From: DavidB226Morris@aol.com
Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2001 23:47:53 EDT
Subject: Third Wheel
Source: direct

THE THIRD WHEEL
by DavidB226Morris and Allan Yoskowitz

Summary: After the events at El Rico Air Force Base, Mulder and Scully are 
reassigned to the X-Files. The catch is that  another agent has been 
reassigned to them.

Type of Story: Alternate Universe/ Crossover (sort of)

Rating: TV-14 Strong Language

Disclaimer: The characters of Mulder,Scully, et al belong to Chris Carter and 
1013 Productions (though I'm beginning to wonder if he deserves them after 
this season) Similarly the character of Daniel Torrance belongs to Stephen 
King (though I think he would be hard pressed to recognize this version of 
him)
SPOILERS: The End, One Son
DISTRIBUTION: Gossamer, OK . Anywhere else notify me first
FEEDBACK: DavidB226Morris@aol.com
AUTHORS NOTE: I have nothing against Robert Patrick, but I didn't like the 
way that John Doggett was force fed to me and other fans of the X-Files. This 
story and the ones that will follow it are my way of showing an alternate 
version of how the X-Files should have dealt with the introduction of another 
character. I hope you enjoy them.

      Whenever Fox Mulder sat in the exterior of A.D. Skinner's office, he 
always felt that he had been called in to see the vice principal.  Like he'd 
been caught by at some activity calling for a disciplinary infraction, and 
now was his time to suffer the consequences.  He shifted his weight , 
wondering for a moment what his punishment would be this time.
      It wasn't as if he wasn't used to disciplinary action.  As he would be 
the first to admit (no, as Scully would be the first to admit) he had the 
tendency in the pursuit of his work to "push the envelope".  Politely put, he 
violated the rule book's codings on a regular basis. 
      He looked over at his partner, about to remark about his last thought.  
A look at Scully's face changed his mind.  Something about the analogy he'd 
made had him feeling it would cut a little too close to home, and right now 
that was the last thing he wanted.  God knew that things had been awkward 
between the two of them for the last several months, and right now she could 
very easily live without his usual witticisms. Besides, she probably felt 
feel the same, like she was being called to the principal's office.  In her 
case though, she probably felt like the parent of a perennially disobedient 
grade schooler  always being chastised for her child's failings. In this 
case,though, the disciplinary actions were being put on the mother as well as 
the child.
     The irony was he had no reason to feel as suspicious as he did.  By all 
indications, they were going to be put back on the X-Files. The literal 
firestorm of events that had concluded in the horrors at El Rico  had 
convinced  many people at the bureau that he and Scully were necessary to the 
success of the unit. He therefore had every reason to be looking forward to 
this meeting with anticipation.
     Why was it,then, that he felt a sensation of impending doom, as if there 
was about to be one more ironic twist in his corkscrew existence at the 
bureau? If he told these feelings to any of his friends (most of whom, he 
thought wryly, were sitting in this room with him) they would likely tell him 
 he was being unduly paranoid. Perhaps he was, but as he had told Scully  
early in their partnership: "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean 
they're not out to get you."
      The door of the office opened. "Agents." As always the voice of the man 
in the office seemed to contain a mild note of disapproval
      Without even looking at each other, the two federal agents stood up and 
walked into the office, wondering what consequences awaited them behind the 
door.
      Skinner never seemed particularly comfortable when he had to give them 
any sort of news, pleasant or (as was usually the case) unpleasant. This 
time,however, he seemed more reluctant than usual to speak, though he tried 
to maintain a cheerful tone.
      "First of all, let me be the first to congratulate you. As of tomorrow, 
the two of you may officially return to the X-Files."
       This was the best news that Fox Mulder had heard in over six months 
and the only thing that he could think of  was: "What string are they putting 
on it now?'
      "However, it is the decision of those higher up at the bureau that your 
return be conditional.
       Here it comes, thought Mulder.   
