.

    Slightly ruffled by his boldness, Scully slid out of his lap and
tried to regain a professional appearance.  Regarded the tickets with
interest, she asked, "Did AD Skinner authorized this travel expense?"

    Mulder nodded proudly. "First thing this morning.  In fact, he
called me to ask how things were going with the X-Files.  I told him I
wanted to check this out and he approved it right away. And by the way
if anyone asks, we're investigating the possible trafficking of
radioactive material into the U.S."

    Scully acknowledged him with a nod but seemed distracted. "Well, I
guess I'd better go pack.  I'll meet you at the airport at 11:30." As
she walked away, she began to think of how an honorable and practical
man like AD Skinner had become her ally against the very men he worked
for. But instead of laughing, this irony brought tears to her eyes.

    Mulder had been pre-occupied with the pending case but finally
noticed her shift in mood.  He rose and stopped her before she reached
the door. "Hey, is everything all right?"

     Scully wiped at the traces of wetness about her eyes.  "It's
nothing really. I'm fine." Mulder continued to stare at her with a
concerned look and she knew she had to say something. "I was just
thinking about San Diego. Growing up there and Dad..."

     That seemed to satisfy Mulder's concern.  "Well for what it's
worth, I have a few memories of San Diego myself." He paused for a
moment and asked, "How would you like to take a detour and look at the
Hale Telescope on Palomar?"

    As Scully recalled Melissa's account of her encounter with Mulder
at Palomar, she felt another surge of tears which she held back with
much effort.  It seemed everything was just another reminder of a
loving sister she would never see again and whose death was yet
another sacrifice to the cause.  In a stiff voice she replied, "I
think we'd better stick to the case."

     Mulder sensed her disquieted mood but chose to let it go, in
light of the important events ahead.  "I'll see you at the airport,
then." He watched Scully leave but continued to stare at the door,
hoping she would come back to tell him what was really bothering her.
After 15 minutes, he realized he had been shut out of yet another part
of her life.
__________________________

    All through the day, Mulder tried to find a way to ask Scully what
was really bothering her but each time he was met with a resistance.
But being a good agent and a good psychologist, he began to piece
together the elements of her distress.  It seemed to revolve around
her family, specifically her father and Melissa.  There was a mix of
bitterness and sadness but he sensed it was more than just the remorse
she felt about her role in Melissa's death.  He had two choices - He
could let her remain silent or he could confront her openly.  He
agonized over the consequences of both choices but finally came to the
conclusion that their current martial status only made sense if they
were willing to face conflict.

     Somewhere over Utah, Mulder slipped Scully a note that read, "No
matter what you think, it's all connected."  The vagueness of the
message caused her to turn to Mulder and asked, "What's connected? The
thing at the bottom of the north Pacific and the rest of the X-Files?
The Talpus and the Piper Maru?

     Mulder nodded thoughtful, as he removed his glasses and turned to
stare back at her.  "Yes, it's all connected. Including whatever it is
that's been bothering you all day.  At first I thought it was none of
my business but now I realized that if it effects you this much, then
I need to know what to expect when we land in San Diego and I happen
to mention something about Melissa again."

     Scully sighed heavily and dropped her head back, as if a heavy
load had just been lifted from her chest.  "Mulder, you ARE a good
profiler. How did you know?"

     He took her hand in his and smiled, "The truth is out there; I
just have to dig a little."

     She nodded again then finally said, "It's about the investigation
of Melissa's death. Skinner told me last night that it's been
suspended until further notice." Mulder nodded silently but wrapped
his fingers securely around her hand until she returned the gesture.
Like a rescuer lending a hand to a drowning person, Mulder reached out
with his heart and she held fast until she had the strength to speak
again. "It's not just the fact that who ever did this is being allowed
to live but at least one source, your informant 'X', implied that both
Melissa and I were targets from the beginning."

     This was the first Mulder had ever heard of this theory.  Scully
explained that while he was chasing the box car transporting what he
thought was alien-human hybrid, she had met with X who warned her of
how dangerous her partner's course of action was.  It was X who
implied the implant was the key to the Truth but he also chided Scully
for her inability to save Mulder or her sister.  Scully pursed her
lips tightly as she confessed, "What if it's true?  What if I killed
her by getting her involved?"

      Mulder threw his arms around her and engulfed her in his
protective embrace. "You didn't kill her.  Those bastards did. The
same one's who killed my father and made it look like a suicide. You
can't blame yourself."

     Scully sighed and settled into his arms.  "I don't want revenge,
Mulder. I just want that truth to be known and justice to be done.
Why would they want to kill Melissa?"

   "I don't know but you can be sure it has something to do with why
they suspended the investigation." Mulder replied seriously.
"Melissa's death may not fall under our jurisdiction but an attempt on
your life does.  We can open the case as an X-File and..."

     "No.  Skinner is appealing the directive and reviewing the
evidence himself." Scully said quickly.

    Mulder let go of her and sat back in his seat staring at her with
a hurt look on his face. "Don't you want us to investigate her
murder?"  They both knew he was really asking, 'Why do you want
Skinner, instead of ME?'

     "Mulder, if we try to go against the decision to drop the case,
they'll have grounds to deny us access for insubordination. We'll be
fighting the system again and getting nowhere." Scully lamented
honestly. "As an Assistant Director, Skinner has that prerogative.  If
he's willing to take the risk, I don't see how I have a choice unless
I'm willing risk my own effectiveness."

     "I'm always fighting the system." Mulder pointed out seriously.
"Why is this different?  Don't you trust me?"

     "Of course I trust you." she exclaimed. "Why do you think we're
going to San Diego based on nothing more then scrambled pieces of a
puzzle we can't even agree on?  Can't you see that this not about you
verses Skinner?  It's about using every resource we have to best of
our ability to find the truth."

     Mulder felt a painful tightness in his chest.  It was a raging
jealous he was trying to keep at bay even though Scully was fully
aware of its influence on her partner. Gritting his teeth slightly her
asked, "Do you think Skinner's a better agent than me?

     Scully let out a long exasperated breath. "No.  You're a better
profiler and investigator by far but he does have a way of getting
things done without stepping over the line."  She could see the anger
begin to boil in his eyes so she tried to defuse him before he
exploded. "It's all about the truth, Mulder.  If what you say is true
and everything is connected, we'll pull ourselves in too many
different directions and we'll end up nowhere.  You're convinced our
best lead is San Diego and I agree, so that's where we need to be.
But let Skinner do his job in our behalf. We'll find the truth that
much sooner."

      Mulder held his tongue. She was right of course, but he still
hated to think about how Scully would react if Skinner was the one who
found Melissa's killers.  Just how grateful would she be to a man who
obviously care for her a great deal? He just took a deep breath and
gave her another hug. "Well, when it's time to step OVER the line, you
can count on me to be ready with my boots on."

    "I know I can always count of you for that." she mused
affectionately as she brushed her finger tips across his cheek.
___________________________________________

     Upon arriving in San Diego, the agents quickly made their way to
the Navel hospital were the burned crew of the Piper Maru were being
treated.  Most were expected to die from the severe extensive somatic
damaged caused by exposure to an unknown source of extremely high
levels of radiation.  Scully guessed that the level of radiation was
on the magnitude of an atomic blast.  When she mentioned that such
levels were not found in nature, Mulder chimed in, "Not on this
planet."  Scully shot him a rude glance, knowing that he viewed this
accident as just another piece of evidence supporting his downed-UFO
theory.  Before they left, Mulder and Scully did discover one
important fact.  The man who piloted the ship was the only man not
affected by the radiation. A diver named Gauthier managed to escape
the holocaust unscathed. The doctor couldn't explain how the diver
avoided such a massive exposure nor could give any reason why he
piloted the ship past several ports before stopping in San Diego.  He
did know that the man was a French national but returned to his
residence in San Francisco.

    Mulder and Scully left the hospital with even more questions than
they brought.  Scully immediately began to rationalize.  "If it was a
Russian nuclear sub, they could have been exposed to high levels of
radiation."

    Mulder wrinkled his brow with doubt. "Maybe if someone tried to
hot wire it and it went into a melt down.  Besides how could one man,
the one man who probably found it in the first place, not be exposed
at all?"

    Scully sighed, "Maybe the event which triggered the exposure
occurred above the surface while he was underwater.  Or...or maybe
there was airborne radioactive fallout that he avoided by the use of
his breathing apparatus.   We don't know enough to draw any real
conclusion."

