The following story is my small tribute to
                 the paranormal phenomena found in the
                 Midwest.


                         "Silent Treatment"

                                by

                            Erin Bauer



     Milton Cramer had been here for two days.  It was now 11:30 p.m. and
Milton looked proudly around his lush suite complete with his own living
room, kitchen, bath, and bedroom.  After getting a glass of wine--of the
most excellent French vintage--he went into his bedroom and sat on the
plush comforter covering his soft king sized bed and stared out the window.
He stared at the small grocery, clothing, and dime stores across the
street and had difficulty imagining how such a town could offer a hotel
like this.  At any rate, it was about time he got some respect--he was a
high class businessman and demanded excellent treatment whereever he went.
What he had found in this small Iowa town had been nothing like what he
was used to, but he just dismissed the townspeople's behavior as what he
thought to be perfect examples of the small town mentality to keep to
themselves.
     Finishing his wine with a sigh, Milton decided to turn in.  Although
this room was to his standards, Milton was anxious to leave this place and
go to his next destination.  Just one more day, and his business in this
town would be finished and he'd never have to set foot in its unfriendly
borders again.  With this thought, Milton laid back upon the bed and went
to sleep.  It was 12:15.
     Several hours later, Milton was awakened to a sickenly crushing
feeling in his chest and shoulders.  A group of five men stood around his
room--a solemn look on their faces.  Two of them held Milton down upon the
bed while another came toward him with a liquid drenched rag.  Milton
tried to struggle, but his assailants were strong, and moving only made
his chest feel worse.  As the man with the rag drew closer, Milton could
smell the strong odor of ether, and he desperately tried to hold his breath.
But it was no use, and before long, the ether had overcome him and Milton
Cramer was dead to the world.
                *                  *                    *

     Fox Mulder sat in his office playing with a remote control UFO toy
and chewing on some sunflower seeds.  Dana Scully walked into the office
and rolled her eyes when she saw what Mulder was doing.  Noticing Scully's
disapproval, Mulder smiled and said "Oh, I liked the one Roland had so
much that I thought I'd get one of my own."
     "Well, Mulder, that's fine if you want to play childish games in your
own time, but this is work."
     Mulder sat up suddenly in his chair and did a salute--"Yes, Maam"
     Scully sighed.
     Scully took a seat as Mulder pulled out a folder and handed it to her.
     Mulder, leaning on the file cabinet said " Situation--wealthy New
York businessman found dead in Iowa cornfield."
     "Go on."
      "Well, he had been staying in a small Iowa town and was found
murdered not far from there.  It has become our job to go and check out
this town and see what they know.  The best part is that we get to spend
some time in a small community and relax for awhile."
     Scully looked at the UFO toy and thought to herself about how much
Mulder already seemed to "relax", and then she answered shockingly "What,
no X-file?"
     "Scully, I was not anticipating this case to be on an X-file, but
where we are going is a UFO hot spot.  Remember Lake Okiboji and Sioux City?
Heard of crop circles?  Ghosts on the plains?  Midwest cornfields are a
perfect place for UFO sightings.  I'm hoping I'll get lucky."
     "A visit to the peaceful Midwest would be quite enjoyable," Scully
agreed, "but don't even think of dragging me out into a cornfield at 2:00
in the morning, Mulder."
     "OK, Scully, but you don't know what you might be missing!"
         *                          *                              *