      "Agent Scully was assigned to the X-Files six years ago to provide a 
scientific rationale for your work. However, it is the belief of the board 
that in the time that has passed since that your influence on her has caused 
her to lose the perspective that she was supposed to have brought."
       Under other circumstances, Mulder would have found the AD's choice of 
words amusing. What he was saying boiled down to that he had somehow 
convinced Scully to cross over to the Dark Side of the Force when in fact she 
had remained almost stubbornly realistic. However, he didn't like where the 
conversation was headed.
       "What are you saying sir? That because I am not willing to outright 
dismiss Agent Mulder's work, my judgement has been impaired?" Scully seemed 
calm, but both men could tell by her attitude that she was furious.           
    Skinner attempted to calm her down.
       "I'm saying nothing of the kind. It is, however, the belief of the 
Bureau directors that in order for work in the X-files to be completed 
successfully, someone must provide a view that is absolutely impartial."
       "Are you saying I will no longer be working with Agent Mulder?" Scully 
sounded confused.
      "Your skills in science are still considered necessary to this unit. "
       It suddenly dawned on both of the agents what the AD was talking 
about.Mulder spoke first.
      "Who?"
     "Agent Mulder?"
     "Who else is being assigned to the X-Files?" There was a note of barely 
controlled hostility in his voice.
      Skinner sighed. "In an effort to assure that an impartial voice will be 
present in your area, it is the decision of the bureau that a new agent shall 
be reassigned to work with you in your unit."
       Both Mulder and Scully took this in for a few seconds. Mulder was 
about to launch into a rant as to a third agent was not only unnecessary but 
also indicative of the distrust of the powers that be in his ability to run 
this unit. (Though Scully didn't know it, he had gone off on a similar 
diatribe when he had first learned that he was about to be assigned a 
partner.)
However, Scully (as she so often did) saved him from making a series of 
statements which  would have made him sound foolish. 
      "Sir, with all due respect, this strikes me as insulting to Agent 
Mulder and I." Again she spoke calmly, her fury barely resetrained beneath.
      "Agent Scully, this is not a reflection on your work...."
      "Bullshit." Scully put her hand on his , but for once he would not let 
her  divert him from speaking even if it got him into further trouble. "What 
else are we supposed to think of it as?"
      "Agents, I no more  like  this arrangement than you do. To assign a 
third member to your unit will create a series of budgetary problems, not to 
mention difficulties in travel arrangement. However, the board's mandate is 
simple: either the two of you work with another agent  or you will continue 
to work outside of  the X-Files."
       Realizing  their hands were being forced, Mulder and Scully shared a 
look which  indicated that  they weren't wild about being assigned another 
team member, they would tolerate it in order to get back to their work.
        "We are trying to introduce this new agent with the interest of one 
who would interfere  least with your work. To that end, an agent has been 
chosen who has no prior involvement with either you or the X-Files."
        "Who is  he and where is he now?"
        "He works out of the Boston field office. He'll be joining you 
tomorrow.Kim will supply you a copy of his jacket"
        As the two agents  got up to leave, Skinner added:"If it is any 
consolation, the agent involved gives every indication that he will be an 
asset to the two for your work."
      "How so?" Mulder asked, not really caring; his only wish was to get out 
of the office.
      "In the  years you have worked on the X-Files, he is the only agent who 
has voluntarily requested to be transfered to your unit."
      As much as he didn't want to be, Agent Mulder was curious.
"Who is he?"
      "Agent Daniel Torrance."

      As she rode the elevator down to the basement  she  realized that she 
would always consider her office no matter how many months she had been kept 
from it, Special Agent Dana Scully thought back to the  first time she had 
gone to the office of the man who had,not entirely unwillingly, become the 
most important figure in her life.
     Then she had been a woman with longer hair and a more frequent smile, a 
woman  convinced that science could provide an explanation for everything, 
one who believed in the basic honesty and integrity of her government---in 
short, a woman who was more Dana than Scully.
