Unbelief
Summary: How Scully reacts to being ditched in the
middle of a nasty case.
Other stuff: I love the New England area, and I
apologise to the residents of Waterville Valley for using
their town in this way.
Unbelief
It was coming into autumn in the White Mountains of
New Hampshire. There were a large number of day-
trippers who were interested in looking at the glorious
colours of the foliage as it turned from summer green to
fall brilliance. There were also smaller numbers of those
hardy souls who were hiking through the mountains
before the snows came. Many of the smaller towns in
the area were overflowing with people during the day,
only to settle back down to a more normal sleepiness in
the evenings. One of the smaller towns, however, was
having some problems.
Waterville Valley had some hikers go missing, and all
that seemed to be left of them was some oversized
footprints. The local sheriff's office was undermanned,
so they put a call into the Police Department in
Plymouth. As soon as the possibility of Bigfoot's
involvement was raised, the boys in Plymouth put a call
in to the FBI's office in Concord. Naturally, they didn't
see the part about the missing hikers. Once they saw
that Bigfoot was a suspect, the file was sent to Assistant
Director Walter Skinner. He gave it to the department
best qualified.
The X-Files.
###
Special Agent Fox Mulder was driving the rented
Taurus while his partner, Special Agent Dana Scully
read the case file out loud to him. They had gone over
the file prior to leaving Washington DC, and Mulder
had decided that it was worth looking into. So, they had
flown to Concord, and were driving the sixty or so miles
to Waterville Valley.
"So, Scully, what's your take on this?"
His partner lifted her head and turned towards Mulder
before answering, "Well, there are definitely people
missing. They could just be lost, and the local sheriff
doesn't have a lot of resources to search for them."
Mulder grunted. "What about the footprints?"
"Probably someone's idea of a joke, Mulder."
"What is it going to take for you to believe in a non-
scientific explanation, Scully? For it to bite you on the
ass?"
'Great,' she thought. 'He's still mad about the last year.'
Aloud, she said, "When I have the evidence that I need,
then I'll believe."
"You saw the ship, Scully!"
"I was unconscious! Once I came around, I saw a big
bank of storm clouds, and we were both hypothermic.
How many times do I have to apologise for that OPR
meeting?" she snapped.
Whatever Mulder had planned to say didn't come out.
Instead, he gripped the steering wheel a little tighter and
asked, "Why can't you just believe me, and in what I
say? Would it kill you to do that?"
"No, it wouldn't kill me, but I'm not about to lie to you."
Scully took a deep breath and added, "I have always
believed in you, Mulder, and I do all that I can to help
you prove your theories. You know that." 'Or,' she
thought, 'at least, you should know that.'
Mulder grunted again, and lapsed into silence. Scully
turned to look out the window. 'At least the scenery is
great,' she thought. 'Much better than Arcadia or the
Antarctic.'
The silence continued until the partners reached the
town on Waterville Valley. The local sheriff, Pete
Dickson, had very kindly reserved them rooms at one of
the town's two motels, so when Mulder spotted 'The
Valley View', he pulled into the parking lot. Both the
agents were dressed more casually than usual, as they
knew it was likely that they'd need to do some hiking
themselves. So, they checked in to the motel. Scully
was glad that the rooms had been recently refurbished,
and weren't like the usual roach traps Mulder chose.
She had just finished unpacking when Mulder knocked
on the connecting door.
"Hey. What do you say we go meet with the sheriff
now? We have at least three or four hours of usable
daylight."
Scully nodded her agreement. "After we check things
out, why don't we find somewhere to eat? There seems
to be a range of options to choose from."
"Well, get those little legs moving. I know how you get
when you don't get fed," he finished with a grin.
Scully gave Mulder a small smile, and he put his hand
in its customary place on the small of her back as they
left the room.
###
Three hours later, they were sitting in one of the diners
that the main street had. It was also the one closest to
their motel, so it was convenient for them. Mulder
started the conversation.
"So, what do you think now?"
"Well, we know that there are definitely four missing
hikers, two men, two women. They all seemed to be in
the same couple of square miles when they went
missing. There appears to be a lag of four days between
each disappearance. And yes, there are a number of sets
of large footprints in that same general area."
"So. ."
"I'm not going to say it's Bigfoot until I see him for
myself, Mulder. That won't stop me working to solve
this case."