     The next morning, Scully and Mulder arrived in Waterton, Iowa.  It
seemed like a calm, peaceful community of no more than 2000 people.  The
main street consisted of a grocery store, a dress shop, a dime store, a
doctor's office, a few diners, and a hotel.  The also had two beautiful
parks where children were happily playing, and a small courthouse.  The
two agents were awed by the beauty and fresh air of this place.  Mulder
parked the car in fromt of the hotel and when they entered it, their
breath was taken away with what they beheld.  The hotel was very fancy--it
had new red carpeting and wallpaper, a large staircase with a banister
railing leading to the upstairs rooms, and an elegant little cafe right
next to the check in desk.  It resembled an expensive hotel that might be
found in New York, not in a small town in northern Iowa.
     Mulder and Scully went over to the clerk behind the desk, who was
dressed in formal clothing and had an air of aristocracy.
     "Excuse me, sir," Mulder asked, "We're from the FBI.  I'm Agent
Mulder and this is Agent Scully.  We'd like to ask you a few questions
about the recent murder of Milton Cramer."
     "I'm sorry, but I know nothing," said the clerk bluntly.
     "Well, could you direct us to someone who might know about it?  We
thought that since he had stayed in this hotel..." Scully continued.
     The clerk looked at Scully with no emotion and replied "I'm sorry,
but no one knows anything about this matter."
     Mulder nodded politely and slipped a few sunflower seeds in his
mouth.  "OK, now can we get a couple of rooms, we have reservations."
     Without a word, the clerk handed Mulder two keys.
     The two agents' rooms were right across from each other, and as they
looked in them, they found that the rooms were pretty plain compared to
the rest of the hotel.  "For being a posh hotel, the rooms sure don't meet
the standards,"  Scully called from her room.
     "Yeah, " Mulder answered, "but the view is great!"
     Scully entered Mulder's room and looked out the window, which faced
the back side of the hotel.  A wide open cornfield spread out for miles.
     "It's beautiful," Scully said in awe.  "So different from all of the
buildings in D.C."
     "Yeah, and look at this balcony," Mulder added, "I can go out and
look to the friendly skies tonight."
     Scully stepped out on the balcony, and Mulder said, "I think that we
should both take a tour of the town today and see what we can find out. 
We can meet again tonight."
     "Your place or mine?" Scully asked jokedly.
     "Right here on the balcony--9:30.  Maybe we can catch a star show."
                *                     *                       *

     Knowing Mulder would most definetly be out doing field work right
away, Scully decided to go back to her room and do some research with the
file before doing any investigating.  After entering the room, Scully
realized that she hadn't eaten since early this morning, so she picked up
the phone and dialed room service.
     "Yes, I'd like an order of hot tea, and cheese and crackers please,"
Scully requested.
     The woman on the other line paused, and then said "I'm sorry miss,
but we don't provide room service at this time of day."
     "Oh. Well, maybe I'll try..."
     Click,  The woman had already hung up.  Scully stared at the
receiver, shook her head, and placed it back on its cradle.  Although she
thought the woman had behaved a bit oddly, she decided to forget about it
and get something to eat at the cafe downstairs later.
     After sitting in a semi-comfortable plastic chair, Scully opened up
the folder.  Milton Cramer's murder seemed a bit strange in that no one
had apparently seen him alive since he left New York on a business trip. 
Records showed the route of his trip, including Waterton as one of the
last stops.  Scully knew that the only thing to do would be to ask people
in the town if they had seen Cramer and if they knew anything about his
murder.  She hoped she could meet some more cooperative people than the
hotel clerk and the room service woman.  Putting away the file, Scully
pushed some of her hair behind her ear and grabbed her trench coat.
     Eyeing the hotel cafe hungrily, Scully walked over to the hostess and
asked to be seated.  At first saying nothing, the hostess gave Scully a
stern look up and down and then replied, "I'm sorry, but there is no room."
The cafe was far from being full, and there were plenty of empty tables,
so Scully was a bit puzzled.
     "I am a guest here, miss, and I heard you don't have room service
right now so I thought..."
     "I'm sorry, but you'll have to leave."
     Perturbed and still hungry, but not about to start a fight, Scully
left quickly and went across the street to the small grocery store.  When
she walked in, Scully had a very uncomfortable feeling that everyone was
watching her, and with a quick glance at both customers and clerks, she
knew it was true.  This eerie feeling made Scully rush down the first
aisle she could and pick up the first prepackaged item--some Hostess
cupcakes--she could find.  
     As Scully went to the checkout line, she felt as if the whole store
was at a standstill--for a moment all 3 checkout clerks seemed to stop
scanning items and to just STARE!  Scully was beginning to get worried
that something on her person was noticable--perhaps she had something
stuck on her coat, or her hair was sticking straight up or hell, she had a
"kick me" sign on her back.  After nonchalantly glancing at her clothing
and finding nothing wrong, Scully looked up to see that everyone in the
store was busy again.  As Scully handed the checkout clerk her cupcakes,
she got the same cold look that she had received from the hotel hostess.  
The clerk didn't say anything, but simply rang up the purchase and held
out his hand, indicating the total.  Scully opened her purse and gave the
man a $5 bill.  Then, Scully dared to ask if he had heard of a Milton
Cramer.  The look in the clerk's eyes sent a chill down Scully's spine
that she would  not soon forget.  She grabbed the cupcakes and ran out of
the store, not even waiting for change.
             *                      *                     *
 
