From: shinkai@mlode.com (Susan Shinkai)
Date: Sun, 6 Jun 1999 04:06:16 -0700
Subject: New Story:The IM Files #25 -The Invisible Truth

Title: The IM Files #25 - The Invisible Truth
Author:  Shinkai
E-mail Address: shinkai@mlode.com
Rating: R for language and violence
Classification: SR
Spoilers: Piper Maru, Apocrypha
Keywords: Scully/Mulder romance, alternate reality, angst
Summary: Scully struggles with the task of finding Skinner's attacker,
while Mulder attempts to find the Truth using Krycek as a guide.
Unknown to Mulder, Krycek is controlled by an alien entity which has
it's own agenda with the Syndicate.

Intro: The continuation of 'Deep Dark Secrets.'  A greatly expanded
parallel story for the episode "Apocrypha", comparing the methods of
Mulder and Scully as they work part, while trying to shed some light
on the politics of conspiracies. The motives of all the characters,
especially Krycek, are expanded to create a base for future
installments.

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

Disclaimer: Many 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.
________________________________________________

THE INVISIBLE TRUTH

     Night was falling in Washington DC as Scully reviewed the police
report on Skinner's shooting for the hundredth time. She sat behind
the imposing desk of the AD, her basement office seeming too small and
esoteric for a task of this magnitude. Skinner's assistant had given
her unrestricted access to his office during the investigation and she
had accepted the offer gratefully. Perhaps she needed to feel more
distant from Mulder and his realm of realities as she focused on the
regimented world of Walter Skinner.  Or maybe she needed a place to
hide from the guilt she felt after trying to make a deal with Krycek,
even if it did have a measure of success and Mulder remained alive.
Was it possible that Krycek's vendetta against Mulder had nothing at
all to do with Skinner's shooting or was it an integral part of an
elaborate conspiracy that only a mind like Mulder's could unravel?

      Everyone at the PD and the Bureau seemed anxious to label
Skinner's attack as a random act of violence but she knew otherwise.
He had encountered the strange trio who made vague threats if he
continued the investigation into Melissa's death. His preliminary
report laid ready for submission on his desk recommended re-opening
the case. The insipid plot to hide the 'Truth' seemed glaringly
obvious to her. However, the facts from the official report of
Skinner's shooting did not support this belief. She took a deep breath
and tried to focus on the actual findings surrounding the incident. If
she allowed herself to be swayed by her own prejudice, her conclusions
would be subject to criticism just as Mulder's were. That was not to
say that any good investigator wouldn't pursue a solid hunch and take
appropriate precautions.  So when Scully ordered around-the-clock
protection for Skinner, she expected it to be done.  When the junior
agents tried to pass the responsibility to the PD, she accepted no
excuses and demanded that if no one was available from the PD then
they could stand watch themselves.
_________________________________

    The rumor mill at the FBI was just as active as any place of
business and the affairs of Mulder and Scully were fodder for the
masses.  Agents Fuller and Caleca stood outside Skinner's door
grumbling about their assignment and questioning the source of
Scully's fervor.  "It's no secret, you know." Fuller grouched. "She
and Skinner have been seeing each other on the sly for quite a while,
since Mulder went missing."

    Caleca huffed at her partner in response. "Which time?  I
swear...he gets way with anything and manages to keep his job while
the rest of us have to wander through the bureaucratic maze just to
file a report. Hey, you don't think that's why she so friendly with
the AD? To protect Mulder?"

    Fuller shook his head.  "No, I think it's the other way around.
Skinner's suppose to keep the X-Files open so Mulder doesn't embarrass
the rest of the Bureau but Scully wants it shut down and Mulder kicked
out.  Why else would she agree to this stupid separation thing.  Once
the X-Files are closed, she can kiss Spooky good-bye."

      "You don't think he'd fight that?" Caleca asked.

      "Are you kidding? He'll be so messed up from losing the X-Files
he wouldn't notice if she did it with Skinner on top of his desk."
Fuller sighed heavily. "So tell me, when did the FBI turn into a haven
for perverts and loonies?"

      Before she could answer, a professional looking women in her
late thirties approached them.  "Excuse me...is this Walter Skinner's
room?"

     Fuller straightened his jacket and cleared his throat.  "Yes,
ma'am, but I'm afraid no one is allowed to see him without
authorization."

     "Authorization from who?" the woman asked crossly.

     "The agent in charge, Special Agent Dana Scully. I'm sorry, she's
not here right now but..."

     "I see." she replied without expression. "Well if you could pass
along a message to the Assistant Director, I'd appreciate it." Both
agents nodded gratuitously. "Tell him Sharon came by to check on him
and I'll call when he's discharged from the hospital."  She turned and
walked away stiffly.

     Caleca called out, "Excuse ma'am? We should have a last name."

     "Skinner, Sharon Skinner. He should remember me.  After all, I am
still his wife." Sharon Skinner left the dumbstruck agents without
another word.
_______________________________________

     Mulder yawned but tried to hide it as he sat beside Krycek in the
plane returning from Hong Kong. Mulder hadn't considered that standing
guard was a 24 hour job and that the trip back to DC was 30 hour
jaunt.  Although there was no where to run to in the confined space of
an airliner, Mulder didn't trust Krycek out of his sight for a minute.
Mulder carried the vague threat of a weapon aimed at his prisoner but
they both knew firing a weapon in a pressurized cabin would be
foolhardy. Mulder thought that the only thing keeping Krycek from
trying to turn the tables was the apparent lack of nerve on Krycek's
part.  When the rogue agent had the chance to kill Mulder, he
couldn't.  Naturally, Mulder believed as long as he could stay in
control, Krycek would bow to his authority.

      What Mulder failed to realize was that Krycek was no longer in
control of himself. An alien entity had commandeered the vessel of his
body to accomplish it's own agenda.  That agenda involved the X-Files
and what better way to use Mulder than to let him believe he was in
control.  While access to much of Krycek's memories was blocked from
the entity by it's host's raging anger, it could divine the best way
to deal with Mulder.  It was a remarkably simple task of boosting
Mulder's fragile ego with the youthful awe of a would-be protege.

    'Krycek' stared at the drowsy agent and said, "You're concerned
that I may try to escape if you fall asleep, aren't you?"

     "You're a fucking genius, Krycek, a regular master of deduction
like some evil twin of Sherlock Holmes." Mulder growled sarcastically.
"If I still had my handcuffs I could at least chain you down but now
all I can do besides sit on you, is make you promise not to run off.
And we both know how much your word of honor is worth."

    "Mulder, you need to get some sleep or you'll screw up and get us
both in trouble." Krycek argued.

    Mulder said nothing because he knew Krycek was right.  Instead,
Mulder looked around at the cramped seating arrangement and then at
Krycek.  He called a flight attendant and explained his situation.
"I'm an FBI Agent and I'm escorting this man back to the U.S. He's not
officially under-arrest so I can't confine him but if you see him
leave this seat or talk to anyone, wake me up immediately."  The
stewardess nodded as she studied Mulder's ID.  As she left to inform
the other staff, Mulder inconspicuously removed the magazine from his
gun and placed it in his carry-on bag in the overhead compartment.
When he sat back down, Mulder slid close to Krycek until their thighs
were touching.  "Hold still." Mulder ordered in a firm voice when he
suddenly pressed his hand into Krycek's front pocket. Krycek didn't
even finch as Mulder wedged his hand tightly into the jeans.  "Don't
get excited." Mulder warned with a growl. "This way I'll know if you
so much as sneeze." Mulder explained.

     'Krycek' nodded silently in a gesture Mulder assumed to be
resignation.  Then Mulder close his eyes and tried to sleep in the
awkward position of being pressed close to Krycek with his hand
nestled securely in his front pocket resting against his inner thigh.
As Mulder drifted off to sleep, the warmth of another body brought
back memories of spending his nights wrapped around Scully.  He was
too tired to realize what a bizarre association it was.

    'Krycek' looked passively at Mulder's attempt to keep him in
check.  The Entity knew Mulder was no threat but as long as the agent
believed he had the upper hand, he would find his way to the men who
had what 'it' needed.  And poor Krycek struggled to regain conscious
control to no avail, knowing that where 'it' wanted to go, was no
place he could survive.
_________________________________

    Scully received an early morning call from Agent Pendrell in the
crime lab.  He had heard that Agent Scully was anxious for any new
findings regarding the identify of Skinner's attacker and he'd spent
the night processing the forensic data.  Although the young agent knew
the possibility of any relationship beyond a profession friendship
with her was impossible, that knowledge didn't diminish his admiration
and affection for her.  Next to Alpha males like Mulder and Skinner,
Pendrell felt far out of his league.  But when it came to science, the
one thing that distinguished Scully from the men she cared so much
about, Pendrell was in his element.  It was in this realm of details
and precision he could impress her and give her some small measure of
happiness.

     Scully arrived in the lab soon after she received the call.
Pendrell gave her the full report as disheartening as it was - useless
partial fingerprints, indefinite hemo-factors from the saliva.  They
did isolate DNA from the hairs collected but without samples to
compare them to, finding the identity of the shooter could take some
time.  Scully refused to be discouraged and instructed Pendrell to
start a comparison search to the PCR results on file. The composite
picture of the suspect made by the waitress was far more likely to
turn up a suspect but she still insisted.

    As Scully studied the PCR results, a thought occurred to her.
"Can I borrow this for a while?" Scully asked.

    Pendrell smiled with what he was sure was a silly grin and
replied. "Go ahead. Anything you need."  Scully nodded an
absent-minded thanks and started to leave. Pendrell not only wanted
her to linger a bit longer but was truly curious about her reasons for
taking the PCR film.  "So...you think you might have a lead on who
this might be?"

    Scully sighed. "Just a hunch." She sighed again and said,
"Mulder's been a bad influence on me."

