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\viewkind4\uc1\pard\lang1033\f0\fs20 From: "Lisa" <vaskezz@bigpond.net.au>\par
Date: Sun, 9 Feb 2003 21:54:23 +1050\par
Subject: NEW: M Theory\par
Source: direct\par
\par
Title:  M-Theory\par
Author:  eXtreme Shipper\par
E-Mail:  Vaskezz@bigpond.net.au\par
My Web Page:  www.extremeshipper.com\par
Rating:  R for some course language\par
Classification:  T R A\par
Spoilers:  X Files Movie, Arcadia, Colony, Triangle.\par
Disclaimer:  The characters of Mulder, Scully and Skinner belong to\par
their creator Chris Carter and 1013 Productions. No copyright infringement\par
is intended. However, all original characters and content is mine.\par
Summary:  Agents Mulder and Scully get an unusual invitation from the\par
military to investigate a situation neither of them could possible\par
imagine. Along the way Mulder discovers the Truth he has sought for\par
so long...\par
Feedback: Oh yes please!\par
\par
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\par
\par
M- Theory\par
\par
\par
...CRASH...\par
\par
Montana, United States.\par
Blackstone Military Base.\par
\par
\tab\par
        The military compound stood dark and silent in the early morning\par
chill. A ten kilometer long security fence surrounded the facility,\par
sporting large 'Off Limits to Civilian Personnel' signs posted along\par
it at ten meter intervals. The fence hummed with electricity to further\par
deter possible interlopers. Beyond the fence, there was no indication\par
of life. The large Ponderosa pine trees that sprouted beyond the western\par
personnel barracks swayed slightly in the cool gusts, shedding leaves\par
to dance across the grassy ground.\par
\tab  The rising wail of the klaxon alarms brought an abrupt end to the\par
peace. Their warning tones rang out across the compound. Overhead lights\par
automatically came on throughout the western personnel barracks, illuminating\par
the four dozen men as they hurried to respond to the situation. Bright\par
ovals of light from the search lights outside cast themselves across\par
the main courtyard, trying to locate the source of the intrusion. \par
        In his quarters, Lieutenant Colonel Thontan snapped awake at\par
the sound of the first alarm. Forgetting all about sleep, the battle\par
worn officer swung out of bed and reached for the phone. He pressed\par
the watch-tower line and got to his feet, taking the cordless receiver\par
with him.\par
\tab  "Report." He barked. He could already hear the rhythmic footfalls\par
of his men on the courtyard below, rushing out on order, armed and\par
ready to deal with anything. A crackling of static drowned out the\par
watch tower officer's first words, and then he heard the humming...\par
\tab  "...just outside, sir! It's just hovering over the main courtyard!\par
My god..." The officer cried, while the unintelligible mumblings of\par
his second in command in the background were clearly audible. Thontan\par
stood up straight, a heavy frown crossing his aged face.\par
\tab  "Get a hold of yourself, man! Remember who you are, you're a Blackstone\par
Marine. You knew when you were assigned here what you would one day\par
see." When nothing else came from the receiver, Lieutenant Colonel\par
Thontan grunted in annoyance and stomped his way to the window. \par
\tab Drawing back the heavy blinds, Thontan looked out onto his own view\par
of the courtyard.\par
\tab There it was. Just as the officer had said, just 'hanging' in the\par
air, two stories off of the ground and level with his window. A jet\par
black craft, some sixty feet long and twenty feet wide. It was darker\par
than the night around it. It was so silent Thontan could hear the rustling\par
of the trees in the wind between the wails of the claxons. Thontan\par
stepped back sharply, and the craft moved. It darted sharply to the\par
left, shattering through the roof of the western personnel barracks,\par
and disappeared just beyond it. Straight towards the ground. The impact\par
tremor shook every building in the compound.\par
\tab Thontan breathed in and out deeply, raising the receiver to his ear.\par
\tab  "This is Lieutenant Colonel Thontan, we have a Code 11 on the ground.\par
All recon units dispatch immediately to the western barracks." \par
\tab The first recon unit marched across the courtyard, comprised of twelve\par
armed men dressed in bio hazard suits accompanied by a similarly dressed\par
yet unarmed base scientist. They rounded the corner of the western\par
barracks building and stopped in their tracks. Bits of the barracks'\par
roof were strewn across the ground, some lying on the rim of the thirty\par
foot wide impact crater that had just been punched into the ground.\par
Some seventeen Ponderosa pines lay flattened on the ground, the first\par
row now crushed within the crater, the outer rows flattened by some\par
other means. The base scientist gingerly extended a Geiger counter\par
towards the rim of the crater, being sufficiently covered by his armed\par
companions. Upon sighting the movement in the crated he halted.\par
          "Something's alive down there..." He voiced, and was immediately\par
flanked by the armed men, giving him cover. He remained back while\par
the armed men slowly began to inch closer. The scientist, McKenzie\par
his tag read, moved back further as the first inhuman scream exploded\par
from the crater. He slipped and fell to the ground as more men rushed\par
by, training their guns on the figure in the crater. The figure that\par
held its head in its hands, and screamed...\par
        \par
\par
\par
...LURE...\par
\par
FBI Building, Washington DC\par
April, 2001. Tuesday morning 8:52 am\par
\par
\tab Special Agent Fox Mulder sat behind his desk, an old case file opened\par
out in front of him, chewing on a sunflower seed. Silence pervaded\par
the room except for the tiny cracking sounds coming from his mouth\par
as he expertly split the husk. His hazel eyes scoured the file, searching\par
for something. Anything. \par
\tab The office door opened, but Mulder didn't look up. He didn't need\par
to look up. There was only one other person who ever came through that\par
door. He heard his partner's heels click their way across the office\par
floor, saw out of the corner of his eye as she dumped her briefcase\par
on what she used as a desk. Only when she settled into the chair across\par
from him did he look up. She regarded him with her bright blue eyes\par
for a few moments, her eyebrow rising up a little.\par
\tab  "Seed?" Mulder offered her. Scully sighed.\par
\tab  "I take it that you've got nothing." \par
\tab Mulder flicked the useless file and leaned back in his chair, his\par
answering silence being the only response he gave her. Scully nodded,\par
and reclined as far as she could in her own chair, folding her arms.\par
\tab  "Well, maybe we should make a start on our growing pile of expense\par
reports." Scully provided. Mulder groaned, rolling his eyes back and\par
twirling his chair a little. \par
        "There's no chance you have a pack of cards on you is there?"\par
Mulder asked, but the look of determination had already settled on\par
his partner's face. Paper work it was until a new case showed up. He\par
extended his lower lip in what he hoped to be a sad and endearing expression.\par
It didn't even chink Scully's armour. She merely separated the two\par
piles waiting for them, plonking one before him. \par
        "Sooner we start, sooner it gets done." Scully said, walking\par
over with her own pile of work to her area. She paused by her so called\par
'desk' to watch Mulder flick through the top pages, looking like he'd\par
lost his best friend in the whole world. Scully sighed. \par
         "Mulder, I know you find this boring. So do I. But it's..."\par
\tab The ringing of Mulder's desk phone cut her off in mid sentence. Mulder\par
picked it up after the first ring, looking hopeful that it might be\par
about something that could lead to a case. Scully forgot all about\par
the paperwork as she watched a frown slowly form on his face as he\par
listened to the voice on the other end.\par
\tab  "Now..? Sir, what is this abou... Yes, we're on our way. I just want\par
to know what..." Mulder tried to cut in. His hazel eyes met hers as\par
he dropped the phone back to its cradle. Mulder was on his feet in\par
a second, his eyes never leaving Scully's.\par
\tab  "That was Skinner. He wants us in his office now." \par
\tab  "Right now?" Scully asked, but the deepening frown on Mulder's face\par
put a halt to any argument she might have had. He nodded once, rounding\par
the table and striding for the door. Scully almost had to run to match\par
his pace, trying to side up to him. \par
\tab  "Mulder? Why?" Scully pressed, stopping beside her partner as they\par
entered the elevator. Mulder hit the floor number.\par
\tab  "He didn't say, but he sounded... almost alarmed. I don't know."\par
Mulder glanced back at Scully, her expression now mirroring his own.\par
He gave her a lopsided smile.\par
\tab  "At least we're getting out of the paper work for a bit." He got\par
a tiny smile from his partner. It faded as soon as they reached their\par
floor. \par
\tab The agents strode through the hallway towards Skinner's office, peering\par
through the glass partition into his assistant's area. They were shocked\par
to see Kimberly looking out for them anxiously, almost leaning over\par
her desk as they entered her view. \par
\tab  "The Assistant Director will see you now." Kimberly spoke quietly\par
to the agents when they walked through the door. Mulder and Scully\par
nodded once to the assistant, only stopping when they reached the office\par
door. Scully glanced up at Mulder briefly, he reading her concern loud\par
and clear, as her hand gripped the handle.\par
\tab Scully opened the door to see Assistant Director Skinner standing\par
by his desk, staring warningly at the three men in front of him dressed\par
in military fatigues. Mulder's jaw dropped open slightly in his shock,\par
his pulse rate increasing the instant he saw the military uniforms.\par
A flash of dark blue to the right caught Scully's eye, she turning\par
to see a fourth man seated at the meeting table. Judging by his three\par
star decorated uniform, Scully knew this man was a high ranking officer.\par
He was flicking through a file as calmly as one would flick through\par
the morning paper. \par
         "Agents Mulder, Scully. These men are from the Blackstone\par
Military Base in Montana." Assistant Director Skinner rumbled, "I received\par
a call from Lieutenant Colonel Thontan," He nodded towards the seated\par
man, "ten minutes ago, advising me of this visit. It appears he has\par
a proposition for you." \par
        Mulder stepped towards his superior, trying to read the dark\par
eyes behind his glasses. He could only see mistrust.  \par
        Both agents turned as the seated Lieutenant Colonel gave a\par
grunt. He shifted his battle worn body in the chair to focus on the\par
agents. Lines of age creased his face, but his eyes were bright. \par
\tab  "You have quite a history, Agent Mulder. You've clocked up quite\par
a few frequent flyer miles. Look here! Oregon, Idaho, Wisconsin." The\par
man's broad chest shook with a laugh, "Texas, Virginia, even Florida!\par
Then there's your overseas 'trips'. You've been to Mexico, Russia,\par
the Arctic Circle." The Lieutenant Colonel pushed himself to his feet,\par
closing Mulder's file on the desk while giving the agent a crooked\par
grin.\par
\tab  "Quite impressive for a one man operation. No offence to you, Agent\par
Scully." \par
\tab Mulder stared at the older man, his mouth gaping a little further\par
at the fact that he had just been going through his file. \par
\tab  "Assistant Director, how did he..." Mulder began, but was cut off\par
quickly by the Lieutenant Colonel.\par
\tab  "It wasn't anything I didn't already know, Agent Mulder. Your pursuit\par
for proof of the existence of extra-terrestrials is almost common knowledge."\par
The older man grunted. Mulder's frown deepened.\par
\tab  "Common knowledge to whom?!" Mulder asked, unable to keep the tones\par
of trepidation and irritation from his voice.\par
\tab The Lieutenant Colonel stopped before the agents, now ignoring the\par
Assistant Director. When Skinner made a move to intervene he was summarily\par
grunted at, as if he was a Private to be dismissed.\par
\tab  "Lieutenant Colonel Thontan, sir, I have never heard of a Blackstone\par
Military Base in Montana." Agent Scully spoke up, catching Thontan's\par
attention. Thontan locked eyes with the female Agent. She did not look\par
away, she stared almost defiantly right back. Not in the least intimidated\par
by his military status.\par
\par
\tab  "Which base are you familiar with in Montana, Agent Scully?"\par
\tab  "There is the Malmstrom Air Force base outside of Great Falls. There\par
is also the Fort Harrison army base in Helena." Scully replied proficiently.\par
Thontan's grin stretched from ear to ear.\par
\tab  "Very good." Thontan rumbled, "The Blackstone installation has only\par
recently been constructed. She received her first unit in 1998, and\par
I took charge a few months after that." Thontan returned his focus\par
to Mulder, holding his hands behind his back. Mulder felt uneasy under\par
his scrutinizing gaze, as if the man was trying to peer through layers\par
of his skin and peruse through his mind like he had with his file.\par
\tab  "Agent Mulder, I'd like you, and your partner if you wish, to return\par
with me to the Blackstone base. There is something there that I know\par
you'll want to see. Of course, this is only a request." Thontan puffed\par
out his chest in sigh, "From one man who knows to another."\par
\tab Mulder shook his head, rubbing his forehead in frustrated exasperation.\par
He could not believe this military official had come all the way from\par
Montana just to stand in Skinner's office and act like he owned the\par
building. \par
\tab  "And that would be what?" Mulder asked.\par
\tab Thontan turned towards his men, holding one hand out while keeping\par
his attention on the agents. A briefcase was opened by the second man\par
and a file was handed over to the Lieutenant Colonel, who then handed\par
it to Mulder. Mulder took the file, giving the military officer a wary\par
look. He opened the file and his heart stopped dead in his chest.\par
\tab    "I was in an AWAC over the Antarctic ice shelf when I saw it."\par
Thontan spoke, his voice low and deadly serious. He tapped the glossy\par
A4 photo of the alien ship, the very ship that Mulder had rescued Scully\par
from only moments before, "Rising up over the Pole of Inaccessibility.\par
A big god damned craft coming out of the ice, just under a kilometre\par
in diameter, leaving behind a gaping crater that no bastard could miss.\par
I was the only one to get any shots of it, and it was gone so fast\par
most of the crew had convinced themselves they saw nothing by the time\par
we got back.\par
\tab  "Suddenly the project no one wanted to touch became a terrifying\par
possibility. I was the only one with the balls to take it. The Blackstone\par
base was created with its goal in mind." \par
\tab Scully took hold of the picture and stared at it in pure incredulity.\par
Mulder had staggered back a step, his muscles slack as his mind tried\par
to take in what he had just been handed. A photograph of the ship from\par
Antarctica... a ship no one had known about except himself and Scully.\par
An aerial shot, from above the craft. \par
\tab Assistant Director Skinner looked from Scully to Mulder, watching\par
as they both took in information that seemed to stagger them. He made\par
a motion to step forward, but was met by an austere glare from the\par
Lieutenant Colonel. At ease, soldier. As a former Marine, he knew what\par
the man meant. This wasn't his place. \par
\tab  "This is in my ball park now, Assistant Director." Thontan grunted\par
quietly. The Lieutenant Colonel recaptured Mulder's attention, holding\par
his hand out for the file.\par
\tab  "Agent Mulder, at Blackstone base we deal exclusively with the recovery\par
and examination of downed alien space craft. And at approximately 1:30\par
in the early morning of last Wednesday we managed to recover such a\par
craft. The vehicle is stored in a hanger at the base, and its single\par
occupant is currently being observed in the maximum security wing."\par
Thontan gave his waiting men a nod to indicate they were about to leave,\par
"If you wish to take me up on my offer, just follow my men. I have\par
the jet on standby by at the airport. Thank you for your time and co-operation,\par
Assistant Director."\par
\tab With that the Lieutenant Colonel began to make his way from the office.\par
Mulder turned around, still flabbergasted at what had just taken place,\par
he barely hearing Skinner demanding to know what the hell was going\par
on. All he was aware of was that he needed to say something quickly...\par
\tab  "Lieutenant Colonel, we accept." He blurted out, to which Scully\par
gasped at. Her arm was taken by Mulder as he followed the uniformed\par
men out of the door, turning around to give his astounded superior\par
a quick apologetic shrug.\par
\tab  "You can read about it in the report, sir." He shot out as he disappeared\par
from the office. \par
\tab Scully found herself having almost to run once again to keep up with\par
her partner, wanting to speak to his face rather than the back of his\par
head. They were moving through the FBI building at a rapid pace.\par
\tab  "Mulder! What the hell are you doing? You're following this man for\par
what reason? That he says he has a UFO? Mulder!" Scully exclaimed angrily,\par
grabbing Mulder's arm to rein him back a bit. \par
\tab  "Scully... I know this seems a little crazy. But I think this time..."\par
Mulder shook his head in exasperation, "Didn't you see the photo? It\par
was the ship! From Antarctica. No one knows about it, Scully! I saw\par
it, I know it is that ship!" \par
\tab They turned a corner and entered the elevator, Mulder and Scully moving\par
to the back of it behind the enlisted men. Scully stared at Mulder\par
in sheer disbelief.\par
\tab  "They could have fabricated that picture on any PC with a scanner\par
and photographic editing software! Cut and paste, Mulder! I can not\par
believe you are falling for this!"\par
\tab Mulder stepped back, looking like he'd been slapped. He rubbed a hand\par
down his face.\par
\tab  "Scully... I... How could they have duplicated the same craft, no\par
one saw it but me. You were there, Scully." \par
\tab  "Yes, Mulder. I was in Antarctica. I was half numb with frostbite\par
and was physically fatigued. And you had just spent 48 hours on the\par
go with no sleep and a gun shot wound to the head." Scully replied,\par
and stopped when she saw the hurt on Mulder's face intensify. He closed\par
his eyes, sucking his lower lip into his mouth. He sighed as the elevator\par
doors opened, the marines marching out first.  \par
\tab  "Scully. I know what I saw." Mulder looked back at Scully, shaking\par
his head tiredly. There was an ache in his chest, the one he always\par
got when he and Scully argued. The one he always got when she gave\par
him that look, seeing the incredulity in her eyes. It was rare when\par
he saw that, he could only count a few times. When he stood on one\par
side of the fence and she remained stubbornly on the other. \par
\tab Scully held Mulder's gaze, feelings of fear and uncertainty clouding\par
her heart. Mulder was so desperate to believe. He would do anything\par
to learn the truth, and that was just what Lieutenant Colonel Thontan\par
was dangling before him, like a carrot. She reached out to touch his\par
hand.\par
\tab  "Mulder, I know you do. And I believe in you. But I don't trust what\par
is happening here... We can find out another way, Mulder." \par
\tab Mulder looked at Scully's delicate hand touching his, and then to\par
the marines waiting in the FBI building reception area. He closed his\par
eyes again. He knew what Scully was saying, and there was a part of\par
him, some small part that agreed. But the craft in the photo... He\par
had memorized its every line, every alien structure as it passed over\par
head. Granted, he hadn't seen it from above, but what he had made out\par
matched what he remembered exactly. Eccentric behaviour or not, the\par
man had seen it. \par
\tab  "Scully. You don't have to come with me, if you don't want to. But\par
this is something I have to look in to. He knows something, I know\par
that. And not just because of the photo. Why do you think he came to\par
us? He could have sent for us from the base."\par
\tab Scully dropped her eyes from his, seeing his absolute determination.\par
There was nothing she could say, Thontan had done too good a job. She\par
felt his hand gently touch her arm, as if trying to get a response\par
from her. There was only one response she could give.\par
\tab  "All right, Mulder." She said, more resignedly than she had wanted,\par
but Mulder had not picked up on it. Once he had her support again,\par
Mulder was off. Scully followed behind him, this time not hurrying\par
to keep his pace. She stayed back to guard his rear, which she realised\par
she would be doing for the majority of this 'case', until what ever\par
conclusion came their way. \par
\par
\tab The ride to the airport was in heavy silence. Apparently the Lieutenant\par
Colonel had gone ahead of them in another car to the military jet,\par
they had been told by his men he would join them there. \par
\tab Both agents looked out of the car window as it rolled to a stop on\par
the tarmac, airport personnel moving out of its way. Mulder and Scully\par
stepped out of the car, looking towards the small military owned jet\par
waiting only a few metres away, its engines already running. The agents\par
were escorted from the car and towards the boarding stairs that were\par
positioned by the entrance hatch of the jet. \par
         The whine of the engines died to a low hum once they were\par
inside. Mulder and Scully stopped in the aisle. Six more men of the\par
Military persuasion stared at the agents, all wearing uniforms of higher\par
rank than those of the Marines who had escorted them. Mulder felt a\par
slight prod at his side, and he heard a grunted voice from behind him.\par
\tab  "Please take a seat, sir." \par
\tab Mulder followed Scully to a nice aisle seat, far from the closest\par
marine, and sat down. Mulder found to his surprise there was plenty\par
of leg room, and the seats themselves were rather comfortable. He adjusted\par
his Armani suit slightly and then looked to Scully to see how she was\par
faring. She was already buckled in. She gave him a half smile, indicating\par
she was all right. Mulder leaned in to her slightly, keeping his voice\par
low.\par
\tab  "They haven't made any move to disarm us." He whispered, his eyebrows\par
rising in surprise. He would have thought that it would have been their\par
first move. Scully nodded, but otherwise didn't respond. She signed\par
internally, hoping that once Mulder had seen that the military officer\par
