The Master Calls A Butterfly 8/22 by april leigh * * * * * * North I-95 Virginia 9:03pm * * * * * * Show me a hero, and I'll show you a tragedy. --F. Scott Fitgerald * * * * * * Diana could feel Scully studying her profile as she drove. She stole a look and briefly met Scully's eyes. How much did she know? How much could she pick up? Diana suspected quite a bit if she wanted to. After all, that was one of the main criteria of why she was chosen, because of her latent psychic abilities. Even though she suspected Scully knew her thoughts, Diana still felt an obligation of sorts to explain. "You're good for him, you know." She said, breaking the silence. "What do you mean?" Scully half stammered. A sideways glance. Her voice softened; took on an almost wistful tone. "Mulder. You're good for him. You keep him grounded, balanced. He truly is a better person because of you. Anyone could see that it was never like that with us. I envy you that." Scully seemed to ignore the comment, and instead asked, "Where are we going Diana?" She smiled and looked away from Scully and back to the road. "We are going to get him." "And we weren't before." It was not a question, Scully already knew. What a wonderful gift telepathy was. "No, we weren't. It wasn't part of the plan. But I can't..." Her voice wavered briefly. " I can't... Look, there will likely be some repercussions following all of this," she indicated their current situation with her hand, "and I would hate for him to have to deal with them on his own." "But this wasn't part of the original plan. You are putting us at risk by doing this." These were statements of fact. There was no hint of accusation or anger. Scully's tone was carefully neutral. "Why are you risking yourself like this? There is a very real danger by doing this, am I right?" Diana smiled to herself, then looked to Scully. "Agent Scully, why do you do what you do for him? Why have you stayed with him all of this time? Why do you continually risk your life for him?" These were rhetorical questions. They both knew why, it was obvious. A long pause and silence reigned. It didn't need to be said, but Diana spoke anyway. "Fox is certainly not an easy man to love," Another sideways glance. "Is he?" Scully looked up to Diana's eyes, "No, he isn't." Diana held her gaze for a moment. Then she slowly nodded. * * * * * * George Washington Parkway 10:05pm Another glance at his watch. "Shit!" Krycek said, and exerted an increasing amount of downward force on the accelerator. * * * * * Outside Scully's Apartment Building 10:19pm Scully looked up in surprise as the familiar brick building came into view. "He's here?" "Yes. There was an incident at his apartment. I don't think he wanted to go back there." Diana placed the car in park, but left the engine running and turned expectantly to Scully. "He's up there. You need to get him as quickly as you can." "What about--" Scully began before Diana interrupted. "I'm not the one he wants to see now. I'll be waiting here for both of you. Hurry." * * * * * * East I-66, Washington DC "Damn it Krycek! Tell me what the hell is going on. Who are you muttering about?" Dagen asked, his hand gripping the dashboard in front of him, trying to support himself as the car took another sharp corner. Krycek didn't even bother to look in his direction. He practically growled his words. "Mulder. The bitch has gone to get him and in the process royally fucked everything up." <<"Mulder.">> Dagen knew that name. Hell, everyone knew that name. He was a legend. A legend for screwing things up. "Why is she doing this? Doesn't she know what his influence will be?" "Oh she knows, she knows him rather well from what I understand. But she doesn't seem to care. Damn women! Always thinking with their soft ass hearts!" He punctuated his comment by hitting his balled up fist against the steering wheel. * * * * * * Outside Scully's Apartment Building 9:20pm A bounty hunter watched as the car pulled up with the two women. He knew who each was; he had been waiting for their arrival. Ever since they had discovered that Scully had disappeared he had been sent to watch Mulder. This was the obvious choice for her to show up. He watched as Scully stepped out of the car and disappeared through the lobby door. Strange, the figure's face wrinkled in mild confusion, he couldn't read her thoughts and he had always been able to before...He dismissed the idea quickly and moved to the other woman. He would have enough time later to figure it out The other woman was Diana Fowley. He recognized her mind and was surprised to find her here. The last time he had 'contact' with her, there'd been no indication of this plan. It must have been a recent development. He paused as he carefully searched her thoughts. Yes, yes this had been quite recent. And she had been such a good worker. It really was almost a shame. And why had she done it? His mind struggled as he tried to grasp the concepts in her mind. Redemption? Hope?... Love? He shrugged the words away. He would never understand humans. They would do the most ridiculous and irrational things because of simple words. He pulled the gun from the holster, tightened his coat tightly around him, and walked across the street, heading directly for the parked car. * * * * * * 9:21pm Diana watched Scully enter the building via the rearview mirror. She prayed that Krycek's information had been correct, that Mulder was in fact here. The thought of Krycek, reminded her of something. She reached into her coat pocket for the transmitter/receiver and pushed the button. She knew that she was late and that he would be pissed, but at least he would know that they were ok. <<"Come on Scully... No time for dawdling.">> She nervously adjusted the mirror, trying to get a better view of the front door. She had just taken her eyes off the mirror when a motion in it caught her attention. She turned her head rapidly to look behind her to see what was there. There was nothing. She turned back around. And she saw it again. Just within her line of vision he stood. He was inches away, only the glass on the driver's side window separated them. <<"I've made a horrible mistake.">> And her world collapsed. * * * * * * Scully's Apartment Scully entered the apartment through her unlocked door. She found him asleep on her sofa, curled tightly into a ball at one end, is eyes shut tight, face stiff with tension. She walked around the couch and moved aside a bottle of prescription pills that was on the coffee table and sat down on the hard wood next to him. His forehead was furrowed, the lines reaching deep into his otherwise smooth skin. She reached her hand out to grab his shoulder, to stir him awake but couldn't help but bring her fingertip to try to smooth out the lines. As her fingertips found his brow and she lightly ran her index finger across his skin, all of the tension dissolved from his face and he sighed contently. His worry lines, some new she noticed, were almost completely smoothed out. Scully kept her hand on Mulder's temple lightly running her fingers through his hair and with the other picked up the bottle she had moved. Dalmane, a powerful sleep aid. Left over from his horrid experience a few years ago when he had let a doctor drill into his head. He hadn't slept well after that, and she had insisted that he go and get something so he could sleep. Mulder tried it for only one night. He had complained to her that he didn't like the feeling of missing time, of the utter disconnection it gave him from the rest of the world. He said that he would rather be awake for days and feel tired instead of being rested, but feeling nothing. What had made him start taking them now? Panic flared through Scully. He wouldn't have... Her hand left Mulder and went to unscrew the lid. How many were left? The white pills gleamed menacingly in her hand. There were eight. The prescription was for ten. She sighed, relived. It was fine. How could she have even thought that he would just take them all? "Scully!" The terror filled cry was deafening in her ears. She looked back to Mulder. His face was no longer smooth. It was instead the tortured features that fit one who had journeyed through the outer reaches of hell, but not back. He brought his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms tightly around them, curled into the smallest ball possible. His hands clutched each other so tightly that his hands were beginning blanch white. He was sleeping still, but also talking. "...No...please...Scully stay... leave her alone!...stay... don't go...Scully" Instinct took over and she dropped to her knees in front of him and bought her arms up to encircle his shoulders. Her touch had an immediate calming effect, almost as pronounced as if a powerful sedative had been administered directly into his veins. "It's ok Mulder, I'm here. You'll be fine. I can help you..." She didn't know exactly what she was saying but she continued murmuring in his ear. "Scully..." No longer a cry, but still painful to hear, her name was strangled in his throat. Her name...he was calling out for her... Scully brought her hand and cupped his cheek. A mild vertigo overcame her and the room seemed to turn like a carousel. "Muld--" she began. That was all she was able to get out. * * * * * * Krycek hit the brakes hard and the tires squealed in protest. Another damn light. They were only blocks away yet it may have well been a hundred. Just a few more minutes... Green light. Krycek pressed the accelerator hard and the car bucked forward like a bronco charging out of the chute. Just a few more minutes and they would be there... * * * * * * Scully's Apartment 9:22pm -Flash- Dark crowded behind Scully's eyelids as it came into her. The dark was insidious; it came up her nose and into her eyes, damp fingers of dark forcing its way inside her. Her fingers raked over her face as she tried to tear it off but it hung on tenaciously. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't see, and panic was beginning to take control. And she felt strong hands grab her own and her vision cleared. She looked up into Mulder's beaming face. <<"I found you.">> The glee in his voice was infectious and she couldn't help but return the smile. <<"They tried to take you from me, to hide you under this.">> He held up a black sheet. Was that what was smothering her earlier? <<"But they couldn't hide you from me. Your light was too much for them to hide and I could find you.">> Scully glanced down at herself. She was glowing. The rest of the room was utter blackness. She was the only brightness in the room. <<"Mulder, what is this? Where are we? Can you tell me that?">> He didn't acknowledge her questions. Instead, he simply smiled at her and lightly tugged on her hand. <<"Come on Scully, follow me.">> She took a step and she was at a beach, the waves crashing rhythmically against the sand as the tide came in. <<"You like the beach right? You mentioned once that you like the ocean.">> He smiled even wider. <<"I remember everything you say.">> He pulled her gently on her hand until they were walking side by side, hand in hand amongst the crashing waves. <<"It is so nice here, why did you leave before? You won't leave me again, will you?">> He pleaded, his most winsome smile on his lips. <<"We were having such a nice time before.">> <<"I'm sure we were...">> said slowly and carefully. <<"But first I need to figure out what is going on. Where are we Mulder? How did we get to the beach?">> Confusion flashed over his eyes. <<"I don't know. Did you bring me here?">> <<"No.">> And then it hit her. <<"Mulder, I think that this is your dream.">> He considered her comment thoughtfully. He nodded sadly. <<"I remember now.">> His voice cracked and he turned away from her. <<"I just wanted to forget for a little bit... but I guess that's not possible.">> <<"Mulder, I'm back. I am back and I'm with you in my living room.">> <<"No, I don't believe that. You can't be in both places at once. If you were the real Scully and not just a wonderful figment of my imagination you would know this.">> This was not working. <<"Mulder, I have to go now.">> He spun around to face her. <<"No! Please don't leave. You can't leave me alone here.">> The beach was gone and the blackness back. <<"It's so dark without you...please, please Scully.">> He desperately clung to her hand as he pleaded with her. <<"I'm sorry. But you'll understand.">> Scully broke away from him, gasping slightly, her mind reeling and her thoughts in complete turmoil. She was beginning to feel as if she was never going to get solid ground beneath her feet. She was in her apartment again. <<"I just witnessed Mulder's dream. No. No, it can't be possible.">> She closed her mind to that possibility, shut him out. Her thoughts were interrupted by Mulder's cries. "Scully...why? Come back... so dark without you..." She pulled Mulder to her and began to speak softly. "Mulder, Mulder, wake up. I'm here with you, I'm ok. You're ok. It's ok, everything will be ok..." She continued administering to him, speaking softly, gently wiping the tears from his face. <<"This is real. This is really happening to us. How is this possible? What strange parallel universe have we fallen into?">> * * * * * * The bounty hunter moved away from the car and sheathed his gun. He turned and began to make his way up the front steps. * * * * * * Mulder didn't open his eyes for several moments after he had regained consciousness. He thought at first it was merely a twisted continuation of his dream but slowly he realized the blessed truth. Scully was back, alive, and he was in her arms. He sat up quickly, his dreams forgotten. Scully was not prepared for this sudden movement and would have been unceremoniously dumped on the floor if Mulder hadn't held her at her waist as he rose. Standing there at that moment, holding her close, Mulder felt a wave of affection and love wash over him that nearly dropped him to his knees. Mulder pulled her into his arms and nearly crushed her with the force of his hug and the relief behind it. Scully held on just as tight. "How? How can this be? This can't be real, but it feels so damn good." Fresh tears began to form. She was pulling away, why was she pulling away? "Scully?" She pulled away just enough to meet his eyes. "We have to get out of here Mulder. We're in serious danger." "What do you mean? Tell me what is happening Scully. How did you even get here?" "I'll tell you everything on the way." She fully disengaged her body from him but held onto his hand. She began to lead him to the door. "You have to trust me on this... I don't have time to explain it all right now." Mulder was still hesitant. This was happen far to quickly. Not less that 2 minutes ago he was convinced he would never see her again and now... An evil idea came into his head, so unpleasant that he was reluctant to even put it into words. <<"Is this really Scully? Could it be someone else, something else?">> His doubt loomed almost tangibly. Scully felt his hesitation and turned to face him. "Mulder, it's me." She looked up to meet his eyes. There was an iridescence to the blue irises, a silver glow. It was as if instead of just merely reflecting light, it was an actual source. Mulder blinked slowly, and the impression disappeared. She was speaking again. "You said once that I've saved you, let me save you now. Mulder, you have to trust me now. Do you trust me, don't you?" Mulder felt shame. Shame and guilt for his doubt and hesitation. "Of course Scully. I'll always--" Mulder never got to finish. * * * * * * Outside Scully's Apartment Building 9:23pm Dagen had barely unhooked his seat belt before Krycek had leaped out of the car. Dagen hurried to catch up. Krycek ran past a car that sat immediately in front of the building and pulled himself up short. "Shit!" He only paused for a moment before continuing, running even faster this time. A second later Dagen passed the car, and he too paused. Blood and tissue and bone fragments were splattered on the inside of glass, so thick that he could barely see inside. But he saw enough. Through the round hole the bullet made as it passed through the glass before it passed through Diana's head, he could see her dark hair, now stained a deep maroon. By the time he looked up from the car, Krycek had already entered the building. Dagen hurried to catch up again. * * * * * * When the bounty hunter burst through the Scully's door, it was as if a glass ball had shattered to let air and the world in. They'd just began to head for the door, Scully leading Mulder by his hand, when the sudden noise tore them apart. Scully saw what happened next as if she were merely an observer looking in. The figure stood in the doorway. Without a word he raised his gun and pointed it at Mulder. Mulder had had his back to the door and he didn't see what she did. It took him a half-second before he could turn around. A half-second that he didn't have. Scully saw the situation before he did, and without hesitation she pushed him to the floor just as the bounty hunter fired his weapon. Scully looked down at Mulder lying on the floor. <<"God, is he hurt? Please, please God, not like this. Be ok, be ok Mulder.">> She approached him, unthinking. There was no blood and he had sat up. He was ok. <<"He was ok. Thank God.">> But her momentary relief was brief as she looked into Mulder's horror stricken eyes. It was then that she discovered that she had been the one to get shot. She realized then that while she had felt the bullet hit her, she felt no other sensation. <<"Something is terribly wrong here. This is not like last time.">> She slowly dropped her eyes, reluctantly moving them down. She had to know; yet feared that knowledge. As her eyes finally met the wound, she saw that instead of seeing the expected red of blood, she saw a noxious green fluid. Scully's look of terror matched Mulder's as she looked to him, the intruder forgotten. "My god Mulder, what does this mean?" But she knew, as did Mulder. <<"I've been changed.">> Mulder tried to rise to his feet, but before he could, the toxic fumes began to have their affect. He stumbled to his knees as he brought his hands to his face. The doctor in Scully began to approach him. She realized her mistake as his symptoms began to worsen. <<"It is me. I am doing this to him. I'm killing him!">> She moved to the opposite side of the room. "Mulder! Mulder, can you answer me?" Panic colored her voice. Scully met his tortured eyes once more, and then he was lost to unconsciousness. The intruder had not moved since the single shot had been fired. He looked to Mulder, saw that he was no longer a threat, and calmly put his gun away. Scully turned her attention to the intruder. Her wound now healed, she asked, "What do you want from us?" Anger and fear were equally represented in her voice. "You need to come with me." That was all he said. He reached his hand into his pocket and slowly pulled out his weapon. He hit the switch, and with a "phitt" the stiletto extended. Scully could feel the cold fear as it flooded her. He began to advance. * * * * * * The Master Calls A Butterfly 9/22 by april leigh Missing parts can be found at http://members.xoom.com/aprileigh/ * * * * * * 9:24pm * * * * * * You're an extraordinary woman; how do you expect to lead an ordinary life?