From: AustinE@aol.com Date: Sat, 17 Jul 1999 18:46:25 EDT Subject: The Unavenged Heart 1/3 TITLE: The unavenged heart 1/3 CLASSIFICATION- X RATING- PG-13 for mild language and a scene of intense violence AUTHOR- A. Sedward SUMMARY- After a series of buildings mysteriously disappear, Mulder and Scully find that the cause may be a young man's pain. Spoilers- a reference to Jose Chung's From Outer Space CONTENT WARNING: M/S Friendship Legal: The characters of Mulder and Scully belong to 1013 productions, were created by Chris Carter. I didn't have enough creativity to create anything that good. COMMENTS- Shippers and Noromos alike can relax. This is a straight X-file. It's similar to Rain King but I wrote it before that EP. Mere Coincidence. Any facts that you find erroneous, my own lack of knowledge is to blame. This is my debut fic Excuse my grammar and occasional spelling lapse Feedback: AustinE@aol.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ HUNTSVILLE ARKANSAS 9:00 P.M. "Yes, Yes. I know forms get lost. There's got to be a way though. There's not? Ok, thanks. Bye." Alex Greenway hung up the phone in his room. The young man paced for a moment and sat down. He picked up his Science Fair medal. "It's over. My run for success is over. No more competitions ahead for me." Alex said to himself softly. Alex pushed the glasses up on his face and got up. He walked over to a mirror and looked at his reflection. He wasn't particularly good looking, but there was an intensity there that seemed to stretch beyond his 16 years. Alex walked back over to his bed. He shuddered for a moment. FAYETTEVILLE ARKANSAS GUY CASTLEBERRY SPORT CENTER 9:05 PM Joe Greenway dribbled the ball upcourt. Joe reached the goal and made a quick jump shot. The ball sailed past the rival team to land a point for his team. Joe walked back to his teammates, high fiving the whole way. They then began the trip downcourt. A sudden rumble was heard. Joe looked around as the others did. Joe looked at the scoreboard which was falling to the ground. "This is an emergency. Everybody out!" The loudspeaker blared. The basketball players ran as the entire building began to almost lower in height. Once everybody was outside, the structure began to sink rapidly until it was erased from existence. HUNTSVILLE ARKANSAS 9:05 PM Alex Greenway laid on his bed. He had a few tears at best, but there was no denying the pain that rolled across his face. WASHINGTON DC HOOVER BUILDING 8:13 AM "I have a story for you. The Guy Castleberry Sports Center, a city funded sports center in Fayetteville Arkansas, flattened to the ground with no debris, no sign it ever existed before. The entire building was flattened. No signs of a bomb, no forced entry. Just a sheer sinking." Agent Mulder stood in his office. He was holding the newspaper. "That's physically impossible!" Agent Scully said pointedly. "I know, but it seems there was an even more impossible thing. The loudspeaker had orders to evacuate the building. Only, nobody was in the booth at the time. We're dealing with what cannot be, and yet it happened." Mulder walked over to Scully and handed her the newspaper article. "Worst part about this is, this happens to be the intellectual center of Arkansas. A lot of people are asking a lot of questions right now. This occurred in a well populated college town." "Mulder, look at this, that has to be a 3 story building!" Scully pointed at the before and after photos. "It was a 3 story building." "And how did they know that nobody was in the booth at the time of evacuation?" Scully asked. "That's why we're off to Arkansas." Mulder said. FAYETTEVILLE ARKANSAS THE FORMER CASTLEBERRY CENTER 5:00 PM "Can you believe that was the site of the state championship game. Had to move it up here. Little Rock had this hellish snow storm. So, both of the teams were from Northwest Arkansas. They held it here." Agent Holt gestured to the agents. "So, it was the center of attention for youth here, I'm guessing?" Mulder asked. "Surprisingly. We're all real well steeped in sports. The teens prefer the leagues outside of school They do very good business. Not every kid's high school team material. So, they use the city leagues." Agent Holt explained. "Do you have any relevant information?" Scully asked, more than a bit annoyed. "Agent Scully, sorry to say, no." Agent Holt said. "Who mans the loudspeaker