was obviously crazy and had nothing to support his claim they would\par
be back on the plane before lunchtime. Mulder looked up as all of the\par
military men drew to sudden attention as the officer in charge stepped\par
through the door of the cabin. Lieutenant Colonel Thontan straightened\par
himself up, giving the all too small door a glare of annoyance, and\par
basked in the respect of his men briefly. Leaving them at attention\par
for the moment, the weathered officer plucked a cigar from a lapel\par
pocket and fingered it.\par
\tab  "Sit down gentlemen, enjoy the flight." He grumbled, his wrinkled\par
face forming a smile, waving his cigar bearing hand at the seats, "Smoke\par
if you will." Thontan's eyes then darted to the FBI agents sitting\par
further down, and his smile increased.\par
\tab As his men got themselves settled, the Lieutenant Colonel strode down\par
the aisle, followed by only one assistant. His dark but shining eyes\par
never left those of the agents. He stopped before them, and slowly\par
eased himself into a seat facing them. His right knee cracked loudly,\par
and the aged officer barked out a laugh.\par
\tab  "Damn, I'm showing my impediments. Do excuse that." He chuckled,\par
resting his hand on the offending knee.\par
         Scully only smiled briefly, then clutched on to the arm rests\par
as the jet began its way down the run way. The Lieutenant Colonel calmly\par
lit his cigar as the jet left the ground, he puffing away contentedly.\par
Only when the air craft had levelled off did Scully let go of the arm\par
rests. Out of the corner of her eye she could see her partner shifting\par
about in his seat, seeming anxious to speak. Scully quickly shifted\par
forward, stepping in before Mulder could open his mouth.\par
\tab  "So, Lieutenant Colonel Thontan. You say you have a UFO at your base."\par
Scully opened with, folding her hands in her lap. The military officer\par
only grinned at her barely concealed disbelief. Mulder chewed on his\par
lower lip and nudged Scully's elbow to get her attention. Scully completely\par
ignored him and fixed her strongest glare on the military officer.\par
\tab Thontan's smile nearly split his weathered face in two. \par
\tab  "I wouldn't have come all this way to get you two if I hadn't, Agent."\par
He chuckled, shifting himself into a more comfortable position. His\par
eyes never left Scully's, he not flinching under her gaze. Scully merely\par
continued.\par
\tab   "Do you have some evidence to back up your claim, a photograph perhaps?"\par
Scully asked. \par
\tab Thontan's chest rumbled in a low chuckle, "Actually no. Our cameras\par
won't work when we try to take any kind of shot of it."\par
\tab  "What do mean, 'won't work'?" Mulder asked.\par
\tab  "They turn off whenever we pointed them at the craft. No matter how\par
far away we tried to take the shot." Thontan's smile was slowly disappearing.\par
His forehead creased slightly with his thoughts. \par
\tab Scully shook her head, leaning back in her seat, "I don't believe\par
I'm hearing this."\par
\tab Thontan watched the pair, Mulder giving her a pat on her arm, and\par
she shrugged it off, and propped up her head wearily. His gaze lingered\par
on Scully the longest.\par
\tab  "It's not uncommon. In fact most people cannot handle the concept\par
of alien life. All Marines wishing to work at the Blackstone Base are\par
put through rigorous testing to prepare them, the drop out rate of\par
which is over 90%. I've seen grown men piss themselves, drop to the\par
ground and wail like babies during the training." Thontan fingered\par
his cigar, "To see something truly alien... there's not a terror like\par
it." \par
\tab  Mulder leaned forward in his seat, getting the Lieutenant Colonel's\par
attention, hoping to take the heat off of Scully. He could see her\par
fear building, despite the stern front she was putting up. He locked\par
gazes with the Lieutenant Colonel for the second time that day and\par
saw nothing but sheer resolve in his eyes. The conviction that came\par
with knowing the truth. The Lieutenant Colonel nodded almost imperceptibly\par
at Mulder, seeing the same in the Agent's eyes. \par
\tab   "I know what you're both thinking. This is no joke. The alien craft\par
I am holding at my base is real, as is what I believe to be the pilot\par
of that craft. But as they say, seeing is believing..." \par
         Thontan turned in his seat and hollered back down the aisle.\par
\tab  "Major Paxton, tell the pilot to begin his approach from the west.\par
We'll land on the western runway. Closest to the Site." Thontan boomed,\par
and the Major left his seat to comply.\par
\tab   "We'll be landing at the base in a few hours time. I'll have the\par
galley opened so you can have something to eat. I suggest you rest\par
up before we get there. You're going to need it." Thontan grunted and\par
pushed himself up from his seat, leaving the agents to sit in thoughtful\par
silence.\par
\par
...DISCOVERY...\par
\par
\tab It was mid afternoon when the military jet began its descent towards\par
the Blackstone military base. Both Mulder and Scully left their seats\par
and moved to the nearest window, wanting to get a good look at the\par
facility. Mulder held onto the head rest, craning his neck as far as\par
he could towards the ground as they neared the base. He felt more than\par
heard Thontan approach them.\par
\tab  "We should be coming up on the crash site now." His voice rumbled\par
behind them.\par
\tab The descending jet's shadow streaked across the Ponderosa pines that\par
bordered the western edge of the base. Then they saw it. A huge clearing\par
at the edge of the pines, just before one of the base buildings. Scully's\par
forehead creased when she saw the huge crater, and the crushed trees\par
around it. She and Mulder shared a glance, her heart rate increasing\par
along with the nagging feelings of fear. \par
\tab Mulder and Scully moved into the aisle as the jet rolled to a stop\par
on the tarmac. The enlisted men stood waiting for the Lieutenant Colonel's\par
orders, not willing to move an inch without his expressed say so. \par
\tab  "All right, rest time is over. Major Paxton, get to Specimen Analysis\par
and brief the team on our current situation." Thontan gave the FBI\par
agents a nod and began towards the hatch. \par
\tab  Mulder and Scully followed the military officer down the waiting\par
stairs and on to the tarmac. Thontan led them towards a large open\par
quadrangle, not far from the crater they had passed over. Mulder took\par
a quick glance about the area. Apart from their small group, there\par
were no other people in sight. No squads of marines marching in time.\par
There was absolute silence. He and Scully exchanged nervous glances,\par
their brows furrowing. \par
\tab When they had walked halfway across the vast quadrangle, Thontan stopped\par
them with an outstretched arm.\par
\tab  "Wait." He barked. Mulder looked at the area before them. Thontan\par
had stopped at the edge of a white line. The line stretched for twenty\par
feet, before falling away, tapering off some fifty feet beyond them.\par
Scully tucked some hair back that was blowing around in the slight\par
wind. Thontan turned to face them with sheer excitement lighting up\par
his face, and then walked into the marked area. He walked carefully,\par
as if he were walking on sacred ground, his eyes never leaving the\par
asphalt. Mulder glanced to the men standing with them and was shocked\par
to see the expressions of stark fear. One of the men decorated as a\par
Major was visibly trembling. \par
\tab Thontan stopped before a white circle marked on the ground. He looked\par
up at the agents, smiling somewhat shakily. \par
\tab  "Come stand here..." He said quietly, reverently. Mulder moved first,\par
the small stones crunching under his feet as he stepped into the marked\par
area. Scully moved to walk beside him, not wanting to be left behind.\par
Her heart pounded in her chest as she walked. The hair that had been\par
waving in the wind suddenly settled. Scully looked to Mulder's short\par
fuzzy hair and saw that it too had stopped moving. The breeze had stopped\par
blowing. Seeming as if in slow motion, Scully looked back to the waiting\par
military officers on the other side of the line. Their hair was still\par
being buffeted by the slight breeze... \par
\tab She bumped into Mulder, who had stopped before one of the circles.\par
She felt his soft hand touch hers, as if trying to ground her, and\par
then took his place at her side. Mulder was staring at Thontan, every\par
muscle tensed. \par
\tab  "Go into the circle. But you might want to kneel down first." Thontan\par
voiced, in the same reverent tones, his eyes wide with excitement.\par
\tab Mulder stood for a few moments, having not felt the wind since he\par
entered the marked area also. The stones sounded different as well...\par
the sound was slightly duller... He slowly knelt, looking towards the\par
white painted circle, keeping beyond it until his knees touched ground.\par
Closing his eyes, he leant into the area above the marked circle...\par
  \par
...INEXPLICABLE FORCES SURGED THROUGH HIS BODY, SHIMMERING THROUGH\par
EVERY CELL... SEEMING TO PUSH THEM, ACCELERATE THEM... \lang1049 RE-ALIGNING\par
THEM...   HE WAS EMERSED IN DARKNESS, YET FELT WARM AND SOOTHED, HE\par
SOARED...\par
        \par
\tab Mulder pulled back, shaking from what he'd just felt. A light sweat\par
had broken out on his forehead, and his whole body felt slightly warmer.\par
A gentle tingling sensation filled him... it was like nothing he'd\par
ever felt before, but he wasn't frightened... \par
\tab  "Mulder!" Scully gasped, on her knees beside him, shocked at what\par
she'd just seen. Mulder hovering in place, his skin had seemed to ripple\par
in place... \par
\tab   "I'm okay Scully..." Mulder breathed, looking up at Thontan, trembling\par
visibly now. He had to blink the tears from his eyes... it had been\par
wonderful... \par
\tab  "Mulder..." Scully gripped him harder. Mulder looked at her, a smile\par
breaking out and he took her hand.\par
\tab  "Scully... it was like... it went through me. I felt it all through\par
me... it was wonderful..." He gasped. \par
\tab   "Agents." Thontan caught their attention, "Watch this." He dug his\par
hand into a jacket pocket and brought out whatever was in it, some\par
coins, a few pieces of paper, and a spare cigar. He knelt down before\par
the circle himself, and then dropped the items into it.\par
\tab They stopped a foot from the ground. They hung in silence, the coins,\par
the paper and the cigar. Perfectly suspended above the asphalt. \par
\tab Scully's mouth dropped open. Mulder's eyes grew even larger. Thontan's\par
mouth twitched in a smile at their reactions, and he flicked one of\par
the coins. It began spinning, and didn't slow down. \par
\par
\tab  "I tried this when we first encased the craft. The coin span continuously\par
for three days, without slowing, before the area stopped emitting the\par
anti grav. The area shifted, its been here for the last two days."\par
\tab Scully felt her strength leave her. She barely noticed Mulder's arm\par
as he caught her. All she could do was stare at the coin as it span,\par
defying all known physics, the laws she trusted, the laws she depended\par
on. Without sound, the coin spun on. \par
\tab Mulder shoved aside his elation to focus on his stunned partner. He\par
hauled her up with him as she got to his feet, she just staring and\par
shaking. Thontan nodded gently.\par
\tab  "It's the shock. Not a good sign. She hasn't even seen the occupant\par
yet." \par
\tab Mulder tightened his hold. He could barely believe it himself.\par
\tab  "Real..?!" He gasped, words having escaped him.\par
\tab Thontan only grinned, and moved around the circle.\par
\tab  "You haven't seen anything yet." \par
\tab Mulder followed Thontan out of the marked area, supporting Scully\par
as she could barely stand. The cool wind returned to ruffle his hair\par
as soon as he stepped outside of the area.\par
\tab Agent Mulder and Scully could only follow the Lieutenant Colonel in\par
silence as he led them from the marked quadrangle. Mulder was still\par
trembling from his experience, the physical sensations lingering on\par
pleasantly. He looked to the stunned Scully under his arm and tightened\par
his hold on her, his forehead creasing with worry. She was staring\par
vacantly into space, letting herself be guided without any resistance,\par
her body boneless against his. He had never seen her this way... but\par
then she had never been faced with the absolute reality of an alien\par
space craft before. While conscious anyway...\par
\tab They were stopped before the entrance to the main building of the\par
base. Mulder gently stroked Scully's head reassuringly as Thontan entered\par
his access code into the hydraulically sealed doors, feeling helpless\par
to stop her trembles. His concern grew when he felt her gripping him\par
tighter as the doors hissed open, sliding apart and out of sight into\par
the wall. \par
\tab Scully held onto Mulder, her rational mind too frightened to realise\par
that she shouldn't be doing so. She fought internally against the terror\par
that gripped her. Her mind refused to believe what it had seen. She\par
couldn't believe... It couldn't be true! If... if that really was one\par
of Their craft under the asphalt... then Mulder was right. And They\par
did exist. They did exist... they did exist...\par
\tab Scully closed her eyes tightly, desperately trying to focus on something\par
else. She concentrated hard on Mulder's comforting hand...\par
        Thontan's voice gradually returned to her consciousness.\par
\par
\tab   "...ready yet? Damn. Summers, give me your radio. I think the batteries\par
are dead in this one." Thontan handed the marine named Summers his\par
dead radio and took the working one, and strode ahead of the group,\par
leading them inside. Mulder frowned, wondering why he had to use a\par
hand held radio, were the phones out? He checked his cell phone with\par
his free hand, and found its screen completely blank.\par
\tab "There must be interference with the signals, my cell phone's not\par
working." Mulder said for Scully's benefit. Thontan grunted ahead of\par
them, turning to grin slightly.\par
\tab  "Astute observation, Agent. Most of our standard communication equipment\par
isn't. Including the phones. We are having some success with these\par
small close range radios though."  \par
\tab  "Ever since the ship came." Added Summers, which only strengthened\par
the grin on his superior officer's face. Mulder felt Scully squeeze\par
him just a bit tighter at his words. Mulder rubbed her back comfortingly,\par
hiding his own growing fear behind a crooked grin. This was real. This\par
guy, however cocky, was not playing around...\par
\tab  "Major Paxton, what is the status of Specimen Analysis?" Thontan\par
barked into the radio.\par
\tab  "...The final results have come in, and they've been triple checked.\par
Same result each time." Crackled the reply.\par
\tab Thontan's face clenched slightly in thought, "Have McKenzie meet us\par
outside Observation. We'll be going straight in." Thontan returned\par
the radio to the belt holder, looking back at the FBI agents. \par
\par
\tab  "We'll be doing down three floors to Level 3; Specimen Analysis."\par
He informed them. The Private named Summers remained with the group,\par
but the others moved away on a glance from Thontan. Mulder watched\par
them disappear down a side corridor, and he swallowed somewhat nervously.\par
\tab Thontan led the agents through the metallic hallways of his base,\par
moving through hydraulic lock after hydraulic lock. Each hallway segment\par
ended or started with one, complete with green and red indicator lights\par
above them. Mulder watched the lights change from red to green as the\par
lock was opened. He was watching one when it began to flicker, the\par
green indication light threatening to go out. The activated lock ahead\par
of them seemed similarly afflicted, its red indicator flickering also.\par
After a few seconds both of the locks returned to normal of their own\par
accord.\par
         The Lieutenant Colonel frowned, not liking what he had just\par
seen.\par
\tab  "How long have the locks been fluctuating like this?" He grunted.\par
\tab  "First time I've seen it." Private Summers voiced. Thontan shook\par
his head, glaring at the indication lights in undisguised irritation.\par
\tab Once they had reached level three, Mulder felt Scully pull away from\par
his supporting arm and straighten out her pants suit.  She walked the\par
rest of the way without his help. She gave Mulder a tight smile when\par
he tried to look into her face and answered him before he could even\par
ask.\par
\tab  "I'm fine, Mulder."\par
         Thontan turned, and nodded his approval at her recovery.\par
\tab  "Nice of you to rejoin us, Agent Scully." He rumbled. Scully held\par
his gaze but her chin twitched slightly, she embarrassed at being caught\par
in a weak moment. Shifting her eyes she finally focused on the sight\par
before her. Large viewing windows ran the length of the corridor, from\par
floor to ceiling, the closest window bearing sign 'Specimen Analysis'.\par
\tab Thontan didn't give them time to take in the view, he was already\par
moving towards the entrance. Mulder and Scully had to increase their\par
pace just to keep up. They strode through the labs, past white-coated\par
technicians who stopped their work to stare at them. Scully's eyes\par
travelled across the work stations, which sported the most impressive\par
array of equipment and labware she had ever seen. The largest station\par
held a fully automated DNA sequencer complete with robotic sampling\par
arms. Scully's eyes widened at the size of it, the soft flashes from\par
the laser mass spectrometer busy at work within the bulking device.\par
        Scully tore her eyes from the advanced equipment to find themselves\par
walking towards a heavily sealed section, with multiple hydraulic locks,\par
each one opening as Thontan approached. They left the last of the locks\par
to stand in a white room, the words 'Specimen Observation and Containment'\par
stretching across the wall to the side of them. Scully followed the\par
words and saw a stairwell leading to another door, one marked Observation.\par
On the lower level, equipped with a decontamination chamber, was a\par
hatched marked Cell 01.  From where they stood they could see the unbelievable\par
amount of pneumatics and locking devices on the hatch to Cell 01. In\par
the hiss of the cool air Scully could just make out the red laser beams\par
that criss-crossed it.\par
         "Oh my, you really did it..." Came a gasp, and the agents\par
turned to see a white coated scientist staring at them from a panel.\par
He padded closer, peering at the agents through his black rimmed spectacles.\par
He was a short man, the same height as Scully, and was remarkable thin.\par
His face was thinly boned, which only made his glasses stand out further.\par
The label 'nerd' sprang to Mulder's mind briefly. \par
\par
         "Agents, meet Dr McKenzie, he is in charge of the specimen,"\par
Thontan began, but was cut off by the wiry scientist. He shook his\par
head, the action reminding Mulder of a sparrow ruffling its feathers.\par
\tab  "He is not a specimen! He has feelings," He glared briefly at the\par
officer in charge, "and I am not pleased with your tactics." He stomped\par
back to the panel, picking up the roster chart, and waved it, "Language\par
tests, pain sensitivity exams... I did not authorize any of this!"\par
\tab Thontan didn't blink in the face of the small scientist's anger.\par
\tab  "McKenzie, you have had five days. Five days and still he hasn't\par
spoken a single word! I think it is safe to say that your 'gentle'\par
approach has failed." \par
\tab McKenzie shifted about on his feet, able to feel the quiet impatience\par
rolling off of the Lieutenant Colonel in waves. He looked to the FBI\par
agents, not seeming surprised to see them.\par
\tab  "And so you brought them in?" He spoke quietly, his eyes loosing\par
their angry spark. Mulder could have sworn that sadness replaced it...\par
\tab Thontan rumbled deep in his broad chest, "Yes." He turned to look\par
at the agents, "He won't talk to us. Perhaps he'll talk to someone\par
more... 'familiar'."\par
\tab Mulder and Scully glanced to each other, each seeing the other's apprehension.\par
Each knew what was meant by the term 'specimen'. Scully watched as\par
Mulder's pupils dilated in his growing excitement, saw as his features\par
changed, his smile of awe from before slowly returning. \par
\tab Scully breathed out slowly, putting a hand on her partner's arm to\par
remind him of where they were standing, and looked to the scientist.\par
\tab  "Will someone please tell us what is going on? Why have you brought\par
us here? What do you claim to have here?" Scully asked, surprised at\par
how strongly she could speak, inside she was shaking from unparalleled\par
fear. \par
\tab McKenzie gave her a soft smile, ignoring the military officer, who\par
was moving to stand in the background.\par
\tab  "Of course, Agent... er..."\par
\tab  "Scully." \par
\tab  "Yes. I think the best way would be to just show you..." McKenzie\par
began towards the stairwell leading to the Observation room. Mulder\par
glanced quickly at his partner's face and saw the fear in her eyes.\par
He took hold of her hand, giving it a squeeze as McKenzie opened the\par
Observation room hatch via a keypad. \par
\tab  "Scully..." Mulder whispered, his eyes searching hers. Her clear\par
blue orbs glistened back, shaky but determined. Scully knew what he\par
meant with that single word. \par
\tab  "I'm okay Mulder... I.. whatever we find in there, we'll find it\par
together." She answered, giving him a smile despite her fear. Mulder\par
felt his chest lighten somewhat, and he felt the emotion he kept so\par
closely guarded try to creep through his sturdy walls. He felt such\par
love for her at that moment... \par
\tab  "Agents, you can step inside," McKenzie called out. Mulder led the\par
way up the stairs, not letting go of Scully's hand, and stepped through\par
the entrance with Scully right beside him.\par
\tab Inside the room was larger than it had appeared out side. An array\par
of computer panels spread across the far wall, with some 21 inch screens\par
above them currently displaying nothing but static. Some bagged items\par
were on a metallic table to one side. The room was mostly dark, the\par
only illumination came from the computer screens and from the clear\par
spex viewing window looking down on the Cell below. A technician sat\par
on the only chair, studiously observing any activity in the Cell. His\par
attention did not waver as the FBI agents crept in. \par
        The pair warily stepped towards the window, Scully gripping\par
Mulder's arm with her other hand as they turned to look through it\par
at the same time. They nearly dropped to the floor in their resulting\par
shock. \par
\tab The holding Cell was sparsely furnished, with only a bed in the back,\par