     All that had been before she had become involved with Mulder and his 
quest for the truth, before her orderly view of the world had been inverted a
nd subverted. Blood had been shed--- some of it their own--- often with 
nothing to show for it. Sometimes she wondered: if she had known what awaited 
her when she had first walked into Mulder's office, would she have still 
worked with him? Would she have walked away?
      The question was not one she liked to dwell on, yet she knew that it 
was a presence in the thoughts of both.  Mulder, in particular, thought about 
it frequently, not because he cared so much what happened to himself, but 
because he regretted having dragged Scully down with him. She had tried to 
encourage him, tried telling him that he was not alone on this journey, and 
it had seemed to appease him.  Recently, she had begun to wonder whether it 
was worth all the suffering and anguish. Furthermore, in the past couple of 
weeks, when Mulder had made it plain that he still trusted Fowley despite all 
the evidence of her betrayal, she had been hurt that Mulder still trusted 
that woman over her.
      That's right. Keep pretending that this is only about trust. Damn. The 
voice which she always seemed to hear when she was thinking about her 
relationship with her partner had returned. You're not jealous of that woman 
because she has some hold over Mulder. No, you and Mulder don't have that 
sort of relationship. Never mind what almost happened in that hallway all 
those months ago, or what he tried to tell you in the mall after that chewing 
out we got from the board, or what he said in that hospital after you found 
him in the Caribbean....
      With an effort, she shut the voice  up.
      As the elevator came to a stop in the basement, Scully wondered why she 
was dwelling so much on the past.  She realized that before she had been 
sidetracked, she had been trying to put herself back in the footsteps of a 
rookie agent so that she might  understand what this new man would be 
thinking when he  walked in the door.
      She didn't know much about the man outside the information in his file 
and  that Mulder was automatically opposed to his presence. Scully was less 
certain. It was true that of the handful of agents who had worked with them 
on the X-Files, most had been cold, unpleasant, and often downright hostile . 
However, most  had been experienced agents who had only asked the help of 
"Spooky and The Ice Queen" when it was the only choice left. Agent 
Torrance,however, had been at the bureau for only two and a half years, not 
nearly long enough to form any lasting alliances. Furthermore, even though he 
had doubtless known  the reputation of the X-Files as a hangout for the 
lunatic fringe of cases, he had nevertheless requested assignment to the 
unit. That had to count for something.
      She walked down to the hall and found the first sign of the impending 
changes that were sure to be coming with this new arrival. For as long as she 
could remember the door to Mulder's office had only bore his name.It now read:
        X-Files Unit
        Fox Mulder
        Dana Scully
        Daniel Torrance

       Her name was on the door. Scully decided she already liked this new 
agent,if he had  brought this about. She opened the door to find another 
pleasant surprise.
       Mulder was at his desk, a file in one hand and a pile of shells from 
the sunflower seeds he always munched on lying next to the other one. This 
was an old and comforting sight to her eyes. Her partner looked more like 
himself.
      And there in the corner---was it? Could it be?   Yes, after years of 
subtle (and not so subtle) remarks to people in charge, including Mulder, 
another desk was in the office. For a second, a chilly thought-- what if its 
for Torrance --- ran through her head. Her apprehension on her face must have 
been visible because Mulder looked up at  and smiled.
     "It's yours. Happy Birthday."
      Aware of the relief  she was sure was plastered on her face, she tried 
to pass it off as a joke.
     "My birthday isn't for a week."
     "Well, I figured I owed you a present."
     "Where's Torrance's?"
     "Let him work for it. He lasts for five years, I'll get him one,too."
      As she moved to the unfamiliar area that was (believe it boys and 
girls) her  desk, she couldn't restrain herself. "Well, I'm starting to like 
this  guy already."
      "Don't get overexcited, G-woman. You haven't even met our new 
babysitter yet." More sarcasm, but Scully could detect the bitterness in his 
voice. 
