X-Files: Barcodes
By Quick-n-Popular
Disclaimer: I do not own either of these shows as they're owned, respectively, by Chris Carter, James Cameron, and their affiliates.
Author's note: This is my first attempt of doing a crossover, so please be mindful of that and don't pass judgment too quickly. Also observe that I'm writing this story about twelve years prior to the actual story date that Dark Angel originally occurred, so please keep that in mind. Other than the date, I've kept everything about that show intact. Please also give this the creative criticism that it deserves, good or bad, I don't mind.
Enjoy.
Saturday, June 14th 1997
Washington D.C., J. Edgar Hoover Building 2:45 p.m.
Inside the FBI building on the first floor and in the rarely refereed to basement, Agent Fox Mulder was pacing.
He hadn't slept the night before and he was still going over the newly placed evidence in his head as the door opened to his "office" and in stepped his partner.
Dana Scully, standing 5'3", an Agent whom Mulder relied on for her knowledge in the medical science, gave a deep, despairing, and sighed as she looked disappointingly at her partner.
"Mulder, have you been up all night, again?"
Mulder, who was both unshaven and what he was wearing suggested, by the look of how wrinkled it was, that he had stayed up all night in his office.
Mulder nodded and then went to his desk and handed Scully a file.
"What do you make of this, Scully?"
Scully opened the file, which showed various autopsy reports of young men and women, ages ranging from twenty-four to twenty-six, all varying in both height and weight, only having one thing in common. A barcode tattooed on the back of their necks.
"So, all these victims have barcodes tattooed on their necks. Is there some sort of significance to these?" Scully asked taking her eyes off of the case file and looking up at Mulder.
Mulder smiled, "Believe it or not these aren't tattoos."
Scully gave her usual skepticism but having worked alongside Mulder for so long now had her become even more careful.
"Ok, I'll bite. If these aren't tattoos, what are they? Brands?"
Mulder shrugged, "To be honest, I do not have a clue nor do the coroners in those towns. Whatever those barcodes are made of its not ink. The pigmentation on these skins didn't show much but revealed that these weren't brands either."
Scully narrowed her eyes in puzzlement and looked again at the photos.
"So, what the hell are these? Do you think the killer is targeting people with this odd marking?"
Mulder, again, shrugged; "Your guess is as good as mine, at least until we head to Seattle and maybe that'll change."
Scully looked at the photos again; "Have you arranged for us to examine the bodies?"
Mulder laughed, "This is the part where you'll think I'm crazy. The bodies aren't there anymore."
Scully looked at him in surprise, "What?"
Mulder nodded, "According to all of the Coroners, they were taken away by military personnel. The records of the said bodies being there being erased from their systems."
Scully went back to her usual skepticism. "But, Mulder, why would these people be of interest to the Military? Unless, of course, you're thinking that something, other than these barcodes make them special."
Mulder grinned and pointed a finger at Scully, "That's exactly what I think. So, the two of us will head down to Seattle, where the last body was found, and see what we can dig up."
Scully put down the file and crossed her arms; "Did you get this approved by Skinner?"
Assistant Director Skinner has been their ally and co-conspirator on many things but yet he's still been a thorn in Mulder's side when it came to looking for the truth.
"I got a note from my mother," Mulder grinned, "C'mon let's go."
Scully heaved another sigh of bitter resentment for Mulder's consistent disregard for following bureau procedure, and she followed him out the door.
Chapter One: Crashing at Crash
Upon arriving, Mulder had the both of them checked into a Best Western Hotel inside the city. The time difference plus not having had any previous sleep made Mulder tell Scully that he was going to bag it.
"What are you going to do?" He asked her on the phone.
On the other end, Scully shrugged, "Actually, I was thinking of walking around for a bit. I haven't been to Seattle since my father was stationed here back in 74'."
"Well, don't be out too late, curfew's at twelve." Mulder joked.
Scully hung up the phone and retrieved her jacket just as she was dialing a local cab company.
It took ten minutes until the cab cam and soon Scully was on her way down town. She passed many places until she found a particularly interesting place called "Crash". It looked like an extreme sports bar and since she hadn't been to a place like this since she was in med school she felt nostalgic enough that she told the driver to stop.
Going inside she was hit with loud rock music and there was a huge TV screen that was showing people doing all kinds of stunts.
Across the bar in the back, A black woman with her hair all permed up was playing foosball with her friend until she noticed the petite red haired woman coming in.
"Damn girl, check out the fine little thing walking into Original Cindy's domain."
Her friend, who was a bit taller than her, looked in the direction she was indicating.
"Yeah, what about her?"
Original Cindy gave a grin, "Do you think this girl be up for a game herself?"
Her friend shrugged, "Don't know. She looks though she's trying to wind down from something."
Just then, the TV screen flickered and static appeared, followed by the screen showing an image of two eyes below a banner headlining "An Eyes Only Report".
"Uh oh, your boyfriend's on." Original Cindy said.
Scully watched the screen as the voice said:
Do not adjust your set this is a special bulletin. It will last sixty seconds. It cannot be traced, it cannot be stopped, and it's the only free voice left in this city. Ronald Hasbecker, to whom you all know as a contributor to various charitable causes, is without doubt, a fake and a murder…
Scully listened more as the man brought quick facts to this person he was singling out as the sum of all society and that the people should bring him to justice. Looking around the bar, Scully was amazed no one was calling in to complain about their program being interrupted by this cyber-hacker who intervened on their program. She watched some more until, just as the man said, it ended after a minute and the program resumed its course. After it had ended, people started talking amongst themselves about what "Eyes Only" had said while others went on like it was something that they had always ignored.
Scully was about to get up and inquire about it with the bartender, when a woman came over and sat across from her at the table.
"Hey, boo, like the show?"
Scully was confused, "I'm sorry. What'd you call me?"
The black woman smiled, "You don't need to get offended or nothin, girl. Original Cindy, just comin over here to holler at you and see if you need some company, that's all."
Scully, somewhat recognized the street dialect and quickly ascertained what this woman really had in mind. At first she was going to be polite and ask the woman to excuse her, but she was curious about the broadcast.
"Actually, that won't be so bad. What's your name again?"
Original Cindy beamed, "Well, the home girls calls me Original Cindy, course, Cindy McEachin, also has her respects." Cindy beamed.
Scully smiled, "Well, Miss McEachin, or Miss OC, what do you know about Mr. Eyes Only there?" She asked pointing to the screen.
This question seemed to change the brightness that this woman had, "Don't know a lot. Miss?"
Scully sighed, "Dana. Dana Scully." Scully was reluctant to let her FBI credentials known right now.
Hearing a name seemed to lighten up whatever this Original Cindy had withdrawn, if only a little.
"He's the man fightin' for the truth, or at least, that's what he calls it. He does these cable hacks everyday, I swear the man hasn't heard of the word "vacation.""
"How long has he been doing this?" Scully asked.
"About five years, so far. He is legit though, don't let all the hype he and others have put around him fool ya. There have been a lot of arrests and convictions because of him. Although, he still does get the beef and not everyone takes him seriously."
Scully was really intrigued, and she was about to ask some more, when a second person came up and tapped on Original Cindy's shoulder.
"Hey Cind, let's blaze."
Cindy nodded and then indicated to Scully, "Hey Max, this is Dana; Dana, Max." Both nodded politely with eachother.
Scully said goodbye as the both of them left.
She was about to have a second drink when she reminded herself that she needed to check back up with her partner.
A/N: Extremely short, I apologize. I promise though that I'll have more lengthy chapters, as I'm doing research for this particular series.
Q-n-P