and a round table in the front, only a meter from the viewing window.\par
Seated at that table was Mulder. Or a man who looked just like him.\par
        Mulder's knees almost gave way, he found himself having to\par
steady himself against the panel with one hand. He stared in absolute\par
disbelief.\par
\tab 'Mulder' sat on a chair, his bare arms resting on the table. He was\par
dressed in faded blue jeans and a black t-shirt. His hair was tussled\par
and he had dark patches under his eyes. He just sat and stared at the\par
table, every now and again opening his mouth in a slightly deeper breath.\par
His forehead furrowed in emotion suddenly, and he squeezed his eyes\par
shut as if to force it back, wiping his hands over his face. After\par
a few moments he seemed to calm, and he returned to staring. His hazel\par
eyes were heavy with sadness.  \par
\tab Scully began trembling in her shock, her mouth hanging open as she\par
stared at a man who looked exactly like her partner. Who's eyes seemed\par
to bear the same pain...  \par
\tab  "Oh my god..." She breathed, unconsciously holding on to Mulder tighter,\par
digging her nails into his arm. \par
\tab McKenzie sided up to the gasping agents, looking into the Cell himself.\par
\tab  "I was in the first recon team out to the crash site. I was the first\par
to see<i> him.</i> Stumbling through the dirt kicked up by the craft,\par
not three feet away from it. His eyes were wild... When he saw us he\par
let out this horrific scream. He fought against the men that rushed\par
in, he didn't stop screaming." McKenzie shook his head, wincing, the\par
memory still fresh in his mind, "It was as if he was insane. He was\par
injected with sedatives, but they had no effect. He had to be carried\par
to the decontamination unit, where he screamed and hit at the walls\par
for hours. He cried so wretchedly... And then at 4:40 am he silenced.\par
When the men returned to take him out of decontamination, he didn't\par
resist. \par
\tab  "Once he was out of decontamination, we were able to retrieve his\par
ID from his jeans pocket." McKenzie moved to the metallic table where\par
he picked up an FBI identification wallet wrapped in plastic. He held\par
it out for Scully to take. She took it numbly, opening it, revealing\par
the bright blue letters of the FBI, gold emblem, and Mulder's photo.\par
\tab "As soon as we learned of his government agent status, Thontan contacted\par
the FBI only to learn that Agent Mulder was in DC and had been the\par
whole time. Over the following 48 hours hundreds of tests were performed,\par
and DNA was extracted for fingerprinting." The scientist continued.\par
\tab Mulder tried to still her shaking hand with his own. He reached into\par
his pocket with his free hand and withdrew his ID wallet. He flipped\par
it open. \par
\tab  "Oh my god..." Scully gasped, a hand going to her mouth. Both photos\par
and signatures matched. \par
\tab Mulder was quickly gathering himself together, feeling a fury rise\par
within him that he hadn't felt for a few years. A fury that served\par
to chase away his shock.\par
\tab  "That is not a man. He looks like a man, but he's not." Mulder growled.\par
McKenzie shook his head, opening his mouth to speak, but Mulder didn't\par
give him time to get any words out.\par
\tab  "NO. Listen to me, he's... a shape-shifting alien. I've seen this\par
before, he can become anyone!" Mulder exclaimed, looking from Scully\par
to the scientist with an urgency in his eyes. \par
\tab  "Yes," Came Thontan's rumbling voice from behind them, "You spoke\par
about this in your files. Some kind of 'bounty hunter' that can take\par
the form of others, right?" \par
\tab Mulder whirled and pointed excitedly, amazed and energised that the\par
military officer knew what he was talking about. Thontan snorted in\par
the face of his passion, shaking his head slowly. Scully moved past\par
them to the table, looking at the other items on it. 'Mulder's' wallet,\par
car keys, and reams of bloodwork data. \par
\tab  "I was able to take photographs of the Antarctic craft, Agent Mulder.\par
Presumably belonging to the same alien race as the 'bounty hunter'.\par
But this one, not a chance. It is..." \par
\tab  "Blood was toxic..." Scully interrupted.\par
\tab  "What?"\par
\tab  Scully turned to look at him from where she stood. \par
        "You said their blood was toxic... you were affected by it\par
before in the Arctic Circle. It's like acid. It even burned my shoes\par
when I stood in a pool of it..." Scully expanded, being only able to\par
see the facts. It was too glaring a hole for her to ignore. She held\par
up some of the blood test results, "They were able to take blood from\par
him, test it..."\par
\tab  "Scully..!" Mulder exclaimed.\par
\tab  "Mulder, I'm only trying to figure this out! We.. we have to consider\par
everything... what facts we have..." Scully said tiredly. \par
\tab McKenzie nodded, pushing his spectacles further along his nose.\par
\tab  "Exactly." He joined Scully at the table, handing her the latest\par
results analysis, "You seem to know what you're doing, what does this\par
tell you?" He asked. The female agent took the wad of papers, looking\par
first at the batch code on the top. SAMPLE BLOCK #1 it read. She then\par
began going through it, her eyes sifting through the jumble of information\par
that would have confused most other people. To Scully it felt like\par
coming home, she was back in her element. \par
\tab  "It's a DNA fingerprint analysis, with over 100,000 short tandem\par
repeats selected..." She looked up, stunned at the enormous size of\par
the test. It was way more microsatellites than were required for standard\par
genetic identification. McKenzie nodded softly for her to continue.\par
\tab  "Yes, and here is Agent Mulder's DNA fingerprint analysis." McKenzie\par
voiced, handing Scully a second DNA band nylon sheet, "This is just\par
one of the 90 we have, covering all 100,000..."\par
\tab  "What?! How..." Mulder stormed over, and found it was true. \par
\tab  "How did you get this?!" He fumed, glaring at Thontan. The Lieutenant\par
Colonel's face darkened slightly. \par
\tab  "Courtesy of the FBI database, plus some physical samples from your\par
last medical. We required it obviously so..."\par
\tab  "So you what, you charged in there, blabbering about National Security\par
and just took what you wanted?!" Mulder exclaimed, feeling violated\par
and more than a bit frightened that military personnel could get their\par
hands on his DNA. Thontan just smiled.\par
\tab  "It's funny you should mention National Security. Here's a thought."\par
Thontan strolled over to Mulder, a finger on his chin, "An alien space\par
craft appears over a military base, and then crashes. <i> You </i>come\par
out of it. The officials there contact the FBI, only to learn there\par
is an Agent Mulder there as well! Two Mulders!" Thontan's face darkened\par
even further, "If the craft had crashed at any other base but mine\par
you would have found yourself in a military prison <i> DAYS</i> ago.\par
You would have been subjected to every kind of test known to mankind.\par
Entire <i> teams</i> of scientists would flock to study you, to figure\par
out how the hell it could be possible."\par
\tab Mulder stared into Thontan's eyes. His gaze didn't give an inch. Neither\par
did Mulder's. But it was true... the military would have reacted in\par
that fashion. His anger faded away as Mulder realised just how long\par
they had known of the existence of two 'Mulders'. Since last Wednesday...\par
they'd known all this time. A fresh spurt of fear extinguished all\par
traces of anger. \par
\tab  "And you want me to thank you, is that it?" Mulder grated, his voice\par
having lost some of its edge.\par
\tab  "No. Just as I said in your superior's office, I want the truth.\par
And he knows it." Thontan pointed to the Cell, where 'Mulder' sat dejectedly\par
at the table, "And he isn't saying a single fucking word. I need you\par
two to change that."\par
\tab Scully stared up at Mulder, having been putting as many of the nylon\par
sheets together as she could. Sheet after sheet of the different DNA\par
samples were matching up, all of the tagged microsatellites pairing\par
up neatly, indicating that both samples were from the same individual.\par
\tab  "Mulder.." Was all she could say, she was trembling once again. This\par
time there was no doubt... "Unless the very foundations of science\par
are wrong, that man in the Cell <i>is </i> Mulder..."\par
\tab Mulder stepped forward, "Could the test be wrong..?"\par
\tab  "Not with this many sequences matching... Mulder..." Scully showed\par
him, paring up sheet after sheet. Mulder turned to stare at Thontan,\par
clutching a handful of the nylon sheets. But the military officer was\par
no longer paying attention to him. \par
\tab  "All right. McKenzie, get in there. Try to get him to talk, give\par
us something we can go on." \par
\tab The agents moved back to the view window as McKenzie left the Observation\par
room, taking with him all of 'Mulder's' bagged belongings. Mulder found\par
himself staring once again at the man inside the cell, clenching his\par
fists so tight his knuckles cracked.\par
\tab Scully focused on her breathing as the scientist left. She was feeling\par
a tension headache coming on. She could barely believe she was looking\par
in on another man that might be Mulder... the man which all of their\par
attentions were now focused on.\par
\tab\par
\tab The hissing of the hydraulic entrance lock shattered the silence within\par
the Cell. 'Mulder'   blinked a little, bringing himself out of the\par
vacant stare he'd allowed himself to drift off into as the hatch swung\par
open. He sat up straighter as a bespectacled scientist stepped through\par
the hatch, carrying the bagged belongings and a hopeful smile.\par
\tab "Good afternoon! I thought I'd pop back in for a spell. You've been\par
pretty quiet today." McKenzie spoke friendlily, cautiously moving towards\par
the table. 'Mulder' turned slightly in his chair to look at his visitor,\par
but did little else. The sadness never left his eyes. McKenzie sat\par
down at the table with folded hands, giving 'Mulder' a chance to speak.\par
'Mulder' didn't take it. Instead he looked back down at the table,\par
as if loosing interest. McKenzie's smile faded, and he shifted awkwardly\par
on his seat. The silence in the Cell was so absolute he could hear\par
the ticking of his wristwatch. McKenzie cleared his throat.\par
\tab  "They tell me you haven't eaten yet. Not that I blame you, military\par
rations are hardly a nutritious meal." The scientist thought for a\par
moment, and then brightened, "I can get you something from our own\par
stock. Travers is quite fond of the 'nuke' pizzas. I could get one\par
for you if you'd like." \par
\tab 'Mulder' huffed what could be construed as a laugh.\par
\par
\tab  "That's hardly a nutritious meal either." He croaked out, his voice\par
was harsh and dry, he having not used his voice in some time. He tried\par
to swallow against the scratchiness, but having little spit all he\par
could do was roll his paper-dry tongue. \par
        All in the Observation room gasped quietly; he sounded exactly\par
like Agent Mulder. Scully moved closer to the view window. Now that\par
the man was moving and speaking, she could tell instantly... Just as\par
she could always tell with her partner. He moved like Mulder, he held\par
his hands and flicked his fingers delicately like Mulder. Every tiny\par
facial expression...\par
\tab  "Oh my god..." She breathed.\par
        McKenzie refrained from over emphasising the fact that the\par
man had just spoken his first entire sentence in nearly a week. Instead\par
he tried to keep him speaking. \par
\tab  "Yes. In our testing we learned that you are actually quite healthy.\par
Your vitamin count is high, your cholesterol low. It seems that you\par
have been taking good care of yourself for some time. Up until about\par
two weeks ago." McKenzie leaned forward, "It's the only reason you're\par
still able to stand now. But you won't be able to for long if you keep\par
this up."\par
\tab At this 'Mulder', turned to face him, a frown slightly creasing his\par
forehead, as if he realised he had something. He seemed to think about\par
it, and then stiffly shook his head.\par
\tab  "No." \par
\tab McKenzie sighed, raising a hand to his forehead to rub it. 'Mulder'\par
just sat, his hazel eyes, bleary and bloodshot, following his every\par
move. He didn't move a muscle, his chest rose and fell laboriously.\par
He seemed to be fighting for every lungful of air. McKenzie shook his\par
head sorrowfully.\par
\par
          "Why do you persist in not eating?" \par
\tab 'Mulder' straightened himself in his chair.\par
\tab "I'd have thought that there were other questions you'd rather ask\par
me. Like your colleagues have. 'Where am I from? What was I doing in\par
an alien space craft? What is Mars like at this time of year?'" \par
\tab McKenzie kindly shook his head.\par
\tab  "I'm far more concerned with your current state of health, Fox....\par
Er, Mulder." McKenzie quickly corrected as 'Mulder' grimaced at the\par
use of his first name, "You haven't eaten a morsel since you arrived.\par
You've barely drank enough to keep standing. And you are having a terrible\par
time sleeping, two hours a night if you're lucky, and even then you\par
quite often cry during asleep." 'Mulder' flinched at that but said\par
nothing. He just sat quietly under the scrutinising gaze of the scientist.\par
McKenzie was finding his silence increasingly disquieting. The man\par
just sat there, not concerned in the least in his own well being, nor\par
fearful of what else the base scientists might have in store for him.\par
He gripped the table in exasperation.\par
\tab  "Why, Mr Mulder? You sit in the dark, you mope around. You never\par
objected once to any of the tests we subjected you to. Why are you\par
so disconsolate?" \par
\tab A thoughtful expression crossed 'Mulder's' face briefly.\par
\tab  "You know, I can't think of a single come back for that. That in\par
itself is pretty sad." 'Mulder' mused. He fell silent again, but remained\par
facing his visitor, seeming more alert now. McKenzie nodded, seeing\par
that one avenue of questioning was closed. He reached into his coat\par
pocket and brought out a palm pc, while putting the bagged belongings\par
out on the table for 'Mulder's' inspection. This caught the man's attention,\par
he having not seen his things since decontamination.\par
\tab 'Mulder' was suddenly leaning forward, going through the items. His\par
hand passed over the wallet, the ID badge, a few papers, ignoring them.\par
His mouth dropped open and his brow furrowed with emotion, as if something\par
was missing. And then he deadpanned, sitting back once more. But the\par
sadness lingered in his eyes, even stronger than before if that was\par
possible. \par
\tab McKenzie was curious about his searching, but he didn't comment on\par
it. Instead he picked up Mulder's ID badge, holding it out to him.\par
\tab  "So you work for the FBI, Mr Mulder?" McKenzie asked, watching as\par
'Mulder' took the badge in one hand, and ran a finger down the gold\par
emblem. McKenzie watched him blink back tears, but one escaped and\par
slid down his cheek. 'Mulder' absently wiped it away with a forearm.\par
\tab  "Yeah..." He stared at the badge, and McKenzie wondered at what memories\par
were flooding through his mind. What did he see when he looked at it?\par
\tab  "Tell me about it." He asked, genuinely interested. 'Mulder's' eyes\par
shifted back to his. His stare was piercing, but soft at the same time.\par
Intense... He surprised McKenzie by answering.\par
\tab  "Well..." 'Mulder' looked back to the badge, "I'm a Special Agent,\par
I've been with the Bureau for 7 and a half years now. That's not bad\par
when you consider the 40% turnover statistics." 'Mulder' looked up,\par
and McKenzie swore he could see a sparkle in his eye, "I even got my\par
own office. Right up on level three. We got two desks right by the\par
window! We've only been in it for two months, the carpet still smells\par
new!" 'Mulder' smiled, and it lit up his face briefly. McKenzie smiled\par
at his smile.\par
\tab  "That's good!" He praised. 'Mulder' nodded, looking back at the scientist.\par
\tab  "Yeah, especially since for the last seven years we've been stuck\par
in the basement. In the old copier room. Not that I minded it back\par
then. I was left alone to work, and that's how I liked it." 'Mulder's'\par
voice trailed off and his smile slowly followed. His eyes stared out\par
past McKenzie, seeing nothing but the past. McKenzie sat quietly, hoping\par
he would continue. And he did.\par
\tab 'Mulder's' face creased in another smile, and he leaned in to the\par
table a little.\par
\tab  "See, my partner and I worked on these cases together. X Files. Cases\par
'outside of the FBI mainstream'." His hazel eyes settled back on McKenzie's,\par
"UFO related cases. The paranormal. Ghosts. Vampires. Predatory mutant\par
human beings; a liver eater, a fat sucker. You name it, we investigated\par
it." 'Mulder' smiled, "I drove most of the time, it drove her nuts."\par
\tab McKenzie picked up the wallet from the table, opening it inside the\par
plastic it was encased in.\par
\tab  "It says here you live at... The Arcadia Apartments, 3164 Connecticut\par
Avenue, North West. Washington DC." He read out. 'Mulder' nodded absently.\par
\tab  "Yeah, got one month left on the lease." \par
\tab  "But your FBI records indicate you live at Hegal Place, in Alexandria,\par
VA." McKenzie frowned.\par
\tab  "Yeah, I did.  I moved out six months ago. I'm paying more rent there,\par
but I don't mind. Anyway, the X Files got closed down, then re-opened.\par
Then closed down again, and re-opened. After the audit this year they\par
closed them again. I think AD Harman was expecting me to go crawling\par
back and beg for a second chance. He got the shock of his life when\par
I told him to shove it." 'Mulder' laughed out loud at the memory, "I've\par
never seen him so pissed. It was great." \par
\tab McKenzie was flicking through a file from the case, trying to find\par
the records of Mulder's superiors. \par
\tab  "Ah... I thought AD Skinner was your supervisor? Or AD Kersh?"\par
\tab 'Mulder' frowned, "Yeah, Skinner was for the first six years. Kersh?\par
AD Kersh retired two years ago. Thank god he wasn't my AD!"\par
\tab McKenzie stared openly. He couldn't believe it, such a glaring differentiation.\par
Two Mulders, with apparently two very different histories. He looked\par
to his palm pc, checking both Agent's details against each other. 'Mulder's'\par
work history seemed to diverge from Mulder's two months ago... but\par
his out of work arrangements changed four months prior to that... \par
\tab He put the palm pc down to stare at the man before him, and found\par
that he had squeezed shut his eyes and was lightly biting his lower\par
lip. He looked like he was trying to fight some internal agony. The\par
man put the badge back down on the table and pushed his chair back.\par
\tab  "If you'll excuse me, I think I'll go lie down..." 'Mulder' mumbled.\par
He pushed himself from the table and padded back to his bed, his bare\par
feet making little slap sounds on the cold floor. He curled himself\par
on the bed in the dark, his back to the mirror, the only privacy he\par
was allowed in the Cell. He didn't even look up as McKenzie left his\par
Cell. \par
\tab The occupants of the Observation room were speechless. Scully looked\par
down at her hands and saw that they were shaking. Mulder stood frozen\par
beside her, his face almost drained of color, still staring at the\par
man who for all intensive purposes appeared to be another Mulder. He\par
could see Scully's shaking hands but was unable to move to comfort\par
her. His IQ had taken a brief leave of absence the moment 'Mulder'\par
had opened his mouth.\par
\tab The hatch hissed and swung open, bringing the agents back to their\par
senses as McKenzie rejoined them. McKenzie cringed slightly under Thontan's\par
scathing glare, and was glad when he looked away, hands on his hips.\par
\tab  "How..?" Breathed Agent Scully, almost coming out as a plea. How\par
can this be possible...? Tell me, so I can remain sane her eyes seemed\par
to plead.\par
\tab McKenzie nodded, "I have known about one possibility for some days\par
now, the only thing that seems to fit what facts we have. Two Mulders,\par
sharing the same history up until a point where one's path diverges..."\par
\tab Mulder's jaw clenched as he realised he understood what the scientist\par
was describing. His eyes widened with realisation, and he grabbed at\par
the air in the scientist's direction.\par
\tab  "Parallel universes..." He gasped. \par
\tab Scully stared at Mulder, and Thontan turned away, muttering under\par
his breath angrily. McKenzie paid the military officer no attention.\par
Mulder looked to his partner.\par
\tab  "Science has always theorised that parallel universes could exist,\par
right Scully? Einstein, quantum theory..." Mulder exclaimed, energised\par
now. He stared into Scully's confused eyes, almost able to see as the\par
connection was made in her mind. Where theory and fact collided...\par
\tab McKenzie stepped forward, "Yes. The concept of parallel universes\par
has been around for decades, but it has never been acknowledged or\par
even accepted as possible until now. Until M Theory." \par
\tab   "Oh my god..." Scully stepped back, her eyes widening even further\par
as she saw where the scientist was leading them, "M Theory..." \par
\tab McKenzie clapped his hands in glee, impressed that the female agent\par
was able to follow him. Mulder tried to look into her face while touching\par
her arm, encouraging her to share with everyone, no matter how crazy\par
it sounded. Scully frowned, deep in thought. \par
         "It's the most recent theory, claimed to be the explanation\par
for every event in the Universe. It theorises that all the matter in\par
the Universe is connected in one vast structure, like a membrane..."\par
She began. McKenzie excitedly interjected.\par
\tab  "Yes! Scientists have theorised for years that String Theory was\par
the answer- that all matter is made up of tiny strings which resonate,\par
the different frequencies or 'notes' representing the different particle\par
types. As it was studied, more than one version was found, five in\par
all, just to confuse things further. The mathematics showed that they\par
were dealing with 10 dimensional space for the strings to resonate\par
the right frequencies. Nine spatial and one time. But the equations\par
of 'supergravity', another competing theory, spoke of eleven dimensions.\par
         "When they added the last dimension to their Five String theories,\par
they discovered that they were all the same. They were all simply expressions\par
of the same theory. Under this new thinking, the 'strings' were seen\par
to stretch and combine, and connected all matter. As Agent Scully said,\par
like a membrane! It was dubbed M Theory.\par