     Mulder shrugged and said under his breath, "Or maybe his visa
comes from someplace a lot further away than France."  Scully rolled
her eyes but that only made him smile. "Come on, you skeptic. Let's
check out the ship for some real evidence so you can shoot my theory
full of holes."

     As they drove to the nearby shipyard, Scully asked quietly, "You
don't really think I argue with you just to prove you wrong?"

    "No, you argue just to make sure I am right...eventually." Mulder
took her hand and kissed it gently then said, "Thanks for keeping me
honest."

    The ship turned out to be almost as mysterious as the dying crew.
There was absolutely no residual radiation even on the hull and in the
cargo hold.   The Naval Investigator, Wayne Morgan, informed the
agents it was safe to go onboard, while he went to restart the
generator. When they went below deck, Mulder noticed a dive suit
covered in with a heavy oily substance.  Scully went to the cabin and
found it in a state of disarray.  She did manage to find a
navigational chart with the words "Zeus Faber" written on it. The
phrase stuck in her head as sounding vaguely familiar.

    Just as the light came back on, Morgan returned.  According to
him, nothing had been touched by the hazmat team as they scanned for
radiation.  "It's a mess, uh?" he remarked just as Mulder entered.

    Scully glanced at her partner and replied, "I've seen worst."

    Mulder grinned. "It feels like home." he commented then proceeded
to dig through the piles of charts and papers. Soon he found what he
was looking for. "The dive suit has a video camera.  Maybe we can get
some idea of what they came across that was so dangerous."

  Morgan looked on with interest as they viewed the video tape. He
watched intensely as a large structure appeared on the screen.  Mulder
stopped the video and studied the form. "Looks like the fuselage of a
plane." Mulder mumbled.

     Scully said causally, "It's a North American P-51 Mustang."

     Morgan nodded with admiration for her quick and correct
assessment. "Yeah, it sure is."

      "I just got very turned on." Mulder teased as Scully once again
demonstrated her prowess in a man's world.

     "It's the shape of the canopy. I used to watch my father and
brothers put together World War II model planes as a kid." Scully took
quiet self-satisfaction in her diverse background, especially when it
proved of value to an investigation and especially when involved
something Mulder knew little about.

     "Would it have been carrying anything radioactive?" Mulder asked
as he continued the video tape. The slogan "Drop Dead Red" and the
call number JTT0 11470 appeared on the screen, stenciled on the plane.

    Scully shook her head thoughtfully.  "No, it was just a fighter."

    Mulder sank back, deep in thought himself. "Then what was it those
men exposed to?"

     Scully sighed heavily pondering the question then an idea stuck
her.  "I don't know, but I might know somebody I can ask."

    "You can cross reference the serial number to the Naval Historic
Data Base," Morgan offered, "But I'll warn you up front.  Most of
those records are on paper or microfilm and the indexing may not be
complete."

    Scully nodded politely. "I'll remember that if my source doesn't
pan out."

     "Well, I hope you have better luck than us cracking this case."
Morgan lamented, as he allowed the agents to finish their survey of
the ship.   Mulder and Scully left a short while later, discussing
their next move.   Unbeknownst to them someone had already planned
each step which would led Mulder towards a trap baited with the truth.
Krycek watched from a careful distance to ensure that his prey
wouldn't escape.
____________________________

       "I think we need to get some answers from that diver.  How's
your French?" Mulder inquired as he climbed into the car.

      "Not as good as my history." Scully answered thoughtfully.
"Mulder, I realize we need to find Gauthier as soon as possible but
one keeps bothering me - Why San Diego? Who or what is here? "

     Mulder pursed his lips and nodded.  "Judging by your comments
back there, I assume you have a place to start."

      She smiled slightly and said, "Funny you should put it that way.
In a lot of ways it is THE place where I started-where I first
realized I didn't need to live up to my Dad's expectations or my
bothers' achievements.  The base is not far from here and I think
someone may still live there who might know why a W.W.II fighter was
so valuable to the French."

   Mulder wrinkled his brow doubtfully.  "What makes you think that?"

     "The name Zeus Faber.  I've heard it before." Scully replied.
"If remember correctly, Zeus faber is the scientific name of a deep
ocean fish but it also has a literal meaning- The maker of God."

    Mulder's head cocked to one side curiously.  "In what context have
you heard it?"

    "Zeus faber was the name of a pet that belonged to a friend of
mine when I was a teenager in San Diego." Scully answered with
reserve. "His father was a navel officer, like mine. I'm not sure
where the name came from originally but that one of the things I hope
to find out by staying on in San Diego."

    "Is that the connection you're looking for - Zeus faber and a WWII
fighter? The Piper Maru and this port?"

     "And something else." Scully spoke haltingly.  "Mulder, we know
your father was involved with this conspiracy. He was mentioned in the
encrypted file you obtained. But so was I. What if my father..." She
choked on her words before she could finish.

     Mulder hugged her gently. "Don't get paranoid on me. Hey, listen
to the expert on conspiracy.  Your father was a great man. He
understood us better than anyone. And he loved his family.  Your
father was a patriot, but he was a father and husband first." He
pulled her close to kiss her but as he did Scully pushed him back.

     His words were another reminder of their self imposes separation.
A state of existence mandated by their sense of justice and duty.
Duty did not allow the luxury of hugs and kisses when the
investigation awaited them.  "Maybe you should catch the next plane to
San Francisco." Scully said gravely.

    Mulder nodded and reached out to stroke her arm lightly. "Yeah I
guess I'd better." He dropped his hand and pouted slightly. "Separated
again for our own good." he mused but the humor escaped them both.
__________________________________

     With his features obscured by a beard and glasses, Krycek stood
half hidden behind a barrier in the airport as he watched Mulder board
a plane bound for San Francisco alone.  It couldn't be more perfect.
Krycek had hoped Scully would stay in San Diego following the one lead
that sparked her interest.  He was concerned that he hadn't heard from
the French diver but he had gone to San Francisco as planned and
Mulder was walking blindly into the trap. Krycek wanted to follow him
every step of the way but he had another plane to catch, so he had to
trust that his associates would leave a trail Mulder couldn't resist.

     Krycek glanced at his reflection as he passed a glass partition
on his way to the International Terminal.  Even in his disguise, the
dark brooding nature of his soul was apparent.  <Not unlike Mulder. >
he mused.  Behind the façade of love and affection he had for Scully,
Mulder demanded her loyalty and sacrifice to his needs.  He could have
chosen a life less extreme, put the burning questions of his past
aside, sought hope for the future instead of justice for long dead
deeds of another generation.  But Mulder had fallen prey to a trap of
his own making, forcing him to seek 'The Truth' at all costs.  Scully
forgave his sins and pledged herself to his quest, just as her sister
had done for Krycek.

     Krycek burst into laughter at the irony of his life as onlookers
kept their distance, rightfully fearing for their safety.  Krycek
plotted to kill the only man in the world who might truly understand
him, a man who might have been a friend and ally in another universe
of circumstances.  But through his stubborn self-righteousness, Mulder
had pulled Melissa into his quest, right behind Scully, and in doing
so, sealed the fate of the one person totally innocent in the whole
affair. For that, Mulder was sentenced to death by the only man who
had the right to judge him - a kindred dismal soul, lost between his
destiny and his desires.
___________________________________

     As Scully left the airport, she felt a strange sense of
loneliness.  Being on her own had never frightened her, even as a
young girl, but being deserted by her sister and brothers had its own
special pain.  A big part of that pain was never being able to ask
'Why? Why do you have to go?'  She thought of Melissa and the question
echoed within her mind until she finally broke down and called Skinner
to see if he had made any progress on re-opening the case.

      Skinner sounded serious but confident as always.  "I haven't
received an official ruling, but three gentlemen informed me that
decision to drop the investigation was made very deliberately and that
questioning that decision might be rash on my part."

      "Who were these men?" Scully asked nervously.

      "They said they worked for the 'Intelligence Community'."
Skinner sneered. "I said 'Remind me not to move there'."   Scully
laughed slightly at his dry humor but was clearly concerned for his
safety.  "Listen, Agent Scully.  You do you're job and I'll do mine.
Regardless of my personal feelings, that's all I'm really doing...my
job."

      "I suppose so." Scully remarked. "But then again you could say
that everything I do for Mulder is just a part of my job, being his
partner."

      Skinner cleared his throat and interrupted gruffly. "Not
EVERYTHING you do for Agent Mulder concerns your job."  He was clearly
referring the intimate aspects if their relationship.

     Scully felt a blush across her face, as if caught red handed.
"I...I'm sorry, Sir. I didn't mean..."

