From: "Diana Alexander" Date sent: Sat, 24 Jan 1998 20:06:28 +0000 Subject: Sub> "Loss of Innocence" Disclaimer: The Characters from the TV show, "The X-Files" are the property of Chris Carter, 1013 Productions, and Fox Broadcasting. No infringement is intended. The characters of Storm Austin, Matthew Night, and William LaBonne are the property of the author, Diana Alexander. Rating: PG-13 Classification: SRAX Spoilers: Paper Clip Summary: After her assignment to the X-Files Divison, Storm Austin discovers things about her past that reveals her true nature and destiny. * * * * * Loss of Innocence By: Diana Alexander (diana.mulder@usa.net) * * * * * Storm Austin shivered as she went out to check the mail that evening. She hated that she had to go get her hair cut. As she fingered the short cut, she frowned. She noticed that her transfer papers were in. The move from Kentucky was hard for her, although she had lived around the D.C. area growing up. 'More for convinience than anything, I'll bet. They might not have been finished with me.' The Project's affects on her had left her somewhat bitter. She was more sensitive than anyone should be, and she had "gifts" that most people only wish for. She hated them with a passion. They had only come in handy once, and that was to save her best friend's life. That was the only thing that she didn't regret. Well, there was Matthew. With a grin, she felt a tremor of thought come down their link. Okay, so he hated being called Matthew, and preferred for her to call him Matt, but called him what she did simply to annoy him. And it often worked. Walking back inside the apartment, Storm tossed all the junk mail aside and concentrated on the transfer forms. Opening them and reading over the information, she groaned. The FBI had transferred her to the worst possible place in the world. She would be useless after this; they put her in the basement office of the X-Files division. She *was* an X-File in herself, which made it more ironic. It would give Fox Mulder poetic license to investigate her further. They had only met twice, but he still was more curious than what was good for him. He never listened. The phone rang, and she collapsed on the couch to answer it. "Hello?" The deep voice made her smile, as always. "So, what's the verdict?" Storm sighed and curled up on one end. "They stuck me in the worst possible place, Matt. They put me down in the X-Files division." Storm felt the small degree of comfort fill her mind, and tried to push it away. As always, she failed, and felt herself relaxing. A soft laugh came across the wire. "I don't know why you fight it, Stormie. I only do what's best for you. Your mental state is already kinda screwed up." "My mental state is fine." "Yeah, whatever." Storm yawned and Matt told her. "Stormie, you're tired. Why don't you just call Dana and go to bed. Tell her I said hi." "Okay, will do. Love ya." "Ditto. See ya soon, okay?" "Try to get back to Washington before the beginning of the next century, okay?" "Storm, what am I going to do with you?" Storm silently suggested to him, and he answered her wistfully in the same fashion. "G'night, Stormie." "G'night, Matt. Take care." "You too." He softly hung up the phone and she listened to the dial tone for a moment before she dialed a very familiar number. * * * * * Dana Scully walked through the apartment, hearing the phone ring. Picking it up, a familiar voice came down the wire. "Hello, Dana." "Evening, Storm. What's up?" "You'll never guess what happened to me today, Dana." Storm stared down at the transfer papers unhappily and ran a hand through her short hair. "What is it, Storm?" Dana's voice held a note of impatience. "Well, Matt did tell me to tell you 'hi'." "That's not why you called, Storm. I know you better than that." "You wouldn't be getting a tad psychic on me, would you, Dana?" "More psychic than you? Impossible." She laughed. "I know, I'm just teasing you a bit. Come on, why did you call?" "Well, Dana, I got my transfer papers through the mail today; I've been assigned to the X-Files division." Storm sighed. "You were put in the basement? With us? Oh, this is going to be fun." "I don't know how to react. I mean, Mulder knows so much about what I can do...what's happened to me. I'm not ready to deal with that." Dana sighed. Storm was so upset about this for no reason. "Mulder won't press; he won't make you talk about it before you're ready. Trust me, Storm. I've been there and done that." "Are you sure?" "Yes, I'm sure. Why don't you lay down and get some rest? I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Storm sighed. "I suppose you're right, Dana. I *am* tired." Scully smiled. "Go ahead and rest. Trust me, Storm, you're gonna need it when meeting Fox Mulder...at work, anyway." "Oh, he's *that* different at work, huh?" Storm's laugh was cut off by her yawn. "I suppose I'd better go, right?" Dana smiled again. "Good night, Storm." "Night, Dana." Storm softly hung up the phone and Dana followed suit. Sitting there for a moment, she contemplated the contradictions that was Storm Austin. For the entire time that she'd known Storm, she had seemed to be the most rational person that she'd ever known. The slight hints that Storm was something more than she seemed were passed off as "It's just a hunch" or "call it woman's intuition". She had accepted that. Until last week. Last week, Storm traded her secure facade for Dana's life. Scully would be forever indebted to her for what she had done, but she was uncertain as to how she would view her friend from now on. After seeing the facade for so long, Dana was shocked to discover the truth of Storm Austin. Shaking her head, Dana turned off the lights and went to bed. They put Storm in the right division, for sure; she was an X-File in her own right. * * * * * Matthew Night sat alone in the temporary shelter in the middle of nowhere. Or at least that was his term for where he was. Although he knew he was somewhere in the Nevada desert, he didn't know where; there was nothing surrounding him but miles and miles of emptiness. With an evil grin, Matt thought with a laugh, 'Storm will love to hear about this plan of mine to sneak off in the middle of the night and find Area 51. Hell, knowing Storm, she'll brag about it to Dana and Mulder for weeks...' Matt walked out of the shelter into the frigid night air. 'Hmmm, I'd better check on her dreams again. She's been so uptight about this transfer to the X-files division. I don't know why, since both of us know that she's never wanted advancement within the Bureau...' With that, Matt shook his head, and crossed the mental distance to visit his lifemate's dreams. Delving in her dreams was now a familiar sensation to him. Standing in the middle of emptiness, he reached out for her and found himself inside her mind. 'It's a scary place,' he thought to himself with a chuckle. The images that flew past his mind made him smile. Storm was finally relaxed, and it showed in the dreamscape. There was an image of them dancing at the senior prom, and another of them joking over coffee during their college days. A longer one showed the candlelight dinner that they'd had the night he'd proposed to her. And other images....well, those were too private to be thinking about here anyway. But suddenly, her dreams took a turn, and he started to reach in and guide them back on track when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and a voice that told him, "Don't. These are memories that she must face before she can become whole. Memories that were stolen from her. Watch." The voice held him motionless as he watched. She was just a child of three when she was brought in, and the emotions of confusion and terror overwhelmed him. That memory blended into a room that looked like some kind of surgery unit...and they were doing something to her head. Instinctively he knew that this was the operation that gave Storm her many gifts, and saw them slide a metal chip against her skull before closing the wound. Then he saw Him. The man stood silently watching the proceedings with a look of satisfaction on his face. Matt saw him take another drag on his ever-present cigarette before the image blended into another, one that he remembered himself. It was a year afterwards according to Storm's rational mind, and it was in an isolated room. Closing his eyes, Matt was there again. He was five years old, and had been in The Project for three years, then they introduced him to one new member in the chosen pairings that they often perform. He hated it, but they were so good together that he didn't dare try and stop the Project's predestined future for him. Living without Storm would be living without air now, and they both knew it. They were destined for each other; soulmates if you will. It could be no other way. After those visions faded, the dreamscape faded to a soft black, and he pulled himself away and back to himself. Turning, he faced the person who had stopped him from deterring Storm's painful memories. "Who are you?" "A friend from the Project." The man grinned at Matt. "A friend who can see what is to be, and is sent to make sure that it turns out right. My name is William LaBonne." Matt was still wary. "The Project has no friends, only pain and fear from the Chosen." "I am not a