booth?" Mulder asked. "I do, Agent Mulder, and I'm the only one who has a key. I had a cold and decided to skip last night's practice." "Do we have any witnesses who could give new information?" Mulder asked. "Yeah, one kid who has been waiting for the top FBI men to come down. His name's Joe Greenway. Joe's a hotshot. He thinks rather highly of himself." HUNTSVILLE ARKANSAS GREENWAY HOUSE 6:30 PM Joe sat back on a couch, relaxing. His cockiness was evident in his face, he seemed to have a face the girls feel for. But right now, Mulder was growing tired of him. "I had just got a great shot. I had the game winner shot. Everybody seemed to be cheering. I was god." Joe bragged. "Right now, I want information on the Castleberry Center." Mulder said, a bit annoyed. "It was an old building. What can I say?" Joe said. In another room, Scully was standing observing the very neatness of the room. It had an orderliness to it. She quickly gathered this was not Joe's room. Just as she picked up thesicence fair medal, Alex walked in. "Agent Scully, I'm with the FBI. I wanted to know if you were at the Castleberry Center last night?" Scully asked him. "Alex Greenway, I was not there last night." Alex said. "Alright, this medal, seems in good shape." Scully weakly tried to start conversation. Thankfully, Alex lit up as it was mentioned. "I won it for a project on the human mind. I studied the effects of sports on people." Alex said, his clear voice an indicator that he did not belong here. "Big sports fan?" Scully inquired. "Ma'am, I hate sports. I did it on sports in order to gain the judges eye. I'd have preferred to study violence so I could prove my theory that people don't become numb to it through the media. All the school shootings and all. Then again, thanks to Jonesboro, I could've. But it'd be depressing." "You don't play any sports?" Scully asked. "No Ma'am, I don't. I find sports to be hardly worth my time. My greatest love is science. Primarily studying the mind. I think the human brain's our last frontier." Alex said. "I agree. As a doctor, I've had occasion to study the brain, physically unfortunately." Scully said. "But there's real intrest to the brain physically. What makes it work may lie in the physical aspects." The young man spoke with great intrest. "When do you go to the next level of competition?" Scully asked. "I don't. My form got lost. Unfortunately, there's no place on the schedule for me. I'm out." Alex spoke, the pain of it rising up. "What a shame. I'd lay money you might have won." Scully said. "So would I." Alex seemed to be distant. Mulder walked in. Alex eyed the two for a moment. "Have you ever read From Outer Space" Alex asked. "Actually we we're the original models for the main characters." Mulder said. He and Scully left. FAYETTEVILLE ARKANSAS DAYS INN 9:30 PM Mulder sat in his room reading data on the case. He looked at the recent championship stories. Joe Greenway had an ego, but that was meaningless. The kid was apparently pretty damn good. Why he went for city league when he could get a scholarship in school made no sense. "Like this case." He thought. Mulder put up the papers and got in the car he rented. He decided to drive down to the college district. No real reason except he figured he could get a decent cup of coffee there. Just excuse the bad poetry. THE JAVA HOUSE 9:50 PM Mulder was surprised to see Scully at a table. She had said she was going out somewhere. He promptly walked over to her table. "If you can stop yourself from making an idiot remark, you can sit down." Scully said. "Can't promise you I'll behave, but ok." He sat down. "What phenomena do you think this case is?" Scully asked. "None, oddly, I'm wondering if it might not be natural. Quicksand or the like." "Mulder, I asked that. It was built on solid bedrock. Just happened a guy with underground pollution was there who was also a geologist. Seems disappearing buildings bring people out. The guy said the center was build on the finest rock possible." "The New Madrid fault is only a small distance away." "Why only that building?" "You take your job too seriously, Scully. To shift gears because that's all I have, that Greenway kid is a piece of work." Mulder said "His older brother seemed nice. It's clear the genes were split right down the middle. Alex, Joe's brother, was very intelligent, in my opinion. Alex almost doesn't