   Pendrell nervous replied,  "Not just a hunch, I'm sure.  Agent
Mulder has a great imagination but you have a great mind."  He was
rewarded with a small smile and a quiet 'thank you'.  He felt just
brave enough to offer her more.  "If you're thinking about checking it
against the PCR results recovered from your sister's apartment, I
already did. No match.  I haven't been able to get the results from
her murder weapon..."

     Scully snapped to alertness despite her sleepless night.  "Excuse
me...did you say the finding from her apartment? But her murdered
occurred in my home?"

    Pendrell suddenly realized that the AD may not have shared his
findings with her for a reason.  "Uh...yes, yes I know she was s-shot
in your home b-but apparently they found identical DNA traces in both
places."

    "Are you saying there was more than one suspect?" Scully asked
with a gentle demanding voice.

     "No, the frequency of occurrence of the second sample lead them
to the conclusion that this person was just someone who was friends
with you both."  Pendrell answered quickly.   "I...I guess the AD
wanted to ask you before he took it any further."   Scully was visibly
distressed and Pendrell cautiously patted her on the hand and offered,
"I'm sure he was only trying to protect you."

    Scully huffed in frustration but acknowledged his kindness.  "Do
me a favor and promise you won't try to protect me unless there's a
gun pointed at my head." Pendrell wasn't sure if he should say yes or
no, as she continued. "Every time someone tries to protect me, I'm
left with cleaning up the messy consequences."

    "You know me, Agent Scully...I just give you the facts." Pendrell
offered hopefully.

     Scully sighed and smiled.  "And for that I'm eternally
gratefully.  I can deal with the facts and all the little details that
make up the big 'Truth'.  Thanks again for your help."  She placed a
warm hand on his shoulder then slipped out the door, leaving the awed
Agent Pendrell to imagine his own truths.
______________________

     Mulder and Krycek arrived at Dulles Airport without incident.
Mulder's impromptu alarm system apparently worked although he awoke
several times, disturbed by the inability to move his hand.  Once or
twice he was startled to see Krycek staring back at him with
impossibly black eyes.  The real shock was the waking realization that
the warmth he found so pleasant in his sleep when he imagined it
belonged to Scully really came from the body of a cold killer.  Mulder
reacted with a seething hatred, projected in his voice and his manner,
directed at his captive.

    "Look around, Krycek." Mulder snarled.  "If I have anything to say
about it, this will be the last time you see the outside world."

     'It' felt another presence as they got into their rental car.
'They' were following.  If Mulder suspected, he might be able to avoid
them, so it drew upon Krycek's memories to keep Mulder off balance.
"Have you spoken to your partner about that? I have."

     "Leave her out of this!" Mulder snapped. "This is about you and
that damn tape." He demanded the key that Krycek claimed opened the
locker where the tape was hidden. Krycek reluctantly gave him a small
orange key with the imprint 'C.I. 517'.  Mulder scrutinized the key
and asked what the C.I. meant.

    'Krycek' replied calmly, "When we get there," knowing full well
they wouldn't arrive there, together.

     Mulder was still tired and wanted nothing more than to end this
game. But he was hesitant to contact Scully.  If she was really the
one who recalled him to DC, she might demand that Krycek be property
processed instead of bullied.  Mulder couldn't afford to lose him, not
only because Krycek killed his father but because he could be the link
to everything that mattered - the secrets of the conspiracy, Melissa's
murder, and fate of his sister.  How ironic that Mulder failed to
realize that Entity within Krycek was the 'key' he sought.

    As they drove through the night, Mulder finally became aware of
dark car following them.  He ordered Krycek to speed up and the chase
began.  It ended swiftly and violently as the rental car was forced
off the road, knocking Mulder unconscious as it tumbled down the
embankment. He had a vague awareness of two men approaching the car
and yelling at Krycek who was apparently uninjured. The angry voice
demanded the tape and suddenly there was a flash of light and the
demands were replaced with cries of agony.  Another flash, more cries,
then Mulder's mind went dark.
______________________________

     When light finally returned to Mulder, it was almost unbearable.
The one thing that kept him from retreating into the darkness was her
face by his side.  "I guess I'm not dead." he groaned as he tried to
sit up. "Either that or they finally got the face of an angel right."
He smiled weakly at Scully and she gave him a light kiss.

     "Nice try, smooth talker.  So, what happen?" she asked without
formalities.

    Mulder explained he and Krycek were coming back from the airport
when they were forced off the road.  The mention of Krycek's name made
Scully stiffen to alertness.

    She raised an eyebrow and asked, "The last I heard, you were his
prisoner. When the Hong Kong police called I assumed they scared him
off before he had a chance to kill you.  Did you come to some
agreement with him?"

    "I agreed not to blow his brains out if he gave me the digital
tape...you know THAT tape.  That's how the French knew where to find
that Mustang.  Imagine...all the secrets about UFO's and our
governments involvement over the last 50 years and Krycek is selling
it to the highest bidder." Mulder growl in disgust.  "Apparently,
someone else wasn't too happy with his business venture.  The men who
forced us off the road, they ordered him out of the car.  I thought
they were going to kill him. I though they were going to kill us both.
And then there was this bright flash. That's all I remember."

     "Well there was no one at the scene of the accident but you.
There wasn't much to recover at the scene - no hair or fiber
evidence." Scully remarked professionally.

      "Don't bother.  I think I saw that flash of light before, in
Hong Kong when I found Krycek.  It left several French agents and a
business woman dead."  Mulder advised.

      Scully frowned. "On the matter of Krycek, how did you..."

     "How did I escape?  Apparently he's reached his limits on Mulders
this season." He answered sarcastically. Taking a more serious tone,
he explained, "For whatever reason, he couldn't do it.  I kind of
wondered if I had you to thank for that.  His mood certainly changed
after speaking to you."  The words sounded more like an accusation
than a thank you.

    Scully remained stiff and defensive. "I didn't promise him
anything but a fair trial."

    "For which murder? My father's or Melissa's?" Mulder replied.
"Skinner found evidence that indicated he was staking both of you."

    "The DNA traces in both our apartments." she concluded as Mulder
nodded. "Are you sure it was Krycek?" Scully asked hesitantly.  She
wasn't certain of why but  Krycek seemed to be an un-likely suspect in
spite of his long history of deception.

    The uncertainty hit Mulder even harder. He silently questioned
Scully's generous attitude concerning a rat.  "If not, then he knows
who was."

    "One things for certain. He didn't shoot Skinner." Scully
remarked.  The surprised look on Mulder's face told her that Krycek
never shared the news of Skinner's shooting. She explained the
incident to Mulder who became even more convinced that Krycek was some
how involved.

     Mulder decided to drop the subject of Krycek instead of arguing
with Scully.  He plucked at the bandage on his head and said briskly,
"So, who do you think shot Skinner?"

     "We're not sure but we know two things.  First, it's may very
well be related to Krycek's move against you.  Skinner recognized the
shooter as one of men who along with Krycek took the tape from him.
But I still don't understand how you turned the tables on Krycek..."

    "Don't you think I can take care of myself?" Mulder barked. Scully
tightened her lips afraid to respond.  Mulder just let a sigh and
apologetically said, "Let's forget about Krycek for now."  He
recognized his reaction as nothing more than a jealous rage over
Scully's preoccupation with Krycek but he couldn't suppress it so his
only hope was to focus on the rest of the case. "What else did you
find?"

    Scully pretended to ignore his earlier outburst. Opening a folder,
she handed him the PCR results from Skinner's shooter.  Then she
handed him a matching film.  "Who's this one belong to?" Mulder asked
as he compared the two.

     "The man who shot Melissa." she replied calmly.

      Mulder held the film sheets up to the light and could see they
were identical.  He lowered his head and took her hand in show of
support. Referring to their earlier discussion of why she didn't want
Mulder on the case, he commented, "I guess Skinner was the best man
for the job."

     Scully half smiled and said, "No, I am. I found these results
myself based on a hunch."  Mulder lifted an eyebrow as a silent
commentary on her opinion of hunches.  Scully nodded slightly to
acknowledge his gesture.  "That's right...a hunch. Just like my lead
on the Zeus Faber.  I suppose investigative instincts are contagious.
And while Skinner couldn't reopen Melissa case, he gave me the means
to find her killer... A task which I intend to complete and bring that
man to justice."

     Mulder pulled her closer and hugged her gently. "Be careful what
you set out to do.  I've been trying to get Krycek to answer for my
father's death and so far I've been shot by my wife, shanghaied in
Hong Kong, and cracked up in a rental car."

    "I'll be sure to watch out for any signs that I'm becoming more
like you." she replied softly, as she gave him a kiss.  Then their
quiet moment together was over as Agent Fuller barged in.

    "Agent Scully, you said you to notify you when the AD was awake."
Fuller reported with a disapproving tone in his voice.

     Scully looked at Mulder with a neutral expression, clearly trying
to hide her emotions from the intruding agent.  "I have to go.  But
I'm certain there's more to Skinner's shooting then preventing him
from reopening Melissa's case."

   Mulder nodded as he pulled the bulky bandage off his head. The
wound was raw but it had stopped bleeding. "And I'm certain I know
who's the connection. We have an open X-Files case, the one we started
in San Diego, the one that lead me to Krycek."

    Fuller cleared his throat loudly. "In case you weren't aware,
Agent Mulder, your partner has been assigned to Skinner's case."

    Before Mulder could reply, Scully announced, "I'll see what I can
do to get you out of here as soon as possible so you can resume your
investigation."

    Mulder remained silent until Fuller left then asked, "We are still
together on this, right? You know there was something aboard the Piper
Maru.  And before that on the Zeus Faber, something 'they' had to keep
secret...something that might be revealed on that DAT tape."

    Scully held his hand firmly and replied, "I do believe you're
right this time. That tape, those secrets...that's what Melissa died
for, why Skinner was stopped. Mulder, I can find the man who murdered
Melissa and shot Skinner, but only you can find the reason why."