-- Louisa May Alcott * * * * * * Krycek could hear nothing. After the single chirp of a silencer he hadn't heard a sound. He pulled out the stiletto weapon from his inside jacket pocket. He always carried one. He slowed as he approached the open door, not knowing what to expect. The bounty hunter's back was to him as Krycek looked in the room. He couldn't see Mulder anywhere, but he could see Scully clearly. She was slowly backing away from the bounty hunter. Krycek met her eyes. She hid her surprise well; there was only the briefest widening of her eyes. He brought a finger to his lips, then held up his weapon. She understood. She looked away from Krycek. "Tell me what you want. Why are you here?" She asked again, trying to keep the bounty hunter distracted. Krycek moved in. The bounty hunter began to speak, "I told you. You need--", but he broke himself off. He abruptly spun around to face Krycek and his raised weapon. Krycek suddenly found himself airborne. He metered across the room and slammed into the far wall with the sound of a wet sack of potatoes. He slid to the floor, stunned. Krycek had lost his grip on his weapon and he watched helplessly as it lazily spun on the floorboards across the room The bounty hunter towered above him as Krycek lay on his back. Krycek tried to use his leverage as best as he could. He raised his legs forced them down square onto the bounty hunter' kneecaps. It hardly seemed to phase him. Instead of bringing him down to the floor, as Krycek hoped, it merely caused the figure to lose his balance slightly. The bounty hunter stumbled and leaned forward to help regain his balance. That was all he did, but that was enough. Scully had advanced unnoticed and she took advantage of the bounty hunter's distraction. She'd picked up the fallen weapon and without hesitation drove it into the neck of her assailant. The force she used easily brought him to his knees. The figure grimaced and futilely tried to stop her but was unsuccessful. She withdrew the stiletto from his neck as the body began to dissolve. Krycek quickly moved out of the way as the body slammed into the floor. * * * * * * 9:25pm "Grab him." These were the first words out of Krycek's mouth when Dagen finally arrived. Krycek stood rubbing his shoulder, wincing painfully, and motioned to Mulder lying on the floor. "Could have used your help you know." Dagen ignored his comment and walked over to Mulder. Scully was crouched over him, doing her best to assess his situation. She didn't look up when Dagen knelt beside her. "We have to get both of you out of here." "I have my own ride." "Diana's dead." There was no real response from Scully. She didn't seem surprised. "This was why she wasn't supposed to get him." it was not a question, and Dagen didn't respond. "He needs medical aid first." She said "We can treat him, but we need to get out of here." To punctuate Dagen's comment, Krycek chose that moment to yell, "Come on! Dagen, just grab him so we can get the hell out of here." "I don't know you, and I certainly don't trust him," she motioned to Krycek, now standing in the doorway keeping a lookout. "I can't just blindly follow you." Dagen felt completely helpless. "If-- there really isn't anything I can say or do right now to show you that we are here to help you. If there was..." Scully met his eyes and he felt as if she were looking deep within him. <<"She probably is. She should he displaying some of those abilities by now.">> Eyes as sharp as boning knives. Afraid they would see too much, he avoided looking straight into them. "I think that there is a way. May I?" She held up her hand. Warily, he nodded yes. She reached her hand and cupped his face. Her hand felt ice cold against his cheek. -Flash- What the hell was that? There was a flash of bright light for a second, but it disappeared. Scully removed her hand and stood up. "Like you said, we have to get out of here." She held her hand out to Dagen and helped him stand. Together they grabbed Mulder. * * * * * * George Washington Parkway 9:33pm Scully sat in the back of the car with Dagen; Mulder sat between the two. She watched as he reached down to the floor of the car and grab a bag. From it, he pulled a syringe and a vial. Carefully measuring the dose, he pulled the needle from the vial and turned to Mulder. Lifting up his sleeve, he injected the substance into his arm. "This should help counter act the side effects of his exposure." He briefly looked Scully in the eye, before sliding his gaze away. <<"He is hiding something. He isn't telling me everything. But he will not hurt us.">> "What are you hiding?" She asked, point blank. Dagen lifted his eyes to meet Krycek's in the rearview mirror. When Krycek nodded slightly, Dagen spoke. "His body is having a type of hypersensitivity reaction to the exposure. What I have given him will help his body tolerate it." "A hypersensitivity reaction to what exactly?" He hesitated. "To the DNA that you now have within you." Scully's pale skin became even whiter as the color drained from her cheeks. "What are you talking about? What do you mean by this?" "You've been changed, surely you've realized this." Scully closed her eyes tightly, and asked the question she didn't want to know the answer to. "What have I been changed into?" "Something..." Dagen paused, he couldn't seem to find the right words, "something more than human. I don't...I don't really have a better way of saying it really. I'm sorry." Scully took a slow breath before speaking again. "Who did this to me? Why would they do this?" Krycek spoke. "The tattered remains of the consortium. A few old men clinging to the past and trying one last desperate ploy to ensure their survival." "And what is this?" She said gesturing to the car around them, indicating the situation they were in. He smiled, without humor. "This is our own desperate ploy, of course." * * * * * * 9:41pm Scully's arm was in the process of going numb, but she didn't care. She was gently supported Mulder with one arm, and with her other hand she lightly brushed the hair from his forehead. She looked up in surprise when a high pitched chirping sound erupted from Krycek. She watched as he reached into his pocket and pulled out what was making the noise. Without a word, he rolled down his window and tossed the device out into the night. * * * * * * Resistance Headquarters 11:46pm Krycek pulled the car into a compound, isolated from the rest of the world by a thick forest. The compound was modeled after a military base; it was well blockaded and heavily armed guards abounded. Krycek stepped out quickly and barked at one of the guards. "We need some help here. We have a man injured." Only a second or two passed before they were met by a group of individuals and a gurney. They began to take Mulder away, with Dagen following closely, but Scully stopped them by physically blocking the entrance to the doorway. "I need to stay with him," she said sharply. Krycek placed his arm over hers in an attempt to move her out of the way. Looking down on her, he spoke. "He needs to be treated. The medication Dagen gave him in the car was only a temporary fix." Scully tossed his arm off of her, and stared him back. "And I said that I need to be with him." Krycek didn't flinch, and he didn't move away from her. "Look, we have to treat him, please let us through." Dagen pleaded. Ignoring Krycek, Scully turned to Dagen. He was a good man, although he felt a great guilt surrounding her. Perhaps she could use that to her advantage. "Look, after all I have gone through, after all the choices so indelicately removed from me, let me have this one. I need to be with him." Dagen looked at Krycek, an unsure look on his face. Irritated, Krycek gave in. "Do what ever the hell you want to do. Take her or don't, I really don't care. My job is finished." He walked away and left Dagen speaking nervously to Scully as she nearly dragged him over to the door. "Don't worry. We have some of the finest doctors here..." The rest was lost as Krycek rounded a corner. He opened one of the other entrances with a sweep of his code card through the scanner. This entrance led directly into the main headquarters, where the monitoring and the planning took place. That was where he found Allen. Allen was in the center of a small group, speaking quietly when he noticed Krycek's approach. Pyka also noticed and crossed the room to meet Krycek. Was the damn dog salivating? It seemed like it. When the dog began to aggressively lick Krycek's only other hand; he resisted the urge to kick the dog across the room. How he hated that dog. He wished with a deep passion that Allen would just get rid of the damn animal. Allen approached and he pulled the dog off of Krycek. "Come on girl, you know that uncle Krycek doesn't like it when you do that." The dog moved away reluctantly and sat down next to her master. She looked at Krycek, hunger in her eyes. "I wish you had better control of that damn dog. She does that every time." "She only does that with you. I guess you could say she has good taste." Before Krycek could respond, Allen glanced at his watch and said, "You're finally back." "This didn't go as well as we had planned. Mulder's with us. He's injured. Even unconscious his presence is already interfering. She insists on staying with him." "Perhaps it will be for the best." "*Perhaps*?" Krycek asked, incredulous. "I think that we should be far beyond the *perhaps* stage. Everything should be certain by now." "Are we treating him?" "Yes." "Then he will be fine by morning. We would have given her that much time to adjust anyway. Nothing's delayed." "I don't think that you understand what I'm saying." "I don't?" Allen raised his eyebrows. Krycek had the feeling that Allen was mocking him. "No you don't. You seem to underestimate the control he exerts over her. If he doesn't want her to do what we need her to do..." "I think you underestimate both of them. They are both intelligent people. Once we tell them what they need to know, they'll make the right decision." * * * * * * March 7, 1999 Operating Room 12:12am Scully felt like an animal trapped in a too tight cage. The urge to pace restlessly was strong, but she stilled the impulse. If she moved she would lose sight of Mulder, and she didn't intend losing sight of him ever again. She waited in the anteroom outside the operating room and peered through the small window. Well, perhaps operating room was a misnomer. An operation wasn't being conducted, but 'what' was being conducted was still unclear. Dagen was inside the room, supervising what ever was happening. He had told her to wait here (as if she would leave) and that someone would be by soon enough to answer some of her questions. So much had happen in such a short amount of time, her head reeled with the idea of it all. She looked at the clock on the wall. 12:12. When had all this started? Was it only four hours ago? It hardly seemed as if enough time had gone by, yet it also felt like it had been eons ago when Diana awakened her. Diana. She was dead; Scully felt her loss. Who would have imagined that just a few short weeks ago? <<"I guess that just shows how much has changed within these few hours.">> She didn't let herself dwell on the potential grief that Diana's passing could bring. Instead, she felt an overwhelming need for information. Why was she here? What had been done to her? Why? What was happening to Mulder? And, the question most pressing on her mind: What had happened to her? "Hell if I know." She spoke into the empty room. But she was lying to herself. She did know, at least she had an inkling. She had admitted it to herself, and Diana, earlier; hell she even had consciously used it to read Dagen to find out if he could be trusted. Physical contact afforded mind reading abilities, without it, simply empathic ones. And if she chose, she could sense nothing. She was learning quickly how it was done and how to control it. 'It' being the mind reading of course. She hated that term. It just felt so false and pretentious somehow. If Mulder was awake now he would offer up many other words as substitutions. Clairvoyant, psychic, telepathic abilities, precognizant, extrasensory perception... she was sure that he could go on forever. Scully smiled. He would love this. Finally a case where she couldn't disprove him, no matter how much she wished she could. Her smile faded. How she wished this could go back to how they were before... Distracted by her own thoughts, Scully did not see nor feel the other person's entrance into the small room. Before she knew what was happening, Scully found herself enveloped in two strong arms. Scully had hardly gotten a chance to see the woman's face, but she could tell by her thoughts who it was. <<"thank god she is ok...so worried...looks better than i thought... how is she handling it... better than it did, I think... I hope this will all work... please god, let all of this work...she's such a wonderful women...">> Out loud, Cassandra said, "Oh, it's so good to see you. I was worried about you when you hadn't arrived as expected." "Scully gently pealed away from her. "You knew I was coming? How?" "It was part of the plan. When we discovered what was happening to you, we knew we had to act." Scully was far too startled to really read Cassandra when they had hugged, and now that physical contact was broken, she could only feel Cassandra's excitement and clear pleasure at Scully's presence. Scully briefly considered grabbing her hand, but dismissed it quickly. It seemed like too much of a violation. The other times...well, Diana had initiated the first time, and with Dagen it had been an emergency, and with Mulder... well, that had been an accident. The thought of Mulder turned Scully's attention away from Cassandra, and back to the window. "Can you tell me how he is? Can you find out for me?" Cassandra stepped up to the window to gain a better look. "I wouldn't worry about him. They'll take good care of him. They're highly trained and are familiar with his condition. Also..." She hesitated, moved away from the window and turned to look at Scully. "They have healers here that can do what science can not." "What do you mean by that?" "They have abilities. They can help the body use its own resources to fight the illness or heal the injury. Although... I don't think that Mulder will need much outside help." Scully felt... 