        "The exciting thing about all this is that it is theorised\par
that the eleventh dimension if full of these membranes, many like our\par
Universe. Parallel Universes." McKenzie smiled hugely, "And we have\par
physical proof!" McKenzie pulled out the items from the bag he was\par
carrying and gave them to the agents. \par
         "Agent Mulder's blood work shows a less than favourable vitamin\par
count and a questionable cholesterol level. Quite different from 'Mulder'\par
who is much healthier. We have physical evidence of different residences,"\par
He pulled out 'Mulder's' wallet, "On the driver's licence here. Also,\par
we ran some tests on some money from this wallet; the ink used in the\par
notes is of a different composition than any we've seen. It is not\par
used in US currency. This is important, as it shows the differences\par
in the surrounding environment as well..."\par
        Scully met Mulder's eager gaze. His eyes were alive, questioning\par
hers. Asking for her belief... Her belief in science, the evidence\par
before them supported by that belief. Scully dropped her gaze, knowing\par
she couldn't go against it. Not after she'd seen 'him'. Her heart ached\par
to see that man's pain... pain she had only ever seen in her partner...\par
only more profound, if it was possible.\par
        Mulder put a gentle hand on Scully's shoulder, knowing she\par
knew. She believed. He felt her trembling under his hand, and he gently\par
took her into his arms, trying to comfort her. He was surprised when\par
she didn't fight him. \par
        Momentarily Mulder forgot where he was, forgot about the scientist\par
and military officer in the room, and just held Scully. Her arms had\par
gone around his waist, and she gripped him tightly. Memories of a tearful,\par
distressed embrace from years ago flooded his mind, after her encounter\par
with Donnie Pfaster. He allowed himself to drift in the feeling of\par
peace and love that came with holding her, feeling his chest grow warm\par
with the sensation. \par
\tab It didn't last longer than three seconds. Thontan's grunt made Scully\par
let go and step away, as if reminding her where she was. She moved\par
back to the window as the military officer once again made his presence\par
felt. \par
\tab  "What about the ship, McKenzie? How do you work that into your <i>\par
theory </i>?" He asked, his voice strained, as if he was holding back\par
his anger.  \par
\tab McKenzie didn't allow the officer's impatience to faze him. He held\par
up a hand disarmingly.\par
\tab  "One thing at a time, sir. As you said, 'Mulder' is the key to all\par
this. And right now he's resting, or something. We should wait a few\par
hours before trying again." \par
\tab Thontan's sigh sounded more like a snarl. He fingered the radio on\par
his belt, and then moved past them towards the hatch.\par
\tab  "Dr McKenzie will accompany you for the rest of your stay, Agents."\par
He grunted dismissively, and slipped through the hatch. Mulder wasn't\par
sorry to see him go. He had seen the underlying anger in the officer;\par
he hadn't learned what he'd wanted to. Now the man was edgy and silent...\par
all of his previous 'hospitality' had evaporated. Despite the lingering\par
worry, Mulder pushed Thontan out of his mind and focused on the current\par
situation. He sided up to his partner.\par
\tab  "Is there somewhere we can get some food or something? You guys kind\par
of made us skip our lunch." Mulder smiled briefly. \par
\tab "Of course, follow me." McKenzie said and led the agents out of the\par
observation room.\par
\par
...LAB...\par
\par
10:47 PM\par
\par
\tab  The low humming from the various equipment thrummed in the background\par
of the lab. A few white coated lab personnel moved about, taking samples\par
from station to station, continuing on with their work and ignoring\par
the FBI agent seated on the chair close by. \par
\tab Scully sighed and plopped the ream of papers back on the station beside\par
her, her eyes feeling the strain from constant visual study. She had\par
spent hours pouring through the results McKenzie had gathered on samples\par
from both Mulders. She ran rerun a few series of tests herself, just\par
to be certain. The test invariably came back the same as McKenzie's.\par
Mulder and 'Mulder' were genetically identical. There were still tests\par
she could run, dental X rays could be taken. But she had seen enough.\par
\tab A small popping-crunch sound caught her attention, and she looked\par
up to a station a few meters away, where two techs stood before an\par
electron microscope. \par
\tab  "Damn, there goes another camera." She heard one tech grumble.\par
\tab  "That's the third today!"\par
\tab  "Yeah. Well there goes the Z4 series. We're out of replacements and\par
I doubt they'll bring in any more." The taller technician spoke, dropping\par
the now useless specimens to the bench. His companion frowned, looking\par
somewhat alarmed, and sat down.\par
\tab Suddenly Scully felt a presence beside her. She turned on her seat\par
to see a man in his early twenties beside her, hands in the pockets\par
of his white coat.\par
\tab  "That's been happening a lot." The man nodded towards the far microscope,\par
"Equipment failures. None of the vid cams are working. And only one\par
of the microwaves are operational."  \par
\tab Scully relaxed slightly, seeing the tech only wanted to talk, perhaps\par
to allay his own fears. Scully understood. Despite her initial fear\par
having receded, she remained jumpy and on alert. Knowing that less\par
than 500 meters away lay an alien craft... Scully indicated to a spare\par
seat, and the tech gratefully sat down.\par
\tab  "You and the other guy were called in to solve the mystery, huh?"\par
The tech asked.\par
\tab  "Yes, we're in the process of gathering all the information we can.\par
I..." Scully looked up as another technician poked his head over her\par
station, grinning friendlily.\par
\tab  "What's there to gather, we know where he's from.<i> Sliders!</i>\par
" The man moon walked backwards, still grinning.\par
\tab Scully shook her head, but her lips twitched in a brief smile. The\par
tech beside her threw a balled up piece of paper at him.\par
\tab  "Travers, shut it would you? This is serious." \par
\tab Travers came to a stop, the paper bouncing off of his arm. He folded\par
his arms, still grinning.\par
\tab  "No, this is Nobel prize winning. And our names are going to be in\par
the small print!"\par
\tab  Scully suddenly stood from her seat, she was not in the mood for\par
juvenile behaviour at that moment. She fixed a harsh glare at 'Travers'.\par
\tab  "No. This is about a man, far from home, brought here by forces unknown.\par
Who is depending on us to figure out how and why. This isn't a chance\par
for you to achieve scientific recognition." She let her glare linger\par
as she walked away, her heels clicking loudly on the floor. \par
\tab The seated tech watched the female agent walk out of the lab, and\par
then shot a glare at Travers himself. Travers shrugged.\par
\tab  "What?"\par
\tab\par
\tab Agent Mulder stared up at the sign at the entrance to the empty canteen\par
area. The word 'Mess' was printed in large letters, but some one had\par
\f1 stuck the word 'Schr\'f6dinger's' in front of it. He shifted in his less\f0\par
than comfortable seat and glanced across the metal mess table at McKenzie\par
who was watching him in fascination. Mulder gave him a brief lop sided\par
smile.\par
\tab  "I guess with all the dollars you guys were shelling out for state-of-the-art\par
lab gizmos and Star Trek doors you forgot a little thing called 'creature\par
comforts'." Mulder grumbled. His squirming leg connected with a metal\par
support pole and he grimaced, biting down a yelp.\par
\tab  "Astounding..." McKenzie leaned forward, pushing his glasses up further\par
along his nose, "You know he's never complained once about his lack\par
of physical comfort. Which should be quite extreme by now, not having\par
eaten for over 130 hours."\par
\tab Mulder quietened at that. He fingered the bagged items spread out\par
on the table before him, picking up the FBI badge as Scully walked\par
into the mess. She stopped by their table and took a seat on Mulder's\par
side, trying to slouch into it as much as she could. She couldn't remember\par
a time when she had been more tired... At least not this week.\par
\tab  "Results are the same. Despite some differences in dietary intake,\par
Mulder and 'Mulder' are identical." She flicked her shoes off under\par
the table, not caring about etiquette at that point, "Perfect genetic\par
match."\par
\tab Mulder chewed on his lower lip, shaking his head.\par
\tab  "When you examined him, did you find any thing to support a theory\par
of abduction? Any strange marks, scars at the base of the neck, pieces\par
of metal in his nasal cavity or teeth?" He asked the scientist.\par
\tab  "No. He had a few bruises to his chest and shoulder, one which looked\par
like from the butt of a rifle perhaps. No foreign bodies were detected\par
whatsoever. We had him thoroughly vacuumed for any particles he may\par
have collected from the interior of the ship, but none were found..\par
Not even a speck of dust." McKenzie answered.   \par
\tab Mulder glanced to Scully.\par
\tab  "Maybe... maybe he went willingly..."\par
\tab Scully frowned, "Mulder..."\par
\tab  "Think about it. If I had the opportunity to go inside an alien craft\par
I wouldn't hesitate."\par
\tab Scully couldn't believe what she was hearing.\par
\tab  "You're not serious." Her voice had gone hard. Mulder cringed inwardly\par
as he saw the brief flicker of hurt in her eyes. He quickly held a\par
hand out disarmingly.\par
\tab  "Hear me out Scully... it's the only other explanation of how he\par
could have been in the craft."\par
\tab  "Either way," McKenzie interrupted, "He is still the only one who\par
can verify anything."\par
\tab Scully ignored Mulder's placatory hand, still hurt by his admission.\par
That he would so willingly leave her should the chance for discovering\par
the Truth arrive. That he would just step aboard without a phone call,\par
or any thought... It only made the possibility more credible.\par
\tab  "What has his health status been?" Scully asked, ignoring Mulder\par
as he tried to get her to look at him. She held firm.\par
\tab  "His health is excellent. However he hasn't eaten a morsel since\par
he arrived, he..."\par
\tab  "Nothing!? What do you mean, have you been withholding food?" Scully\par
sat up in unexpected anger. McKenzie just sighed.\par
\tab  "I am the head of the science team, but it is Thontan's base. And\par
Thontan's project. He has veto powers over every decision we make.\par
We have explicit instructions to offer food, but not administer IVs\par
or any such dietary supplements until he has talked. If Thontan isn't\par
in the Observation room while we're in with him some of his men are."\par
McKenzie looked truly concerned, "I have had argument after argument\par
with him, but he will not budge. Also I am afraid to demand too much,\par
he could send me from the base, and then where would 'Mulder' be?"\par
\tab Mulder leaned forward.\par
\tab  "When you first saw us you said 'You really did it'. Did you know\par
Thontan was going to bring us in?"\par
\tab McKenzie sighed, "He had been discussing the possibility two days\par
after he learned of you. He deliberated alone with the other officers\par
for days. I didn't realise how serious he was until I saw you in Cell\par
Containment. I think he knew all along, that for what ever reason 'Mulder'\par
wasn't going to talk. He believes he might when he sees you, and I\par
agree with him."\par
\tab Mulder looked back at the items on the table. They were the only physical\par
clues they had as to the man's past. And delving into that might reveal\par
why he might have walked onto an alien craft, if that was indeed what\par
had happened. His eyes stopped at the man's wallet, which he opened.\par
The foreign address stared back at him, not changing to 2630 Hegal\par
Place, Alexandria no matter how hard he stared.\par
\tab "Arcadia Apartments." Mulder voiced, glancing to the scientist, "Now\par
tell me you made this up."\par
\tab  "No. It is an actual residence, quite appealing really. I wouldn't\par
mind..." McKenzie began, but Mulder gently butted in.\par
\tab  "You don't get it... we were on a case, in this exclusive suburb\par
called Arcadian Falls, masquerading as a married couple to..." This\par
time McKenzie interrupted. With a laugh. He hooted once and clamped\par
his hand on his mouth, and tried to appear calm.\par
\tab  "Sorry. Yes? On a case you say?"\par
\tab Mulder was frowning, "Why... what was that laugh?"\par
\tab  "Laugh? Oh... I do apologise. It's just...you two... did they believe\par
you?" \par
\tab Mulder's eyebrows went sky high. \par
\tab  "Yes, of course they did! What... do you think they wouldn't?" Mulder\par
couldn't believe it. The man smiled apologetically and shrugged. Nearly\par
everyone they ran into thought they were married or a couple... Mulder\par
was surprised to find himself feeling unsettled that this guy thought\par
they weren't... \par
\tab  "To be completely honest, not... not exactly. It's just you two are\par
so opposites!"\par
\tab Scully began to laugh at that point, leaning on the table with her\par
arms and laughing tiredly, but amusedly.\par
\tab  "You got that right." She breathed.\par
\tab Mulder's frown intensified now. He sat forward, his posture defensive.\par
\tab  "You're not serious!"\par
\tab McKenzie shrugged again, "No, it's like you two are just thrown together."\par
\tab Mulder didn't know what to say to that. He sat there as Scully's laugher\par
drained away and the scientist looked through the wallet with the offending\par
address. An unpleasant hollow gaped in his chest, followed by a long,\par
familiar ache. An ache he had tried viciously to stamp down until he\par
couldn't feel it anymore, until he only saw his partner when he looked\par
at his partner, and not the woman he l...\par
\tab  "It is interesting though, perhaps you both share the same history,\par
both of you went on this case. Perhaps then this Mulder chose his new\par
dwelling after the experience?" McKenzie ventured. Scully snorted again.\par
\tab  "I don't see why he should, it was a dreadful case. Innocent people\par
died during it. We were both glad it was over and behind us." Scully\par
groaned, looking more tired as each minute passed. She propped her\par
head up on an elbow, having to force her eyes open. McKenzie had not\par
failed to notice Mulder's flinch as she spoke the last words. His eyebrows\par
rose in surprise. \par
\tab  "Perhaps not as much as you think, Agent Scully." McKenzie quietly\par
voiced, but Scully was too tired to respond. Mulder cleared his throat\par
and looked to her.\par
\tab  "Well I don't think we can do much more tonight. Why don't you get\par
some sleep in the lounge," Mulder indicated the lounge area beyond\par
the mess with a flick of his head, "We'll get a fresh start in the\par
morning."\par
\tab Scully had little ground for argument. She puffed out her cheeks and\par
allowed Mulder to lead her to the lounge, which was little more than\par
a few grey coloured couches grouped together, with some science magazines\par
on a table in the middle. Mulder collected a few cushions and put them\par
on the arm rest of the largest couch, settling Scully on to it. Scully\par
tried to get comfortable.\par
\tab  "Are you going to tuck me in?" She asked jokingly, and then mentally\par
chastised herself. She really must be tired, she thought. Mulder gently\par
stroked her head.\par
\tab  "I'll even tell you a story if you want." Scully wasn't so tired\par
that she missed the tones of seriousness in Mulder's voice. His gently\par
laid his suit jacket over her, his hands lingering on her shoulders\par
as he arranged it comfortably. Scully closed her eyes, allowing herself\par
to revel in this rare attention.\par
\tab  "Get some sleep Scully, I think you're going to need it tomorrow."\par
\tab As Scully listened to Mulder's footsteps moving away, the warm feeling\par
left her, his last words reminding her of what they were here for.\par
She held onto the lapels of Mulder's suit jacket and shuddered. Not\par
even Mulder's pleasant scent could drive the fear from her mind. \par
\tab Mulder moved back into the mess, giving McKenzie a wave as he moved\par
off. Alone once again, Mulder moved to the furthest table while still\par
keeping Scully in his sight and sat silently thoughtful in the dark.\par
\par
...THE CRAFT... \par
\par
12:01 AM\par
\par
\par
\tab It was surprisingly cool four levels below the surface. They hadn't\par
even needed to install air conditioning ducts. Lieutenant Colonel Thontan\par
strode down the narrow passage, with only the occasional overhead light\par
to illuminate his way. Thontan chuffed a laugh, it was funny that these\par
lights should work when over 80% of the base's equipment did not. \par
\tab The white door at the end of the passage loomed closer. Thontan felt\par
his heart beat faster in his chest... He could hear the hum already.\par
The low, almost ultra sonic thrum emitted by the craft. Although this\par
time he couldn't <i>feel</i> it.\par
\tab  "...ir, op.. door now..." Crackled from his radio before it cut out.\par
Thontan ignored it, his men knew what was expected of them. He had\par
timed his walk through the passage to the second.\par
\tab The white door shuddered as he approached it and slowly cranked open.\par
Thontan stopped in the doorway, his shakes beginning already.\par
\tab Less than ten feet away the alien craft hung rock-still in the air.\par
Cloaked in the darkness of its cement tomb, with only the light from\par
the doorway illuminating it. Thontan's exhaled breath came out in a\par
low moan of mixed excitement and fear.\par
\tab As Thontan's eyes adjusted to the low light level, the smooth, elongated\par
oval shape of the craft was just discernable, its sixty foot length\par
filling the area. There were no markings on its dark hull, just smoothness.\par
Without flaw.\par
\tab Thontan staggered inside, shaking from the inside out just to be looking\par
upon it once more. Hot tears welled and slid down his cheek. \par
\tab  "So beautiful..." He breathed, "So perfect."\par
\tab Thontan leaned down, looking beneath the craft at the meter high gap\par
between the craft and the ground. A few small pieces of concrete hovered\par
under it, as if caught in the same anti grav 'belt' the craft used.\par
He straightened himself, looking back to the craft's 'front'. He reached\par
out a hand, wanting to touch it this time... feel the alien metal under\par
his fingers...\par
\tab A force stopped him from doing so. Less than a foot away from the\par
craft's surface, he met an invisible wall that moulded to his body\par
and held him firmly in place. Thontan cried out in sudden terror, and\par
discovered that he couldn't move backwards either. \par
\tab  "Hel...<i> help!</i>" He shrieked, terrified for the first time in\par
his life.\par
\tab For a brief moment, he felt a shuddering sensation within his body.\par
The lights in the passage began to flicker, threatening to send the\par
trapped Thontan into darkness. Thontan screamed, immobilised and alone,\par
and now about to be in the dark. He lost control of his bowels in his\par
terror, screaming hysterically, his screams echoing around the cement\par
cavern that was proving to be his trap as well. \par
\tab  "NO!! Please!!" He screamed, and was plunged into absolute darkness.\par
\tab The encompassing hum of the craft filled the world, resonating throughout\par
his body, it being the only sensation left to his senses. His lungs\par
seized up, he could not think. He no longer was a powerful military\par
officer with an alien ship in his possession. Now <i>he</i> was the\par
prisoner... held by a far more powerful force...\par
\tab And then the lights came back on, and Thontan found he could move\par
once more. He scrambled for the door and ran, not waiting for the door\par
to shut, pounding down the passage as fast as his aged body could move\par
him. He didn't think about what had just happened, about possible implications...\par
that the craft was somehow sentient; showing him what he was doing...\par
\tab Thontan stopped by the end of the passage to get back his breath and\par
his senses. He wiped a hand across his wet cheeks, trying to still\par
his shakes. He brought out his radio.\par
\tab  "Paxton," He spoke in even tones, "Once I am out of here I want you\par
to seal this passage... Yes I meant it. Thontan out." \par
\tab The Lieutenant Colonel looked at his urine soaked uniform and pulled\par
the exit hatch open, pushing all thoughts out of his mind, even as\par
the thrumming of the craft filled the passage...\par
\par
\par
7:13 AM, THURSDAY, 11TH APRIL, 2001\par
\tab\par
\tab The technician in the Observation room shifted in his chair, sleeping\par
on without waking. The monitor banks buzzed with steady static, filling\par
the room with their flickering light. He did not notice the man in\par
the cell as he tossed and turned on the bed in his Cell.\par
\tab 'Mulder's' chest shook with silent sobs, his arms wrapped around himself,\par
unable to escape the emotional anguish. He had to wait. He <i>knew</i>\par
that. It was a kind of cosmic punishment for being too eager, for not\par
being patient when he should have been. But for how long..? It had\par
been days now, and each day was more excruciating than the last. He\par
clenched his burning eyes, letting loose a groan of emotional agony.\par
\tab Suddenly, he felt it. A slight shuddering that seemed to slide right\par
into his body, calming his heart. His eyes opened as a single word\par
floated into his mind, from an outside source. \par
\tab <i>SOON.</I> \par
\tab 'Mulder's' sobs dried in his throat and the shuddering sensation left\par
him, leaving him alone. 'Mulder' pushed himself up from the bed, his\par
lethargy fading as fresh adrenalin began to course through him. For\par
the second time in his stay, he smiled shakily.\par
 \par
\tab\par
...MULDER...\par
\par
7:20 AM, THURSDAY, 11TH APRIL, 2001\par
\par
\tab Scully awoke to the sound of excited voices. She recognised Mulder's\par
immediately; it took a few more seconds to work out that the second\par
voice was McKenzie's. Memories of yesterday came back fast. The military,\par
the craft, the man. <i>Mulder.</i> She sat up on the couch and opened\par
her eyes to see McKenzie gesturing animatedly to her partner, who was\par
getting up from his seat in the mess.\par
\tab  "Yes, he's up, now would be the opportune time to speak with him."\par
McKenzie whispered, shifting from one foot to the other in his excitement.\par
Scully was on her feet in seconds, taking Mulder's suit jacket along\par
with her. She sided up to him, taking note of his less than immaculate\par
appearance. His shirt was creased, his hair needed a brush. He must\par
have slept in the chair, if he slept at all...\par
\tab Mulder nodded, and touching Scully's arm lightly they followed the\par
short scientist out of the mess.\par