    There was no doubt in his mind they were still partners.  He rose
from the bed retrieving his clothes from the bedside and said
confidently, "Then stop teasing me and get me the hell out of here so
I can get back to work."

     Scully glanced at his bedside chart and said, "Just go before
they find a way to stall you.  I'll take care of the paperwork."

    Mulder gave her a quick kiss and said teasingly, "Remember what
you said about warning you if you started to act more like me? Well,
this is your first warning."

    Scully watched as he slipped out of the room and sighed to
herself, "And I'm afraid it won't be the last."
___________________________________

     Scully sat beside Skinner and filled him in on her latest finding
and Mulder exploits with Krycek. The large man shook his head as he
frowned. "Doesn't make sense.  Why take Mulder hostage then let him
go?"

    "Perhaps they were trying to divide our resources, diverting me
from your case, and Melissa's." Scully suggested.

    Skinner squared his lower jaw nervously and grumbled, "There is
something else, something I found while reviewing Melissa's case."

    "The stranger who frequented both my home and Melissa's?" Scully
remarked. Skinner didn't look surprised. He knew she had access to the
files he'd collected. "I've been thinking about that myself and I
can't think of anyone..."

    "We think it's Krycek." Skinner said bluntly. "Mulder went to Hong
Kong fully expecting to find him there. Don't ask me how he knew...
just Spooky, I guess."  Scully stood wide eyed in shock. Skinner
continued, "It's my guess he had you and your sister under
surveillance. If I remember correctly, Mulder had just recently moved
out of your place."

     Scully's shock slowly transformed to outrage. "But why Melissa?
She had nothing to do with our investigation, our work..."

    "But you trusted her and so did Mulder.  When you were missing,
there was even some indication that she had a psychic connection
between you two." Skinner looked almost apologetic.  "Look I don't
believe in that New Age mumbo-jumbo but if they believed Mulder was
dead then only someone with that kind of ability could bring back a
message from him to you."

     Scully stood up and threw her hands up as she paced angrily.
"This is insane! My sister was killed to stop her from talking to the
dead?"

     "It's just a theory!" Skinner insisted.  "Don't lose your
perspective. Regardless of the reason, whether on purpose or by
mistake, they murdered her."

    Scully seemed oblivious to Skinner's words. "And Krycek!  Good
God, I saved his life, even offered him protective custody. And all
the while he knew everything! He violated my life and then had the
nerve to say I had no choice. Mulder had him. Damn it!"

  Skinner sat up despite the pain and spoke urgently. "Dana, listen to
me.  Anger is a luxury that you cannot afford right now. If you're
angry, you're going to make a mistake, and these people will take
advantage of that.  You've seen how they operate."

      Scully took a deep breath and headed for the door. "I'll be OK."
she replied unconvincingly with a sharp edge in her voice.

      Skinner's hard expression turned to one of concern and
compassion as his voice soften to accompany it.  "Maybe I made a
mistake bring you in on this case."

    Scully's tone matched his as she replied. "No, Sir, you made the
only choice you could.  There was no one else to trust.  As it is,
they only assigned two other agents to your case, both with a minimal
amount of field experience. You're an Assistant Director at the FBI,
not just a random victim of street crime.  Surely you deserve better."

     Skinner was clearly touched by her concern and respect but he
also knew that her devotion to him contributed to the anger that might
ultimately blind her otherwise rational judgement.  "Dana, all I'm
saying is you may be too close to this one. If you can't keep your
head, it's all right to step away."

     "That's exactly what they want." she answered with determination
as she walked out.
______________________________

      As Scully stepped into the hallway, she heard Agent Fuller
telling a women that Skinner was not allowed to have any visitors and
that no information on his status could be release.  Suddenly she
recognized the woman.  "Mom? What are you doing here?"

     Maggie Scully approached her daughter. "I heard about Walter.  I
know he was working on Melissa's case and I just wanted him to know
how grateful we are..."

     Agents Fuller gave Scully a questioning stare but Scully ignored
it as she escorted her mother away.  Maggie began again as they spoke
in private. "I'm sorry I came here but you weren't answering your
phone messages..."

     "I'm fine, Mother." Scully answered firmly. "And Skinner is OK
for now.  But he needs his rest and I have to concentrate on finding
his attacker."

    Maggie nodded. "I understand. I was just hoping that maybe he
found out something about Melissa."

    Scully was tempted to tell her about the PCR findings but knew
that it would offer little comfort.  Releasing the information too
soon, even to her own mother, might compromise her chances of
prosecuting the man for both crimes.  Even more than that, the thought
of the some one killing with such impunity angered her even more,
making her behave more and more impulsively - in effect, more like
Mulder.  But she lacked Mulder's uncanny instincts so she kept her
anger in check and said good bye to her mother.

     Fuller grumbled to Agent Caleca as she returned to Skinner's
door. "Just a haven for perverts and lunatics.  Wonder if she know
about the wife?"

    Scully caught the tail end of his remark and asked crossly,
"Excuse me, what about who's wife?"

    Caleca replied, "The Assistant Director's.  She was here
yesterday."

     "Why wasn't I informed?" Scully demanded.

     "We didn't let her in!" Fuller insisted. "She just asked us to
give a message to him, which I did this morning.  It seemed like a
personal matter so there was no reason to report it to you."

     "Agent Fuller, being shot at close range is a very person
matter." Scully scolded. "You may lack the experience to realized that
but I expect you to use some common sense when it comes to something
as simple as standing guard. What if she wasn't his wife? What if she
came here to check on security so she could finished the job?"

     Fuller shrugged. "I hadn't thought of that."

     "You're right. You didn't think." Scully continued. Just then two
PD officers arrived to provide protective guard for Skinner. Scully
quizzed them briskly and appeared satisfied with their qualifications
then signaled Fuller and Caleca to follow her.  "I hope your
investigative skills are better than your security awareness." she
remarked bitterly.

     When he thought Scully was out of ear-shot Fuller whispered to
his counter-part, "No wonder Mulder couldn't live with her.  She must
expect him to read her mind."

    Caleca felt as if they had been lax in their assignment and
retorted, "How do you know she can't read his."
_____________________________________

    If Scully could read Mulder's mind, she wouldn't be surprised by
what she found in his office the next day.   As it was, she wasn't
surprise just because she knew Mulder's tenacity was only second to
his intuition when it came to his crime fighting tool kit. So when she
saw the full diving suit set up in the center of the office, she
merely glanced at Mulder, waiting for the inevitable one-liner.

     "It looked great on me in the store." Mulder mused.

     "I knew there was a reason you left your clothes at my place -
you needed the space in your closet." Scully replied straight-faced.

     Mulder grinned slightly at her quick comeback then explained that
it was the diving suit worn by the French diver aboard the Piper Maru.
"I had it flown here from San Diego."

     "If you wanted a souvenir, you could just have asked." Scully
replied sarcastically.

     Mulder mockingly shrugged and said, "Well, I didn't bring you
anything from Hong Kong."

    "You brought back Krycek." Scully said seriously as the light
hearted-ness vanished from her voice. "I've requested multiple agency
resources to locate and detain him."

    Mulder echo her seriously and replied cryptically, "If they find
him, it might not be Krycek they detain."  Scully took a deep breath
and prepared for another version of the 'Truth' according to Mulder.

     Mulder pointed out the oil residue on the diving suit. 50-weight
diesel, the type of oil used in WWII subs and fighters.  He flashed
two police reports, one from San Francisco, one from Detective Woo in
Hong Kong.  The diver, Gauthier was found in his home covered with the
same oil as was his wife, who was found in a Men's Room in the Hong
Kong airport on the same day Krycek and Mulder had left for the US.
He also told her that analysis revealed the oil was nearly 50 years
old and had be exposed to high levels of radiation.

     Scully shook her head.  "I still don't understand.  You think
this oil is alive and following you around the world and back."

  "Not exactly. I think the oil is a medium being used by some kind of
alien creature to jump bodies."  Mulder theorized to a remarkably calm
Scully. " I think that it came off of whatever they pulled from the
bottom of the Pacific Ocean.  It got aboard the Zeus Faber but was
driven out.  It's been waiting 50 years down there for another host,
another body to bring it up to the surface."

     Scully raised her eyebrow but offered the rest of the logical
conclusion. "Waiting to jump into the diver and then into the diver's
wife."

      Her partner nodded to acknowledge her understanding then added
to the story. "And then into Krycek."

     Scully sighed with frustration. "Krycek? Again?"

     Mulder half smiled. "I'm afraid so. I think that Mrs. Gauthier
went to Hong Kong under the control of this thing to find Krycek."  It
sounded so outlandish that Mulder wasn't defensive when Scully let out
a small laugh. "I know, I know how it sounds."

      Scully shook her head.  "It's not that.  I was just wondering if
anybody is not looking for Krycek?"

    Mulder laughed himself and replied, "No but I think that the 64
thousand dollar question is what is this thing looking for? And now
that it's in Krycek, what does it want?"

     Scully smiled slightly, "Apparently, not you. Thank God for small
favors."

     Mulder looked solemnly into her eyes and said, "It...it couldn't
have taken control of him until after he let me go.  But it may have
allowed me to bring Krycek back."

     Scully thought for a moment and wondered out loud, "Then why not
just take over your body?"     Mulder replied immediately, "Because it
needs something that only Krycek has access to."

     "The tape!" Scully blurted out.

     Mulder held up the small key Krycek had given him. "Do you know
what C.I. stands for?"  Scully took the key and studied it. Mulder
went on to say he had the Lone Gunmen working on it but it might take
24 hours for the database to be scanned for all the possible locations
in the greater DC area with matching criteria.

    Just then a light knock came on the door and Agent Pendrell stuck
his head in.  He eyed the diving suit then announced. "Is Agent Scully
here?  I've complied those reports for her and..." He froze in
mid-sentence when Scully stepped out from behind the suit and stood
less than six inches away.