"Fair enough," he conceded.
The conversations turned to other less-combustible
topics. Scully was an ice hockey fan, so that was an
easy topic to kick around. Around 9:30 pm, Mulder
started to yawn.
"Keeping you up, am I?"
He grinned at her, and said, "It must be all this fresh air
and lush foliage. What do you say to an early night?"
Scully grinned back, and asked, "Are you coming onto
me, Mulder?"
He nearly choked on his drink, but recovered enough to
say, "You wish!"
The walk back to the motel was easy, and Scully was
beginning to feel a little more comfortable with where
Mulder seemed to be at emotionally. She knew that the
last year had been hard on him, and she almost hoped
that they did find Bigfoot, just so Mulder would be
happy. They parted outside her motel room, and all she
could hear from his side was the usual sounds of Mulder
puttering around, getting ready for bed. When she heard
the TV in his room switch on, she knew he was settling
in for the night. Ten minutes later, she was in her own
bed, and already drifting off to sleep.
During that drowsy time before she fell deeply asleep,
she thought she heard Mulder's cell ring, but she was
too far along the road to slumber to pay attention.
###
Scully's alarm woke her at 6:45 am, and she went
through her morning routine as usual. She didn't hear
any sounds from Mulder's room, so when she was
ready, she knocked on the connecting door. Nothing.
She turned the knob on her side, and opened her door
only to find that his was still firmly closed. She went to
the outer door, her stomach sinking with each step. She
opened the door, to discover that their rental car was
missing. Quickly, she went to the motel's office to get a
spare key for Mulder's room.
"I'm sorry, honey," said Mrs Dobbs, the owner. "Your
friend checked out about an hour and a half ago."
"Did he leave me a message?"
"No, honey, he didn't."
Scully sighed. "Thank you for your help," she said to
Mrs Dobbs. She turned to go back to her room when she
saw the sheriff pull in.
"Agent Scully?"
"Yes, Sheriff Dickson?"
"Agent Mulder called me earlier and said he had to
leave, but that you'd be staying on to help." At Scully's
nod, he continued, "You ready to eat? Then we can get
back up to the site."
"Certainly, Sheriff. Let me just get my things, then we
can started."
Scully was in the sheriff's cruiser heading back up the
mountain when her cell started buzzing. "Scully."
"Agent Scully, can you tell me where you and Agent
Mulder are?"
"Sir, I had hoped that you could tell me where Agent
Mulder is. He checked out of the motel earlier today,
and I thought you'd given him a different assignment."
"So you're still in New Hampshire?"
"Yes, sir. The sheriff and I are on our way back to the
scene."
"I got a voicemail from Mulder saying that he and his
partner had a lead on the case to check out. Who's he
with, Scully?"
Scully swallowed, and thought hard. "I can't answer
that, sir. His motel room was empty when I checked."
"Will you be alright on your own, Scully?"
"Yes, sir. Sheriff Dickson and I will back each other up
on this case."
Skinner grunted an okay at her, and then ended the call.
'Dammit, Mulder,' Scully thought. 'What wild alien
chase are you on now?'
###
Scully and Dickson had decided that they would walk
around one side of the area, and that Dickson's two
deputies would take the other side. As she was walking
the area, she had a strange feeling about one particular
spot. She moved off the trail a little, and had started up
a slight incline when she saw it.
"Sheriff," she called softly. "Can you see that cave?"
Dickson came up to her. "Yes, Agent Scully, I can see
it," he replied quietly.
"Call your deputies; I think we're going to need them,"
Scully said as she drew her weapon. Dickson called his
men to come to their location, and drew his weapon as
well. They approached the cave's entrance as quietly as
they could. Just outside the entrance, they heard sobbing
from the inside.
"You take the right side, and I'll take the left," Scully
said to Dickson as she pulled a flashlight out of her
pocket, and settled it under her Sig Sauer. The sheriff
did the same with his Browning, and they entered the
cave.
What they found was shocking.
The crying was coming from one of the missing hikers,
Virginia Cousins. She had been chained to an iron circle
that had been fastened to the rock wall of the cave.
About six feet further along was David Campbell,
missing six days. He was still alive, just. A few feet
further along was Karen Black, missing ten days, and
the last in the line was Jason Minogue, missing fourteen
days. Both were dead. All had been beaten, and it was
obvious that they had received neither food nor water.