seem to fit there." Scully observed. "He read Chung's book. How bright is he?" "Science Fiction or fiction posing as fact tends to be very popular with a lot of teens." Scully said. "True." "He seemed indifferent to life here. He apparently entered and won a science fair with a project on the effect of sports on people. He seemed to become distant when the next stage of competition was mentioned. Seems that for him there won't be. A form was lost." Scully said. "Ouch. I spoke with the Greenways. Alex came up once. Dyed in the wool sport fans apparently. Joe looks like their bet on the future. So, in what should be a city of intelligence, people only care about the Razorbacks." Mulder said. "I did some research of my own. The team here just won at state 5 weeks ago. So hell bent is the coach on a repeat, the team is in practice now. It's insane really." "So obsessive are people." THE GREENWAY HOUSE 9:15 PM Alex sat in his living room watching TV. The dimbulb newscaster was talking about sports. Alex flipped to another station. Same thing. Another had the same thing. CNN was doing their hour. Alex turned off the TV and walked into the kitchen. Grabbing a coke, he walked into Joe's room. "What do you want?" Joe asked. "I can't ask my brother to provide a wall to sound off on?" "Alex, Christ, it's late night. I'm watching cinemax in 1 hour. Joe said. "I've got to remember not to speak to you. It's only going to nauseate me." Alex walked out, making sure the door was shut. He walked into his room and looked at pictures of himself. He looked like hell in the but oh well. They all were related to his brother's triumphs. Alex then went to the lone picture that was not. It was of him posing beside a project board. It was a Polaroid, snapped by a friend. The lone sign of what he did best. He walked into his closet, which was very well organized. In the center was a very nice science fair project. Alex looked at it and sat down in his room. THE FAYETTEVILLE LIBRARY 3 MONTHS EARLIER "3rd Place for psychology goes to Steve Jones, 2nd place goes to Eric Edquist, and first place goes to Alex Greenway." The dry voiced man said. Alex stood up. riding the applause, and walked up to get his medal. He looked out, his parents weren't there. They were too busy. But at last, Alex Greenway was on top. THE GREENWAY HOUSE NOW Alex looked at the medal, only barely aware he was crying. THE FAYETTEVILLE LIBRARY 9:30 At 9:30, the library was mostly empty. A lone janitor slowly cleaned the floor. "How do these people get away with eating here?" He thought. The janitor looked out at all the books. Not that he ever cracked them, he was illiterate. He was wiping down the tables when he heard it. "Everybody out!" It was the same unnaturally dry voice that had been a warning in the Castleberry center. The janitor threw down his mop as the rumbling began. He watched as the ceiling lowered and seemed to be merging with the bookshelves. As the Janitor ran, the merging grew heavier. As he stood outside, the entire building flattened until all that was there was an empty lot. The janitor ran to the nearest phone and quickly dialed 911. TITLE: The Unavenged Heart 2/3 Author- A Sedward --------------------------------------------------------- THE JAVA HOUSE 10:00 "Nothing beats this. Relaxing in an Arkansas coffeehouse on government money. Only in America." Mulder said. As Scully was about to respond, her cellular phone rang. She picked it up. "Scully. There's been another one? Ok, we'll be there in 10 minutes." Scully said. She hung up her phone and turned to Mulder. "Enough wasting the money of tax payers. There's been another one." THE LIBRARY 10:20 PM Mulder stood at the edge of the site, his eyes clearly boggled by what seemed to be right in front of him. He bent down to pick up some soil. He slipped it in a small bag and put it n a pocket. By now, the site was filled with onlookers. Go figure, he thought. This type of thing does that. Scully and Agent Holt were trying to interview the janitor. Mulder silently slipped past that and walked over to a man he was expecting to see. He had all the earmarks of a librarian, Mulder observed, probably didn't choose his career. It chose him. "Agent Mulder, My name is Harris Faulkner, I was the librarian here." The man said. "Does this library have a history of threats?" Mulder asked, quick to begin the interrogation. "More