     Scully took the report from his hand and said, "Thanks for the
quick turn around. I knew I could trust you.  I'm having a meeting
with Agent Fuller and Caleca at 10 to review the case and I'd
appreciate it if you could be there to explain these results."

     Pendrell smiled his silly smile again and said, "Sure, no
problem.  I'll be there with bells on."  He regretted the
inappropriate graphic metaphor at about the same time Mulder rolled
his eyes at the overly eager admirer.  Trying to change the subject,
Pendrell looked for a quick distraction.  Noticing the key in Scully's
hand, he remarked as casually as possible, "Well, how about that? I
didn't know you skated, too." The blank expression on Scully's face
indicated that his distraction wasn't working as intended. "I'm sorry
I just assumed...I saw the key and naturally I..."

    Mulder grabbed the key from Scully then forced his way between
Scully and Pendrell.  "What do you know about this key?" Mulder
demanded aggressively. The younger agent was startled and stepped back
but there was no where to go as he thumped against the filing cabinet.

     "Well, I...I don't know about that particular key but I think it
came from the ice rink." Pendrell replied nervously remembering rumors
of Mulder's rage.

    "Capitol Ice! C.I." Scully announced.

    "The lockers at the ice rink." Mulder agreed. "We might have a
chance to recover that tape before they do."

     "What tape?" Pendrell asked innocently.

    "Never mind." Scully ordered sternly.  "Just be at that meeting."
Scully nodded to Mulder who smiled back as she left the office.

     Mulder looked at the key and gripped it in his hand. As he pushed
Pendrell out of the office, he commented teasingly, "Capitol Ice.
Pendrell, I could just kiss you."  Pendrell backed away as soon as he
cleared and door.  Mulder couldn't help but laugh then said, "Don't
worry.  I won't but I'll let you know if she's ever that grateful."

    "You...you know how I feel about Agent Scully?" Pendrell asked
anxiously.

    "Everyone knows." Mulder answered. "I may be the Invisible Man but
 you're down right transparent."
____________________________

    Mulder contacted the Lone Gun and asked for their help in
recovering the tape. He was concerned that he might be recognized,
prompting counter measures from those determined to keep the tape
secret.  "If nothing else, my skating ability will attract
attention...or at least paramedics."

     "Never fear my good man." Frohike assured him. "We can handle
this. Where I grew up, the lakes froze over every winter.  Skating was
a matter of survival."

    "I played ice hockey as a kid." Langly offered.

     Bryers remained oddly silent, inviting Mulder to ask, "What about
you, Bryers? Can you handle yourself on the ice?"

    "Not a problem." Byers answered quickly then nervously shifted in
his seat.

    "Go ahead and tell him, twinkle toes." Frohike cajoled.

     "Tell me what?" Mulder replied innocently.

      "Ol' Byers there was the runner up for his local junior figure
skating championship." Langly answered cheerfully. "Sorry, Bud. You
can't hide from your past."

     Byers bristled as he cleared his throat to speak. "I'm not
ashamed of my accomplishments. Just because I have talent and two
don't..."

    "Whoa there, partner." Frohike interrupted.  "Look, if I wanted to
prance around on my tippy-toes, spinning like a loose gear, I'd wipe
you off the ice. Just so happens I prefer a more masculine style."

    "What is style that?" Byers shot back smartly.  "Balancing on one
skate while you scratch your rear end?"

    "What about a bashing body check against the glass?  Macho enough
for you?"  Langly chimed in as he graphically slammed his open hand
against the table.

     "Don't confuse brutality with manliness." Byers retorted. "Do you
have any idea how much muscle strength and control it takes to do a
double axle?"

     Mulder held up his hands and exclaimed, "All right, all right
already.  If Scully were here she'd be swooning over this display of
masculine prowess but I just want you to get that tape out of the
locker without calling attention to yourselves."

     "You got it!" Frohike answered.

     "We're there." Langly joined in.

     "You can count on us." Byers promised.

     Mulder smiled and nodded, as he handed the key to Byers. "There's
the key.  Don't lose it doing a back flip or something. I'll meet you
outside the rink in two hours." He headed out the door but paused just
before he left and said, "And by the way, Scully hasn't swooned since
she was 22...and even then it was over me."

     Frohike frowned. "Well so much for my macho theory."
__________________________________

     The Lone Gunmen executed their plan perfectly.  Entering the rink
separately, they combed the area for any signs of Krycek or covert
operatives.  When they were certain it was clear, they opened the
locker, took out the small padded envelope and made a hasty retreat to
the rendezvous with Mulder.

      They were quite proud of their field work, suggesting to Mulder
that he should call upon their talents more often.  But the agent
growled with frustration when he opened the envelope and the tape case
within was empty.  "We're too late."

      Byers timidly suggested, "Well the envelope and tape case are
still evidence. We should examine them back at the office."  Mulder
agreed and the group reconvened in the Lone Gunmen's offices.

     Frohike detected a faint impression on the envelope surface, as
if someone used it as backing when they wrote a message. As the Lone
Gunmen discussed among themselves all the high tech methods of
recovering the latent image, Mulder merely asked for a pencil and
deftly shaded the area around the impression until the depressed areas
became obvious in contrast to the shading.  "It's a phone number...New
York City area code..." Mulder announced, interrupting the geek-speak.
The Lone Gunmen looked on with surprised humility as Mulder handed
Frohike the pencil and said, "Don't drop that.  That's a finely
calibrated piece of investigative equipment."

     As Mulder left to make a phone call, Langly remarked, "Low tech
es muy macho."

     Byers sighed, "Which is why he is married to Scully and we
have...each other."
__________________________________

     Mulder made the call to the mysterious number and was immediately
told that it was a private line.  Just as the man on the other end
tried to hang up, another man with a voice of distinction came on the
line. "Who is this?" the voice asked.

     "Who is this?" Mulder countered. When asked how he got the number
Mulder said, "Someone gave it to me. You probably know him. A man
named Krycek."

     "Alex Krycek!" the startled voice replied.

  " Yeah, nice guy...killed my father." Mulder answered snidely. "You
wouldn't happen to know where he is, do you?"

     The voice sighed with frustration. "Mr. Mulder, isn't it?"

     Mulder had recognized the voice as well.  It was the Well
Manicured Man who had warned Scully that her life was in danger just
before Melissa was killed.  The WMM had also told Mulder of the
elaborate plot his father had been involved in - attempting to make a
human-alien hybrid, cataloging the human race as raw genetic material,
abducting unsuspecting citizens for experimentation. Mulder felt
nothing but contempt for this man but at the same time this
'gentleman' had proven to be only one willing to reveal even small
glimpses of the truth.

   Scully had warned Mulder that this man wasn't to be trusted.  He
only confirmed the most wild ideas that Mulder imagined, telling the
agent what he wanted to hear, so that he would accept it readily as
the Truth. But Mulder knew Scully was just as guilty of refusing to
believe what she saw with her own eyes as he was of believing what he
felt in his heart.  Together, they managed to distill the lies and
conflicting evidence into a conspiracy they could both rally against.
Without Scully to balance the scales, Mulder had little choice but to
agree to meet the WMM and hear what he had to say.
____________________________________________

        Scully attended her own meeting as she reviewed what little
data Fuller and Caleca had gathered, after Pendrell showed off his
findings. The composite drawing of Skinner's shooter drew a match from
the government database which Scully had suggested they
cross-referenced.  His name was Luis Cardinal, career mercenary,
trained by our government as a sniper and assassin.  But there was no
paper trail, no evidence that he had entered the country which implied
someone brought him here for a purpose.  Fuller and Caleca figured
that more than likely, he had already left the country before someone
could put the make on him

      "Damn it!" Scully swore. "They think they can just get away with
it."  The other agents looked on sympathetically but had no advice to
offer. "Keep looking for him." Scully ordered sternly.

     Fuller haltingly said, "We...uh... pretty much exhausted our
avenues."

     Scully pursed her lips together and took a deep breath to stay in
control of her mounting anger and frustration. "What 's it going to
take?"

    Fuller and Caleca were dumbfounded.  What more could she hope for?
Caleca blurted out, "At this point? Other than a sign from God..."

     Scully stared them down as she walked towards the door and
replied, "I've seen stranger things, believe me."

   "I believe she had." Pendrell said to the other agents as he
watched her leave.

    "Pendrell, if Scully told you your mother was an alien, you'd
believe her." Caleca teased.

    Pendrell just smiled and said, "Well it certainly would explain a
few things about my childhood."  The other two agents shook their
heads but smiled as well. "Sure I like Scully but she has a point.
We're FBI agents, not bureaucrats. We're suppose to catch the bad
guy."

   Fuller sighed heavily and nodded. "All right. Let's do what the
lady says. Concentrate on the local PD's.  This guy's a hot head and
more likely to stir up local hang outs..."
__________________________________

     Scully sat staring at the number Kim gave her. It was the phone
number for Sharon Skinner.  In all the times Scully had spoken with
Skinner, he never mentioned his wife.  She knew they were separated
pending divorce but the stark reality of Skinner having a wife and
home beyond the FBI seemed strangely unbelievable.  Maybe because her
life with Mulder meshed together all aspects of their lives, even
while they were separated.

    Scully told herself over and over that she needed to call Mrs.
Skinner to verify that it was indeed she who came to check on
Skinner's condition. It was Scully's duty to see that he remained
protected.  So why was it so difficult to make the call?  What was she
afraid of? Could there be a hint of jealousy in her voice when she
spoke to the woman that Skinner loved? How would Mrs. Skinner react if
she realized how much Scully cared about her husband?

     Slowly, she punched the number into the phone and listened to the
hollow ring until a woman's voice answered, "Hello?"

    "This is Special Agent Dana Scully with the FBI calling for Sharon
Skinner." she replied professionally despite the growing tension in
her throat.

    After a brief pause, which seemed like hours to Scully, Sharon
finally said, "Thank you for calling. I went to the hospital just to
make sure Walter was all right."