      The softer tones returned to Skinner's voice as he said, "It's
all right, Dana. I know what you meant. For what it's worth, Mulder's
just doing his job as well. We all want the truth to speak for itself.
We all want justice, personal issues not withstanding."

    "Yes, Sir." Scully replied respectfully. "Just be careful, Sir.
It's clear that someone in a position of power and influence does not
want the investigation into my sister's death reopened."

     "Agent Scully, the only influence I care about is whether or not
I can face myself in the mirror each day. I have you to thank for
that - you, Agent Mulder and the X-Files." Skinner answered
gratefully.
__________________________

     Unlike Scully who followed the expanded but still familiar
roadways of San Diego, Mulder worked his way through the maze of
streets in San Francisco to find the home of the French diver.  Mulder
felt out of place and off balance but wasn't sure if it was because of
the surroundings or because he had left Scully behind. Of course it
wasn't the first time he followed up a lead without her but this time
it seemed almost as if she wanted him to go without her, so she could
work on the case alone.  He couldn't help but wonder if she was
motivated by a desire to make connection between her father and the
Piper Maru or if she sought to hid any connection that might blemish
her memory of her 'Ahab'.  Mulder suddenly chided himself for even
thinking that Scully might be capable of obscuring the truth and
concentrated his focus on locating Gauthier before his mind began to
wander again.

     When Mulder finally found Gauthier's home, he found the front
door unlocked and the foyer in the same disarray as the pilot room of
the Piper Maru. Among the mess, he found a letter written in French
but included in the text were the call numbers of the plane they saw
in the video.  A quick look search turned up an envelope with the
return address of the letter, J. Kallenchuk Salvage Brokers, there in
San Francisco. As he stuffed the paper into his coat he heard a sound
for the kitchen.  He approached cautiously, with his weapon drawn,
only to discover a disorientated Gauthier.  He was covered in the same
oil as the dive suit, but didn't recall how he got there.  The last
thing he remembered was being aboard the ship.  Mulder tried to
question the diver, but he just mumbled something about his wife,
Joan, then demanded to speak to the French Consulate.

     Mulder knew there were no grounds to arrest or detain the man but
he also knew if he let Gauthier go about his business, his business
might very well shut down before Mulder could find out what it was.
Mulder only needed a few hours to check out the salvage broker so
instead of calling the French Embassy, he called 911.  "This is
Special Agent Fox Mulder, FBI.  I have a man down, possible suicide
attempt.  He appears to have immersed himself in a heavy petroleum
product with evidence of ingestion." The clever agent knew that
reporting him as a suicide attempt would delay the usual protocols and
keep him under wraps for up to 48 hours.  Mulder hastily wrote a
report to hand off to the PD when they arrive so he could make a quick
exit, 'in pursuit of a possible accessory'.
____________________________

        Scully had returned to her old home in Miramar. The area
surrounding the base had grown and changed a lot but within the gates,
the well ordered streets and military housing reminded Scully of the
many homes she had growing up as a Navy brat. Watching two girls
playing together in the street, it was impossible for her not to think
of Melissa and the countless hours they spent together laughing in the
warm Southern California sun. Their years at Miramar were good years
but they were difficult times as well.  Post Vietnam hostility towards
the military created a tense mood in the community and as Scully
entered adolescence, for the first time in her life she began to
question her father and his life style.  Anyone else may have labeled
it as 'normal' rebellion but to Bill Scully, Sr. it was nothing less
than mutiny.  He expected problems with Melissa and Bill, Jr., even
from Charlie, but not his precious 'Starbuck.'  Scully eventually felt
guilty for her 'betrayal' and thus began a cycle of going to extremes
to please her father alternating with rebellion.  And although Scully
felt envious of the way Melissa went through life unfettered by
awkwardness that marked the younger girl's life, it was during this
phase of her life when felt closest to her sister.

      Scully's emotions jumbled her memories and her current life, as
she thought about how much Skinner reminded her of her father.
Reserved and stoic, yet with an intensity that rivaled Mulder's,
Skinner's expectation of her were no less than Captain Scully but no
less was his devotion to her.  Scully tried to dismiss Skinner's
attention as nothing more than professional respect, but she always
felt something more, something she was afraid to look deeper into.
This 'something' drove Mulder insane with jealousy at times but even
he knew it was more than just a simple sexual attraction. It was a
bond that was more invisible than her marriage to Mulder but just a
powerful.  Scully knew that it was this connection that engaged
Skinner willingly in the dangerous business of seeking justice for
Melissa's death.  Although she wouldn't admit it to herself or Mulder,
the real reason she wanted Skinner to find the killer was that Mulder
would do it for his own reasons; Skinner did it just for her.

     Scully found her way to the home of Commander Johansen, the
father of her one-time school mate, Richard Johansen, and a former
neighbor.  The old man didn't remember her but he seemed to react to
her father's name.  He numbly said that Richard no longer lived there
but looked concerned when Scully said she came to see him about a P-51
Mustang found at the bottom of the Pacific and something called the
Zeus Faber. He claimed that the call numbers she cited were not those
of a Mustang and that 'Zeus Faber' meant nothing to him.

       Scully frowned and replied, "Zeus Faber was the name of your
son's Rotwieller."

      Johansen sighed. "Was it? I don't recall. We only had it a short
time before it ran off."

   "Sir, do you have any idea why he would have chosen that name?
Where it may have originated?" Scully asked with professional
detachment. The retired Commander shook his head again, claiming his
bad memory made such tasks difficult. Scully finally asked if he knew
anybody she might speak to who could help her but he only offered
another apology.  "I'm sorry too." she responded, with a sigh.
"There's a number of French sailors who may die from radiation
exposure.  If we knew more about the plane, we might be able to
understand why. Anyway, it was very good to see you again sir."

     They shook hand politely and Johansen said, "Oh, say hello to
your father for me."

    Scully blinked and pursed her lip then said, "I wish I could.
He's passed away."

    Johansen nodded sadly and replied, "I'm very sorry." He paused as
if he was ready to say more but no words were spoken.

     Scully sighed and looked around one last time. "I have to say
this place brings back memories for me. Well, if you talk to your son,
will you tell him I stopped by?" The aged officer nodded and Scully
took her leave but not before she noticed an old crumpled telegram
tucked in a corner of an otherwise immaculate desk.  She glanced at it
quickly noting the date was 1991 and that it came from the Department
of Defense. She left quickly but was on her cell phone before she even
started her car.

     "Danny, it's Dana Scully.  I need you to see if you can find the
military service records for Commander Lawrence Johansen and his son,
Richard Johansen.... No, Mulder's not with me so call my cell phone
number. Thanks." The hesitant tone in Danny's voice had become all too
familiar among the people who worked with the estranged couple.
Co-workers never knew quite how to react to one without the other
close at hand. All the more reason for the separation, Scully told
herself as she went in search if her own version of the truth.
_______________________________

     After leaving Gauthier's home, Mulder went to visit the office of
J. Kallenchuk to find out what exactly they were salvaging with the
French.  When Mulder arrived he was met by a woman who appeared to be
a secretary for the office, although she said tersely that she didn't
type the letter he found in the diver's home.  She claimed that Mr.
Kallenchuk was in the Far East on business and couldn't be reached.
Mulder handed her his card and she raised her eye as she read "FBI".
Before he left, Mulder asked her name.

     "Geraldine." she answered curtly.  She stared back at Mulder as
if to challenge him, daring him to ask another question.  She was
ready to answer with a gun hidden below the desk.  But Mulder sensed
that this woman was more than an innocent office worker and he took
his leave without answering her challenge.

     Mulder waited in his car for the drama to unfold.  French
operatives arrived on cue, no doubt alerted by Gauthier.  Geraldine
slipped out the back door, obviously trying to avoid them as she
rushed out, carrying only the brief case she had in the office. Mulder
followed her to airport where she checked in for a first class flight
to Hong Kong.  Using his FBI credentials, Mulder secured a seat on the
same flight, prepared to find the source of the salvage operation's
information.
________________________________

       Scully approached the security checkpoint, preparing to leave
the base but was detained by the guard.  She had always considered
Danny a safe source so she began to wonder is someone had captured her
cell phone signal.  Just then Commander Johansen arrived in another
car, signaled the guard and gestured for Scully to get back into her
car as he joined her.

   "I can't give your regards to my son, Miss Scully.  He was killed
in a training accident during the Gulf War." the Commander started.
     Scully nodded knowingly.  "I'm sorry.  There's something else,
isn't there?"

