Flashback
Dana felt like she had been here before. She had, of course, sat in the coffee shops around Metro Center on many occasions. And she had become used to clandestine meetings in quiet offices and disused warehouses. But today was a combination of a secret meet in a very public place. That was unusual, but had happened to her once before. She was still reflecting on that meeting when her contact Carlos Pérez arrived.
"Hi there. Doctor Scully, of course?" he blinked in the sunlight. "Let me get some drinks and we'll talk."
Pérez returned with ornate coffee and pastries. Dana ignored the cream-crowned items and took only the plainest drink.
"I'm sorry if I'm taking up too much of your time," he started. He had the mildest of Cuban accents. "We can agree this really quick."
"I am in the middle of a conference, Doctor Pérez," she replied politely. "But some of us still believe in fresh air."
He laughed mildly. "You can't beat the great outdoors. I am a bit of a bird enthusiast myself."
"Well, I'm sure there are people who can show you the Chesapeake Bay if you have spare time."
"Ah yes." He smiled, clearly not having considered such an option, which in itself was not unusual for most of the metro-centered population. "I will make a note of that for a future occasion. For now I find myself very busy with FEMA duties. I'm only passing thru today on my way down to the Gulf of Mexico. I have a clash of assignments which I need to resolve quite quickly."
Dana's interest was taken by this busy lifestyle which seemed a larger reflection of her own.
"If I can help you out I will, but you must realize I have my own assignments at the Bureau to deal with."
"Ah yes," he smiled. "This may be where you can be of most assistance to me."
Dana began to think that this may be more than a little exchange of information or a setting up of a meeting; the conference was full of such little link-ups. But this increase in the level of importance was also a warning to her. It would be best to be as neutral as possible in her responses.
He stirred an extra sugar into his grandiose, overflowing coffee. "Are you familiar with cryptids?"
Dana's face fell flat. "Modern myths. Wild cats in the hills and apes in the trees. Near to fiction, but believable enough to fall into the realms of scientific investigation."
"Yes. I see we arrive quickly at the point." He smiled. "My duties in the south prevent me from taking on an assignment further north. I am the medical lead in a latent mega-fauna case that just became interesting."
"Mega-fauna?" She almost laughed aloud. "Are you looking for a giant bird? What has that got to do with me?" Subconsciously she reached for her purse and shifted in her seat, near to leaving.
He raised his palm in a placatory manner. "Of course not. That would be absurd. You are a busy Special Agent and accomplished doctor. I would not want to insult you with…" He paused to try to be clever, but finished limply with the words "… a wild goose chase."
He produced a small folder filled with newspaper clippings. He pushed it eagerly over the table to Dana like a little boy with crumpled wild flowers picked from the road-side.
"I'm not sure I have time for a veterinary case, Dr. Pérez," she tried to conclude.
"But Dr Scully - Dana – you're an acknowledged expert in unusual field autopsies and related procedures." He reached his conclusion a little earlier than he had intended. "You're not only the best replacement for me on this task, you're the best person overall for the job."
"Flattery is not enough," she replied. "Where is this 'non' goose chase?"
"It's a lake in Canada. Not too far north. Not too cold at this time of year. In fact it's got a great little micro-climate. There have always been historical reports of lake monsters in Canada, particularly since the 40's, but the native Canadians – what do we call 'em? 'first nation' peoples – have stories about a fish or a lizard, sometimes a turtle, in the lake which eats cattle or the occasional passer-by."
"Am I looking for the Loch Ness monster?" Dana asked scathingly. The purse was now over her shoulder.
"No. of course not," Pérez reassured her. "But there has been recent evidence of attacks on local livestock. Quite badly damaged animals which you can understand are a little upsetting to law enforcement, the chamber of commerce, the tourist board. Maybe you could help us identify the source of the problem?"
Now, Dana was intrigued. She was familiar was livestock mutilation and the associations with extraterrestrial activity. Such damage could usually be explained away by natural (or teenage) phenomena. In fact she had written a review chapter in a colleague's textbook. It might be useful to make her own study and publish a few papers on it; maybe even her own publication.
"How much time would I have to spend on this?" she inquired, a shade of interest flickering across her face.
"I guess two weeks would be the maximum. Some of the sites are a little far apart from the main settlement, but if you wanted to do all the autopsies in the town, that would make things easier for you." Pérez was talking quietly without panic. He had achieved his result, obtained his agreement. He smoothly produced a second folder, trying carefully not to create a lot of noise which might steal his victory from him.
"The first folder is just some background, newspaper clippings, sketch maps and a few notes from local law enforcement. The second one is some open travel documents, permits for your weapon, references and a copy of the title page from the legacy FBI file. You can pull the original when you next pass by the Hoover Building.
When Dana saw the title page and the original file reference and the bold 'Unsolved' stamp she realized that she had not stumbled across the case, the file had found her.