part of the higher Project; I am merely a Chosen who wants to help the last two Chosens from the same period in time. The rest that you and Storm knew then are dead." "Dead? How?" "Suicide. The gift, or as we tend to call it, the curse, got the best of them. The others, our *beloved* government disposed of. I'm here to stop that from happening to the two of you." "What does that mean?" "Out of all of the Chosens sent to the FBI, you and your fiance are the cream of the crop. Storm has a unique ability separate from the others that she possesses. Many of the others weren't able to recall the early memories. She has, and hence, so have you." "But what does this mean?" "I can't tell you that, Matt. That is something you must find out for yourself. You and Storm both." The man rose and slipped silently into the still night with one last warning. "We shall meet again." * * * * * Storm toyed with her hair as she waited to be admitted into A.D. Skinner's office. 'Take deep breaths, Austin,' she chided herself. 'It's not as if you've never done this before or will never do this again. Chill.' She thought of the man she had passed in the hallway. He seemed familiar in a way that she did not want to recall. It was like reliving her nightmare from the previous evening. The dread that washed over her in waves still gave her chills. It was then that Skinner's secretary spoke. "Special Agent Austin, Assistant Director Skinner will see you now." Storm rose and nervously straightened her suit. Running her hand through her short hair again, she smiled. "Thank you." She walked into the inner office with a degree of confidence that she didn't really feel, but had to express. Skinner looked up at her as she entered. "Special Agent Austin, I believe you know why you are here." "I received transfer papers saying that I was being sent down to the X-files division, but in response to your question, sir, no, I honestly don't know why." "You have a doctorate in parapsychology, don't you, Austin?" "No, sir, not yet, though I am pretty close to that doctorate. I attend classes whenever I can, but I haven't gotten it yet." "Ah, I see." Skinner took off his glasses and looked up at her again. "The X-Files Division desperately needs a person who can use the knowledge of the parapsychology field to assist them in their investigations. You are that person, Austin. You are to report to the X-Files office and Agent Mulder as soon as possible." "Yes, sir." "That is all, Agent Austin." "Thank you, sir." Storm walked out of the office, her back held straight and her head held high. * * * * * Mulder was kicked back in his chair, looking over a case file, and Scully was typing their lastest case report up on her laptop computer when a knock came on the door. Mulder's feet dropped off of his desk, and started to walk toward the door when all of a sudden it flew open. Special Agent Storm Austin was standing framed in the doorway, laughing at him. Mulder sighed, "Storm. What are *you* doing here? I thought they were assigning a new agent to us." Storm walked past him like she was the one who owned the basement office and not him. Sitting down at *his* desk and propping her feet up, she told him. "They did, Mulder. I'm sorry to inform you that I'm your new agent. Special Agent Storm Austin at your service." Mulder just stared at her. "You're Bureau?" Storm smiled at the snickering sound that came from the direction of where Dana was seated in front of her computer. "Yes, Special Agent Mulder. I've almost have my doctorate in parapsychology, and I've been in the Bureau since I was 23. So you can just shut up right there." "But what about....?" Mulder gestured wildly with his hands. "Your gifts?" "You call them gifts; I call them curses. Which are they? Are they both? There is a fine line between the two, and I can't tell the difference anymore." Storm tossed her hair out of her eyes as the phone rang. She reached over and picked up the phone, much to Mulder's astonishment, "Agent Austin, X-Files divison... oh, okay." She tossed the receiver toward Mulder. "It's for you. Says his name is Langly." Mulder fumbled with the phone for a moment while Dana and Storm laughed at him. "Uh, yeah, Langly?" Mulder spoke on the phone shortly, and turned to Scully. "Come on, The Gunmen have some information for us..." He caught sight of Storm sitting at his desk. "Oh, I suppose you'd better come, too." "Oh, I'm so honored." Storm pushed her way past Mulder, and made her way toward her friend with an exasperated sigh, "Dana, if you don't mind, I think I'd rather be as far away from your partner as possible at this point in time." Scully gave her friend an