SHADY PINES MOTEL
SAN FERNANDO VALLEY
Mulder stared at his partner, wondering if this was some sort of joke.
"You want to run that by me again?" he said.
"Your space shuttle orbiter Olympia," she said. "Six months ago it ended up on my Earth, and our space plane ended up on yours."
"You're saying you're the Scully of that other Earth?"
"Major Dana Scully. Pleased to meet you, Fox."
She held out her hand. He shook it tentatively.
"Mulder," he mumbled, still processing this revelation, still not entirely convinced this wasn't his Scully pulling his leg, "everyone calls me Mulder."
"Huh. Interesting." She took another drag on her cigarette.
"So if you're over here does that mean my Scully is over there?"
"No, it doesn't. We have no idea what caused the two craft to swap places and no way of replicating the phenomenon, but we have recently discovered how to project a person's mind into the body of their counterpart in another universe while the counterpart is asleep."
"You mean...?"
"Yes, this is your Scully's body but my mind is currently in the driving seat. While I'm in charge her mind is remains sleeping. When I leave she'll wake up and reassert control."
"The many worlds theory posits an infinite number of parallel universes. How were you able to home in on this particular one?"
"By comparing material from your universe to material in our own, we discovered that on the molecular level each has a different 'quantum signature', an address if you like. Using that signature, priming the drug used in the process with such material, we're able to create a quantum link between a person in our universe and their counterpart in yours."
"So why are you here now? Are you just testing the process?"
"No, I was sent here for a reason. This 'demon' you're looking for," she said, indicating the notes on the table, "is also from my Earth. His name is William Dayton. I'm here to help you stop him."
"So this William Dayton is not really a demon?"
"No - if such things even actually exist - he's not."
"Then who or what is he, and why is he killing random people here?"
"The killings aren't random."
"But there's no link between the victims."
"Yes there is - just not on this Earth. On mine, Carter Johns and Gary Negretti are colleagues. Look, I probably ought to start at the beginning."
"Good idea."
"William Dayton was born in 1950, so he's now in his late forties. Like Carter Johns and Gary Negretti, he was with the air force and attached to Edwards Air Force base, but where they're big-wigs he's a military scientist. For reasons we don't yet fully understand, the process that brought us both here works better on some people than on others. From the beginning, the tests that were conducted identified him as the best candidate, followed by me, which is why he was the first to be projected into the mind of his counterpart over here. He woke to find himself in a dormitory with a dozen other men and soon ascertained they were all part of some sort of anti-government militia group."
"And the part about being a demon?"
"I'm getting to that. From the moment he took possession of his other self's body he could tell there was something 'off' about it. As he described it to us on his return, it felt almost as if it had extra muscles his own body didn't. When he was alone, he experimented, trying to figure out how to 'flex' these 'muscles', and he succeeded. To his astonishment, bat-like wing sprouted from his back, talons from his fingers and toes, and his face morphed into that of the 'demon' described in these reports."
"Did he have an explanation for this transformation?"
"Yes. He had the scientific knowledge to run a few tests which confirmed what he suspected: alien DNA. In this world, before his birth, William Dayton's own DNA had been spliced with DNA recovered from an extraterrestrial." Mulder felt his pulse quicken at this revelation.
"This was totally unexpected, of course, but of no direct relevance to us. Our Dayton's initial trip had only been intended as a short reconnaissance mission to test the process. Once it had proven successful and he'd reported in, he was sent back on an actual mission."
"Which was?"
"To discover what had happened to the crew of our space plane. He learned from your newspapers they had been killed in a plane crash and he was distraught."
"Why?"
"The flight attendant on the space plane, Jill Reilly, was his fiancee. He was convinced it was no accident, that they had been killed deliberately?"
"Why would he think that?"
"Because that's what happened to their counterparts - the crew of Olympia - on our Earth. I'm not proud of the fact, but those that make the decisions in such matters decided the very fact of their existence made them too dangerous to be allowed out into our world."
"I'm not entirely sure that's not what also happened to your people over here, too," admitted Mulder.
"You think the plane crash was staged?"
"I do."
"Dayton obviously agreed with you. He knew who was responsible for deciding the fate of your crew in our world, and has clearly decided their counterparts were likely to have been responsible for deciding the fate of our crew in yours."
"Why was he allowed back over?"
"He wasn't, but once the link has been made between someone and their counterpart that link is permanent. Will yourself into the right, trance-like state and possessing your counterpart while they sleep is easy. He asked for - and received - compassionate leave, so long as he reported in regularly."
"I'm guessing he never reported in and you have no idea where he is."
"Correct. We began to worry about what he might be up to over here, so I was sent to investigate. These crime reports have confirmed our worst fears."
She took a long drag on her cigarette, and Mulder regarded her thoughtfully.
"OK," he said, "you've convinced me you're not my Scully pulling an elaborate prank on me, but why should I work with you? You're essentially an agent of a foreign power."
"A foreign power that's the United States of America."
"Yeah, but not this United States of America."
She sighed.