\tab The group emerged back into the main corridor, heading towards Specimen\par
Analysis. Mulder eyed the military men walking in the opposite direction,\par
paired up and fully armed. They passed the FBI agents without so much\par
as a glance, continuing on their way. \par
\tab The automatic doors whooshed open on their arrival at the labs, McKenzie\par
leading them through the maze of stations. Scully glanced around the\par
area and sighted the technicians that she'd spoken to the day before.\par
When the man who'd sat next to her caught sight of her, he abandoned\par
his station and jogged towards them.\par
\tab  "Agent Scully!" He called out.\par
\tab McKenzie didn't stop, "Not now, Fuller." But the agents were stopping\par
so he had no choice but do so as well. Fuller didn't look at anyone\par
but Scully.\par
\tab  "There's something I have to show you. I... I've only just run the\par
second series, the second Sample Block. I found..."\par
\tab  "Fuller!" McKenzie began, but Mulder interjected.\par
\tab  "It's okay. Scully, you go see what he has. You can join me when\par
you're done." Mulder voiced. Scully stared at him, her mouth dropping\par
open slightly. Typical Mulder behaviour, sending her out on 'errands'\par
while he investigated the deeper mysteries. Mulder seemed to know what\par
was passing through her mind as he added;\par
\tab  "It doesn't take two of us in there. He'll probably just show you\par
something you'll already know and then you can join me in a few minutes."\par
\tab Scully sighed imperceptivity, resigned to her 'errand'. Mulder did\par
have a point, but then Mulder always had a 'point'. Mulder gave her\par
a lop sided smile and squeezed her elbow and then moved away with McKenzie.\par
With nothing else to do now Scully turned towards Fuller.\par
\tab  "What do you think you have?" She sighed. \par
\par
\tab When McKenzie and Mulder entered Specimen Observation and Containment,\par
they found the technician from yesterday standing on the stairs waiting\par
for them. He hurried down them, looking astonished.\par
\tab  "He's been walking around, looking at the mirror, checking out the\par
door. He's really alert in there!" The tech explained excitedly. McKenzie\par
moved to the Cell hatch, motioning for Mulder to stand in front of\par
it. The scientist nodded for the tech to go back to his station.\par
\tab  "Agent Mulder, there will be military guards waiting right here should\par
anything happen. Are you ready?" \par
\tab Mulder looked to his hands and found they were shaking. It wasn't\par
everyday you had the chance to speak to yourself from another dimension.\par
The reality of what he was about to do was almost suffocating. \par
\tab  "Oh yeah, I'll be fine. Just ah... keep watch, I'll try to give you\par
a good show." Mulder joked, giving him a lop sided grin. The scientist\par
nodded towards his holster.\par
         "Perhaps I should hold onto that for you?" He asked. Mulder\par
slipped the clip from his gun and gave him the clip, reholstering the\par
now unloaded weapon.\par
        McKenzie pressed the hatch unlock release, and pulled it open.\par
\tab Mulder stepped into a tiny booth within the hatch, just big enough\par
for a single man. When McKenzie sealed the hatch, vents opened up above\par
and on both sides and blasted him with chilled pressurised air. Mulder\par
held onto his tie and waited for it to end. When it did, the hatch\par
before him began its opening cycle. It slid across, revealing the dull\par
grey of the Cell walls, and a pacing 'Mulder' in the center of the\par
room.\par
\tab 'Mulder' stopped in his tracks as he heard the hatch shut. He looked\par
down at his hands and then turned to face his new visitor. His eyes\par
grew impossibly wide when he saw who it was.\par
\tab Agent Mulder had to tell himself to breathe. It was just like staring\par
into a mirror... Except for the dark bags under his red rimmed eyes\par
and his tousled hair. Mulder could only stare as his counterpart took\par
a step towards him, his bare feet slapping on the floor. Mulder swallowed\par
and called upon all the courage he had to move to the table.\par
         "I'm Agent Fox Mulder with the FBI..." Mulder spoke, out of\par
habit, his eyes never leaving 'Mulder's', "And I was wondering if I\par
could have a few words..." \par
\tab 'Mulder' looked to the mirror and frowned. His arm rose to point at\par
his visitor.\par
         "What?!" He croaked, his voice scratchy from lack of use.\par
His hazel eyes were wide with an undefined emotion, flickering rapidly\par
as if thoughts were streaming through his mind. The man's eyes were\par
heavily bloodshot and he looked weary. His breathing was labored. Mulder\par
patted the table in the direction of the nearest chair.\par
\tab  "You can take a seat..." He said gently. 'Mulder' closed his mouth\par
and shuffled towards the seat somewhat warily, not taking his eyes\par
off of him once.\par
\tab  'W... what are you doing here..?" 'Mulder' asked shakily, looking\par
as amazed as Mulder felt. Mulder had to work hard to form a coherent\par
sentence.\par
\par
\tab  "I'm here to help you... Mulder." Mulder said to 'himself', testing\par
the waters carefully. His counterpart frowned, looking at him sideways,\par
as if not truly believing what he was saying. Mulder heard his own\par
brief laugh issue from the man's mouth, but the smile didn't join it.\par
\tab  "You... how did you get in here..?" His voice was becoming stronger,\par
his frown deepening.\par
\tab Mulder bit his lip, raising a hand slightly in a comforting gesture.\par
\tab  "That's not impor... I mean, what matters is... My god, you're really\par
me aren't you?" \par
\tab 'Mulder' sat back at his interviewer's sudden gush, but Mulder didn't\par
give him a chance to interrupt.\par
\tab  "You've seen it. You've actually <i>seen</i> the ship, you were <i>in</i>\par
it! Where..." He ran a hand through his hair absently, trying to think\par
of what to ask first, "How did you find it? Wha... Were there Grays?\par
Were they connected with... Oh god, Samantha! Did they..."\par
\tab 'Mulder' suddenly sat up, fully alert now, "How do you know about\par
the ship?"\par
\tab Mulder broke out in a smile. It was there, right in front of him.\par
This 'alternate' him had all the answers... he knew...\par
\tab  "You know, don't you? You know the Truth!?" Mulder asked, feeling\par
an elation like never before rise within him. \par
\tab 'Mulder' looked at him cautiously, seeming to understand where he\par
was going. His previous lethargy had vanished. Instead of joining in\par
with his smile he closed his eyes and dragged his hands down his face.\par
\par
\tab  "And what would you say the Truth would be?" He asked him.\par
\tab Mulder leant in, "That extra-terrestrials, aliens, exist, and that\par
they're here. They've been here for a long time... and they're in communication\par
with us."\par
\tab 'Mulder' sighed, his eyes meeting Mulder's again, but this time with\par
an unfathomable sadness.\par
\tab  "The Truth isn't something that can be told or shown, it's what you\par
find. You have to find it yourself..." 'Mulder' voiced. Mulder couldn't\par
believe it.\par
\tab  "You what?! You mean, even though you know it, you can't tell me?!"\par
He cried out in disgust.\par
\tab 'Mulder's' eyebrows lowered over his eyes, he squinting in sudden\par
anger.\par
\tab  "Is that all you're after? That's all you care about? Finding ET?"\par
'Mulder'raised his voice, getting up and staring hard. He shook his\par
head slowly, his hazel eyes once again flickering with his developing\par
thoughts, "You didn't just walk in off of the hillside, did you. You're\par
not on some base 'tour'." 'Mulder' almost snarled, "Thontan got you\par
in, didn't he." \par
\tab  Mulder's mouth dropped open.\par
\tab  "How... you couldn't possibly know that..." He breathed, staring\par
intensely. 'Mulder's' eyes never left his. He saw when the anger dissipated\par
and an ocean of pain replaced it. Mulder was astounded at the level\par
of emotion the man was displaying. There were <i>tears</i> in his eyes...\par
\tab 'Mulder' broke eye contact, dropping his head, his shaking hands going\par
up to scrunch in his hair.\par
\tab  "I don't believe this... After everything, to have <i>THIS!</i>"\par
He lamented to himself, before stepping back, looking at himself once\par
more.\par
        "You have to get out of here. Forget everything you've seen,\par
and get out. Tell Thontan what ever you have to, just get off of this\par
base. Right now." A tear escaped one eye and 'Mulder' angrily wiped\par
it away, "What is happening here... should not involve you. Go back\par
to DC, and to Skinner, or Kersh, or whoever your AD is." \par
\tab Mulder was truly stunned. The sight of his counterpart's anguish sent\par
chills up and down his spine. \par
\tab  "I don't understand. Why are you here?!" Mulder implored, "What is\par
happening here already involves me. You know as well as I do I can't\par
just <i>leave</i>." \par
\par
        In Specimen Analysis Scully had followed the technician to\par
a sealed off testing area, well away from the main traffic of the lab.\par
There he turned to her, looking somewhat frightened. Scully waited\par
for him to speak, seeing now that something was going on.\par
\tab  "You remember... We... ah... When the guy was brought in, we were\par
given his clothes and some tissue samples for testing, right. There\par
was his blood..."\par
\tab Scully nodded, "Yes, which you used for the DNA fingerprinting analysis.\par
Sample Block #1," Scully remembered from her looking over the file\par
last night. Fuller nodded jerkily and turned to a sealed cabinet. \par
\tab  "Yeah, Block #1. We started on the analysis and I was given his clothes\par
to take samples from. He had been wearing a gray t-shirt, covered in\par
blood..."\par
\tab Scully looked up sharply, "Blood? Was he injured?"\par
\tab  "No, he didn't have a scratch on him. It wasn't his. I... I wanted\par
to run a second series on it. Sample Block #2. But since the 'guys\par
upstairs' didn't think it was a priority it got shoved back in the\par
schedule. I finally got to run it this morning..." Fuller brought out\par
a second thick wad of nylon DNA fingerprinting sheets, with over 32,000\par
microsatellites isolated and paired so far, and handed it to Scully.\par
\par
\tab  "When I ran it through the same database as the 'ship guy', it came\par
up with a match. Scully. Dana Scully."\par
\tab Scully felt all the air go out of her lungs, and she had to grab hold\par
of the bench. Her eyes drifted to the front sheet, with her blood type\par
on it. Fuller didn't know what to do so he kept rambling.\par
\tab  "I... haven't told anyone else, I didn't even let Travers know...\par
I knew I had to tell you..."\par
\tab  "Where is Thontan..." Scully asked, only vaguely aware that she had\par
spoken. \par
\tab  "I don't..." Scully stormed out of the testing area, results in hand.\par
She shoved her way through the lab, heading right for the see through\par
doors. They hissed apart for her, she storming out into the corridor.\par
\tab To her astonishment she found the Lieutenant Colonel walking down\par
the corridor, flanked on both sides by three armed men. Not hesitating\par
for a second she strode right for him, holding up the results of the\par
test. The men had to stop, Scully stood right in their path, and didn't\par
move an inch. Her blue eyes flared angrily.\par
\tab  "Results of a second test, blood sampled from Mulder's clothes. Why\par
weren't we told about this? There was no mention of bloody clothing!"\par
She snarled, shaking from anger and the discovery. Thontan didn't flinch.\par
He looked calmly down on her, as if she were merely having a tantrum\par
and it would soon pass. \par
\tab  "No, there wasn't." He said.\par
\tab  "Why?" Scully demanded to know.\par
\tab  "Because it wasn't important information."\par
\tab Scully shook her head in staggered disbelief. She had never felt such\par
rage build so quickly before...\par
\tab  "Not important?! The blood, it matches with my own!"\par
\tab  "Good for you. But that in no way..."\par
\tab  "I don't believe this... You withheld this information! Who are you\par
to decide what is and what is not important!" Scully fumed, "Why the\par
hell did you bring us down here if you were going to withhold information\par
from us? What else aren't you telling us?!"\par
\tab Thontan's brow began to furrow. He had never seen this before, a woman\par
with such spirit. Normally he would have commended her. But not today.\par
For the first time since the whole situation began, he felt the slow\par
burn of anger grow within him. This wasn't good. Clearly, this woman\par
was a serious impediment. He began to wish he'd never given that Agent\par
Mulder the choice of bringing her. \par
\tab  "Agent Scully, it would be wise if you..." He began, but the red\par
headed woman all but slapped the words from his mouth.\par
\tab  "I don't want to hear it. I knew this was a big mistake coming here.\par
I thought at best you were crazy, and we would find nothing to substantiate\par
your claims and we would be back on the plane within the hour. But\par
to find..." Scully gasped for breath, shocked herself by the depth\par
of her rage. All the shock and emotional tension of the last 24 hours\par
bursting out in a rush, driving her anger, "...What you have here is\par
beyond anyone's control..."\par
\tab Thontan had to physically restrain himself. His eyes narrowed, he\par
barely containing his own anger. His men picked up on it loud and clear,\par
they straightening themselves, just waiting for the order. Scully did\par
not see their hands move an inch closer to their weapons. Even if she\par
had she wouldn't have been afraid. She was an agent of the United States\par
Government here on invitation of the Lieutenant Colonel himself. They\par
had absolutely no authority to harm them. \par
\tab Thontan's right hand twitched.\par
\tab  "Miss Scully, if I were you I would think <i>very</i> carefully about\par
the next words you utter. I also would be very aware of where you are\par
standing, and act accordingly. I will be pushed only so far. Beyond\par
that, I won't be responsible for the outcome of your insubordination."\par
\par
        Mulder watched as 'Mulder' ripped his hand from his hair, glaring\par
at him, beginning to shake.\par
\tab  "You can't leave!? Bull<i>shit</i>! You always could." He spat, stumbling\par
back to the table, his watering eyes boring straight into his counterpart's,\par
as if he could inject his urgency into his brain through the hazel\par
orbs.\par
\tab  "You think that everything is a lead to the Truth. This case, that\par
case... any possible glimpse and you're off chasing it!" He threw up\par
an arm, "To Hell with the consequences!" He calmed slightly, breathing\par
hard, almost wheezing, "There are other ways, Fox. Other times. The\par
<i>right</i> time and the <i>right</i> way."\par
\tab Mulder glared at the mention of his first name, but let it pass. He\par
released his breath carefully, trying not to let the description of\par
his life from 'himself' unnerve him. \par
\tab  "What don't you want me to see here? You can go ahead and tell me.\par
If you're worried about breaking the Prime Directive I think that's\par
been pretty much trashed." He retorted, more defensively than he had\par
wanted to, but it had just came out. 'Mulder' seemed to deflate a little,\par
as if understanding the reason for such a defence. His anger faded\par
quickly, and sorrow took up pole position. \par
\tab  "He got you in to get me to talk... didn't he. When nothing else\par
worked..." 'Mulder' turned away, "Goddamn it!" \par
\tab Mulder wasn't prepared for his counterpart's complete collapse into\par
anguish. He began to pace back and forth by the table.\par
\tab  "It's my fault this time... I did it again..." 'Mulder' mumbled brokenly.\par
\tab  "Hey, look, it's okay... Forget what I said. I'm just here to help\par
you, okay?" Mulder tried to soothe him, horrified at 'Mulder's' distress,\par
but 'Mulder' only stepped back further. \par
        "It's not yet. But it soon will be. Just... make a run for\par
it, I don't think they'll even notice you." 'Mulder' turned his attention\par
to the mirror, "Hey!"\par
\tab Mulder cursed under his breath, the situation was going from bad to\par
worse... what was the man thinking?! He wasn't even listening to him\par
now... 'Mulder' stormed right up to the mirror, anger rising once more.\par
\tab  "Hey, are you listening in there? Thontan! Or should I say <i>Gerald\par
Maguire</i> Thontan! Niiice name, and I thought Fox was bad! Nice try,\par
you sorry sack of horse shit! What are you going to try next? The CIA?\par
I have been in some <i>slack assed</i> military bases, but yours takes\par
the cake! Why don't you come in here and talk to me yourself?! I had\par
no idea you'd be this chicken shit!" 'Mulder' roared at the mirror,\par
releasing all of his pent up fury, "Although when you consider your\par
less than 'complete' anatomy, I can almost see why!"\par
\tab The hatch to the cell began to hiss as it went through its opening\par
cycle. Mulder could do little but watch as 'Mulder' turned towards\par
it expectantly. 'Mulder mouthed the words 'I'm sorry' to him as it\par
slid open, and four armed guards poured in. Mulder was pushed to the\par
side as 'Mulder' began his charge, arms up as if to attack someone.\par
        All time seemed to slow down. Gun shots cracked through the\par
air. 'Mulder's' body jerked around. His left foot flailed out as if\par
to make another step. Another bullet struck his shoulder, fountaining\par
blood, dropping him. A distinctly female voice suddenly rose above\par
the male shouts.\par
\tab  "Stop firing! God damn it!" Scully's voice. Mulder stared as his\par
partner rushed into the Cell to 'Mulder's' side as he lay on the floor.\par
\tab Bright red blood flowed from 'Mulder's' wounds as Scully pressed her\par
hands against them. His hazel eyes rolled to meet hers, his pale face\par
speckled with his own blood. \par
\tab  "Scuhleeee..." He rasped before he lost consciousness. Scully looked\par
up to the growing crowd of military men, her blue eyes bright with\par
anger.\par
\tab  "Someone help him! Now!" \par
\tab Mulder could only stare at the scene before him, not knowing what\par
to do. He was still standing there when the medics arrived minutes\par
later.\par
\par
6:10 PM\par
\par
\tab Fox Mulder stood just outside of his counterpart's infirmary room,\par
looking in on 'himself' lying in the bed, IVs hooked up to his arms,\par
thick bandaging covering his freshly repaired shoulder. Standing by\par
his bed was his partner, keeping a close eye on the base nurse as she\par
checked the patient. Once she was done she slipped out, trying not\par
to meet Scully's angry glare, and clacked her away down the corridor.\par
\tab Mulder sighed and leaned on the glass, watching Scully care for another\par
man. Another Mulder. How many times had she done the same for him?\par
How many times did he wake to see her smiling face? This time he had\par
been the observer, watching Scully as she furiously directed the few\par
base medical personnel about. She had overseen the entire operation,\par
all scrubbed and masked right alongside the surgeon, making sure that\par
every possible care was taken, and no mistakes were made. \par
\tab Mulder's forehead furrowed. Was that how she had been all the other\par
times? He felt the nagging ache rise in his chest and tried to push\par
it away as he watched her touch 'Mulder's' arm. What, was he <i> jealous</i>?\par
That this Mulder was receiving the attention and not him..? Mulder\par
closed his eyes, knowing the answer to that one. Damn straight he was.\par
Mulder just stared at his partner smoothing his counterpart's forehead\par
with her delicate hand.\par
\tab Scully looked down when she felt 'Mulder' move underneath her hand.\par
His forehead crinkled and he gave the most heart wrenching moan she'd\par
ever heard.\par
\tab  "I'm sorry... Scuhlleee... so sorrrry..." He moaned, half rising\par
from unconsciousness. Scully bent down, putting her hand to his face\par
as it twisted with his pain. \par
\tab  "Mulder... shhh, It's okay. You're in the infirmary, we're..." \par
\tab 'Mulder's' eyes opened to look into hers and Scully found herself\par
looking into an endless chasm of agony. His chest quaked so hard with\par
his sobs that no sound could escape. In his weakened state, he could\par
no longer fight it. \par
\tab  "Ahhh SCULLY, don't leave me... God please don't leave me..." He\par
cried, turning onto his side to cry into his pillow, hot tears cutting\par
trails down his face. He lifted his head when he felt her gentle hands\par
touch his chest, her arms trying to snake around him so she could hold\par
him. 'Mulder' wrapped himself around her with a sob, feeling her warmth\par
around him, her hands rubbing his back soothingly. He buried his face\par
in her neck and cried so hard he shook them both, clutching Scully\par
as if his very soul depended on her. \par
\tab  "I won't go, it's okay. Shhh... it's okay..." Scully cooed, horrified\par
at this Mulder's pain. It seemed to ebb from every pore. She felt her\par
own tears threaten at its ferocity. \par
\tab Scully rocked 'Mulder' as best she could, his grip not loosening a\par
micron for over an hour. Even after his sobs had abated he clung on,\par
the occasional hitching breath escaping him. Eventually he loosened\par
his grip and lowered himself back onto the bed, his eyes red from crying.\par
\tab  "...You keep on saving me Scully..." He whispered, staring at her\par
as if she was an apparition, such agony in his eyes. Scully smiled\par
shakily at him, and stroked his hair back from his forehead. She pulled\par
the crinkled sheets back up to his chin.\par
\tab  "You try and sleep now, Mulder..." She whispered, trying her hardest\par
not to cry. 'Mulder's' well was far from dry, more tears brimmed as\par
she said his name.\par
\tab  "Scully..." He breathed, closing his eyes, as if savouring the sound\par
of her voice. Scully turned and left the room, unable to take much\par
more of his pain.\par
\tab Mulder watched his partner leave the room and make her way down the\par
corridor, giving him only a brief glance. Mulder was shocked to see\par
tears in her eyes. She quickened her pace as 'Mulder's' voice floated\par
out after her.\par
\tab He was sitting up in his bed, looking all around in panic for her,\par
his eyes huge with it.\par
\tab  "Scully?! Come back... Scully?!<i> Scullyyyy!!!</i>" He cried out,\par
and then collapsed back onto the pillows, his hands over his face.\par
His choking sobs wracked his entire body, filling the room with his\par
pain.\par
        Mulder staggered back from the window, shocked to the core.\par
His counterpart was totally angsting out in a way even he couldn't\par
identify with. This depth of pain went beyond his own experience...\par
but did it? His thoughts began to creep towards the dark side of his\par
mind. He <i>had</i> been that bad before.\par
\tab When Scully was taken...\par
        A cold chill grew in his chest as he asked himself a forbidden\par
