Chris Adams
Feedback: chris_adams031@yahoo.com
Violence: None
Language: Mild
Sexual References: None
Theme: Pre-XF/Scully
Spoilers: slight "Pilot"
She had barely completed her medical degree when the bureau had snapped her up. Her parents hadn't been sure but she had convinced them. Even she, rational and down to earth, had been excited as she had walked into the spacious reception hall of the FBI Training Facility at Quantico for the first time. But now, a year later, she was bored.
"And now - " she continued her talk "- I make the y-incision here..."
The sombre-faced students that made the half-circle around her made the occasional note on their clipboards.
She glanced at the internal organs of the corpse that lay in front of her. Road Traffic Accident. The usual.
She couldn't wait to open that cream-coloured envelope from DC. She hoped it was what she thought it was.
It was at least 7 when she strolled out of the academy to where her car was parked. There were not many other vehicles in the outdoor lot, and definitely no people. At least the four bright floodlights gave her a little comfort.
Until they flickered and went out.
Shadows surrounded the young agent immediately. She glanced around. Power failure, she thought. Don't panic. Just get in the car and drive home. Simple. She gulped.
She fumbled with the bunch of keys. Apartment - Parent's apartment - Melissa's - damn! Locker - damn damn damn!
Eventually she uncovered the black headed key she recognised as the one that would open her car door.
She prodded the lock on the car door with the key. Shi-! She couldn't see --!
At the end of the parking lot, a pair of headlights flooded the entire area. And then went out. The car stood silent and ominous, the unseen driver facing her, only a stone's throw away.
She dropped her keys, and cringed. As she crouched and scooped up the keys in her left hand, she glanced sidewards to see the cars headlights go out. Nobody left the vehicle. It's mysterious driver kept silent. Watching. Waiting.
BLAM! The brightest light she had ever encountered engulfed the parking lot. Her hands flew over her eyes and then promptly slammed against her ears when a high-pitched whining noise overwhelmed her.
She screwed up her face.
"What the...?!" she screeched, squinting her eyes. This was definitely no set of car headlights. She glanced around for the source of the light but felt stranded when the realisation struck that the light was everywhere, blinding her from reality. Inside, she knew where she really had to look.
Slowly, She looked up.
Through the light that stole her vision.
Don't panic, she thought. Keep calm.
Through a crack between her fingers she saw the shape. Black against the dark blue dusky sky and the everlasting white all around her. Revolving slowly - an impossible geometric shape she knew she would never see again.
Not on this planet.
STOP IT, she thought. No way....
"Oh my god..." she gasped as the light got brighter still, narrowing into a circular beam around her.
"No!" she managed to whisper before an almighty noise thundered through the lot. SHUUUUWWT!
Complete silence except for rapid breathing.
The light was gone. The noise was gone. Illuminous shapes remained on her vision. She stood up, a tear rolling down her face.
That was scary.
She glanced to her right to see the black car, still unilluminated, driving out of the exit at the far end of the car park.
The four floodlights flickered and relighted, swamping the place with artificial light that seemed dull and fake after what she had just witnessed.
She unlocked her car easily, removed some of her files from the driver side and got in.
She drove home faster than she ever had before.
"And now, on LWC-TP Northside we have a request for you, Diana - 'Have a great birthday!', this one's for you - "On The Outside", from Sheryl Crow..."
Scully tried to take her minds off the evening's events as she listened to the small portable radio in her apartment. Better than whatever crap was on TV anyhow.
She rubbed her head. What the hell had happened tonight? She took out a Maxi sized tub of Mango-Kiwi tropical swirl ice-cream and snapped off the lid.
"And now to the news. Frank, what have we got?"
continued the radio DJ.
Maybe TV would be better, she thought. She couldn't face another Elvis sighting or celebrity love child report on that dumb station.
She snapped off the radio and hit the red ON button on the TV set.
What WAS it?....
Power surge. Must be.... No wait.
Some kind of.... low flying aircraft?
Geese? Now she was clutching at straws.
She shook her head as if to rid herself of the thoughts.
It didn't work.
She tried to stop it, but the thought kept creeping into her head. No way. MUST NOT THINK THAT.
A medium-sized green man. With antennae. And a name badge pinned... to his skin. "Plarb" it said. "(From Venus)".
The edges of her mouth curled into a small smile - the first of the day.
But she knew what it had looked like. A Craft. Like the one in Close Encounters, the movie she had seen with Melissa, who had sat awe-struck at the screen while she had laughed and ate popcorn.
Science had always been her thing, she felt sure it always would be.
Big eyes. Gray skin. Spooky men in black cars.
Stop it.
She really needed to get out more. See someone. Get a dog. Anything.
She glanced at the stack of files she had placed beside her. Maybe that would take her mind off that stupid thing.
On the top lay the cream-coloured envelope she had found in her pigeon hole this morning.
"URGENT" it was stamped. Internal bureau stationery.
She slit it open with the end of her ice cream spoon.
She recognised the memo paper immediately as been the sort used by the directors, section chiefs - the highest of the high.
"Agent Scully.
Please attend meeting tomorrow, 9.30am prompt.
Location: Office of Section Chief Blevins, J. Edgar Hoover Building, Washington DC. Travel arrangements enclosed.
Regards."
D.C.?!! That must be good. Or bad. Had she upset anyone recently? No, not her. Not neat, do-gooder, by-the-book Dana. Sometimes she wished she was more rebellious. Blevins? Nope, she didn't recognise the name. She glanced at the air tickets excitedly. She had a good feeling about this one.
She got up to pack a case when the phone rang.
She picked it up. " 6431?" she chirped. Yes, she was in a better mood now. What did tomorrow's meeting have in store for her?
"Agent Scully?" the caller asked in a low, husky voice.
"Yes. Who's speaking?" she replied.
"I believe you have a meeting tomorrow."
"Yes. Who is this?"
"You will be offered a new assignment. With a new agent. I suggest you decline the offer."
"Who is this?" This was getting spooky.
"If you do accept, however, which you may be forced to, I suggest you watch your back."
"What? What is this?" Creep. She was worried now.
"I was there this evening. In the parking lot. Did you see me?"
"YOU were in the car? What the hell happened? Tell me!"
"You don't need to know. Just watch your back."
"Hey, wait, who the hell is this? Tell me! I don't know what this is but I want an answer!" She was angry.
This creep had been spying on her.
"Why should I watch my back?"
"Because they know you now."
There was a soft click as the caller hung up.
Scully, her mouth slightly open, replaced the receiver.
THE END