Near the oldest body were two pairs of boots that had
been modified to make very large and indistinct
footprints. 'Not Bigfoot. Sorry, Mulder,' thought Scully.
Scully moved quickly between the four hikers, then
came back to Virginia. "It's okay, I'm a doctor, I'm here
to help." The woman was sinking fast into hysteria, and
Scully knew that the two survivors needed help right
now. "Sheriff. ."
"Already on it, Agent. You tend the wounded, and I'll
send my boys in to help."
The next ninety minutes was a blur of action. The
paramedics moved in to care for the live victims, while
Scully and the deputies used bolt cutters to free the four
of them. Then Scully did a quick check of the two
bodies. The bodies were put on stretchers for transport
back to the nearest morgue, back in Plymouth. The
nearest hospital was there, so the two live victims were
already en route.
The walk down the hill to the vehicles was sombre and
silent. Finally, Sheriff Dickson looked directly at Scully
and asked, "How could this happen? Who could do this?
Just take people and leave them to die?"
"There are monsters all around us, Sheriff. Hopefully,
our two live victims might be able to help us identify
the perpetrators."
Sheriff Dickson nodded once, and the silent procession
continued on down the mountain.
###
Night had fallen, and Dana Scully had completed one of
the autopsies. The other had been done by the local
medical examiner, and both had shown the same cause
of death: severe beatings, followed by death due to
dehydration. This was the kind of senseless death that
Scully hated; a young, fit person with a full life ahead of
them, only to have it cut short by someone with no
regard for life. She had tried calling Mulder a few times,
with the same result: 'the person you are calling is
unavailable'. She looked at the night sky for a few
minutes, then looked around as she heard her name
called.
It was Sheriff Dickson. The fourth victim had been able
to give him good descriptions of the two men involved,
and they were getting together a team to apprehend
them. Scully considered for a few moments. "Do you
have a team waiting at the cave?" she asked.
"Well, no. Do you think they'll go back there?"
"It's been three days. This is when they'll do it again, so
it can't hurt to have a team waiting for them at the
cave."
"Now that you say it out loud, it's a good idea." The
sheriff looked at Scully, and added, "What team would
you like to be on, Agent Scully?"
"The cave. That's where I'm betting they'll be."
After a hurried conference with Plymouth PD, the team
was split into two. Scully, Dickson, and two Plymouth
police officers were to go back to the cave, and the rest
would go to the suspects' homes. The group dispersed,
and within an hour, Scully's team was making its way
up the hill to the cave. They had just barely settled in
when they heard voices coming towards them.
The team saw the outlines of two big men dragging a
smaller man in between them. The smaller man had
obviously been beaten already, and the team prepared to
move into action. Scully led the way.
"Federal agent, drop your weapons and put your hands
in the air!" The men's first response was shock, then
they dropped their victim, and started running back
down the hill. Scully and Dickson took off after the
bigger of the two, and the Plymouth officers went after
the other. Dickson threw himself at the man's legs, and
was able to bring him down, but not for long. The big
man aimed a kick at Dickson's face, which missed its
target, but hit his arm, forcing him to let go. Scully was
on him in a heartbeat, hissing, "Federal agent, stop or I
will fire!"
The big man turned around to face his captor, and
immediately started to laugh. "A little bitty woman with
a big old gun. You won't shoot me, darlin'. I'm
unarmed." He started to move towards Scully. She
didn't waver in her stance.
"Stop right there."
"Make me."
Scully fired at the ground in front of him. He looked at
her, amazed that she would pull the trigger. "Now, lie
face down, with your hands behind your head. Do it!"
The big man complied. Scully spoke to the sheriff, who
had stumbled over to their prisoner. "You okay,
Dickson?"
"Yeah, just a bit shaken." To their prisoner, he said,
"Put your left arm behind your back."
As the man moved to comply, he rolled suddenly, and
threw something at Scully's face. She couldn't move fast
enough, and was hit in the nose. Scully saw stars, and
sat down heavily. When she could see again, she saw
Sheriff Dickson sitting on their captive, with his weapon
shoved into the man's ear. "Try that again, son, and
you'll be hearing out of a brand new hole." Their
prisoner stopped struggling. "Agent, you okay?"