   In addition to the tightness in her throat, Scully felt a slight
tremor in her hands. "He...he should make a full recovery, Mrs.
Skinner." She swallowed dryly and asked, "Would you like to see him? I
can arrange..."

     "That won't be necessary." came the curt reply.  "Walter always
believed that no news was good news so unless his conditions worsens,
there's no need to call again."

     Scully was stunned by the cool no-nonsense voice that echoed
Skinner's professional manner.  She tried to image the face of the
woman he loved but startled herself when she realized the picture in
her mind was a thinly disguised self portrait. Emotions flooded her
mind, trying to drown her good sense.  She wanted to yell at Sharon
Skinner for being so cold hearted. She wanted to tell Skinner he
should finalize his divorce immediately because he deserved better.
She resented Mulder for constantly questioning her relationship with
the AD. And finally she felt a deep shame as she realized the feeling
she had for her supervisor went far beyond professional respect.

     Scully ended the call abruptly by saying as calmly as possible,
"He should be released in a few days barring any complication. Thank
you for your time, Mrs. Skinner."  She hung up quickly and gathered
her thoughts.  How could she allow herself to feel this way about
Skinner?  How could she betray Mulder's trust?

     Suddenly the thought of Mulder began to put things in
perspective.  She wasn't like Mulder.  She didn't exist in a world of
all consuming passions and obsessive-compulsive behavior.  She could
care about Skinner at any level as long as she maintained the working
relationship above all else, never expecting any more from their
friendship.

    Scully recalled an incident from her early childhood when she
asked her father why he always slept with her mother and never with
Melissa and her. Her father told her, "I promised to love and cherish
your mother as my wife, in front of God himself. Spending the night
with her is how I show how much I love her.  As for you, this is how I
say I love you." The large man swept the tiny girl off her feet,
playfully swinging her around and hugging her tightly, ending with a
gentle kiss on the top of her head.  Scully recalled subtle feelings
of envy for her mother's role as wife but she also remembered the joy
of discovering his love for her was special and unique.

    The next time she faced Sharon Skinner, Scully wouldn't be afraid
to speak honestly because now she accepted that there was no shame in
caring about and protecting a good man - a man with whom her
relationship was very special and unique.
____________________________

    Mulder caught the shuttle to New York and found his way to Central
Park to meet the WMM.  New York City had been the place he had spent
the most romantic and carefree night of his life with Scully.  That
night, New York City was a magical self contained world where
conspiracies and self doubts faded, and nothing else mattered but each
other's happiness. But tonight it was a cold and dismal place of
secrets and deceptions, the very heart of darkness.  That was the
nature of Mulder's world.  Every dream and every hope laid layered
atop his deepest fears. Only fanatical vigilance held them apart and
often even that wasn't enough.

    What if he had said 'no' to this meeting? What if he went looking
for the Truth in the bright light of day using logic and hard
reasoning, as she did?  Mulder laughed to himself as the absurdity of
such a quest struck him.  It was like looking for proof that a movie
was nothing but a series of still photos, without ever stepping into
the projection booth.  Confined to the theater, you would have to make
countless theories and endless tests involving physics and visual
perception. But if you walked into the projection booth, no proof was
necessary. It was simply the truth. But only those who dared to
imagine would ever think to step into the hidden room. So he waited
for the show to begin as he attempted to step back stage.

     The WMM arrived on time.  He tried to get Mulder to reveal what
he had discovered so far by offering to give him Krycek in return. But
Mulder turned the tables and asked his own questions.  What was it
that laid at the bottom of the Pacific?  The WMM answered without
hesitation.

     According to him it was a UFO, a foo-fighter, shot down in WWII
by American fighters. Several unsuccessful attempts had been made to
recover it including the ill-fated mission of the Zeus Faber.  What
caused the deaths was still a mystery he claimed.

     "I know killed those men." Mulder stated bluntly. "You give me
Krycek and I'll tell you."

     The WMM try to haggle over the value of one secret over another
but Mulder told him he already knew about the UFO and just needed
confirmation. Running out of distraction, the WMM subtly asked why
Mulder hadn't killed Krycek when he had the chance.  Without thinking,
Mulder answered that it was because Krycek had the tape.  As he spoke
it became obvious that the WMM was unaware of Krycek's business
venture selling government secrets off that tape.

    "You don't know where he is either, do you?" Mulder realized out
loud  "You're looking for him too."

    The air of smugness returned to the WMM as he said, " Mr. Mulder,
everyone can be gotten to. Certainly, you've no doubt of that."

    His first though was of Scully. "They wouldn't dare." he growled.

     "They already have." the MWMM replied.

     <Skinner!  They're after Skinner again.> Mulder realized.  Scully
may have been his heart and soul but Skinner was the bite behind the
X-File's bark. Without him in the FBI mainstream there was no hope
that anything Mulder uncovered would become public. Mulder set a
hateful stare on the elder man then retreated into the night.
____________________________

    The WMM returned to his chauffeured limo and climbed into the back
seat.  With a heavy sigh, he picked up the phone and said, "This
situation has become intolerably.  Had the information on the tape
been merely disclosed, we could have discredited it.  But that
damnably Krycek sold it to the French and God knows how many others.
We must resolve this situation immediately."

      A calm confident voice replied over the phone, "I have already
secured the missing tape.  As for Krycek, we are dealing with that
problem at this very moment, assessing the need for damage control.
It appears his grasp of the importance of this tape was limited so we
should have the matter concluded shortly.  I assume you baited Agent
Mulder as I suggested?"

      "Mulder and his partner may intervene to our benefit but we must
have an alternative plan.  We cannot allow your man to compromise our
position."  He hung up the phone and slumped back in his seat.

      He hated the organization's reliance on the crude tactics of the
Cigarette Smoking Man.  The fact that Krycek had escaped with the tape
proved that the CSM had failed to deal with the problem in the first
place, contrary to his assurance to the group.  And this man Cardinal,
behaving like a common hoodlum, shooting Skinner out of some personal
vendetta. The CMS's plan to eliminate this liability was simple and
clean but very risky.  By allowing Cardinal the opportunity for a
second chance at Skinner, while warning Mulder of the pending attack,
they hoped that the agents would cleanly kill Cardinal in defense of
their supervisor. The WMM was suspicious of why CSM seemed so certain
that Scully would use deadly force which is why he insisted on a
back-up plan.

      The Project had been the product of years of planning and
careful execution. Exposures had been meticulously defused and loose
ends eliminated.  But now the WMM began to wonder if they had become
arrogant and careless.  Although they were slaves to the cause, the
power they yielded over the rest of Mankind had surely corrupted their
good sense.  When had the organization turned into a haven for
depraved murderers and self-serving dictators? But there was hope on
the horizon. The singular threat of full disclosure gave them all
cause to reconsider their tactics. Perhaps Mulder was the key to
bringing order back to the chaos of the organization.
_____________________________________

    Mulder hastily left Central Park and called Scully as soon as he
was certain he wasn't being followed.  She was still in Skinner's
office, composing herself after her talk with Sharon Skinner.  Mulder
asked her to check on Skinner, then he insisted. "Mulder, what's going
on?" she finally asked.

    "They'll get to him if you don't get there first." Mulder replied
with deadly seriousness.

    "I'm on my way." Scully confirmed as she dashed out the door.
________________________________

      Scully tried to call the hospital but the operator cut her off
twice.  Frustrated she gave up on the phone and drove faster.  When
she arrived, there were no guards outside the room. In fact there was
no Skinner.  According to the Charge Nurse, his doctor had ordered
that he was to be transferred to a rehab hospital for his post
operative care and the ambulance had just left.

      Scully sprinted down to the street and intercepted the
ambulance.  She confirmed the orders with the driver then climbed into
the back.  Skinner looked up in surprise. "Agent Scully, what are you
doing here?"

    "I just wanted to make sure you got to where you're going safely."
Scully looked around nervously then asked, "What happen to your
guards?"

    "They went ahead to the other hospital to secure the room. Since
my condition was stable, I didn't think I needed anyone to ride
shotgun." Skinner explained.  "What's going on?"

    "I'm not sure but I don't want to take any chances." Scully
replied.  She sat beside his gurney, anxiously looking out the window,
then slowly said, "Have you spoken to your wife since the shooting."

    Skinner squinted at her as if to make certain it was Scully.
"Yeah, I did yesterday. Scully, you've never asked about Sharon
before."

     "You've never been shot before." Came the quiet response.  "I
know what it's like...waiting, wondering if he'll ever come home
again."

     Skinner let out a small laugh. "You don't wait. You tear apart
every last source that might give you a lead to where he is then you
hunt him down yourself and drag him back."

    Scully blushed and turned back to look at Skinner.  "Is that what
you think of me?"

    Skinner smiled. "Ellens Air Force Base, Puerto Rico, the Bearing
Sea, New Mexico...shall I go on?"

    "Point taken." Scully sighed.

    "For what it's worth, I'm honored that I've earned just a small
portion of that loyalty." Skinner remarked humbly. "And I appreciated
your concern for Sharon."

    Scully pursed her lips, wondering what to say.  Could she be
totally honest and tell him that she actually felt a bit jealous of
Sharon? Or that he should finalize the divorce, releasing him and
Sharon from the ties that were so thin already?  Before she could say
anything, the ambulance came to a halt and the rear door rattled.

     Scully told Skinner to lie back then drew her weapon and moved
towards the door.  Suddenly two shots rang out smashing the windows
but missing her and Skinner.  Scully turned to check on Skinner but he
was pulling a service revolver from under his pillow. "Go!" he ordered
and Scully leapt out the back door in pursuit of Luis Cardinal.

     Cardinal ran across the street but was struck by an on-coming
car.  Battered and in pain, he saw Scully coming and tried to run
again.  Before long he collapsed and Scully approached, bearing her
sites dead on his face.

    "Federal Agent! Stop right there! Are you Luis Cardinal?" she
shouted.  "Are you the man that shot my sister?"

