The Next Files

Part 2

*********** Back to Normal Life? ***********

It was an early weekday morning (Friday to be exact), and Federal Agent Mulder, badge number-JTT 047101111, was sitting at his desk about to log on to his computer. It was bright and sunny outside; however, one would have never guessed it from the view in Mulder's office, there were no windows.

Buried deep in the lower levels of the Fed Building it could be snowing outside and Fox wouldn't have known. Still, he did know what the day looked like, it was sunny. The walk from the parking lot to the front door of the building had shown that it was going to be a beautiful autumn day.

Mulder's office was dark, but not overly, there was still plenty of illumination. Enough light to show that it was messy. The FBI agent was not known for his neatness. His space was also small, but he wasn't complaining. He knew that the mind-set of the Bureau was to keep him tucked away,...as the old saying goes, "out of sight, out of mind". It didn't bother him, especially on this day, his birthday.

His computer screen popped into life...and he went directly to his e-mails, 27 of which were new. There were many birthday wishes (Fox did have friends at the Bureau. Just because he was considered a kook at times didn't mean that folk didn't like him).

Anyway he went through the list of greetings. He enjoyed the ones that were heartfelt, and ignored the one's that he knew weren't. And then he arrived at the very bottom. He read the heading on the last one, and it stumped him a bit. It read, "Happy Birthday from Jack".

This was a bit confusing. Fox knew several Jacks, none of whom however, would be sending him birthday wishes. He opened the mail and in a short period of time he realized that this had been sent by Jack Booth, the older gentleman he had met in Roswell only a few months earlier. This brought up a question, and it was, "how would Booth...how could he, know who Fox really was?"

Mulder had presented himself as George Hale, an alias. How could this fellow have discovered his true identity?

The e-mail he read was pleasant, with no indication of intent other than a happy birthday message (Fox knew, working for the government, that e-mails could be checked and tracked at any time, even personal correspondence. It was likely that Booth knew this too).

Anyway he closed the (mail) and began a search on the internet for... "Jack Booth". Nothing, well, nothing that would alert him about anything. At that moment Scully walked in.

"Hello birthday boy," she said...a glint in her eyes.

"Good morning my sweet," Mulder replied.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh just looking for somebody," he answered.

"Human...?"

Mulder looked at his partner, she was smiling. And then he gave a little chuckle himself.

"I don't know. I think I got a happy birthday from someone from Alpha Centauri. Does that count as human?"

It was Scully's turn to laugh.

"Mulder...anything on the agenda pressing today?"

"No, not really why?"

"Because I want to take you to lunch..."

(She had a birthday present for him too. She just didn't want to parade it around in front of everybody before she reached the office. It was a knit sweater with an alien wearing a Santa Claus cap. It would go well with the Bureau's Christmas party this year)

Anyway, it was agreed that they would have lunch.

Fox kept doing his search, and the closest he could come to a Jack-Booth were topics which linked John Wilkes Booth, son of the Confederacy and assassin of Abraham Lincoln, and Jack Ruby, executioner of Lee Harvey Oswald, claimed assassin of President John F. Kennedy, was there a connection? Both events were points in time where history changed. Was "Jack Booth" being used as an alias by this man he'd met in Roswell (the Roswell crash back in 47, was another major event which had changed the path of history)? He brought this to Scully's attention. She gave him that Scully "look"...

"Mulder, don't you think that's a bit much...you're reaching."

Fox forced himself to agree. She always did have a way of setting his feet back on terra-firma. Still, the question persisted. How had Booth tracked him down?

*********** What the Hell ***********

Lunch was fine. Scully had taken her partner to some little out of the way Italian restaurant that was wide open and had a great atmosphere. Mulder enjoyed it immensely. When the meal was winding down Dana excused herself to the ladies room, and Mulder was left alone. It was at that time that another woman sat down and looked over at him and smiled.

Fox was taken a bit back and was about to speak when the woman said.

"Hello Mr. Mulder, happy birthday. I have something for you."

She slid a small white envelope over to him and said...

"Read this, it's from a friend."

After which she quickly stood and exited the restaurant. The agent was a bit stunned but he quickly opened the letter and read it.

"Hello Fox. I'm sure by now that you've been wandering who I am (smiley-emoji). Well, let's just say that I have information for you and I want you to receive it, just not all at one time. First when you get back to your office there is something I want you to do. Go to your computer and access one of those streaming video sites, YOUT***...something or other. Type in a search for Discloser: Condition Zebra. Watch the full video all the way to the end. There's something of interest you'll find."

At that moment Scully returned. The look on Mulders face spoke that he was confused.

"Fox, what is it?"

He looked up.

"Oh just a note from a friend..."

His partner sensed that there was more to it than that. However, she would not press the issue for now.

END CHAPTER 2