     "Have you?"
      Mulder shook his head."Apparently, Agent Torrance does not count 
punctuality among his virtues. He's half an hour late already."
     "What have you learned about him so far?"
     "Hey you know as much about him as I do." Scully shifted and looked at 
him."All right, so I did a little background check on him. It's what we've 
been doing the past few months."
     "Smart?"
     "Well, he graduated from high school at seventeen at the top of his 
class, Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth on scholarship,  master 's degree in 
clinical psychology, with internships at John Hopkins and the Special Crimes 
unit in Baltimore, a rising star at Quantico, and after only three years here 
he's considered one of the rising stars at the Bureau.."
      "So why did he ask to be transferred to this unit?"
      "A good question, and one which nobody  seems  able to answer.  His 
decision to come here has come as a shock to almost everybody that I spoke 
to." Mulder paused reflectively, a bitter smile on his face.
      "Mulder?"
      "One of the people that I talked with was Tom Colton."
       Scully nodded understandingly, remembering the difficulties that they  
both had dealing with the arrogant son of a bitch.
      "When I mentioned that Agent Torrance was joining the X-Files, he said, 
and I quote: 'Don't ruin him like you did Scully.'  
      Scully winced. "Leave it to Colton to end the discussion on a high 
intellectual plain." When Mulder remained silent, she got a little concerned. 
Bashing Tom Colton was normally one of his greatest pleasures. "Please don't 
tell me  you're taking that jerk seriously."
      Mulder looked at her sadly. "Let's be honest, Scully. I have the habit 
of bringing down those  who work with me. And now it looks like the powers 
that be are giving me an opportunity to make history repeat itself."
      Scully sighed. Here we go again. "Mulder, I don't know how many times I 
have to go over this with you. You didn't twist my arm to be here. I want to 
be on this journey. And apparently I'm not the only one."
      Mulder took this in,  managing a small smile. "How long do you think it 
will take for us to turn Torrance into a laughing-stock."
      Scully smiled back. "Probably about the  time he turns in his first 
report on a killer who can squeeze himself through an air-conditioning duct 
so that he can dine on the livers of his victims."
      As if that was his cue, there was a firm knock on the door.
      The two agents looked at each other for a moment. Then Scully, with a 
small smile, shrugged her shoulders and took the initiative.
      "Come on in. Nobody here but the FBI's most unwanted."

       Special Agent Daniel Torrance stood in front of the door of the 
X-Files (his new office, as the door clearly said) and tried for the 
umpteenth time that day to get the butterflies in his stomach to calm down. 
He was not terribly surprised that this attempt was just as unsuccessful as 
the others.
      Get a hold of yourself, Danny Boy. So you are standing on the threshold 
of the FBI's office for dealing with vampires, aliens, witches, and other 
assorted things that go bump in the night. That doesn't mean  your new 
co-workers will automatically be able to tell why you transferred into their 
unit, and it certainly doesn't mean that they have what you have.
       This was probably true. And yet Danny could not escape from the 
feeling that he was about to reach another turning point in his life, one 
that would shape his future in some remarkable way. He had faced a great may 
of these points in his life before--- the first had come when he was only 
five years old-- and he had always been able to deal with them, perhaps not 
always calmly but at least with a certain amount of the maturity  he had 
possessed since an early age. So why did he feel so unsettled?
      Because for the first time in a long time on this journey , I'm going 
to have companions. And that's a scary concept. I've always traveled alone. 
Sure, Mom was as supportive as she could be, but she never really liked what 
I had. And Dick was there at the start, but he wasn't there all the time. 
I've never traveled with people--- at least not normal people-- who might be 
able to understand what I carry with me.