than a few. A few disgruntled employees formed a league against us. A lot of people here object to my love of the paranormal and exhibits on it. And, there are the radical groups that obsess over any threat to the government." Faulkner replied. "But would any of the groups possess the material to create anything that could erase an entire building?" "As gar as I know, Agent Mulder, such weapons aren't in existence. Besides, all we have are your cow shit bombers and the ilk. Nothing remotely near the outbreak we've seen could've been caused by them." Faulkner gravely replied. "Do you know any members of the league that I might contact?" "Joe Greenway. He joined after I banned him from the library." Faulkner responded. "Why was Joe banned?" "Greenway had a history of what we would call lewd pranks. Joe was hired as a volunteer for community service after an arrest on vandalism charges. Greenway's pranks were like reading a romance novel to children for storytime and renting one of those softcore porn tapes for a movie for the kids." "A jokester?" Scully asked. "Yes ma'am. Nothing more." Faulkner said. THE CAR 7:10 AM "All I can tell is that we have the exact same thing. Same voice on the intercom. No difference." Scully sat next to Mulder as they made their way back to Huntsville. "We have a connection. Joe Greenway was a former helper here. I think he might be involved." Mulder said. "Why the library?" Scully said, really not wanting to hear the answer. "Joe worked there. He was banned after he gave a few unorthodox lessons on the birds and the bees to 4 year olds. Apparently he joined an enemy group. I also found out why Joe was on city league. He was banned from high school play after an arrest for vandalism." "But from what I can tell, Joe was obsessed with basketball. Why would someone who was devoted to a sport destroy the arena? And we don't have any method yet." "Telekinetic revenge, Scully. Have you never read Carrie? And perhaps he figured he would get back into high school basketball through pity." "Telekinetic revenge in Hollywood cases usually entails fatalities. We seem to have a case where the person went out of their way to make it safe." Scully shot back. "Then we have the one in a million on our hands." HUNTSVILLE ARKANSAS 7:45 AM Mulder felt like a fool roaming the high school grounds. He wasn't exactly a teenager, but oh well. He was convinced he had the answer. If it meant looking for a kid he was far from impressed by, oh well. As far as he was concerned, in FBI matters, dignity died. A SUPERMARKET 7:50 AM Scully was definitely sure of one thing, Joe was innocent. She had dropped Mulder off at the school while she went to investigate the case on her own terms. First, She wanted to get some new equipment for when she returned to the sites. She pulled the car into the Wal-Mart parking lot and got out. The whistles that accompanied this act were a distraction. The good old south, she thought. She walked up to find the door was locked. There was a supermarket next door. Giving into desperation, she walked over to the store. As soon as She entered, more whistles. It was clear from the looks of the old men sitting there that they had not seen many women lately. She took a basket and walked in. The agent could tell by the looks of things that she should quickly breeze in and out. THE HIGH SCHOOL 8:00 AM For Mulder, nothing was being done with ease. he had to concoct a very serious story involving drugs. Not that he thought Greenway was into drugs. But using his badge he grabbed Greenway. Not that was a pleasure. Greenway got on his nerves. "Agent Mulder, while I'm honored you think I could pull it off, I didn't. I'm a normal guy, if I had abilities, I'd use them." Joe said. "You know there is a link." "Agent Mulder, there are a lot of coincidences, but this is a failed one. I would never destroy that center. It's my haven. My place to relax." Joe looked at him earnestly. "I believe you." Mulder mumbled an apology and walked out. He had business to conduct downtown, which was a few miles away. In the crisp April air, A nice walk. Comforting if your theory had just collapsed. THE STORE 8:10 AM Scully had found only a few things she was looking for. Small towns weren't known for great selection. Given that the work she was doing was interviews and a little photography, this should not have been hard. Alas, the