question: Where was this Mulder's Scully?\par
\tab  Before he could finish his thought Mulder heard footsteps approaching\par
and turned to see Scully led by the arm by an armed marine, with three\par
more behind her. Before he could open his mouth they had moved to his\par
side and grasped him also. Scully tried to look into his eyes but she\par
was jerked roughly back.\par
\tab  "Hey!" Mulder growled, and was himself shoved.\par
\tab  "No talking. You're going to see the Lieutenant Colonel. Move." The\par
marine grunted, and began moving off, Mulder and Scully having no choice\par
but to do as he commanded.\par
\par
\par
\par
...CONFRONTATION...\par
\par
        6:50 pm Thursday, 11th April, 2001. \par
\par
\tab\par
\tab Mulder and Scully stood waiting in the hall of the administration\par
building, now unarmed and flanked by the four armed marines. The marines\par
had finally gotten around to relieving them of their Sig Sauers, Mulder\par
thought dryly. He glanced quickly to his partner. Scully's white shirt\par
was caked with dried blood and hours old sweat from her frantic activity\par
in the base infirmary, and actually crackled when she moved. Any time\par
they made a motion to speak they were glared at or jabbed in the side.\par
Mulder had lost all patience with them but his annoyed grunts only\par
resulted in sharper jabs.  \par
\tab The oak door to Thontan's office finally swung open and the agents\par
took the chance to move away from their escorts, who waited for them\par
in the hallway. Thontan was standing before his desk, his face dark\par
with anger. Behind him, windows overlooking the base allowed the evening\par
light to stream in, giving the office a pink sunset hue. Scully didn't\par
give him a chance to open his mouth. She stopped right in front of\par
him and let him have it.\par
\tab  "What the hell do you think you're playing at? How many bullets do\par
you think you need to defend yourself from an unarmed and weakened\par
man? I'm surprised he was even able to stand, much less 'savage' your\par
men!" Scully yelled in unrestrained anger. She unfolded a nylon DNA\par
sheet from her pocket and flung it at Thontan's chest. He caught it\par
but otherwise didn't react. \par
\tab  "This is the results of the DNA test on the blood on 'Mulder's' shirt.\par
Apparently it is mine. This and the fact that he arrived with his clothing\par
drenched in blood was not disclosed. Now I want answers."\par
\tab Mulder stared at the Lieutenant Colonel, watching him closely for\par
any sign of physical danger he could pose to Scully. He glared darkly\par
behind his partner, silently warning him not to dare retaliate. Thontan\par
didn't take any notice, tossing the paper onto his desk.\par
\tab  "Those facts were, and continue to be, not pertinent to the outcome\par
of this investigation." He said slowly, as if explaining it to a child.\par
Scully nearly trembled with anger.\par
\tab  "And I said..."\par
\tab  "Agent, Scully..." Thontan growled.\par
\tab  "There could be someone else out there, a woman, possibly injured.\par
Now I..."\par
\tab  Mulder moved to step slightly in front of Scully as Thontan's rage\par
bloomed into view. His face twisted with it as he spoke.\par
\tab  "I don't give a damn if he had the Pope's blood on his shirt. It\par
is extraneous and distracting from the real goal: the craft. Which\par
brings me back to you." Thontan turned his scathing glare to Mulder.\par
\tab  "McKenzie seems to believe <i>he</i> is you from a parallel universe.\par
He overlooks one glaring fact though; how did <i>he</i> get his hands\par
on the craft? What'd he do, go up to goddamn Devil's Tower and wave\par
one down?" Thontan began to stroll along his desk, never taking his\par
eyes off of the agents.\par
\tab  "I have a theory of my own. A paradox." Thontan let that sink in\par
for a few moments, his eyes going from Scully to Mulder's, "An alien\par
craft crashes at this base, you get out. Filthy and hysterical. Some\par
research is done and a second Mulder is found, in DC. I decide in my\par
infinite wisdom to get you down here to 'investigate'. At some point\par
in the future the Agent Mulder I brought in, you, sneaks out and somehow\par
gains access to the craft. You attempt to fly it, but something goes\par
wrong. You 'jump' back in time, a week back, to appear over the base.\par
You can't fly the craft for shit and crash it, and then you stumble\par
out, screaming, realising what you've done."\par
\tab Mulder and Scully stood speechless, stunned at the theory. Thontan\par
shook his head.\par
\tab  "I created my own causality loop..."\par
\tab Scully stared, "You can't possibly be serious... the differences are\par
too great for him to be from this 'timeline'!"\par
\tab Mulder stepped forward, "And people call me insane! My superiors back\par
in DC are going to be very interested in what we'll have to say about\par
what went on out here, they'll have the white coats waiting..." \par
\tab Thontan snorted loudly, cutting Mulder off sharply.\par
\tab  "You really have no idea do you, Agent Mulder? I would have thought\par
you'd be smarter than this.   There are forces out there bigger than\par
you, bigger than me. What I saw in the Antarctic proved that, and my\par
superiors know it. That's why this base is here, and that's why they\par
will disavow any thing you might say about it or what goes on here.\par
That's why I could walk into your superior's office and grab you and\par
he couldn't do a damn thing about it. \par
\tab  "Now I have a goddamned alien vehicle in a hanger, and two Agent\par
Mulders for the price of one. You sure as shit aren't going to step\par
a foot outside of this building!" Thontan moved back around his desk,\par
watching the agents strike defensive postures as his words hit home,\par
"I suggest you get comfy here in Blackstone base, Agents. You're here\par
for the duration."\par
\tab This time it was Mulder's turn to calm Scully, not wanting to see\par
their military escorts hurt her. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze\par
just before they were reclaimed by their escorts and removed from Thontan's\par
office. \par
\tab Outside the building's walls, the sun was setting. The blue sky was\par
slowly transforming to the black of night, bringing with it the first\par
tentative stars. Armed personnel on guard duty hunkered down at their\par
posts, scanning the grounds with anxious eyes. More than a few looked\par
nervously towards the concreted quadrangle, feeling at the very edge\par
of their senses a faint tingling sensation... \par
\par
\par
7:04 PM \par
\par
\tab McKenzie stood nervously in the dull grey coloured hallway of the\par
base infirmary. Posted at either end of it were armed guards, watching\par
every move he made. He fingered his pass card in his hand, it now being\par
useless. His code was no longer accepted by any of the locks or doors.\par
He closed his eyes, trying to hold his growing fear in check. After\par
the FBI agents had been taken to Thontan's office, he had been brought\par
from the Lab to keep an eye on 'Mulder'. He took small comfort in the\par
thought that perhaps they thought he was still useful and he wouldn't\par
be shipped off of the base altogether. \par
        McKenzie looked up from his post by 'Mulder's' room in the\par
infirmary to see the FBI agents walking down the hall towards him,\par
the armed guard resuming their positions after letting them through.\par
         He looked questioningly at the agents as they stopped near\par
him.\par
\tab  "How did it go?" He asked quietly.\par
\tab Scully walked past him, running a hand through her hair in frustration.\par
Mulder sighed, looking into the room where 'Mulder' lay sleeping on\par
a medical bed.\par
\tab  "Thontan is a mad man, he has hold of an alien space craft, and he's\par
grounded us to the base until he sees fit. That pretty much covers\par
it." Mulder rubbed both hands through his hair in frustration, "Arrggh!!!"\par
\tab McKenzie nodded in commiseration.\par
\tab  "Then I doubt this will make you feel any better. More than 20 new\par
guards have been appointed throughout the complex, and the Lab has\par
been shut down. Also my card is now useless." The scientist looked\par
back into the infirmary room, "At least they're taking Agent Scully's\par
advice and keeping him in the infirmary. He needs the fluids."\par
\tab Scully stood at the window, looking in on the 'alternate' Mulder.\par
His shoulder was heavily bandaged, but color had returned to his face.\par
She straightened as she saw him beginning to stir, and moved for the\par
door to his room. McKenzie and Mulder quickly followed her in. \par
\tab Scully checked his IV drip as 'Mulder' slowly opened his eyes. The\par
starched sheets crackled as he wiped his eyes using his uninjured arm.\par
He dropped it the second he saw Scully. Instantly awake he tried to\par
sit up, and was scolded by Scully.\par
\tab  "Hey, slow down. You've been shot. You have to take it easy." She\par
spoke soothingly, pushing him back down with a hand on his chest. 'Mulder'\par
quickly looked for her partner, and saw him by the foot of his bed.\par
         "Oh no... you were supposed to slip away!" 'Mulder' groaned,\par
"And Scuh... you're here!!"\par
        Anguish took control of his features far too quickly, and Scully\par
tried to soothe him. She was shocked to see the fresh agony in his\par
hazel eyes.\par
\tab  "Yes, shhh. It's okay..." She hushed. 'Mulder' shook his head, trying\par
to stop the tears from escaping.\par
\tab  "No, it's worse! I thought it was just Mulder, but you're here as\par
well... I drew you both in..." \par
\tab Scully stroked his hair, it was the only thing she could think of\par
to try to calm him. His heart monitor was beeping faster with his racing\par
pulse. \par
\tab  "It's okay, Mulder. What matters now is that we're here to help you.\par
That's all. Okay?" She was surprised when his hand snaked up to cover\par
hers and gently grip her wrist, his thumb stroking her skin. He used\par
his injured side to try and wipe his tears, but only tugged on his\par
wounds.\par
\tab  "Ow." He cried. Scully used her free hand to clear his tears away,\par
feeling slightly shaky under his touch. It was so gentle, so delicate,\par
like he was touching something truly precious. After a few moments\par
he seemed to realise what he was doing and he let her go. Scully was\par
almost sorry to loose the contact... \par
\tab McKenzie cleared his voice, getting his attention. \par
\tab  "Well, Mr Mulder. That was some kind of stunt you pulled. You were\par
in surgery for two hours having the bullets removed and repairing the\par
damage. You were fortunate that no major arteries were hit." The scientist\par
chastised him. Gaining some control over his tears, 'Mulder' looked\par
to Mulder. He was frowning over the attention his partner seemed to\par
be getting.\par
\tab  "You didn't get out." He croaked. Scully tucked a stray strand of\par
hair back.\par
\tab  "Mulder, you were shot. We couldn't just leave you." She glanced\par
at her partner by the foot of the bed. He was chewing on his lip, looking\par
from the crumpled sheets to a shadow on the wall cast by a lamp. He\par
didn't know what to make of it, watching Scully care for another Mulder.\par
And what was he doing before, <i>stroking</i> her skin?!\par
\tab 'Mulder' shook his head again, swallowing dryly, "You should have\par
gotten away as fast as you could..."\par
\tab Scully leant in, "No. Now listen to me. None of this is your fault.\par
You..." \par
\tab 'Mulder' closed his eyes, as if trying to clear his mind.\par
\tab  "You're wrong about that. It <i>IS</i> my fault. My coming here set\par
everything in motion... Thontan got you in...You both wouldn't have\par
been at this base if I hadn't been here... " 'Mulder's' voice trailed\par
off and a look of sheer amazement bloomed on his face, "My god... that's\par
why I had to wait..."\par
\tab The door to the infirmary was suddenly flung open, the entrance of\par
four armed marines gaining everyone's attention. Menacing, black rifles\par
were slung in their direction as the Sergeant moved past them, glaring\par
coldly at the civilians in the room. \par
\tab  "Take them outside and keep them close." He barked, and the agents\par
and scientist were each grasped by the arm, the silent threat of force\par
draining weakening their resistance. \par
\tab  "What the hell..?! Hey!" 'Mulder' sat up, objecting loudly, only\par
to have two of the armed marines move towards his bed. The Sergeant\par
turned to 'Mulder' as the agents were roughly 'escorted' out to the\par
hallway. 'Mulder's' eyes followed their progress out, his heart monitor\par
beeps rising along with his trepidation. He looked back to the Sergeant,\par
his hazel eyes almost blazing with his fury. \par
\tab The Sergeant merely grinned, his armed men on either side of the foot\par
of the bed, their black rifles slightly raised. \par
          "You're done<i> Mulder</i>, or what ever your name is." He\par
grated, fixing his eyes on 'Mulder's', his lips twitching with his\par
anger, "You are going to talk, right now." He leaned in slightly, his\par
eyes flicking towards the captives in the hallway, "It looks like we've\par
got one Agent Mulder too many. We won't be needing them anymore."\par
\tab 'Mulder's' jaw clenched, but he gave no other outward signs of emotion.\par
He breathed out in a sigh and looked the Sergeant in the face. \par
\tab  "So, what do you want. The winning lotto numbers? Your palm read\par
maybe?"\par
\tab The armed men to either side of him saw the funny side and shorted\par
laughter through their noses. The Sergeant wasn't as amused. \par
\tab  "Cut the shit. What do you know about it?"\par
\tab  "About what?" 'Mulder' asked innocently. He didn't even flinch as\par
the Sergeant stormed right up to him, his hand going to his holstered\par
sidearm threateningly.\par
\tab  "You're in no position to joke, son."\par
\tab  "You have no idea of <i>my</i> position." 'Mulder' answered, not\par
meaning it to be a lewd comment. The Sergeant's men sniggered again\par
but the Sergeant himself knew what he was referring to.\par
\tab  "I don't think <i>you</i> have any idea of the position you're in.\par
Not yet anyway." He withdrew his gun, "Now tell me about the ship."\par
\tab 'Mulder' bit his lip and looked thoughtful.\par
\tab  "Well... it was real big, it had bright lights all around it... it\par
was big like a city. And as it descended to the Tower it played these\par
notes..." 'Mulder' explained, and then hummed the musical notes from\par
'Close Encounters'. \par
\tab Outside, in the hallway, McKenzie looked from Agent Mulder to the\par
man in the bed.\par
\tab  "Good Lord, what's he doing?! He's going to get himself killed!!!"\par
He gasped.\par
\tab Scully shook her head, wanting to shout out and tell 'Mulder' to just\par
keep quiet. They looked to Mulder, as if he had some insight into what\par
he was doing. Mulder was just as dumbfounded. He had a pained expression\par
on his face, knowing that any second they were going to beat him or\par
worse. \par
\tab The Sergeant was livid. His gun wielding hand actually shook with\par
his anger. 'Mulder' didn't stop there.\par
\tab  "No... no, it was more like... a machine, but not like the clunky\par
things we would make. It glided. It was the most beautiful thing I've\par
ever seen." \par
\tab The Sergeant clicked an ammo clip into the gun, loading it with a\par
loud clack. 'Mulder' blinked innocently. \par
\tab  "You know you should really keep the safety on, the base might loose\par
its occupational heath rating." \par
\tab  "Go ahead, frag him, Sarge. I don't know why the LC wants to keep\par
his sorry ass around anyways." Spat one of the armed men, his weapon\par
training towards the man lying on the bed. The Sergeant's face twitched.\par
Not yet, he had orders to respond if he was 'difficult', but they wanted\par
some information first. \par
\tab 'Mulder' shifted in his bed, looking at each of the military men glaring\par
at him with contempt. He shook his head. The people in the hallway\par
couldn't believe the look of utter annoyance that crossed his face.\par
\tab  "Go ahead, Sander. Shoot me. Then you'll never know. Yeah, Sander.\par
I know your name. Your first name is Chip, although you had it changed\par
when you were 18 to Chris, but I know the truth." 'Mulder' growled.\par
\tab The Sergeant's face paled. \par
\tab  "How... no one knows that... I had the records destroyed!!" He exclaimed,\par
"Not... I never told anyone!"\par
\tab 'Mulder' snorted, "You didn't do a good enough job. And you, Daniel\par
Barton," He looked to the armed man to his left, "How about when you\par
slept through your duty shift four weeks ago, you let your buddy Chits\par
get done for it. Now that's a man of good character."\par
\tab Apart from 'Mulder's' breathing, there was absolute silence in the\par
room and outside of it. Private Barton opened and closed his mouth,\par
not knowing what to do with his rifle, lowering it and raising it towards\par
the man who could not have possibly known what he had done. 'Mulder'\par
looked to the armed man on his right. \par
\tab  "Tiernan Keefe, your pal Steeler was right, you are a complete wank\par
stain." 'Mulder' announced. Beside him, his heart rate had shot right\par
up, over 110, and sweat beaded on his forehead. \par
\tab Mulder in the hallway saw his arm muscles clench in preparation to\par
move. \par
\tab  "What the fuck..." Sergeant Sander growled. 'Mulder' half laughed,\par
half sobbed in release.\par
\tab  "Not really, I guess I'm just lucky that things are so much the same\par
here." He slowly sat up, watching the military men's faces closely\par
as he did so. Private Barton's rifle swivelled towards the slightest\par
squeak of the bed. All of a sudden, 'Mulder's' cardiac monitor went\par
silent, all waving green lines vanishing into the blackness of the\par
screen.\par
\tab  "Did you really think that this was my first time here?" \par
\par
...Escape...\par
\par
        Sergeant Sander was suddenly propelled backwards from the force\par
of Mulder's feet slamming into his chest. He crashed into the clear-spex\par
window, taking a tray of instruments down with him as he crumpled to\par
the floor. 'Mulder' rolled from the bed, whipping the bed sheets with\par
him as bullets struck the mattress right behind him. IV tubes went\par
flying, 'Mulder' landed with a thud and rushed towards the nearest\par
man, partly covering his rifle with the sheet, and crashing into him\par
like a rugby player. Bullets chinked off of the Private's armour before\par
his companion realised who he was shooting at, and then was collected\par
as well. One of the men's boots landed on the trailing sheet and he\par
tripped up, 'Mulder' doing a clumsy body roll over the pair and hit\par
the wall beside the half conscious Sergeant. In their confusion the\par
Privates kept firing their rifles. \par
\tab The marines and agents outside dove for the floor as bullets rained\par
across the clear-spex. Creating cracked spirals in the bullet-resistant\par
pane. The agent's 'escorts' began crouch/walking towards the still\par
open doorway, aiming their own rifles at it. The closest marine leaned\par
in to try and see inside, only to have a grey oxygen tank swing out\par
from inside the doorway and collide with his head. \par
\tab The clang was loud in the metallic hall, it reverberating along it\par
even as the marine slumped in unconsciousness. 'Mulder' stepped from\par
the doorway, dressed in only a thin hospital gown that left a lot of\par
leg showing. His eyes were locked with those of the last marine, the\par
oxygen tank still in his hand. 'Mulder' stepped clear of the doorway\par
and it slid shut of its own accord, trapping the Sergeant and his two\par
men inside, still hollering in frustration. \par
\tab  "Stand fast!!" The man yelled, raising his rifle, his hands shaking.\par
He had no idea how the situation had gotten so bad so fast, but he\par
we was going to end it right now, "You open that door!" He slowly rose\par
as 'Mulder' shook his head.\par
\tab  "I didn't close it..!" 'Mulder' exclaimed, realising he'd just lost\par
his edge. \par
\tab  "Bullshit! You fu..."\par
\tab  "Hey laughing boy!" Came Mulder's voice from behind him, and the\par
marine whirled to look at the second Mulder. The oxygen tank came down\par
on his head, and dropped with him to the floor, 'Mulder' giving his\par
counterpart an appreciative nod. Scully was looking around her, she\par
barely believing what she was seeing, while McKenzie knelt by one of\par
the unconscious men and began to undo his belt. He peered up through\par
his rims at 'Mulder' as he gave him a curious look.\par
\tab  "You'll need some pants!" The scientist exclaimed, pulling them down.\par
Once they were off he gave 'Mulder' some cover so he could put them\par
on.\par
\tab Mulder took hold of Scully's arm with both of his hands, looking at\par
the lock indication lights above the hydraulic doors blinked from green\par
to red. Scully looked from one end of the corridor to the other, both\par
exits now locked securely.\par
\tab  "Mulder... this situation has gotten way out of hand. We have to\par
try and contact Skinner, this is way over our heads now..." She whispered,\par
her voice shaky. 'Mulder' strode up to them, dressed only in his new\par
camouflage plants and his shoulder bandage. \par
\tab  "It's okay, Scully. I've got it covered." 'Mulder' gave her arm a\par
comforting pat, Mulder shifting closer to Scully, not liking the fact\par
that his other self was touching his partner an awful lot. He put his\par
own arm around Scully, wanting it to be him to do the comforting, thank\par
you very much.  \par
        A flash of green caught their eyes, and they turned to see\par
the far lock indication light blink green. The lock hissed and slid\par
open of its own accord. \par
\tab  "Mulder..." Scully breathed in bewilderment. A huge smile spread\par
across 'Mulder's' face. He gently took each of their arms in his hands.\par
He gave Scully's arm a comforting squeeze, stroking it with his thumb\par
to reassure her. \par
\tab  "Okay, we're outa here." \par
\par
\tab Above ground, the men guarding the concreted quadrangle stood rooted\par
in place, feeling the vibrating sensation pass right through their\par
bodies. Their guns dropped to the ground, they releasing them in their\par
terror. Only then did the internal vibrations cease. As they stood\par
gasping in mixed relief and fear, they heard the deep metallic groan\par
of steel being twisted. They looked towards the closest building, to\par
the large spot lights that had been erected to light up the quadrangle.\par
\tab The twin poles supporting the massive lights were being bent, pulled\par
down towards the quadrangle ground, like a flower drooping in the heat.\par
The steel groaned loudly in protest. A small connecting bar snapped\par
off under the strain, flying towards the centre of the quadrangle where\par
it stuck fast and stood straight up on the ground. A second later their\par
rifles slid towards the bar, and were puled up onto their muzzles,\par