understanding smile, and they followed Mulder out of the office and to the Lone Gunmen's Headquarters where they supposedly had some new information for them. * * * * * Storm walked in her apartment and threw her purse across the room and flopped down on the couch, slipping off her flats. Those friends of Mulder's were strange; well, Langly and Frohike were. She didn't mind Byers that much. However, her thoughts returned to her dream once again and the man she met in A.D. Skinner's office today. She knew him from *somewhere* but couldn't point it out. Maybe if she talked to Matt.... All of a sudden, the phone rang, shocking her out of her reverie. Picking it up, she heard a familiar concerned voice coming from the receiver. "You beckoned, love?" "Yeah, Matt, I saw someone today and I know *something*, but I don't know what. And that dream I had last night..." she paused for a moment, then asked, "You didn't happen to be keeping an eye on them, did you?" His silence answered for him, and Storm smiled, then spoke. "Thank you for not trying to deter them. They're important in some way, but I just can't seem figure out why yet, or what happened. That's why I wanted you to call; I want you to tell me what you saw." She heard Matt shift as he began to tell her the story. Starting from the beginning, he explained to her about the surgery he saw, and the man he saw, smoking the cigarette. She gasped as he told her that he saw her memory of their first meeting; she didn't even consciously remember when she'd first met Matt, or so she thought. Rubbing the back of her head, Storm frowned. "Matt, I have to talk to Dana. Tonight." "Do you think she will understand any of this?" "I hope so, Matt. After all, she has been hanging out with 'Spooky' for 4 years now." Matt chuckled. "I'll let you go then. Take care tonight." "I will. Watch over me, okay?" "I always do." She smiled and disconnected. She had to find out something before she convinced herself that this was some wild halluicination, so Storm picked up the phone again and dialed Dana Scully's number. * * * * * Scully was talking on the phone with Mulder and trying very hard not to start laughing at him. Storm had him thrown for a loop, and he wouldn't admit it. 'He's definitely the king of denial... it isn't just a river these days, y'know...' "Mulder, would you please keep in mind that Storm's one of my oldest friends, and not one of your X-files," Scully asked with mild amusement. "She made me promise her that you wouldn't try any experiments on her or asking her things that would make her uncomfortable. I love you, Mulder, but you can be totally intolerable at times..." Scully grinned as Mulder sighed and ceased his neverending monologue about how *different* Storm was, and how he was surprised that she had gotten into the Bureau without anyone finding out about her talents. "Storm is very secretative, Mulder, so nobody would have found out for an even longer time had she not been put in the circumstances where she had to use her talents. Even after all the years I've known her, I don't know that much about her and what she's thinking or feeling. "But Scully..." "Mulder, are you still upset that she showed you up in front of the Gunmen? I think she probably has Frohike wrapped around her pinky finger, and she earned Byers' respect today, and that's something that's very hard to accomplish. Byers' respect, I mean. "I know, Scully," Mulder started, but there was a beep in her line, so Scully told him to hold on for a sec and clicked over. "Hello?" "Dana, this is Storm." "Storm, I don't know how you do it. You totally threw Mulder for a loop today, I think." Storm giggled, "Really? Good. Maybe I'll do it again tomorrow, then." "I wouldn't suggest it. He might try to assault you or something if you aggrivate him any more." "Oh, please, Dana. With a thought, he'd be sliding down the door, and he knows it. He wouldn't dare lay a finger on me. He's such a wuss," Storm teased. Dana suppressed a smile. "I wouldn't exactly say that, Storm..." "I would..." her voice grew serious again. "Anyway, that's not the reason I called you tonight." "Oh?" "I have something I have to tell you and Mulder tonight, Dana. It's important, I think." Scully asked no questions, only said, "All right, Storm. We'll meet you at your place shortly." "All right," Storm disconnected with that, and Scully returned to the conversation with Mulder, worried. "Scully, what's wrong?" "Mulder, how fast can you get over here?" "What's wrong?" his voice rose slightly in worry, but Scully shook her head, although she knew he couldn't see her. "I'm fine," she could almost see his smile at her