"Got hit in the nose. I think it might be broken, but I'll
get it checked later," she said as she walked over to the
pair. "What's your name?"
"Ain't sayin', darlin'."
"That's fine, and I'm not your darlin'," she answered.
While handcuffing their man, the sheriff Mirandised
him, then called for the other team. As it turned out,
their prisoner had given up at the first sign of the
officers' weapons, and the Plymouth officers had called
for backup.
Two hours later, Scully was sitting on an exam table in
Plymouth Hospital, listening to the doctor go through
the care and treatment of a broken nose. "Now, Agent
Scully, your nose will be fine in a couple of weeks.
There is no damage to the orbitals, but your left cheek
has a small depressed fracture, so be careful of it. It's
not big enough to repair surgically, but you'll need to
take it easy. Is there anyone who can help you?"
"No, doctor. I've been on a case, so I'll just go home and
rest. I'm a doctor myself, so I know what to do."
The doctor shook her hand, and breezed out of the
cubicle. Scully slowly slid off the table, and started
looking for her coat. As she was shrugging her way into
it, her cell buzzed. It was Skinner.
"Scully, how are you? The sheriff said you'd been hurt
during the takedown."
"I'm okay, sir. Broken nose and a small cheekbone
fracture. Just a matter of rest, is all."
"Sheriff Dickson is full of praise for you. He said that it
was your idea to stake out the cave, and it paid off."
"Sheriff Dickson is more deserving, sir. He listened to
me when he didn't have to, and he had my back when I
needed it." She paused for a moment. "I'm just glad this
case has come to a successful conclusion."
Skinner heard the unspoken question behind Scully's
words. "Kim finally tracked Mulder down. He was with
Diana Fowley, trying to get back into Area 51. Both
Mulder and Fowley are on their way back to DC, and
will be suspended for ten days for dereliction of duty."
After a few moments, he went on. "Scully, is there
anything I can do for you?"
It took a while for Skinner's question to register. Scully
was rocked by what she had heard: Mulder had ditched
her and taken off to Nevada with Fowley. She came
back to herself when Skinner repeated the question.
"Sorry, sir. I need some medical leave, please. The
doctor suggested two weeks. Is that alright, sir?"
"Two weeks will be fine, Scully. Call Kim with the
necessary details, as well as your contact details."
"Yes, sir." She disconnected the call. Dana Scully had
quite a few things to work through. She looked around
the hospital cubicle to make sure that nothing was left
behind. Then she went to find Sheriff Dickson, and a
ride back to the motel.
###
More than two weeks had passed since Dana Scully had
laid eyes on Fox Mulder. While she had been on
medical leave out of DC, she had only answered her cell
for her mother or AD Skinner. She had come to a few
conclusions, and she knew that Mulder wouldn't like
any of them. So now, it was another autumn Monday in
Washington, and Dana Scully was preparing for a
confrontation with Mulder. Skinner had some idea
about what was likely to happen, and it was all going to
start in his office.
Mulder entered Skinner's office his usual ten minutes
late. He nodded to Skinner in apology, then sat down,
where he turned to acknowledge his partner. He gasped
in surprise at her appearance. Her eyes and nose were
still bruised, and her nose still a little swollen. "What
happened, Scully?"
"The case in New Hampshire. A suspect threw a five-
pound rock in my face."
"That had to hurt," he tried to joke. Scully wasn't biting.
"It may have been avoided if my partner had been there
to back me up." Mulder had the good sense to look
ashamed.
Skinner passed the report on the New Hampshire case to
Mulder. When he had finished reading, he looked at
Scully in amazement. "Not Big Foot, just big guys,
huh?"
"Yes, Mulder."
Skinner cleared his throat to get the agents' attention.
"Agent Scully, you will be receiving a commendation
for your exemplary work on this case." He paused while
Scully nodded her acknowledgement to him. "Now,
Agent Scully, I believe you have some issues that you
would like to bring up?"
"Yes, sir."
"Proceed."
Scully cleared her throat and sat a little straighter in her
chair. "I have been partnered with Agent Mulder for six
years now, and it has generally been a rewarding
experience. However, it has become apparent over the
past year that Agent Mulder is no longer happy with my
performance as his partner. He has abandoned me in the
field on a number of occasions. He has belittled my
scientific findings many times. He does not treat me
with even basic respect. He does not trust me or my
judgement. On a personal level, he is extremely critical
of my faith."