'something' from that statement. She didn't have a word for it, it was so fleeting, but it had been there. Something more that what it seemed. "What do you mean by that?" Cassandra didn't seem to hear her. Concern filled her voice as she asked the next question. "How are you?" "Do you know what they did to me?" Scully had a feeling that she did. "They did the same thing to you that they did to me." Bitterness filled Cassandra's voice. "Can you tell me why? What purpose does it serve?" "It served their own selfish purposes." Cassandra spat out the words distastefully. But the emotion lasted only for a moment. A smile appeared on her lips with her next words. "But that isn't important now. The why isn't important because you will not be used for those purposes." "What do you mean *used*? I'm not going to let myself be *used* by anyone." She just smiled at Scully's alarm. "You misunderstand. No one will force you to do anything that you don't want to do. You will not have to do anything against your will. But I think, once you learn, and come to accept the truth, you'll understand the role that you must come to play." "My role?" Scully asked carefully. "Why yes." Cassandra's voice was completely sincere as she spoke the next words. "You represent the future. The future of mankind, as well as its savior." * * * * * * The Master Calls A Butterfly 10/22 by april leigh Missing parts can be found at http://members.xoom.com/aprileigh/ * * * * * * Ethiopia 20 million years ago * * * * * * Deterministically inclined astronomers are convinced by statistical Reasoning that what has happened on the earth must also have happened on planets of stars other than the sun. Biologists, impressed by the evolution of man, consider... "the prevalence of humanoids" exceedingly improbable. --Ernst Mayr * * * * * * The animal was exploring. It was a young male, venturing off on its own away from the rest of the band. He was a curious animal by nature, and it did not take much to distract him. Moving away from the relative safety of the forest, he climbed out of a tree and began to approach the cleared area where the fire and noisy explosion had been. The ground was still smoldering from the intense flames of the previous day. The shattered remains of the meteorite littered the ground for several miles, leaving decimated trees and charred remains in its wake. The animal approached the edge of the charred ground and eyed the thing in front of him warily. The oil lay pooled on the blackened barren ground. The reflective nature of the oil had attracted him, but now he was beginning to feel uneasy. The smell of fire and smoke was still heavy in the air, and now it seemed as if the oil had moved of its own volition. He waited several moments; the oil remained motionless. Quickly forgetting his concern, the animal began to move even closer. Pausing just within arms length of the oil, he cautiously reached out to the substance. Pulling its hand back, the animal looked at the viscous fluid clinging to his fingers. The oil shattered and the tiny worm-like segments began their assent up the animal's body. The animal began to cry out as he felt the pinpricks of pain as each segment pierced the skin. The startled cry was abruptly cut short. The animal's eyes clouded over briefly. Although his cries had been interrupted, they had been enough to alert some of the members of the band, one of which was the animal's mother. Grunting with displeasure, the mother scurried out to her young. Sweeping him into her arms, she pulled him to her breast and he clinged to her as she hurried back to the forest and away from the openness of the desert. The child had already forgotten what had disturbed him. And mankind took his first step. * * * * * * March 7, 1999 Resistance Headquarters Mulder's Room 1:57am When Mulder woke up, he had the oddest sensation of dj vu, like a cool breeze from an unseen window. It was Scully's soft, soothing voice that first roused him, as well as her light touch on his forehead. "Mulder? Mulder, can you hear me?" He stirred and slowly opened his eyes. "Scully?" A soft voice, barely a whisper, called her name. "Scully is that you?" Hadn't this just happened? "Mulder? Are you awake? How do you feel?" She pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down. Her eyes met his confused ones. He shook his head in confusion, trying his best to organize his thoughts. Didn't he just wake up? Or had that been a dream? "I feel like......... I don't know... how am I supposed to feel?" He shifted in the bed, and only then did he realize that they were no longer in her apartment. He was in a hospital type bed, but the rest of the room did not look like a hospital room. Aside from the bed, the rest of the room gave no hint as to where he could be. The room was sparsely furnished; a cheap looking dresser, mismatched nightstands and a single chair which Scully now occupied. He could be anywhere. "Where are we? How did we get here? What's going on?" "Do you remember what happened in my apartment?" She asked carefully. He smiled a lazy, loopy smile that stemmed from the narcotics and beamed up at her. "Of course. You came back to me. I missed you so much." She nodded slightly, and chose her next words carefully. "That did happen. Do you remember what happened after that?" She prompted. His forehead furrowed as he tried to think through the haze of medication. He blinks rapidly and she watches as his eyes clear, his mind following slowly behind. And then he remembered. And the lightness and joy in his eyes vanished. "The bounty hunter came. He tried to shoot me, but you pushed me out of the way." He smiled a thank you before continuing. "I didn't get hit, but you did. And instead of blood..." He stopped, unable to finish. Instead, he changed the subject. "How did we escape?" He paused as he considered something else. "How did you even get away in the first place?" "Diana." "Diana? Really?" If Mulder hadn't been fully awake before, he was now. Surprised flashed over his features. Scully smiled slightly. "Surprised me as well. She rescued me, and you." "What do you mean, me?" "She wasn't supposed to get you. 'Wasn't the plan.'" She paused now. Mulder could read that look. It was bad news. "What?" "She was killed." Mulder's face maintained its careful impassiveness. How should he feel about that? He didn't know. Things had ended so badly last time he had seen her, he never thought that he could feel anything toward her again. But if she really had saved Scully like Scully claimed... All of this flashed through his head in an instant. Scully was still speaking. "She died for you Mulder. You're not supposed to be here with me now, and you wouldn't be if it weren't for her. It was just me that they wanted." "Wanted for what? Do we even know? How can we even know if these people are any better than the others?" "They are." Another pause. She was having trouble finding the words. "I don't think that they'll hurt us, although no one has answered any of my questions to my satisfaction." "How can you know, though? As you say, they haven't answered your questions... we don't know anything about them..." She hesitated once again. Beats of silence and then she plunged. "Mulder, I have...I've been changed. I'm not quite the same as I once was." "I know." Mulder whispered. Scully shook her head. "No you don't, not all of it. It's not just..." She looked down to her abdomen. Mulder's eyes followed hers. She didn't finish. "But I do." He squeezed her hand tightly, then loosened. "A report was given to me. Diana actually. I know what they did to you." His comment distracted Scully from telling him her news. "What did they do to me? How did they change me?" Now it was he who hesitated. "They altered your genes." Fear filled the room. Fear of the unknown. Fear of her. Scully gasped from the strength of it, and it was a moment or two before she could concentrate enough to form the words to speak. "What are you saying?" If he noticed her reaction, he was kind enough to ignore it. "Genes were added." He watched as her eyes widened in fear and he hurried to finish. "Not foreign genes, your own. Your own introns were prevented from being removed." "Something more than human..." Scully softly echoed Dagen's words of before. She was starting to understand. "Did you say something?" "Hmmm? Oh, no, I didn't." Her eyes refocused on him, although when she spoke, her voice was distant. "Mulder, I'm sorry that I woke you, I really should have let you sleep..." She began to stand. "No, don't leave me." The strength as well as pure need in his voice startled them both. "Please don't run away. What ever has happened, what ever will happen, I'll still need you. We need each other to get through this together." Pause. "Nothing's changed." But the hesitation in his voice belied his own words. <<"Except her. Nothing's changed, except her.">> She's silent. Unconsciously her hand slowly traced circles on the thin cotton of the blue shirt she wore. Her hands moved restlessly on her abdomen, the circles becoming tighter and tighter the longer she stood thinking. Silence as they both stared at one another. Her expression was impenetrable to him. Finally she sat down again. It was obvious that she was upset, yet...what could he do to make it better? "Scully, I--" Mulder didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry. If you want to go you can. You probably need your rest too." "No. I'm fine. I'll stay here with you." Silence. "Ok." Pause. "Goodnight Scully." "Goodnight." And the silence settled uncomfortably around them. It was hours before either fell asleep. * * * * * * Kenya 500,000 years ago The young man called out, alerting the others of his tribe. "Fire, I see fire over there. It came from out of the sky. Come with me and we will get it together." He said this with half formed words and gestures, but the message was clear. Another man approached and they left together. The men set out in the direction of the billowing smoke over the horizon. It would be a full days travel, but both understood the importance of obtaining fire. They had been without fire for several days, ever since the savage storm. They had lost the fire and they were not close enough to another band to obtain more. They had feared that they would have to wait for the stormy season, the time of the flashing streaks of light, to get more, but it seemed like things were beginning to look up. The two men traveled in silence all day, always on the lookout for food, as well as the wild animals that could attack. The trip was uneventful, though slow. Everywhere they turned, they saw the effects the storm had had on the land. Trees fallen, branches broken, and carcasses of animals spotted the ground. The men had investigated the killed animals, but found them to be in such foul form that they were useless. They left the remains to the scavenging animals. As the day progressed, they made their way out of the ruins of the storm, and into an entirely different type of ruins. They'd just cleared a bluff when they took in a startling sight. Here, the trees were toppled, but not in the haphazard, random way of before. And instead of just a few of the older, weaker trees falling, the entire forest before them had fallen, all laying in the same direction, toppled as if mere branches. The tips of the trees singed and striped of their bark. They had never seen any thing like it before. They paused at the crest, confused and uncertain as to what to do next. Then the first man, the one who had first spotted the smoke, made their choice. The fire was far to valuable to give up, to pass up this opportunity. They continued. It was approaching dusk when they arrived at the place of fire. Knowing the late hour, and hazards of traveling at night, the two prepared to stay. First wrapping a segment of animal skin to the end of a fallen branch, they walked up to the edge of the billowing smoke. The stench of the surrounding animal carcasses, as well as the gray ash, remnants of the life now being burned, filled the air, causing their chests to tighten, and left them gasping for air. Once completed, they set up their impromptu campsite. The men moved to a safe distance away from the glowing fire and settled on the blackened earth. They had learned long ago that fire cannot go to the blackened areas, so they knew that this would be a safe region. Although they were both hungry and tired from their travels, they were both pleased to have warmth after so many nights without. The first man indicated to the second that he was to stay awake to keep guard since they were in an open and unfamiliar territory. The second man got up and gathered some of the easily accessible wood to fuel the fire and pulled out his stone knife. It wasn't much, but his other, larger weapon had been loss in the storm. He sat close to the fire for warmth, while the other man slept. * * * * * * The heat was bothering the oil, speeding up its processes to an uncomfortable level. Driven by instinct, it strove to clear the flames. The oil couldn't find what it needed. It had been seeking for awhile, but nothing it found triggered nothing more than a passing acknowledgment. Everything around it was far too simple in nature. Moments later it managed to clear the last of the flames. Moving easier now, it explored its environment. Still only nothing. It needed something more-and then it found it. * * * * * * The second man had just begun to nod off when he heard movement, a rustling sound, like leaves against the earth. But he knew that there were no leaves in this area that had not burned. He stood up, knife in hand and surveyed his surroundings. He saw nothing; he heard nothing more. He stood still, motionless. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw something. Moving his head almost imperceptibly, the man turned to face that direction. He saw the movement again. He couldn't tell what it was. He had never seen anything that reflected light like it did. The man began to cautiously move toward the substance, curious. Squatting before it, he slowly brought his hand down to touch the material. Bringing his hand up, he rolled the oil between his fingertips, feeling its smooth texture and watching the light play against the liquid substance. * * * * * * The man's contact was all that was necessary to catapult the creature into action. Pulling itself into the man, the creature had found its place. If it could have sighed, it would have in relief. * * * * * * When the first man woke up in the middle of the night, he saw his companion a few paces away, staring off and motionless. He signaled to him "What's wrong? Danger?" The second man turned. "No. I thought I saw something, but I was wrong. My turn to sleep?" The other man looked at him, his eyes slightly squinting, before he responded. "Yes, we can switch now." * * * * * * The next day the two men set off, each carrying a torch. The first man had forgotten about his misgiving of the previous night, while the second man's memory of the event had disappeared with the night And man took another step. * * * * * * March 7, 1999 Resistance Headquarters Ed Bower's Office 6:42 am Ed Bower wearily opened the door to his office and dropped his overnight bag just inside. He pulled off his well worn, dust covered jacket, and placed it on his coat rack. He happened to glance at his reflection in the mirror next to the door. Something looked odd. He ran his hand over his bearded cheeks, in the process disturbing much of the dust that had settled there from before he'd gotten the urgent call twelve hours ago. He had gotten on the first flight available straight from the field and hadn't even paused to clean up. His hand was still on his beard as he leaned closer to the mirror. Had he been this gray before he left? He didn't quite remember having this much salt to his pepper. <<"I wouldn't be surprised if I've gone total white by the time this as all said and done.">> He turned away from the mirror and crossed to his desk, bring his overnight bag with him. He sighed with relief as he sat in his comfortable chair. He suddenly felt incredibly old. It had been a long flight, but it was going to be an even longer day. He sat heavily in his chair and rested his head on his cupped hands. <<"God, had it finally come to this?">> Not for the first time he wished he were like everyone else, blissfully ignorant. If only he had taken that teaching position... what was it now? 20 years ago?... he could be the head of the department by now, published... But no, he had chosen to return to the field. Seeking glory. He'd wanted to find something new and revolutionary. What a damn cocky kid he had been; he had certainly gotten what he wished for. He brushed those thoughts away with an ease born of many years of practice. No use looking to the past. The present needed all of his attention. Thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in." He didn't look up. "I'm glad to see that you're back. How was your trip?" He could feel Cassandra's smile through her words. He raised his eyes to meet Cassandra's. "Long. I didn't get much sleep either. What time is it anyway? I'm still on Tunisian time." She glanced at her watch. "About a quarter to seven." Her answer spurred him into action. "Already? I'm not even half-prepared...and I still need to speak with that new guy, Dagen is his name I think..." His voice trailed off as he set the overnight bag on the floor and began to sift through the mess that he called a desk. She leaned across his desk and laid a calming hand over his, halting his motion. "Don't worry about that. Dagen is organizing the evidence in the conference room, and you already know much of the story." "It's not that so much, as