     That night, a disturbed Scully met Mulder on his balcony.
     With a mouthful of sunflower seeds, Mulder asked "How was your day?"
     "Mulder, have you gotten the feeling that people in this town are not
particularily friendly?"
     "Well, they seem a bit to themselves, but other than that..."
     "They're downright rude!" Scully burst in.  "First I called room
service and they said they didn't have it, then I went to the cafe and
they wouldn't seat me even though almost the whole place was empty.  Then,
Mulder, I went to the grocery store and everyone was staring at me. 
Forgive me for being paranoid, but the sooner we solve this case, the
better."
     "I can't say I've had those experiences yet, Scully, I just did a bit
of exploring.  I walked around the cornfield, visited the park.  You know,
the swings are just as fun now as when I was a kid.  Oh, wait, Scully,
come to think of it, I did get some dirty looks from some kids at the
park."
     Scully sighed.  "What about the case?"
     "Oh, don't worry, I was looking for clues.  I thought I might
interview the cornfield."
     Scully smiled, but then solemnly went and sat on one of Mulder's
plastic chairs.  Seeing Scully so distraught put Mulder in a serious mood.
     "Look, Scully, let me go downstairs to the cafe and see what's going
on."
     Scully just nodded.
     Because it was 9:40 pm, the cafe was practically deserted. 
Nevertheless, a host was standing at the entrance, and Mulder asked to be
seated.  The man started to refuse, but then Mulder spotted a beautiful
brunette woman sitting at a table across the room.  She made a sign at the
host, who in turn said "Yes, sir, I think we do have a spot for you." 
Mulder, looking a bit surprised, followed the host to the brunette's table.
     "Agent Fox Mulder?"
     "Yes, but how..." Mulder began.
     "Ssh, I'll explain later," the woman promised.  "My name is Lisa, and
I travel through here quite often.  You may have found that some things
have striked you as odd in this town, but let me show you around tomorrow
and you'll understand.  Agreed?"
     "Sure."  Mulder was completly mesmerized with this woman.
     "Meet me at the cafe at 8:30 a.m.," Lisa said.
     When Mulder entered his room, he found Scully reading a magazine.
     "Any luck?" she asked.
     "No," Mulder shook his head.  "No luck whatsoever."
       *                        *                           *
   
     The next day Mulder met an enthusiastic hostess when he went to the
cafe.  
     "Yes, sir, we've been expecting you."  
     As anticipated, Lisa was waiting for him at the same table where they
had met the night before.  There was something very alluring about
her--was it her gorgeous blue eyes, her long permed hair, or the way she
fit in her mini skirt?  Mulder didn't know, but he found himself
fascinated with this woman--both physically and mentally enthralled.
     "Sit down, Mr. Mulder," Lisa began.
     "I think we need to talk."
     At that moment, Scully came to the entrance of the cafe and noticed
Mulder and Lisa sitting together.  Although she pointed them out to the
hostess, the woman would still not allow Scully into the cafe.  Then Lisa
and Mulder walked out of the cafe and seeing Scully, told the hostess to
seat her.  Immediately, the woman grabbed a menu and led Scully to a
table.  Baffled, but too hungry to ask questions, Scully followed the
hostess and ate her breakfast in silent thought.

     Lisa took Mulder to the dime store which had an old fashioned soda
shop counter.  Lisa ordered a couple of cherry phosphates.  "Trust me,
they are the greatest," she assured Mulder.  Mulder, in turn offered Lisa
some seeds.
     "Now, you are probably wondering about all of the secrecy."
     "Yes, it had crossed my mind," Mulder answered.
     Lisa took a drink and then a deep breath.  With her wonderful eyes,
she looked Mulder straight in the face.  "Mr. Mulder, what I have to tell
you may surprise you, but won't shock you.  There is something about
Waterton that you should know."
     Mulder listened intently--his mind now off of Lisa and on what she
was saying.
     "Mulder, this town is different--but yet very special.  You see, the
people in this town are all meant to be here, for it is not the people who
choose the town but rather the town who chooses the people.  Waterton is
an entity, Agent Mulder, with a mind of its own.  It makes its selections
of citizens based on who can supply its needs and make it successful. 
Because we here in Waterton are a chosen population, this does not leave
much room for tourists.  However, the town allows a certain time frame for
tourists to come here and be evaluated.  If the town likes a tourist, he
or she is accepted and welcome.  If not, it demands that the tourist be
"taken care of" so to speak.  Waterton has accepted you, Agent Mulder.  It
does not, however, like Agent Scully.  Therefore, your partner is in
danger, and that is why I have come to you."