     True. He had always made friends  easily---he had been a companionable 
boy and had grown into a congenial man---- but despite his natural 
cheerfulness there had always been a point in most of his relationships where 
he had shut out a lot of his friends. Part of it was that it is very 
difficult to be friends with people when you are struggling to not read their 
thoughts. But most of it was that when he was with people much of the time he 
had a feeling of being somewhat incomplete. A sensation that he was different 
from them and always would be. This feeling had continued through college, 
his internships and in to his early days at the bureau.
     When he had first heard of the X-Files, he had, like most of his 
colleagues, laughed at the supposed misadventures of "Spooky" Mulder and his 
Girl Friday. Secretly, though, he had wondered. In their cross country 
searches for aliens and witches and ghosts (oh my), was it not possible that 
they had encountered others like him? Was it possible that they might 
understand what made him and others like him ---- tick? And continuing in 
this line of thought, was it not possible they themselves could somehow...
       At first, he was inclined to dismiss the possibility. The rationalist 
in him was certain it was unlikely, if not impossible. After all, he had met 
a few people in the bureau who had what he did and were totallyunaware of it. 
Why should these two be any different? But the more that he heard about these 
unusual agents who were assigned to cases that were classified as 
'unexplained', the more he had come to believe in the possibility. Then, 
almost a year ago, when he had heard of their involvement with the chess 
prodigy who supposedly could read minds, he had decided that regardless of 
whether or not they were like him hey would at least be capable of 
understanding what he was. He had applied for a transfer to their unit, but 
by the time that his request was processed, the unit had been shut down. At 
the time, he had thought that would be his last opportunity to work with 
them. Yet here he was,  about to finally realize some part of his ambitions. 
No wonder he felt so unsettled.
      Get a hold of yourself, Doc. Doesn't matter whether those people have 
the shine or not. Only thing that does matter is  you said you wanted to work 
with them and you should do just that.
      Not his own voice that time. That was Dick. He had died just over a 
year ago, but Danny still heard him in his head from time to time. The 
psychologist in him said that it was just a variation of his own 
subconscious, but the rest of him thought that Dick was somehow shining from 
wherever he was now. In any case, Dick had always given good advice when he 
was alive and he figured it was just as valid now.
       He knocked on the door to his office. A woman's voice--- Scully, he 
thought--- told him to come in.
      Here we go, he told himself, and opened the door.

      The first thing that struck both agents was how young Daniel Torrance 
looked. According to his file, he was seven years younger than Scully and ten 
younger than Mulder, yet he looked like he had barely graduated from high 
school, let alone Quantico.
       Part of it was his face.His hair was a darker shade than Mulder's--- 
black with brown highlights. He stood just over five and a half feet tall and 
was wiry with narrow shoulders. He appeared to be relatively fit and 
muscular. The overall impression he gave off was that of a gawky teenager.
       What made him seem mature---perhaps even more so than the people 
around him---were his eyes. A darker shade of blue than Scully's, they 
somehow seemed older than the rest of his face. Indeed, his eyes seemed very 
old and very tired--- like someone who had seen a great deal--- and had not 
wanted to see any of it. For a second, Scully thought of Gibson Praise, the 
twelve year old who had seemed older than she had. What, she wondered, had 
this man seen to make his eyes seem so aged? She supposed  in due time she 
would find out, but would she really want to know the cause?
        For a moment, the three agents stood and looked at each other, 
measuring each other mentally. Torrance finally broke the silence.
       "Is there anyway for me to say that it is an honor to meet both of you 
without sounding like a total suck-up?", he asked.
       "I guess our reputation precedes us," Mulder said.    
        Agent Torrance reached out to shake Mulders hand. Before he did, 
however, he did something  strange--- something that might be called spooky. 
He stared at the wall that was behind both agents at the place where Mulder 
had ---until the fire--- hung a poster bearing a UFO and  the words "I want 
to believe". Now it was merely a blank space. However, Torrance appeared to 
be staring at the spot as if he was looking directly at it---almost like he 
was looking through it somehow. Then he looked back to Mulder and Scully.