      Johansen took a deep breath and said cryptically. "We bury our
dead alive, don't we?"  Scully returned a bewildered look as he
continued.  "We hear them everyday; they talk to us; they haunt us;
they beg us for meaning. Conscience... it's just the voices of the
dead trying to save us from our own damnation. Your father, my son,
hundreds of others whose names I can't remember but who faces haunt my
sleep."      Now it was clear to Scully that his 'memory' had returned
in the form of guilt and regret. "You know something about that plane
don't you?"     Johansen admitted to being an officer aboard the
submarine, the Zeus Faber, tasked with recovering the mysterious P-52.
According to him, the plane was part of an escort for a bomber
carrying an atomic weapon like the one dropped at Hiroshima. But the
convoy went drown before reaching its target.  It made perfect sense
to Scully.  The French could recover the bomb instead of making a new
nuclear weapon and no one would know. She called Mulder immediately so
he would know what they were dealing with.

    Mulder sounded skeptical and asked the obvious question of why
they waited 50 years to recover the bomb.  Scully replied logically
that no one knew the location until the recent activity of the Talpus
attracted the attention of the 'intelligence community'.  What she
couldn't explain was how the entire crew except the diver, received
such a massive dose of radiation without any residual evidence. Scully
admitted that she hadn't heard all of Johansen's story but that she
was convinced he was the reason the Piper Maru was brought to San
Diego.  Perhaps he was the only one who could help the suffering men.

     Mulder's mind rushed ahead, realizing that there were two
mysteries to solve. First, there was the mystery of what lay at the
bottom of the ocean and what happen to the crew. But this begged the
question - who had led the Piper Maru to the site and for what
purpose?  Was this part of the international treaty of conspiracy that
Deep Throat spoke of or this a new type of arms race, trying to steal
alien technology before someone else capitalize on it?  Scully seemed
poised to find answers to the first question but Mulder had a
tentative grip on just a single thread of the network of intrigue and
he couldn't afford to lose it.  So after asking her to follow up on
Johansen's statement, he told her he had to go to Hong Kong.

     "Hong Kong?" Scully echoed with apprehension.  "Where are you
going in Hong Kong?"

      "Wherever the evidence leads me." he answered simply.  "Look,
I'm going to miss my flight. I'll call you back, OK?"  Mulder said
nothing more as he ended the call.  Chasing a suspect half way around
the world with nothing but his badge and the clothes on his back, he
wondered to himself if he wasn't trying to prove something to Scully
by taking such an extreme approach.  He dwelled on the thought of how
Scully had wanted Skinner to follow-up of the investigation into
Melissa's death. He asked himself if he was just trying 'to make the
best use of their resources' by splitting away from Scully and running
down the only tangible suspect or was he trying to show her that he
was capable of conducting a proper investigation, without his 'spooky'
hunches.  Mulder was so preoccupied by his thoughts that he didn't
notice Geraldine eyeing him in her makeup mirror as he made his way
down the aisle of the plane.  And neither of them noticed the silent
woman with a dark oily film over her eyes whom they should have
recognized as Gauthie's wife. She had been following them since they
left the office but they were so preoccupied by their cat-and-mouse
game that they failed to sense the presence of a rat.

      Krycek had taken no chances in luring Mulder away from his home
territory.  After selling his secrets to the French via the salvage
broker, he seduced Joan Gauthier and secured her assistance to ensure
Mulder made his way to Hong Kong even if her husband failed.  But even
though she was following the plan made by her clandestine lover, the
consciousness within her had its own agenda, just as it had when it
occupied her husband. What Krycek never anticipated was that a third
player had entered the game. This player had the power to control the
mind of others and burn men alive. It was the very essence of the
secrets he sold and the truth that Mulder searched for.  In his single
minded pursuit of revenge, Krycek had opened a Pandora's box which had
laid deep within the ocean for 50 years.
__________________________________

  Scully sat in Commander Johansen's study and listened to his tale of
the ill-fated mission of the Zeus Faber.  "We'd all joined thinking
we'd come home heroes. A month later they were all dead.  The madness
we planned to unleash on the Japanese, we ended up setting it loose on
ourselves."  He confirmed to Scully that they were sent to recover the
atomic bomb that went down in the Pacific.

     Johansen felt for the crew of the Piper Maru. He had watched his
own crew mates die from the same burns after they attempted to recover
the planes.  He had been the XO, second in command, when they found
the planes but a Japanese destroy was shadowing them, forcing them
into silent running.  But instead of leaving, Captain Sanford insisted
they remain in the area, even as men were dying from the burns.
Johansen recalled a madness in Sanford's eyes unlike anything he had
ever seen before. Dark, almost oily in appearance, it was the look of
singular purpose and disregard for others.

     A deranged crew men tried to kill Sanford.  The attempt failed
but the shot that rang out would alert the enemy destroyer of their
position.  Their only chance was to run but Sanford refused to issue
the order to leave the area. So Johansen took it upon himself to lead
the survivors in mutiny, sealing the Captain and the others in the
lower decks.  The sub returned to Pearl Harbor but of the 144 crewmen,
only 7 survived.

     "Whatever killed them, I was allowed to live, to raise a family,
to grow old. None of us never got an explanation why.  They disavowed
the whole incident, even the mutiny.  Afterwards, I was even
promoted." Johansen lamented.

     Scully stared at the man in shock. Here was a man she had known
and respected for years, yet he was a part of another shameful legacy
of war. "You've known about this for all these years and never said
anything?"

     "I made my report when I was in the hospital in Pearl Harbor. For
reasons of national security, I was ordered never to speak of it
again." Johansen took a deep breath trying to recall the painful
memories.  "About 5 years later, they had me report back there for a
follow-up exam.  I did speak to Military Intelligence and someone from
the State Department to confirm the story. That's when I first met
your father.  He was assigned to the detail that guarded me, although
I was never sure if they were trying to keep the spies out or me in."

     Scully blanched as she asked apprehensively, "My...my father knew
about all of this?"

    "No, he was only a guard. He never asked why I was there; he knew
his duty." Johansen smiled slightly for the first time as he said, "I
do remember that he was the only one who treated me like a human being
while I was there. He brought me magazines to read, told me jokes,
even tried to smuggle in some fresh pineapple. To make me feel better,
he told me he enlisted when he was only 16. We all had secrets we had
to keep he said."

      Scully nodded thoughtful.  The words and sentiment were those of
her father's, even though she had never heard him speak of the
incident.

      Johansen sighed heavily.  "The last time I spoke to your father
was about ten years ago.  He asked about Richard. I remember because
my son had just graduated with his commission in the Navy. Your father
asked me if I was worried about Richard, with everything going on in
the Gulf. I thought it was an odd question because Bill, Jr. was
already over there. But then he said, 'But Richard is your youngest,
the one you worry about the most.' Then he asked if I ever told my son
about what happened to me on the Zeus Faber. Of course I hadn't but
Bill wondered out loud how much we tell our children without ever
using words. I know he was thinking of you, his baby girl."

      Scully sat silently almost afraid to move.  Ten years ago she
had just been divorced from Mulder and had entered Medical School,
trying to find her path in life, her own niche.  What wordless message
had he sent her?  Was it merely unwanted advice or was it something
much more important, like a confession? Her thoughts were interrupted
as Johansen continued.

     "In the last week, I received three unusual phone calls. The
first call came from the French Consulate requesting me to speak with
the Captain of a salvage ship headed for San Diego regarding WWII
relics. Next, the Naval Intelligence called and instructed me not to
speak to anyone regarding my mission of fifty years ago. Finally just
yesterday, a doctor from the Naval hospital called asking if they
could take a sample of my blood to determine if I had some kind of
natural resistance to whatever is killing those men." Taking another
deep breath, "I'm telling you all of this despite my orders,
regardless of the consequences to me.  The dead are speaking to us,
Miss Scully, and they want justice.  I believe there is your father's
spirit within you, searching for the truths he could never seek
himself."
___________________________________

     Mulder made a call to Skinner from the plane asking for help in
gaining his entry into Hong Kong without a passport.  The AD growled
and grumped but finally made the arrangements through the State
Department.  The potential threat of nuclear waste smugglers opened
doors that would close to UFO-chasing rogue agents.   When Mulder
asked how the investigation into Melissa's death was going, he was
surprised to learn that Skinner had stumbled upon something.

     Skinner spoke in his usual calm even manner. "DNA evidence
collected from the scene was dismissed early in the investigation as
incidental because other they collected other samples from the
apartment that appeared to have been there a while.  Besides, matching
samples were collected from Melissa's personal items from her home.
But I ran it anyway and I came up with a match, two in fact." Skinner
paused and prefaced his findings with, "I'm not sure what it means.
Maybe you can help."