    The injured man groveled, "Please.  Don't kill me, please."

    Scully continued to yell as her hands tighten on the trigger.
"You shot my sister!"

    Cardinal whined as he curled up in a ball in fear.  "Please, I can
tell you..."

     "TELL ME!" Scully shouted, waiting for the confession that would
allow her to exact her revenge.

      "I can tell you want you want.  You want Krycek. I can tell you.
Please don't shoot me." begged the pitiful creature which had so
cruelly attacked Skinner and Melissa.

      Scully wavered.  One shot and Melissa would be avenged. But was
that justice? A small voice seemed to whisper to her..."Don't shoot.
Find Krycek."  Was it her conscience telling her she had no right to
kill Cardinal despite his apparent crimes? Was it Mulder pressing his
own agenda forward, as he did everyday of his life? Or was it Melissa
demanding Krycek for her own reasons?  Regardless of where the voice
came from, she heeded its orders.

    Before long several police cars arrived, alerted by the ambulance
driver.  The sight of Scully aiming her weapon at the wounded helpless
man may them leap from their cars, ordering her to stand down. She
took no offence to their orders and identified herself as a FBI agent.
Cardinal was taken into custody and he told Scully where to find
Krycek. As the police took Cardinal away, she began to cry
uncontrollably.

    Scully returned to Skinner and explained what happened.  He could
see the signs of tears but said nothing except, "You'd better contact
Mulder.  We have my shooter but this X-File remains open."
_____________________________

  When she reached Mulder he was already heading back to DC.  When she
told him that they caught Cardinal, the man that killed her sister,
Mulder was struck with a desire to comfort and console her. The rest
of world could go on hold while Scully had a brief moment of peace.
But Scully herself knew it was no time to rest.

     Cardinal had told her that Krycek was headed for an abandoned
missile site in North Dakota. When she told Mulder, he knew exactly
where he was headed.  Mulder believed the salvaged UFO he saw back in
Virginia had been moved into the old nuclear weapons depot and that
the being inside Krycek wanted it back. Scully didn't care what he
thought but was determined to find Krycek and question him regarding
Melissa's death. They arranged to rendezvous in DC, to end this case
as it had begun...together.
______________________________

     In the deserted lands near Black Crow, Mulder and Scully found
their way to the hundreds of abandoned silos and began their search.
Following fresh tire tracts in the dirt, they came upon one silo with
the entry lock broken. They started with that one, unsure of what
awaited them.  Before long they realized, the entire complex must have
been connected by underground tunnels.  Almost as quickly they
realized they were not alone.

     Armed, uniformed guards patrolled the corridors as if they were
looking for something. They seemed unusually anxious, and Mulder was
certain that it wasn't two FBI agents they were afraid of.  Scully
stumbled on the bodies of barely alive guards, severely burned as were
the men from the Piper Maru.  "He's here." Mulder said solemnly.  More
guards came, more fire power and soon Mulder and Scully had little
choice but to surrender and were taken outside.

    It was no surprise to either of them when the CSM approached.
Mulder shouted accusations at him but the CSM remained calm as usual
and maintained that there was nothing down there. Mulder continued to
rant about UFOs and Krycek and aliens in oil, as Scully demanded to
know about Melissa.

    Taking a slow drag from his cigarette, he replied, "Your sister is
dead.  You have her killer. Why would you believe his story that
Krycek is here?" He ordered them taken away as Scully answered that
they had seen the men with radiation burns.  "You saw nothing. " he
replied coldly as he reentered the silo.
___________________________

    The CSM ordered the bodies of the burned men destroyed. It
mattered little that they were not dead yet. How many lives had he
mercifully ended for victims of the same fatal prognosis - the French
sailors, the two operatives in DC, agents in Hong Kong? How many more
would he see before it was all over?  Scully was lucky.  She could
believe this was only a cruel scheme of men against men, government
against government.  She could even pretend she saw nothing, just as
he told her. But Mulder's insight went far deeper, at least as deep as
these silo. Yet even he could not comprehend the horrible Truth. Just
like his father in that way, mused the CSM as he found his way to a
single red door.  He made sure the door was secure then left,
returning to the day light up above.

    The CSM remained silent as usual around the soldiers. They neither
cared nor wanted to care about the reasons behind the events that had
just occurred. That's how they were selected for this duty.  The CSM,
however, cared very much. He had ordered Skinner silenced without the
authorization of the Syndicate so that he could continue to hide his
private plot to murder Melissa Scully.

      He had collected enough evidence to convince him that she
possessed the rudimentary elements of telepathy.  Considering her
alliances and liaisons, it was too great a risk to exploit her.
Cardinal expressed concern for Krycek's indiscretions but he want to
teach the love-struck operative a lesson by torturing, raping then
killing Melissa.  The group felt that was too extreme and ordered only
that Krycek be watched. Cardinal was the perfect scapegoat so CSM had
Melissa killed and harvested her genetic material. As a bonus, he
obtained the developing fetus that Melissa herself was unaware of. The
child was undoubtedly Krycek's and would no doubt come in handy in the
near future.

     But Cardinal was sloppy and arrogant. Scully should have shot him
when she had the chance. How ironic that Krycek had the chance but was
'possessed' by the alien and unable to act on his own.  Instead the
alien was willing to trade the tape for its ship, pulled from the
bottom of the Pacific and hidden in this silo.  This alien was not
part of the greater plan. It was a rebel, a renegade, a rouge just
like Krycek.  Which is why the CSM kept his deal secret from the
Syndicate.  If all Hell broke loose it wouldn't hurt to have allies in
both camps.  Still he was dedicated to the Project.  He would never
betray its objectives.  The ship and the alien were neatly contained
and controlled. The countdown to colonization could resume on
schedule, without distraction from ghosts of the past asking why.
________________________________

      Krycek banged on the red door of the silo bay yelling for help
until he finally collapsed in exhaustion.  "It can't end like this!"
he screamed in frustration.  The Entity had left his body in a painful
purging of the black oil through his mouth, eyes, and nose.  It felt
as if it oozed through the very pores of his skin in it's hasty to
evacuate the loathsome human form. Krycek had wretched in pain and
horror as he watched the oil disappear into the grooves on the smooth
surfaces of strange black wedge-shaped craft.  'It' had found what it
wanted and he feared that at any moment the 'UFO' would come to life
and take off, blasting him into oblivion.

     Krycek sat in a heap on the floor, leaning against the door,
considering his situation then began to laugh hysterically.
Everything Mulder wanted, Krycek had. The secrets, the truth, the
proof. He even had his own Scully.  What good was any of it without a
life, without a reason to live?  If Mulder's quest ended successfully,
would he be trapped in a prison of his own guilt and helplessness?
Would he be alone and abandoned just like Krycek, screaming for
someone to realize he was alive?

      Both Krycek and Mulder started their quests in search of
justice. But now Krycek finally understood that justice was a
ludicrous concept created by people who wanted someone else to take
the blame, a socially acceptable rationale for revenge and power
plays. The destructive violence of hatred could never hope to heal the
losses or bring back the dead. Yet even now, Krycek knew that 'we bury
our dead alive'.  Melissa died with dreams unfulfilled, dreams that
remained alive in her lover's otherwise hollow heart.  It was that
small hope that drove him to seek 'justice'.  Without that dream,
Krycek would simply lay down and die.

     After a few hours, which seemed like days in the darkness, Krycek
finally heard a noise outside his enclosed cell. He peered out the
small window of the door and saw CSM and two armed military guards
approaching.  He summoned all his remaining strength and slammed his
fist against the window, yelling "Let me out of here, you bastard!"

     The guard raised their guns to the ready, aiming at the door.
The CSM puffed calmly on his cigarette and remarked casually, "It's
time for our guest to recycle its life energy.  In approximately 12
hours, that ship will power up and flood this bay with radiation.  We
thought it would be best for you to bear witness to this amazing feat,
seeing how close you were.  Pity that the intensity of the radiation
will no doubt kill you..."

      Krycek screamed out,  "It's not over, you son-of-a-bitch. I have
something you want. Something that can destroy you and your project."

      "If you're referring to the DAT tape, I assure that's in good
hand." The CSM turned and started to walk away.

      "The tape is nothing but old secrets.  I have hard evidence.
That 'thing' you thought blew up in that train.  Your man got there
too late. I got there first." Krycek roared.

      CSM stopped in his track and turned slowly.  "You're lying. You
have nothing.  Even if you did, how could you possibly reveal it to
anyone while you're trapped in here."

     "I can't but Mulder can." Krycek replied sounding more confident
by the second. "What if I gave him just enough information to start
him looking in the right direction?  I had him for several hours
before 'it' took control of me.  Don't you think I'd gloat over my
ability to out-smart an Oxford trained fucking genius?"

     "You're buffing. It would have known...'it' would have demanded
that as well." CSM answered quickly.

     "It only took from me what it thought it needed.  I'm not as
stupid as you think. Remember all that counter-mind-control crap you
taught me before you stuck me in deep cover in Russia? Sequestered
memories, mental firewalls, emotional barricades. Guess what?  It
works."  Krycek sneered.

    CSM remained expressionless then nodded to one of the guards.  The
guards immediately opened the door and Krycek tumbled to the ground,
coughing and convulsing from the sudden light even as dim as it was.
"Pick him up." CSM ordered and the guards shouldered their weapons and
pulled Krycek to his feet. "What is that you want, Mr. Krycek?"

     "I want back in. I want access again." Krycek demanded.

     "You can't be serious?" CSM chided. "No one in their right mind
would trust you.  You're a traitor to every cause you've ever known.
You're not even capable of being an assassin anymore."

      "Who better to act as a double agent?" Krycek said, his strength
and determination building. "I can offer my services to anyone. They
won't trust me but they'll take me, because they'll assume I have no
other alliances."

      "You know too much to be set free." CSM remarked then one of the
guards pushed Krycek to his knees while the other prepared to kill him
execution style, with a bullet to the head.