familiar words. "Storm was on the other line, and something's wrong. She won't tell me what, but..." Scully allowed her voice to trail off. "I see your point, Scully. I'll be there within the hour." "Thank you, Mulder." Scully hung up the phone and slipped on her shoes. Although she proclaimed not to be psychic herself, Dana had the feeling that it was going to be a long night. A *very* long night. * * * * * It was less than an hour later that Mulder found himself standing beside Scully in front of Storm's fifth floor apartment. He had no idea why he had been brought here; it was only his trust in Dana Scully that kept him from turning around and walking away from this apartment and the person he barely knew who lived within it. Scully was sure that something was wrong with Storm, and Mulder was slightly worried himself. Storm Austin had amazed the Gunmen, managing to get Frohike wrapped around her finger, and Mulder had to admit that he was surprised. She didn't feel like a friend then, but she had helped to save Dana's life about a week ago, and if that wasn't a friend, then he didn't know what was. Scully knocked softly on the door; the exact opposite of how she knocked on *his* door most of the time. But after all, this was *her* friend. "Storm? It's Dana. Open the door." When Storm opened the door, Mulder was shocked at her appearence. By the look on her face, she had aged ten years since she'd left work about an hour ago. The dark circles under her eyes enhanced the pain that echoed within them. She looked like she was walking through her own private hell and Mulder recognized the look well, since he had spent most of his life going through his own version of it. "Oh god, Storm, what happened?" Dana asked her friend while Mulder stood slightly behind her in silence. "It's a long story, Day. Come in and I'll explain." She didn't answer the question, only opened the door wider and walked silently deeper inside her apartment. This *was* serious. Only when they were seated did Storm begin to explain what had happened to her. "It came to me in a dream, or a vision, knowing my luck it is the latter. I have no memories of childhood, and only a vague knowledge of my family. I never really questioned it, but last night, I found out why." Scully began to ask a question, but she was silenced by a look. "Let me get this out, Dana. Then I have a favor to ask of you." After Dana's nod, she continued. "I was a lab rat," a twisted smile appeared on her face for a moment before disappearing. "The government was experimenting on how to enhance psychic gifts in people because they wanted to make a series of strong and loyal warriors to work for them in peace and war. The members of this experiment are everywhere: FBI, CIA, NSA, the list goes on and on. There are very few left at all, and apparently none from the age bracket in which I was taken. The entire experiment was supervised by a man. I saw this same man as I was entering Skinner's office today, and I couldn't figure out why, but a chill ran down my spine." Mulder looked into her eyes and asked, "What's the favor?" "In my dream, I saw them implant a chip right here." Storm gestured to the back of her head. "I need to know if it's the truth." Storm frowned. "It might be the reason for the nauseating headaches I get after using those talents I was cursed with, but I need to know for sure." Mulder and Scully's eyes met, and with the silent communication that had existed since the beginning of their partnership, and made the decision in unison. Scully turned to her friend and spoke softly. "Whatever it takes, we'll do it." Storm looked up at them. "Thank you." "But first," Scully spoke, not believing what she was about to tell her. "There's something I have to tell you. Something that happened to me." "What is it?" "Not here, Storm. Back at my apartment, there's something I have to show you, and it's something I never thought I'd have to tell you about. Trust me, you might not believe it unless I show you." Storm looked up at Dana in surprise. "Okay." "Let's go." * * * * * Back at Scully's apartment, Storm held the small glass jar and looked up at her friend, unconsciously echoing Melissa's words from so long ago, "Dana, what is this?" Scully sat down on the sofa and looked up at her friend as Mulder placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Back when Mulder was thought to be dead last year, I had that removed from my neck. After having it analyzed, I discovered that it was a computer chip." Storm looked up at Dana with sudden surprise. "A computer chip." "Yes. According to my own theories and the analysis of the chip itself, it was directing certain brain waves. The purpose behind this is still uncertain." 