Mulder chose that instant to jump in. "How can you say
that, Scully? You know that you are the only one I
trust!"
Scully turned in her seat and pinned Mulder with an icy
glare. "No, Mulder, I don't know that."
"What do you mean, you don't know that? I can give
you plenty of examples of my trust in you."
Skinner broke in with, "Why don't you do just that,
Mulder?"
Mulder gripped the arms of the chair and started. "Well,
there was. . what about. .and then. ." Each time he tried
to recall an instance of him showing his trust in Scully,
there was nothing he could recall. He could, however,
recall a great many instances of Scully's trust in him.
'Oh, crap,' he thought, 'how badly have I screwed up?'
he slumped back in his chair. "Well, if you feel so bad
about it, why do you stay?"
Scully simply smiled enigmatically, and answered, "The
X-Files are fascinating, frustrating, and maddening.
They are also the most challenging thing I have ever
worked on. But I cannot stay on with a partner that does
not trust me. Which brings me to my request, sir."
Skinner motioned for her to continue.
"I would like to have a new partner assigned to me, so
that I can continue to investigate the X-Files in the most
effective manner."
Skinner leant back for a moment, then nodded. "Alright,
Agent Scully. Here is a short list of suitable candidates.
Please get back to me by the end of the day with the one
you feel is best equipped to assist you." Scully inclined
her head in thanks, took the folders, and sat back in her
chair.
Mulder was looking from Skinner to Scully and back
again. Finally, he gathered enough of his wits about him
to ask, "Are there personnel files for me to go through
so I can select a new partner for me on the X-Files?"
Skinner looked directly at Mulder, and Mulder could
have sworn that Skinner had a malevolent gleam in his
eye.
"No, Agent Mulder, there are not."
"May I ask why, sir?"
"Because you are no longer on the X-Files."
###
Fox Mulder could not believe his ears. He just sat there,
stunned. Skinner looked at Scully, and gestured towards
the door. She nodded, stood up, and left the Assistant
Director's office with the personnel files in her hands.
After the door had closed behind Scully, Skinner
focused on Mulder. "Mulder," he said, almost gently.
No response, so he repeated himself, a little louder.
"Mulder!"
The younger man started perceptibly. He shook his
head, and choked out, "Why?"
"Do you mean, why take you off the X-Files?"
"Yes, I mean why take me off the X-Files!" Mulder
snarled. The shock was wearing off and giving way to
anger.
"Are you prepared to listen to my reasons, Agent?"
Mulder started again at the A.D.'s tone. It was every
inch the Marine sergeant speaking. Mulder got control
of himself, and nodded his agreement.
"I've been doing some research over the last two weeks
into the X-Files, and the way that the cases solved
percentages vary. When you first started the X-Files,
what do you think your solve rate was?"
Mulder shook his head at the question. "I really don't
know the answer to that, sir."
"Well, I do know the answer. When it was you and
Fowley, it was twenty percent. One in five. That's the
kind of rate that would earn any pair of agents a
reprimand."
"I had no idea, sir."
Skinner continued his lecture. "After Fowley left, your
solo efforts got the solve rate up to thirty percent. That's
three in ten. The only thing that helped you keep the X-
Files open was your connections in Congress, and you
know that didn't endear you to the FBI hierarchy."
Mulder was silently going over the evidence that
Skinner was presenting him with, and he began to
experience a sinking feeling about where this was
heading. Skinner quietly observed the younger agent,
and ploughed on.
"Then, in 1992, Special Agent Doctor Dana Scully was
assigned as your partner. Once the two of you got into
your groove, your solve rate went up to just about
eighty percent. That's four out of five, Mulder. And
these were cases that were deemed unsolvable, or too
hard, or just plain too weird. Four out of five. Any other
pair of agents with that solve rate would be able to write
their own ticket."
Mulder had started looking sick by this time. "I never
really bothered with the statistics, sir."
Skinner knew he now had Mulder's full attention. "You
should have. The most amazing thing about that solve
rate is that on ninety percent of your cases, you
abandoned your partner, and still the two of you were
able to solve eighty percent of the cases. Maybe you
would have solved more if you hadn't been so obsessed
with ditching your partner."