     Mulder let out a sigh of relief.  For a change, Skinner needed
his help.  Mulder agreed readily and Skinner continued.  "Matching DNA
was found at the scene of your father's death and on the murdered tram
operator at Skyland Mountain."

     Mulder roared, "That rat bastard Krycek! He's behind this!"

     "Easy, Mulder. That's what I thought at first but listen..."
Skinner talked quickly before Mulder exploded again.  "We have no
record of Krycek's DNA on file so we can't prove anything. But more
than that, there's overwhelming evidence that whoever this man is had
been in Agent Scully's apartment several times prior to Melissa's
death and that he all but lived in Melissa's home."

      "What the hell are you saying? That Scully and Melissa both had
an affair with Krycek?" Mulder managed not to yell but his face was
flushed with anger and his stomach was in knots just with the thought
of Krycek being near Scully.

    "Damn it, Mulder! Just shut up and listen." Skinner barked back.
He held his voice in a whisper as if he feared other ears overhearing
him.   "If I pursue this avenue of investigation, it might lead right
back to Dana. What if they're trying to set up her up?"
      Mulder took a deep breath and tried to think. "Then we just have
to find Krycek first. They can't fake everything.  There has to be an
explanation and he's the only one who can give it."

      "How are you going to find him? You're one your way to Hong
Kong." Skinner asked.

     Mulder tapped his fingers on the tray table and studied the
letter sent to Gauthier from Kallenchuk. <Krycek and Kallenchuk? > he
thought to himself and mumbled, "That might be just the right place to
look." Speaking more directly he asked Skinner, "You said Krycek took
the DAT tape from you, right? What if he's the one selling the secrets
to the French or who ever is the high bidder this week?"
    Skinner thought for a moment. <He's spooky, all right, but he's
damn good.> Finally he said, "Go, Mulder.  Good hunting."
__________________________________

      There was little Scully could do to protect Johansen from
retribution and he sought no protection, so she left San Diego to
return to Washington DC.  The work that remained involved plowing
through the mountains of records and reports dating back to the
initial dispatching of the convoy delivering the atomic bomb.  Scully
sighed heavily and asked herself if she should be the one requesting a
backhoe to 'dig up' the Truth.

     More questions plagued her thoughts as she sat alone on the
plane.  Where was the science she needed to prove this was a simple
case of a blotched salvage job? What logic could explain the reason
behind the paradox of the uninjured diver? Scully felt the weight of
exhaustion and frustration dragging down her desire to pursue the case
but the words of Commander Johansen continued to echo in her mind.
Maybe this case was her one chance to do what her father could not;
her opportunity to make him proud of her one last time. What did 'the
Truth' mean to Captain Scully? Would he have left his wife for it?
What sacrifices to his faith did he make to hold his family together?
They were the sacrifices that Mulder could not make. But neither could
she.

    She paused to think about Skinner and realized that he set his own
agenda aside for the sake of her family. She was acutely aware of how
Skinner had become almost a father figure to her but she was just as
aware of how often she compared him to Mulder. The answers to the
puzzle of her emotions were just as complex as her case but at least
the case would end someday.
______________________________

  Mulder followed Geraldine into a small restaurant in Hong Kong just
a few hours after getting off the plane.  "Is this seat taken Miss
Kallenchuk? Geraldine Kallenchuk, isn't it?" he asked confidently.

     "Jerry with a J." she replied.

     "I noticed you flew first class." Mulder remarked. "Must be good
money in selling government secrets."

     Geraldine smiled. "It's a bull market, Hon and I'm Miss Popular.
Let's make a deal." she proposed unabashedly.  When Mulder asked about
the P-51 Mustang and the French salvage team, she seemed just as smug
when she told him, "I'm a middle man Mr. Mulder, pardon my gender
type. I take a cut, then slice off the top.  It would be bad business
to divulge my sources." She did comment that she came to Hong Kong to
meet her source and complete the transaction.

     "Is he selling more secrets?" Mulder asked accusingly.

     Geraldine raised her eye brow and replied. "Pardon your gender
type."

     Mulder gave no sign that he was willing to play her game. "So
you're source is a woman?'

     "Actually, you know it's none of your damn business." She replied
flatly and prepared to leave.

    "Actually you know, it is my damn business because whatever you're
selling is killing half a dozen sailors in a California Hospital.
Which is why I'm gonna arrest you." Mulder responded.

    Geraldine just laughed.  "Arrest me? With what? Your chopsticks?
This is Hong Kong, Mr. Mulder, they don't allow handguns here. They
took yours away at the airport."

    Her attitude was really beginning to bother Mulder but after all
she was a criminal.  So Mulder figured it was OK to treat her like
one.  As she turned to leave, Mulder snapped his hand cuffs over her
wrist and attached the other cuff to himself. Geraldine protested and
announced that her civil rights were being violated.  "You gave up
your rights when you committed treason." He yanked on the chain of the
cuff as she continued to protest.

     "You can't force me to do anything." she snarled as she
reluctantly followed him.

      Mulder pursed his lips and tugged on the cuffs again. "Then
consider this a polite request from an admirer. Take me to him."

      Geraldine glanced slyly at him. "And what makes you think that's
not what I had planned all along?"   Mulder's expression told her that
he hadn't considered that possibility so she took advantage of his
momentary silence by pulling hard on the link and saying, "You're just
as much my prisoner as I am yours."

     Mulder winced at the sharp pain then grit his teeth and growled,
"We'll see who's in control here. And if you'll excuse the gender
type, may the better man win."

     Geraldine led Mulder to the Hong Kong office of her salvage
broker operation but made no move to unlock the door.  Mulder bristled
at her defiance and proceeded to kick the door in.  "Where are the
lights?" he demanded to know.

    "Right here." replied a man's voice from within the room.  The
lights flicked on to reveal Krycek, aiming a large caliber handgun at
Mulder.  Geraldine gave Mulder a smug smile but he ignored her and
spoke to Krycek.

    "I thought guns were against the law here."  Mulder commented as
he sized up his tactical position.

    "You know what they say." Krycek replied with an equally
threatening calm. "When guns are outlawed..."

   Mulder's temper flared at Krycek's bold confidence. "Outlaw is a
pretty mild term for what you are. I'd classify you more as a
heartless traitorous bastard." Krycek leveled then gun to aim directly
at Mulder's head. " Why don't you take that gun and shoot yourself in
the head... like you shot my father!"

    Krycek barked back, "You're such a pathetic son-of-a-bitch,
Mulder.  At least I'm man enough to face death. You can't even face
your wife."

    Mulder shouted back as he stepped closer to challenge the weapon
in Krycek's hand. "So what does a rat like you know about being a
man?"

    Geraldine rolled her eyes and gripped, "Great...'High Noon' in
Hong Kong."

    Krycek growled, "Why don't you shut up!" Before she could protest,
he grabbed her and shoved her out the door, slamming it shut behind
her, trapping the chain of the handcuff in the doorway, jamming it
shut.  Mulder's arm was pinned down, still connected to the other end
of the handcuffs.

  Mulder fumbled for the key to the cuffs as he snarled at Krycek,
"That's no way to treat your business partner." Suddenly they heard
her gasp as shots rang out, and Mulder felt her body slump down on the
other side of the door.

     Krycek was already escaping out the window as he replied, "It
looks like she's your partner now.  I'll break the news to Dana
gently."

    "You lousy son-of-a-bitch!" Mulder roared, angered by his casual
reference to Scully. In his enraged state, Mulder dropped the key as
the men on the other side of door tried to force it open, shouting
threats in French.  Mulder continued to yell at Krycek. "You led me
here! You can't end it like this!"

    Krycek stopped and turned to look at Mulder. With a sigh and a sad
expression he replied, "You're right." Suddenly he raised his gun and
fired.

    Mulder flinched as he felt a hot pain crease the side of his face
then he realized Krycek had shot the chain, spraying fragments as it
shattered. Mulder was only stunned for an instant then made a break
for the window, close behind Krycek.  The men outside the door had
nearly forced it open.  Perched just outside the window, Mulder turned
to see who these men were but all he saw was a blinding light then he
heard the sound of the men hitting the floor, moaning in agony. He
knew instinctively they had befallen the same fate as the men from the
Piper Maru but before he could linger to learn more, Krycek pulled him
down the fire escape.

   "Remind me never to try to rescue you again." Krycek rumbled as he
dragged Mulder along and forced him into a car.