only things she had found were pen and paper, which would be a last resort for the agent. She finally gave up and got in line. As she got in line, Alex Greenway got inline behind her. Briefly turning to observe the person behind her, Scully was surprised to see Alex. "Don't you have school?" Scully inquired. "I'm on a break. After 10 grades of perfect attendance, one can relax occasionally." Alex said. "Well, still." She walked up to the register and handed the woman her pads and paper. "Faking an illness usually entails one staying home, especially in a small town." She handed the woman a five dollar bill. "Ma'am, I'm not concerned. Everybody knows that you need time off. My teachers shouldn't care." Alex said. Scully walked out of the way of the taller young man. Alex laid a couple of 2 liter bottles on the counter. "Why now." Scully inquired, half knowing the answer. "After the science fair error, I decided to take a few days off and let myself cool down." Alex said, his smile a very restrained one. "When does Wal-mart open?" Scully asked. "About 9. Why?" "I need to know, I have an interview with the librarian and wanted to pick up a voice recorder. My old one's dead." Scully responded. "Ahh. have fun." Alex paid for his drinks and walked over to the agent. "What are you doing for the rest of the morning?" Scully asked. The young man had grabbed her intrest earlier. He'd probably be more stimulating than most conversation. "Ma'am, if this is a come-on, I'd have to say no, for your sake." Alex said, his voice indicating a knowing sense of humor. "Nah, just looking for someone to talk to while I wait for Wal-Mart to open." Scully said. "There's this nice cafe not far from here. I'm up for it." Alex said. "Good breakfast?" "Pretty good." "I'll follow you." Scully said. For some reason, she decided to relax. On so many cases, it was less than desirable areas. At least here, it was an easy area. Or a rough one waiting to happen. THE CAFE 8:20 AM Scully sipped at her coffee as Alex ordered. The kid seemed to be well known here. Perhaps a side result of a small town. It seemed almost idyllic. As the waitress left, Alex turned back to her. "Nice woman, Joe dated her daughter. I think Joe truly loved the girl really. But, here, it's a kind of try everything once." "I'm sure that's fairly easy here." Scully said jokingly, although she sensed Alex took her seriously. "It's very easy, Agent Scully. People here marry locals. The Greenway family has been here for generations." Alex said. "How does it fell, knowing that you were a direct descendant of people from Huntsville?" Scully asked. "I'm not." Alex said, stonefaced. "You're not?" "Agent Scully, my real mother died after being shot. They had to perform forced labor in order to keep me alive. I was miraculously ok. Mr. Greenway adopted me the day of my birth." Alex said solemnly. It made sense to Scully. "Where was your real mother from?" Scully asked. "My real mother was a Fayetteville woman. From what I've been told, she was young. 24-25ish." Alex said. "So, I'm guessing it's been hard for you." Scully said. "Yes, but I try not to care. My mother will never be alive again. I may never know her name." Alex said. "What of your natural father?" Scully asked, cautiously. "My father was her husband, also shot that day." Alex said. "Does it feel tough for you to know that your birth parents will never witness your triumphs?" "I like to think they would. I just haven't had any triumphs that I'll ever take to the fullest extent." Alex said. Scully looked at him, a little bit surprised how open the young man was. "Do you feel support from the Greenways?" Scully asked, getting at what was on her mind. "Not really. I wasn't their miracle child. Mrs. Greenway was thought to be incapable of having a child. In fact, a test that day was almost conclusive. They heard what was going on and jumped at adopting me. Then, 3 months later, they learned that Joe was on the way." Alex was instantly more distant. "I know what happened next, they began to give you less attention, right?" Scully asked. "Yeah, my whole life, there's been this sense that I'm inferior. When Mr. Greenway discovered Joe's ability for basketball, he was pleased. They didn't have time to take off work for my science fair. This year, my birthday was a very minor affair because of Joe's championship game. Do the give me