      "I'm sorry. I'm afraid I'm getting a bit of a headache." Torrance said 
apologetically.
      "That's all right. They come with working here." Scully said.
      Torrance gave a faint smile. "Interesting place you've got here."
      "It used to be a closet but it was too small." said Mulder dryly.
      "Only thing that's missing is a sign over the doorframe saying 'Abandon 
all hope, ye who enter here.' " It wasn't a great joke but both of the other 
agents smiled at it. The inner temperature in the office went up a little.
       "You want to ask or shall I?" Scully said, a half smile playing about 
her mouth.
      "You welcomed him here." Mulder countered.
      "Ask what?" said Torrance, curiousty tinging his voice
      "Who did you piss off to get this detail?"
      "A.D. Kersh." Torrance said without hesitating.
      Mulder and Scully shared a look. "My respect for you just went up a 
notch. What did you to annoy our esteemed assistant director?" Mulder managed 
to say the last three words as if he were saying arrogant fuckwad.
      Torrance looked around suspiciously.
     "Don't worry. We're not bugged. I had some friends of mine sweep the 
office yesterday." Scully and Torrance both looked to Mulder to see if he was 
kidding. His face,as it often did, gave two separate impressions. His mouth 
seemed to say that he was kidding, but his eyes... Scully had known him for 
five years and she still didn't think that she could say with certainty what 
was going on back there.
     Agent Torrance paused for a long time nevertheless.
    "I may have used an obscene term to refer to him in my interoffice 
e-mail", he finally said in a tone of voice that was equal parts shame and 
amusement.
    "How obscene?:" Now Mulder was intrigued.
    "While using the Internet, I came up with an abbreviation to refer to the 
nastiest and most loathsome bureaucrats. In passing, I may have used that 
term to refer to AD Kersh." Torrance's face was now turning a shade of red 
that Mulder had previously only seen on strawberry jam.
    "What abbreviation?"
     Another long pause. "OLP" Torrance said
    "Which means..." 
    "Officious Little Prick." Torrance finally stammered out.
     There was a silence that seemed to go on for longer than the ten seconds 
it actually lasted.  Mulder managed to restrain himself that long before 
bursting into genuine laughter. He couldn't have helped it. The image of the 
words that Danny Torrance had used just seemed to fit their previous boss so 
well. Scully didn't quite laugh, but she did bestow Torrance with a smile 
that she rarely showed to anyone. In that moment, the three agents came a 
little closer to  being friends.
     "You use the Internet?" Mulder said when he finally got over his 
laughing fit.
      "From time to time." 
       "I would have thought someone of your pronounced viewpoints would 
stick to using smoke signals or carrier pigeons."
       Torrance looked blank for a moment before his face cleared. "You're 
talking about my thesis at Quantico."                                      
      "You really tore into it, saying  the Internet is responsible for the 
breakdown of intelligent communication and for an increase in 'social 
deviancy'. Pretty strong stuff.", said Mulder."I have a couple of friends who 
would be ticked to be described in such terms."
      "I'm not saying that the Internet is terrible. I'm just saying that 
there are more effective ways of expressing ideas. " Torrance took on the 
tone of a man who was about to begin a debate. "I mean, here we are with the 
most remarkable device since the telephone to express ones deepest thoughts 
and what do we use it for?  To tell people where to fond the Warp Star in 
Mario 64, to berate Dick Wolf for replacing Chris Noth on Law and Order, and 
site after site devoted to hackneyed fiction on TV shows which are barely 
literate to begin with! If this is where technology has taken America, no 
wonder the Japanese are beating us in the world market." Torrance stopped, 
remembering where he was and who he was with. "Of course, that's just my 
opinion: I could be wrong."
       "Aren't you a little young for such deep thoughts?", asked Scully in a 
half- serious tone of voice.
       Torrance gave an amused smile which showed the slightest signs of 
frustration. "Not down here five minutes and I'm already being questioned on 
my youth and inexperience."