			*	*	*


     Surprised, but trying to keep his cool, Mulder asked, "What is your
basis for all of this?"
     "Undoubtedly, Agent Scully has noticed that ever since she got here
she has either been given the silent treatment by the people of Waterton
or at least not gotten more than a short, blunt, answer from them.  There
behavior is all on purpose, Mr. Mulder, but I want to make it clear that
Waterton is not evil, it only wants to get rid of those who will not
accept it for what it is.  It tries to go about things as humane a way as
possible, so it directs its citizens to act unfriendly and rude in hopes
that the "intruder" will feel so disgusted and uncomfortable with the
situation that he or she will gladly leave on their own and never want to
return.   This is what Agent Scully is experiencing right now, but I know
that you two are only staying around here to solve your case, so I will
tell you what you want to know."
     Mulder shifted uncomfortabley in his seat.  Out of all the things he
had seen along the paranormal line, this had to take the cake.  He
couldn't imagine an inanimate object ruling over people's minds and making
them do its bidding.  That was stuff found only in those B-rated sci fi
movies he watched late at night.  Nevertheless, what Lisa had told him put
him on guard, and he wondered if the stool he was sitting on right now was
"alive" and possibly reading his thoughts right now.  Mulder took a few
nervous bites of seeds, took a drink, and asked, "O.K., so let me guess. 
Waterton did not like Milton Cramer."
     Lisa nodded.  "No, but he was well warned, and when he didn't get the
hint, Waterton knew it was time to take direct action.  A group of men
were sent up to Cramer's room and he was rendered unconscious, strangled,
and dragged into the cornfield.  However, this deed was made as clean as
possible and Waterton made sure that the man did not feel a thing.  That
is why it demanded ether to be used so that Mr. Cramer did not suffer. 
Also, Waterton ordered that its citizens act kindly toward Cramer during
the 24 hours before his death, which would either make him get suspcious
of us and make him decide to leave, or would make him think we were
apologizing, which, in a way this is exactly what we were
doing--apologizing for what we were going to do to him.  Mr. Cramer was
given a spacious room with the best room and maid service the hotel could
provide, and he was greeted happily on the street and in the stores by
everyone.  It was some of that small town charm that one usually expects
to find."
     "O.K." Mulder put in, still a little shocked.  "So what you are
saying is that Waterton is planning to murder Scully?"
     "If you do not get her away from here, it could reach that point, yes."
     Mulder sighed and shut his bag of seeds.  He found he wasn't hungry
anymore.  "Lisa," he said with a concerned expresssion on his face, "how
does Waterton "choose" its people?  I mean, what criteria must it follow
to accept someone?  Agent Scully is one of the best people I have ever met
and she is someone who would put her life on the line for me as I would
for her.  Granted, we have big disagreements on many  things, but she
still stands by me in a lot of cases.  What makes the town hate her and
like me?"
     Lisa smiled sadly, "It all boils down to something I know that you
have to admit, Mulder.  Waterton can only accept people who "believe", who
are open to the possibilities of unknown places and unknown phenomena. 
Agent Scully, like a large majority of the Earth's population, is
completely closed to such ideas.  To her, a town with a mind of its own
would seem ludicrous.  This town needs to accept people who will accept
it--what it stands for, who it is, how it lives.  Narrow minded
individuals are just not welcome because Waterton requires people who can
look deep inside themselves and know that there are powers beyond the
normal expectatations of man."
     Mulder was frustrated.  "But Scully is getting better!  We have seen
so many unexplained things that I think she is starting to come around to
my point of view."
     "Yes," Lisa agreed.  "But deep inside, Agent Scully is still a
skeptic at heart, and Waterton can sense that.  She is still convinced
that the only way she will believe these wild stories is if she has solid
evidence.  Even then, she may not want to admit her feelings."
     By this time, Mulder was starting to feel very uncomfortable and
suspicious.  "Tell me, why are you warning me about all of this?  Wouldn't
it have been easier to just kill both of us and not reveal you secret?"
     Lisa hopped up off of her chair and motioned Mulder to follow her. 
"Let's take a walk."
     Going past all the shops on main street, Lisa and Mulder came to one
of the city parks, where Lisa stopped and sat on a bench.
     "Agent Mulder, Waterton is giving you a chance because it likes you
and realizes how much Scully means to you.  It also knows that you will
not disclose its secret to any of the wrong people.  Its trust in you made
it want to return the favor by allowing me, as one of Waterton's personal
"right hands" to warn you about your partner.  Waterton would rather not
resort to violence, it only kills out of a necessity for its survival. 
Non-believers in this town drain Waterton of strength.  Most of the town's
survival depends on the amount of belief its citizens have in it.  It
needs these people to stay healthy and thriving, and in return, it gives
its residents a knowledge that most normal human beings never have a
chance to discover.  You too could obtain this knowledge, Mulder, but it
would require that you stay in Waterton for the rest of your life.  I
realize that this would probably  be very difficult for you, and you would
have to participate in the murder of your partner, which I know you would
not even consider, understandably.  Therefore, you must make a sacrifice.
But I will give you a small word that sums up this whole matter.  I recall
you saying a phrase about how "The Truth is Out There".  Well, Mr. Mulder,
the truth is here."
     Mulder noticed that Lisa's eyes were no longer glimmering--they had
faded to a dull, meloncholy black.
       *                           *                           *