    Had Krycek allowed Mulder to remain to see who downed the French
agents, he would have recognized the person of Joan Gauthier.  Perhaps
he would have even recognized the force that inhabited her since he
had read about it in the stolen files. But Krycek lacked the desire to
care about anything but his own agenda of revenge for Melissa's death.
With Mulder at his mercy, that goal seemed inevitable.
______________________________

     Half way around the world, another man was just as concerned
about Melissa Scully's murder.  Skinner continued his personal appeal
to reopen the case, armed with potential incriminating evidence.  He
had decided to wait another day before pressing the issue because he
knew full well that his evidence might incriminate Scully.  It was
obvious to him that Krycek or whoever the killer was had stalked both
Scully women, leaving his DNA trail behind.  But others would demand
Agent Scully be questioned in the matter, opening a public view of her
troubled personal life.  Skinner had no intention of allowing her to
be hurt again by her sister's death.

     As was his habit, Skinner ate dinner out, alone.  The restaurant
was the same one where the men had warned him not to reopen the
investigation but it was a quiet, unpretentious place so he
disregarded the possible danger of being so predictable. As he waited
for his food, Skinner wondered to what extent Mulder was a creature of
habit.  Could Scully predict his actions just as easily was those men
had found this restaurant or was Spooky Mulder's unpredictability the
very thing that attracted her to him.  Skinner felt a sudden
awkwardness in comparing himself to Mulder and perhaps that feeling
left him open to the ugliness that was about to occur.

    Skinner noticed a belligerent customer yelling at the waitress as
she stood at the cash register.  Skinner was not the kind of man who
turned his back on trouble so he intervened on the woman's behalf.
Without warning, the angry customer turned and fired a handgun point
blank into Skinner's gut.  Skinner collapsed in pain as he tried to
look at the face of the man who shot him.  He was answered with an
insult in Spanish and a spit in the eye but he did manage to see a
face. He only hoped he lived long enough to describe it to someone.
_________________________

    Upon her arrival in Washington DC, Scully received a call from
Skinner's office.  In a tense voice, Skinner's assistant, Kim,
reported that the AD had been shot was taken to the hospital for
emergency surgery.

    Scully was stunned but not entirely surprised.  She didn't bother
to even go home.  "I'll be there right away.  Thank you for calling,
Kim.  I only hope there's something I can do to help."

   "Apparently Assistant Direction Skinner thought you could." Kim
replied. "He left me specific instructions to notify the OPC that if
anything happened to him, YOU would be the Agent-in-Charge of the
investigation."

    Scully took a deep breath, realizing that she had something to
prove to two 'fathers', both who trusted her and her judgement.
________________________

      In a small room, in an office building not far from the salvage
office, Krycek had Mulder bound and gagged, ready for execution.
Krycek had decided not to tell Mulder why he was dying.  Not knowing
his crime, Mulder's guilty conscience would drive him to imagine
himself responsible for a hundred horrors, from Scully's abduction to
Deep Throat's death to Samantha's disappearance. His own doubt would
be greater than any torture Krycek could inflict.  Krycek merely told
him that is was not a murder but an execution for crimes committed.

      Mulder looked regretful and guilty but more than anything, he
was raging mad.  Krycek felt the revenge lacked an element of
satisfaction then realized what was missing.  Taking Mulder's cell
phone from his jacket pocket, Krycek connected to an international
operator to obtain access to a US land line, then he hit the speed
dial one.  He made sure Mulder could see so he would know it was
Scully he was calling.

     "Hello? Agent Scully." she answered business-like.  She heard two
short but deep breathes and repeated her greeting tersely. "Hello? Who
is this?"

    "It's me." Krycek replied cryptically.  He hoped that for just a
moment she might think it was Mulder but Scully was vigilant and
alert.  Krycek had no way of knowing she was waiting jut outside of
Skinner's hospital room, ordering other agents around with a deadly
seriousness.

     "If you have something to say, say it!" Scully insisted.

     Krycek took another deep breath then said calmly. "He's going to
die and you can't stop it."  He watched Mulder struggle uselessly,
hoping to catch a glimpse of his remorse over words never uttered to
the woman he loved so much - the same remorse Krycek felt when he
watched Melissa die from a distance.

     Scully had no idea that the man calling was Krycek nor did she
realize that Mulder was the one who was about to die. Instead her
attentions were focused on Skinner so naturally she replied, "We
already stopped it. Skinner is alive and under protective guard. You
won't get a second chance."

    "You stupid arrogant bitch!" Krycek screamed at the phone. "I'm
going to fucking kill your husband and you're busy babysitter
Skinner."

     Scully gasped as she recognized the voice.  "Krycek!"

    "Finally!" he answered with a grin. "I'm flattered that you
remember me but we have been through a lot, haven't we? As for
Mulder... I don't have any choice. I have to do this."

     "What have you done with Mulder?" Scully asked nervously.

    Krycek barked, "What do you care? You've got Skinner.  He'll find
you a new partner. Isn't that what he's been dying to do? Get rid of
Mulder?" Krycek smiled at Mulder who was torn between trying to hear
every word and shutting it all out. "Isn't that what you want? After
what he did to you and your sister. Just get rid of him and your life
will be yours again, right?"

    "You know that's not true, otherwise why bother to call me?"
Scully replied with a steady calm that surprised even her. Her only
chance to save Mulder was to convince Krycek to let him go and the
only way to do that was win his trust.  "You truly believe you have no
choices, don't you?  Krycek, listen to me...I'm giving you a choice."

    "Shut up!" Krycek growled, rapidly losing control despite having
the upper hand on her.  The sound of confidence in her voice was
enough to break his will, just like her sister. "He hates my guts and
he'd kill me if he had half a chance."

    "You're wrong. Mulder's not your enemy. 'They' are." Scully
responded deliberately. "The crimes Mulder has accused you of...he
barely has a case. But if you hurt him now, you don't stand a chance.
Those people you work for...they're the ones who are taking away your
choices, forcing you to act recklessly. They're setting you up."

    "They already have!" snapped Krycek.  "They don't want Mulder
dead, just impotent, reigned in. They don't need me for that; you're
doing just fine."

    Scully refused to play his game and continued her argument. "Then
I need you as much as you need me.  If you're going against their
agenda, you know you need an ally if you ever expect to survive. I'm
the only one offering that you can trust."

    Krycek gasped with deep desperate hope at her words, trying not to
let Mulder see how it affected him.  Suspiciously he asked, "You'd let
me go even after I threatened him?"

    "No but I can promise to protect you until you get a fair trial.
I can give you a chance to start over, to make your own choices."
Scully answered honestly.  "You've seen that I won't sacrifice your
life for vigilante justice.  I already saved your life once."

   Krycek knew she was right.  It was the chance he had hoped for.
The chance he thought died with Melissa. Suddenly he felt a coldness
in his heart that consumed his hopefulness. He was allowing Scully to
take Melissa's role as his savior, by her sheer force of will, but she
did it all for him, for Mulder.  She neither liked nor cared about the
fate of a pathetic middle man assassin.  "NO!" he roared. "There are
only two choices - Life and Death, and I'm already dead. And so is
everyone I touch." His voice suddenly switched to sadder tone. "I
really am sorry, not for Mulder's sake but for yours.  You do have
choices but you don't have control.  He still dies."

     Before she could respond, he hung up. "Damn!" Scully yelled in
frustration as the other agents looked on with curious surprise. She
quickly remembered she was the agent in charge, entrusted by Skinner
to protect him and to 'just do her job'.  Calling out the junior
agents, she commanded, "Notify the embassy in Hong Kong.  We have a
situation with one of our agents under AD Skinner's supervision.  We
need to secure the help of the local PD..."
_________________________________

     Krycek continued to stare at Mulder who had finally stopped
struggling against his bonds.  "She loves you, Mulder, but it's not
enough, is it?   It won't save you, it won't pull her away from
Skinner, it won't bring back the dead."  He leveled his weapon at
Mulder's head and said, "That's what this all about, you know? The
dead, the forgotten, the unrequited. They want justice."

     Krycek continued to babble insanely as Mulder prepared himself to
face his execution.  There seemed to be little hope of escape as
Mulder's own doubts plagued him.  How many crimes against man and
nature had he committed to earn this fate, he wondered? How many
selfish injustices had he indulged himself with over the years,
betraying Scully's faith and his own ethics? Mulder let out an
unconscious sigh of resignation as he awaited the inevitable.  For
Krycek, it was the perfect moment of revenge, in every way imaginable.
Then the unimaginable happened - Krycek opened his eyes to the glaring
truth.