respect? Yes. Do they attempt love? Yes. There's no neglect, but I know I'm not Joe. And to them, I never will be." Alex said dryly. CITY HALL 9:00 AM Mulder had seen smaller Places in his career, after all, the paranormal beasts love small towns, but nothing like this. The building was cramped in a way he couldn't quite describe. Perhaps it was all the papers lying around. It was simply hard to move around in. A tall, man in his 60's, the mayor, walked over to him. "Are you looking for someone?" He asked. "Agent Mulder, FBI. I needed to know if you had any geological information on Washington County." Mulder said. "The building thing? By the way, Earl Packard, mayor of Huntsville." Packard said. "Yes, the building thing." Mulder said. "Agent Mulder, you'd best try Washington County, try Fayetteville. They'll have things like that." Packard said. He then walked away before anything further could be asked of him. Mulder walked out of City hall and into town square. Mulder noticed very quickly that nobody here seemed remotely alert. In town square, a few old men sat. A pair of teen boys sat, smoking in a way that dared the cops to come by. Mulder considered approaching them, then realized they didn't care. Neither should he. Mulder walked over to a gas station back down the road. As he was about to go in, he saw Scully walk out of the cafe across the street. "Scully!" He shouted. The female agent quickly walked across the empty street. "How did interrogating Joe Greenway go?" Scully asked. "I'm going back to square one on the investigation. Wanna come in here with me, I'm getting the morning paper." Mulder asked. Without answering, Scully followed Mulder in. "I heard a sad, but irrelevant, story about Alex Greenway, Joe's brother. Alex was adopted the day he was born. His parents were hot and Alex had to be born that day. Oddly, he was born healthier than many babies. Seems the Greenways thought they would never have kids. 3 months later, they learned wrong. Alex lives in Joe's shadow. I feel bad for him." Scully said. Mulder grabbed a paper and paid for it quickly. The agents sat down at a table. "You know, this kind of thing is common, one child the perfect forbear of the genes, the adopted kid never fits in. He might accomplish great things but he'll never truly be a son." Mulder said. "Can we get to the case?" "Yes. Tell me why you'll be at square 1 sooner than you should be." "Because the Greenway lead didn't pan out. Up until now, I've been focusing on that one aspect. I had almost everything, and then I saw what almost is." Mulder groused. "What's the next step?" Scully asked. "Simple, I'm going after the geological theory." Mulder said. "Everything I've seen indicates that's theoretically impossible. Violation of physics." "But it's all I have right now." "Mulder, we've seen a building destroyed a night. If it means that we face another destruction, I say wait. The connecting element would logically lie in the third building. In many cases, men have been connected with number three. Suddenly, with a third, you can point to something that ties all 3 together." Scully said. "So, what do we do?" "We ask for everything that Faulkner might know. It'd be more effective than chasing a pointless lead." Scully said as Mulder opened the paper. "According to this, the library had rock solid construction. Like the sports center, it had a crowd who visited it. Unlike the sports center, the crowd was nonviolent teens. Short of a minor gang that had not issued threats in a year, it was far from a target of hate." Mulder read. "From what I've read on the sports center, same thing. We're dealing with places that weren't your standard hate targets. We're dealing with what are community hubs." Scully said. "I have a thought." "Go for it." "What if what's behind this isn't even trying to destroy the buildings? What if we're dealing with a telepath who acts subconsciously? Who has no clue he can do these things or wants to." Mulder theorized, expecting to be shot down. "That makes sense. Someone whose feelings may be doing the acting?" Scully said, relishing the shock in Mulder's eyes." "Exactly. Someone who perhaps feels a vengeance against things or injustices. After all, when we act out of rage, it's our feelings surfacing and taking hold." Mulder said. "You do realize that's highly theoretical, right?" Scully asked. "I'll take that