     After leaving the hotel cafe, Scully decided to take a look around. 
This  was, after all, another day, and she had convinced herself that she
had just ran into a few unfriendly people that hardly represented the
whole town.  On her way out, the formerly stern desk clerk called out to her.
     "Excuse me, madam, but are you in room 211?"
     Scully, surprised to see such a chipper expression on the man's face,
walked over to the desk and questionly answered "Yes?  Is there a problem?"
     "Well, actually we have noticed that there are a few plumbing
problems in that room."
     Scully was well aware of that fact.  She had had to put up with a
drippy faucet and running toilet all night.  "Yes, there seems to be..."
     "Well, the clerk interrupted, "it seems that the problem cannot be
readily fixed and being that we have no other one room complexes
available, we will provide you with the "Velvet Suite" at no extra charge,
since it is our fault and to your inconvenience.
     Scully was genuinely stunned, but took the key from the clerk, who
was grinning widely, and went up the stairs to gather her luggage.  When
she got to the suite, she found it to be a luxurious set of three
rooms--all decorated in a royal shade of purple.  The floor carpeting was
stain free and appeared new, there were expensive velvet armchairs, and
the bed was king sized with soft pillows and comforter.  Scully was
impressed with what she saw, and more than a little surprised.  She
thought to herself about how human nature was so strange--one minute the
people of Waterton were giving her the cold shoulder, and the next minute
she was showered with luxouries.  Something didn't fit about the whole
thing, but Scully was willing to dismiss it if getting this room was no
more than a gesture of apology.  After looking the whole room over, Scully
locked up and went downstairs and then onto mainstreet.  The town was
bustling--people were shopping, kids were playing, it was a perfectly
comfortable atmosphere.  Scully entered the dime store across the street
where she sat down and enjoyed a cup of cookies and cream ice cream, her
favorite.  The clerk in the store was very friendly and gave her two
scoops for 50 cents.  Scully sighed as she thought about the minute scoop
that $1.50 would get in the city, and convinced herself that if she ever
left the FBI, she'd try to practice as a doctor in a small town.
     When she was finished, Scully got off of her stool and was just about
to leave when she saw something small laying on the floor next to her
chair.  It was a sunflower seed.
    *                          *                              *


Posting for Erin Bauer, I give you part 3 of "Silent Treatment."
                                                                     DKK



Here is the last installment of Silent Treatment Part III.  I was
informed that there was a posting about the controversy of my story and 
Chris Carter's episode "idea", but being gone on vacation for a week, I 
was unable to see it.  If anyone can send a copy of it to me, or at least 
tell me what it said, I would be most grateful.  Also, if there are any 
other comments concerning the story, please send to 
ebauer@s-cwis.unomaha.edu.  Thanks for reading!