     Instead of finding justice or revenge, Krycek only saw the sad
reflection of his own helplessness.  A life out of control with a
blind purpose desperately trying to fill the void. A heart painfully
in love with someone he could never truly possess because her very
nature kept her free.  Yet Scully WAS Mulder's salvation, just as
Melissa should have been his.  The pathetic hope of a vicarious
resurrection crept into Krycek's heart.

     In his moment of understanding, Krycek hear a sound outside the
room.  He left Mulder to peek though a crack in the door. There he saw
Joan Gauthier. He assumed she was there looking for her reward for a
job well done, payable in cash and a pound of flesh.  Krycek felt
sickened by his own depravity, debasing himself to seduce a women for
the sole purpose of ensuring her loyalty. He couldn't face her nor
could be admit to his kinship to Mulder any long.  Spinning around and
charging Mulder, he slammed his fist hard against the recalcitrant
agent's head.  Watching him drop helplessly to the floor was the only
satisfaction the rogue operative would find for his revenge.  Then he
ran, as he had many times before, trying to escape his own darkest
shadows.

     Gauthier was still under the control of the alien presence as she
bent down to study Mulder's limp body.  Her memory remained intact so
'it' realized Mulder and Krycek were the key to getting what it
wanted. So it took the first step and called the police to report an
injured American FBI agent.
_________________________________

     Skinner slowly became aware of the bright light surrounding him.
For a moment, he thought he might be dying and that an angel came to
lead him away from this world. Then he realized the angel looked just
like Special Agent Dana Scully.  "Agent Scully, what happened?" he
groaned.

     She smiled slightly, knowing he felt well enough to speak then
explained that he had been shot by an unknown assailant.  "The shots
perforated your bowel.  You're very lucky to have survived.  If the
surgery hadn't happened immediately..."

    "Remind me to leave an extra large tip for that waitress next
time." Skinner mused. "About the shooter...I recognized him.  He was
with Krycek when he took that DAT tape from me."

     Scully sat silent wondering if Krycek had been lying to her
again.  Was the whole sob story just a ruse to distract her from
Skinner's attack? Was Mulder even in any real danger? She felt certain
that Krycek's apology was sincere but she made it a policy to question
her feelings when logic pointed to another conclusion.  Wasn't that
the reason for her separation from Mulder?  Skinner coughed and she
returned her attention to the AD.  "Sir, if that's true then your
attack is related to Melissa's case.  Those threats..."

     "...Were just threats.  I'm still alive, and if anything, I'm
even more determined to find the truth about her murder."  Skinner's
voice remained the embodiment of strength despite his post-op
condition.

    "You're not alone, Sir. Thank you." Scully reached out and held
his hand in her firm grip. They both felt a sense of bonding that went
beyond their common purpose and dedication. And even though they were
both self-conscious about such a public display of emotion, they
remained linked until Skinner slipped back into a restful sleep.

    Scully slipped her hand away from Skinner's and gazed upon his
rough expression, which remained even as he slept.   It was so unlike
Mulder's soft mask of innocent sleep.  All of Mulder's passion and
madness came from that boyish innocence betrayed.  But Skinner's hard
edge was honed by years of practical reality.   Innocence was
surrendered before it could be stolen.  All of which made his
sacrifice and his devotion even more enduring to her.  Reflecting on
her earlier conversation with Krycek, Scully realized that Skinner was
the epitome of a man who made his own choices never flinching at the
consequences.  And while Skinner could never be a rival for Mulder in
her heart, the AD earned a place among the honored few that she
respected beyond question.
__________________________________

     Mulder sat in the busy Hong Kong police station talking with a
translator who just happened to a detective as well.  The 'big brass'
had a heated debate, over the phone with the US Embassy, and in the
office among each other.  They had passed their decisions to Detective
Woo then left for other appointments before Mulder could argue on his
own behalf.

     "I'm sorry Agent Mulder but there's not much we can do at this
point." Woo said after telling Mulder that no one would be looking for
Krycek.

     "The man tried to kill me!" Mulder snarled.

     "But by your own testimony, he didn't, even though he clearly had
the chance." Woo explained. "In fact he may have saved your life from
the people you claimed killed Miss Kallenchuk."

      "They DID kill her." Mulder grumbled.

      "Yet there were no other witnesses, no bodies and no evidence
that what you say is true except a shattered door frame, which very
well may have happened when he broke into the office." Woo sat back
and sighed. "Even if everything you say is truth and we could prove
all of it, we still have our hand tied.  We have no record of an Alex
Krycek entering Hong Kong, no vehicle registration, nowhere to even
start."

     Mulder barked, "He'll probably try to leave the country, return
to the US.  That's were he's hiding it... the tape that contains all
the secrets he's selling."

     "Once again. Great story but no evidence therefore no action."

      "Why are you protecting this man? Is he selling secrets to your
government?  Did he buy out your police for a cut of the profits?"
Mulder accused.

     Woo bristled and replied, "I'm just a cop, like you.  Except I
know my place.  Look, we returned your weapon so you can defend
yourself if he attacks you again and I'm not the one recalling you
back to the United States."  Mulder gave him a questioning stare. "The
US Embassy got a call from the FBI requesting our assistance in
finding you and returning you to Washington DC."

     "Who ordered me recalled?" Mulder demanded.

     Woo checked his notes.  "The office of Assistant Director
Skinner."  Mulder looked unconvinced and Woo looked at his notes
again.  "Let's see... An agent named Scully called and..."

     "SHIT!" Mulder exclaimed. "Krycek got to her. She believed him!"

     Woo pursed his lips impatiently at the paranoid agent's outburst.
"Yeah, right.  Look, do I need to assign you an escort to take you to
the airport?"

     Mulder sighed as he stared coldly at Woo.  Mulder had always
believed that some things were universal constants - the speed of
light, the rotation of the planets, and other such things that made
the world work.  Unfortunately, the self-serving closed-mind of the
bureaucratic civil servant was one of them, just as essential to make
THIS world work.  Resigned to the futility in fighting another
'System', he agreed to leave on the next available scheduled flight.
____________________________

     Mulder conducted his own private stake-out at the airport looking
for Krycek. Although Mulder had agreed to leave on the next flight, no
one actually bothered to follow him so he was free to do what he had
to.  Since Mulder was certain Krycek would retrieve the tape and go
back underground, he was determined to catch him before he disappeared
again. Krycek's theatrics with Scully failed to impress Mulder
although it enraged him with the casual manner with which his enemy
spoke to his wife.

    Mulder began to wonder why Scully would recall him without even
discussing it.  Was she so shook up by Krycek's threats that she lost
her good sense? That didn't seem possible.  However it did seem very
possible that Skinner had found something during his investigation
into Melissa's death which required Scully to submit to his
interrogation.  In that case, Scully would want Mulder back to pick up
their current case.  Or was it something even more obvious.  Tired of
being 'ditched' and left in the dark, Scully asked for a transfer.

     Reviewing all his scenarios, Mulder came to the frightening
conclusion that he didn't know Scully as well as he always thought he
did.  The last few weeks alone without her company day-in and day-out,
changed his perspective of the one person whom he trusted with his
life, his dreams and his heart. What had she offered Krycek that made
him hesitant to kill? Mulder flashed back to the night Scully shot him
to keep him from seeking revenge for his father's death. Was she
really trying to protect Krycek all along?

     Suddenly, Mulder cursed himself for even considering such
thoughts.  No, Scully would not betray him, no matter how separate
their lives had become. He knew that...he just wished she were there
to re-affirm her faith.  Merely the thought of her growing ever
distant stirred the rage within him.  And right on cue, he found a
target for his anger.  Krycek entered the terminal heading for the
international gate.

     Mulder turned his back to the corridor to hide his face and
pretended to be talking on the phone as Krycek approached.  Mulder
caught him off guard as he spun around, bashing him in the face with
the receiver.  Krycek staggered back, stunned by the sudden blow, as
Mulder growled, "That's for your partner." Mulder lashed out again,
kicking Krycek painfully low. "This is for me." Bloody and beaten,
Krycek collapsed as Mulder caught him and grabbed his weapon, hidden
under his coat. Pressing the barrel into Krycek's abdomen, Mulder
snarled, "And this is for Scully."

     "I never hurt her; I swear to God!" Krycek gasped desperately, as
anxious to proclaim his innocence as to save his life. "Just ask her!"

     Mulder pushed the gun harder into his stomach, making him winch
in pain. "Should I ask my father too?" Mulder snapped. "You killed
him, you son-of-bitch!"

    Krycek groaned, "No! I didn't kill your father. It wasn't me."

     "Oh yeah? Then who was it?" Mulder demanded.