the butts seeming to point to the sky... \par
\tab The men fled, some screaming, alerting all personnel on their rounds\par
outside of the buildings.\par
\tab\par
\par
\par
 \par
\par
        The loud wail of the klaxon alarm rang throughout the base,\par
echoing through the corridors. Mulder and Scully half walked half jogged\par
with the other Mulder in between them, each hand holding on to one\par
of their arms. Ahead of them, lock indication lights that were once\par
red were turning green, doors opening for them well before they reached\par
them. 'Mulder' didn't seem surprised by this, instead he smile grew\par
as each lock opened, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.\par
\tab Scully joined her partner's stare at 'Mulder's' face. Sweat was rolling\par
down his cheeks, and he was almost panting.\par
\tab  "How...?" She cried, getting 'Mulder's' attention. He gave her arm\par
another gentle squeeze.\par
\tab  "It's all right... Scully. I'm just finally getting a break... is\par
all..." He panted, but smiled brilliantly.\par
\tab  "Bullshit... those locks only open with access cards," Mulder exclaimed,\par
on the other side of him, "They're opening before we even get to them,\par
leading us through... are you..."\par
\tab  "Shh." 'Mulder' silenced him.\par
\tab 'Mulder' slowed down, padding to a stop, his eyes on a t junction\par
blocked by red light bearing locks. His hazel eyes flicked from one\par
to the other. He licked his lips with uncertainty. Above them, the\par
alarming klaxon wail echoed on. \par
\tab  "Mulder..." Scully whispered anxiously. 'Mulder' flicked his head\par
in an indication to wait. \par
\tab A few tense moments passed. 'Mulder' frowned helplessly and mouthed\par
the words 'which one'. \par
\tab The lock to the right went from red to green, and 'Mulder' released\par
a sigh, tugging on the agent's arms, Scully's more gently than Mulder's.\par
\tab  "This way." \par
\tab Scully continued staring at 'Mulder' as they resumed their pace, now\par
truly amazed. A growing patch of red on his shoulder bandage caught\par
her attention and to her horror she saw that he was bleeding. A trail\par
of blood was making its way down his lean, muscular upper arm towards\par
her.\par
\tab  "Muder! You have to stop, you're bleeding." Scully cried. Another\par
lock opened for them, they turning right. She looked to her partner\par
but he was seeing nothing but the locks opening by themselves.\par
\tab  "Oh my god... you're communicating with Them..." Mulder gasped, "They're\par
helping you..."\par
\tab 'Mulder' ignored his counterpart and gently shook his head at Scully.\par
\tab  "It's fine. I've had worse. I just have to get you two out, okay?\par
Nothing else matters." He led them towards an open lift at the end\par
of the corridor, moving to the back of it so he could rest against\par
the wall, eyes closed. He was coated with a fine sheen of sweat now,\par
and he was trembling from physical fatigue. He barely had enough energy\par
to stand. The doors slid shut and the lift began moving, without a\par
level being chosen.\par
\tab Mulder pointed to the panel, which was operating by itself, but glared\par
at warningly by his female partner. Scully was more concerned with\par
the alternate Mulder's well-being. His wounded arm was rapidly being\par
coated with his own blood. \par
\tab  "Mulder... you have to stop." Her hands went up to his arm, but 'Mulder'\par
blocked her, his own hand touching hers in a weary warding off gesture.\par
\tab  "It's okay, Scully... not far now..." He gave her a comforting smile.\par
The lift shuddered to a stop, the doors sliding open to reveal the\par
level 1 corridor, blocked off in sections by the hydraulic door locks.\par
'Mulder' shepherded  Mulder and Scully out of the lift by a touch to\par
their elbows, moving towards the first lock to go green and let them\par
through.\par
\tab Mulder grabbed 'Mulder's' arm as soon as they'd gone through their\par
second lock, forcing him to stop.\par
\tab  "Hold up, I'm not moving another step until you give me some answers!"\par
Mulder growled, having had enough of being led around and kept in the\par
dark. This was himself for God's sake! If that's who he really was...\par
\tab 'Mulder' stared at him with a growing expression of anger, but Mulder\par
didn't stop there.\par
\tab  "How are you opening these doors? Huh? Is it Them? They're doing\par
it for you, aren't they? Why! You..." \par
\tab  'Mulder's' eyes had grown dark.\par
\tab  "We don't have time for this." He mumbled, and moved to keep going.\par
Mulder gripped his arm harder, pulling him back physically, making\par
the man almost stumble in his weakened condition. 'Mulder' glared furiously,\par
his mouth dropping open.\par
\tab  "You really are stupid, Mulder! Blind to everything but your precious\par
<i>Truth</i>! Look around you, look where we are!" He roared. Mulder\par
smiled a weary smile, shaking his head.\par
\tab  "I don't believe you. If you really are <i>me</i>, you wouldn't keep\par
it a secret. Especially to 'yourself'. If you know..."\par
\tab  "You have no idea what I <i>know</i>." 'Mulder' shouted.\par
\tab  "Then tell me!" Mulder stepped closer, staring right into his own\par
eyes. Both men's chests were heaving with their emotion. Scully could\par
only watch, breathless from amazement, as the exact duplicates stared\par
each other down.\par
\tab  'Mulder's' whole face stiffened and his jaw muscle clenched.\par
 \tab  "No. I am you, but we are <i>VERY</i> different people." He spat.\par
\tab  "I don't believe that either, if you were you wouldn't be standing\par
here yelling at <i>yourself</i>." Mulder countered with. \par
        'Mulder' suddenly silenced. His hazel eyes passed over his\par
counterpart's face, as if seeing some unknown truth, and his anger\par
left his face. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down with his swallow,\par
and he took a step back, calming down quickly. Mulder was still seething,\par
his own hazel eyes searching, knowing he'd hit a nerve. \par
\tab Barely a moment later the lock they had just passed through hissed\par
shut behind them, sealing them into the corridor. 'Mulder' looked slightly\par
surprised at this. He moved forward, towards the still locked door\par
ahead of them.\par
\tab It did not turn green. \par
\tab Scully grabbed hold of her partner's arm and tugged on it sharply,\par
her blue eyes meeting his and chastising him silently. \par
\tab  "No more." She whispered, "We're getting OUT OF HERE." She turned\par
away, ignoring what ever sulking look he might give her, and looked\par
to 'Mulder'. He was waving his hand over the still locked door, getting\par
more worried. \par
\tab  "Mulder..." She voiced, her tones questioning. \par
\tab   "I.. uh... this should be opening..." 'Mulder' moved back and forth\par
in front of it, as if trying to activate a heat sensor to open it.,\par
"... just one sec..." \par
\tab Mulder just watched him.\par
\tab  "Maybe they want us in here for some reason. Maybe we've gone as\par
far as they want us to..." \par
\tab  "Mulder!" Scully hissed. But his counterpart seemed to agree. He\par
stopped trying to open the door.\par
\tab  "He might be right..." \par
\par
\tab Lieutenant Colonel Thontan strode beside Major Paxton and several\par
of his most faithful recruits, their boots kicking stones across the\par
courtyard as they made their way towards the quadrangle area. The klaxon\par
wailed deafeningly, the spot lights that were working cast circles\par
of light across dozens of panicked men, running in all directions,\par
having forgotten their training in their terror. One man made the poor\par
choice of running directly for the Lieutenant Colonel, and was shot\par
down by the companioning marines. The group strode past the bloody\par
body on the ground, the Lieutenant Colonel nodding his approval at\par
his man.\par
\tab  "Nice shot. Didn't spare the cranium. It looks like there will be\par
a few recruits missing from the promotion line up this year." Thontan\par
grunted. Major Paxton could only stare at the amount of men running\par
around.\par
\tab  "Probably 90%, don't bother counting. Just like the tests showed."\par
Thontan pulled out a cigar and his lighter, flicking the splint. It\par
didn't light up. He tried four times. He let it drop from his hand,\par
and pocketed the cigar again.\par
\tab  "So, we know they have something against smoking." He chuckled, "Paxton,\par
I want these chicken shits rounded up ASAP. I want a perimeter set\par
up around the quadrangle in five, and..." \par
\tab The officer stopped dead in his tracks. The night wind blew his jacket\par
about, and ruffled what was left of his hair as he stared into the\par
sky. \par
\tab The hovering craft was absolutely silent. It hung 100 feet above the\par
base, illuminated panels on its underside sending out columns of light\par
to shine across the ground. Brilliant, soundless light played cross\par
the courtyard, dancing in front of the Lieutenant Colonel and his men.\par
The twin shafts crossed over, and darted outwards, changing color from\par
white to blue. It almost seemed... inviting. \par
\tab Thontan felt a slight tingling feeling cross his hands, and his face\par
wrinkled in anger.\par
\tab  "No!" He shouted out, as the craft shut off its lights and darted\par
upwards at a fantastic rate. It had vanished into the stars before\par
Thontan could finish his cry. \par
\tab  "God damn it, the one in the quad is sending out warnings! Get out\par
there and establish that perimeter!" He roared and his men charged\par
off to follow his orders. \par
\par
\tab The three of them in the level 1 corridor all sighed in relief as\par
the lock indication light flicked to green. This time 'Mulder' didn't\par
need to take the agent's arms, they jogged right alongside him as they\par
resumed their progress through the corridor. Scully kept an eye on\par
'Mulder's' injured shoulder as they went. The bandages were now sopping\par
with blood, and his whole arm was nearly covered with it. 'Mulder'\par
caught her attentive eye, and laughed weakly.\par
\tab  "It's okay, Scully... I'm tough." Scully shook her head worriedly.\par
He was running on pure adrenalin, his brief infirmary stay being his\par
only real rest in a week. She was astounded at the man's stamina, just\par
like her own Mulder, drawing upon his endless strength to keep going\par
at all costs.\par
\tab Mulder was watching the corridor layout very carefully, seeing they\par
had left the clean, officer-used hallways and were now moving through\par
what could be maintenance passages. Less shiny walls and more panels\par
and bulky protuberances. Yet they were still sectioned off by the hydraulic\par
locks. They had to have gone through more than fifty by now. Mulder\par
was astounded at the level of security. Had his counterpart not had\par
'help' they would have never gotten out.    \par
\tab The trio slowed to walking pace as they reached the end of the hydraulic\par
lock system, and encountered the familiar doors they were used to.\par
Hanging open, their bolted locks having been blown out by an unseen\par
force. Mulder pushed the door, it swinging easily. He turned to stare\par
at 'Mulder'.\par
\tab  "Why..?" He asked, his voice pleading. 'Mulder' pushed ahead, needing\par
to keep moving.\par
\tab  "Have you ever seen an insect in a spider's web? All struggling and\par
you know it can't get out? Then you get a stick and free it. I think...\par
that's what's happening here. Only They have a far more advanced stick."\par
'Mulder' breathed. His limbs were trembling from the exertion, "Come\par
on." \par
\tab They exited the last door into a small loading bay, opening straight\par
out onto the base grounds. The klaxon alarms had stopped, the shouts\par
of frightened men filled the air. Many ran across the open bay, seeing\par
nothing except their own fears. \par
\tab 'Mulder' put a hand out, stopping Mulder from moving, and then looked\par
towards a small maintenance camera console on the wall. Its monitor\par
was working, showing a black and white picture of the base outside.\par
'Mulder' tapped the toggle key, moving the picture from camera to camera\par
until he saw what he was looking for. A hum vee, parked by one of the\par
barracks, free for the taking. \par
\tab He turned back to the agents, and then lifted his head, as if hearing\par
something. A look of confusion and frustration crossed his face for\par
the briefest of moments. He shook his head.\par
\tab  "God damn it... all right. Ahh..." He looked to Mulder, then decided\par
against it, "Scully, okay, listen now. That car is parked next to the\par
western barracks. Near the big hole in the ground, but pay no attention\par
to that. You just have to get out. Okay? Go around the edge of the\par
buildings, there are two exit gates on either side so it doesn't matter\par
which way you go. If he gives you any crap just slap him, he deserves\par
it."\par
\tab Mulder objected, "Hey!"\par
\tab  "Shh!" 'Mulder' hissed, and turned back to Scully, who didn't know\par
what to do or say. 'Mulder' took her hand, giving her a tender smile,\par
his intense hazel eyes gazing softly into hers, with all of the confidence\par
in the world.\par
\tab  "I... really am proud of you, Dana. This is a piece of cake for you,\par
you just have to trust in your own strength. I know you feel I am the\par
one with all of the strength, but believe me. You've got the intelligence\par
I haven't, and you just leave them turning around dazed in your wake."\par
\tab Scully couldn't believe what had just come out of 'Mulder's' mouth,\par
she having thought that not long ago. Tears came to her eyes as for\par
the first time she really <i>knew</i> that this man was Mulder. Her\par
hand tightened over his.\par
\tab  "Mulder..." She breathed, and his face crumpled in a wave of sadness.\par
Her chest hurt to see such sorrow in his eyes. Quickly he fought back\par
his tears, and a smile returned to his face.\par
\tab  "Hey... just in case I never get to see you again..." He spoke, the\par
same words from a year ago, to another 'Scully', in another time...\par
Before her partner could act he stepped into her and pressed his quivering\par
lips against her forehead, kissing it lovingly, once twice three times.\par
\tab  "<i>Hey!!</i>" Mulder growled angrily, but 'Mulder' stumbled away,\par
back towards the door and was gone. \par
\tab Scully stared after him, barely noticing her partner take her arm\par
and look her over as if for injuries. Some rifle fire stuttered in\par
the background. Scully closed her mouth firmly and grabbed hold of\par
Mulder's now dishevelled jacket.\par
\tab  "We're going." \par
\tab Scully all but dragged Mulder behind her as she left the loading bay,\par
moving out into the cool night air. The agents accelerated into a run,\par
Scully following a path lit up before them by exterior lights that\par
had been off only moments before. She tugged on Mulder's arm, silencing\par
his words before they could be released, and ran faster. \par
\tab The western barracks building stood deserted, debris from the shattered\par
roof still littered the ground. Mulder and Scully ran across the various\par
planks of wood and pieces of tiling, Mulder's eyes going to the huge\par
40 foot crater that pocked the ground less than 20 feet from the building's\par
wall. His head followed it as they ran past it.\par
\tab  "Forget it, Mulder." Scully hissed, tightening her hold on his arm.\par
\tab Just past the barracks they sighted the hum vee. Just as 'Mulder'\par
said, it stood parked, both doors open as if it had been exited in\par
a hurry. Scully nearly cried with relief. She let go of Mulder's arm\par
to run around to the driver's side, she and Mulder climbing in. Her\par
eyes scanned the interior hurriedly for they keys.\par
\tab  "Where are the ke..."\par
\tab Scully gasped in surprise as the vehicle's engine started of its own\par
accord. The dash board lights lit up, illuminating Mulder's expression\par
of sheer delight.\par
\tab  "Scully... oh my god... it heard you... They heard you!"\par
\tab  "Mulder!"\par
\tab  "Scully... I got to see it... I have to see it..." Mulder blabbered,\par
beginning to slide off of his seat. Scully lunged across to grab him,\par
but he was already moving. To her horror, her partner was running across\par
the grass, heading for the other side of the barracks, where grass\par
met the courtyard, leading into the centre of the base. ***\par
\tab Scully slammed her hand against the steering wheel in frustration,\par
"Damn you!" She slid out of her seat and began her own run across the\par
grass in the direction that Mulder took. When she was halfway to the\par
courtyard she stopped suddenly and dashed for the building, seeing\par
four armed marines jogging in her direction. Scully pressed herself\par
against the wall and watched as the men stopped at the edge of the\par
courtyard and fanned out along its edge, as if making a cordon. With\par
no choice now, Scully edged back towards the other side of the building,\par
taking care not to step on any rubble and make sound. As quietly as\par
possible she picked her way through the devastation left by the craft\par
and took off at a run back the way she came. \par
\tab Scully ran past the loading bay she had exited with her partner when\par
she heard her name called out.\par
\tab  "Scully?!" She stopped instantly, to see the alternate 'Mulder' coming\par
towards her, a small plastic bag containing his ID and belongings.\par
Scully glanced quickly to it, and 'Mulder' shook his head dismissively.\par
\tab  "I was told to get these... where... where's..." 'Mulder' didn't\par
need to finish his question. His eyes darkened with anger when he realised\par
just where Mulder was...\par
\tab  "That son of a ... I... he did it... I did it again..." He grated.\par
Scully caught her breath, still shocked and hurt that Mulder had just\par
ran off.\par
\tab  "He wanted to see it..." She gasped out, and 'Mulder' nodded, taking\par
her hand.\par
\tab  "I know... come on Dana..." He allowed her to lead, which Scully\par
blinked at for a moment, and then began moving again, deeper into the\par
base grounds. \par
\par
\tab Mulder jogged to a stop behind a wall of sandbags beside a building,\par
having no idea where he was. He had looked at every light on the way\par
in, none of them lighting up for him. He'd had to stay low in areas,\par
as there were quite a few men were patrolling about that was as collected\par
as he was, not racing around in fear. They all seemed to be moving\par
in the same direction as well, perhaps to secure the craft... \par
\tab Mulder heard voices and hit the ground, hoping they didn't decide\par
to take the scenic route around the sandbags. \par
\tab  "...had to blow the entire grid, but we got the locks open. They\par
weren't inside. I found this scum, but no Mulder." Mulder heard McKenzie's\par
frightened gasp, he picturing a marine presenting him to his superior.\par
\tab "What?! Sanders, that incompetent prick..." Thontan's voice, loud\par
and rumbling. Mulder's skin crawled hearing it, "They're out then.\par
Fine. Tell the men to kill them on sight. No fancy shit, I just want\par
them dead." \par
\tab Mulder lifted his head to the sound of another man approaching, slowing\par
down from a run.\par
\tab  "Sir, I have confirmation, they are out. The western cordon just\par
spotted her by the western barracks." He spluttered. \par
\tab Mulder's heart seemed to stop in his chest. Scully... they were going\par
to shoot Scully!!! He scratched at the grass, trying desperately to\par
move, but his muscles had seized with his horror. A choked cry escaped\par
him as he scrambled back behind the building. Once out of sight he\par
broke into a furious run, sprinting for Scully's life. \par
\par
\tab 'Mulder' followed Scully as they emerged onto the lower slope of a\par
large grassy hill, pock marked with evidence of the last training exercise\par
held there. Scully paused, her eyes searching its crest for any sign\par
of Mulder. Scully wished she could have remembered more of the base\par
layout from their brief fly-over the day before. She turned to 'Mulder'\par
to meet his eyes. A look of growing horror was dawning on him.\par
\tab  "Is is why you were out here...? Looking for me?!?" He gasped. Scully\par
didn't know what he was talking about. She was about to open her mouth\par
when she heard her partner yelling frantically.\par
\tab  "SCULLYYY!!SCULLYYYYY!" Scully looked up towards the top of the hill\par
where his voice carried and began up the slope. \par
\tab  "Mulder!"\par
\tab  "SCULLY, NO!" Her partner's voiced called, it coming closer. \par
\tab 'Mulder' watched in a daze as Scully stepped up the hill. From the\par
far top right the other Mulder appeared, charging towards her but still\par
at a distance. The armed marines on the top of the hill got to her\par
much faster. 'Mulder' exploded into a run, seeing the black, laser-sight\par
mounted rifle being lifted, Scully's head turning to see her killer.\par
A horrified scream burst from his counterpart's lungs.\par
\tab "NOOOO!!!" Mulder and 'Mulder' screamed in unison. \par
         180 pounds of shrieking 'Mulder' slammed into the marine before\par
he could get a shot off. Still shrieking, 'Mulder' raised himself up\par
to drive his fist into the armed man's face again and again, sweat\par
and blood flying off of his wounded arm as he did so.\par
\tab Mulder skidded to stop and grabbed his partner into his arms, tears\par
of horror rolling down his cheeks. He collapsed to his knees with Scully,\par
tightening his hold on her, quivering and wracked with nausea that\par
he had very nearly lost her. Scully trembled with her own shock, and\par
just clung to Mulder as he cried.\par
\tab  "Oh god... oh god Scully..." He wheezed, trying to enfold her as\par
close as possible to himself. He kissed her head, breathing in her\par
scent, trying to reassure himself that she was really still with him.\par
\tab 'Mulder' let the terrified and battered marine squirm away back up\par
the hill. He looked down to see Scully being held and rocked by her\par
partner, very much alive. His knees buckled underneath him and he hit\par
the ground, exhaustion claiming his body, and profound anguish claiming\par
his soul. He rolled over and crawled to a patch of grass a few feet\par
from the embracing agents, where he had lain... where he had held her\par
body...\par
\tab  "...Scully..?" He croaked, searching the grass. It was back. All\par
the sounds he remembered from that night, they surrounded him once\par
more... the shouts of frightened men, gun fire, and the thrumming of\par
an alien space craft. And Scully was still gone... \par
\tab Mulder looked up from his armful of Scully, seeing his counterpart\par
searching the grass pitifully. His belongings were left to blow across\par
the ground in the wind. His whole body shook from his continuing ordeal.\par
\tab Mulder blinked, suddenly understanding...\par
\tab  "Mulder..." Came Scully's voice, she having turned to look also,\par
"...the blood on his shirt..."\par
\tab  Mulder felt fresh tears come to his eyes, as he knew.\par