I'm worried about how I present it. This isn't something that is easily excepted. I just don't want to scare her off. From what Allen has told me, she is crucial to our efforts." She walked up behind him and rested her hands on his shoulders. "I'm sure that you will do just fine. You just have to speak the truth." As she spoke, she began to massage the tense muscles of his shoulders and neck. Ed let out a sigh of relief as warmth infused his tired muscles. "You always give the best shoulder rubs." "It's a gift." The irony of that statement did not escape him. A moment passed before he spoke again. "And how are our guests?" "You know that Mulder is here with us?" She asked. He nodded. "Allen has kept me updated." He placed his hands over hers and halted her motion. He turned his chair to face her. "Are you sure that we can trust them?" "We can trust them. This is what they've been working for all of these years. Once everything is explained I am sure that she will help us." She said this confidently. "Are you sure?" Concern laced his words. "Yes. Mulder will be easiest to convince, but Scully will believe once we show her the evidence. Of course," she amended, "she will be forced to believe once she begins to witness the evidence first hand." "I'm not worried about that so much as I am worried about her participation. If they are as close as you say, will he let her do this?" She couldn't help but smile at his comment. "'Let' her? How progressive." She was only slightly teasing. Ed had the sense to look contrite. "That's not what I meant. It's just..." Cassandra let him struggle for a moment longer before rescuing him. "They will both see that this is the only option. And I don't see either of them putting themselves before the rest of the world." "Is it wrong for me to be happy that we can't have you do it?" "It would make things much simpler for everyone." She acknowledged. He looked up to her face. Their eyes met. "If I were in Mulder's place, I don't know if I could let you do it." "You would. I know you, and I know that you would do what was right." He squeezed her hand. Softly, he said, "I missed you." She smiled down at him. "I know. I missed you too." She let the moment linger before changing the subject. "So, what was so important at the site that you had to rush out of here like a maniac last week? Did you find anything worth mentioning?" His eyes immediately lit up with excitement. "I can't believe that I almost forgot to tell you this." He bent at his waist and pulled his bag from the floor. From it, he pulled out a large piece of paper with an intricate etching on it. "You know how we haven't discovered anything that could be construed as art, or writing or anything that indicates creativity at the site?" Cassandra nodded, she remembered what he had told her. "Well anyway," He continued, "we have studied this specific site for nearly twenty years and haven't found anything remotely like this. This is a first major breakthrough in five years. "A couple of months ago we decided to expand the dig, to explore the surrounding area. To our surprise, we found another settlement about 500 yards from the main site. It was clearly from the same era, the materials and methods used for the buildings were the same as the original site, but there was a huge difference. There was art. This," He opened the folded paper and spread it flat against the desktop, "this is just a part of a series of complex pictographs that adorned the walls of the dwellings." Cassandra looked down at the paper with amazement. "What do you think that this means?" She asked as she looked up from the paper to his face. "This is only a segment of a much larger..." He paused, searching for the correct word, "...story. Yes, story is the right word. The carvings seem to depict a story, perhaps even a history of these people. I took a great deal of pictures of the various carvings, but I knew that the pictures could not do it justice, as far as the grand scope of this art, as well as the intricate depictions presented, so I took an etching. This is the final picture in the series, and the one that I feel is the most significant." Ed met Cassandra's eyes. "I know what I think I see, but I want you to tell me what you see when you look at this. What do you think this represents?" She carefully studied the etching for several moments before speaking. She chose her words carefully. "It looks... well this right here," she pointed to a corner, "looks like a group of people..." She hesitated, still studying the picture. "No, actually it looks like two specific groups. Yes..." She murmured to herself. She pointed to two different areas. "Yes, there are two groups, one here, and the other, smaller group here." Although he did not wish to influence her take on the etching, Ed couldn't help but nod with enthusiasm at her interpretation. If she, most definitely a layperson, could see what he did... He needn't have worried about Cassandra witnessing his reaction; she had not yet taken her eyes off the paper. Ed watched as her eyes took in the sight before her; as tried to make sense of it all. He saw the moment she comprehended; he knew that she saw what he, and the others, saw, even before she spoke. Cassandra began to speak excitedly. "Yes, two groups, and this right here," she pointed to the large geometric figure that took up much of the center of the carving, "this is a spacecraft, and this group, the larger one," once more she gestured toward one of the groups that represented the people, "this larger group is going to it, boarding the ship." Only now did she look up and meet Ed's eyes as her last comment took a firm hold in her psyche. "This group is boarding the ship and leaving on it." * * * * * * The Master Calls A Butterfly 11/22 by april leigh Missing parts can be found at http://members.xoom.com/aprileigh/ * * * * * * Conference Room 7:09 am * * * * * * A single event can awaken within us a stranger totally unknown to us.--Antoine de Saint-Exupery * * * * * * Dagen set the large stack of papers down. They sat precariously on the table in the spacious conference room. He was gathering the evidence so that the agents could look at it during the presentation. He happened to glance down to the paper on the top of the stack. It was a copy of a gene sequence from that Praise boy. The sequence that had started it all... He sighed as he set the paper down. Who would have thought that there was such a thing as too much success? Surely not him ten years ago when they had recruited him right out of grad school. He had been the 'golden boy,' hand picked by Dr. Eugene Mitchell, project head. Even though he had been young, he had been the leader of the research team that had developed new methods for gene splicing. The offers that had come in after that study had been published... Sometimes, too often, he wondered what would have happened if he had followed his mother's advice and taken that nice steady job at that pharmaceutical company, instead of taking the offer that paid the most. He could be developing the cure for cancer instead of... What would have happened? How much better would the world be if he'd just followed that advice? He picked up another paper. This one had a section of Scully's genes. Her *new* genes. Well, he knew how much better off Scully would be. He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. God, he was only 31 years old, and all he wished was that he had become a failure. "So how are our guests doing?" Dagen's eyes had still been closed so he had not seen the man enter. The unexpected noise startled him and had sent the stacked papers fluttering to the ground. He bent at the waist and began picking up the papers as he replied to Krycek's inquiry. "About as well as we hoped. I believe that Mulder has recovered. Ed has just gone to get them." "So you've spoken with Ed?" "Yes." "What are you doing now?" Krycek casually leaned over the table and peered down on Dagen, who was hunched over the floor, trying to shuffle the papers back into some semblance of order. "I need to gather some of the evidence so that we can present it to them as we tell them the story." "Ah, the story...the explanation for everything, right? In the beginning...'God created man in his own image'...He took a rather circuitous route of doing that, wouldn't you say?" He looked at Dagen. Dagen had only been half listening to Krycek. "He?" He shrugged his shoulders. "Or She if you prefer, or maybe It? Who am I to say what God is? I can't wait to see their faces as the story unfolds. I'm sure that it will be priceless." Dagen finally stood and set the papers down, this time in smaller stacks. "You won't be here." "Oh why not?" Krycek looked genuinely disappointed, even though his tone was light. Dagen met his eyes. "They loathe you. You'd only be a distraction." Krycek snorted with disbelief. "And you won't? Once you spill your news you think that you will be their best friend?" "Look, what I did, what I was part of...it wasn't supposed to be like that. I didn't mean--" "You didn't mean for this to happen? This isn't something that you just stumbled on." He strode over to the pile of documents sitting on the table. He picked up a fat stack with his hand and waved the papers under Dagen's face. "This sure doesn't look like you stumbled over this treatment. How many months did it take you until you were able to isolate the specific gene in the boy? Huh? I'm sure that there was a moment or two where you could have thought about the possible consequences of your experiments." He slammed the stack back down on the table. "What the hell did you think they were going to do with the information? They weren't shelling out the big bucks just so you could play with you chemistry set. And--" "Shut up." Dagen interrupted Krycek's tirade. "I don't need a lecture on ethics or morals, and certainly not from you." "Are you implying something, Dagen?" He said this with a smirk. Krycek's smugness was insufferable, but Dagen refused to act angry or upset, which would have pleased him immensely. Instead, he kept his features expressionless and his voice cool. He ignored Krycek's comment; instead he just said, "Get out." "You know, I don't understand where all of this hostility is coming from. You should be thanking me, not cursing me. I brought you into this. Now you have the chance to try to make things right. This is your shot at redemption. You should be thanking me." "Thanks. Now get the hell out of here." "Only because you asked so nicely..." And with that last comment, Krycek left. Dagen sat heavily in one of the chairs at the table. He brought his hands up to his head, cradling each side of his face. His head was beginning to pound. * * * * * * Mulder's Room 7:15 am Scully had somehow managed to fall asleep, even though the chair she sat on was immensely uncomfortable and her nerves fried to the point of blistering. Perhaps it was sheer exhaustion from maintaining her sanity in this strange and awful universe she had fallen into, that had allowed her to rest. She was cold, but she was powerless to find some way to cover herself. Her limbs didn't respond to her commands. Her teeth wanted to chatter, but her jaw did not respond. She was flat on her back, that she was sure of, but other than that, she couldn't be sure of anything. She tried to open her eyes, but could not. They were frozen shut. Yes, frozen. She was frozen solid. The cold seeped into her bones and she wanted to shiver, she wanted to shiver so badly, anything to try to shake the chill off, but she could not. And she just lay there. Then suddenly she could see, even though her eyes remained shut, but this did not surprise her. She blinked, or seemed to, even though her eyes remained closed. Bright light shined in her eyes. But she didn't want to close them. She was afraid of the dark. Incredibly bright light. A light that should have hurt her eyes, but it did not. She stared into the light, not quite sure what she was looking at. It was familiar. Yes very familiar. It was the sun. Yes it was the sun. Was she outside now? That must be it. That made sense. She could see the blue sky surrounding the bright circle above. How had she missed that before? She wasn't cold now, either. The radiant sun was lending its warmth to her, and she was beginning to thaw. She could turn her head now; open her eyes for real. Turning her head to the side, Scully was able see more of her surroundings. She was in a clearing in the center of a forest. She lay on a luxurious bed of grass. She could feel the grass's gentle tickling against her cheek and wished she could run her fingers through it. She couldn't do it then, the rest of her body remained immobilized, but she could feel the delightful pin prickling sensations that foretold returning movement. She waited impatiently. Scully felt as if time was running out. Scully was thawing in degrees. She looked down to her hands folded neatly on her abdomen. She could move her fingers now, and they waited restlessly for her arms to catch up. Seconds or minutes later, she couldn't be sure, her arms were freed. Her fingers dug into the thick grass as she raised herself up into a sitting position. Her legs remained numb, and as she waited, a delicate butterfly lightly fluttered into view. The insect hovered near her face, and Scully shifted her weight onto her left arm so that she could bring her right hand up. Scully extended her index finger and to her surprise and delight the butterfly landed, and sat perched on her fingertip. The multicolored wings beat gently. The wings were nearly transparent in the intense light, and she could see the fragile veins that coursed through the wings. A shadow suddenly fell across her hand. The butterfly, sensing a danger before Scully, made its departure. Before she could turn to see who had approached, Scully felt hands grip her shoulders, and with great force, she was driven back into the grass. Except it wasn't grass any longer. It was a table. A hard, cold, metal table. And she was beginning to freeze again. <<"NO!">> She tried to scream, but her lips and tongue were already incapacitated. But she struggled anyway. She didn't want to be here, on this table, in this cold white room. She had been here too many times already. Scully felt a hand stroke her forehead, and even though the only thing that now remained thawed was her eyelids, the hand felt incredibly cold, cold as one of the bodies found in autopsy bays, colder than her own frozen skin. She rolled her eyes back to try to gain a glimpse at her companion and then wished she hadn't. A scream tried to claw its way from her vocal cords, but became strangled in her paralyzed throat. Scully was looking at herself, but it wasn't her, couldn't be. The head was too bulbous, skin too pasty, eyes too vacant. <<"Please God">>, she prayed, <<"please don't let this be me.">> But it was her. The second it began to speak she knew. "It's ok Dana. Everything will be ok. I know that you're scared now, but it'll all work out for the best. I know what's best for you, for us. Trust me... It is so much better feeling nothing. So much better than being afraid..." Scully couldn't talk, couldn't move. She tried begging to her alter ego with her eyes, to no avail. The other her just ran her hand over Scully's forehead again. "I told you, don't worry. You'll like having all of the pain, and fear, and worry gone." She pulled a light to the table, and placed it directly over Scully's head. As much as Scully wanted to look away, her paralyzed body could not let her. But it wasn't a real light; no it was something much worse. It was indicative of an outer darkness; it was only mere reflective light "Don't worry. This won't hurt a bit. And soon you'll be just like me." * * * * * * Her own scream woke her. Scully went from sleep to wakefulness with a painful jolt and she sat up straight in her chair, heart pounding, mouth dry. Realization swept over her: There was a presence in the room. The after images of her dream remained and it took several seconds before she realized that the thin being that stood in front of her was no and alien, but in fact a man. A tall, thin man with a graying beard, leathery skin from too many years in the merciless sun. The lines of his face spoke of wide grins and a gentleness that could only have been etched over decades. He had one hand on his chest, and on his face he wore a look of surprise mixed with concern. It seemed that she wasn't the only one startled by her cry. "Are you ok?" He asked, concerned. "I'm sorry if I frightened you. That wasn't my intention." "No, it wasn't you, but something else. It was I who startled you. I'm sorry." She stood, and straightened her disheveled clothing. "I was coming to wake you both." Walking a short distance away from the bed, she motioned for the man to follow. She spoke quietly, trying not to disturb Mulder, although he had already slept through her calling out. "Can you help us? We need some questions answered and you seem to be someone that can help us." "Yes, that is actually the reason I'm here. I've come to bring both of you to a meeting I've set up." He paused, then