'Directing brain waves? Were They trying to control me and my gifts through this? Is that the reason why if I use my talents in the line of duty, I don't get these agonizing headaches, but if I use them outside of the line of work, I do?' Storm asked herself. "In that case, Dana, I think I need to have someone check out the back of my head and get that thing out as soon as possible. I believe I know its purpose." "Which is? "I'll tell you on the way. I need to get this taken care of as soon as possible." * * * * * Matt, still stuck in the middle of the desert, sensed that something was going on. At that statement, an irrational anger filled her, and echoed through him with her next words. Storm sighed, and there was a silent acknowledgement before she started to tell him, Storm's mindvoice was thick with sarcasm. Matt frowned, and he asked, He could tell that Storm was struggling against a lot of emotion when she answered, Her soft laughter filled his head and made him smile. Storm faded from his consciousness and Matt knelt on the cold sandy ground and prayed to a God that he scarcely believed in after all that he'd seen. "Please, take care of her. I need her. Please, this one time, I'm begging You to take care of her, Lord." The word amen was carried away by the soft desert wind as the sand swirled around him. * * * * * Jeff Davidson walked into the office to look at the woman sitting there waiting on him, "Storm? What's going on?" "That's what I've come here to find out, Jeff. I need to find out if there's a piece of metal here," Storm gestured to the back of her head, and he frowned. "How do you know it's there?" "You can feel it against the scalp," Storm told him, frowning. "I had a dream about it, and I have dreams that you do not ignore." "All right, Storm," Jeff moved in carefully with the scalpel and was surprised that his old college friend was proved right when he extracted a large computer chip. "So, what's the verdict, Jeff?" "You were right, Austin. How did you know?" "I don't know, Jeff. All I know is that I knew something was inside of my body that didn't belong there, and I needed to get it out." "Dana had one of these removed from her neck," Jeff frowned at it as he dropped it into a glass jar and set it in front of her. "I know," Storm held it up and looked at it carefully. "She told me." "Do you want me to tell them about this, or are you going to?" "I need some space, Jeff. Please tell them for me, and tell them to leave me be for a while. Please?" "All right," Dr. Jeff Davidson walked out of the room, closing the door behind him, and found where Mulder and Scully stood waiting. Davidson. Scully was thinking of the time when *she* had been the one having a metal chip removed from her body. It had changed everything, or so it had seemed. She leaned against Mulder tiredly as he walked out to meet them. "Well, Dana, I have to tell you that Storm is rather traumatized by all of these events. In fact, her reaction is similar to yours, only without your scientific knowledge of things. However, it appears to me that she almost *expected* this, unlike you." "She *expected* this?" "Yes. She even told me exactly where to find it. It was rather uncanny." "Storm's different." "Not as different as you think, Dana. She needs some time alone. Give her some space. If nothing else, call a cab and let the cab take her home. She'll talk about this when she's ready to do so, and not before. Don't press her." "Tell her to call when she's ready to talk." Dr. Davidson nodded and walked back toward the room. Scully looked up at Mulder. "Would you call the cab for me?" After he called the cab, he turned to her and held out his hand. When she took his hand, he pulled her out of the chair and into his arms. With a glance toward the hallway, where they saw Storm's silent form standing, they walked out of the building and into the cold dark night, together. Mulder draped his arm over Scully's shoulder, "Do you think she's going to be all right?" "Oh, yeah. I'm just afraid she'll do what she always does." "And what's that?" Mulder asked, curious about this woman who had crash landed into their lives. Scully looked up at him with a smile. "Every time something happens in her life that upsets her or throws her for a loop, she'll lock up all her emotions until they explode, and with a person like her, it's not pretty. Besides, Storm's a real control-freak." "You're a one to talk about someone being a control-freak, Scully," Mulder teased her, and she glared up at him. "You know what they say, Mulder. Takes one to know one." "Ouch, Scully. You