\tab  "His Scully was shot..." Mulder breathed sadly. The wind blew a piece\par
of paper towards him, from 'Mulder's' strewn belongings. It had not\par
been among the lot that McKenzie had shown him. Mulder grabbed it as\par
it bounced past and shakily opened it.\par
\tab It was a scan print out with two photos and some writing. The first\par
photo showed his counterpart and Scully in an embrace... and kissing.\par
In the second shot the two stood apart, staring and laughing at the\par
photographer, who had sneakily caught the shot. The accompanying writing\par
read: Here's the Truth, Agent Mulder. Your newest shadowy informant.\par
Frohike's writing. \par
\tab  Mulder lifted his head as 'Mulder' reached out to take the paper,\par
his face streaked with his tears. He nodded brokenly to his alternate\par
self, the one <i>not</i> in love with his partner.\par
\tab  "I... looked so hard for it... for some meaning to life... I looked\par
for answers in the stars, when I had it beside me all along. I'm in\par
love with my Scully..." A few men ran down the slope past them, but\par
'Mulder' didn't notice them, "There was sightings reported over the\par
Blackstone Base and Scuh... she knows it's what I want, she suggested\par
we go. But she wanted to take the 114mm reflecting telescope this time..."\par
'Mulder' dropped his head in shame, "When the craft went down inside\par
the grounds we went in... I got caught, was interrogated, but I managed\par
to get out. I met up with Scully outside at the car... but then I left\par
her. I went off to see it..." 'Mulder' collapsed into wracking sobs,\par
"...I heard them say they were going to shoot... I ran back... but\par
too late. Scully died because of me!!!" \par
\tab Scully pulled herself out of her partner's arms, amazed by the revelation.\par
This man loved his Scully, his partner... She began shaking from emotion,\par
feeling a surge of unparalleled joy at the knowledge... that Mulder\par
loved Scully, even if it wasn't her partner and even if it wasn't herself\par
directly. All her doubt, her fears, suddenly didn't seem so strong...\par
\tab Mulder unconsciously drew Scully back against him, shaken to the core.\par
His voice wouldn't work, he could only gape and tremble, feeling as\par
if his own heart had been exposed... 'Mulder' knew what his alternate\par
self wanted to know. He looked towards the top of the slope as a gentle\par
tingling began creeping over his skin, his sobs abating at the familiar\par
feeling.\par
\tab  "As I sat there, Scully dead in my arms, the alien ship approached.\par
And it... spoke to me, right into my mind. It only wanted to communicate...\par
it was an unmanned 'scout' vehicle, designed for long range contact.\par
It said it had disrupted the 'local linear continuum' and it was required\par
to repair it." \par
\tab Mulder began to see it, see how all the pieces fitted together. He\par
nodded towards his counterpart, looking over Scully's head cradled\par
against his chest.\par
\tab  "You went into the ship..."\par
\tab 'Mulder' half laughed, half sobbed, "Yes, if there was any chance\par
I could get her back I was taking it. The ship told me to wait, it\par
had to make some 'time incursion computations'... but I couldn't...\par
I slammed my hand down on the panel, and I ended up here... back at\par
Blackstone Base, just in another universe... I couldn't wait five fucking\par
minutes..." 'Mulder' put his head in his hands, shaking with the anguish\par
of his own actions. \par
\tab Scully turned in Mulder's arms, unable to stand to see 'Mulder' in\par
such pain. She reached out a hand, trying to touch some part of him,\par
to give him whatever comfort she could. \par
\tab  "It's okay, Mulder. I don't, and wouldn't blame you. You hear me?\par
It is not your fault... I don't blame you..." She cried, wiping some\par
of her own tears away. \par
         'Mulder' looked up to Scully, smiling tearfully.\par
          "You were right, Scully... After the first time we ever made\par
love, we held each other and talked. And you just came out and said,\par
'They can't all be bad.' And I go, 'What?'. 'The aliens. They can't\par
all be bad.' You go. I laughed but you were serious. You said, 'If...\par
you're right, and other intelligent beings exist, logic would dictate\par
that not all of them would be bad. They would be as diverse and varied\par
as any race on this planet. As would be their intentions. While some\par
would seek out to do only evil acts... others may seek out to do only\par
good.' And I cried then, thinking I was the luckiest son of a bitch\par
in the universe to have her..."\par
\tab Scully could no longer support her own weight, stunned with what she\par
had heard... at the lengths this man had gone to save her... another\par
her...\par
\tab 'Mulder' heaved a sigh, seeing their shock, their disbelief. He tried\par
to blink his tears away so he could see them.\par
\tab  "I <small><i>LOVE</i></small> Dana Scully with all of my heart and\par
soul. I have ever since I met her... and by whatever Gods that exist,\par
I am going to get her back. No expanse of time or space will stop me..."\par
He declared. There was nothing but absolute determination in his hazel\par
eyes.\par
\par
\tab 'Mulder' lifted his gaze as a deep, thrumming sound rapidly approached\par
them, coming towards the top of the slope. The ground beneath them\par
vibrated with it. 'Mulder' began to gesture wildly for Mulder and Scully\par
to move.\par
\tab  "Go, go... get her out of here!!!" He cried. This time Mulder didn't\par
waste any time. He lifted himself and Scully to their feet and began\par
running, not looking back as the thrumming sound grew louder. \par
\par
\tab 'Mulder' watched the agents run back towards the western barracks,\par
and heaved a sigh of relief. He'd saved one Mulder from his fate. He\par
turned back to the top of the slope and struggled to his feet, the\par
warming tingles infusing his muscles with temporary energy.\par
\tab The smooth metallic hull of the craft rose into view, it gliding over\par
the top of the hill. Its sixty foot long bulk slid through the air\par
without effort, turning slightly towards 'Mulder', while moving into\par
a position just in front of him. \par
\tab 'Mulder' exhaled a shuddering breath, closing his eyes, weary and\par
exhausted.\par
\tab  "Please... take me home..." he whispered. \par
\tab Scully slid into the driver's seat of the hum vee, Mulder right beside\par
her. Scully was not surprised to find the motor still running. Mulder\par
buckled himself in shakily and twisted in his seat, looking for a possible\par
exit route.\par
\tab  "...Okay, we can go along the fence, I think there's a..." The hum\par
vee lurched forward, Scully wrenching the steering wheel strongly,\par
directing the vehicle around the barracks and towards the courtyard,\par
now free of cordoning marines. She slammed on the gas and accelerated\par
forward, back towards the grassy training ground beyond. Mulder was\par
horrified.\par
\tab  "Scully, what are you..." \par
\tab  "It's okay, you wanted to see it." Scully responded, "We're in the\par
car now."\par
\tab  "No, I don't care ... you're all that matters. You're safe, and with\par
me. I've got what I need. You, Scully!" Mulder exclaimed, getting her\par
attention and staring into her eyes, trying to convey all the love\par
in his heart. He meant it, he truly did, surprising even himself at\par
the true feelings straight from his heart. Realising it gave him new\par
strength, seeming to reenergize him. Scully took a hand off of the\par
wheel and slid it under one of his, smiling tearfully at him. They\par
didn't need to speak, each one understood the other. Deciding together.\par
Mulder broke eye contact so she could guide the vehicle to a save viewing\par
spot but he didn't let go of her hand. Together the agents watched\par
the scene before them in amazement.\par
\tab From within the alien craft came a deep rumble, signalling a change\par
in the frequency of the thrumming. The air seemed to fade from the\par
area, yet 'Mulder' found he could still breathe. He could no longer\par
feel the cool air upon his skin. With a resounding crash as loud as\par
thunder, parts of the alien ship's hull began to separate. Sliding\par
up and back along the sides, pulling the craft open in two directions\par
and revealing a brilliant, pulsating core of light. \par
\tab 'Mulder' stared straight into the core, which hovered in place without\par
any visible attachments, from which all of the thrumming and control\par
of gravity seemed to emanate. Blending colors rolled and pulsed, its\par
light illuminating the entire area. The swirling colors slowed, and\par
stopped, the core falling silent for a brief second, before it began\par
pulsing again. But backwards.\par
\tab 'Mulder' stood shaking, tears still rolling down his face, as the\par
alien vehicle's core began to accelerate, the thrumming growing faster\par
in time with the rapid swirls of light. The sound became a steady drone,\par
the light flashing brighter and brighter, further and further. \par
\tab The ship began to reform itself, underneath the core and around it,\par
as its increasing gravity began to affect the area. Concentrating the\par
increasing pull only on itself. Its hull began to shake from the increasing\par
power, being pulled towards its own core. Alien mechanics groaned under\par
the assault. But the core spun on, faster and faster. \par
\tab 'Mulder' watched as his belongings spread out on the ground were picked\par
up and sucked into the craft's centre, vanishing into the light. The\par
thrumming drone was almost deafening now, the light pulsing near blindingly.\par
The gravitational forces shook the craft's hull violently, making it\par
warp hideously inwards. \par
\tab But 'Mulder' held fast, staring into the brilliance of the heart of\par
the craft, into dimensions he could not fathom. \par
\tab In the hum vee Scully stared, all color having drained from her face\par
once the core began spinning. She could not believe what she was seeing...\par
\par
\tab  "Why isn't he moving?" She asked shakily. Her hand gripped his so\par
tightly both of their knuckles were white.\par
\tab  "I think... he's waiting. For the right time." Mulder could only\par
breathe, unable to take his eyes from the sight. It did not escape\par
him what unbelievable leap of faith Scully was making by allowing him\par
to see this... \par
\tab 'Mulder's' head jerked up as the familiar alien voice filled his mind,\par
this time seemingly in a shout of urgency.\par
\par
\tab N O W\par
\par
\tab 'Mulder' began running, roaring out his beloved's name. His voice\par
carried, the light from the core flashed brilliantly as it encompassed\par
him. Sound filled the world, a rolling pressure wave followed it, throwing\par
every one within 100 meters from their feet. It hit the front of the\par
hum vee and propelled it backwards, wrenching the steering wheel from\par
Scully's hand. Its strength died seconds later, and the vehicle rolled\par
to a stop, its occupants gasping and shaken, but unharmed. \par
\par
\tab Mulder found himself pressed against his partner, he having thrown\par
himself across her body at the burst of the sound. He settled back,\par
she nodding to him that he was okay. \par
\tab The grassy slope before them was empty. There was no sign of the alien\par
craft or 'Mulder'.\par
\tab As the first marines began to stir from their thrown positions across\par
the courtyard, Scully began to slowly motor the hum vee away. No one\par
moved to stop its progress. It pulled onto the paved road leading to\par
the exit of the base grounds and headed for home. \par
\par
... \par
\par
\tab FBI Building,\par
13th April, 2001. Friday 10:02 am.\par
\par
\tab Agent Mulder and Agent Scully sat in their chairs in front of Assistant\par
Director Skinner's desk, watching their superior thumb through Mulder's\par
report on the events at Blackstone Base. They sat calmly, holding their\par
emotions firmly behind their walls of FBI professionalism. The clock\par
ticked loudly on the wall the traffic on the street below could clearly\par
be heard so heavy was the silence in the office. Scully held her hands\par
on her lap, keeping her eyes fixed on Skinner's coffee mug, trying\par
to keep them from wandering to Mulder's face like they wanted to. \par
\tab Mulder's eyes were skipping from one folded newspaper on Skinner's\par
desk to another. Each opened to a page with an article on the Blackstone\par
Base UFO sightings or the astounding power black outs experienced at\par
the Great Falls International Airport and Malmstrom Air Force base\par
between the hours of 7:00 pm and 2:00 am the following morning. \par
\tab A shuffling of the report brought both agents back to attention. Skinner\par
took off his glasses to look the agents in the eye, his jaw muscles\par
working as he clenched his teeth in frustration.\par
\tab  "Agent Scully, it says here that you support Agent Mulder's claim.\par
That you witnessed these events, and can substantiate them?" \par
\tab Scully didn't flinch from his questioning gaze.\par
\tab  "Yes, sir."\par
\tab Skinner dropped the report onto his desk, "You can substantiate that\par
you saw an alien craft, that it took... another Mulder... back through\par
a dimensional portal to a parallel universe?" \par
\tab Scully ran her tongue over her lips, "I can not tell you exactly what\par
it did, sir, nor can I explain it in terms which you and I might understand.\par
All I can say is that it was there, and... then it wasn't. And the\par
other Mulder along with it." \par
\tab  "Sir... have you heard from Lieutenant Colonel Thontan at all?" Mulder\par
asked, leaning forward and getting the AD's attention. \par
\tab Skinner looked across his desk at some various items on it, looking\par
uncomfortable with the question.\par
\tab  "No, Agent Mulder. It appears that the authorities at Blackstone\par
Base have no comment on the matter. No report from them has been filed.\par
The Malmstrom Air Base has filed reports on the unusual power failures,\par
but nothing more." \par
\tab Mulder nodded, "They're admitting nothing. Holding their tongues..."\par
\tab  "What could the possibly say?" Skinner said, and then closed the\par
report over, handing it back, "You may resume your normal field work.\par
There are no new cases at present. I suggest you catch up on your paperwork.\par
You're dismissed." \par
\tab Mulder opened his mouth, astounded that Skinner was letting it all\par
go so quickly. Scully got out of her seat first and touched Mulder's\par
shoulder lightly.\par
\tab  "Come on, Mulder." She said quietly. Mulder gritted his teeth, but\par
stood up to leave, following Scully out of the office. Once they were\par
gone, Skinner looked at the folded newspapers on his desk. He scooped\par
them up with a sigh and deposited them in the trash bin, forcing himself\par
to return to his work. Not letting his thoughts wander where they wanted...\par
\tab The ding of the elevator doors signalled Mulder and Scully's return\par
to their basement level office. Mulder scuffed his foot on the floor\par
as they wandered back to it, having to pick up their things. They had\par
unanimously decided to take the rest of the day off. Scully clacked\par
to her desk, where she'd left her briefcase, and just stared at it.\par
Mulder leaned on his desk, feeling the same listlessness. Scully looked\par
at her hands to find they were shaking.\par
\tab She turned, showing Mulder.\par
\tab  "Look..." She held one out, "I don't think this one's stopped since..."\par
\tab Mulder huffed a laugh, reaching out to lightly touch her hand with\par
a slim finger.\par
\tab  "Yeah? I don't think I've changed my underpants this often since\par
I was three."\par
\tab Scully smiled at that one, dropping her hand. \par
\tab  "Do you think... he got back all right?" Scully asked after a moment.\par
Mulder studied her face. She looked different now. Older, maybe even\par
wiser. She'd never actually said the words, but she couldn't deny what\par
she had seen, Mulder knew that. \par
\tab  "I like to think he did... you know, after all of it. A happy ending..."\par
Mulder gave her a lop sided smile. Scully's smile slowly dropped from\par
his face. She gazed into his eyes from where she stood, he not looking\par
away, allowing her to search his. What was she looking for, he wondered.\par
\tab  "Back to his love." She whispered, and then looked down. She fiddled\par
with the catch on the briefcase, Mulder swore he could see her face\par
fall even further. She picked it up and made for the door.\par
\tab  "I'll see you Monday."\par
\tab Mulder stood open mouthed as Scully left the office, his heart beating\par
faster in his chest. Did she... did she feel the same..? Was she just\par
waiting for him to do something..? Mulder gathered himself together,\par
knowing now. He had a chance... one brief chance... like many before.\par
Only he'd never taken it. That's what made himself so different from\par
the alternate Mulder... he'd never acted on his feelings. \par
\tab He quickly strode from his office, seeing Scully nearly at the elevator.\par
\tab  "Hey, Scully?" He called out. Scully stopped and raised a hand to\par
her face before turning around. Mulder's heart fell briefly when he\par
realised she was wiping tears away, and quickened his pace towards\par
her. He jogged the rest of the way to her, stopping slightly closer\par
than he normally would. He smiled into her face, reaching out an arm\par
to lightly touch her elbow.\par
\tab  "What do you say to dinner tonight? At my place?" He said smiling\par
warmly, feeling an elation like never before sweep through him. Scully\par
frowned, and then nodded.\par
\tab  "Okaaay. Pizza or chinese?" She asked. Mulder shook his head, his\par
hand cupping her elbow gently, his fingers stroking her arm. Scully\par
noticed the usually intimate contact, and raised her eye brows.\par
\tab  "No, I'm cooking." \par
\tab Scully's face transformed into a smile, she laughing at the image\par
of Mulder in the kitchen.\par
\tab  "Mulder, oh... I get it. We're talking re heated, or nuked, micro\par
wave dinners, yes?"\par
\tab  "No, Scully. Only the best for you. It's a surprise." Mulder said,\par
shifting even closer, the tips of his shoes passing hers, his face\par
now inches from hers. \par
\tab Mulder saw the instant Scully understood. Her pupils dilated and her\par
blue eyes shone with realisation. She dropped her eyes, but he saw\par
the smile playing on her lips. He released her elbow and moved around\par
her.\par
\tab  "I'll come pick you up at 7:00." He said, leaning in to kiss her\par
head before he moved into the elevator. Scully turned and Mulder got\par
a last look at her astonished face before the doors closed. \par
\par
The Arcadia Apartments\par
3164 Connecticut Avenue, North West\par
Washington DC\par
2:40 pm\par
\par
\tab Mulder stood on the pavement before the apartment building, just staring\par
at it. Its construction really was beautiful, with pale coloured brick\par
work and delicate finishings. Ornate signs welcomed the prospective\par
tenants and visitors alike. Mulder smiled, shaking his head. He understood\par
why his counterpart had chosen this building, it really was quite apt\par
for the two of them. Seeing as he had never felt so close to Dana as\par
he had in Arcadian Falls. \par
\tab Taking a last look down the street, Fox Mulder stepped up to the door\par
and pressed the landlord's buzzer... \par
\par
\par
In another Universe... \par
\par
\par
\tab Mulder woke up with a start, his hands automatically searching the\par
bed. They found his scrunched up duna, a stray pillow, but no Scully.\par
Mulder panted, his heart clenching painfully in his chest suddenly.\par
He sat up, his eyes trying to peer though the darkness of the room\par
into the open living area beyond, searching for a possible glimpse\par
of her. There was none. \par
\tab  "Scuh... Scully! SCULLY!!!" He screamed out frantically, ignoring\par
the searing pain from his shoulder as he tugged on his freshly operated\par
wounds. He couldn't bear it... was he back? Back in Hell with steel\par
grey walls, and Scully lying dead upon the ground... \par
\tab  "Mulder..! It's okay..." Came her voice, Scully appearing in the\par
doorway, dressed in her pyjamas. She padded quickly back to the bed\par
as Mulder burst into tears. He threw himself around her, trying to\par
crush her into him, drawing her back onto the bed with him. Scully\par
was used to this now. She soothingly stroked him as he cried, she speaking\par
into his ear, telling him she was here and alive. \par
\tab  "I'm right here, Mulder. It's okay... I love you. It's okay..." She\par
soothed, and was hugged even tighter. She felt his lips kiss their\par
way up her neck and over her face. \par
\tab  "My god Scully..." He cried, allowing himself to relax, but not letting\par
go of Scully one micron. Scully stroked her hand up and down his back,\par
closing her eyes in relief that he was calming. \par
\tab He had saved her from death. Thrown himself into the Blackstone marine\par
who was about to shoot her... He had nearly beat him to death. She\par
had been horrified to see Mulder in such a state; he'd been shot in\par
the shoulder and was bleeding. He was well past physical exhaustion,\par
and was emotionally distraught. After she had dragged him from the\par
poor marine she'd had to almost carry him back to their car, on the\par
way he cried and blabbered about alien ships, time travel and inter-universal\par
traversing. Scully was sure he was delirious... until she'd gotten\par
him to the local hospital.\par
\par
\tab There the doctors found signs of near starvation and severe dehydration,\par
which was impossible for the mere five hour time he'd spent while held\par
captive in the base. Even more incredible was his shoulder wounds.\par
They were not fresh. The blood soaked dressings were at least twelve\par
hours old, and the wounds had been previously operated on. \par
\tab And then came the story once he'd woken up. \par
\tab A tale about a parallel universe where he'd spent a week, mourning\par
her death. Which he had then broken the laws of physics to come back\par
and prevent. He'd babbled in between sobs something about M Theory,\par
and creating a new time line and 'creating a new membrane universe'.\par
\tab Two days later and she was still trying to wrap her head around it.\par
\tab Mulder tucked her head under his chin and sighed a shuddering sigh.\par
\tab  "I missed you so, so much... You have no idea how much I love you..."\par
\tab Scully patted his side, "Well, you moved time and space for me, I\par
think I have an idea." She said jokingly. Mulder moved back a bit so\par
he could look into her face, his eyes deadly serious.\par
\tab  "And I'd do it all over again if I had to." He whispered, stroking\par
her face. Scully allowed herself to be pulled back against him, content\par
to lie protected in his arms. She mumbled against his chest. \par
\tab  "Mulder, you're going to be stuck with me for allll eternity." \par
\tab  "Damn straight."\par
\par
\par
\tab THE END. \par
\par
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