laughed again holding out his hand. "I'm sorry, I haven't even introduced myself yet. I'm Dr. Bower, but you can call me Ed." "Nice to meet you." She gripped his hand. -Flash- The sun... so bright above...the earth below, the innards revealing its secrets. Men bent double over ancient pits, dusting away the secrets, particle by particle. -Flash- Excitement... confusion, a realization...then- Scully jerked away as if he struck her with a live electrical wire. Ed looked at her, and blinked slowly. "Is something wrong?" "I'm fine." She whispered. Ed was talking again, but she couldn't seem to comprehend the words. She was having after-images, after-thoughts from her contact. A tablet--no, a mural of some kind, and the realization of what it all meant... She mentally shook her head in an attempt to clear her head. <<"This has to stop.">> In her mind, she visualized bricks being stacked. One on top of the other, mortar spread thick between. She could hear him now. Ed was mid sentence when she began listening again. "-- thought that it would be best to let you both have the night before we..." He laughed nervously. "Before we deluge you with information. We also thought it would be best to give Mulder time to finish getting better, and to give you time to adjust to all that is happening." He paused, and concerned laced his words. "How are you adjusting?" <<"Adjusting? Can he actually be serious? Well, except for the mind reading thing, the double abduction thing, oh and of course the toxic green blood, things are swell.">> She didn't say any of this of course, instead, she responded with her stand-by. "I'll be fine." Ed seemed to believe her and he turned to leave. But he then remembered something. "I almost forgot. Across the hall, there's a bathroom where you both can freshen up. We have some clothing for both of you as well. I'll come back in a few minutes and then we can begin." "Then we can begin." She agreed. * * * * * * The Master Calls A Butterfly 12/22 by april leigh Missing parts can be found at http://members.xoom.com/aprileigh/ * * * * * * Conference Room 7:27am * * * * * * A creation out of nothing, by an infinite Being if you like, is a hypothesis that cannot be ruled out by the physical evidence presently available. But neither is it in any degree confirmed by that evidence, nor is it the only possible hypothesis. -- Wallace I. Matson * * * * * * Mulder and Scully were ushered into a large room, which was set up with an expansive table and chairs around it. Tall gray filing cabinets lined one wall, and on another were bookcases filled with various medical and science books, as well as journals. Dagen moved to the end of the table where Scully noticed that a projector had been set up. He motioned to the chairs next to him. "Please, sit." Scully and Mulder sat down next to each other, side by side. "Would you like some coffee?" Ed held up a previously hidden coffeepot. They both nodded. "Cream, no sugar." He set one cup before Scully. "And black for you." As he set the other before Mulder. "Correct?" he asked with a questioning look on his face. Warily, they nodded again. For some absurd reason, Mulder found this very unnerving, more so than everything else that they had been through. <<"They know how we take our coffee? What else do they know?">> Both Ed and Dagen sat down across from them, each with their own cup. Ed looked at the couple in front of him and sighed. "I really don't know how to start. There is a lot that we have to cover." "I can think of any number of places to begin." Scully began to count on her fingers. "What was done to me... why...who...what are we doing here...the treatment that was given to Mulder..." her hand fell to the table, "I could go on." Mulder spoke up. "Perhaps it would just be best if you began at the beginning." The two doctors shared a long look. Ed spoke again. "He wants us to start at the beginning." A heavy sigh escaped his lips. " I guess that is as good a place as any. But before I do that, let me tell you a bit about us. As you know my name is Ed Bower. I have a Ph.D. in paleoanthropology." He looked at the doctor. "Dr. Dagen here is an immunogeneticist. We have been elected by the others, because of our extensive knowledge in our respective fields to tell you both everything." Mulder leaned forward. "Everything, everything?" Ed smiled. "As much as you can take." Mulder's hands rubbed together eagerly. "We're ready." Ed continued. "First, I think that I should explain how we have come to know all that we do. We worked for a group, a kind of consortium, if you will." Mulder glanced to Scully, and they shared a slightly worried look. This exchanged did not pass Ed unnoticed. "You are familiar with it I believe. We were both recruited to the project many years ago. Unfortunately, at the time of our recruitments, we were not fully aware of what the group was all about. And once we did... well, let's us just say that the jobs we took aren't the kind you can quit easily ... or put on a resume." "So what are you saying? Are you still working for them, what parts that are left?" Mulder questioned, concern evident in his voice. "Not any longer." Ed hurried to correct. "Actually, we were recruited again, by another group, but this time for a much greater purpose." "And what is that purpose?" This time it was Scully. "Prevent colonization." Ed answered. Scully asked, "And just who is this group?" Dagen spoke now. "The resistance. I know that they've done horrible things--" Scully cut him off. "But they had their reasons, right?" Scully remained calm, but her tone took on a decidedly icy turn. "We all have our reasons. I understand, really I do. It was necessary, right? Necessary to kill those men of the consortium as well as their entire families. It was necessary to lure me and a great number of others to our almost certain death on a bridge." Dagen sighed; frustrated by the turn this meeting had already taken. "Please, wait. I know that this doesn't sound the best yet...but...this isn't how I expected it to go." He murmured the last part under his breath. He tried again. "The story needs to go in order for everything to be adequately understood. I don't mean to say that the activities that were conducted will be... justified... but..." He faltered once again. He looked to Ed for help. Ed took his cue. "What I think he is trying to say, what *we* are trying to say, is that you need to know the big picture before you should make up your minds. And it is a big picture. What you know now, is only a mere fraction of everything." Both Ed and Dagen looked at them with an almost pathetic look on each of their faces. They pleaded with Mulder and Scully to understand, or at the very least give them a chance. Mulder reached his hand under the table and found Scully's hand. He squeezed it once, reassuring her of his presence. He was willing to give them a chance. Scully spoke. "We'll hear everything? Including what exactly what was done to me?" Ed nodded enthusiastically. "Absolutely. I promise we will tell you everything we know." He resumed speaking, starting from were he had left off previously. "We were chosen to speak with you because our respective specialties highly relate to the story. I personally worked mostly in the field on digs, uncovering fossils, archeological sites, et cetera. The doctor here worked in a lab, studying and researching both human and alien genetics." Dagen spoke. "I feel that we need to be completely honest here, if we have any hope of establishing a relationship with you. I don't want you to feel that we are hiding something important from you. "He paused and took a deep breath and said the rest in one great burst. "I was fully aware that experiments were taking place on the public. I was a part of the research group that studied and compiled the information that was gathered on the..."His eyes briefly met Scully's, but then shifted away. "...the subjects. Including Scully. Also, the work that I did, much of it was used to create the treatment that Scully under went. And..." Only now did he pause. This was the most difficult to admit. "And I worked on the project that chose Agent Scully as the subject that would be used for...he paused. Briefly looking at them both before continuing with the weight next word would hold, "...conversion." Mulder glanced at Scully next to him, trying to judge her response. There was tension at the edges of her mouth, and her back became a little more rigid; her shoulders a bit more square. But she didn't flinch. They all were silent as they waited for her response. More than anything, Mulder wanted to reach over the table and strangle the men sitting across from them for their part of the deception and what was done to her, but he also understood that this was her choice. She was the one who would decide how this meeting turned out. God knows how many choices had already been ripped away from her. They all waited tensely for Scully to speak. When she finally did, her voice was composed. "I understand. Please begin at the beginning." The men in the room all seemed to share a collective sigh of relief. Dagen paused a moment before he began. "The beginning... I guess the *very* beginning would be the most appropriate." He paused. "Agent Scully, what is the normally accepted theory as to the origin of life on earth?" "Well," she paused, briefly confused at the odd turn of the conversation; "the most commonly accepted view of the origin of life amongst the scientific community is the theory of abiogenesis, the theory that living matter may be produced from non-living matter." She paused and looked to the others. "Of course it isn't as simple as that. We aren't talking about spontaneous generation here. We're talking about a situation that no longer exists on earth that through good fortune and perhaps a little luck were conductive to creating life." "And what do you think of this theory?" Dagen prodded, seeking more of an answer. "What do I think? I'm not really an expert on this subject, but I think it is a valid theory. Tests have been done that have attempted to recreate primitive earth of 4 billion years ago, and from these tests simple amino acids were created. There is the classic experiment by Miller and Urey." The two doctors nodded, but she continued, mostly for Mulder's benefit. "The experiment was rather simple really. In a flask they created an 'ocean' of water, which was heated, which forced the water vapor to circulate through an apparatus. In the top contained an 'atmosphere' made up of methane, ammonia, hydrogen, and the circulating water vapor. They exposed the gases to a continuous electrical discharge, or 'lightning', which caused the gases to interact. The water-soluble products of those reactions then passed through a condenser and dissolved in the mock ocean. The experiment yielded many amino acids." "Do you think that is what happened?" Ed asked as she finished. "You know, I asked for you to begin at the beginning, but I really don't see the point of this." "There is, trust me." Ed assured. "What do you think happened?" She sighed, but continued. "Well of course we will never *really* know, but for the most part I agree with that theory." "For the most part?" Ed asked. "Well, perhaps it is just part of the human ego, or all of those years of Sunday School, but I don't really like the idea that we are all just a cosmic accident. I would like to think that maybe there is some ultimate purpose. I mean, don't we all?" "What if I were to say it wasn't an accident?" Ed didn't give her a chance to respond. "Agents, have you heard about the theory of panspermia?" She spoke again, this time humoring him. "I believe it's an alternate theory concerning the origin of life on Earth. The basic tenet of the theory is that life on Earth was seeded from space, and that life's evolution to higher forms depended on genetic programs that came from space." "From the look on your face, I take it that you don't hold much credence in that theory." Ed turned to address Mulder. "Mulder, have you heard about this theory?" "Actually, yes I have. A lot of research has gone into it, and there is evidence that life could have originated from outside this planet. In 1996 it was determined that there was fossilized evidence of ancient life in a meteorite from Mars. In 1997 a NASA scientist published evidence of fossilized microscopic life forms in a meteorite not from Mars. And--" She interrupted. "That was never concluded absolutely. There was evidence that suggested that it was merely post-impact contamination. Besides, the age of these meteorites don't correlate with the time period when they would have had to *seed* the earth. And--". Scully was in turn interrupted by Mulder. "True," he acknowledged, "but in 1996 they found traces of a carbon in rocks from southwest Greenland that could have only come from life. These are the oldest signs of life on Earth, dating back 3.85 billion years. Nearly 400 million years earlier than was previous thought. This evidence suggests that microbes existed remarkably close to a time when giant meteorites bombarded the planet." Mulder was in his element and clearly enjoying it. She turned to look pointedly at him, mildly irritated at his interruption, before continuing. "As I was saying, the sheer amount of genetic material that would be needed to start this process..." "Wouldn't it explain how life originated on this planet?" Mulder leaned forward on the table. He was beginning to really warm up to this theory. It seems that this would be an easier, and more realistic possibility than non life becoming life." "That this planet was *seeded* by extraterrestrial organisms? But that just begs the question Mulder. Life would still have to *begin*, just with this theory, life would begin somewhere else. You would still have to deal with *how* life began in the first place." "Well, who says that there is a beginning? Could we say that there has always been life, that it is just one big cycle?" "Like the circle of life?" She said sarcastically. "It's a nice thought, but the universe is only about 12 billion years old. You're talking about an infinite concept existing in a finite universe. It just doesn't work that way." Ed stopped them before they could continue. "Whoa! Hold up here. I think that we got a little off track." He waited until he regained their attention before continuing. He summarized her comments. "So, it is my understanding that you don't agree with this theory that I suggested?" Another sigh, this was becoming tedious. "No, I don't hold much credence in this theory." "What would you think if we had evidence that proved otherwise?" Scully placed her most skeptical face on and answered. "I think that I would definitely need to see this 'evidence'." "We have the evidence right here." Dagen tapped the top of the stack of papers. "Evidence can be faked." She said simply. "Yes it can, I'm not denying that...But you're welcome to check to see if I'm telling the truth." Dagen held out his hand across the table. Scully instinctively pulled away from his outstretched arm. Mulder was confused. What was all of this about? He made eye contact with Scully but all he got was her abstract gaze. He leaned toward her, intent on deciphering her expression, and mouthed the word 'What?' She just held up her hand and brushed him off. She would tell him later, was the message she gave him. He would have to wait. Ed and Dagen watched this silence communication without speaking. Scully spoke. "No, that isn't necessary. We'll just go on the assumption that these reports are accurate for now." Scully's fingers were cramped from the force of her grip on the coffee mug, and willed them to loosen. She lifted the mug, inhaled the acrid steam, and sucked up a great gulp of coffee. <<"Why, Scully? Why should we just trust them on this?">> Mulder thought. Yes, they would most definitely talk later. Dagen withdrew his hand, then changed the subject. "Agent Mulder, I understand that you have traveled to Tunguska, Russia. Is that correct?" Mulder appears to consider this for a moment, the corners of his mouth edging upward ever so slightly and quirking into an odd smile. "Yes, it is. I wouldn't recommend traveling there either, they have terrible room service." Ed smiled at Mulder's light tone and continued. "Then I assume that you are familiar with what occurred there in 1908?" Mulder nodded. "Yes. The Tunguska event in 1908 was due to the atmospheric explosion of a meteor. The energy released has been estimated to be the equivalent of 10-100 megatons TNT. The air blast resulted in the devastation of 2000 sq. km of Siberian forest." "I also understand that both of you were able to study part of that meteor, as well as the substance that was in it?" Ed looked expectantly at them. "Well, I don't think that it was ever concluded that that substance *came* from the rock..." Scully interjected, but her voice carried little force. "Well, it did come from the rock, and yes I can show you proof, but we'll save that for later. This substance is an extraterrestrial life form, and we do not think that this is the first time it has come to