       "I'm sorry, I---"
       "Don't apologize, Agent Scully, I actually have a response prepared 
for this." Torrance than fixed his young old stare on Mulder. "I'm 
twenty-eight years old, Agent Mulder, which if I am not mistaken is the same 
age that you were when you first opened the X Files." He then turned to 
Scully. "And, unless I'm very wrong, that is how old you were, when you were 
first assigned to work with Agent Mulder. " He then smiled in a manner that 
was equal parts irritation and amusement. "You're not dealing with the 
paperboy. Please don't treat me as such."
      Another pause. "Touche." Mulder said finally, and the minor tension 
which had settled in the room dissipated.
    "So,have you any more questions that you want to ask me?"
    "Actually, I do have one more."
         Scully, who thought she knew what was coming, gave a small smile.
         "So tell me, Agent Torrance, do you believe in the existence of 
extraterrestrials?" Scully looked at Mulder with some amusement as he asked 
the new agent the same question that he had asked her when they had first met 
five years ago. 
    To his credit, the young agent hesitated before answering, appearing to 
give the question the seriousness he thought that it merited. Finally, he 
gave an answer.
       "Agent Mulder,do you go all the way on the first date?"
       Of the hundreds of possible responses that Daniel Torrance could have 
given, this was likely the most unexpectedt he could have made.Mulder was so 
stunned by his answer that for once he was left without any sort of witty 
comeback. Scully, on the other hand, did something that was even more unusual 
for her, something that even Torrance's story about Kersh had not done.
        She laughed. Only once and it was only a small chuckle, but  the fact 
remained that Torrance had elicited a greater reaction with one of his 
remarks than Mulder had managed in over five years of working together. For a 
second, Mulder felt bizarrely jealous, but he managed to shrug it off.
       "The reason I asked you that question, Agent Mulder, was that you are 
requesting me to grant you a certain level of intimacy that we haven't yet 
managed to reach."
     "So you're not taking me seriously?"
     "On the contrary,I consider a very important question. One which if I 
answer it incorrectly I will lower myself in the eyes of both you and Agent 
Scully."
       "How so?" asked Scully, curious to learn how their new associates mind 
worked.
    "Well, if I were to answer yes, you will no doubt give me a scientific 
point-by- point analysis as to why aliens do not exist. On the other hand, if 
I answer no, Agent Mulder will read me the riot act telling me that not only 
do aliens exist, but that I can find them working in the nearest 7-11. Am I 
right in understanding how your operation works?"   
        "Actually most grays prefer working at Wal Mart. Makes them seem more 
ordinary." It was a weak joke and Mulder brusquely went on. "You didn't 
answer me."
       "I tend to believe in things that I have seen with my own eyes, Agent 
Mulder. If during the course of our new association, you find yourself able 
to show me the body of an alien, be it alive or dead, then by all means I 
will be willing to take their existence seriously. But you can't expect me to 
believe in the existence or non-existence of any such creature based solely 
on your own say-so." 
      "Well,that was an intelligent,well thought out response."
       "Thank you."
      "But you still haven't given me an answer."
     "I know, and you're not going to get one. At least not yet." Torrance 
gave a small smile. "I don't go all the way on the first date either."
      "Come on. " said Scully. "At least give us a hint of which side you're 
on."
       Mulder and Torrance both looked at the female agent with curiosity.
      "For five years, I have been trying to help Mulder see that horses with 
stripes are just zebras...."
       "And I've been trying to get Scully to see that they're unicorns." 
finished Mulder.
       "And you were both hoping that I would shift the balance of power one 
way or the other." said Torrance thoughtfully.
      "Right."
      "Well, I didn't know that my new job would put such responsibility on 
my shoulders." Torrance stroked his chin. "Well, I think for now, you both 
can consider me... neutral."