wound me." "Sure, fine, whatever..." Scully sighed, then. "Mulder, I'm just really worried about her. This was something--" "--that none of us expected, Dana," Scully was surprised at the use of her first name, though not at the face that Mulder had once again completed her sentence. "Scully, how about this? How about I wait a little while then call her and convince her to call you? I mean, I'm objective. I don't know how close you two are." "Pretty close," Scully acknowledged as they made it to her car, and Mulder helped her inside, acting like a perfect gentleman for a change. Then again, she barely noticed, or she might have wanted to take his temperature. "She used to hang out with me and Missy during high school." Mulder walked around the car and settled into the passenger seat before responding, "Scully, you just keep unfolding like a flower." Scully slapped him lightly on the arm before starting up the car, "Mulder, will you stop stealing my lines?" Mulder pouted at her, "But Scully..." "Shut up, Mulder, and let me drive," Scully looked over her shoulder at the hospital for a moment before pulling out of the parking lot and headed home. Mulder knew that she was worried about Storm and trying not to let it show. Neither of them saw the woman standing at the door, her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes directed at the floor. The doctor walked up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you going to be all right?" Storm gave him a smile and a hug. "Yeah, I think I-I-I'll be fine," she laughed softly, then grimaced as her mild stutter made itself apparent. "Still got that stutter, Austin?" "Yeah, it just won't go away, Jeff," Storm shook her head. "Particularly when I'm upset." She looked down at the glass jar in her hand, and rattled it a bit, nervously. "If you can wait an hour, I can drive you home, Storm. I don't get off till then." "Don't bother, Jeff. I can walk home?" "Storm, you'll die of hypothermia yet." Dr. Jeffery Davidson shook his head at her, and Storm smiled softly. "Yeah, well, I need the fresh air. I need to think. I really need to think about this. Things have changed." "Things are always changing. Y'know, Storm, it's supposed to rain tonight." "That's all right," Storm called over her shoulder as she walked out of the clinic. "I like the rain. A good friend told me that the rain hides the pain sometimes." "Sometimes..." his tone of voice stopped her, and she turned to face him again. "Storm Austin, when I met you and Dana in college, I thought you were the most insane person I had ever met." "Thank you," Storm laughed. "That was *not* meant as a compliment." "I know it wasn't." "Storm, will you take care of yourself? Please? Between you and Dana Scully, I swear, it'll be the death of me yet." "Hey, Day and I are still here, aren't we?" "Yeah, but for how long?" "As long as we have, Jeff. As long as we have," Storm waved and set off. Jeff Davidson just watched her go with a wry smile, then turned back to his work. There was a lot to do before he left. * * * * * True to Jeff's word, it was less than ten minutes before rain drops started darkening her hair and clothes. Storm tilted her head so she could taste the rain and feel the splatter of it across her face. 'Oh, damn, this feels good...' She stretched her legs and shoved her hands in the pockets of the leather jacket, watching in apparent fascination as the water beaded and ran down the waterproof material. Pulling the damn glass jar out of her pocket, she looked at it again. It was very similar to the one that Dana had showed her, yet different. The shape was different, and the chip itself was larger. 'The bigger the chip, the more control they have over the person. Figures.' She could feel Matt's presence in her mind, trying to figure out what was bothering her, but she wasn't ready to face him, so she ignored him for now. She wasn't ready to face much of anyone, for that matter, she acknowledged as she approached her apartment building. When she saw that Dana wasn't home yet, she sighed with relief. She knew that Dana would want to talk to her about what happened, but she wasn't ready yet. She needed some time... Finally Storm reached her empty apartment after climbing up five flights of stairs, and crossed to the window and opened it. She felt the wind, thick with rain and humidity, hit her in the face, and it felt good. Nervously, Storm rubbed the back of her head where the metal chip had been removed. She sighed as she pulled the glass jar out of her pocket and set it on the table next to the window. Crossing to the couch, she sunk down into it, and started thinking. Although