earth." "What are you saying?" Mulder asked. Dagen began to speak. "I've studied this substance, we'll call it black oil for lack of a better term, for many years. I have been able to do extensive tests on this oil, including a little bit of mapping its extensive genetic code. I've also been able to study samples of the earliest known life on this planet. Rocks as old as 3.5 billion years old that have prokaryotic fossils within them." He pulled out several papers and passed them across the table. Dagen continued. "I tested and compared the two life forms and I discovered that they share the same genes. The bacterium that I studied had the same genes as the oil. It was as if a small segment of the oil was directly cut from it and placed into the bacterium. The genetic variation was so slight that it was insignificant." "Are you saying that this oil, that was inside a meteor, crashed into earth, seeding it, providing the planet with extraneous genetic information, and this bacteria is proof of this? What you have is tenuous at best." She said. "Ah, wait!" Dagen held up one finger and used is other hand to dig through the increasingly disorganized stack. He kept talking, even though he hadn't yet found the paper. "There is another thing that I haven't mentioned. Other studies have been done by several other groups on this same bacteria and each confirmed that the genes are significantly older than the fossil record would indicate." He found the paper and slid it over to Scully. "These genes are some 4 billion years older than the earth itself is. Can you guess how old the oil's genes are?" Scully glanced at the paper and sighed. "The same." "Exactly." Dagen smiled. "What do you think that this *oil* is specifically?" Mulder asked. "Here is our theory: We think that this oil was purposefully sent for two reasons. When we studied this substance, we discovered that it had 268 chromosomes. That's nearly six times the amount that humans have. It was also organized in a highly specific pattern, a pattern that I have never seen in nature." More papers were shuffled and handed out. Mulder just glanced at them briefly before passing them along to Scully. She would explain them to him later. "We discovered something else. When the oil was subjected to high temperatures, instead of breaking along the weakest bonds, areas that one would clearly expect it to split, it would break in other areas. Every time. We did the experiment over and over again with the same results. I can't begin to explain how this happened. It goes against the very nature of chemical bonds and frankly, well, everything." Dagen finally took a breath. Still had a hard time believing his own data, even now. "One of these segments was an exact match that the bacterium had." Mulder leaned forward eagerly. "You think that this organism was artificially created by something else, and sent through the universe with the purpose of seeding life on other planets. It was created in such a way that made it capable of bringing a wide range of life forms on the planet, increasing the chance that one would eventually develop sentience." He tried to keep his voice calm and neutral, but there was excitement in his tone. Ed stood and walked over to the wall and dimmed the lights and moved toward the projector at the end of the table. "We mentioned that we thought it was sent for two reasons; we've only mentioned one so far. This is where we get into my field of study, the origins of humankind. One of the more puzzling things about this field is the missing links. The in between stages of human evolution." Ed hit the switch on the projector and it whirled to life. A picture of an evolutionary tree appeared, and was projected onto the screen. The picture had several primitive species displayed, Australopithecus afarensis; Homo habilis; Homo erectus; modern man, and the corresponding dates for each. "Each stage lasts thousands, even millions of years, nearly unchanged, and then boom, a dramatic shift. We've not found these missing links and that is what is frustrating. We're able to see the before and after, but we can not see the in between, and until then, we can't begin to explain how it occurred." "There's a popular theory among the scientific community as to how these changes took place that I personally subscribe to. The basic tenant is this: each major turning point came from a single group of advanced individuals that replace the more archaic human types. These groups of advanced individuals would have originally been the same as the others, but for some reason got isolated from others, either through geographical reasons, or even social ones. This group, cut off from the others, and unable to interbreed, would have developed different types of characteristics just through normal genetic mutations as well as environmental factors. If these changes were conductive toward life, this group would of course thrive. After however many years, this group, now *evolved* would then go out into the rest of the world and begin to replace the others, either by direct conflicts, or, more likely, just the simple fact that they would be better adapted and more likely to survive." Ed paused. "I like this theory. It makes sense to me. But one thing still always bothered me about it. It still did not explain the missing parts of the fossil record. However, I have been able to expand this theory because of the evidence that we've gathered. I think that there was an outside influence that effected the course humanity took." Mulder glanced sidelong at Scully. This was getting...he searched for the right word. This was getting... heavy. What was she thinking? She was hardly speaking any more and he was having a hard time reading her. If she noticed Mulder's look, she didn't give any indication. Dagen took his cue from Ed. "Among the tests that we did on the oil, one was infecting lab animals. The first thing that we discovered was that the oil seemed most attracted to the animals with the higher brain function. Time and time again, if given a choice, it chose the animal with the most active brain waves. We think that it can somehow pick up on these waves." Mulder leaned forward on the table. "Are you saying that this oil, what ever it may be, has an intelligence of some sort? That it picked these subjects for a specific reason?" Dagen shook his head. "We don't think so. We think that it's just a well developed instinct." "There are some who would say the same thing about us." Mulder pointed out. "I guess that some could say that." Dagen agreed before continuing. "Another thing that we noticed was that once infected the animals began to change almost immediately. The oil changed the animals' genetic makeup. Well, changing is perhaps the wrong word. The oil merely activated those genes that up until recently were thought just to be junk DNA." Mulder's eyes widened with surprise. That was what the Gunmen said had been done to Scully. He looked in her direction. Had she picked up on that? Had she made the same connection as he? Scully didn't turn to look at him; he had no idea what she was thinking. "These changes were passed on to the offspring. Additionally, we discovered that the offspring had been infected in the womb, although the changes, independent of the mother, did not begin until birth." "What were these changes?" Mulder asked. "The first and most significant change was an increase in mental function. The physical changes included enhanced strength and a decreased susceptibility to disease. Also, the animals' life spans dramatically increased. Some as high as five to ten times their normal life span." The screen changed to display some of the animals in cages as the Dagen advanced the projector. "The actual morphological changes included increased brain cavity; the frontal and temporal lobes enlarged in mass." Click! A close up of a chimpanzee with a noticeably enlarged head. Dagen passed an image of a MRI across the table. "This is the scan of this creatures head. Notice the increased mass as well as activity." Mulder held it up against the light. Greek to him. Mulder passed it on to Scully. As he did, their fingertips touched. He looked up into her eyes. He had her attention and used it to silently mouth 'Ok?' Scully's head tipped forward ever so slightly. 'I'm fine.' Was what that nod meant. But he didn't believe it, not for a minute. Something was wrong. She was far too accepting of this and she was hardly saying anything. Dagen was still speaking. "The animals also began to lose their hair and gain more subcutaneous fat; there even was some evidence that these animals were becoming bipedal." Click! Another picture. This one was of three chimpanzees. Each displayed the characteristics that Dagen had described. They were looking into the camera and in their eyes was an unnerving quality that Mulder had trouble identifying. There was an intelligence about them... an unnatural, and disconcerting one. Dagen had paused to give them a chance to study the picture. "All of these, I might add, were crucial steps in man's evolution." "Where are these animals at now? I mean, what stage are they at?" Mulder asked. "Unfortunately, we had to halt the tests." Dagen looked apologetic. "The animals were getting far too smart. We had a series of near escapes, for one thing. We couldn't risk letting the animals loose into the population, and well, it was sort of frightening actually, working with the animals. In the end, they really weren't animals any more." Dagen paused, taking a small break. Ed took this opportunity to interject a comment of his own. "Recently, we learned that the Russians also performed tests of this nature, but their methods and security measures were considerably more lax. There have been reports of instances where an animal escaped into the population. They have of course denied this." <<"Flukeman.">>, was Mulder's sudden realization. And then another realization hit. "I've seen these creatures, I think. I was on a ship, we were on a ship, in the Antarctic and I saw these horrible monsters that were created... this is what they became?" Ed and Dagen looked at one another. Dagen was the one that spoke. "No, that is another matter entirely. You see, we aren't really sure what those creature are, or how they came to be. We do know that they seem to be related to the oil. We believe that the creatures you saw resulted from oil that has mutated, took an evolutionary turn if you will. Remember, these meteors have been pelting the planet for billions of years. It makes sense that not every one that arrived had contact with human ancestors. We think that the creature you saw resulted from the oil's interaction with another life form." Mulder nodded, he seemed satisfied with that explanation, at least for now. Ed continued. "But I think that this can help explain why there are gaps in the fossil record. There are gaps in the record because there were no intermediate steps. These changes took place within a generation, maybe two." "Are you saying that at each crucial juncture of human evolution can be attributed to this oil? It served as a catalyst, perhaps speeding the process up?" Mulder's voice was taking on an exuberance that seemed to brighten the room. "Or was it changing man into something specific?" Mulder felt a hand on his knee. A small hand. It was then that he noticed the projector vibrating slightly and he made the connection between it and his knee. His knee was bouncing with excitement, and with each bounce, the table moved slightly. He willed his leg still, and much to his regret, Scully removed her hand. "We think that it was changing man into something very specific." Ed said quietly. "And what do you think that would be?" Mulder asked carefully. Dagen glanced at Ed. Ed nodded, and Dagen continued. "I am not sure if you were aware, but we had access to an alien embryo. One of the tests that we conducted involved comparing it to the genetic make up of the oil. We didn't really know what to expect. We didn't know if the oil and it were related somehow. For awhile we believed that maybe the aliens were from another planet that had also been seeded. But we were mistaken. The embryo did have many characteristics and genes that indicated that it was closely related to the oil. But we also found that it was closely related to something else. " "What did you find?" Mulder asked carefully. It was Scully who answered. "What they are saying Mulder, is that your aliens, your little green men, are us." * * * * * * The Master Calls A Butterfly 13/22 by april leigh Missing parts can be found at http://members.xoom.com/aprileigh/ * * * * * * Tunisia 120,000 years ago * * * * * * Humanity has in the course of time had to endure from the hands of science two great outrages upon its naive self-love. The first was when it realized that our earth was not the center of the universe, but only a speck in a world-system of a magnitude hardly conceivable... The second was when biological research robbed man of his particular privilege of having been specially created, and relegated him to a descent from the animal world. --Sigmund Freud * * * * * * The project had begun years ago. No one was sure how it had started, but all knew how it was going to end. The call to leave was ever present in their minds. With the increased intelligence and physical health endowed by the oil, this group thrived. The heightened intelligence provided them with the technology and the means to complete the project, while the enhanced health gave them an increased life span to see that the project was completed. And completed it had to be. No one knew why. But no one questioned it. The call to leave was ever present in their minds. * * * * * * There was another group, one nearly identical to the first except for one crucial exception. They heard no call. In the times past, in the oil's previous interactions with humanity's lineage, it was just a single encounter with a life form. The oil had its influence, but was limited to an individual. But in this time and place the oil had not been limited. The one infected had been female instead of a male, and this meant that there was not a natural limit. The oil was passed from mother to child in the womb, and the effects began to compound from one generation to the next. Any number of things could have happened that would have changed things. The first infected could have been a male; or it could have been a barren female. The first infected could have been a female who only had male children, which would have halted the changes after only two generations. But none of this happened, and that made the critical difference. It wasn't just the people who were changing. The oil was mutating as well. Its prolonged contact with the human mind and the advancing intelligence had an unexpected reaction. The oil began to gain its own intelligence. The instincts within it began to amplify and coalesce into so much more. The deep-seated need to find life, to find organisms of high intelligence was increased, and there was an overwhelming need to leave, to look for others. And so they built. The others watched, confused. * * * * * * These others had inherited the altered genetics from their infected fathers, but were born from uninfected mothers and therefore they remained uninfected, and they maintained their free will. They watched with confusion as those infected worked from dusk to dawn, with no breaks, no pauses for meals, nothing. They worked until they could no longer move, and when they collapsed, no one even paused. There was no joy, no happiness, nothing amongst these people. Only the compulsion to leave, to find something better filled them. All was sacrificed for the project. * * * * * * When it was time, they left. No one looked back at the group that they were leaving behind as they boarded the craft. The others could not stop them. They watched in amazement as the craft rose from the ground. It hovered for a few moments, then it disappeared into the blue sky. All watched as their families disappeared from their lives forever. * * * * * * This was a hardy group, the ones left behind. The group survived and thrived. It grew and expanded and began to take over new territories. The original group grew into the thousands and their evolved genes were passed on to the next generations. And so man took another step, and he conquered the world. * * * * * * March 7, 1999 Resistance Headquarters Conference Room 8:32 am To say that Mulder was excited would have been a vast understatement. To say that he was like an eight year old with ADD minus the Ritalin and plus a few cups of sugar laced with caffeine, would have been a more apt distraction. Scully noticed out of the corner of her eye that once again the projector was bobbing. She wondered when he would actually take flight from all of his pent up energy. Her comment had started the countdown. 