There was nothing that Mulder could say. When faced
with the cold, hard facts, he and Scully were a great
team. If what Skinner was saying was correct, then the
main reason that their solve rate was so high wasn't that
he was right 98.9 percent of the time, it was that Scully
did the bulk of the grunt work that provided the
solutions. He looked at Skinner and asked, "What was
the solve rate when Diana and Spender ran the X-
Files?"
Skinner started laughing. "Don't you listen to Hoover
gossip, Mulder? Their solve rate was zero. The whole
time they were on the X-Files, they submitted two
reports, and that included the one that made you out to
be a raving lunatic!" He chuckled again, and reiterated,
"They solved nothing. This case in New Hampshire is
your sixth since reinstatement. So far, you're running at
five out of six, and Scully is the one who solved this
latest case."
"What are my options, sir?"
Skinner had been watching Mulder's reactions, and
knew that Mulder had been reaching conclusions that
were quite unpalatable to him. "Option one. Go back to
ISU and profiling. McCrary's in charge, and he's a good
man." Mulder shuddered visibly at that option. "Okay.
Option two: Domestic Terrorism, under Kersh." If
Mulder could have puked, he would, and Skinner
quietly chuckled to himself before continuing. "Option
three. There's a project outside the Bureau mainstream
that currently has one agent running it. That agent needs
a partner." Mulder started to look interested, so Skinner
played the line out a bit more. "You would be there to
offer appropriate psychological observations, as well as
back your partner up. You interested?"
Mulder couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Are you
talking about the X-Files, sir?"
"Yes, Agent Mulder, I'm talking about the X-Files."
"But you just said I was off them!"
"Tell me, Mulder, have you learnt anything at all in the
last fifteen minutes?"
Mulder opened his mouth to answer, then closed it.
Skinner had been leading him to see for himself how
important Dana Scully was to the success of the X-
Files. "Did you and Scully plan this, sir?"
"Not at all, Mulder. Scully called me last week, in the
middle of her medical leave, and we discussed her
feelings about the X-Files, as well as her feelings about
you. It was glaringly obvious that you've been treating
her like crap, and that has to stop. Scully is a fine agent,
and you've been treating her like a rookie and a burden.
So let me ask you a question, Mulder. Do you want to
work on the X-Files?"
"Of course I do. There's nearly ten years of my life in
those files!" Mulder shouted.
"And there's six years of Dana Scully's life in them!"
Skinner shouted back at him.
All of a sudden, the magnitude of Scully's involvement
in the X-Files hit him with the force of a sledgehammer
between the eyes. Six years, two abductions, numerous
kidnappings, multiple assaults: it all became obvious.
When the losses of Melissa and Emily were added in,
Mulder had to admit that Dana Scully had just as much
invested in the X-Files as he did. He also had to admit
that he had treated her appallingly, and that he had some
serious grovelling to do. "I would like to ask for option
three, sir. I'd like to be assigned to the X-Files."
Skinner nodded, and handed Mulder a folder. "Are you
willing to work with Dr Scully?" Mulder thought, then
he nodded his agreement, and Skinner continued,
"Report to the agent in charge, Dr Dana Scully. Do you
know where the basement is, Agent?' he asked with a
tiny smirk on his face.
"Yes, sir. I think I can find my way there."
As Mulder stood to leave, Skinner asked, "Has Agent
Fowley contacted you in the last two days, Mulder?"
"No. Why?"
"Just so you are aware, her new assignment is
transcribing wire taps. In Nome."
Mulder looked at Skinner carefully. If he wasn't
mistaken, that tiny smirk that Skinner had been wearing
had gotten bigger, and Mulder was starting to have
trouble keeping a straight face. Skinner added one last
thing as Mulder reached the door. "And, Mulder? Good
luck with your new assignment. I think you're going to
need it."
"Thank you, sir. I'm positive I'll need it."
###
Thirty minutes later, Special Agent Fox Mulder exited
the elevator on the basement level. He approached the
door to the office that still had his name on it. 'That'll
have to change,' he thought. He raised his hand and
knocked.
"No-one down here but the FBI's most unwanted," came
floating through the door in a husky alto. Mulder had to
contain a chuckle at that. 'Let's rewrite history,' he
thought. And he opened the door.