    Krycek knew Mulder would never believe him if he told him the
truth, that Bill Mulder shot himself. "I...I don't know, don't know."
he croaked unconvincingly.
Mulder said Krycek was lying. Either he was the killer or he knew who
was so the agent slowly squeezed the trigger anticipating the hammer
to fall.
Krycek saw the final irony in Mulder's misguided revenge.  Mulder
would become the murderer and suffer that fate that haunted Krycek,
ultimately losing Scully. It was the only justice Mulder could
understand. "Come on, finish it Mulder.  Come on!" Krycek goaded.


     Mulder felt a twinge in his shoulder. For a split-second he
thought the gun had fired then he realized it was just a buried memory
breaking through to stop him.  It was the memory of Scully firing upon
him to stop him from killing Krycek. The distance that had grown
between Mulder and Scully vanished in an instant as Mulder felt the
force of her logic and reason. He came to Hong Kong for one reason and
it wasn't revenge.  Relaxing his grip on Krycek, he continued to hold
the gun on his captive as he demanded calmly, "I want that digital
tape."


     Krycek sighed with a mixed sense of relief and regret. Mulder had
proven again that he was more than the sum of his anger, unlike
Krycek.  The beaten man mumbled, "I don't have it."


   Mulder flinched and pulled on Krycek again.  "Like hell you don't.
It contains the secrets you were selling as well as everything else
our government knows about the existence of extra terrestrial life."


    Krycek quickly realized that revenge didn't just mean murder; it
meant defeat. Destroy his quest and Mulder would suffer even a greater
loss than his life. Krycek slyly began to draw Mulder into a new trap.
"How could I sell anything? The tape's encrypted."


    Mulder fell for the ploy, accusing Krycek of finding a way to
decoding the tape and demanding to know where it was.  Withdrawing a
key from his pocket, Krycek told him it was in DC and that he would
tell exactly where if he let him go.  Krycek still knew how to
manipulate Mulder. By giving him an ultimatum, Mulder would backlash
and wouldn't release Krycek until he had the tape in his hands.  Every
moment Krycek spent with Mulder would be spent carefully twisting the
truth so that when Mulder actually found the tape, he would destroy it
to protect himself, his sister, his father's memory and Scully.


    Mulder had no idea of the depth of Krycek's cruel intentions.  To
him, the younger man looked thoroughly broken, almost submissive.  He
led Krycek toward the restroom, suggesting he clean up before they
attracted any more attention.  The clever Krycek saw this as the first
opportunity to throw him off balance.

 "You are coming in too?" His voice had a deliberate tone of anxious
anticipation  "I'm pretty sore; I might need your help to get my shirt
off to clean off the blood. While you're at it, I assume you'll want
to check for hidden weapons."


     Mulder froze in his steps. He stared at Krycek's face, the blood
trickling down from his wounds. Krycek slowly licked the red thick
liquid from his lips and stared back passively, waiting for Mulder to
answer.  Mulder felt an unmistakable sense of dominance and power over
Krycek, as if the younger man would submit to his every order and
command. Krycek was practically begging to be strip searched and for a
moment, Mulder actually considered it. But when Mulder felt an
aggressive sense of arousal stimulated by so much power, he cursed his
primal conditioned responses.  The desire was not sexual in nature but
it ran so deep in his soul it was hard to isolate and even harder to
ignore. Mulder wavered but finally said, "I'm not helping you with
anything. You're a grown man; clean yourself up. If you're not out of
there in 3 minutes, I'm coming in there to kill you." Krycek nodded
and bowed his head, secretly delighting in Mulder's inner conflict.


   Krycek entered the Men's room alone and cleaned the blood from his
face.  He made no attempt to clean the blood from his shirt, a subtle
reminder to Mulder.  Krycek smiled at his reflection, knowing that he
had the power to warp Mulder's dreams and desires into his darkness
fears. As Krycek stood in front of a fixture preparing to relieve
himself, he felt someone watching.  Half expecting to see Mulder, he
turning to look and saw Joan Gauthier staring at him.  Assuming she
had followed him to come to his rescue, Krycek smiled and said, "Joan!
I'm I glad you found me. Listen..." He reached out to her, expecting
her to fall into his embrace as she had only a few nights ago but
instead she grabbed him and slammed him into the wall. He briefly saw
an oily darkness in her eyes before he lost consciousness.  The shadow
of his betrayal to the love he held for Melissa crept over him as he
felt his will suppressed by a greater force.  But it was more than
just guilt that possessed him and Krycek knew that once again he had
become the pawn without his own destiny.


   Mulder was too preoccupied by his emotions to notice Gauthier
entering the Men's room after Krycek.  Nor did he notice the strange
look in Krycek's eyes. Mulder tried to avoid eye contact, worried that
Krycek might see some weakness within to exploit. Instead Mulder just
asked, "Feel better?"

    The merged consciousness of Krycek and the alien replied
confidently, "Like a new man."  Mulder swallowed nervously as
considered the possibilities of forcing Krycek into a one-side
partnership.  Scully would never approve of such underhanded
techniques. She'd call it blackmail, a violation of his civil rights,
an insult to the very justice system they were sworn to uphold.  Maybe
that's why she was in Skinner's office instead of San Diego working on
an X-File. Mulder's X-File. Mulder felt the chasm between them split
open again and the sense of loneliness as almost unbearable.  The only
one to ease the pain was a murderous, lying, rat-bastard traitor yet
at the moment, Mulder accepted it willingly and sighed, "I feel almost
like a new man myself."
____________________________

    Mulder and Scully were two partners poised at opposite ends of the
world, grounded in beliefs just as far apart.  Scully stood guard over
the wounded Skinner as she pieced together the evidence from his
attack knowing it had to be related to Melissa's death, and in turn,
connected to their current X-File. "It's all connected." Mulder had
told her, and she knew that to be true. Her quest was to put the
pieces together but in doing so she divided her alliances between
Mulder, Skinner and the memory of her father.

     Mulder held Krycek at gun point, trying to pull the answers out
from the secrets he sold.  While Scully built answers from evidence,
Mulder sought proof for the truths he already believed. The gapping
holes in his theories would close the instant the truth was revealed,
so he thought.  "I can always count on you to 'step over the line'."
Scully had said to him and she was right.  The answers did not lie in
wait, buried in the desert but in the deeds of men who hid their every
movement. To uncover them, he had to abandon the 'conventional' and
follow a rat into its nest.

     What would it take for these partners to meet on common ground
once again?  What secrets would surface to join their singular purpose
into a shared journey?  What happens to the bonds of love when reality
pulls them to the breaking point?


(TO BE CONTINUED...)
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________

Questions, comments, oily masses?  Contact me at shinkai@mlode.com or
see my fan fic archive at
http://www.mlode.com/~shinkai/fanfic/xffanfic.htm


Story Notes:
"Piper Maru" was a difficult episode to understand, with large leaps
in continuity.   I tried to piece it together into some kind of logic.
Maybe not "Scully logic" but it works for me.

Questions from the Original resolved:
-Why did the 'Piper Maru' pass every port on the West Coast headed for
San Diego?  To visit the Zoo?
-What are the odds that the father of a childhood friend would be the
XO of the very sub that originally found the Mustang? And that he
still lived in Miramar years later?
-Why is Scully ordering around other Agents? Who died and made her
Goddess?
-Does Mulder run around with his passport or is that FBI badge that
impressive?"
-Are burned bodies common in Hong Kong or was the scene sanitized
quickly?

New Stuff...
-Mulder and Scully are still trying to sort out their relationship but
the other agendas in their lives are making them choose new
priorities.
-Skinner continues to have ambiguous feeling of love for Scully. It's
like a father falling in love with his daughter (something like that
but not as nasty.) He still loves his wife but sees Scully almost as
the perfect woman.  But now it becomes more apparent that she might
feel the same about him.
-Krycek is my King of Pain.  Nothing he does works and he knows it.
The only thing he does manage to do is survive.  Is it any wonder he
can't kill Mulder once he realizes how alike they are?
-Am I trying to imply a homosexual relationship between Mulder and
Krycek?  No but there is a mutual fascination that causes them to
become manic in each other's presence.  In light of their
similarities, you might consider it a Narcissus complex.

More questions for the next part...
-Why the French? Why Hong Kong?
-What really happened at the bottom of Pacific?
-Who has the DAT tape?
-What happen to the hybrid Krycek stole and killed in IM #20?
-Was Melissa really the target after all?
-Where is Sharon Skinner?
-Why hasn't Scully spoken to Mulder about Skinner shooting?