10...9...8... "What do you mean, 'us'?" Mulder asked, but it really wasn't a question. She knew that he had already leapt to this conclusion. He was studying her, trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with her. <<"Nothing's wrong Mulder. I'm just not feeling quite myself today.">> She didn't need any of her newfound skills to realize this. She had worked with him for so many years that reading him had become second nature to her. But she could read him, him more than the others. The excitement was obvious. One could be deaf, dumb, and mute and still be able to know that... but underneath was concern and a fear and this only she could feel. A fear of what had been done to her... or was it an actual fear 'of' her? Was he afraid of her? The thought came unbidden to her, and with almost physical effort she pushed it away. She didn't want to know the answer to that question. Scully reluctantly turned to meet his face. He asked the question again, "What do you mean, 'us'?", and reached his hand to touch hers. She instinctively recoiled from him. She didn't want to know his fear. Mulder's fingers were frozen, midair, inches from where her hand had been moments before. He held the pose a moment too long before turning to the men across from them. With hesitation, Ed answered the question that had first been directed at Scully. "Scully's correct. The so-called 'aliens' used to be human at some point in their history. As near as we can figure, from the genetic drift and taking into account the increased effects the oil has, it is my guess that they separated from us close to 120,000 years ago. This is the time period when Homo sapiens sapiens, or modern man began to first appear. This also fits the timetable of the archaeological site I discovered in 1979, the year I was 'recruited' into the project." "You found a site?" Mulder eyes widened even further, if that was possible. "What did you discover?" Cue projector. Click! A series of pictures depicting various aspects of excavation of the site flashed in quick secession. "It was a city, a highly sophisticated city. A city, which according to everything I knew at the time, should not exist. It was far too highly advanced, too high tech so to speak. The only time in history when man has come close to creating something as complex as this has only been in the last few years." "The people of the city were a highly evolved group of several thousand individuals. We have only recently begun to comprehend the technology that we discovered from the site. Many of the synthetic polymers and metal compounds we found we are still unable to recreate." "How do you even know that this was a human settlement?" Mulder asked. "We have found human remains that match modern man's. There is nothing that suggests that there was an outside source. These people mined for their minerals and metals. The polymers and metal compounds were created there as well; there were remains of foundries." Click! Picture of said foundries. Ed paused. "One thing that disturbs me about the city, however, is it's...sterility I guess would be the right word. The buildings were of a high quality, yet emotionally void." Click! Close ups of blank walls, barren pots, and empty hearths. "There was no indication of art or entertainment, or religion, and we haven't as of yet uncovered anything that could be considered a personal item. There was no evidence of writing, or a language, and no indication of what their power structure was like. It has really been somewhat a puzzle over the years. Only recently have the pieces been coming together." Ed chuckled under his breath. "Sorry to bore you with this, it's just that this is my area of study and I am simply fascinated with it." "No, this is great. This is just too great. This is the kind of stuff we like to hear." Mulder said quickly. "Please, continue. How have things been coming together?" "As I've said, I discovered this site in 1979, so I've been working on this for 20 years, and for the majority of that time, I was working for the consortium. While working with them, I was not informed of exactly what I was looking for. I thought that it simply was just another previously undiscovered civilization. Important yes, but I never believed that what I was studying would have such a far-reaching significance." "When I was recruited to the resistance several years ago, I was told everything else, and in the ensuing years learned the rest. This is what we've just told you. Recently, we had a break through at the site. We found a second settlement, not more than 500 yards away that was from the same era. The structures where built the same, same materials were used, et cetera. But there was one rather remarkable difference." Ed pulled out a large folded up paper and spread it flat on the tabletop. "We found art. This is just one of the examples of the carvings that decorated the walls." Mulder stood up next to her to gain a better overall view, and Scully followed suit. "There are over a hundred scenes that depict their life and history, all impressive, but this one is by far the most telling." Scully looked at the picture. Even to her untrained eye, she could clearly see what was meant to be depicted. Two groups, one leaving on a craft of some sort. "This is their history?" Mulder asked. "If it is, like you say, then this is the proof that they are us, that we had the same ancestors." "Yes, it is. We'd already pretty much came to this conclusion, but as you can see, this just strengthens this theory." "Think that we have moved beyond theory into fact." Mulder said, still somewhat awed. Ed nodded, agreeing with Mulder. "Yes, I think that it is safe to say that." Moments passed as they all stared at the paper spread across the table. Scully finally spoke. "You know, not to interrupt, or make light of what you have discovered here, but I would really like to get back to what was done to me... how... why..." "Of course. I'm sorry about this." Ed looked apologetic, Mulder guilty. "Dagen will explain that." Ed took the etching off the table and carefully put it away as everyone else sat back down. Dagen began. "While still working with the group I discovered a way to activate dormant genes. The same genes that the oil activates when it invades the body." He shrugged his shoulders almost apologetically. "I really just stumbled upon it actually. We were still years away from developing it. Cassandra was the first person that we tested it on and it was a success. Too much of a success." A heavy sigh escaped his lips. "We had spent so many years trying to come up with and alien/human hybrid. Yet once we discovered the true nature of the *aliens* it became a relatively easy procedure. That was why the rebels sacrificed the scientists and the majority of the consortium. The knowledge had to be kept away from the aliens. This base, where we are now, is headquarters for the resistance. We're the ones fighting against the incoming invasion. The aliens never found out about Cassandra, but they know of the existence of Scully, and will do anything in their power to get her." "Why?" Mulder's excitement of before was muted by a growing apprehension. "Once they have her, they will also have the means to create others like her, and the invasion will begin. She was given the treatment I discovered. The majority of the genes that would normally have been turned off in her are now on. She is where man will be in 500,000 years if allowed to evolve at the current rate. She is at the intermediate stage between human and alien." * * * * * * North Texas 37,000 years ago The wolves' hot breath froze the second it passed their panting mouths. The white mist hung in the air, but was lost against the backdrop the frozen landscape provided. The pack of wolves chased after and surrounded the prey with ease. With the confidence the pack provided, as well as the brutal instinct honed by several millennia of evolution, the deer was brought down with little trouble. The wolves surrounded the carcass of the fallen deer, and with gusto, tore in. The warm, bright red blood soaked into the white snow, staining it. The motion of the wolves tearing into the animal, as well as the melting snow caused the body to shift, revealing the ground underneath. The creature beneath awoke. * * * * * * The deer was nearly consumed when one of the wolves from the pack noticed something. Perhaps there'd been the slightest amount of movement, or perhaps there was just the sense that there was something odd. But what ever it was, her curiosity took over. Something had caught her attention. This particular wolf wasn't as mature and experienced at life as the others of the pack. The scar on her right hind leg that could be seen through her thick, light brown fur was evidence of that fact. A scar that she'd received from another, more dominant member of the pack, when she had ventured into territory that she didn't belong. She was venturing into dangerous territory again. The tip of the her nose brushed the black oil, but that was all that it took for the oil to take hold. She tumbled back with a high pitched yelp, her head whipping back and forth vigorously making her fall to the snow covered ground twitching in an attempt to gain back some kind of control. Those violent motions stopped as the wolf's eyes clouded over. The other wolves, sensing danger, and a possible threat, turned to face the victim. This victim was now rising with a newfound confidence and focus. She began to bare her teeth and growl in low tones at the others, as if she no longer recognized them. She snapped and barked as the pack cautiously approached her. Noticing the change within the female, the rest of the wolves approached to purge the pack of this new and now unknown enemy. Their heads down, ears drawn back, eyes piercing and squinting, they bared their teeth and growled even deeper. Not able to fight against the others, the infected wolf backed away, finding an escape route off into the woods. The pack did not pursue, but instead left the area in haste in search of more food. * * * * * * Something unusual happened with this infection. As in the past, when a female becomes infected, the oil, as well as the genetic changes, are passed on to the offspring. But in this case the female was pregnant when infection took place. As the oil actively invaded the mother's body, and changes began to occur, the fetuses were also invaded. Instead of a passive infection through the womb, the fetuses were attacked directly and changes began to take place. The oil's increased ability to change its host, combined with the rapidly dividing cells of the gestating embryos had a profound and synergetic effect. The wolf, isolated from her kind, sought shelter in an abandoned cave. Now unable to effectively hunt on her own, and with the increase in energy requirements needed for the rapidly growing and mutating life forms within her, the wolf was soon too weak to leave. Isolated, cut off, and too weak to care, she died, alone. That was for the best, for moments later, a newly synthesized organism literally burst forth from the womb. This creature, having consumed its siblings in the womb, now turned to its mother and ate her with a fervor. Still ravenous, and still continuing to grow at an alarming rate, this new creation knew it would have to venture out to seek more subsistence. Leaving the cave, the creature paused in the half darkness outside. The moon was shinning, sending its blue rays bouncing off the snow and falling lightly upon the sleeping earth. With the exception of a slight breeze that filtered through the naked trees, it was oddly quiet. Lifting its head into the wind, the creature sought out its next meal. Finding a direction, it took off. * * * * * * The camp's serene stillness was shattered by a scream of pure terror. The rest of the camp was roused to the site where the horrible cries emanated. The men grabbed their weapons and gathered around the entrance of the sleeping chamber. The cries abruptly ended. If it had been the cries that had first moved the men to action, it was the cessation of those same cries that moved the men to attack. The first men to enter the chamber were quickly disposed of, and the rest of the men hesitated. The creature left the confines of the enclosure, and snarled. Red gleamed from its mouth, and its fully extended claws dripped with blood. The men could only look in horror. One man, able to shake off the terror that had immobilized the others, led the battle cry and moved to attack. The other men, seeing the man's courage, were able to break from the spell as well. The men converged on the beast. The creature, calculating the risks, decided at that moment to depart. * * * * * * The two men ran at a frenetic pace through the snow. They had been running all night, following the obvious tracks in the snow the creature had left behind. The only sound that could be heard was their heavy breathing, the crunch of the snow beneath their feet, and the empty howling of the wind. Several hours after daybreak they had managed to follow the tracks into a cave of ice. The two entered cautiously. One of the men pulled out two rocks and with a crack he hit the pair together, creating a spark that lit the torches. They cautiously made their way though the cavernous structure, slowly swinging the torches back and forth looking for any sign of the creature. One of the men momentarily paused to look at something that appeared to be frozen in the ice, but before he could make anything out, the creature broadsided him. The beast attacked with an intensity that the man was not prepared for. He was only able to do one quick thrust into the creature's underbelly before being brought down. The other man, reacting on instinct, attacked the creature from behind in an effort to save his partner. Bringing down his own weapon to the creature, he struck with as much force as he could muster. He was roughly thrown off the creature's back and on to the frozen ground. Still stunned from the blow, the man quickly turned onto his back to face his attacker. To his surprise, the creature had retreated and it was not clear as to where it had gone. Pausing momentarily, he bent over the fallen man. He was obviously dead. Tossing his emotions aside, the man continued into the cave. Climbing over a slight rise, the man discovered the creature, lying motionless and clearly wounded. The man brought the torch close to the head and waved it back and forth to see if it would react. The creature was unresponsive. Gathering his courage, the man brought up his weapon to strike once more. The beast responded to this. Summoning its strength, the creature catapulted toward the human. It was only able to strike a few blows before the man got the upper hand. The man, forcing the creature to the ground, struck a blow to the chest that effectively killed it. He sat up, breathing heavily, relieved. Then the man noticed the oil moving from the wound of the creature to him. And the man began to cry out in horror. * * * * * * The oil would remain undiscovered, hidden from the world's prying eyes, until one afternoon many, many years later, when a young boy named Stevie decided to go digging with his father's shovel. * * * * * * The Master Calls A Butterfly 14/22 by april leigh Missing parts can be found at http://members.xoom.com/aprileigh/ * * * * * * Resistance Headquarters Conference Room 9:00am * * * * * * Two are better than one, because they have a good reward to their toil. For if one falls, one will lift up the other;but woe is to one who falls alone, for he has no one to get him up. Again, if two lie together, they can keep each other warm, but how can one keep warm alone? Even if one prevails against the other, two shall always withstand one. --Ecclesiastes, 4:9-12 * * * * * * Ed and Dagen had excused themselves only a few moments before; Scully and Mulder were finally alone. Mulder wasn't sure if the men suspected that he and Scully needed time alone to discuss the situation, or if they really needed to check on 'things,' but whatever the reason, he was grateful for their absence. "So." The word echoed in the room. "So." She parroted the word back at him. The room was silent for several moments. Mulder's gaze had not left Scully, while Scully's eyes had not wavered from the floor below her feet. He acted first. "Scully I need to know what is wrong. I know that this is hard to accept--" "You don't know the half of it." Almost a whisper as she tried to avert his dark seeking eyes. "Then maybe you should fill me in." Silence. "Scully," he began again, "look, I know that this is hard, it's hard even for me to completely agree with. But the evidence they've shown us..." He trailed off. "The evidence they've shown us...what?" She finally at him, and stood there waiting expectantly. "I really didn't have an ending in mind. You usually interrupt me before I get that far." He smiled at her, hoping to coax a similar reaction from her. No such luck. She simply blinked several times, then gave him a long, hard look. The colors in his eyes changed, darkening with frustration and concern. He sighed, frustrated. "See, this is what I mean..." he half muttered under his breath. "What ever do you mean? I'm the same Scully that I've always been." Her voice was as flat as level ground, emotionless, and it hurt his ears. "How can you say that?" His voice boarded on incredulity. "How can I say that when it's obvious that I'm so different now, that is what you mean, right?" "No!" Too sharp. He did his best to smooth out his voice before speaking again. "That's not it at all. It's just...it's just, you're not acting like yourself. So much has happened, so much revealed, but you're hardly reacting. Where are your arguments? Your need to see the proof and know for sure it's the real thing?" He paused. "It's like... it's like you don't even care. And that just isn't you." "I do care. How can you possibly think that I don't? They did this to *me*. *Me* Mulder." With each word, her voice increased in volume and intensity. "They changed me into something else. They stripped me of my choices and now I'm nothing more than... a lab rat! A creature designed in a laboratory. I'm--" "Scully." He finished for her in an attempt to draw her back. "You're still Scully." Seconds ticked off as Mulder waited for her answer. The tension between them thickened like a fog, obscuring his sight and increasing his discernment. She finally spoke again. "If I'm still Scully, why are you afraid of me?" "Afraid? What are you talking about?" He was confused now. Afraid of her? "I can tell. You fear me, what I've become." Mulder was totally speechless. How could she possibly think that? "That is ridiculous... How could you even think that?" "Mulder, I can read you. I can feel the fear in you." "What...", he began. He knew, but he finished his question, "what are you saying?" "Just another one of those nice side effects of my *metamorphosis.