     Mulder's walk back to the hotel was one of frustration and anger.  
Lisa's information had greatly disheartened him and his feelings were 
torn regarding what to believe about Waterton.  How could an entity hold 
the key to all of human knowledge yet share this knowledge with only a 
select few--a select few who were willing to kill for it?  At least Lisa 
seemed to understand his position--see that even though he greatly wanted 
to know "the truth", that he could not turn to a life of murder to get 
it.  He also had doubts about how if the secrets of the universe were 
trully inspiring, than why would the citizens of Waterton turn on their 
fellow man?  Would not the knowledge of all of life's mysteries being 
revealed be enough to make them ask themselves why humankind would turn 
on each other?  Perhaps it was all a matter of control--an "Invasion of 
the Body Snatchers" complex.  By chance, these people probably didn't 
want to kill, but were forced to do so by a power that was much 
greater--something which was indeed capable of an influence far beyond 
Mulder's imagination.
     Mulder had noticed through his talk with Lisa that his fascination 
with her had slowly diminished.  Instead, he seemed to have gained more 
of a respect for her that he had never felt for another human being 
before.  He got the feeling that her warnings went beyond what Waterton 
probably was allowing her to give, and yet here she was, sacrificing 
information to him.  At any rate, Mulder felt that the last gleam in her 
eyes had left once she started explaining about Waterton's trust for 
him.  Could, perhaps, Lisa's original goal have been to persuade Mulder 
to join them and aid in the murder of Scully?  The way that Lisa 
presented it made the whole matter sound as if Waterton fully understood 
that Scully would be far more important to Mulder than even the truth of 
the universe.  However, this conflicted with what Lisa had said earlier 
about how Waterton was so picky about who it did and didn't accept, so 
how could it let go of Mulder, who considered himself one of the most 
open minded people there was?  It just didn't fit, which made Mulder 
think that Lisa had taken her own initiative, maybe even having to fight 
for control of her own thoughts, to tell him indirectly that it was 
better that he save Scully and forget about this place.  The whole 
business had left a great knot in Mulder's stomach that even sunflower 
seeds could not soothe.
     Mulder tried to clear his mind and focus on the task at hand.  As he 
walked into the hotel, Mulder was greeted by the desk clerk.
     "Why hello, sir."
     "Hi.  Uh, is Agent Dana Scully in?"
     "Why, yes, we moved her to another room--the "Velvet Suite".  Quite 
elegant, you know, but we let her have it at no extra charge because of 
the plumbing problems in her room."
     Mulder nodded.  "That was awful nice of you.  What's her room number?"
     The clerk gladly told Mulder where the Velvet Suite was and he 
headed upstairs.  When he got to her room, Mulder knocked on the door.
     "Who is it?" a familiar female voice called from inside.
     "It's your prince Charming come to carry you away on a silvery steed 
to a castle in a far off land."
     There was a pause and then, as Mulder chuckled softly to himself, a 
"Come in," which sounded somewhat annoyed, somewhat amused.
     Mulder opened the door and saw that Scully was reclining in one of 
her velvet armchairs, studying the Cramer file.
     "Hi, Scully, nice place you got here."
     Scully looked up.  "Yes, my old room was..."
     "Yeah," Mulder interrupted, "the clerk downstairs told me about it.
     Scully nodded.  "You know, Mulder, the people around here have 
seemed a lot more friendly and cooperative then yesterday, which is 
somewhat of a puzzle.  I hope they are doing it to be apologetic rather 
than for some ulterior reason.  But at any rate, their cooperation could 
definitly help us solve this case a lot sooner."  Scully paused as Mulder 
looked silently at her, then continued, "Mulder, speaking of friendly, I 
noticed you had a new aquaintance.  Who was she?"
     Mulder perked up and smiled.  "Jealous, Scully?  She was just a 
friendly member of the community who wanted to show me around."
     "Did you take her to the soda shop and buy her some ice cream or do 
most people sit at a soda counter and eat sunflower seeds?"
     "Actually, she ordered cherry phosphates, but how did you..."
     "I went in there this afternoon and got a double scoop for 50 cents 
and noticed a seed on the floor.  I just figured that..."
     "I'm not most people, right?" Mulder finished.
     "Right,"  Scully answered, smiling but giving him a strange look.  
Mulder felt uncomfortable.  There was an unusual tension in the room that 
both agents seemed to feel, but were trying to cover up with sarcasm and 
small talk.  Finally, Mulder knew it was time to break the ice and say 
what was on his mind.  He looked straight in Scully's face and said 
"Scully, I have something to tell you that you are not going to 
particularily going to want to hear."
     "Mulder, what's wrong?" Scully said with concern.  Mulder paced back 
and forth a couple of times and Scully noticed a fear and nervousness 
about him that she had never seen before.
     As Scully listened in disbelief, Mulder told his story.  He was so 
sincere that Scully knew he felt strongly about it, but how could she 
possibly believe it?  The town--an entity?  The people--minions?  No, she 
wasn't hearing it correctly.  Perhaps Mulder had really been taken by 
this woman--maybe her charms had convinced him to believe this nonsense.  
Scully had always thought Mulder's mind was like clay--it could be molded 
into anything by anyone.  Mulder was always willing to believe any story 
about the paranormal, no matter how far fetched it was.  Sometimes he 
pretended that he wasn't taking the bait, but Scully suspected this was 
for her sake.  That is why she had to stay strong, keep Mulder on track 
and going in the right direction.
     When Mulder was finished with his story, Scully smiled.  "It's OK, 
Mulder.  Look, what I said earlier about just wanting to solve this 
case--well, since people are more willing to cooperate you don't have to..."
     "Scully, damn it, I'm serious here!  I am not making this up!  You 
said yourself that you suspected an ulterior motive, well I'm telling you 
what it is!"
     Scully was taken aback, but tried to remain calm as a good doctor 
should.  "Mulder, I think you are exhausted.  I don't know what this 
woman said to you to make you so upset, but you seem emotionally drained 
and I think a little rest would help.  Doctor's orders."
     Mulder just about went into another outburst, but decided to let it 
go.  He had arranged to have a suite down the hall from Scully tonight 
anyway, without her knowledge, of course, so he would be able to watch 
what went on.  If the people of Waterton tried anything, he would be 
there to stop them.  If they didn't, he'd at least have another chance to 
convince Scully to leave tomorrow.
     Mulder agreed with Scully that maybe he needed some rest, and the 
two agents said goodnight.  Mulder went back to his room and sat in a 
comfortable armchair.  He took out a magazine and  nervously flipped the 
pages.  He got up and paced.  If he heard any commotion in the hall, he 
would be ready.
                 *                 *                 *