risk. It just seems to me we're facing the physical equivalent of emptiness." "Mulder, subconscious Carries I'll buy, but aren't you risking it a bit?" Scully asked. "If I don't go out on a limb, how do we solve this?" Mulder asked seriously. "I'm just saying...." Mulder ignored her, convinced he was right. Title: The Unavenged Heart Author: A. Sedward ------------------------------------------------------ FBI OFFICES FAYETTEVILLE BRANCH 2:00 PM Mulder and Scully weren't surprised the Fayetteville branch was small. They had to use a very cramped area for questioning the librarian. Faulkner was nervous and clearly distraught over the loss of his library. "Mr. Faulkner, were there any strange events prior to this?" Scully asked. "Agent Scully, it was a library. A small branch library. Headquarters sure, but a small inconsequential library. Nothing happened to indicate the destruction to follow." Faulkner said. "Were there any major events held in your facility?" Scully asked. "Yes, we hold the district science fair and quiz bowl. Otherwise, it's inoffensive lectures." Faulkner said. "So nothing to provoke any rage?" Mulder asked. "Nothing" Faulkner said. "Not even your love of the paranormal?" Mulder asked. "Agent Mulder, at best, people are offended slightly by it. In truth, attendance to the supernatural seminars usually is the highest of any library event." Faulkner said. "Do you have a list of the science fair participants?" Scully asked. "Yes I do." Faulkner opened his case and pulled out a sheet. Mulder took it and slipped it in his case. "I'm sorry to say this, but I don't have the quiz bowl information." Faulkner said. "We won't be needing it." Mulder said. NORTHWEST ARKANSAS MALL 7:15 PM "I've been comparing a list of science fair participants against all who were involved in activities at the Castleberry center. 4 names come up. Nathan Schine, who won his division, Clint Masterson, who lost outright, Derek Peters, who won his division, and Jerry Powell, who took 3rd place." Mulder said. He and Scully sat in the well lit food court studying the case as they ate. "I'll interview Masterson tomorrow." Scully said. "I wanted to see if I could find any information for Alex Greenway on his family today." Mulder said, taking Scully by surprise. "Why, Mulder?" "Because the kid got to you. I figured I'd be nice and see if I could find any information. I did actually." Mulder said. He opened his briefcase and handed Scully the sheet of paper, a microfilm print of an old article. The headline read Top Student at University, husband, slain. The article detailed Ivy and Robert Harwell, the two top graduates of the University of Arkansas' Class of 1983. The Harwells were intellectuals, which made sense. They had already named their child Alex, a gender neutral name. According to the report, they were shot in the mall while shopping for their child, which would be born any day at that point. Robert died on the spot, Ivy during the c-section birth. An anonymous couple adopted the child. Scully looked at Mulder. "This is incredible. Alex was the son of the two smartest students, go figure. He never would make any sense as a Greenway." "I feel bad for the kid." "How did you find this?" "I listened to you ramble about Alex. Using the date, which I got by looking for the date on this year's city leagues championship game, I found the date." Mulder said. "Thank you. I'll get this to him." Scully said. "Did I mention the killer was never caught?" Mulder said. Scully, too taken in by the first item, paid him no attention. In Another part of the mall, Alex Greenway was definitely not in a good mood. Joe was with his friends within eyesight of the bookstore where Alex was searching for a book. Joe was popular where Alex was alienating. Damned society, he thought. Alex watched as the same young woman he had seen nearly every time he came into this store walked in. Alex stared at her for a second. She was lovely in the classic sense of the word. She had long dark red hair that seemed to flow as she walked. Her eyes, an emerald green, were masked by simple glasses. Alex returned to his quest for a book. It was interrupted as Joe walked in with his friends. "Hey Alex, move it." One of them said. "I don't have to." Alex said, nervously. Joe pulled him aside. "Dude, leave." Joe said. "I don't want to, Joe. I came specifically to look for a