     "I don't know shit!" Krycek lied. "If I had been able to decode
that whole tape wouldn't I use it against you? Especially knowing I
had your damn pet as a back-up if you double crossed my ass?"

    "What assurance do I have that you won't double cross us now?" CSM
asked in a calculating tone.

    Krycek twisted his head back so he could see the face of the man
he challenged. "I'll forfeit my ace, your loose-end. And you can give
me the one thing no one else can - the truth about Melissa's death."
Krycek paused because for the first time in the conversation, CSM
looked surprised. "I wanted to deny it for so long but I finally
realized you knew about her, about us.   So tell me, was she a target?
Was she the reason Cardinal came with me in the first place?"

    "I've clearly underestimated you, Mr. Krycek." CSM replied.
"Perhaps there is hope for you after all." He signaled the guards and
they released Krycek.

     Krycek closed his eyes to hide the tears that were forming.  "I
should hate you and your stinking project but it's all I have left
now.  I can't afford the luxury of revenge."

    "On the contrary, 'justice' must be served."  CSM explained as
they escorted Krycek down the silo corridor, "It was Cardinal's
suggestion that we eliminate Melissa Scully merely to keep you from
distractions. The group did not agree, they felt it was too extreme a
measure but recommended that you should be monitored to ensure you're
alliance.  When he saw his opportunity, Cardinal acted on his own."

     "That fucking bastard!" Krycek swore. "I swear to God, I'll kill
him with my bare hands."

     "Believe me, I'd like nothing more." CSM replied. "It seems Agent
Scully had her opportunity at revenge and chose 'justice' instead.
Cardinal is sitting in a prison holding cell waiting for us to contact
him.  He will soon realize he's been abandoned as the scapegoat for
this whole matter. He begged for his life, leading Mulder and Scully
to this place if they spared him.  He'll tell them more, deflect the
blame to us...to you."

     "Not if I have anything to say about it."  Krycek growled.

     CSM motioned to one of the guards to hand him his side arm.  The
guard removed his 9mm from the holster and passed it to his superior,
who then handed it to Krycek. Krycek took the weapon and chambered a
round. CSM watched closely and said, "For this to work, it must be a
discreet matter.  Your cover cannot be compromised at any cost." He
eyed the two guards who remained oblivious to the implications. Taking
another slow puff of his cigarette, he walked in front of the guards,
his back to Krycek, then remarked, "It's a pity you no longer have the
stomach for killing."

     Two shots rang out, echoing like thunder in the closed corridors.
CSM turned to see Krycek standing over the dead bodies of both guards,
the smoking barrel pointed directly at him.  "Give me one reason I
shouldn't kill you now and walk out of here a free man."

    CSM smiled cruelly. "You said it yourself. I'm all you have left."

    Krycek lowered the gun and nodded then followed CSM like a
starving wild dog hoping to be feed by cleverly hiding its fangs.
<It's not over between us. Not by a long shot.> Krycek swore silently.
______________________________________

   Cardinal sat in his darken isolation cell, waiting for his rescue.
Although he revealed the site of the recovered craft, he knew they
would be there.  The agents would find nothing but more mysteries.
Surely they wouldn't abandon him for that.  With Krycek gone, they
needed him more than ever. They would come.

     Suddenly as if his wish was being answered the door opened
heavily.  It was too late for the guards to be coming in unannounced.
Cardinal stood confidently and walked towards the silhouetted figure
in the door way then passed it. Suddenly a gloved hand seized his
throat from behind with a vise like grip. Cardinal croaked out a
bewildered whisper, "Please, you need me..."

    Krycek tighten the grip until Cardinal could no longer make a
sound.  "You're right." he hissed. "I need you to die. For what you
did to her. For what you did to me."  The death throes of sheer panic
told Krycek that his former associate recognized the voice.  The empty
revenge filled Krycek with even more rage and he ended scene with the
muffled snap of his victim's neck.

    With meticulous care Krycek executed the standard cover-up
procedures.  But his actions were practiced and automatic without
emotion or conscious thought.  Once he slipped into the dark silence
of the night, away from the scene of another 'assignment', he let the
facade slip and the tears of anger and sadness flowed.  "I'm sorry,
I'm sorry..." he whispered in sobs to a person who could not hear his
words.  Melissa died because he loved her.  Because she gave him hope.
Because she believed he was more that a cold blooded killer. Tonight
in his vengeful rage, he proved his killing was far from cold blooded.
But he was a killer none the less.  And with each life he took, he
lost another piece of her that remained in his heart, a piece that
could never be restored in a heart that could never be healed. Krycek
tears transformed to a primitive wail of utter despair as he resigned
himself to his dark fate.

    Krycek returned to the rendezvous spot and climbed into the car
with the CSM.  "It's done."  he said coldly.

    "Are you feeling better after your tearful reunion with your old
partner?" CSM asked with the razor edge of sarcasm.

   Krycek dropped the pretense of indifference.  "I did your damn job!
You have the tape, you have the location of your lost experiment.
Mulder's still alive and as stupid as ever."

   The CSM took a long drag from his cigarette. "Your uncanny talent
for survival serves you well.  As long as it serves us, as well." He
smirked at the subtle play on words and took another puff.  "Of course
we need to verify the location of our...'specimen'.  And
unfortunately, after your encounter with Agent Mulder in Hong Kong,
your cover story may lack some credibility."

   "Fine. I'm go underground for a while, somewhere you can keep tabs
on me."  Krycek replied.

    "Exactly what I had in mind."  CSM responded with a smile.  In an
instant Krycek's door was pulled open and sharp blow struck his head
before he could fight back.
_____________________________________

     It was noon the next day and Mulder arranged the files on his
desk in his office.  He was preparing to leave so he could join Scully
who felt compelled to visit Melissa's grave site. He heard a knock and
Skinner appeared in the doorway, leaning on a cane for support.
Mulder quickly moved to his side to help but Skinner ignored him as he
made a bee-line for the nearest chair.  "I was looking for Agent
Scully. There's something I need to talk to her about."

    Mulder decided her business with Skinner was her own and refrained
from asking. Instead he said, " Actually I wanted to talk to you. I
wanted to thank you for everything you did."

    "You mean getting shot in the gut?" Skinner joked.

   "You got shot because you stood up to these people."  Mulder
replied.

    Skinner brushed off his accolades claiming he was only doing his
job, trying to catch a killer.  But Mulder said thanks anyway.  "This
is going to sound strange," Mulder started, "but to some extent Scully
idolizes you...maybe even loves you."

     "You're right. That is strange." Skinner remarked dryly.

     Mulder smiled. "To her, you're everything her father was...and
I'm not." The smile faded.

     Skinner sighed and shook his head, "Listen, Mulder.  I care very
much about Agent Scully. But she is not a part of my life outside this
office. She can't be."

     Mulder smiled again. "You sound just like her. Well, never mind.
I said what I had to.  Maybe some day you'll both admit that it's OK
to feel alive. I suppose that was the real difference between her and
her sister."

    Skinner frowned. "That's why I needed to talk to her.  It's
concerning her sister."

    As Mulder listened silently to the news, he wasn't surprised but
decided to tell Scully himself, instead of sending her back to
Skinner.  Once she learned what had happened to Cardinal, she would
need someone she could feel alive with to be close at hand.
_____________________________________

     Scully stood by Melissa's grave as Mulder approached bearing a
small bouquet of flowers.  He respectfully laid them across the grave
then embraced Scully.

  Scully sighed heavily and said, "I was just thinking about something
that a man said to me. That the that the dead speak to us from beyond
the grave, that that what's conscience is."

   Mulder kissed her lightly on the forehead. "That's interesting. I
never thought of it that way."

   She gripped Mulder tightly, futilely trying to shield herself
against the emptiness within.  She whispered to him that there was no
justice, no punishment that could ever satisfy her or Melissa. Not
only was there no justice, there was no closure, no answers.  The
question remained unanswered - did they mean to kill Melissa or was it
just a mistake? Scully held on to the small hope that the captured man
might reveal the truth.

    Mulder took a deep breath and said, "I afraid you may have even
more questions.  But for what its worth, you made have some justice,
just not the kind you're looking for.  They found that man, Luis
Cardinal, dead in his cell.  They made it look like a suicide. The men
he worked for couldn't take the chance he'd point the finger at them."

     Tears brimmed in her eyes but she refused to cry.  'They'
couldn't make her cry.  She pursed her lips and steadied her nerves
then asked, "And what about Krycek?"

    Mulder tensed reflexively as he did every time she said his name
then calmed his own nerves and replied, "Oh he was there. I'm sure of
it."

  "You're certain Krycek was involved in Melissa's murder?" she asked
pensively.  Mulder nodded sadly. Scully took a deep breath and said
thoughtfully, "Do you think they got to him too."

    "I don't know, but if they haven't they will. I doubt it'll weight
on their consciences though."  Mulder answered wondering to himself if
Krycek's death would weight on his own conscience. His vendetta
against Krycek was no longer about revenge or even justice.  More than
seeing Krycek suffer, Mulder wanted the whole truth about his father's
death and Krycek seemed to be the only one with the answer. So
Krycek's demise would beset Mulder with guilt but not out of sympathy
for the rogue agent but for the failing his father once again.

    Scully regarded the sadness and conflict in Mulder's eyes.  The
death of his father and the questions never answered weighted heavily
on his mind anytime they spoke of the dead. "I think the dead are
speaking to us, Mulder, demanding justice. Maybe that man was right.
Maybe we bury the dead alive."
____________________________________

    Krycek awoke in darkness, an eerie familiar darkness.  He was back
in the silo but there was no craft in this enclosure.  To his terror,
there were several boxes of survival rations. He realized he was to be
left here until CSM could deal with him.  "You bastard!" Krycek
shouted as he pounded his fists on the door. "Someone help me!" He
yelled until he was exhausted then finally collapsed in defeat.