Dana had shown Storm what hers looked like, the one pulled out of the back of her head was bigger, more enhanced. It looked more like it belonged inside the small laptop computer sitting by the door than something that had been implanted inside her head. The chip that restricted her talents. Mulder had called it a gift, but Storm could not see how, since except for that time that she'd saved Dana from that murdering bitch named Savannah McMichael, she had to deal with the ups and downs of having to live her life with them. Most of the time, it was a curse. Floods of memories and emotions that weren't hers often struck her at the most awkward of times, and often it was a struggle to block it. She didn't know how much longer she could stand it. Sometimes the pain just got so overwhelming that she wanted to return to the window and either scream so loud and long that she lost her voice or jump out the window and land on the ground, five stories down. Today, she had lost the innocence that had allowed her to live without the need for the memories of the first fifteen years of her life. Today had upped the stakes. She *had* to know. Through this, she had become a Seeker, and she wouldn't be able to stop the search until she found the answers she sought. Storm felt the uncertainty within her begin to ease, and she relaxed. Soon, she would need to talk to someone about this, she knew, and Dana Scully was the one person she could still talk to through all this. Just as she reached for the phone, it rang. With a smile, she lifted the cordless phone from the base. "What do you want, Mulder?"" She could almost see Mulder's face, then a sigh came through the line, "How in the hell do you do that?" "It's a secret," Storm teased him lightly. "Storm, do you know how much Scully's worried about you? She told me that you'll lock up your emotions until they explode, and although I don't know you that well, I really don't want to see that happen. I wouldn't imagine that it would be a pretty picture." "No, no, it wouldn't, Mulder," Storm laughed softly, as she stared at the ceiling. "And about calling her, I'm not sure she'd believe half of what I have to say." "Scully stayed with me and believed in me for over 4 years now, and we've seen things that I sincerely hope that nobody ever has to see. She kept the faith, and trust me, if there's anyone who will believe you while you try to sort things out for yourself, it's Dana Katherine Scully." "That's strange, Mulder, 'cause I was just about to call her when you rang my bell." "I rang your bell?" Storm could nearly see Mulder doing an imitation of his partner's arched eyebrow skeptic expression. "Well, my telephone bell, anyway," Storm grinned widely. "Mulder, if you'll let me go, then I'll go ahead and call Dana." "Good. See you tomorrow, then?" "Yeah, tomorrow, Mulder." Storm clicked the button to disconnect that call, then hit it again before dialing Dana Scully's number. "Dana? It's Storm. I need to talk." Storm heard Dana make herself comfortable, and could almost hear a smile. "Well, it's about time, Storm. I was starting to worry." "Oh, I just had to think about some things, and somewhere along the way, I realized that I *belong* in the X-Files Division, amid Mulder's 'I Want To Believe' poster and the other stuff tacked to the wall. It's really rather tacky down in the basement, Day..." Scully laughed, "Yeah, I know it. It doesn't help that you're such a neatnik, Storm." "Oh, c'mon, Dana. You can't tell me that you're *not* a neatnik." "Not as much as I used to." Storm gasped, "I'm so surprised at you, Dana. Since you met Mulder, you've really gone down hill." "Is this a bad thing?" "I'll let you know when I decide." "Storm, are you going to be all right?" "Oh, in a while, I will be. I'm just trying to get used to this knowledge. I'm not used to knowing things, or feeling the need to know things." Dana chuckled softly, "Storm, I think you're going to be just fine." "Good. That makes two of us." "So, Agent Austin, will I see you in the morning?" "Of course, Agent Scully," Storm continued the teasing. "First thing." "Good, 'cause I think Mulder's got yet another X-File, and I'm going to need some help." "Gotta ground him again." "You know it." "Talk to you tomorrow, Dana." "G'night, Storm." Storm placed the phone back on the receiver when she remembered the nudging at the back of her mind. Finally, she opened up and told Matt, she smiled with sudden confidence, heading into her bedroom. With a wistful smile and a good night, she climbed into bed and went to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be the start of the rest of her life. * * * * *