book." Alex said. His voice quivered lightly. "You're embarrassing me." Joe said. "I don't care!" Alex said, his voice by now trembling. Joe paid his obvious fear no heed as he slugged Alex in the jaw. As a fist came from behind, Alex Greenway blacked out. Outside the store, Scully walked in, bored with casework. The agent heard a loud roar of cheers. She walked over to see Alex, lying on the floor, bleeding from his jaw. A young woman looked over at him and instantly walked over. "Miss, I'm a doctor. I can handle this." Scully told the young woman. Although her hair was longer and her eyes were green, Scully was struck by the resemblance between the two. "Ok, please." The young woman said. "A friend of yours?" Scully asked. "No, I've kind of had a crush on him for a while." The young woman said. "This is not a time to hit on someone!" Scully said. As she spoke a rumbling began. Scully looked up at the ceiling, which was beginning to look a lot less taller. Scully turned to the young woman, figuring it was as good as she was going to get. She motioned for the girl to lift Alex's head. There wasn't any blood coming from it but it was clear Alex had been beaten very badly. Scully felt a very strong strike of pain. Alex was going to die. The women lifted the young man and took him to the front of the store. Mulder ran up and saw Alex laying on the ground and the women watching over him. He dialed 911, and raced to his partner's side. "What happened?" Mulder asked. "Alex got beaten, apparently nobody heard it." Scully said. The rumbling continued it's dull hum. "I'd estimate we have 5 minutes." Mulder said. Scully, the girl, and Mulder tried to lift Alex up. They lifted him as far as the door before they heard the voice. "Everybody out!" The words were that of a dying voice. Mulder looked down to see Alex mouthing the words limply. Mulder looked at Scully, their eyes confirming the mutual thought. At the moment they realized this, a paramedics crew came in. They lifted Alex onto a gurney and pushed him out. While Scully handled everything and went looking for the Greenways, Mulder stood outside watching as the mall, now empty, sank quickly. The once typical mall was now an empty spot of land. What a tragic thing is a heart that is never avenged of the sins against it, the agent thought. WASHINGTON DC HOOVER BUILDING 6 MONTHS LATER "After an attempt to save his life failed, Alex Greenway died at the hospital. An autopsy revealed nothing out of the ordinary. Agent Mulder's and my conclusion is mere speculation. The link between all the events and Alex is notable." Scully said, sitting in Assistant Director Skinner's office. Scully had not performed the autopsy, she couldn't bring herself to do it. "Agent Scully, I find the claim outrageous. It hasn't any true merit, you realize." Skinner said. "But I believe it to be true." Scully said. "You are dismissed, Agent Scully." Skinner said. Scully walked out and walked down to the basement office. Mulder sat, not taking him long to realize what case Scully finally delivered the report on. "Joe Greenway has officially been sentenced to life in prison. His cohorts have 30-year sentences." Mulder said. Scully was only able to nod. Mulder walked over to her. Scully was clearly in pain. "At what price do people have to pay for their fate?" Scully asked, her voice a strong tone. "There's a generally agreed on theory that we get what we deserve eventually." Mulder said. "But what if we never do?" Scully asked. "Well, I'd like to think Alex is getting what he wants. In life, there are people who are wronged, and the bible teaches that blessed are the weak, for they shall inherit the kingdom of heaven. Not to mention the fact that his project just won posthumously at the science fair." Mulder said. That girl, Natasha, took it to competition after Scully intervened to get it there. Natasha finally turned out to be a childhood friend who had left about 5 years ago and returned a few months ago. Scully felt a certain empathy towards the girl, trying to preserve her friend's legacy. "I think it's nice that Alex will never feel the pain of who he isn't anymore." Mulder said. "Wanna get a cup of coffee? It's on me." "Sure." Scully said. FAYETTEVILLE ARKANSAS CEMETERY 6:00 AM Natasha Fleming stood at Alex's grave. She took his medal and embedded it in the soil. She then walked away, leaving Alex to rest.