"Look, we both want to put this man away, you because of the homicide and me because we might want to one day open formal relations between our Earths and this makes a terrible first impression."
"I could have you taken into custody."
"If you did I'd just slip back to my own body leaving your Dana Scully somewhat confused and anything you might say about me looking like something you'd made up."
"Then I guess we're working together," said Mulder, smiling, "I just needed to know where the limits were."
"Good. I'm still figuring them out myself, and trying to get used to being in another universe, which is actually more mind-blowing than I anticipated. Even the small things catch you out," she said, tapping her cigarette pack. "When I got these from the motel vending machine I wasn't expecting to be surprised by them, but I was. On this Earth they're 'Morley', but on mine the name on that pack would be 'Marlboro'."
"That's as may be, but since my Scully doesn't smoke you really shouldn't be abusing her lungs like that."
"Oh lighten up, Mulder! I'm not going to be here long enough to do any harm," she said, rising from the table and taking a final drag before carefully stubbing her cigarette out in the ashtray.
"Good to hear," said Mulder as he too got to his feet.
"Now that's settled, I should give you these," she said, grinning and handing him a newspaper and a magazine. "You ordered them but they were left outside my door by mistake."
"Ah," said Mulder, taking the publications from her, and trying not to look at the large-breasted woman on the magazine cover.
"There's some kinky stuff in there, Mulder, I approve."
"Thank you. A man named Clyde Bruckman, who could somehow intuit how anyone was going to die, once told me that in my case it would be via auto-erotic asphyxiation, but he was joking. At least I hope he was."
"A shame your Scully isn't as open minded." "What do you mean?"
"Apart from a vibrator, there were no sex toys in her baggage at all. I wouldn't dream of travelling anywhere without at least a leather paddle and my strap-on. My counterpart is a lot more vanilla than I was expecting. I doubt she ever uses her handcuffs recreationally, and she's probably rigidly heterosexual, too."
"I'm guessing you're not."
"God, no. Why limit your options? If I had I'd've missed out on great sex with some wonderful women. I hope your Scully is at least getting laid regularly."
"I'm not going to discuss my partner's sex life with you."
"So she does have one then? Good."
Smiling, she sidled up to Mulder and slid her arms around his waist.
"And what about you, hotshot? If you want to properly welcome a visitor from another universe to your world I can think of some very enjoyable things we could do together to help forge closer interdimensional relations."
"I'd prefer it if we keep things strictly professional between us," said Mulder, gently disengaging from her arms.
"A pity. I was looking forward to seeing how your body compared with Captain Mulder's.
"The two of you have had sex?"
"Yes. Why so shocked?"
"But if he's a captain then he's your subordinate."
"So? I've had sex with several of my subordinates, and they've all been willing partners, *very* willing in the case of Lieutenant Krycek. Now there's a woman who loves being on the receiving end of a riding crop!"
"Alex Krycek is female on your Earth?"
"Lieutenant Alexandra Natalia Krycek. So she's a man here? Ooh how very interesting. I really want to meet him now."
"Trust me on this - you really don't. In this world he was responsible for the death of your sister."
"Melissa? But...she died when we were children."
She sighed heavily.
"I'm not in Kansas any more, am I?" she sighed.
"No Dorothy, you're really not."
"When did she die?"
"Three years ago."
"Damn. So I just missed meeting her as an adult?"
"I'm not sure that would've been a good thing."
"I am. I'd have given anything to spend some time with her."
A car pulled up in the parking lot. Detective Reece got out.
"Shona Reece," Mulder told Scully quietly, "the detective from the local police we're working with."
"' Morning," said Detective Reece walking over to them, "is that fresh coffee I spy?"
"Help yourself," said Scully.
"We think we may have a lead on our killer," said Mulder, "we received a call from an anonymous source claiming his name is William Dayton."
"An anonymous source, huh? Riiight. I wonder how they knew where to contact you?"
"Who can say? Apparently, Dayton is part of some local militia group."
"Did your 'informant' say which one?" asked Reece, sipping her coffee.
"Marion Militia," said Scully, "in a compound at the Reynard Farm."
"Huh, then you might be in luck. The BATF has a man undercover with them who regularly checks in with me. I'm meeting with him when he travels in from the farm later today to pick up supplies. Did you get any explanation for the whole 'flying demon' thing?"
"No, but it's our only lead. Do you think he could get us into the group?"
"What are you thinking, Mulder?" asked Scully.
"If we pose as a couple sympathetic to the group's aims and he vouches for us, we should be able to get close to Dayton. Would he be prepared to do that for us, Detective Reece?"
"He might," she said, thoughtfully, "but you'd need to be ready to go with him today. He won't be leaving the farm again for another week."
"Tell you what, Mulder," said Scully. "You head down to the nearest mall and get us suitable clothing, while I stay here and work out the details with Detective Reece."
The two women exchanged a look, and Reece nodded.
"Yes," she said, "that makes sense."
"Right, then I guess I'll see you ladies when I return."
Mulder headed off, not quite able to shake the feeling he had just been dismissed.