    Suddenly a face appeared in the window.  X peered down at Krycek.
His deep voice resonated in a bleak halls. "I hope you're not planning
to die in there."

    Krycek leapt to his feet and slammed at the mocking face. "You
son-of-a-bitch! YOU put me here to die."

    "I put you in there to keep you alive." X replied calmly.  "Why
didn't you kill Mulder when you had the chance?"

    "How the hell should I know..." Krycek growled.

    "I think I know. You've seen the future 'they' created and Mulder
may be the only thing stopping them."  X spoke deliberately and
carefully.  "You'll be here for a while but some one will come from
you eventually.  I'd advise you to take that time to think about what
side of the line you want to be on when Armageddon strikes."

     Krycek snarled at his captor, "Maybe I should kill myself now and
save you the trouble. That would be the patriotic thing to do,
wouldn't it?"

    "You can't kill yourself.  Not without destroying that part of her
within you." X reasoned out loud.

    Krycek exploded in rage. "What do you know about Melissa? Tell me
you bastard!"

    Unfazed by his out burst, X answered simply, "Before she died, we
saved a part of YOU within HER."  Despite Krycek's shouts and threats,
X said nothing more and walked off, leaving him to alone to listen to
the voices of the dead and the spirit buried alive with him.
________________________________

     For the first time in many nights, Mulder slept beside Scully.
They had left the cemetery together because it was clear neither
wanted to be alone that night.   The silent cries for justice from
lost loved ones and the muffled screams of souls suffocated by the
lies haunted their sleep.  Only the comfort of each other's touch
calmed the night terrors.

     As she gripped Mulder tightly, Scully whispered, "My father
believed in me.  Even without words, I knew he had faith that I would
do what's right."

     "You are doing the right thing.  You're searching for the truth."
Mulder answered quietly.  Her hold on him was almost crushing his ribs
but tonight anything less would make him feel less than alive.
Tonight he reveled in his pain and suffering because it meant he was
not dead.  It meant they would be together for a few more moments at
least.  Life carried no guarantees but it did bring hope.

     Scully said nothing but he could sense her unspoken fears
creeping into her waking thoughts.  "Mulder...Fox, I feel as if I'm
opening doors that I can't close...doors that were locked for a
reason.   I just can't see how that can be the right thing to do.
Look at what happened... the crew from the Piper Maru still died
despite our investigation, you and Skinner were nearly killed, the
tape no doubt found its way back to its source, and Krycek is still at
large.  We found nothing but an oily diving suit and an empty silo."

     "A heavy guarded empty silo." Mulder corrected.  Usually when
they argued, Mulder became very defensive but this time he remained
calm and sensible.  Scully was arguing with herself, not him.  It was
her own internal conflict of ideology verses the real world, hunch
verses fact, and intention verses outcome. "Dana, close your
eyes...think about me.  What's first thing that comes to mind?"

    "I love you." she said without hesitation.

    "Really or is that an automatic response based on what you think I
want to hear?" Mulder quizzed.

    "I love you...really...honest.  It's like a filter through which I
see you and everything you do and say and feel.  My every thought, my
every action is biased by it. I'm aware of all that and I still love
you." Scully replied adding kisses to her embrace.  "I look and I see
you, my Invisible Man...always."

    "The Truth is no different." Mulder insisted. "Knowing what's
right and what's wrong is just like knowing who you love and who you
hate. The Truth is invisible.  It has no signposts, no X to mark the
spot but you'll know it when you see it."

     "And I suppose, when I see it, I'll turn away and run just like I
did when I realized I loved you in England." Scully sighed sadly.

     He gently stroked her hair and whispered, "You're not running
away now. Even though we agreed to a separation, you still haven't
ran."

     Scully nodded but remained silent for several minutes as she
regrouped her thoughts.  "Can I confess something to you?"

     Mulder laughed lightly. "Don't you have to clear that with the
Pope or something."

     Scully smiled too. "Only with my conscience. Seriously, when I
was back in Catechism and I learned about Adam and Eve being forced to
leave Paradise, I thought that was suppose to represent evolution.
And I thought it was a good thing. Imagine my shock when I realized
the story was being told to us to teach us the evils of temptation and
sin.  I suppose that was the first time my faith conflicted with my
science."

    Mulder fingered the cross around her neck and remarked,
"Obviously, you stayed in the Catholic Church.  How did you reconcile
your beliefs?"

     Scully took a deep breath and her grip on Mulder relaxed.
"That's were I had the problem.  Both felt right to me.  So came up
with my own theory."

     Mulder grinned. "I can hardly wait."

    "From the beginning, from the moment of creation, God gave us free
will and he gave us a choice. To deny the Devil and live in Paradise
as innocents or to risk mortal life and eternal damnation so that we
can grow and learn, and serve a greater purpose."

    "Wow.  If I'd heard that theory, I might have started my own
religious order - The Church of Saint Scully." Mulder teased.

     "So you see, all my life I've brought together the invisible and
the tangible, the truth and the facts. It's even a part of my
job...bringing together the dead and the living."   Scully moved just
far enough from Mulder to see his face clearly. "Somewhere in that
story is the reason I love you...and the reason I believe in the
X-Files."

     Mulder smiled again. "Yeah but are we still separated?"

    Scully pulled him close once again and kissed him deeply. "Not
tonight."
________________________________

     The night was filled with dark mysteries...in an abandoned silo
in North Dakota, in a silent graveyard with fresh flowers, and in a
thousand other places where 'they' had influence. But in a small
apartment in Maryland, two people were learning to peer into the
darkness and to search with both their hearts and their minds, into
the invisible world where the dead demanded the justice and the living
deserved a future.

END
__________________________________
___________________________________

As I said in the intro... a greatly expanded version of the episode.
The characters are clearly lining up in a new pecking order, including
a pending face off between Scully and Sharon Skinner.  The deceptions
engineered by CSM are starting to make sense. And the separation
between Mulder and Scully seems to be fading as Scully is beginning to
understand the fine art of believing.

Please send comments to shinkai@mlode.com or visit my website at
http://www.mlode.com/~shinkai/fanfic/xffanfic.htm

STORY NOTES: Since this story is over run with internal dialogues and
altered scenes, its difficult to differentiate new stuff from the
original stuff, so everything is just list together.  GOOD LUCK!

-Why was Scully on Skinner's case with only two relatively dense
agents?  He was a AD after all.  Simple - the higher ups (Blevins, et
al) didn't want her to find the killer.  Naturally, the two agents
thought the whole case was a waste of time to find a random shooter
and they took the time to gossip about the implications of the
Scully/Skinner relationship.

-Walter and Sharon are not divorced yet so I assume someone would
notify her that he was shot.  Wouldn't she show some compassion and
try to call or visit?  Wouldn't she wonder why Scully was in charge of
his case?

-What did Mulder do with Krycek on the way back from Hong Kong?  For
those of you insist that there is sexual tension between these two, I
added the plane scene.  For those of you deny any sexual tension, READ
the plane scene to understand that sexual tension may have nothing to
do with a direct sexual attraction or desire.

-Agent Pendrell deserves a personality beyond the wide-eyed boy wonder
of the crime lab.  I portray him as a sincere hard working agent who
has more than just a boyish attraction to Scully.  He truly admires
and respects her.  He also knows he doesn't stand a chance with her
but can't help acting in awe of her.  Scully understands but is
cautious not to tease while expressing her genuine appreciation of his
attentions.  He also provide the never explained method by which they
learn C.I. stands for Capitol Ice.

-Why didn't Mulder call Scully to say he was bringing in Krycek? In my
story, it makes sense. There's tension between the agents and Mulder
wants to avoid another conflict while holding on to Krycek.

-My Scully sees the parallel between Krycek and Mulder, and because of
that she finds it hard to accept Mulder word that he is an evil man.
Her logic supports her feelings so it's hard for her become as
obsessed as Mulder about finding him.

-Melissa's murder takes on a whole new perceptive when I changed the
circumstance and made it intentional.  And her fetus will play heavily
into the future. Remember how they react to Gibson Praise?

-Maggie Scully gets a quick appearance because she likes Skinner. And
her presence makes Scully reflect on her own relationship to Skinner.

-The Lone Gunmen rarely get more than quick scene or two so I expanded
their part a bit. I remember reading somewhere that one of them was a
very good skater and Byers seemed the likely one to have been in more
upper middle class.  Mulder's reference to Scully swooning when she
was 22 is based on the original "Meeting the Invisible Man."

-The WMM is already critical of CSM methods but see the value of using
Mulder as both a distraction and was an ally. He doesn't like the
Project but feels he had no choice. His thought about it becoming a
haven for murderers and dictators echoes Agent Fullers remarks about
the FBI being a haven for perverts and lunatics.

-Throughout the story Mulder and Scully compare their methods to their
partner's skills. While Scully finds value in cautious inspiration,
she can't allow herself the luxury of obsession. Mulder wishes he
could slow down some times can't ignore his instincts.  The bottom
line is they need each other.

-Scully final acceptance of her feeling for Skinner is based on a
story from her childhood that I totally made up.  It is based on real
counseling advice about teaching your children the difference between
romantic love and platonic love.

-On Skinner's transfer out of the hospital.  Why was he transferred
and why didn't Scully question it, what happened to his guards, why
Scully left Skinner alone and unguarded in the ambulance, who called
the police and when did Cardinal tell her about Krycek were all
answered in this scene.

-What does Krycek really want? Just like the 'real' Krycek, who knows?
He's a fireball of raw emotions and brains, divided by a warped sense
of duty and a need survive. He wants to be 'a player' again but
there's a price to pay.  CSM is trying to break him by locking him up
but X still thinks he might be an ally, a successor to him and Deep
Throat who can guide Mulder to the Truth.

-Scully's story about reconciling evolution and God is my own pet
theology.  Mulder's remark about the Church of St Scully is inspired
by those fans who refer to the Blessed One in those terms.