* "I still don't--" "Understand?" she finished for him and looked directly at him. The hurt and disappointment was evident in her eyes, and it nearly undid him. How could she even think that? He could never be afraid of her. For her...maybe, but not afraid of her. "Mulder, I've been changed." "Yes, I know that." He didn't see her point. Maybe that was what the whole problem was. "Mulder, I can read your mind." There, it was finally out. The comment hung in the air, the word refusing to dissipate. Mulder stared straight ahead, as if reading the words over and over. He blinked. "Now?" He believed her. "Not quite thoughts," she amended, "but I can tell what you're feeling." "And I'm afraid of you?" He asked to clarify. He didn't think that he felt afraid; stunned, amazed, yes, afraid no. "Yes." "So you can read my thoughts?" She seemed to struggle with an internal conflict before finally speaking. "No, not like this." "Like what?" "I have to have contact with you, that seems to be the only way." Mulder thought for a moment. He raised his arm. "Touch me." The mere thought caused her to recoil. "I don't want to. I don't want to know." He continued to hold his arm up, and said it again, "Touch me." She raised her eyes to meet his, and they held it for nearly a minute without moving. Mulder felt like a silent battle of wills was being waged, and he hated it, but he also knew that she had to know the truth. He was just about to give up, to give in, when she reached to grab his hand. * * * * * * Outside, Main Yard Ed found Allen outside playing with Pyka. He stood for a moment watching the absurd ordinariness of it. A man playing fetch with his dog. Except this was no ordinary man, and this was no ordinary situation. "Allen?" Ed asked as a way of announcing his presence. Allen glanced toward him. "I guess this means you've finished?" "You didn't know already?" "I did." He said with a shrug. "I was just trying to make conversation." Pyka, noticing that someone else was there to play, ran up to Ed and deposited a well-chewed baseball at his feet. She sat and waited expectantly. Ed took the hint and bent to retrieve the ball. Chuckling at her eagerness, he said, "You want me to throw the ball girl? Do you? Ok, here goes." He lobbed the ball, and both men watched silently as the ball flew in a high graceful arc across the enclosed yard. The silence was interrupted when the ball slammed into the fence. Its contact with the electrified barrier sent up a flurry of sparks. Pyka had the sense to wait for the ball to still, a few feet away from the fence, before grabbing it between her teeth to bring it back. The shower of electrical sparks seemed to trigger something in Ed. The intenseness of their situation suddenly hit him, as if he was the one slammed into the fence. He felt isolated out here in the wilderness, and it had nothing to do with being alone. He had been alone before, out on digs, out in land God had forsaken, but never like this. They were fighting for the world, winner take all... Allen spoke, interrupting Ed's thoughts, probably just as he intended to. "Nice throw. For a second there I thought it was going to clear the fence." "Yeah, like a homerun." Ed smiled. The joke fell flat, and Allen gave Ed a look that he didn't understand. It suggested regret and hinted at tenderness. Allen turned away. Pyka came running up and dropped the ball at Allen's feet, perhaps decided that he was the safer of the two. His throws didn't result in loud explosive sparks. Allen leaned down and picked up the ball. But instead of throwing it, he held it in his hand, studying it as if it held all the answers. "You ever play baseball?" He asked suddenly. Ed softly chuckled. "Not since I was a kid, and that was mostly just sandlot games with my brothers and the neighborhood kids." Allen never took his eyes off the ball. "My brother loved the game. He said that it was the only thing that really made him smile. I couldn't understand its appeal until recently, but by then it was too late." Pyka whined then, frustrated that Allen had not relinquished the ball to continue their game. Allen threw it, but instead of lobbing it high like Ed had, he kept the ball close to the ground. Like a skipping stone on a glass smooth lake, the ball hopped across the yard. A grounder, as far from a homerun as you could get. Ed's eyes widened slightly, Allen never mentioned a brother before. "Why too late?" "He died." Allen refused to expand, and Ed let the subject drop. "Are you ready to talk with them?" Allen nodded. "Yes, but they aren't ready for me. They need more time to digest the information." "How long?" Ed wasn't asking out of impatience, only curiosity. Allen shrugged his shoulders. "As long as it takes. It's not as if we can proceed if she isn't ready. She needs to feel." He added cryptically. "What do you mean, 'she needs to feel?' Again, the same shrugged shoulders. "Just that. She needs to feel. Right now there's nothing, not really. Just... cold. I can't explain it any other way." Pyka deposited the ball at Allen's feet, and he bent to pick it up. "Are you saying you can read her? I thought... I mean," Ed stammered, "if you can, then this whole thing won't work... everything hinges on that..." "It'll work." He smiled reassuringly to Ed, but his tone remained serious. "She's just so busy blocking herself that she can't block me." "Can we do anything about that?" "No, not us." He paused, and threw the ball again. This time it was a line drive. "I'm beginning to think that having Mulder here will be of great benefit." "Are you saying that *he* can do something?" "I think that they'll end up helping each other." Gusts of wind came up, sending a small cloud of dust whirling into the air. Pyka seemed undisturbed and plowed through to deposit the ball once more. Ed looked up to the sky, now growing dark with clouds full of rain. The smell of rain promised a storm to come. Ed wanted to question him further, but Allen had already turned away, indicating the conversation was over. He called over his shoulder, "Ed, how about I come get *you* when they are ready?" "I don't think that they will ever be fully ready. They aren't going to like what you have to say, Mulder especially." Allen sighed, "No, I don't imagine he will." * * * * * * Conference Room 9:08am Nothing happened. Scully had steeled herself against the expected inundation of images and thoughts and words, each leading to the conclusion that he was terrified of her, but there was nothing. She'd closed her eyes as her hand clasped Mulder's, but she opened them now. Mulder looked to her warily. "Can you read me?" "No." "No? But I thought that--" "Maybe I can control it. Maybe now I'm not forced to read thoughts each time I touch someone." "You don't know?" He asked, surprised. "And how would I know anything about what is happening to me? It's not as if I have a how-to guide to read to figure out what's going on with me." "But you've done this with the others, right? That's why you say we can trust them. This is why you aren't questioning them any more. You *know* that they're telling the truth." "Congratulations Mulder. I'll give you a gold star for figuring me out." "Scully, I'm not afraid of you, and trying to drive me away won't keep me from telling you that." She hated that voice. Mulder the psychologist talking. "Mulder, how can you say that? Stand there right in front of me and say that when I can clearly feel it practically radiate off of you?" "What I don't understand is how you can so clearly feel this so called fear of mine, and yet can't, or more likely won't see what I'm thinking." "It's a mystery I guess." Mulder looked away, frustration written in the furrows of his forehead. "Damn it Scully! Don't use this against me! I'm offering my mind to you, does that sound like someone who is afraid of you? It sounds like you are the one who is afraid." The challenge was in his voice, would she have the courage to meet it? They just looked at each other. The stare stretched into seconds, then moments, long, still, quiet moments on the outside, but clamorous where emotions were housed. "Fine." That single word rattled against his spine. "Give me your hand." She demanded. He gave it to her, and their hands grasped tightly to the other, almost painfully. -Flash- <<"...is this working... i feel like saying testing one two three...anybody out there... how can she think that i'm afraid of her...still scully... always be scully to me... what's the plan ...what are they going to do with scully... with me... will we get the answers... how could they have done this... we still don't know why... what was the plan... what is it now... yes, maybe i am afraid... afraid of what will happen... so happy to see her... this shouldn't have happened... should have been me... wasn't her quest, until i forced it on her...should've gotten her out of my life years ago, before it became hers... but i was selfish i wanted her in my life i needed her, even if she didn't need me... i remember before, before her... but only as one would remember a bleak and distant nightmare... i never wanted to go back to that... i should have, shouldn't have sacrificed her for my own happiness... yes, afraid... afraid of what was done to her... afraid of what will happen--">> <<"...but not of me?">>A soft voice broke through Mulder's thinking. So soft and almost childlike in it's need for reassurance. <<"...never you scully... never you... is this how it is... is this how it is when you do this...">> <<"...no, not like this... the others couldn't hear me... only you... the last time with you was different too...">> <<"...last time... i don't remember last time...">> <<"...last time... in my apartment... you were asleep... do you remember the dream...">> <<"...the beach...">> -Flash- With that single word, they found themselves on that beach, standing bare feet in the sand, side by side, facing the waves that came crashing in. It was so realistic. Scully could feel the wind ruffle her hair, and taste the salt on her lips from the light spray that hissed up with each incoming wave. The tide was coming in and the water began to pool at their feet. Mulder turned to face her. <<"It's not like this with the others?">> <<"No, nothing like this. This...">> she looked around to take in the surroundings, <<"this is only with you.">> <<"Maybe I just have a really active imagination.">> He smiled. Scully smiled back at him. <<"That must be it. I don't know why this is different with you. Maybe because I know you and I don't know the others.">> <<"But it is working now, right? You can read my thought?">> <<"Yes.">> <<"Am I afraid of you?">> Pause. <<"No.">> <<"Then what was all of that about?">> <<"I don't know. I can still feel it here.">> She could. It seemed that with every incoming wave came just a bit more of the fear. Like the sand that being deposited with the waves, the sand that was beginning to hide her feet. <<"Why did you think it was me?">> She shrugged her shoulders and turned away from him. <<"Who else could it be?">> she said quietly. <<"There is another possibility.">> She turned back to look closely at him, studying him and his thoughts. <<"Me. You think that it's my fear that I'm feeling?">> She laughed nervously, dismissing the idea almost immediately. <<"You think that I'm so detached from my emotions that I don't know what I'm feeling? You think that I would project my feelings to you like that?">> <<"You've been through a very stressful situation here, it is possible--">> She interrupted him harshly. She simply did not want to hear it. <<"Don't start playing psychologist with me here. I am fully capable of figuring out my own emotions and--">> Her voice cracked, and she lost her train of thought. Mulder watched as she bent at the waist and grabbed a handful of sand. Without saying anything, she began to pour the sand from one hand to the next. With each pass, more sand escaped from between her fingers; until finally, she was left with empty hands. Sand wasn't the only thing that was slipping through her fingers, she felt as if her hold on sanity was just as precarious as the ever-shifting sand. She stood there, feeling as if she'd been cut adrift- alone, floating. Unattached to anyone or any thing around her. It seemed to Mulder that she stood at the edge of a precipice, teetering, gazing down to the rocks below. All he could do is stand behind her and watch, helpless. He's afraid of what will happen to her if she falls. -Flash- The beach was gone. * * * * * * Mulder opened his eyes and found himself back in the conference room. Scully had disconnected from him, and had moved across the room. She was shivering. Her arms were wrapped around herself, and there, in the middle of the warm room, she was shivering. He immediately knew what was happening. All of this time she had managed to keep everything bottled up. She had detached herself from the fear and uncertainly, from the terror that accompanied her from the moment Diana awakened her. Mulder went to her and put his arms around her. She tried to pull away, but the effort lacked force. "Accept this," he urged softly. "Accept what I can give you. Please. For my sake as much as your own." He felt her nod against his chest, and then the sobs began. His voice was quiet and gentle. "It's ok, it's ok. Let it out Scully. Let it all come out." She nodded, clenching her jaw to keep her teeth from chattering. She didn't pull away from him now, instead she trembled even more violently, and one of her hands clamped onto his upper arm with such fierceness that Mulder had to stifle the impulse to push her hand away. He stroked her face, and continued to make soft, comforting noises. Letting her know it was ok to be afraid, to be terrified of all that happened, and all that may happen. As he spoke, she drew herself closer to him, pressing against him and readjusting his arms so that he completely enveloped her. The trembling still convulsed her body. The tears rolled down her face, but she did not cry out loud. Her complete silence was almost eerie. Mulder didn't say anything further. He merely rocked her, back and forth, gently, letting his mere presence be something from which she could draw reassurance. And slowly, ever so slowly, the shaking diminished and eventually stopped. The tears ceased, and she brought her hand up and wiped away the remainder of the moisture. She pulled away from him, and he reluctantly let her. "I'm sorry," she said uncertainly, trailing off. "You have nothing to be sorry about." "I shouldn't have thought that about you. I know you better than that." She laughed, and it came out high pitched and pinched off. "You know, I've been called a cold fish before, but this is ridiculous. To be so removed from my emotions..." "Scully, this is not an ordinary situation..." She laughed. "No, no it isn't." She continued to wipe the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry about this too." She held up her wet hand. "No, don't be. Scully, we're all that we have now. We have to rely on one other." "Hasn't it always been that way?" Scully asked. "Yes, I guess it has. And we've depended on each other all those other times, and we need to do it now." "Is this where I say, 'We've been through harder times than this, and we can get through this'?" She was not being entirely facetious; there was a touch of hope in her voice. "Now would be the time, if I thought that we'd been through harder times than this. But for some reason, I think that this will be the hardest thing that we will ever have to go through." * * * * * *