     Scully undid the thick comforter and put it at the foot of the bed.  
The sheets were of the finest satin, something Scully wasn't used to.  
She got into her pajamas and climbed into the bed, lying upon the thick, 
fluffy pillows.  She noticed that the digital clock read 11:30 and then 
she fell fast asleep.
     At 12:35, a drowsy Mulder heard footsteps outside his room.  
Becoming suddenly alert, he slowly opened the door to see a group of four 
men and one woman walking toward Scully's door.  Mulder yelled out "Hey!",
and two men and the woman turned around.  The other two men behaved as if 
they hadn't heard him and continued toward Scully's room.  The woman, to 
Mulder's horror, was Lisa!  She no longer had a radiance about her, but 
rather a crude, mean look.  She glared at Mulder and he found he was 
absolutely glued to the spot.  He felt like his body was like a rock that 
wouldn't budge--he was helpless!  Mulder tried to call out, but a lump 
caught in his throat and he found he couldn't talk.  He looked pleadingly 
at Lisa, who he thought looked exceedingly sad for just a moment--but no, 
it must have been a trick of the light.  She turned away from him, with a 
solemn expression on her face, and accompanied by the two men, she headed 
toward the Velvet Suite.
     Scully was awakened by a strange, strong smell and a wretching pain 
in her wrists.  As she looked about, she was dumbfounded to see strange 
people standing in her room.
     She desperately tried to move her hands, but realized they were tied 
tight to the bed posts.  If there was only a way to get to her gun in the 
nightstand...
     Suddenly, one of the men noticed that Scully was awake and nodded to 
the woman who in turn nodded to another man.  This man held a liquid 
drenched rag.  Scully was extremely frightened by now, fearing that she 
too would fall victim to Milton Cramer's murderers.  She cried out "Who 
are you!", but no one answered.  Before long, the ether had taken over 
Agent Dana Scully's senses and the world went black.
               *                  *                      *