         "Well, neutral can be taken in a lot of different ways." said Mulder
    Torrance thought this over for a moment. "I guess I'm neutral like the 
U.S. in World War I. I'm staying out of the fighting for now, but I can be 
persuaded to join in on either side."
        Mulder and Scully looked at each other. "I guess that I can live with 
that." Mulder said finally. 
       "So can I. " said Scully.
       Torrance looked at his watch. "Look, I just wanted to meet the two of 
you before we began to officially start work together. I have to move some of 
my stuff in here and then I have to check in with A.D. Skinner, so I'd better 
go."
    "O.K.. We'll see you... soon." He shook hands with Scully and Mulder, and 
left.

       "Well, that wasn't too painful." said Scully cautiously. She had 
rather liked Agent Torrance--- he had taken the modest grilling that the two 
of them had given  in stride.
       "No, he seems like a decent enough guy." Mulder said slowly.
        "But...." Scully had seen this look on Mulder's face before. He was 
about to make some kind of deep insight on into Daniel Torrance's character 
based on the conversation.
      "He's hiding something." 
       "Mulder, he just met us. He's not going to tell us his life story."
       "I'm not saying that he's an axe murderer or anything. It's more 
like..." He paused. "That story he told us about Kersh and the 
Internet....you know him; if that had really happened, Kersh would have 
transferred him to Alaska."
       "Do you think he's lying?
       "You heard what Skinner told us. He asked to be transferred into this 
unit. Why would he want to join us?"
      "Mulder, not every agent has an vendetta against you."
      "That's not it, Scully. If he has an agenda of some sort, I don't think 
the bosses know about it.  He has some kind of personal reason for wanting to 
work on the X-Files. "
       Scully didn't like it when her partner made such leaps of logic, but 
she had seen him be on the money  countless times before. Could he be right 
this time? What was Daniel Torrance hiding?

       As Danny left the office, he had two very clear thoughts about his new 
co-workers. The first was that for all of the reputation both agents had for 
being  odd, he rather liked them. They had struck him as amusing and 
companionable,and he thought that he could get along with  them.
      The second thought was of what he had seen--- or, to be completely 
accurate, shined. When he had first entered the office, he had sensed that 
the office was kind of a Bad Place. He had looked at the ground--- and had 
seen a small pool of blood. Then he had looked up at the wall where nothing 
was hung---only he had seen a poster slowly curling up into flames. He had 
even been able to make out the words on it: I WANT TO BELIEVE. 
As he had now mastered the ability of doing , he managed to make the images 
disappear with a blink of his eyes, but the impression remained. This office 
was surrounded in a shroud of darkness. It wasn't as bad as some of the 
places he'd been in--- he thought that he could work there without a great 
deal of trouble---- but he knew he would always be a little uncomfortable 
being there.
      As for the other agents, he could not tell right away if they shone or 
not. Mulder had something coming off him, but he had sensed that aura around 
other policemen and FBI agents. That didn't make them shiners. He had been 
equally puzzled by Scully -- he had sensed something fainter, something  he 
associated with all female shiners. But as women-- especially mothers--- all 
seemed to shine a little, he couldn't tell if it was real or imagined.
     Had he made a  mistake coming here? The X-Files was considered by most 
of his fellow agents to be a vast wasteland where nothing was ever resolved, 
and there was no future for anyone who worked there. Was he committing the 
equivalent of hari-kari with his career? It was possible.        
     However, he clung to the hope  he had gotten from his peek inside the 
heads of both agents. They were both resolved to find answers to whatever 
problems faced them. And he knew that if he were to tell them about his 
abilities, they would not laugh him out of their office. 
      Would it come to telling them? Danny didn't know for sure. He had fou
ght the urge to answer Mulder's question about aliens with a vaguely masked 
one about telepathy and himself, just to gauge a reaction. In the end, his 
fear had gotten the better of him and he had not. He supposed that the time 
wasn't right yet. But it would be.
     In an office that was open to extreme possibilities, the right time  
always came around.