     It was an abnormally beautiful day in small town Waterton, Iowa.  
The fields of waist-high corn blew gently in the wind under a cloudless 
blue sky.  Yet, the atmosphere of this town was unusually quiet for such 
a pleasant day--there were no children playing, no stores open, no 
traffic, and an eerie stillness around the posh hotel on main street.
     Out in the early morning hours, Fox Mulder roamed about the 
cornfield behind the hotel, calling out Scully's name desperately.  After 
hours of endless searching, Mulder finally spotted a black figure a few 
feet from him.  He went running, heart beating fast in horrid 
anticipation of what he might find.  To his relief, the figure was indeed 
Scully--unconscious, but still alive.  Mulder cried with joy.  He had 
lived a nightmare last night as he remained stuck right outside his 
doorway.  He was forced to watch Lisa and her cohorts carrying an 
unconscious Scully down the hall.  At that point, he didn't even know if 
she was alive, but luckily, here she was.  However, this made Mulder 
wonder why her life had been spared?  At that moment, Mulder sensed a 
prescence behind him and when he looked, he saw Lisa, dressed in a 
beautiful green, almost transparent gown.  Her features showed much wear, 
and overall she did not seem nearly as attractive as Mulder had once 
thought.  Besides, he knew her real motives now.
     Mulder stood up angrily.  "What do you want, come back to finish the 
job?"
     "No," Lisa replied in an expressionless tone.  "Waterton took pity 
on Scully for your sake."
     Lisa turned and looked across the wide cornfield and into the 
distant town.  Then she looked back at Mulder, sighed and returned her 
gaze to the town.
     "Mr. Mulder, Waterton has decided to leave this place.  It has 
learned that it does not belong here--it has caused too much pain and 
trouble.  The town is alien to this world and has found it does not fit 
in.  While you were out in the cornfield early this morning, Waterton 
released all of its people--they will more than likely travel to their 
original homes or make new ones, but their knowledge of the truth dies 
here with Waterton.  It had no business to give such information to a 
race who was not ready for it and could not control what they knew in 
their own societies.  Waterton tried to make a peaceful existence for 
these people and free them from all exposure to the outside world, but it 
now realizes that what it was really doing was imprisoning them, making 
them something they should not have been.  Waterton has killed one to 
many people, and now it is time for it to go.  Fox Mulder, Waterton does 
owe you the credit for this whole revelation.  You doubted, you 
questioned, you chose another human being over having your own chance to 
gain more knowledge then men will know for centuries to come.  Somehow I 
knew it would happen, and now I realize my error."
     Lisa looked down at the sleeping Scully.  "She can't possibly 
realize what a treasure she has in you."
     With that, Lisa smiled sadly and as Mulder watched, Lisa and the 
remnants of the small Iowa town vanished.  In their stead was left more 
spreading cornfields and a small dirt road where their rental car was parked.
     By now Scully was coming to.  Mulder helped her up nad explained 
that some of the people from Waterton had knocked her out and brought her 
into a cornfield several miles out of town.
     "I think they did it as a warning for us to stop snooping around.  
About my behavior last night, that wasn't..."
     "No, it's allright, Mulder.  What about the Cramer case?"
     "I've called headquarters and they say they've dismissed it.  
Whether this is just to take us off the case while they get someone else 
to investigate, I don't know, but from what the Bureau says, they don't 
think its worth the trouble of fooling around with these people.  After 
all, these natives seem restless!  Sorry about all that stuff I said 
about that woman and what she told me--I think I was just infactuated."
     "Mulder, look, you don't have to explain.  I believe you believe 
what you told me, but all I know for sure is that I feel they have 
something to hide and are going to extremes to hide it."
     Mulder and Scully walked toward the dirt road.  Just before they got 
to the car, Mulder spotted a bag of opened sunflower seeds lying on the 
ground.  Scully rolled her eyes and Mulder said "I was eating them and 
when I spotted you..."
     "OK, Mulder," Scully said slyly as she went to the passenger's side 
and got in.  Her head was pounding and she didn't feel like trying to 
figure Mulder out today.
     Mulder knew he hadn't had sunflower seeds today when he was looking 
for Scully--he had been too worried for that.  But he did know who had 
left them there--a town who had manifested its energies into the shape of 
a woman named Lisa and who had learned one small lesson about being human.